The Apartment Blogger

Single Family homes for rent, how do you find them? What do they cost? Anything I should know if I want to rent a house?

Given the current state of the sales market and the usually frigid rental market during the winter, you can find single family homes for rent that were recently on the market for sale but didn’t.

A few quick “facts” (IMO)

• Selling real estate in 2008 is something most owners would try to avoid if they can.
• Selling during the winter, even in a good market, is not advisable.
• A vacant rental in late December is not going to fetch the same rent it would in July.

Finding a single family for rent, just like finding any other rental could be done the easy way or the hard way.

The easy way:

Use GrandCentralApartments.com

The hard way:

Don’t use GrandCentralApartments.com

That said, there is an exception to this rule when it comes to houses.

If you see a house that is currently on the market for sale and you approach the owner asking “Would you consider renting?” You might be surprised how many yes’s or maybe’s you will get.

The longer the house has been on the market the likelier it is for the owner to consider renting. (You can check the length of time on the market using websites like Roost.com or Zillow.com or you can contact the listing agent)

Another tip to increase your chances of getting a deal done is making your rental offer more than or approximately equal to the mortgage payment for that particular property.

The most important thing to be aware of when renting a house, in my view, is the heating and cooling cost. Check to see what system heats the house and how well-insulated it is. Houses are typically bigger than apartments and so is the cost of heating and/or cooling them.

A couple of other items to consider that might affect your cost of living in a house:

• Driveway clean up/plowing if you live in a snow bound area. Ask the landlord who is responsible for that expense.
• Landscaping e.g. mowing the lawn if the house comes with a yard.
• Trash removal if you live in a more rural area.

Overall, the average three bedroom house would be roughly 35% more expensive to rent then a three bedroom apartment.

Happy holidays,

IG

Filed under: Tips and Tricks by APT4rent on 12.26.2008
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Now offering a one month free rent special pro-ratated over the lease terms.

***STARTING PRICE AND SQUARE FOOTAGE FOR THIS FLOOR PLAN***

PHOTOS ARE AN EXAMPLE OF UNITS WITHIN THE COMPLEX, ACTUAL UNIT MAY VARY.

Spacious apartment home with a fully applianced kitchen stocked with a self cleaning range, refrigerator, and large sink with garbage disposal. All of the appliances, including dishwasher and microwave, are sleek black. The kitchen will be finished with superb granite counter tops and beautiful cherry cabinets. Apartment will have wall to wall Berber-style carpeting, and floor to ceiling windows making the sunlight stream in. Your apartment will also be equipped with a full sized washer and dryer; have walk in closets so that you will never feel cramped or crowded. Ceramic tile floors in bathroom. Individually controlled heating and cooling. Linen closet, mini blinds, and Cable TV and high-speed internet. The apartment community offers beautifully appointed club rooms with fireplace and flat screen televisions, fitness facilities with state of the art cardiovascular and strength equipment, business centers with high-speed internet access, printer, copier and fax equipment, an elegant conference/dining room, billiards table, furnished outdoor terrace adjacent to both club rooms, indoor bicycle storage, underground parking, numerous on-site conveniences, restaurants, and entertainment outlets, and Zipcar services. Cats, dogs, and fish allowed. $50 per month per pet. Within minutes you will be able to walk to the MBTA tram taking you directly to the train (Orange line, Wellington station). You will be into Boston in no time at all! Great centralized location, with easy access to Interstate 93 and Route 128 (I95), along with Routes 16, 28, and 38.

Click here for more pictures and details on this Grand Central: Boston Apartments two-bedroom apartment in Medford, MA.

Filed under: Apartment for Rent by APT4rent on 12.16.2008
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For all you landlords and smaller management companies: screening your tenants just got EASY. GCA has finalized a partnership with ScreeningWorks.com.

ScreeningWorks.com provides property owners and managers an easy to use immediate screening analysis for any tenant who applies for your rental. Simply create an account, plug-in the tenant’s info and get the following:

• Eviction Statewide
• Criminal Statewide
• Credit Evaluation
• Address Search
• National Sex Offender
• OFAC – US Treasury Dept. Database
• Social Security Number Fraud Check

The screening check is competitively priced and you get a discounted rate by using our promotional code RentalBeast.

Owners can use the reports nationwide. (Product package offerings vary by state)

Enjoy
IG

Call ScreeningWorks for promotional code.

Filed under: Tips and Tricks by IG on 12.10.2008
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