Aug 10, 2026
Finding great tenants starts long before the application and screening process.
It starts with your rental listing.
In today’s episode of the Canadian Real Estate Investing Morning Show, Wayne and Gabby break down how landlords and real estate investors should market their rental properties to attract more qualified applicants, avoid wasting time, and create enough demand that they can choose a tenant instead of settling for one.
Wayne explains that real estate investors are also marketers. If your listing does not clearly communicate what your property offers, you may attract the wrong people—or nobody at all.
The goal is to make it easy for prospective tenants to quickly determine whether your property fits their needs, while removing unnecessary friction that could cause good applicants to disappear before they ever reach the application stage.
Wayne and Gabby also answer a listener’s three-part question:
Wayne recommends providing enough information for a prospective tenant to determine whether the property works for them before booking a viewing.
Important information includes:
The purpose is not simply to describe the property.
It is to qualify the tenant and the property at the same time.
A strong listing helps prospective tenants quickly decide whether the home fits their family, lifestyle, budget, pets, parking requirements, location, and other needs.
That saves everyone time.
Wayne’s advice is simple:
Research your market.
Facebook Marketplace, Kijiji, RentFaster, and other rental platforms may work very well in one city and poorly in another.
Landlords should determine where tenants in their specific city and neighbourhood are actually searching rather than choosing a platform because other investors recommend it.
Wayne shares an example from Nelson, British Columbia, where the local rental market relied heavily on an obscure community message board that he would never have discovered without asking someone who lived there.
Understanding the local rental market means understanding where your tenants actually look.
Before or during the viewing process, Wayne and Gabby suggest asking questions such as:
These questions can help landlords better understand whether the property matches the prospective tenant’s situation.
However, Wayne cautions landlords against turning the initial inquiry into an interrogation.
The goal is to gather useful information without creating so much friction that good applicants simply move on to another property.
The rental process is a funnel.
First, someone needs to see your advertisement.
Then they need to become interested.
Then they need to inquire.
Then they need to attend a viewing.
Then they need to apply.
Then they need to successfully complete your screening process.
And finally, they need to sign the lease and pay the required funds.
Every unnecessary obstacle along that process gives a prospective tenant another opportunity to disappear.
Good systems should protect the landlord while still making it easy for qualified tenants to move forward.
As Gabby put it:
“I like picking my tenant. I don’t like having to settle on a tenant.”
That is the goal.
Create enough interest, generate enough applications, screen properly, and put yourself in a position where you can choose the strongest applicant.
Wayne and Gabby Hillier are full-time Canadian real estate investors, entrepreneurs, landlords, and founders of REI Masters.
Through the Canadian Real Estate Investing Morning Show, they share practical real estate investing education and free coaching every weekday morning, including real deals, landlord strategies, property management, tenant screening, market analysis, and lessons from managing their own rental portfolio.
Work directly with Wayne and Gabby to develop your investing strategy, improve your systems, analyze opportunities, and build a sustainable Canadian real estate portfolio.
Learn Wayne Hillier’s framework for evaluating rental property cash flow and reducing investment risk.
Search The 5% Rule by Wayne Hillier on Amazon.
Join Wayne and Gabby live every weekday morning at 7:00 AM Mountain Time on YouTube.
Search:
Canadian Real Estate Investing Morning Show
or
Wayne Hillier – Real Estate Investing Coach
Have a real estate investing question you want answered on the show?
Edmonton, Alberta
August 22, 2026
Tour real cash-flowing Edmonton investment properties, meet experienced investors, ask questions, network with the REI Masters community, and see investment strategies in action.
The event will also include a dinner in the park following the tour, giving attendees additional time to network and connect.
Only limited seating remains.
🌐 www.reimasters.ca/edmontonbustour
Edmonton, Alberta
September 11–13, 2026
Join Wayne, Gabby, Calvin Hexter, and other Canadian real estate investing educators for an interactive weekend focused on residential and multifamily investing.
🌐 reiconference.ca
Helping investors identify and purchase Edmonton real estate opportunities.
Specialized bookkeeping and tax services for Canadian real estate investors.
Investor-focused mortgage planning for Canadian real estate investors.