Effective ways to advertise rentals

[Tony Willenborg]

I just purchased a condo in Champaign, IL.  We are in the middle of making some very basic updates, but I would like to start advertising it right away.  What are the best ways to stand out in a crowded market?

[Jeff G.]

Craigslist. You will get calls. Also, for the love of heaven do not advertise the street address of the property, describe it and name a cross-street. Why? Because, you're basically putting a great big neon sign over your rental and saying, "unoccupied, please steal my copper! Please, please, pretty please." 

When you post online, show lots of pictures to stand out. If you're in a very competitive market you may want to get the house staged (filled with furniture) for marketing purposes.

If you must list it in such a way as to disclose the address (for example you list it with an agent as a rental) please spend the extra $15-20 bucks to install a simplisafe alarm system: this is an inexpensive alarm system that works over 3G cellular networks. This will make break-ins less likely or less severe. It's a lot cheaper to replace an exterior door than tons of missing copper.