long distance rental (apartments, renters, house, real estate) - Apartments, houses, lease, tenant, landlord, agreements, termination - City-Data Forum

tripphome · 06-14-2010, 02:15 PM

Has anyone here rented from a long distance from your destination? I am looking to get out of Oregon by September & relocate to the Black Hills of South Dakota. I am trying to use the internet as much as I can to find a suitable rental - any advice?
I have lots of listings & then of course there is Craigslist. I must admit, I am a bit nervous about handling all of this from such a distance away,
Would love to hear from anyone who has done this - GOOD OR BAD outcomes & any words of wisdom will be greatly appreciated ~ Thanks ~

Maggi07 · 06-14-2010, 03:04 PM

We moved from Michigan to Florida last year. My husband's job gave us three weeks to pack and get down here, so there was no time to fly down and check things out ahead of time. We had a friend who lives nearby look at rental houses I picked out from the internet.

The results? The house is beautiful and in a nice neighborhood. It's also been severely neglected for who knows how long. We've had many major things go wrong: Broken pipes, broken heat, hot water heater rusted out all over the garage, broken AC that took forever to fix, leak in the kitchen ceiling, leak under the kitchen sink, and broken dishwasher. Those last two are still not fixed.

Would I have been able to tell what would happen if I had been here myself? No. The water and electricity were off, so no one could have known. The other stuff has happened as time has gone on and we couldn't have known that either.

However, I will say that if there is any possible way that you can go and look before committing to anything, you should. We would have, but I had to pack 8 people plus take care of all the moving logistics and market our house in MI all in 3 weeks.

manderly6 · 06-14-2010, 05:07 PM

Do you know anyone in the new area that could check places out for you?

Possibly go through a realtor how handles renters?

tripphome · 06-14-2010, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by manderly6

Do you know anyone in the new area that could check places out for you?

Possibly go through a realtor how handles renters?

I was hoping to use a Realtor ~ no family or friends there & it's like 1500 miles away! Yikes! But, I think using a property management or a real estate office SHOULD be the safest way - right???

Maggi07 · 06-14-2010, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tripphome

I was hoping to use a Realtor ~ no family or friends there & it's like 1500 miles away! Yikes! But, I think using a property management or a real estate office SHOULD be the safest way - right???

Probably yes, as far as staying away from scams.

There's a PM for this house. He's awful.

I think Craig's List is your worst option.

kodaka · 06-14-2010, 08:39 PM

I wouldn't go through Craigslist. I'd use websites like rent.com or apartmentsearch.com, or apartment building/complex's proprietary website to find a unit. Generally only larger buildings advertise on search sites or have fully operational websites. But they are far less likely to turn out to be a bogus ad or a bogus address. You can verify the building really does exist and really is a rental.

You can't always verify quality of conditions but these websites usually have at least some photos that will give you an idea of character of the place.

bouncethelight · 06-15-2010, 01:31 AM

Why not just fly out for the weekend, about a month before you want to move, and rent a place that weekend? I'd much rather spend a little money on travel, and be sure that I'm getting the best place possible.

As for CraigsList, yes there are scams - but they're fairly easy to spot - and in some areas it's the best resource for rentals. If you want to rent from afar, and not see the house until moving day, then yeah, a big rental company is probably best - but if you can get on a plane and go for the weekend, then you won't be limited in that way - which in my opinion is a HUGE plus!

Hollytree · 06-15-2010, 09:12 AM

I would never rent totally long distance. You could line up appointments but you must see the place in person.

So much in terms of your rental happiness depends on neighbors and neighborhood.

manderly6 · 06-15-2010, 09:43 AM

If you just can't get there is person I would say going through a realtor would be the safest alternative.

Lacerta · 06-15-2010, 10:20 AM

There is also the factor that most people who are "willing to rent sight unseen" who aren't looking at someplace totally ghetto are scammers theirselves. We won't rent to someone who isn't able to view the property ahead of time, or send at least a family member or friend to view it, since they almost always are NOT legit.

Depending on your area, by not looking on Craigslist and not being in the area, you may miss a lot of potential rentals. We have about 70 rentals in our area, and the only place we advertise is Craigslist and the signs at the property itself. That is all we need.

Of course, it also depends on what you are looking to rent. If you are looking at an apartment in a big complex, then yes, a national website like rent.com would be a good choice. If you are looking to rent a house from a property manager or private owner, then you will need to check someplace like Craigslist or classified ads, or get someone local who can drive the areas you are interested in and get numbers off signs for you to contact.