How long should it take to find a tenant?

[Mike Boss]

I bought a duplex in Ohio at the start of this year. One side is occupied and the other is empty. I renovated the empty unit. It’s in a small rural suburb. It’s two stories and each unit is a little over 1200 sq Ft. It’s got 3 bed rooms and 1.5 bath.

I’m marketing it for $1,100/mo. This is a bit high but I wanted to use it as a starting point and am open to the possibility of having to lower it. Most 3 beds in the town go for $900/mo on the low side and $1,100/mo on the high side. It’s been up for 5 days and there’s 8 contacts according to Zillow. My PM is marketing it on different platforms. The tenant on the other side said she knows someone who can move in for $900/mo. But I’d like to get $1000/mo considering how much money I put in repairs. 

I would like to see if anyone has been in my situation and can offer some insight? 

I would also like to mention that I eventually would like to sell the place. I’m trying to decide if I should put it for sale now with one side tenant occupied or wait for both units to be occupied.