Hard Time to rent my property

[Nithya D.]

I bought a house SAn Antonio.Its a brand new community with lot of investor homes.My rental  is through a property management company.I have reduced rent 3 times .My zillow contact is 43 totally but only 2 showings so far.My PM suggests to reduce further.I wont have any cash flow with that low rent.what do you suggest.I want to rent it out asap.

[Greg M.]

My first impression is there are problems with the listing and the unit itself.

Every single picture except the last four have a giant MYND MANAGEMENT watermark in the center. Are they really that worried about someone stealing their pictures? This watermark needs to be MUCH smaller and located in an area that isn't blocking the main feature of the picture.

The pictures themselves I do not like. Every one was taken at an odd angle. They are distorted and quite honestly, they kind of make me feel dizzy when looking at them. 

There are multiple pictures of what appears to be the same room, but I'm not sure. The pictures need to be labeled. Master Bedroom, Bedroom #2, Powder Room, etc. 

The layout pics are interesting. I love that they say there is a back patio. That 2'x2' concrete slab outside the door is not a patio. That's an insult. And the front door having a porch is a stretch. 

Did the painters run out of paint before getting to the garage? It's a shame to have a house that looks completely done and fail to spend a few dollars to make something look much nicer. Maybe you're going to be a cheap landlord is my first thought. 

The yard looks to be a good size, but with the funky pictures I can't tell. The renter has kids, let them know how big the yard is.

The sod job in the back looks like it was done very poorly. I can tell they're different heights from the pics. Makes me wonder what other poor quality things are in the house.

You have dirt, two trees, and some debris in the back yard. At the very least the debris could have been picked up before the pictures.

The aerial picture shows that the neighborhood is still being build with lots of just started homes around it. This says dirt, noise, and danger to parents.

Where exactly is the home? San Antonio is close in size to Los Angeles. If I advertised a home as being in Los Angeles and gave an address, no one would have any idea where it was without taking the time to look up the address. That's true even if I mention it is close to a golf course. Give me a better indication of where it is. Something like, "located in the historic XYZ district, walking distance from the Alamo, and just 3 miles from the San Antonio International Airport". 

Is there any front yard? I don't see any pics of it if there is one. The further set back from the street, the more palatable to a person with young children.

I know it's not something that you can change, but having 3 bedrooms share one bathroom is not a feature. Right now it reads to me as 3 bedroom and an office and these are renting much lower in price. 

This is a house to be rented to a family. Schools, restaurants, and the golf course are just minutes away from this place you state. The elementary, middle, and high schools that service this location show being rated 2/10. No one moves here for the schools. The neighborhood has a 0/100 walkability score. Governor Abbott has a higher walkability score than this. Transit score of 0/100. Bike score of 22/100. I honestly don't believe that I've ever seen such low scores. Absolute killers for a family rental. 

Your rental terms are a complete turnoff. Maybe they are standard in your area, but in mine they'd be a deal killer. You want a $49 application fee per adult + a $199 move-in fee + a 1% monthly admin fee + $199 pet move-in fee + pet rent + deposit + HOA fees + renters insurance. You talk about fines and federal occupancy guidelines and make it clear if there is an issue you're not fixing it before move-in. The listing ends with "We look forward to connecting with you!". Well, how about your eyes connect with my middle finger, because there is no way in hell I'd ever contact you with this type listing.

On top of this, there are a bunch of homes for rent in your area that look near identical to yours. I'm guessing that you didn't purchase any upgrades when they built the home. Nothing sets it apart. And you have carpet in kids bedrooms! 

You may get $1895 for it if you wait long enough, but if it were mine, I'd move it to $1700 and get rid of the $500 move-in bonus and all the application / move-in / pet fees. Get it rented and let the area settle and you can increase the rent at renewal.