Vacancies are every landlord’s nightmare—empty units mean lost income, wasted time, and unnecessary stress. Yet, many property owners unknowingly sabotage their rental success with poor marketing strategies. From blurry photos to incorrect pricing, these common mistakes can leave a rental vacant for months.
At St. James Property Management, we take a strategic approach to marketing and leasing, ensuring our clients’ properties get rented quickly to high-quality tenants. Here’s why landlords often struggle with rental marketing—and how we solve it.
When a property is coming or is currently vacant it’s in a property owners best interest to expose the rental property to the largest contingency of potential tenants as possible. We will do that!
Common Mistakes That Keep Rental Properties Vacant
1. Low-Quality or No Listing Photos
A rental listing is only as good as its first impression. Many landlords snap a few quick photos with their phones—or worse, post listings with no images at all. Poor lighting, cluttered spaces, and grainy pictures make it difficult for potential tenants to envision themselves in the home. The best tenants care where they live, and what they’ll be residing in. The best tenants, like homeowners, take pride in where they are living.
🔹 How We Solve It: We use professional real estate photography to highlight the best features of each property. High-quality images attract more views and generate more interest, helping us lease units faster.
2. Incorrect Pricing
Many landlords struggle to set the right rental price. Overpricing a unit results in little to no tenant interest, while underpricing means losing potential income. Without market research, it’s easy to get pricing wrong.
🔹 How We Solve It: We conduct in-depth market analysis to ensure our listings are competitively priced while maximizing rental value. Understanding local market trends allows us to position each property for a quick lease without sacrificing rental income.
3. Weak or Incomplete Listing Descriptions
A vague or uninspiring listing won’t capture a tenant’s attention. Many landlords provide minimal details, leaving potential renters with unanswered questions. Without a compelling description, even a well-priced property may go unnoticed.
🔹 How We Solve It: We craft SEO-optimized listings with engaging descriptions highlighting key features, amenities, and neighborhood perks. This increases search visibility and attracts renters who are a strong fit for the property.
4. Limited Marketing Reach
Simply posting on Craigslist or Zillow isn’t enough. Many landlords don’t utilize multiple marketing channels, which limits their reach to a small pool of potential renters.
🔹 How We Solve It: St. James leverages multi-channel marketing, including:
- Syndication to top rental platforms (Zillow, Apartments.com, Realtor.com)
- Social media promotions
- Targeted online ads
- Email marketing to our network of potential renters
5. Poor Tenant Screening Process
Some landlords rush to fill a vacancy without properly screening applicants, leading to unreliable tenants, late payments, and costly evictions. Others make the process too complicated, deterring good renters.
🔹 How We Solve It: We handle comprehensive tenant screening, including:
- Credit and background checks
- Income verification
- Rental history analysis
- Employment verification
This ensures only qualified, responsible tenants are placed in our clients’ properties.
The St. James Advantage: Faster Leasing, Fewer Headaches
At St. James Property Management, we specialize in marketing and leasing strategies that minimize vacancies and maximize rental income. Our process ensures that every property is marketed professionally, priced competitively, and leased to the right tenants—fast.
🔹 Professional marketing that attracts quality tenants
🔹 Data-driven pricing for maximum rental value
🔹 Comprehensive tenant screening for peace of mind
If you’re tired of struggling with vacancies, let our expert team handle the marketing and leasing process for you. Contact St. James Property Management today to learn how we can fill your rental property faster and more efficiently.
📞 Call us now at 949.929.5940
