House hunting trip (Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Blackfoot: real estate, rentals, houses)

[finsfan21]

Hello all,
My wife and I will be flying in on Dec 4th to do a 3 day house hunting trip. We will be looking to rent. We are a family of 5. We have 2 small dogs. Do you have recommendations for rental agencies to use or avoid?
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks!
Kerry

[Mtn. States Resident]

Hi finsfan21,

Did you decide on which county? If I remember correctly, weren't you thinking of Blackfoot so you could commute to Idaho Falls and your wife would commute to Pocatello daily?

Would you please remind us of the details as I know some of us suggested different options. I thought you said it needed to be this way.

If anything has changed, please let us know. As you can see a few other families or people have moved and/or visited since your post.

It's going to be 70 here tomorrow. Who knows by the time you move

MSR

[finsfan21]

We will be living in Idaho falls. Blackfoot did not look like a good option when I visited.My wife works part time, but will be commuting to Pocatello so we don't want to avoid adding to that by living to the north.
Thanks again!
Kerry

[Theotherdude]

Finsfan,

Ive always had better experiences around here renting from private home owners rather than rental agencies. The only problem with that is you wouldn't be able to find them all in one place. Many are on craigslist but some aren't. If you can, steer clear of rentmaster. I personally have had a bad experience with IF rentals which I believe is the same as BMG rentals. However they do manage a lot of properties. My current land lord is in the idaho falls rental association. Im not sure if he has any of his own houses available now but he certainly is a good guy to know. I can give you his phone number in a private message if you are at all interested.

[Mtn. States Resident]

Check your PMs. I hope that real estate company works for you

MSR

[finsfan21]

We will be there tomorrow! Wish us luck!!

[Mtn. States Resident]

I hope it went well.

MSR

[finsfan21]

Thanks MSR! Its going ok. We have looked at a ton of houses. A few with potential. Now we are trying to narrow the list by looking at nearby schools, commute times, etc. Our favorite house is in Rigby. It has property and a shop. We really like the more rural houses than those in regular housing developments but that limits the options quite a bit. I think we only found 2 that fit that bill. The one in Rigby and one in Shelley. They are polar opposites as far as quality though. The Rigby house is beautiful and the Shelley house, not so much. It is right by the river though!!
Wish there were more rental options with property or more rural, but i guess those are the houses you buy and not rent.
Kerry

[Clark Fork Fantast]

"Right by the river." Hmmm...just check on the FEMA website if there's ever been spring flooding!

I'd say if you're just going to spend a few years renting before buying your own place, pick the one by the river. You'll think of it afterwards as "the time we lived on the river." It'll be magical for you and the kids (hopefully! Just make sure the kids and dogs can't wander off and fall in...), and chances are you might not want the expense of a riverfront property later. If you're planning to be in the place for 10 years or more, I'd pick the Rigby one! A quality home for a stable phase in your life. Just my 2 cents!

Good luck!

[finsfan21]

Well, we made it!
The move was not so fun. Towing my truck with the uhaul and the 3 kids was an adventure.
We are moved in. Mostly unpacked and 2 out of the 3 kids are in school. My boys are loving it and already making friends.
Having a little trouble with getting my daughter in the high school. We have a visit today with the assistant principal and hopefully it goes well. My daughter had a traumatic experience in her freshman year and she had to go to a rehab center (Not for drugs.) The assistant principal suggested special ed??? She is incredibly bright and finished her first semester of her sophomore year with a GPA of 3.5. Special ed is not necessary.
The asst principal called the administrator of our previous school and his main concern was her hair!? We are pretty involved parents and know all her previous teachers and administrators. He called us to give us a heads up on the asst. principals concerns. We will see how it goes.
Wish us luck!
Fins