Recommendation for realtor/website for SFH rentals? (Denver, Castle Rock: sale, foreclosure)

[frogs4vt]

There seem to be plenty of websites and resources for the purchase of SFH. Does anyone know of any realtors or websites that deal with rentals of SFH in the Denver suburbs (Castle Rock, Castle Pines, HR)?

[2bindenver]

craigslist, rentals dot com

what are you looking for?

[formercalifornian]

Originally Posted by 2bindenver

craigslist, rentals dot com

what are you looking for?

I second craigslist. I found my rental there, and it turned out to be a terrific two-year lease with an absolutely wonderful landlord.

A tip (disregard if you know all of this already): if you choose to go without a rental agency and work directly with the owner, I suggest performing a little detective work before signing any papers. Confirm that the landlord is the actual owner, make sure that the mortgage is not in default, and review your contract thoroughly (with an attorney if necessary). If the house has been rented previously or the landlord has more than one property, ask if he/she will provide a current reference and make sure to follow up.

[frogs4vt]

Thanks for the tip!

[Consider_Again]

While not in the areas you mentioned, bearpawrentals in Evergreen manages homes west of Denver and may have some names for you in the area you're interested in.

Good luck

[ANAPA]

Originally Posted by formercalifornian

I second craigslist. I found my rental there, and it turned out to be a terrific two-year lease with an absolutely wonderful landlord.

A tip (disregard if you know all of this already): if you choose to go without a rental agency and work directly with the owner, I suggest performing a little detective work before signing any papers. Confirm that the landlord is the actual owner, make sure that the mortgage is not in default, and review your contract thoroughly (with an attorney if necessary). If the house has been rented previously or the landlord has more than one property, ask if he/she will provide a current reference and make sure to follow up.

Wow I never had to worry about that sort of thing in NYC so I wouldn't have thought to look into that stuff. Thanks for the info!

[Jerry Bckr]

There really aren't any Realtor web sites for rentals. The suggestions others gave are valid, but you may also want to try the Denver Post online classifieds. Here's another tip that's worked for people. Try advertising yourselves. Instead of chasing down landlords, advertise your needs, and why you would make good tenants. Also, be willing to provide referrences and anything else that would convince a owner why renting to you would be a wise choice. Landlords hate having to rent properities and interview prospective tenants. It appeals to them to have someone all lined up in advance. I wouldn't advertise your exact rental budget but give a range.
ANAPA also provided some good advice. A Realtor or title company could check the ownership of the property. You could also do it by accessing county records. Then by showing their driver's license, you would confirm the match. I would also ask them to provide you with a copy of their latest mortgage payment statement, which would show if they are behind in payments. If they say there is no loan, then the "ownership and encumburence" that a Realtor or title company would provide would confirm that. You should make these request know initially, when you're communicating with prospective owners. If they know up front, it would weed out any scam artist.
It doesn't happen very often but it does happen. I just met with an individual, last night that was renting a home with a lease-option. Over the course of the last year, he spent about $15K on the home remodeling the basement only to get a notice the other day that the home is in foreclosure and will go to sale in a couple of weeks. Obviously, you won't be doing any improvements, but who wants to move on short notice?