Applicants turn down acceptance offer

[Anna W.]

I am having the worse time getting one of my vacancies filled. I keep getting tons of interest and a few applications. Everyone proclaims how much they love the place, but then once I offer them the unit, they turn it down. This has happened over a course of two months at various rental prices with ~8 applicants. The rent is now down to what I believe to be under its value and $450 less than what I was getting with the last tenants. In the past, this unit has rented in a weeks time of being listed.

Is the market really that horrible now compared to last year at this time? Is there anything you all recommend to do to get serious applicants that wont flake the moment they are offered the property?

The property is a duplex (upper floor) in Oakland, CA.