Leasing Tips: Quickly Filling Vacancies

Marketing a phoenix investment property home and finding a good tenant is critical, as the cost of a vacancy is the single highest expense for phoenix investment property owners. The top priority is to keep rental income coming in by quickly filling vacancies with tenants who will pay and care for the property.

How Long Will It Take To Rent My Property?

The average rental home stays vacant for about 52 days, and can be higher than 120 days if the home is not in rent-ready condition or if the rent is priced too high compared to other homes tenants can choose from.

The Right Rent Price

Unfortunately, the phoenix rental market is indifferent to your monthly mortgage. If you are holding out for $1200 in rent when the market rate is closer to $1000, you are only prolonging the inevitable, as rental prices typically don’t change within a 90-day period.

Let’s assume that market rent for your home is $1,000/month, but you need $1,200/month. Now let’s assume that after two months of vacancy, the property rents at $1,100/month for 12 months. How much actual rent are you receiving over that 14 month period, (2 months vacant + 12 months occupied)?

12 x $1,100 = $13,200 divided by 14 months = $943/month!

If you had set the price at the market rate and rented the property at $1,000/month (market rent) right away with no vacancy, you would have made $798 MORE MONEY over the same 14-month period!

$1,000 x 14 months = $14,000

$  943 x 14 months =  $13,202

                                     $798.00

In this scenario, you would have lost $798.00 by trying to get higher than market rents.

Real Property Management has specialized expertise in area rents and market forces. Rely on us to help you set rent in a way that balances your ideal with shorter vacancy times.

The Right Condition

Your home must stand out and be in rent-ready condition to compete for tenants. Or, if you are unable to make improvements due to budget constraints, the home must be adjusted below the market to offset the quality of the home. Available rental property is at an all-time high due to the number of foreclosed homes that are being rented by banks to create cash flow, so tenants have more choices. Again, what you are trying to save in maintenance and upkeep costs may end up costing you in longer vacancies, so you are wise to improve the condition or adjust rents down accordingly.