By Paige Tepping
RISMEDIA, June 12, 2008-“This generation values time,” says Tony Drost, president and property manager of First Rate Property Management in Boise, Idaho. “They need as much time as possible to do the things they really enjoy doing. Because of this, they rely heavily on the Internet to make their purchases easy and efficient. Rentals are no different.”
It’s for that reason-as well as many more-that Drost takes his rental business to Rentals.com, an online destination for rental real estate searching and listing. Drost believes wholeheartedly in the Rentals.com business. In fact, he’s been with Rentals.com since the beginning of his career. “I was a RentalHouses.com user and when Rentals.com started the family of sites, we jumped on,” explains Drost.
With the wealth of technology that consumers have readily available to them today, it’s no wonder that the Internet has become the go-to place for renters and buyers alike. With the help of Rentals.com, Drost has the ability to showcase the 100+ rental units he owns/co-owns to millions of qualified renters in a timely manner through the means in which they wish to be reached-the Web.
Whether for sale or for rent, the real estate industry has seen an ever-increasing transition from print to the Web for promoting rental houses. Not only is print-classified advertising expensive, it also creates unnecessary inquiries.
“Most classified ads run without photos and don’t include a lot of information as they are usually only three to four lines long. Traditional print ads urge people to call simply to get more information,” says Drost. “These phone calls tie up our agents with unqualified leads instead of allowing them to go after leads that are more lucrative.”
Using Rentals.com however, allows Drost to be able to reach out to those who are interested in what his properties have to offer.
“The ads that we place on Rentals.com have numerous interior and exterior photos, as well as virtual tours. We describe the property in the body of the ad so that perspective tenants can easily rule out the properties that don’t match their needs,” he says. “When we do get an inquiry, the caller already knows everything about the property, and generally the call is to schedule an appointment to see the property or to sign a lease.”
The shift from print advertising to Rentals.com has given Drost the opportunity to tailor his marketing more toward online consumers. Rentals.com’s auto-feed function, search engine placement and virtual tours allow Drost to give prospective renters the information they want-when they want it.
“Our website is our portal,” Drost explains. “We have an auto-feed from our website, so once we activate a listing, it automatically posts to Rentals.com. With the click of a button, someone can see a virtual tour, apply, pay and look at demographics and statistics without leaving their home. This is a huge time-saver-not only for us, but for our prospective customers as well. We have even been able to incorporate an online application and online payment feature for added convenience.”
For more information, please visit www.Rentals.com.
