The options property owners have for marketing a real estate rental range from the simple — placing a “for sale” sign out front — to the elaborate, like creating their own website. These three tips should help you pinpoint the tactic (or tactics) that will work best for your property.

1. Understand your market.

To successfully advertise your rental, learn how renters look for homes in your area. Do they read the classifieds in the local newspaper, or do they look for rental listings online? Talk to other landlords and renters to find out what advertising method works best locally.

For instance, Joan Stuckey, who rents out a home in Albrightsville, Pa., does some of her advertising online on websites like Craigslist, where landlords can post their rental listings at no cost. Other free sites where rental listings can be posted include HotPads, Oodle and Google Base.

Meanwhile, Rebekah Donovan, who owns several vacation properties in Pennsylvania, also uses online rental sites (such as FindRentals, but in those listings, she provides a link to her own website, KRD Poconos Rentals, where she has more room to include descriptions and photos of all her rental properties. It also gives Donovan, who owns five properties, the chance to introduce potential renters to all her rental homes, in case the one that brought them to the site doesn't turn out to be a good fit.

When he was looking to rent out his two-bedroom townhome in Decatur, Ga., two years ago, Ed Patterson, vice president for public relations firm Edelman-Atlanta, listed on websites — including an online bulletin board for area college students looking for housing. He also placed classified ads in local newspapers, with no luck. It wasn't until he bought a $4.95 “for rent” sign from the hardware store that he secured tenants.

He placed the sign in front of several nearby “open house” signs on a Friday, and that Sunday, a young couple who had spotted the sign signed a lease for his property. The pair has consistently renewed their lease, and just signed their third one-year lease in April, Patterson says.

His theory that people touring open houses might also be interested in a rental was correct, and he benefited from the foot traffic that the open house signs produced. “I thought it would be silly to have a ‘for rent’ sign in front of my townhome, but it helped because there were a lot of people out there looking,” he says.

2. Price it right.

The rent you’re seeking should be in line with the going local rate. Research area listings to see what rate units like yours get and price your unit within that range.

“Always advertise $5 below an even hundred,” suggests Andy Heller, Atlanta-based real estate investor and co-author of the book Buy Low, Rent Smart, Sell High. “People think it’s significantly cheaper.”

For instance, instead of advertising your condo for $2,000 a month, try advertising it at $1,995 instead, he suggests.

3. Craft your listing.

Your listing should include the particulars — bedrooms, baths and square footage, and describe a handful of the home’s best features, such as a kitchen with new appliances or a private deck. A few short paragraphs should do the trick. Include a bulleted list of the home’s amenities. “This allows housing shoppers to quickly see what is included in a rental property and allows them to swiftly assess whether it is a good fit,” says Douglas Pope, co-founder of HotPads.

Include several well-taken photos of your property. “The listings with multiple photos on HotPads get looked at and inquired upon much more than those without,” says Pope. “Also, potential tenants will have a better idea of what a property is like with many pictures.”