Every new year brings with it some new opportunities and expectations. For any student, it is time for them to embark upon a brand new academic year. Those who are on the verge of starting their college life from the next academic year are facing tremendous pressure. The pressure is not only about how to cope up with the studies but also about adjusting with the other scenarios that are prevalent in a college.
Academic year starts with a house-hunting process
There are more than thousands of students who search for off-campus housing facilities every year. This is surely quite an exciting period when you have to take the decision of where exactly you will live.
On- Campus & Off-Campus housing
The process of finding out the off-campus housing can turn out to be a tedious task. Hence, you must always begin the hunting process well in advance. Often students are seen to be going for the on-campus facilities that cost cheaper than the off-campus based houses. However, the lack of privacy and difficulty to study in the dorms put students in an uncomfortable situation. This is why they move out of the campus.
The searching process can be easily sorted out if the students can answer the following queries:
- Deciding the budget: This is something that needs the most amount of thinking. Everything depends upon the price you are willing to pay.
- Distance from the college: If it is too far from your college or university, then there is no point in spending money on it. Instead, look out for a place that puts you close to your college or university and saves your conveyance cost.
- Staying solo or with roommates? Staying with other people is budget friendly. In case if any student wants absolute privacy then going out for solo rentals could be a better option. In that case the student has to pay a huge price.
As for the renter, it is important to opt out for an appropriate rental listing that will further make you an expert renter. Often people get confused about where to start from. Check out the following areas that will give you a clear idea on how to implement your planning.
Advertisement
When you have taken the decision of offering off-campus housing facilities to the college students, you must begin with advertising. Unless people get to know about the available flats for rentals, they will not be able to reach out to you. It is important to make people notice your apartment. Opt out for banner advertisements that you can display at the college gates and food stalls near the college.
Invest your time in coming up with a catchy headline
Words matter and you should always look out for some catchy phrases that will get you going. The best way to do so is-
- jot down all the benefits of your apartment
- summarize it in a few words
- make a compelling title using these words
- for instance, Budget Apartments near JNU with Special Facilities.
Pictures speak more than thousand words
Let your apartment speak for itself. Click high quality images and make sure to cover all the important areas in your flat. The images must cover kitchen, bedroom, washroom and living area. It would be more amazing if you could also give images of the balcony space (if there is any).
Do not exaggerate and be honest with the features
Exaggerating with the features of your apartment will not be of any help. When the students will find out that all the words that have been used in the advertisement do not hold any truth, they will simply back off. Hence, try to stick to the key features. This will make your rental listing unique.
Website & Promotion
Today’s students and their parents are too much tech-friendly. They prefer to browse through the website and take decision on the basis of the content, images and reviews mentioned on the website. Hence, if it is possible then try to create a website and manage it.
SEO or Search Engine Optimization helps to attract the attention of customers. The right keywords, Pay Per Click and other services will put you there on the search engines.
Specific Rental Listing
You must put all the features of your apartment clearly on the website. This will help others to know about all you will be providing to the college students. For instance,
- Location safety
- Prices
- Pet Policy (if any)
- How many bedrooms are there?
- No. of beds
- Bedding
- Almirahs/ wardrobes
- Sofa
- table- chair
- Television
- Bathroom with the basic amenities
- Kitchen with basic amenities
- Refrigerator and others.
If you already list down all these features then it will get easier for the students to take the right decision.
Your rental listing must include all of these features. The students will be leaving away from their homes and parents and these are the basic things that anybody would want to lead a comfortable life.
About Author: Mary Jones
Co-founder & Editor-in-chief
Co-founder & Editor-in-chief at TopMyGrades and focused on Content Marketing Strategy for many clients from Education industry in US, Canada & UK. Have worked closely with many e-learning solution providers in helping them plan their content strategy and in auditing their campaign execution.
Have intensive content editing experience and have worked with MSNBC, NewsCred & Scripted. Promoting affordable tutoring for all students through a new-age tutor-cum-student platform, where tutors can help students with their academic needs. I have also authored blogs on Lifehack.org, Wn.com, Medium.com, Minds.com and many more digital publications.
If you liked this article, subscribe to Rentometer's email newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in rental housing.