If I want to find a list of rental houses, should I just go through a phone book and ask any realtor to help?
February 4, 2010 - 12:48 pm
I’m a single woman and I know that a little house would be a better deal than an apartment, so how do I find a cheap little rent house? I’ve checked the newspaper and can’t find anything.
You’ve started in the right place with the newspaper ads.
Ask your friends and current landlord for referalls.
One of the best ways to find a place is to drive around the neighborhoods you want to live in.
Also look in the freebie papers from the local grocery store, (penny saver type) and local bulletin boards.
Contact your local Real Estate Investors association.
If still no luck, look for realtors that advertise property management services.
February 4th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
In North Texas where I work in Real Estate there is a section of the multiple listing that has rental houses in it but the data is not up to date or complete.
If I wanted to find a house to rent I would look in the paper (like you did) and I would call three or four rental management companies asking for information. I would also drive thru neighborhoods that I want to live in and see what signs may be up. (I own a few rental homes and rarely advertise because they seem to rent as soon as I put my sign up).
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February 4th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
It is hard to believe there wasn’t anything in the paper. You could check with a Realtor. Some landlords do use them to manage their properties.
I am a landlord, by the way. But, before you decide to take a place and sign a lease, check him/her out—they do you. Check with your local city/town/village government. See if they have had any code violations, or are delinquent in their taxes. This can tell you a lot about how they care for the property and will respond to problems you may have. If you can find a present or former tenant of theirs, that also helps to know about them.
You can also try to do an Internet search. Just put +"house for rent" +"[your town name]" By putting it in that way you limit your search to pages that only contain the words "house for rent" and the name of your town.
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February 4th, 2010 at 7:10 pm
You’ve started in the right place with the newspaper ads.
Ask your friends and current landlord for referalls.
One of the best ways to find a place is to drive around the neighborhoods you want to live in.
Also look in the freebie papers from the local grocery store, (penny saver type) and local bulletin boards.
Contact your local Real Estate Investors association.
If still no luck, look for realtors that advertise property management services.
References :
February 4th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
It’s quite possible there aren’t a lot of rental homes in your area. At least in my area (southern NH) there aren’t many. Investors don’t buy single family homes here to rent them – the homes are too expensive and there isn’t any profit in it. Home owners typically only rent a home when they have trouble selling it and they have already moved to another home. Because of the high cost of homes the rents need to be fairly high to cover mortgage and expenses, and I find most people that call me looking to rent a home aren’t willing or able to pay those prices.
A lot of agents don’t like to deal with rental because there is too little money involved. A lot of times I may take someone out to see a few rentals but they end up finding something on their own and I make nothing (but still spend time and money on gas and other expenses). Even if they do rent I make just a couple of hundred dollars. I don’t turn anyone away because they are a renter, but I don’t go out of my way to look for them either.
If you can find a local real estate agency that does advertise some rentals then give them a call and see if they have others, or if they can find some in the MLS (multiple listing service). You may have to call around to several places before you find someone that is really willing to spend a lot of time with you.
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February 4th, 2010 at 8:02 pm
Some Realtors do property management, some do not. I’d check in the phone book for property management and go from there.
How about checking some of your local websites, like:
http://www.craigslist.org
Or any free classifieds in your area.
References :
Oregon Realtor
February 4th, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Unless you live in a very small town you should be able to find help on http://www.realtor.com just check under rentals. If you not find what you are looking for contact one of the agents in your area from realtor.com and ask them to email you as soon as something comes on the market.
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February 4th, 2010 at 9:23 pm
I think craigslist could do wonders for you. It’s becoming a great database for rentals, and you can narrow the search to show homes only in your specified area at your price range…
References :
http://www.vegasrealestatesource.com