You won't rent to me sight unseen? I'm 2000 miles away!!! (Clearwater: real estate, rental) - Tampa Bay - Florida (FL) -Tampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater - City-Data Forum

Native2UT · 06-01-2012, 01:31 PM

I'm getting so frustrated trying to find a rental home. First, the market is so tight that good homes are being snatched up before I can even call on them. To combat that, I'm taking a far more proactive approach and checking listings mulitple times a day to get a jump on them. I just called on a home that is perfect for us and told the listing agent "I want it! Sight unseen. Where do I apply?" She says, "We won't rent sight unseen and I don't know of anyone who will". WTH? So I'm supposed to roll in to town with my kids, dogs and entire house in a moving van AND THEN find a home? I want to scratch somebody's eyes out. This is getting to be too much!

I know we are all perfect strangers on this forum, but do you think it would be out of line to ask someone local to go look in my place just to satisfy an agent's need for it to be seen? Of course, only someone living super close to the address already. What a desperate thing to have to ask of someone, but I'm feeling desperate at this point.

FloridaKash · 06-01-2012, 02:04 PM

DO yourself a favor. Do not rent a place until you see it yourself. When we first got here we looked at several places which seemed perfect online, but were not. Plan on budgeting to live in a hotel or a vacation rental home for at least 2 weeks. We stayed at a nice hotel that had a 2 bedroom suite for 3 weeks before finding and moving into our rental home. First we had to find it, then all the checks had to occur. The house was not yet to move into (it was having some things done to it, to make it better) once completed we moved in.

I repeat... do not move into a rental house by only seeing it online. You need to see it in person. You wil regret it otherwise, I promise.

We used ABF UPack when we moved. Timing was perfect. We had found our place a week after the good arrived. They were very nice and hung onto our stuff for an extra week at no charge. A good move is all about timing things.

gypsychic · 06-01-2012, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FloridaKash

DO yourself a favor. Do not rent a place until you see it yourself. When we first got here we looked at several places which seemed perfect online, but were not. Plan on budgeting to live in a hotel or a vacation rental home for at least 2 weeks. We stayed at a nice hotel that had a 2 bedroom suite for 3 weeks before finding and moving into our rental home. First we had to find it, then all the checks had to occur. The house was not yet to move into (it was having some things done to it, to make it better) once completed we moved in.

I repeat... do not move into a rental house by only seeing it online. You need to see it in person. You wil regret it otherwise, I promise.

We used ABF UPack when we moved. Timing was perfect. We had found our place a week after the good arrived. They were very nice and hung onto our stuff for an extra week at no charge. A good move is all about timing things.

EXCELLENT ADVICE - and I concur!

Pictures can be very, very deceiving.

Keeper · 06-01-2012, 03:37 PM

I agree there are so many areas that may seem perfect until you actually see what is around them. I know it is inconvenient but you won't be sorry.

gulfer · 06-01-2012, 03:55 PM

Great advice. Native2UT, if you want me to go check something out for you, I will. But I won't sign a lease or anything like that but will let you know if I think it is good or not.
I am very cautious about where I live. While I may be that bad word, a Realtor now, last year I was finishing up my 26th year of Active Duty Navy and was the Command Master Chief (head enlisted) for over 800 Sailors at 25 commands.
I don't use that much but I am as honest and ethical as you can be. Wonder why I decided to go into Real Estate??? FLEXIBILITY!!
No wild goose chases though. I don't want to go from Riverview to Clearwater back to USF to see the city. I can see that everyday!

algia · 06-01-2012, 04:25 PM

I can't post it here because of the "advertisement" issue...but I emailed you the contact of the company we used. Check your direct messages.

Native2UT · 06-01-2012, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gulfer

Great advice. Native2UT, if you want me to go check something out for you, I will. But I won't sign a lease or anything like that but will let you know if I think it is good or not.
I am very cautious about where I live. While I may be that bad word, a Realtor now, last year I was finishing up my 26th year of Active Duty Navy and was the Command Master Chief (head enlisted) for over 800 Sailors at 25 commands.
I don't use that much but I am as honest and ethical as you can be. Wonder why I decided to go into Real Estate??? FLEXIBILITY!!
No wild goose chases though. I don't want to go from Riverview to Clearwater back to USF to see the city. I can see that everyday!

How nice! I don't know why I hadn't realized you were a realtor until now. It says it right under your name.

I don't think all realtors are creeps. In fact, you sound like a good guy giving plenty of sound advice on this board. I appreciate your offer. It sounds like we value the same type of neighborhood as you. It must be safe and have good schools for our kids.

I won't be running you all over town! We're limiting our search to Trinity, Odessa, Land O Lakes and Lutz. With my husband's new territory being entirely on the west coast, we don't want to go much further east. Actually, we're questioning whether LOL would even be too far. This home was in Wild Preserve or something like that (Connerton was the closest elementary school) Your opinion?

algia · 06-01-2012, 05:27 PM

LoL is far...IMO...(in a galaxy...really, when you get down here, you'll see what I mean)

I'd stick to Odessa...you're closer to civilization, yet far enough that it won't bother you...there are a lot of communities on Gunn Hwy that have good schools, and are close to shops.

gulfer · 06-01-2012, 07:41 PM

Algia is right about Land O Lakes (which is where I live) it may be farther away then you like. I was actually all over Odessa this afternoon. Gunn Highway takes you all the way down to the South end of Carrollwood and is a good main road through there. There are some beautiful places in and around there.
I've never heard anything bad about Connerton, but it is out a ways. The one thing about living in that area is the Elementary, Middle and High School are all within a few miles of each other. I don't know what time school starts there, but if your child is going to be a bus rider, could be an awful early morning.
That area though opens up all of Land O Lakes and some very nice subdivisions. But I do think that if you get something lined up for just a month to rent, like a vacation rental and look around the area you will find not only a great place to rent, but the area you like as well.

deb18 · 06-02-2012, 06:42 AM

Good morning. I just went down there and found a fairly nice rental in npr this week. It is a process though. We went through a realtor and she showed us some houses. We had to put up an application fee, they did a back ground check then set up an appointment with the land lord to discuss it with him. Then the leases are drawn up. It is a long process and takes a few days. I don't have to be concerned about schools. There seem to be quite a few nice areas in npr but you do have to watch out for some. We also went by ourselves and looked at apt. complexes but we found houses are a better rental. There are some posts about npr area that really scared me, but I found the reality much better. We also rode around tarpon springs which is very close to npr and it seemed very nice but we did not look in the area. Your best bet imho from what I saw is taking a trip there and getting something lined up. You can usually finish the paper work long distance (such as lease signing) but they want to see you to make sure you seem trustworthy. Good luck