Im looking for a house or townhome to rent in Meridian (Boise: apartment complex, foreclosure) - City-Data Forum

Fresh Start · 05-30-2012, 09:26 PM

I would like to rent a house/townhome/duplex in the Meridian area. Single mom with two kids and a full time job. Just can't take the huge apartment complex anymore. Please respond if you know of anything. I would like yo keep it at 800.00 per month. Thanks for reading.

outtacal · 05-31-2012, 12:43 AM

A suggestion would be is to check Zillow and Craigslist. Should be plenty of information at both websites to see what is currently available. Good luck.

redalicat · 05-31-2012, 07:41 AM

+1 Also check Hotpads for rentals. Some appear there that don't show on the other two.

Lacerta · 05-31-2012, 09:15 AM

Under $800 is a tough find for a plex, and nearly impossible with a house. We manage about 125 units of duplexes, triplexes and houses in the Boise area, mostly in West Boise/Meridian, and only a very very few are under $800/month. All of those are either quite old, or they have no garage, or they are on a busy street, or some combination of all of those. They also are pretty much all only 2 bed 1 bath and either duplexes or triplexes. I looked through my entire list, and only found one house that rents at $800, and it is extremely small, was built in the 50s, only has a 1 car garage, and is next door to a commercial area, and it still rented the day we put it on the market.

Under $900 is pretty doable, even for some houses, but under $800 is hard. They do exist, but they are rare. Just so you know it won't be an easy search, and you may have to be pretty persistant. And don't be surprised if most of what you find is old and small, or less than ideal in some way.

Also, although Craigslist is one of the best ways to find a house in Boise/Meridian, when using Craigslist, watch out for scams. We've had several of our ads stolen by scammers who repost at significantly lower prices than the actual rent price. They try to get you to pay them the deposit, but they have no rights to actually rent you the property. Look for companies that have an actual office in town where you can go meet someone, and arrange to see the house before giving any money or personal information. Preferably, talk to the LL on the phone, not just by email, since most scams are done through email (not all LLs who email are scammers, but almost all scammers will only email), and the scammers will refuse to talk on the phone.

Fresh Start · 06-01-2012, 06:13 AM

Thanks for your response. I have to agree with you all all points. I have run across everything you mentioned. I have run into many scams on Craigslist and the newest scam I heard about was someone renting out their foreclosure then you getting kicked out from the bank. I can't believe what some people do. Thanks for your input.

Lacerta · 06-01-2012, 08:58 AM

It actually is legal to rent out a property you aren't making the payments on, knowing it is eventually going to foreclosure, but not telling the prospective tenant about it is pretty unethical. There are laws that protect the tenant if the bank takes the house back, and to a lesser degree if someone buys it to occupy.

So if you were going to rent something that was headed for foreclosure, you would want to read up on the possible outcomes first, so you knew what you were getting into. It is an option that works for some who don't mind moving often in exchange for low rent, but certainly not if you want to stay put for a while without headache.

loveagrey1 · 06-01-2012, 01:42 PM

I saw a few townhouses and condos for around $695.00? Are these all scams...I am so naive!

I even searched with image and pet friendly...best of luck to you! Can you let us know when you find something...we are looking in that areas as well....

Lacerta · 06-01-2012, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loveagrey1

I saw a few townhouses and condos for around $695.00? Are these all scams...I am so naive!

I even searched with image and pet friendly...best of luck to you! Can you let us know when you find something...we are looking in that areas as well....

Some might be, some might not. We managed a condo unit for a while that was only around $550/month, but it was sort of a big studio apartment. So it depends on what the $695 is for. If it is a 3 bedroom townhouse that doesn't look old, it is probably a scam.