very short house hunting trip (Phoenix, Chandler: fit in, for sale, rentals)

[some.guy]

My wife and I are moving to Phoenix in early December. We have a very brief house hunting trip set up for early November. We are basically going to have 1 full Saturday to find a house to rent. I realize this is really tight, but it was all we could fit in. I obviously need a plan to make the most of this.

Can anyone offer any suggestions on how to do it? Are there relocation services out there that could help us? I am willing to pay depending on what services are offered. Is it possible to call a realtor ahead of time and have them show us places when we get there? Should I expect to pay for their services (keep in mind I am renting), and if so, what might it cost?

If I cannot find a service to help, my plan is to pick out 4-5 houses that are available online before we get there and at least drive by them and explore the surrounding neighborhood, and hopefully see the inside of them, then make a decision and hope for the best.

I have been lurking on this forum for a while now and I really appreciate everyone's advice. I have learned a ton about the area already. Thanks in advance!

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by some.guy

My wife and I are moving to Phoenix in early December. We have a very brief house hunting trip set up for early November. We are basically going to have 1 full Saturday to find a house to rent. I realize this is really tight, but it was all we could fit in. I obviously need a plan to make the most of this.

Can anyone offer any suggestions on how to do it? Are there relocation services out there that could help us? I am willing to pay depending on what services are offered. Is it possible to call a realtor ahead of time and have them show us places when we get there? Should I expect to pay for their services (keep in mind I am renting), and if so, what might it cost?

If I cannot find a service to help, my plan is to pick out 4-5 houses that are available online before we get there and at least drive by them and explore the surrounding neighborhood, and hopefully see the inside of them, then make a decision and hope for the best.

I have been lurking on this forum for a while now and I really appreciate everyone's advice. I have learned a ton about the area already. Thanks in advance!

I think you are going to be overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Phoenix metro. You couldn't possibly expect to see much in the way of houses in one day much less several weekends. You need to narrow your search based on jobs, what kind of environment (new, old, growing, stable, close in, suburban, proximity to things you like to do). Otherwise you may end up in one of the few areas you will have time to see even if it is all wrong for you. You are also likely to be fooled by wide-open weekend freeways into thinking that a possible commute may not be "that bad".

[veuvegirl]

We used a realtor when we moved to NJ, we had the same issue, one day to find a place. The fee was $1500. Unfortunately the realtor we used was horrible. We set aside the day with the realtor, confirmed several times, showed up at the office, and she was a no show. The office had no idea who hubby and I were, showed us two places, and we had to chose between the two.

So I would recommend that if you go this route, make sure there is some gaurantee before you have to shell over $$ for horrible service.

[sassieb75]

Clearly you need to narrow down a specific area as there will be dozens of homes for rent (if not more) in that area. Ponderosa is right...pick an area based on your job, amenities nearby, and such. To tell you the truth, most areas have the same things around, just each area is going to be a little different. You can gather from info on this site, as to which areas to avoid. I don't think you should have to pay someone to help find you rental listings...I could be wrong! There are some services however, that you can call and if you want to send me a direct message I can find those names and numbers. I also have a realtor friend, but not sure if he does rental stuff. I can ask though!

[some.guy]

Thanks to everyone for their quick replies and good advice. I will have a job in downtown Phoenix (near Central and Washington I believe).

We will be seeking a single family home, 3+ beds, 1.75+ baths, 2 car garage, and at least a community pool available in the 1000-1300 range. Given what I have seen online, this should be doable.

The tough part is obviously what area. We prefer quiet and safe, with regular shopping (grocery, and Target type stores) within a few miles. I get the feeling that Tempe, Chandler, and Gilbert all sort of fit that description. Potentially 'north central' or 'north east' Phoenix as well.

My main thing is just making my incredibly short trip as efficient as possible, and what the best way is to do that.

[sablebaby]

Originally Posted by some.guy

We will be seeking a single family home, 3+ beds, 1.75+ baths, 2 car garage, and at least a community pool available in the 1000-1300 range. Given what I have seen online, this should be doable.

The tough part is obviously what area. We prefer quiet and safe, with regular shopping (grocery, and Target type stores) within a few miles. I get the feeling that Tempe, Chandler, and Gilbert all sort of fit that description. Potentially 'north central' or 'north east' Phoenix as well.

That sounds like just about any area of the Phx metro area.

[ji603]

I'd skip the private realtor search agency and just do it by yourselves. Check the phoenix section of craigslist for rental houses. There are a ton. You've got the area right - I'd look in the east valley for a family-safe area of town before I looked anywhere in metro phoenix. If you're commuting by yourself at typical rush hour times, you're looking at about 45 mins from the east valley.... more if you choose to live out west.

Search south tempe, chandler (85226/85224) and perhaps areas of gilbert if you're willing to drive a little more.

I'd just contact the owners of 4 houses in your price range and set up a time to see them. You should be able to do that in a short house finding trip. Good luck

[chionactis]

We used Craigslist.org to find our rental home. We started in August and had a place locked in within a few weeks, although we were fortunate to have a family member, living in the area, go see the place and meet the landlord.
You can go on craigslist and be as specific about the location as you want in the search engine area. For example, we wanted a house in the Seville development of Gilbert....so we typed in "Seville" in the search engine and it brought up all the rentals in that area. Good luck.

[azjack]

Regardless of the method that you use to find your rental house, it is imperative that you check out the house and its owners before commiting to anything.

Run the property address through here to get the owner's name>>>Default

And then run the owner's name here and look for any recorded liens, notices of trustee sales, etc.>>>Recorded Document Search

[some.guy]

azjack, thank you so much for the links, this is fantastic advice. I have been a little worried about renting a house that is also for sale for fear of having to open our house to potential buyers, etc, but hadn't really thought through the fact that any house could potentially have financial problems as well.

Thanks again