Post Well, Make a Great Impression

The mantra  my web design clients hear is, “Always beware of the first impression online.”  When you are writing an ad for CalderCityRentals.com it is important to think about your audience and write well.  We do not want the website to chase prospective renters away .

I would be interested to know how many of my property owners rent out dirty apartments and homes in the Grand Rapids area  and Metro Detroit. There must be a lot because the descriptive word so many owners like is, “clean.”  Can you imagine rushing to Meijer’s after reading the ad about their “clean” produce?

For those wanting to give a prospective tenant hints to their inner curmudgeon there is an ending so many listing use that says, “serious inquiries only.”  I am sure these folks got the idea from the sign I've seen  at Best Buy  that says, “You must be a serious customer to enter.”

Then we have the George Orwell’s among us who teach the prospective tenant that the owner is both nosey and watching us in our PJ's on the computer when he or she requires a “read receipt.”  I’ve had some landlords with real problems respecting privacy, so when Big Brother wants to know what time I sat down at my computer and read their email, I tend rush to the delete button.

Ever try to read long descriptions in all caps? Oddly enough whatever school these folks went to, it would seem they learned to end every sentence with an exclamation point. Being serious for a moment, the reason we use caps and lower case letters is because using all caps makes it very hard to read your listing. Keep in mind a prospective renter may end up reading a few hundred listings as they look for their next home; do yourself a favor and don’t make your ad something they skim over because it is annoying to read.

The thing I always want everyone to remember is you are competing with hundreds of other people for the best tenants.  The best tenants are sophisticated, hard working people. Put your best foot forward, show them your best side.  I read hundreds of listings every month and talk to dozens of tenants, and I know your first impression matters. The bad tenants have to work through any road blocks you put up to catch their dishonesty, they are going to call and they are going to waste your time, they have no choice. The best tenants have lots of choices and it is best not to chase them away because of poorly written listings