Are there any tricks to getting a good deal

[needachance]

on a rental? We are looking to move as we don't really have room here and the kids sleep in the garage, which we found out is somewhat illegal! Anyway, we wanted to find a place to rent but everything is so expensive when you go through a realtor etc but I want a reputable place with reputable people and clearly craigs list is not the way to go! That has been rather entertaining....broken english while claiming you are a doctor that had to go overseas and wants to rent your house to "good christ believing peoples family" is pretty much a dead give away that you are nigerian and running a scam!

[HakunaMatata]

Oh gosh, sorry to hear about your CL experiences! Ugh, so frustrating!! My sister was fortunate to find a rental property on CL so I know some are legitimate.

I'm at the beginning stages of bk/foreclosure and I've been trying to assess my renting future. I really think one of the best ways of finding a property is networking. Ask friends, family, co-workers, your mechanic, your hair stylist, etc. (I rented many moons ago and found a wonderful property through a hair stylist). If there is a particular area you'd like to live, you may want to drive/walk through it. I'm shocked by how many rental homes are currently advertised (lawn signs) in my city (extremely small city that formerly didn't have many rentals). If you're connected with people in real estate (directly or indirectly), this can also provide solid leads (my real estate agent friend has been securing lease agreements since the market has become so terrible). Local papers and online resources will have listings as well (although, you may encounter CL-esque issues).

I intend to begin with my social network. From past experiences, this process produces fewer headaches and more rewards.

Best of luck to you!

[jribe]

on a rental? We are looking to move as we don't really have room here and the kids sleep in the garage, which we found out is somewhat illegal! Anyway, we wanted to find a place to rent but everything is so expensive when you go through a realtor etc but I want a reputable place with reputable people and clearly craigs list is not the way to go! That has been rather entertaining....broken english while claiming you are a doctor that had to go overseas and wants to rent your house to "good christ believing peoples family" is pretty much a dead give away that you are nigerian and running a scam!

i don't think that everything on craigslist is a scam- far from it actually. But if a post seems too good to be true- it probably is - and those are the scams.

We found our current place on craigslist and the owners are really nice; they live a few hours away and had bought the home thinking their child would go to college here- but ended up elsewhere. They just wanted responsible people here that had stable jobs.

I found a lot more leads on craigslist than things like property management because with the property management (and realtors) you're usually out of luck right away if you've filed BK, have bad credit or not enough in savings.. Private owners are usually more willing to work with some issues.

[backtoschool]

I got my current rental on craig's list, when I moved from nyc to a state with a lower cost of living. I had to try several apartments before I found one that was perfect, but where I live, craig's list is used far more than the newspaper. Property management companies won't work for people filing bankruptcy because they do credit checks. Individual owners renting out their houses don't do credit checks usually.

I saw a lot of "rent to own" on craig's list and those were probably scams, but the regular rentals were just individual owners trying to rent out their places. Like any classifieds I had to do some sorting and sifting and trial and error to find the right place.

Keep trying craig's list. You at least get some photos and are most likely dealing with an individual owner.

[bkmaggster]

Once you figure out the descriptions/prices the CL scams are going for, they are simple to spot.

I wouldn't even think about going through a realtor to get an apt. unless you are in Boston or NYC.

Call the big complexes, in this economy they have great specials.

[MrJames]

we have also started to look for a rental and think we found a pretty good one. we will most likely be moving into the same apratment complex my ML lives at.
while we where helping with her recent move I started talking with the manager and told him my story and he said they have several apartments in the size and budget we are looking for.
he showed us one apartment that is a 3 bedroom 1.5 bath town house but the people who lived there where evicted and aparently didnt like it and destroyed the place. he said it will take about 5-6months to repair because he does not have help and doesnt want to hire out.
I told him I wanted the apartment and and it would be several months before I could move in. so we worked out a deal where I will help him do some work on it and he agreed to knock the monthly rent down from $700 a month to $575 a month{for the first year} and waive my deposit. he said he as long as I help him work on it he will save it for me as long as he has to and I can move in any time I want.
if would start looking at some of the smaller apartment complexes in your area and work a deal out with the managers.