Rental/Lease Q's (Dallas, Mesquite: real estate, rentals, credit)

[lone sailor]

Okay, so we're headed for Dallas in a couple of weeks, and I've been all over the internet and using family as means of searching for good rental properties to get us reestablished here. Problem I'm running into is, a. if you're not local these agents don't seem to take you seriously b. if they do take you seriously they still don't seem to be all the concerned with the moving the process along at descent pace and c. as soon as we do get to the point of trying to sign a contract after paying the nonrefundable application fee, someone else is offered the property and signs the lease while I'm standing their trying to figure out WTF just happened. It's not like I have $70-$100 to waste for each application, which is how much they charge to check your background, credit, etc.

Is this all standard procedure? I mean we're not new to rental game, been renting for 10 years of my life, but this seems to be a little extreme. I guess I'm just use to dealing straight through an owner, not an a mediator real estate agent that doesn't have a care in the world and acts like they'd rather be selling a house than dealing with a piddly lease. Are there still any rental/lease by owners out there?

Just FYI, the areas we're looking in are 75218, 75150, and 75149.


Help?

[honey036]

I found a house and i feel the landlord is playing game. I give him money for the house and he give me the lease but now he want more money for the keys. We both signed the lease so is the house mine to rent or should i pay more money for the keys.

[ChristieP]

East Dallas and Mesquite (where you're looking) are "cash in hand" parts of town. The landlord/realtor is going to go with whoever gives them the cash first. As you're finding out, this means you lose out on the property because you're no tlocal and you can't get the cash there quick enough. Most rentals in this part of town get rented by a sign in the yard. (Seriously; DH and I used to own a duplex in 75218 and that's how we found a tenant!) It might be better for you to make a house-hunting trip down here and find your rental property in person...

[nsumner]

If you filled an application and submitted the application fee and they accepted someone else's application b/4 they told turned you down, they are supposed to give you the application fee back.

Processing a lease application takes about 24 hours to pull credit and do background check. The only thing that can take longer is verification of employement, that is out of our hands if the employer drags his feet.

Naima

[Brookside]

Naima, just curious on what the best source of available rentals might be in Dallas area and burbs - is it better to use a real estate agent in the area you are interested in living?

Feel free to DM me.

Thanks, Brookie

[nsumner]

Using an agent can save you a lot of time from driving neighborhoods and calling on homes not knowing if they even are in your price range or have the amenities you are looking for. Another source is Craigslist. The savvy owners would list it there if they don't hire a Realtor.

You can DM me or call if you need any help.

Naima

[grendlldog]

I agree with Christie on zip codes: 75218, 75150, and 75149. For that price range, you might have better luck with zips: 75220,75235 and 75229. I am a landlord that generally uses rentalhomesplus.com - You can also try Craigslist as suggested and/or Dallas Observer Backpage. That is what I would suggest.
As far as the fees you're encountering, I'm very surprised. I've never charged fees that high. I usually charge $40 and it is a quick process. I've never let someone slip in without letting a previous applicant know their status. Is there something I'm missing?