Why is my SFH not renting?

[Daniel Kim]

Hello BP members,

I have a 5/5, new construction home in a nice area that I recently put in the market. My PM said they had around 8 showings but it hasn't been rented yet. It's been over  a month and a half, so I've lowered the price. I posted the link below to see if I might be missing something. I'd appreciate your feedback.

https://www.zillow.com/homes/9440-Camelback-Creek-Dr-Las-Veg...

[Greg M.]

I don't know the area, but looking at other listings, it appears that it's not a $3,500/month area. Prices seem to top out high $2,000's with many in the mid-$2,000 area. 

You place looks very well done and appears to have decent finishings, but that isn't enough to bring that much more money. And you should have done the kitchen cabinets to the ceiling. 

The pictures are professionally done, but they aren't labeled. It's impossible to tell things when you use the same finishings in multiple rooms, but don't label the room. I'm not sure if you've retaken photos of the same room from multiple angles or they are different rooms. Also, they appear very sterile. Hard for a person to imagine living there. 

What are going to be turnoffs:

Resident Benefit Package $50, among other benefits includes trash and sewer, and HVAC filters delivered to tenant monthly. Why isn't this bundled with the rent?

Additional prior to move-in deposits: Cleaning Deposit $400. Is this really the only deposit? If there is no security deposit, you should highlight that. You should also think twice about that!

Additional prior to move-in fees: Admin Fee $150. One-time, non-refundable, and Re-Key Fee $125. One-time, non-refundable. Sorry, but these are the costs of doing business. How'd you like to go to a restaurant and see a separate fee for cleaning the table or refilling the salt shaker? 

Non-pet owners still need to complete the pet addendum. If you DO NOT have a pet/animal, you STILL must complete your Pet Screening profile as "No Pet or Animals" which will be free of charge to you. You come off sounding really anal and you're probably going to pick at every little thing.

Property is rented "as-is", "where-is" condition. So you're not fixing anything when it breaks? 

$75 application fee per adult. Non-refundable. No exceptions! So for the typical family renting this place, they're going to incur $150-$225 in screening fees. Yeah, I'll pass. 

Sewage included in rent, Solar Panels, Trash and Sewer. It's not included, you're charging me $50/month for it. And keep your sewage!

Cooling features: Other. LOL. What exactly does this mean? You'll provide Chinese Hand Fans to the tenants at signing? 

Listing mentions an ADU. Where is it? Where is the Casita that is mentioned?

It's a very poorly worded listing. From your listing: Appliances included: Dishwasher, Dryer, Microwave, Refrigerator, Stove, Washer. Why are washer and dryer separated? Most people would question if there is a refrigerator first. That should be #1. One pet may be allowed. A deposit PER PET will be required. Do you mean per all ONE PET you will allow? Garbage included in rent. You can keep the garbage along with the sewage! There are a lot of these things in the listing. 

Is the grass real? If so, that may be a turnoff due to cost to keep it green. 

You're going to be renting to a family. Why is there no mention of the good schools in this area?

Clean up the listing. Reduce the price. I think you're going to need to go sub-$3,000 before you get any real interest.