Effective Montreal Apartment Rental Listings

Posting an apartment listing online, on a website like Louer.com, provides an opportunity that a classified newspaper ad won't allow. Online listings provide a venue to display pictures and extoll in detail all the features and benefits of your great Montreal apartment rental.

To generate interest for your apartment rental, you need to first catch the attention of the potential tenant with a catchy, easy-to-read listing. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a literary genius to write a simple and effective online ad.

Purposes of Online Apartment Listings

Apartment rental listings serve two purposes. The first is to catch the attention of the tenant scanning the online postings, develop their interest, and motivate them to take the next step, that is, to contact you. Whether that contact is done by phone, email, or by visiting the apartment complex, you need to first catch their attention and then bring them to action.

The second purpose of listings for Montreal apartment rentals is to pre-qualify the prospective tenant. By providing enough general information about your property, you will attract quality renters and discourage others who will not meet your qualifications. A good example of is stating the rental amount and rate, the number of bedrooms, and listing “landlord references” in your ad.

Writing the Apartment Rental Listing

Like any marketing message, your rental listing must deliver the right message to your customers – your potential tenants.

Be Honest about the Neighbourhood

To start, online property listings must list the location. There are times where being “creative” in describing the neighbourhood area can be helpful in initially pulling in prospective tenants. However, remember that your they will not be too happy if you lure them to the less salubrious side of town, only to present them with a dirty and disorganized dwelling.

Being creative will only work if the apartment rental is genuinely good enough to overcome the shortcomings of the area.

What to Include in your Apartment Listing

Start with the state of repair. The expression ‘newly refurbished’ will give a good impression that the property is clean and tidy. Even if you have just had a few walls repainted then a description of ‘newly redecorated’ will reassure renters that your property isn’t a dump. Tenants like the word ‘new’, it reassures them.

If your property isn’t new then other phrases that give the impression of a reasonable condition are “clean” and “well presented”.

Next, focus on the features and amenities about your Montreal apartment that is most attractive. For example, is your rental suitable for a family with young children? Are there schools nearby? Will working couples or single people have an easy commute?  Is it close to shopping?

Highlight the Apartment Details

Think about how you might embellish these details to differentiate your rental property from all the other similar Montreal apartment rentals. This might be the ornate doorway, a lovely decked patio or even a captivating view. Use photographs to represent your rental’s best features.

Putting your Rental Listing Online

As you’re writing the description of your apartment rental online, keep in mind these few guidelines to help make your listing be easier to read:

• Keep your sentences brief. Very long sentences are harder to read on computer monitors. The brain may have a difficult time processing the information.
  
  
• Put the attributes in a bulleted list. Instead of saying that your Montreal apartment rental has two bedrooms, a balcony, etc., in a sentence, list them with bullet points. Avoid writing paragraphs as much as possible.
  
  
• Include photographs. Photographs give the eye something to rest on when staring at a computer monitor. They also help sell your apartment.
  
  
• Use capital letters sparingly. Sentences written all in uppercase letters make the reader feel like they're being shouted at.

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