Small Town Nuisances

[Kim Herrick]

I am considering purchasing a duplex in a small town. When chatting with some very helpful people here on BiggerPockets something popped up that I never considered.  Longer vacancies because of the limited pool of qualified tenants. 

Does anyone have any best practices to market for tenants in small towns? I was thinking of going to churches, I posted an add on Craigslist and didn’t get a single hit. There is s college near by but the property is in a more residential area about a mile from campus, but this seems to be my best option  

Is there anything anyone has tried that has helped fill their property with a quality tenant in a timely manner? Also what vacancy rate are you using in a smaller town to evaluate deals before purchasing?