How far in advance should I look for a rental house? (Jacksonville: rentals, mortgage)
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We are looking to move anytime between December 21 and December 31 to either Cabarrus or Union County. Looking for at least 1800 sq ft, 3+ bedroom single family home under $1600/month. We do have a 5 yr old son so schools are important. I don't want to look too soon, as I'm sure property managers and owners won't hold a property for too long, but I also don't want to wait until the last second. I was down in the area this past weekend looking at neighborhoods- we found houses that fit our criteria and were in our budget and then scoped out the neighborhood and I noticed that many of those houses have even already been rented by now! It's especially tough because we do need a rental that allows a large dog and I am hard pressed to agree to move somewhere without a fenced in backyard (although that may have to be negotiable as the majority of houses do not have fenced in yards).
If anyone can recommend some more neighborhoods, I would greatly appreciate it. My husband is retired military so there is no commute at the moment.
Realistically most landlords don't want to hold a property more than 2 or maybe 3 weeks empty. Otherwise they'll ask for additional rent or ask you to "call back again closer to your move".
It's been a strong rental market the last year, but things may slow down some into the winter when fewer people are moving. However the flip side is that some property owners won't bother advertising in December figuring they may as well wait for a better market.
If I was in this situation I'd probably look in early November, try to cajole a landlord to accept beginning the lease Dec 1 and accept the "wasted" rent (or perhaps take advantage of an extra few weeks to move stuff in phases.)
I agree, at most a month but ideally. If you have excellent credit and strong rental history, they might be willing to wait a tad longer. That's what a landlord here did for us.
When we moved back to the area and needed a place to rent for a couple of years it took us a month to find something in the school district I wanted. Things go quick depending where you are looking in Cabarrus.
Thanks all, that's what I was afraid of. And being in Jacksonville, 5 hours away, doesn't help much. We don't have much of a rental history- we've owned a house here for the past 5 years (but our mortgage payment history is perfect!). Before that we rented for 3 years and have a perfect payment record there, but that was a long time ago. We will probably end up looking at the beginning of November and renting for the month of December- that is a good idea, to have the month to move things in earlier if we need to.
If there are anymore neighborhood suggestions, please keep them coming!
Thanks all, that's what I was afraid of. And being in Jacksonville, 5 hours away, doesn't help much. We don't have much of a rental history- we've owned a house here for the past 5 years (but our mortgage payment history is perfect!). Before that we rented for 3 years and have a perfect payment record there, but that was a long time ago. We will probably end up looking at the beginning of November and renting for the month of December- that is a good idea, to have the month to move things in earlier if we need to.
If there are anymore neighborhood suggestions, please keep them coming!
My House in Matthews (Union County) will be available for rental in December. Currently i am collecting information and screening potential renters. I have sent you PM. let me know if any question.
We are renting in Crismark subdivision in Union County. There seems to be a steady stream of available rentals. It's a nice neighborhood with great schools. Lots of kids. I've talked to some of the folks renting around this side of the neighborhood and averages are a 4 bedroom for $1300-$1525. Some do have fences. Most are listed with a management company and can be found on realtor.com under the rentals. Good luck!
What we did was come to the area 1.5 months prior to moving and tried our hardest to find a place. We found one and paida deposit to hold it, on top of the 1st and security we paid when we moved in. It ended up costing us $1000 for that time frame but it was worth it.
I don't know the area that well, so if there are suggestions that would be great! I've only been there the one weekend and I know I didn't hit all the areas.
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