Rent Houses ... what's the dealie?

[ricky409]

waddup famb...ive been on an hard apartment hunt for the past month,and i think i foind one ...so i say "lemme go on Craigslist just to make sure i dont see a steal"all of sudden, i see these "rent houses"...the prices are pure dopeness ... what i was gonna pay for measly apartment, im seeing 2 bedroom houses with garages ...with water and gas included ... all i have to do is find an electricity provider...whats good with rent houses? i know it can be pretty bad, but can i find an awesome situation?anybody lives in a rent house? how is it?

 

[crcballer55]

The upside is definitely there. We get a lot of our business by helping owners rent out their homes to renters. But beware though... don't pay anything up front until you have actually gone inside WITH the landlord (or realtor) to inspect the home. There are a lot of scams on Craigslist where they will ask for money up front and say they will give you the money after the check cleared without showing you around.

Advantage:
- dealing directly w/ the landlord or property manager
- better neighbors
- landlord/property manager may be more lenient on rent since they get to make their own rules

Disadvantage:
- potential slum lord
- home owner could be in default, so do your due diligence first

 

[scientific method]

I would get a house over an apartment, even a town home or a duplex/quadriplex, unless the apartment offers community amenities like a pool/weight room/laundry and things that you think are worth having right there at your disposal, or you are very social and would maybe meet lots of new people at an apartment. Getting the electric turned on will be no biggie, they'll make you pay like a $75 deposit or something and flip the switch, was your apartment complex going to pay your utilities? If not, it should come out less than $ 100 a month anyways. You can get whatever cable/satellite provider you want, no noisy neighbors at least not right on top of you, and a garage is great for when the weather is acting up. If I can avoid it, I don't think I'm ever living in an apartment again

 

[ricky409]

What does being in default have to do with it?

Will it effect me?

 

[crcballer55]

Originally Posted by ricky409

What does being in default have to do with it?

Will it effect me?

Ya, if they're in default and the house is sold back to the bank, you might be moving in about 3 months (Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act).

It's possible that the bank may allow you to stay (depending on policy or rent control area). However it's a huge pain because you have to allow access to the home whenever the person viewing it wants to see it. Even if the bank allowed you to stay and the new landlord allowed it, they aren't required to honor your current lease and could start eviction proceedings immediately after purchasing the home. It's not likely since the new owner would likely want the income but it's always possible and something to look out for.

 

[ricky409]

Tips or advice when looking for a rent home?

 

[crcballer55]

Make sure the person advertising the home actually has access to the home and lets you in before you sign anything or hand over any money.

Typically if you're working through a realtor they'll do the due diligence for you when looking at private rentals since they want your business later on when you're buying. IMO, that's the best way to go when looking since they'll help you through the process and give a good recommendation for you and walk you through the appropriate steps.

Here are some links from our site to help you out with what will be needed.

Renting a Home

Documents Needed

 

[ham city]

Forget handing over money, a lot of the craiglist ads are scammers just looking for you to fill out a rental application and get their hands on your information.

When I was looking for a new place in the spring literally half the adds I saw turned out to be scams.

 

[ricky409]

Originally Posted by HAM CITY

Forget handing over money, a lot of the craiglist ads are scammers just looking for you to fill out a rental application and get their hands on your information.

When I was looking for a new place in the spring literally half the adds I saw turned out to be scams.

that's what I'm most concerned about... them scammers be scammin '..

 

[scientific method]

Just walk into a real estate management's office. Hell, you can even check rentals online at http://realestate.yahoo.com and http://www.trulia.com rent.com apartmentratings.com and it'll give you the information to get to the real estate management office right on the page.

here http://realestate.yahoo.c...Dallas%2C+TX&type=rental

Scammers on CL are easy to identify anyways. You can just tell by seeing the listings, but if not then just know if they ask you for information before even meeting you like through email, red flag, if the listing has nothing that positively identifies it to the city and area, if it has pictures of houses or apartments that don't really exist, if it lists an 800 number to call and especially if they request payment (even some of them just want to charge you 1.99) before meeting or speaking with you

 

[ricky409]

Whelped... dodged a bullet... a few of them were scams...

I keep my computers putin ... so I caught it...

Still on the hunt for am awesome deal, though.

 

[babylonzion]

i'd rather rent a home from the owner. more privacy than apartment

 

[niketalker23]

I rent a home with one other person and it's been nothing but good things. Landlord is a breeze to deal with and she is on top of all the maintenance on the home. She's even putting in new sod in the backyard tomorrow. We split 950 for a 2BR/2BATH duplex with utilities included. I have the garage to myself and it's a nice area.

 

[wr]

real estate agents can find you lease/rental homes as well. it's just not up most agents alley because the commission is drastically smaller than an actual sale. Find an agent that does it as their niche and uses the mls of your area.
and make sure you have money for emergencies like maybe having to move quickly or even to get in the house in the first place. Sometimes they want a deposit along with the first and second months rent before you gain access. 

 

[ricky409]

Originally Posted by babylonzion

i'd rather rent a home from the owner. more privacy than apartment

best way to find them??