Rental inventory in Pacific Grove/Carmel (Salinas, Monterey: for sale, rentals, houses)

[rfoote]

Hi! My family's possibly going to relocating to the area in the next couple of months and we've been looking at rental houses for the first year or so before we drop roots and buy a property. I've been watching craigslist/zillow for the past few weeks and have noticed that the inventory of homes in the area that meet our criteria seems to be really low.

I've seen a few other posts from other threads mention that because of the military families moving in/out of the area, there's a definite ebb and flow to the availability of rental housing - is that accurate? If we're looking to move in about two months, am I going to have a really difficult time finding something in that time period? Our criteria's fairly basic:

- Pacific Grove or Carmel school districts
- 3+ bedroom / 2+ bath
- Monthly budget of $3,500, give or take a couple hundred
- Decor that's from the past 10-15 years

Other than zillow or craigslist, are there other local resources that I should be watching?

Thanks in advance!

[MtnSurfer]

Hi,

Inventory is always a challenge here because of the high demand. Yes, there is some ebb and flow. Typically, it follows graduations and next duty assignments. The Naval Post Graduate School has a variety of programs which end at different times. Normally, the end of the school year is a good time to look. Yet, there may be some leaving at the end of the year if that is when their program finishes. So, you may see more then than you do now, for example.

Finding your ideal place will be the biggest challenge, especially if coming from an area with more inventory and lower overall costs. You will have to consider what priorities, if any, you are willing to compromise on. For example, your last one looking for something more modern (last 10-15 years) adds an extra layer of challenge since most of the homes in the area are older, bottom line. Of course, there are exceptions where the owner has remodeled. But that is not the norm especially for rentals. Just be prepared to find many which are not modern in that sense. You could always move to lessor school districts. But if schools are more important than modern decor, then you may need to give some there.

Craigslist really is the best resource. That's where we found both of our homes. You could try some of the smaller sites and local management companies using Google to find them. Here is one, for example: Monterey Long Term Rentals - Long Term Rentals Monterey CA (Carmel, Pacific Grove, Salinas) | MBPM

Lastly, don't discount Pebble Beach which feeds into both PG and Carmel schools.

Hope that helps some,

Derek

[rfoote]

Thanks for the info!

Yeah, my comment on the decor was more aimed at remodels rather than new construction - of which I understand there isn't a lot of. I've seen some places on craigslist that had already been rented, but looked great for us, and then others (similarly priced, believe it or not) that have the dank, dark look of 70's and 80's track construction.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by rfoote

Thanks for the info!

Yeah, my comment on the decor was more aimed at remodels rather than new construction - of which I understand there isn't a lot of. I've seen some places on craigslist that had already been rented, but looked great for us, and then others (similarly priced, believe it or not) that have the dank, dark look of 70's and 80's track construction.

Yep, you really have to pick and choose as there is so much variation. This is true for rentals as well as homes for sale. Some owners are great about keeping their places up while others are definitely not. And some of those who are not can also be the greediest, wanting top market prices with the least amount of effort on their part. Needless to say, when you find a good one like we have it really makes you think twice before moving.

Derek