Do you post your listings on Facebook?

[Elijah White]

I posted our first property for rent on Facebook marketplace and have received over 35 Facebook messages inquiring about availability and showings. I used Rentometer and Zillow’s rent estimate to determine my rent, but now I’m thinking it is way too low. So, should I remove the listing and repost at a higher price, or is it normal to have this many inquiries normal and the majority will flake out? 

[Nathan Gesner]

It doesn't mean your rent is too low. Private Landlords tend to get a lot more inquiries because bad tenants think there won't be a screening process and they can sneak in. Or maybe they think you'll be a pushover and negotiable on the price.

Your advertising should be clear about your most basic qualifications. This will allow potential renters to self-eliminate. For example, just mentioning you will run a credit/criminal background on every person 18 or older will stop about 1/3 - 1/2 of all inquiries. I would keep it pretty basic to your top 3-5 requirements:

• Must make 3x the rent
• Credit score of at least 620 for each applicant
• No animals allowed

Anyone with a criminal record or a 550 credit score will (usually) move on to the next rental. This will dramatically reduce the number of inquiries.

I would take the ad down for a day or two, beef it up, and then try again.