Peer-to-peer rental list, match renter to owner? (Fairfax: apartments, condos)

[mormegil27]

I'm looking to downgrade my rent so I can stay above water and maybe save to buy. Of course, this is hard to do in NoVa. (Housing market crash due to sequestration? - I won't hold my breath)

Need to live close to Fairfax for work. Been looking around Zillow, Trulia, Craigslist, etc. Almost everything is managed apts. Aren't there "normal" people in NoVa who rent to other "normal' people without all this developer profiteering? Like those families who redo their basements into apts that you see on cable.

I would like to rent directly from an honest person, like I used to do in the smaller cities I've lived in (you can stop laughing now).

But seriously, is there some kind of secret list-serve I can get on for people who just want an honest exchange of money for space in a down economy?

I'm already aware of some military lists, and there is some hope there. I've looked around at the "share economy", but in DC that means cars and B&B, not rentals.

Looking for 40 min commute to Fairfax. Schools don't matter yet, but safe area is top priority. Thanks.

[CAVA1990]

Originally Posted by mormegil27

I'm looking to downgrade my rent so I can stay above water and maybe save to buy. Of course, this is hard to do in NoVa. (Housing market crash due to sequestration? - I won't hold my breath)

Need to live close to Fairfax for work. Been looking around Zillow, Trulia, Craigslist, etc. Almost everything is managed apts. Aren't there "normal" people in NoVa who rent to other "normal' people without all this developer profiteering? Like those families who redo their basements into apts that you see on cable.

I would like to rent directly from an honest person, like I used to do in the smaller cities I've lived in (you can stop laughing now).

But seriously, is there some kind of secret list-serve I can get on for people who just want an honest exchange of money for space in a down economy?

I'm already aware of some military lists, and there is some hope there. I've looked around at the "share economy", but in DC that means cars and B&B, not rentals.

Looking for 40 min commute to Fairfax. Schools don't matter yet, but safe area is top priority. Thanks.

I could be wrong but I believe it's against the zoning laws to subdivide a house into apartments with separate kitchen facilities. You can rent a house, a room in a house, or an apartment in a multi-family zoned residence which around here are generally managed buildings. I haven't seen many duplexes. If you're okay with renting a room you might try airbnb.com

[HokieFan]

Craigslist & www.realtor.com are a couple of sites where you can find shares, rooms, condos, townhomes that are owned by an individual and not a corporation.

[NovaOne]

Right, Craigslist is a great place to find rooms or homes for rent by owner.

[CaliTerp07]

Yup, found several rentals on Craigslist over the years. You should be able to find basement apartments ("Mother in law suites" and townhouse/condo rentals on there without issue.