The rental market in the Greater Seattle Area is competitive on all fronts. For property managers, it’s a challenge to stand out in the crowd, reach the right tenants, to determine if they’re qualified, and then to be available to show them the property. For renters, it’s a challenge to find the right property in the right neighborhood for the right price— and to schedule a showing during a time that works for you. If you’re not already using Zillow to find or market a vacancy in Seattle, we can’t emphasize this enough: you should be.

Whether you’re managing just a few properties or you’re the manager of a large apartment community, Zillow is a fantastic tool for marketing your vacancies. With their Rental Manager tool, property managers can reach millions of renters not only on Zillow’s site, but also on Trulia and HotPads. (They even have an app!) It is the only property listing website that is free for independent landlords and property managers with under 50 properties.

Not only is it great for getting the word out about your vacancy, but you can also receive inquiries, screen renters, accept applications, research rental prices in your area, and collect rent once you’ve found the right tenant. Each prospective tenant makes a renter profile with Zillow that makes it really simple to determine who is-- and isn’t-- qualified to rent. Their profile includes details like credit score, income, family size, whether or not they have pets, what type of pets they have, and more! This is a great time-saver for both property managers and prospective renters— nobody needs to waste precious time showing or viewing properties that aren’t a good match for them.

To make things even more convenient, there’s a really simple way to connect your prospective tenants directly to a licensed real estate agent who can show your property for you on-demand. Here’s how to do it:

1. Sign up for Showdigs
2. Make an account with Zillow
3. Create a listing for your property on Zillow
4. Enter details about your property
5. When you add your contact information, use the email address tour@showdigs.com as your contact email. Additionally, check the box under “For Rent By” that says “Management Company/Broker”

When your prospective tenants reach out to contact you regarding the property, the team at Showdigs will receive the email and connect them to a licensed real estate agent right away, so there’s no delay on setting up a showing, and you can fill your vacancies faster.

Learn more about how we can help you fill your vacancies faster!