RentOK.com Landlord and Property Manager FAQ's
What is RentOK.com? Based in Norman, Oklahoma, RentOK.com is a Multiple Listing Service for rental properties in the State of Oklahoma. RentOK.com makes it easy for real estate professionals and investors to market and manage rental properties by:
How does RentOK.com work? Uploading your listings only takes a few minutes and, once completed, is immediately viewed by thousands of potential tenants online. As contact details are provided for each property listed on RentOK.com, prospective renters can contact you immediately by our message system or phone. Furthermore, we assist you in the processing of applications by providing applicants with your interactive PDF application forms they can fill out online at their convenience. However, we do not just stop there! We also provide with you with the means to:
What are the benefits of listing in RentOK.com? A RentOK.com listing allows you to:
Additional features include:
Future features that RentOK.com will launch include:
Every RentOK.com listing includes spaces for 10 high quality photos, your company logo, and additional text descriptions. All property amenities you define are listed and shown to viewers, and a map for locating the property is shown as well. The information and photos you provide are stored in our database for easy reactivation should the property become available in the future. By allowing us to keep your entire rental inventory in our database, you can manage your listings from any computer with an Internet connection. You can also see how many times your ad has been viewed, how many emails were sent to you, and the number of times your phone number was requested.
Are there that many people using the Internet? Undoubtedly, yes! Currently, millions of people rely on online searches for their needs. As of December 2008, Internet penetration in North America was already pegged at 73.1% (http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats2.htm).
Online rental home searching is unquestionably the most popular means for locating rental property for many reasons. Firstly, tenants like the convenience online searches provide. Secondly, an online advertisement offers more information than what a typical newspaper classified ad can provide. Renters want to view photos and detailed descriptions of the properties they are interested in, along with driving directions, maps, and school information, among other things. Furthermore, the ability to inquire about a home rental listing by email or phone increases a prospective tenant’s chances of getting an immediate response from a property manager or landlord. How do renters find your website? Prospective tenants searching the Internet use search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, MSN, or AOL. RentOK.com has the keywords "rent" and "OK" in its website name, and these keywords are used often to search for rental properties in Oklahoma online. We also advertise in the local newspapers, radio and we display yard signs in all of our activated listing's yards. Oklahoma renters choose our website because it is area specific and we do not require them to pay to search our extensive database for rental homes. In addition, RentOK.com continually strives to make renting a home easier and more efficient than ever before. As a registered user, a tenant can:
In addition, RentOK.com employs search engine specialists to monitor search engine rankings so potential tenants regularly find our website and view your rental listings. Furthermore, RentOK.com advertises using local media to increase awareness for the site and expand its user base.
What computer skills and equipment does one need to use RentOK.com? An email address, basic computer skills, and an Internet connection are all that is required. To add pictures to your listings, using a digital camera is the easiest way, but scanning your pictures is also an option. If you do not own a digital camera, RentOK.com’s professional contract photographers can take care of the property shoots for you. To set up an account, you simply follow the steps that are outlined for you. Managing listings is as simple as logging on with your username and password and choosing what course of action you wish to take. It is all done with mouse clicks and simple keyboard inputs from any computer with Internet access.
What are the advantages of using RentOK.com over newspaper classifieds? You get maximum exposure besides the competitive rates that we offer you through our listing plans. In addition, you spend less time on the telephone, continuously receive quality leads, and find tenants for your rental homes faster. A Featured Listing on RentOK.com is 3 times cheaper than the cost of an average newspaper classified ad where you have very little space for descriptions and no photos. A RentOK.com listing allows you to completely describe everything about the property for rent, including all of the property’s features and amenities. Each listing provides space for ___ quality photos of the property’s interior and exterior. A Google map link is provided for each rental listing so renters know exactly where the property is located. When you receive an email or a phone call from a RentOK.com registered user, it comes from an informed tenant seriously interested in your vacancy.
Why should I place ads on this website when other sites are free? You get unparalleled coverage for your listings. You place an advertisement for available vacancies because you want these properties rented out quickly. Listing your properties on a free website does not help fill vacancies if potential tenants cannot find your properties on the Internet. RentOK.com provides your property listings with the exposure you need to find qualified renters to fill your vacancies. Once you have filled a vacancy, RentOK.com goes a step further and provides you with facilities that allow you to accept online rent payments, which are directly transferred to your bank account. Furthermore, you can communicate with tenants through RentOK.com’s built in message system and receive confirmations that your tenants have read your correspondences. Additionally, RentOK.com seamlessly integrates with your existing website, if any, doubling your exposure online!
How long will it take to rent my property? All properties are different. Some can take only hours to rent out, others take one or more months. A lot depends on the amount of information you provide for your properties, supply and demand, and other factors such as rent and property features.
Can I see how many people visited my ad? When you list properties in RentOK.com, you can see how many prospective tenants saw your placement. Go to your Property Portfolio page from your Dashboard. Find the available property, and click View Stats. You can even send prospective tenants that saved your property a message.
What can I do to improve the results of my ads? It is vital that you include photos with your placements. The photos you provide allow prospective renters to view your property and appreciate its features and amenities. Furthermore, be sure to provide as much information as you can about the property’s attributes. Lastly, provide accurate contact information.
Can I get my listing featured? Yes! When you set a property to available or available soon, simply select the featured property setting before checking out.
What advertising plans do you offer? What are your listing rates? We currently offer two property listing plans. Featured ($35 / month) and Basic (FREE). For our featured properties we go the extra mile for you. We market your property in as many social and real estate websites that we can, including craigslist, oodle, yahoo real estate, google realestate and many others. We also display your listings above all basic listings in our search results and display your listing in our featured property sections on the home page as well as be posted in our iPhone app. Our basic plans, will get your property listed on the website, and for a limited time your basic listing will be in our iPhone app.
Will I be charged monthly until my property is rented? Yes. We have automatic monthly recurring billing while your properties remain active.
Can I get discounts for multiple listings? We do not offer multiple listing discounts at this time.
Can I prepay my ads? We do not offer prepaid ads. For your convenience, we offer credit card payments. We only charge your credit card when you activate a listing and we have automatic recurring billing if your property stays on the market for more than one month.
Can I be invoiced for my listing fee? No, we only offer credit card payments at this time. You can print your receipt instantly after activating a listing.
Is there a long-term commitment? You are not tied to any long-term commitment. You are only charged the amount stated on the listing plan you chose.
How much does it cost to include photos in the ad? Photos can be included in your ad at no additional charge. You can upload up to 10 photos for each ental advertisement. These photos can be exterior shots, floor plans, interior shots, etc.For a small fee of $35 you can select to have our professional contract photographers come out and take up to 25 photos of your property. They will post them on the website for you. When you set a property to available you will be given this option.
After I place an ad, how long will it take to find it on the Internet and on the iPhone application? Instantly, once you are done uploading it!
How do I manage my properties or update my profile? Log into RentOK.com using the username and the password you chose when you first registered. Once logged in, to update your profile, simply click the ‘Edit’ link on the My Profile section of your Dashboard. To manage your properties, click either the ‘Add’ or the ‘Edit’ link on the Manage My Properties section of your Dashboard.
I have an existing website, do I have to re-key all my ads into your site? Yes for now. We are working hard to integrate our database into our client's existing websites. So soon into the future, you will manage all your rental properties on RentOK.com's Web site and your listings will be fed directly to your website. This way you get maximum exposure for your properties by listing it in the central rental MLS for Oklahoma and on your personal websites.
What happens after my ad expires? After 30 days from the time you placed your listing, you will be billed for a second thirty days based on the initial plan you chose.
How do I deactivate my ad once the property is rented? From your Dashboard, select "Edit" under Manage My Properties. Once on your property portfolio page, click on the current property status and change the status to currently rented on the popup. Your billing for that property will stop at that time, and be taken out of available status.
My property is rented, can I get a partial refund or credit for unused time? Unfortunately, RentOK.com does not refund any unused time.
Can RentOK.com help me build my own personal website? We plan to offer complete website templates for our clients that do not have their own websites. We will tie our database into your site so when people visit your site they see all your available listings. You will easily update your own website with your RentOK.com dashboard.
What information can I get from RentOK.com Stats? We will have a very innovative tool for you to search occupancy rates and rental rates in any neighborhood in Oklahoma. We already have most of this featured built, and are in the testing phases.
I forgot my username and password. What do I do? If you forgot your password, click on "Forgot Password?" Key in your email address on the space provided and click on ‘Submit. You will receive an email from us containing a link. Click on the link to initiate changing your password.