Every day your property sits empty costs you money. At James-Hawkins, we syndicate every listing through Tenant Turner to Zillow, Trulia, Apartments.com, Redfin, Zumper, and more — plus AffordableHousing.com for Section 8 homes. Here's how our multi-platform marketing strategy fills vacancies fast and what the numbers look like for Montgomery landlords.
The True Cost of Vacancy
Most landlords underestimate how much vacancy actually costs. For a property renting at $1,100/month, every vacant day costs roughly $36 in lost rent alone. But the real cost is higher: add utilities you're covering during vacancy ($150–$250/month), lawn maintenance ($75–$100/month), insurance still accruing, and the property tax clock ticking. A 45-day vacancy can easily cost $2,500–$3,500 in total. Cutting that to 21 days saves $800–$1,500 per turnover — and that's exactly what professional marketing does.
Our Multi-Platform Marketing Strategy
We use Tenant Turner as our listing and showing management platform. When we list a property, it's automatically syndicated to the largest rental platforms in the country, including Zillow, Trulia, HotPads, Apartments.com, Zumper, Redfin, Padmapper, Movoto, Rent.com, and Realtor.com. That means your property is visible to millions of active renters from a single listing.
For Section 8 properties, we go further and list on AffordableHousing.com (formerly GoSection8) — the largest affordable housing listing service in the nation. The platform works directly with public housing authorities and notifies voucher holders via email, text, and phone alerts whenever a matching property is listed. This dual-channel approach ensures maximum visibility.
Professional Photography and Listing Quality
Listings with professional-quality photos receive significantly more inquiries than those with dark, blurry smartphone pictures. We ensure every listing has well-lit, properly framed photos that showcase the property's best features. The listing description is optimized with relevant details: bedroom and bathroom count, square footage, neighborhood highlights, pet policy, Section 8 acceptance, included appliances, and proximity to key locations like Maxwell AFB, schools, and major employers.
Self-Showing Technology
Traditional showing scheduling is a bottleneck. A prospective tenant calls during business hours, you play phone tag, and by the time you schedule a showing for next week, they've already signed a lease somewhere else. Tenant Turner's self-showing technology lets qualified prospects schedule and complete showings on their own schedule — including evenings and weekends. This dramatically increases showing volume and reduces time-to-lease.
Pricing Strategy
The fastest way to kill your vacancy timeline is overpricing. We analyze comparable rents in the specific neighborhood, current Section 8 FMR rates, seasonal demand patterns, and property condition to recommend a price that maximizes income while minimizing vacancy. A property priced 5% too high can sit vacant 3–4 weeks longer than necessary — costing far more than the small rent reduction would have.
Make-Ready Speed
Marketing can't start until the property is show-ready. Our turnover process begins before the current tenant even moves out: we schedule the make-ready crew, line up any needed repairs, and coordinate cleaning so the property is listed within days of vacancy — not weeks. For properties requiring more work, we provide owners with a prioritized punch list so we address the items that matter most for showing quality first.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast do most James-Hawkins properties lease?
Most properties lease within 30 days or less when priced strategically. Section 8 properties often lease faster due to the massive demand from voucher holders in Montgomery.
Do you charge for marketing or advertising?
No. All listing syndication, photography, and marketing are included in our standard management fee. There are no additional advertising charges.
Can you start marketing before the current tenant moves out?
Yes. Once a tenant gives notice, we can begin marketing the property immediately (with appropriate notice to the current tenant for showings). This pre-marketing period can eliminate vacancy entirely in some cases.
What if my property isn't getting showings?
If a property isn't generating interest within the first 7–10 days, we reassess pricing, update photos if needed, and adjust the listing description. Lack of showings is almost always a pricing issue in Montgomery's current market — demand is strong across most neighborhoods.
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