Relocation and house rental (Austin: apartments, leasing, condo)

[G Grasshopper]

My nephew has just gotten a job near to 2222 and Jester. He and his wife, who both grew up in Austin, have lived out of state for 2 years, so will be moving back in mid-January. They are looking for a rental house at this point. They have two dogs, one small, the other medium/small. They are thinking a 3 bedroom house with a fenced back yard would be nice. Not ready to buy yet. I am assuming they will need a rental agent, but otherwise, I know little about the area. Any ideas on where to start?

[atxcio]

I'd suggest padmapper.com and austinhomesearch.com (search 78731 and 78750 for leases). Besides Jester itself, there are nice areas around Northwest Hills and Great Hills which would be good options. The homes are expensive right now, but rent hasn't really gone up too much considering how nice of an area it is. It's not like the super hot rental markets in downtown or SoCo/SoLa.

Also, driving around the neighborhoods is a good idea -- there will be homes for rent by owner which might be difficult to find using other sources. If they are renting a house, I don't think the two dogs would be a problem, just perhaps a higher deposit and maybe pet rent.

A rental agent would be fine, but IMO not strictly necessary for these more suburban type communities. Where rental agents/apartment locators really come in handy are for student areas and the hot areas mentioned above.

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by G Grasshopper

My nephew has just gotten a job near to 2222 and Jester. He and his wife, who both grew up in Austin, have lived out of state for 2 years, so will be moving back in mid-January. They are looking for a rental house at this point. They have two dogs, one small, the other medium/small. They are thinking a 3 bedroom house with a fenced back yard would be nice. Not ready to buy yet. I am assuming they will need a rental agent, but otherwise, I know little about the area. Any ideas on where to start?

They can just google "leasing locator austin" and find a Realtor who specializes in lease locating. Most locators only do apartments, but companies like Habitat Hunters train all of the agents to do residential leasing as well.

What that means is that any home found on AustinHomeSearch.com can be shown by a Realtor with one appointment instead of having to make 6 appointments to see 6 houses. The commission is paid by the landlord or listing company.

Steve

[New_to_DFW]

If they need temporary furnished rental property, I'd start with HomeAway.com. For unfurnished, the above suggestions are spot on.

[quince]

Before I purchased, a rented a house. I just called a listing agent for a rental I saw online and she ended up showing me that house and about 4 others. I rented one of the others. Ended up being a good way to find an agent that does rentals - that was working in the area. I work in that area. It's very nice hilly and pretty. I actually live north of there near Duval and 183 - I take some back roads so I avoid some traffic, might check out the 78759 as well, my commute isn't bad 15 minutes in the am - but I get in late at about 9:30

[CptnRn]

I've been told that Realtor.com is pretthy reputable, it lists house and condo rentals for the Austin area.

[ImOnFiya]

Since they are in their 20s, I don't think being lost in the suburbs would be good for them. They need to stay where some of the action is. I'd suggest Wooten, Brentwood, Crestview, or Highland neighborhoods (close by 2222) in central Austin. When you can, let us know what they decide!

[G Grasshopper]

Thank you. My nephew and wife copied all this information and feel that you all have been extremely helpful. They will be looking in the next several days, and hopefully will find something. I will try to update you about how it turns out.