Struggling to find tenants in Perth

[sanj]

Not sure which other property you mean? It was this property.

I find it a bit insulting to make it sound like I expect to do nothing and just rock up. I've been working my &&& off for weeks.

First home open I had one application from a guy who wouldn't specify details of all adults who want to move in - thought it was better to give that a miss.

Second home open, on a Saturday, four groups of people through, one registered interest.

I'll redo photos but the forecast is two weeks of rain. No way they'll be beachy and sunny.

Dont take any of the advice personally, getting upset wont help your situation.

Like everyone else i happen to agree that the photos are rubbish and need to be changed immediately. As for everything else ultimately we dont know how you come across to potential tenants so cant really comment.

 

[Aaron Sice]

they are the worst photos i've seen in a while. i hope you didn't pay for them.

 

[westminster]

Not sure which other property you mean? It was this property.

I find it a bit insulting to make it sound like I expect to do nothing and just rock up. I've been working my &&& off for weeks.

First home open I had one application from a guy who wouldn't specify details of all adults who want to move in - thought it was better to give that a miss.

Second home open, on a Saturday, four groups of people through, one registered interest.

I'll redo photos but the forecast is two weeks of rain. No way they'll be beachy and sunny.

I don't think anyone will expect beachy and sunny if they are local Perth people. They are very forgiving that it's winter. If you really want though many REAs will photoshop in a sunny sky - it looks daft though.

I would add as many photos as possible and perhaps put titles on them which helps when rooms are empty - ie lounge room, master bedroom etc etc

 

[WesternRat]

When I meant bright and beachy, I didn't mean literally. As someone said, add a colourful vase on the kitchen counter, temporarily stick a poster up on the wall or lay down a colourful rug. Doesn't matter if its grey outside...

 

[octavius]

I just went through the private letting process for one of my IPs in Perth, received multiple applications and signed a lease in one week. I agree with the others and strongly believe getting some better photos up will increase your chances of finding a good tenant.

No offence intended at all, just trying to help, but do you have access to a camera that's not on a phone and do you have any basic photography knowledge (ie white balance, ISO speed, aperture)? If not, maybe you could pull a favour with a camera-crazy friend, everyone's got one of those. For a start the problem with the phone camera is the lens angle is way too narrow. The "fish eye" setting is basically a lie - all it does is give you the curved peripheral effect without actually taking in any more of the scene. Instead of making the room look more spacious as a wide-angle lens would, it actually does the opposite, and personally I think the curved lines look lame. Sadly, I can imagine that in reality your house probably looks a lot better than how its presented by those photos but I doubt a potential tenant skimming through scores of them would bother to pause and question whether its just bad photography. I have a photography background so I could write you an essay on how you could improve these photos, but I think that just following the advice from others' on this thread would go along way with getting more foot traffic for your inspections.

There's a lot of talk of a slowing rental market in Perth and it could be a contributing factor to your troubles, but thats just one more reason to invest a little more in your advertising. Hope this helps!

 

[buckerooni]

DSLR + wide angle lens + google picasa (basic enhancement) are my best friends when it comes to interior shots. IMO there's no substitute to a wide angle lens.

If you've got a few properties the camera will pay for itself pretty quickly. How much does a weeks vacancy cost you?

 

[natmarie73]

Sign up with a good PM and get them to take the photos and deal with the advertising. I never understand why people bother with this stuff themselves when it doesn't cost much to palm it off to the professionals.

And in my opinion, some people may not like renting privately (horror landlords dropping in to "visit" every second day or whatever) so you may be limiting your market this way as well.

Depending on your budget, you could consider hiring furniture or a stager to make the house look nice and classy as the photos don't really do it any justice. People who are in the Hillarys market aren't just renting a house, they want to rent a lifestyle that their friends/family might envy. When I looked at the listing, I did not feel I would want to live there and would personally pay the extra to live here http://www.realestate.com.au/property-villa-wa-hillarys-410436987

Just my opinion though, don't take it as gospel truth.

Edit - I would think $450 is reasonable rent for Hillarys. I'm getting $420 for my new purchase in High Wycombe which is light years away in socio-demographics from Hillarys. Def think about adding some furniture and decor though. Empty houses always look blah even when brand new.

 

[heroine]

I was sort of hoping this post would slowly fade onto the second page. Not so.

Thanks everyone for your comments. They are appreciated - however... you can only comment on what you see. It's up to me to investigate reasons in the real world and balance them with online feedback.

So just as feedback...

1. "struggeling" etc. means it's been a week and only one offer. I was led to believe I can expect a queue at the door on day one. Clearly that's not the case. thanks to those of you who posted more realistic timelines
2. other places are struggeling too. In particular, properties mentioned here as being better presented are still on the market. Places in Padbury are up for more than Hillarys - gotta love coastal in winter
3. What I think part of the issue is/was:
a. me preferring a 6 month lease so I can fix things up and relet when it's warm - hard to come by for a 4/2
b. Although I see 700m2 of land, a renter sees 700m2 of overgrown mess and a landlord who says "don't worry it will be fixed" but do you trust them and no it's not representative. So I decided to take the land out of the equation and price the house as a villa until the mess is fixed. Cheaper than it being empty... And unfortunately I have to wait for green waste collection, a skip simply won't do
c. The style I gave it - from inspection to application, I can't help but notice people with a non-Australian background liked the house much better. Lesson learned: cater to the market, no matter how much you dislike their style
d. I absolutely take on the feedback regarding empty places looking blah.

I think interest picked up after I dropped the price and I hear some people are bringing filled-in application forms with them. Fingers crossed.

As for agents: Find me one who doesn't work 8-5 and I'll reconsider. The one I tried made me late for work twice in a week, last thing I need.

 

[macca446]

I was sort of hoping this post would slowly fade onto the second page. Not so.

Thanks everyone for your comments. They are appreciated - however... you can only comment on what you see. It's up to me to investigate reasons in the real world and balance them with online feedback.

So just as feedback...

1. "struggeling" etc. means it's been a week and only one offer. I was led to believe I can expect a queue at the door on day one. Clearly that's not the case. thanks to those of you who posted more realistic timelines
2. other places are struggeling too. In particular, properties mentioned here as being better presented are still on the market. Places in Padbury are up for more than Hillarys - gotta love coastal in winter
3. What I think part of the issue is/was:
a. me preferring a 6 month lease so I can fix things up and relet when it's warm - hard to come by for a 4/2
b. Although I see 700m2 of land, a renter sees 700m2 of overgrown mess and a landlord who says "don't worry it will be fixed" but do you trust them and no it's not representative. So I decided to take the land out of the equation and price the house as a villa until the mess is fixed. Cheaper than it being empty... And unfortunately I have to wait for green waste collection, a skip simply won't do
c. The style I gave it - from inspection to application, I can't help but notice people with a non-Australian background liked the house much better. Lesson learned: cater to the market, no matter how much you dislike their style
d. I absolutely take on the feedback regarding empty places looking blah.

I think interest picked up after I dropped the price and I hear some people are bringing filled-in application forms with them. Fingers crossed.

As for agents: Find me one who doesn't work 8-5 and I'll reconsider. The one I tried made me late for work twice in a week, last thing I need.

Hi,
I settled on a property about 4 weeks ago but not in perth in orange nsw,I thought market was strong their but I was wrong, it had always been a owner occupier so place was empty no furniture,hardly had much interest over 3 weeks but I knew a bit cold their and soon more interest would come just had to be patient but it took 4 weeks and finally found a tenant sign a lease and paid 6 months in advance so try not to worry to much as it takes just one person and the right one,in investing you have to factor in at least 4 weeks a year with no rent upon purchase,hope all goes well for you soon .
Cheers

 

[natmarie73]

1. "struggeling" etc. means it's been a week and only one offer. I was led to believe I can expect a queue at the door on day one. Clearly that's not the case. thanks to those of you who posted more realistic timelines.

I wouldn't say you are struggling just yet then, according to my PM to be the rental market has slowed significantly from a few months ago. I would probably start worrying after a month or so though.

As for agents: Find me one who doesn't work 8-5 and I'll reconsider. The one I tried made me late for work twice in a week, last thing I need.

why do you need to meet the agent? I don't think I've ever met any of my PMs. They just email me the forms and I send them back signed and they go from there. I haven't had any issues yet (touch wood!)

 

[westminster]

Queues for Perth properties was 12mths ago. Now it's a very sedate 3.2% vacancy which can mean 2-4 weeks to secure a good tenant.

 

[Cruskits]

I wonder if he/she has got new photos done yet

15+ people mentioned the photos and the rest of us all know how important presentation is.....

Yes the Perth rental market has slowed but give yourself every chance.

 

[redwing]

Hi Herione

How did you go with the renovation and updating the photos?

Previously we put details of a rental up on the forum and took on board the feedback from the members here with regards to the text and photos, which in our opinion made the property more appealing.

Having others cast a critical eye over the link and providing feedback was immensely valuable, small changes made a difference to the overall presentation

Whilst the rent was cheap on your IP for the area, you also have to attract prospective tenants, the first photo casts an impression. As they say " a picture speaks 1,000 words"

 

[heroine]

New tenants moved in today, exactly 13 days after I put it online. I had five other applicants.

I lost a week with very little interest trying to advertise close to what PMs had quoted - I think they are feeling pressure to overquote. Then they take too long to meet the market. As soon as I dropped the price, along came the queues.

Needless to say, every single property that has been mentioned here as being "better presented" is still up for grabs.

 

[weg]

Needless to say, every single property that has been mentioned here as being "better presented" is still up for grabs.

I have an aunt that lives at Hillarys so visit there whenever i go to Perth .

When it comes to advertising for tenants, I have to admit I don't bother with photos at all because i haven't needed to. I also self manage and usually find tenants within the week (usually start advertising a week or 2 before tenants are due to move out).

I find also I get a great response from Gumtree so don't bother advertising any other way anymore.

 

[heroine]

I find also I get a great response from Gumtree so don't bother advertising any other way anymore.

Funny you should mention that. I had four applicants off realestate.com and two off gumtree and the "winner" came via gumtree. I ran him through the NTD via eezirent too and got the all clear. I would still use eezirent even without the listing, i like their service and having forms, templates and a pm at the help desk who I can call. That's not to say there aren't other DIY agencies out there who may be good too

 

[westminster]

New tenants moved in today, exactly 13 days after I put it online. I had five other applicants.

I lost a week with very little interest trying to advertise close to what PMs had quoted - I think they are feeling pressure to overquote. Then they take too long to meet the market. As soon as I dropped the price, along came the queues.

Needless to say, every single property that has been mentioned here as being "better presented" is still up for grabs.

Good news. I think 2 weeks is an excellent turn around.

 

[heroine]

Good news. I think 2 weeks is an excellent turn around.

Thank you. I couldnt achieve cf+ but its almost neutral and It is a 6 month contract which gives me the opportunity to get back in soon for more Reno outside of "initial repairs" and relet in a better season.

Fingers crossed.

 

[vmay]

I am in fremantle and it is always harder to rent a property in the winter. In my street my friends sold their home and it was sold to an investor. It had great photos but took ages to rent in July. I think you will have more luck in the spring. Or maybe even this week now the sun is shining again. Good luck!