Help: when to list/advertise my (current rehab) rental property?

[Robert Kohnfelder]

Hey everyone. I just bought a house that needs plenty of rehab and renovation in order to get it where it needs to be. That is, a mid-grade (B class?) rental in a pretty good area of Pittsburgh. We have begun doing most of the large projects/repairs, and intend on being finished with that type of work by the beginning of March (jacking the house up, leveling the floors, replacing the kitchen, etc.) so that we can get the finishing touches (exterior work, landscaping, etc.) wrapped up for an April 1st tenant. I know things can quickly change, but that is the current plan.

My question is this: When is the best time to get my rental listing posted on websites? I have had no problem whatsoever finding tenants with quick turnarounds for a nearby duplex, but they haven't needed any major work done, so the pictures and descriptions are pretty much ready-to-go at a moment's notice. For this SFH, I'm not sure if posting a listing without pictures makes sense, especially this early, but if the work isn't done until mid-March, that may not be enough time to find a quality tenant for April -- my opinion is that people renting/moving into houses are looking to lock something up more than a few *days* before their lease ends/begins, whereas I've had tenants in my duplex units lined up just a week before their current lease ends...

Does anyone have any experience with a dilemma/situation such as this? I was thinking about posting a listing with the updates that are coming, along with basic house info, just to get a few interested tenants lined up (conservative route). However, I think the finished product (and pictures) will be much better in order to get a wide range of quality tenants (upside route)... Thoughts!?