Tips on how to rent my condo in Chantilly (Centreville: apartments, leasing)

[urbanlights]

Hi,

I am new to the leasing market and I am interested in putting my 1 br/ 1bth den condo on the market to rent in the spring because I am relocating. The condo almost brand new and has all the bells and whistles-- but I need to get a good solid renter so that I can ease my mind.

Any ideas on what I can do to make it appealing to a professional in the Chantilly/Herndon area?

[VEIK]

You could get a realtor to do it.
But I would use CraigsList, its free!

Some quality photos are a must in the listing.

[VEIK]

just curious, is the condo next to Kmart off Centreville Road? :-)

[irisheyes13]

You can list rentals on militarybyowner.com There is a small fee but only about $25 I THINK.

[mdcrim]

I always use craigslist. I have found that hosting an open-house for prospective tenants sometimes works, too. Make sure you check with your condo association about your interest in renting it out-I think some have clauses where only a certain percentage of the condos can be rentals. Good luck!

[mlv311]

We've always had luck with Craig's list; Militarybyowner.com is very good too. Don't even bother with newpaper advertisements--big waste of money. To show well, make sure it is well lit, clean and decluttered. We've always had an application process, lease, and property check list. No matter how good someone looks, do a thorough tenant check. Having a good tenant makes all the difference in the world. If you want to increase your tenant pool, price it a bit below the going rate for apartments in the area. That way you have your pick of tenants. GL!

[Fairfax Mom]

Best bet is to rent to older people - not as much trouble as a young single woman or man.

[scimitar12]

Originally Posted by mdcrim

I always use craigslist. I have found that hosting an open-house for prospective tenants sometimes works, too. Make sure you check with your condo association about your interest in renting it out-I think some have clauses where only a certain percentage of the condos can be rentals. Good luck!

Good advice. The townhome complex I used to live in K.C. did not allow anyone to rent out their units at all.

[sssb2000]

Originally Posted by VEIK

You could get a realtor to do it.
But I would use CraigsList, its free!

Some quality photos are a must in the listing.

I think VEIK is right on.
another recommendation is to purchase insurance.....especially that you're not going to be around due to the relocation.
i just bought my rental condo insurance from Old Republic....450 a year, and 55 dollars everytime they come to repair/replace anything.
in return, you get peace of mind.

since your condo is 'brand new', you may be able to wait a couple of years before you get this insurance....my condo is 15 years old and so i figured that things may go wrong one of these days....instead of me spending 3 grand replacing the HVAC system WHEN (not if) it goes out, i'd only pay 55 bucks. not a bad deal if you're in my position. see if it makes sense for you.

Good luck.

[treedonkey]

TIP #1: Find a hick dumb enough to want to live in Chantilly