Online Periodical
French Long-Term Property Rentals & related matters...
May/June 2008
Advertising Online - Communications and Crossed Wires.
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It is not a prerequisite that you have a computer to advertise your rental property online, though most people nowadays own or at least have access to one. Some adverts can be placed by completing application forms by hand and posting them back to the rental agency. And likewise the proof for the advert can be returned to the owner by post. There are, of course, huge disadvantages in not having access to a computer eg setting the advert up is more laborious and slower than 'instant' email, you cannot see your advert live on the web or those of your competitors and, importantly, you cannot receive enquiries by email. Most responses to an online advert will be by email. It is the preferred solution (path of least resistance) for those who have several enquiries to make - simply send off some emails and wait for the responses. If your advert carries no email address then you will almost certainly receive fewer enquiries.
Email is very important for initial contact but often the telephone is used subsequently to discuss details in more depth. In our opinion this is to be recommended. Emails are very anonymous, though good for retaining a printed record. While a telephone call is not as good as a face to face meeting it is a step in the right direction. It can help to sound someone out. Ideally though, the owner and tenant want to meet and have the tenant view the property prior to any agreement being signed, this is particularly important for longer rentals.
Do remember to keep your contact details updated on your adverts. This includes your email address. If your old redundant email address is still being used on your adverts, then you can, obviously, expect zero enquiries by this method. It's surprising how many advertisers remember to update their telephone number but forget about a change of email address. An error message is not the best reply to an initial enquiry.
Also, take care not to exceed the capacity of your mailbox, for example if you go on holiday and you receive some large files from friends, this can soon eat up your space. Once your capacity is reached any incoming emails will be returned to sender with an error message.
If you are going to be absent how best to deal with incoming email enquiries? The great thing about email is that it is more or less instant. The bad thing about email is that many expect a nearly instant reply. No response for several days or a week and chances are the enquirer is looking elsewhere. One solution is to set an auto responder so that a pre-written automatic response is sent to all your incoming email messages, this can advise that you are 'unfortunately' away on holiday and will deal with their email promptly on your return. This is better than no response at all but has the disadvantage of replying with the same message to all your incoming mail, including any SPAM you may receive. A better solution is to access your mail by web mail when away from home. Login from any computer with your password and deal with your urgent emails. Great, though your holiday will no longer be 100% escapism. Alternatively, have a friend manage your emails in your absence. That one great enquiry is guaranteed to come when you are away on holiday - blissfully out of internet shot, you've just changed your email address but forgot to let your advertiser know, and your old mailbox is full.
If you have more than one contact telephone number, do show them all. Remember to specify at which times of day you can be contacted on each number. You should always identify if a telephone number shown is a mobile, this allows overseas clients in particular, the choice of taking cost into account before deciding which number to use.
Do give your name in adverts. People like to know who they are dealing with and a mysterious Mrs J will appear less approachable than Jane Johnson or even just plain Jane. It can also help to specify what languages you are comfortable with. Monique could be from deepest Scotland and not have a French word in her head. Advertising her French property she may puzzle over the French enquiries she receives, many from Brits assuming she is not. I think it's time to close this....
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March/April 2008
Property Rental Availability Calendars.
Keep up to date - Get a Calendar!
If you rent out property in France (or indeed elsewhere) you need to decide whether or not to show availability in your online adverts and on your personal website. There are essentially three camps: I don't have a calendar and I don't want one, I have a calendar but I can't guarantee it will be kept up to date, I have a calendar and ensure it is updated. On our site around half of our advertisers choose to display an availability calendar.
There are valid arguments both for and against the use of availabilty calendars. Arguments against the use of a calendar can include: I have several online adverts and it is just too time consuming to update all the individual calendars; I would rather not show my availability (or unavailability) so that I receive more enquiries - I can then offer alternative dates to the enquirer; the software is clumsy and it is just too laborious to update my calendar - some calendars require the user to select individually each date, while this can be fine for B&B establishments it is less than ideal for someone offering long lets of several months or even years.
Many property rental owners run a combination of online adverts and a personal website. Having constantly to update several calendars can be frustrating and is inefficient. It is obviously preferable to have one calendar which can be replicated on your various adverts. Some sites will allow this, others not. When you have identified an interactive calendar you are happy with, it is well worth contacting your existing advertisers and potential new ones to ask if they will integrate your chosen calendar into their website. Beware of adverts and banners when choosing your calendar. The best calendar should be able to be seamlessly integrated into your website and other online adverts.
Where competition is fierce owners displaying an availability calendar will tend to score over those without. We have come across many clients who will simply not entertain properties that do not display a calendar. "If I cannot at least see if the property is available I will simply move onto one of the many other gîtes for rent where a calendar is displayed".
We believe calendars are beneficial for both the owner and the tenant. Put yourself in your client's shoes. How would you feel if you contacted an advertiser on the basis that their calendar showed availability only to learn that they were booked and hadn't bothered or had forgotten to update their calendar? In a customer focused market, offering your client what he wants and needs is surely the way to go? On balance then, availability calendars must be a good thing. The question, "Are you free?", should never need to be asked.
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Jan/Feb 2008
The market for longer term lets.
France is a large country with a wonderfully varied landscape and it is one of the most popular countries in the world for tourism. It is hardly surprising then, that so many French tend to holiday in their homeland. There are hundreds of thousands of gîtes spread throughout France to help accommodate all these visitors. The main summer season does, however, tend to be quite short, sometimes running only to 10 weeks or so. Even the municipal campsites close in mid September. Many French property rental owners would like to extend their season to help maximise the return on their investment. But how to achieve this if you are not based in a winter sports area where skiing or snowboarding can bring in off-season trade? One possibility is by taking on longer term lets.
How long is a long let? For our purposes, I am using 'long-term let' or 'long-term rental' to cover any rental lasting one month or more. Most of these rentals are furnished and the most common rental period probably runs to several months. Longer winter rentals are particularly popular with owners and tenants. Owners can enjoy the higher weekly revenues from peak season summer holidays and then extend their season throughout the rest of the year with longer term lets. Tenants are also keen to snap up long winter rentals as the monthly rates tend to be much less than during the peak season.
Good demand also exists for furnished lets running up to a year. Beyond this time frame the rentals sought tend to be unfurnished, here different regulations apply and the minimum lease normally runs for 3 years.
So, who are all these people looking for longer rentals? House hunters from Northern Europe and further afield often take the sensible approach and look to rent in their chosen area before committing to a purchase. (Attempting to purchase a new permanent home while on a two week holiday is not for the faint hearted.) Folks waiting for their house to be built or renovated are also looking to rent for periods running from months to one year. An irony is that many of those looking to purchase in France intend renting out their own property and thus adding to the supply of gîte accommodation.
Aside from this, there are workers moving for contracts, professionals looking for time out, sabbaticals, writers and artists seeking a suitable venue and holiday makers simply looking for an extended period in France. Spain and Portugal have been popular for years with retirees spending the winter months in the sun. There is a sizeable market in France also.
The unfurnished market is particularly popular with the French themselves where they are looking for a permanent main residence. Many of these unfurnished properties are advertised by immobiliers and are often snapped up by locals.
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Nov/Dec 2007
How to advertise your place in France?
If you own a place in France and are considering renting it out, you may well be a little bewildered as to how to advertise it most effectively. There are a couple of questions, however, that you need to ask yourself initially. What is my intended market and what time of year do I want to rent it out? The time of year can depend on when, and if, you need access to the property yourself. Should you have a second home, 'maison secondaire', and use it mainly in summer are you content to let it sit empty all winter? Obviously winter rentals require sufficient heating etc but be realistic as to what your property can offer. If your area does not offer winter activities, eg skiing, standard holiday rentals in the winter months may be thin on the ground but it could still be worthwhile renting it out for longer lets which may appeal to say house hunters, people on work contracts, extended holiday makers, writers etc.
Ask yourself what your property can offer that others cannot. Is your property particularly suitable for a specialist activity eg. walking, fishing or skiing? If so it may be worthwhile advertising with a specialist agency. The benefits of picking a specialist is that they are able to promote your property effectively to the market most suited to it and the conversion rate from enquiries to bookings should be greater. Our specialist agency promotes properties in France for long lets of one month or more. Some of our advertisers divide their property between holiday lets in the peak summer months and longer lets for the rest of the year. Others are happy to rent out long term year round. The majority of longer rentals are 2-6 months.
Nowadays you do need to be visible on the internet, and by this I mean to have your advert on a website that ranks highly in the search engines. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of holiday rental sites on France. Some good, some bad, many indifferent. Page one of Google is where you ideally want to be. The website needs to appear on this page by its own merits, not just by paying to appear in the 'Sponsored Links' section. Many people can be wary of these 'pay for placement' adverts and ignore them. Having your own website is also useful. While it is unlikely to feature highly in the search engines, it can provide an easily accessible online brochure with links to it from your other web adverts.
When you have found a potential advertising site be sure to have a good look at it and make sure you are happy with the presentation. The internet is plagued with sites with over the top graphics, waving flags, winking icons, moving graphics and changing photos. The home page introduces the site, it's the shop window and should be calm, clear and concise. The actual advert for your property should be well laid out and easy on the eye. Information should be easily accessible with details arranged sensibly. Be aware that many sites use similar software that effectively wraps your property details in a distracting border of adverts and links. The advertising ‘page’ you paid for is often only a centre section.
Photographs are incredibly important so ensure you are allowed a good number and check what size they will be displayed at - small photos are not so appealing.
When choosing an agency have a look at the testimonial page - satisfied customers are the best recommendation after all.
Some questions to ask the agency could include:
Can I amend the text and photos on my advert at any time for no charge?
Is there an availability calendar?
How many photos can I have?
How many visitor’s does your site receive?
What is the cost to advertise per annum?
Where are you in the search engines?
Can you provide a link to my website?
(A form of our above article appeared in French Property News, Jan 2007.)
