Marketing Units in Construction

[Jim Macedon]

How is everyone doing on this fine Wednesday? 

I'm currently building a 4plex of four townhomes.  It is scheduled to be completed on March 15.  I have also decided to market my own units without the assistance of a realtor for the first time.  I have other properties, but have always used a leasing agent in the past.  I figured the long timeframe of construction would be the best chance to figure things out on my own. 

I'm now about a month away from completion and I still do not have any unit leased up.  I've had maybe 4 or 5 people show interest, but none of those met my requirements.

I'm torn between two ways of looking at this, so I'm seeking input from those with experience in new construction rentals.

On the one hand I'm not too worried.  The units still can't be shown, I can't even offer pictures of a completed unit, and it's still a month away from availability.  I've been told that it is very difficult--virtually impossible--to get someone to buy or lease something without seeing it in a completed state.

On the other hand, though, I can't help but be a little concerned.  I put a lot of effort into marketing--Google ads, my own website, and of course all the real estate sites, plus offering incentives for pre-lease.  Through my own website and Google ads, I actually built a waiting list of about 15 people, but none have actually applied despite my offering pre-lease incentives.  My books say that pre-leasing is a thing, although mostly in reference to large apartment complexes. 

Is this normal and I can expect more interest once I can post good pictures and offer showings, or is it time to start re-thinking my pricing or maybe even my decision to go it alone?