Comparable Listings - The first thing you’ll want to look at is comparable listings in your rental area, and you don’t need access to the multiple listing service to find similar rentals! As a landlord, you can use Zillow, Trulia, and other open listing sites to your advantage. Start a search for units with the same number of beds/baths, approximate square footage, utilities, and upgrades to compare to your property first. Make sure you take a look at pictures and walkthrough videos of these other properties so you compare and contrast only rentals that are highly similar to yours! There is no such thing as an exact match, but you’ll feel better moving your list price up or down once you’ve got an idea of what else is out there. 

Seasonality - Many forget to consider the season that they are renting in when they prepare to list again...don’t be that landlord! Prime months for rental listings are April-September, and marketing outside of these months could see your rates drop as much as 10%. Before you price your property, you need to be aware of this and understand the number of renters looking for new rentals is limited during the fall and winter months. Be ready to adjust your list price to find tenants as quickly as possible even during off-peak seasons. 

Risk Profile - You have to consider your risk profile when listing your rental property as well. If you can sustain some time in vacancy and still be profitable or at least break even, then maybe you’ll want to start with a higher listing price and adjust over time. On the flip side, if you need to fill a unit for some quick and immediate cash flow, you may adjust down and take less in rent to avoid prolonged vacancy. Is it worth your time to hold out for tenants that are willing to pay a bit more? 

Improvements - Making improvements to your rental property could also be useful, especially if you’re in a high-desirability area. Simple improvements like adding in-unit laundry may only cost $1000 but allow you to market for an extra $100/month for the foreseeable future. When you’re flipping through images of comparable listings, try to get an idea of what other owners in your area are doing to improve their properties. You won’t attract high-level tenants that are ready to pay a useful rate if your unit is deteriorated and outdated. Keep an eye on the trends!

Free Comprehensive Market Assessment

At Robert C. White & Company we provide a comprehensive market assessment Free of Charge. We’ll take into account the location, property type, current condition/rental rates…and more when analyzing your property! With units that Robert C. White & Co. listed for rent in 2019/20, we averaged just under 20 days from list to deposit and helped avoid vacancy in most instances. Here’s what we can do to get you moving in the right direction next time you list for rent!



We’ll put together a list of comparable properties to start. Our agents use Connecticut’s Multiple Listing Service to compare your property with current listings in the state. With this, we get a clearer picture of the local rental markets we operate in and can give you the most accurate and up to date information available! On the MLS we can also see the close date and closing price. This means we can tell you exactly how long similar properties were listed for and how prices were adjusted over time to find tenants.



If you’re interested in learning more about our property management services or getting your free comprehensive market assessment, we’re ready and willing to assist!



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