Before you do anything else, profile the tenant that is most likely to want to rent your property.
Advertise specifically to that tenant profile with a description of the property that will most resonate with his needs and wants.
A 2/1 will not resonate with a family of four. Just saying.
A 4/2 will not resonate with a retired couple.
A 2/2 with no yard and no garage will not resonate with a young couple with a kid, but may resonate highly with a retired couple.
Meantime, do a market test. Advertise a high rent and see what the response rate is. If your phone rings off the hook, your rent is too low.
If nobody is calling, you need to lower the rent.
Meantime, your message to market ads will influence the rent you can get, more than any other factor (all things being equal).
Finally, don’t be afraid to market test the rent amount. Shoot for the moon, and see what your responses are, if any. And adjust accordingly.
If you’re waiting for the AAA tenants to call, they can be the worst option weighers ever. It’s rare to get top retail from AAA prospects. They want bargains, and with their good credit, histories, etc. they can can pick and choose. That’s why I don’t settle for AAA prospects.
So, know who you’re renting to, make a focused pitch, and ask for the highest rent you can imagine, and adjust as necessary.
P.S. About 15 years ago, I advertised a house with what I mistakenly believed was an atrociously huge asking rent.
My phone range off the hook.
I mean about ten calls a day.
Needless to say I raised the asking rent, and the number of calls went down to ‘normal.’ Meantime, I tested the waters, and discovered what the actual retail rent should be.
Another time, I had a prospect tell me where my rents should be in comparison to what was being offered by competitors, after looking over my house. In this case, I used feedback directly from the prospects that came to see the house.
One time I deliberately advertised a bargain rent; attracted a bunch of looky-lous to a cattle call; and created a bidding war. Of course the ones that were willing to pay the most, were the same ones with credit/income/history hiccups.
That’s when I discovered I could make way more money by marketing to the credit challenged.
FWIW