About Getting Tenants Through Newspaper Ads.......
OK, I know I am not supposed to put certain info in newspaper ads (i.e. price), but it sure does seem to cut down on the annoying calls where people just ask how much the rent and security deposit are. So I do it anyway. Here is an example of one of my current ads:
"$465 /month 2br deposit $250 Discount for early payments [telephone]"
I know, not very exciting but I do get a lot of calls. Problem is, no takers.
First, the people who call only seem to care about the price and the security deposit (too high, of course, but pretty cheap compared to the market). Second, the people who do end up visiting the site seem to think the outside of the house is ugly (as a result we have decided to do new siding this summer).
I'm frustrated because I feel stuck between the picky people and the cheapos. Does this make sense and can anyone enlighten me as to what I'm doing wrong? I really feel that 90% of the calls are from people who don't care if they live in a rat-trap as long as it's a cheap rat-trap. 
Amy,
Why shouldn't you put the amount you want in the paper?
You have 2 options, if you are firm on the amount, put it in the paper. This will eliminate your tire kicker calls.
If you are flexible, put something along the lines of "Low Downpayment" in the ad. You will have to weed out more calls, but you won't discourage anyone who doesn't have a certain amount.
The fact is no matter how you market, there will be times that the house doesn't move right away. Offer a good product for a reasonable price and it will sell. Sometimes it just take a little time.
William Tingle
WilliamGA