The Costs of Marketing a Property Too Early

Many property managers, especially those feeling pressure from their investor clients, might be tempted to list properties as early as possible. Instead of waiting until 30 or 45 days before a vacancy, they list it four to six months in advance. The idea is that the longer a property is listed, the more opportunity you’ll have of finding a qualified resident. In reality, there’s almost no benefit to listing a property far in advance, and it comes with a lot of hidden cost.

Whenever possible, property managers should wait until a property has been turned and is rent-ready before listing, so that the listing is accurate, fresh, and appealing, and showings present the best property possible. In this article, I’ll walk through why you should wait to list properties, the costs—both financial and reputational—of listing too soon, and how to work with owners who want to push properties to market ASAP, potentially to the detriment of their bottom line.

Keep it fresh: preventing stale listings

One of the biggest risks in posting a listing too early is that, in the eyes of prospective residents, it will turn stale quickly. Even with great photos and accurate details, a long-standing post raises red flags for potential renters.

Most renters aren’t looking several months ahead; many don’t even know if they’re renewing their current lease. Meaning, by the time most qualified residents start looking at your listing, it’s already been up for weeks or months.

The two thoughts residents have when they see a stale listing are: 

1. “Did someone forget to remove this? It’s probably been rented already. Maybe it’s a ghost listing,” or
2. “Why has it been available so long? Something must be wrong with it.”

In both cases, we have lost the attention of a potential renter due to no fault of the property.

The bottom line? If you don’t have a set move-out date for the current resident, or the available  date isn’t in the next 60 days, it’s probably too soon to list.

Update your description every time

When it does come time to post a listing, make sure you’re revisiting the content. You should never be reposting a listing with the exact same description that you used during the last vacancy. Reread it and update it, even if you haven’t done any major renovations to the property. Even small things may have changed; “fresh paint” might now be “two-year old paint,” and even though it seems like a small difference, applicants will notice.

Rewriting listings from time to time also helps algorithms recognize that it’s a fresh listing and not spam, which can help increase the number of views your listings get on sites like Zillow or Apartments.com. It also shows repeat viewers that the listing has been updated, making it feel current rather than outdated or stale.

Choose photos wisely

Some listing agents swear by taking new photos every time a unit is listed. Others will use the same pictures for a decade or more. My advice is to fall somewhere in between. If you have older photos that are high quality and still accurately reflect the current state of the property, feel free to use them. Just make sure that they present the property fairly, both the good and the bad.

If something big has changed since the last time the property was made available—like flooring, paint, countertops, or fixtures—update the photos so prospective residents know exactly what they’re applying for.

Protect your reputation

A big part of waiting to list a vacant property is protecting your reputation, among both current and future residents. Showing an occupied property is particularly risky, because it can irritate the current resident and make a less-than-stellar impression on the applicant.

Among current residents

Showing an occupied home is sometimes necessary, but it can create friction. I recognize that it’s unavoidable in some markets, and that’s okay. But if you have the option to wait until the unit is empty, you should.

Residents who feel imposed on are going to be much more inclined to leave a negative review. In fact, even if they’ve had a great year, or two, or even three, if you cause disruption and frustration at the end of their stay, it will reflect poorly on you, thanks to the peak-end rule. The peak-end rule states that, in any experience, we tend to remember two parts: the most intense point (good or bad) and the ending. How an experience ends has a disproportionate impact on how we rate that experience, so making life difficult for a resident at the end of their lease is going to leave a bad taste in their mouth.

And, of course, we all know that people are more likely to leave negative reviews than positive ones, so creating a negative experience at the end of a lease cycle is just encouraging bad reviews. It can also make a resident more likely to try to fight a move-out charge or a deduction from their security deposit, even if it’s completely justified.

The end of a lease is already a high-touch period for our residents, so adding more to the pile only increases the risk of a negative interaction.

There are, of course, exceptions to this rule. And when you fall into one of those exceptions, the most important thing to do is communicate clearly. For example, if you know well in advance that a resident is not renewing due to a job change, life change, or home purchase, then you can have a conversation with them about when and how you’ll be showing the property. You might decide to list the property a month in advance and begin showing it while it’s still occupied, but only schedule showings for qualified people who have already applied, in order to minimize disruptions.

Try to put yourself in the shoes of the resident (who’s probably already stressed about preparing for a move) and do whatever you can to make their life easier.

Among future residents

Even if you’ve communicated effectively and your current resident is okay with showings, you still have the future resident to consider.

Occupied properties are rarely show-ready. Clutter, odors, and personal belongings can turn off applicants instantly. And remember—every photo and detail in your listing reflects on your reputation. If the property doesn’t look its best, why take the chance?

Besides, the whole time they’re looking at the property, they’re already going to be wondering, “well, if I live here, am I going to have to deal with people coming to see my house before I move out?”

Consider the financial impact

A listing that sits for months creates more work: extra showings, additional cleanings, more calls to answer, and more negotiations with applicants. Add to that the time spent fielding calls or inquiries about it, especially from potential applicants just asking “Is this still available?” (Remember, stale listings tend to raise more questions.)

Older listings often weaken your rent position, putting you on the defensive in discussions.

Meanwhile, your team is tied up managing this property instead of focusing on other priorities.

Market conditions change quickly 

The last major issue with marketing a property too early is just that a whole lot can change between listing and move-in day. Whether it’s economic factors changing rents in your market or your new resident’s life circumstances, you can end up in a very different situation than you expected.

Getting rent right

Making sure that rent is fair and competitive is always a challenge in this industry. You have an obligation to get the best possible outcome for your client, but you also have to find a number that will attract qualified applicants. In many markets, property managers are required to rerun rent comps every 90 days, but in some markets there can be big shifts in as little as two or three weeks. If you’re listing a property six months in advance, it’s nearly impossible to assess a competitive rent price.

Seasonality is huge here: listing a May vacancy in December makes it harder to justify peak-season rates. Tracking rent trends allows you to show owners the data: waiting often means higher returns.

Your company should be tracking how rents rise and fall throughout the year. This not only helps you predict future adjustments but also gives you the hard data to tell investors, “We shouldn’t list this six months early—if we wait until 30 days before move-in, you’ll likely get a much better price.” Tracking trends and timing listings strategically often means higher returns and stronger owner trust.

Life circumstances can change

Beyond just economics, people’s life circumstances change. Someone might get a new job or lose their current one. They might decide that they want to move in with a partner instead of renting on their own place. The more time there is between signing a lease and moving in, the greater the chance that life events will derail the plan.

In other cases, new properties hit the market closer to their move date, and your applicant gets cold feet or finds something they like better. That can put you in the awkward position of dealing with a cancellation request and starting the process all over again.

Final thoughts

Owners may push for early listings to minimize vacancy loss, but in practice, it often backfires—creating tight turns for vendors, missed rent opportunities, and avoidable stress for your team.

Use your data and market knowledge to help owners see that patience isn’t just about avoiding problems - it’s about maximizing profit in the long run.