Roommates: How to Advertise for Them

On the page where we started this discussion, How to Find Roommates, we looked at some of the places to advertise. On this page we'll look at what the advertising should say. I also have some suggestions for what to say when prospective roommates call.

What an Ad for Roommates Should Say

Whether you advertise on bulletin boards or in the newspaper, tell the reader everything that they need to know. In addition to listing important information, sell the benefits of renting from you. If you run the ad more than once, try a different ad, to see which gets the most calls. Here is an example of a couple advertisements that worked well for me:

"Simplicity. Everything from utilities to cable TV included. Nice room, nice home, nice yard. Just $85/week, and no deposit. Call Steve at 555-1212."

"Room for rent in good home close to town. $85 per week includes all utilities, cable TV, phone, washer, dryer, and more. Call Steve: 555-1212."

"Room, with use of whole house. Includes utilities, phone, cable, washer, dryer and more. $85/week and no other bills to pay. 555-1212 Ask for Steve."

What to Say When Prospective Roommates Call

Give the caller the basic information. If they are still interested, start asking your qualifying questions (see the next two pages in this series). Take notes! If you are still interested in renting to the caller, set a time for him to meet you at the house, and be sure to get a name and a phone number where you can reach them.

If you have rented the room already, don't hang up on subsequent callers before getting a phone number. Tell them the room is rented, but you will call them back if that person backs out. You never know for sure until they are in the room and the money is in your hands.

One more trick. If you see advertising for a similar room for rent, you could call that owner and agree to send renters to each other. If you rent your room first, you can tell other callers about that other room, and the owner of that other room can do the same if he is the first to rent his room. If his room or yours is just too far from a renter's job, or there is a similar problem, you can send those prospects to each other too.

The next page you need to read through is How to Choose Roommates - Part One