Whether you have one property you're renting or several complexes throughout the country, using an apartment rental listings service can help you find renters for your properties. There are many free apartment listings that people use every day to find their next home. By listing your rental on one or several of these listings, you are sure to find the customers you're looking for.

Before you list your rental on one of these services, you should learn some apartment listings basics.

1. Learn what features of your rental you can include in your apartment listing. Most apartment lists feature photos, floor plans and amenities their rentals offer, and you'll want to know what features of your rental you can include on an apt. listings service.

2. Look at several apartment listings on the Internet to determine if your rental should be a free apartment listing, or if you would be better working with a realtor.

3. Research the market of the area you're in. Apartment listings in smaller cities are not always set up the same as ones in larger cities, such as Chicago apartment listings, NYC apartment listings, or Boston apartment listings.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find out what features you can include in your apartment listing

Apartment listings include different features, such as photos, floor plans, included amenities and area maps. Research different free apartment listing services on the Internet to determine which features of your rental you'll be able to include in your apartment listing.

I recommend: Online-Apartment-Listings.com allows you to fill in your property information, unit information, prices and add your own description. MyApartmentMap allows you to list a single apartment, an apartment complex or all of your available apartments.

Determine if you should place your rental on a free apartment listing

There are thousands of rentals available on the different free apartment listings you can find on the Internet. To determine if a free Internet listing is the right place for you to list your rental, you need to research some of these services, and determine if they are right for your rental.

I recommend: Apartment Finder allows you to search for apartments by city, college, military base or address. Apartment Rent Central allows you to search for apartments, condos and houses for rent by state.

Learn more about the apartment listing market your rental will be listed in

There are several different rental markets, depending on the location, type and size of your rental. You'll want to research the specific market your rental will be in so you'll know how to set up your listing to compete with the other rentals in your market.

I recommend: Online Apartment Listings lists neighborhood features as well as the complex features. Apartment Guide allows you to search for apartments up to 100 miles from your desired location.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Pick up a free copy of an apartment listing guide at your local supermarket to research more apartment listings basics.

As much as the media likes to tout the benefits of home ownership, there will always be people who prefer to rent. More and more, these potential tenants are turning to online apartment rental listings to find their next apartment. So if your investment portfolio includes apartments and other multi-family properties, you should utilize apartment listing services to help fill your vacant units.

When you have vacant units in your apartment complexes, you want to fill them as quickly as possible. Many of the online apartment listings offer you the ability to start attracting new tenants immediately, not at the next print date like a magazine or newspaper. And with low-cost, results-based cost models, putting your rental on apartment lists couldn’t be any better.

When looking for the best online apt listings for you, among the key points to consider are:

1. The number of apartment listings on a given website.

2. The ability of your apartment listing to appeal to online renters.

3. The awareness of apartment listing services in your local area.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Choose apartment lists with as many rental properties listed as possible

When you're deciding on which websites to list your vacant properties, you always need to make sure that you're not alone. It may seem counter-intuitive, but you want competitive properties listed as well so that more people are attracted to the site. Whether you're one of thousands of Chicago apartment listings for studios or maybe one of just a handful of 5-bedroom Brooklyn apartment listings, you should always choose a busy site that will bring your listing lots of traffic.

I recommend: Apartments.com is one of the largest websites for apt listings. Their listings reach almost 1.8 million renters. Their FAQs are thorough and should allow you to list your properties quickly. Kijiji and Craigslist are free online classified sites where you can post free apartment listings.

Use pictures and videos to make your property stand out amongst apartment rental listings

On apartment listing websites, it's definitely a situation where you never have a second chance to make a first impression. Make sure that you have strong pictures and even video tours in order to bring in a tenant as quickly as possible. Online apartment searchers won't seriously consider properties that they can't see clearly on their computers.

I recommend: MyNewPlace.com allows you to upload photos and video tours for your apartment listings, thereby maximizing your properties’ exposure.

Know your local tenants and use online apartment lists appropriately

Only you know your target tenants best. Make sure you research their tastes and where they shop for their next apartment. For example, people looking for a New York apartment listing might be most familiar with one site, while tenants browsing Boston apartment listings might know another. So watch local advertising to see what sites are looking for your potential clients.

I recommend: Rent.com packs the advertising punch of its parent company, eBay. Plus, they offer an apartment listing that you only pay for when you fill the vacancy.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you don't have a high-quality camera with which to take pictures for your apartment listings, find a photographer-in-training to get quality photos for a fraction of the price.

Apartment rental listings help customers find an apartment that will be right for them. Many apartment listing websites help potential renters fill out the parameters they are looking for, such as number of bedrooms and pet policy, so they can select the apartments they want to look at in their target area. By researching apartment listings key terms these websites use, you can put together a package that will allow you to list your available apartments on an Internet apartment lists search site.

You should research several free apartment listings on the Internet to get an idea of what key terms and amenities you should include in your apt listings. When researching these websites, be sure to look at apartment listings for small cities and several large cities, such as NYC apartment listings, Boston apartment listings and Chicago apartment listings. By researching several small and large city apartment listings, you'll have more of an idea of what the competition is offering.

1. Look at several apartment rental websites on the Internet to generate ideas of what key terms you should use.

2. Review lease terminology to create a binding document between you and the tenants.

3. Research both small and large city apartment listings key terms.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Attract apartment hunters using the right key terms in your apartment listing

There are several key terms you will want to include in your apartment listing. Consider adding descriptions of the property and apartment unit features, such as cable ready, air conditioning, dishwasher, washer and dryer, pet policies and property features, such as pool and clubhouse.

I recommend: The Apartment Hunter’s Glossary at Move offers translations of common apartment terms so you know exactly how to describe your listing. The City of Iowa City offers a Glossary of Apartment Advertising Abbreviations so you know how to list apartment amenities.

Find out apartment listing key terms you need to use in your lease or rental agreement

The lease or rental agreement you make with tenants is the binding contract that works to protect your property. A proper lease or rental agreement sets clear responsibilities for both the tenant and you as a landlord. Using the right key terms in your rental agreement helps ensure that both parties understand the consistent language, and that will hold up in court if you need it one day.

I recommend: Austin Apartment Locator provides key terms and definitions for phrases commonly used in a rental agreement. Luxury Apartments in Houston Texas lists rental agreement terms you should understand before you enter into a rental agreement.

Find apartment listings key terms in both small and large cities

When you research apartment listings on the Internet, be aware that listings in larger cities may be different from smaller cities. Larger apartment complexes offer more options, and therefore, there are more key terms to know.

I recommend: Metropolis Real Estate of Manhattan offers key terms that you might find in any big city apartment listing. Boston Pads also has a key terms list that you might need as you look over your lease or rental agreement.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Read apartment complexes' brochures to see what key terms they use in their apartment listings.