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Since we almost got scammed two weeks ago, we have done a lot of research on the most common cons, what to look for etc. Lesson learned....
But, lets say we found a house through a classifieds ad and have been corresponding with the landlord over a period of a dozen emails, and they appear genuine. We do background checks through two seperate services and find that they are who they say they are, they actually do own the property, and found nothing suspicious.
Lets also say that a houses hunting trip is undo-able and the home would be perfect; great size, price is right, location perfect....LL provides many photos....(I realize there are risks involved in moving without first seeing the property first-hand, but lets just assume that we have no other options....)
Rental Realtors won't touch properties that are not theirs, so a independant middle man would be hard to come by....
What would be the next step in the process?
A signed document? Would we be rather safe filling out rental application with personal info., etc.?
I don't know where in MA you are moving to, but I wouldn't recommend moving w/o having seen the place first. There are so many things that could go wrong, you might not like the location, usually house pics are not very informative since it's very difficult to capture the whole room, etc...
My next step would be to secure accommodations for a few days upon arrival, have an appointment set up with the LL and personally inspect the property. Go from there if you like it. I cannot imagine an instance in a usual move where renting sight unseen is the only option. You are already full of doubts just about the LL's "identity", why add to your stress level?
I'm surprised that an agent won't help you find a house for lease no matter who lists it. I do it all the time, as do other agents in my area who handle rentals. I have lots of clients who move to the area and lease for six months to a year to get a feel, and then purchase, and we look at properties listed by lots of different leasing agents.
Now, if you're talking about apartments locators, that's something else entirely, and they generally aren't licensed, around here, anyway, and will only show the apartments that are listed with their company.
Things could, of course, be very different in the state you're looking in, but that's how it works here.
2. Contact an apartment relocator service and ask if one of their employees will do a "ala cart" independent review for you.
3. Put a posting on Craigslist "gigs" section and offer someone $50 to go out and do a visual for you. I bet if you post your need and describe what you want you will get a dozen responses and you can have a few screening phone conversations to identify the right person. You can pay them thru paypal once they send you digital photos.
Oh, and here in Texas we can go to the tax appraisal website (by county) and lookup owner's names by property address. Maybe you could do a little web research like that.
I was wanting proof of our new landlords ownership. When I went to our Insurance carrier for a renters quote it pulled up the legal owner... I was relieved I didn't have to dig any deeper than that.
Koale.
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Moving and info
It is best if moving to a new area to stay in an extended suites hotel (or whatever your budget is) rather than renting sight unseen. This will allow you a couple of weeks to look around. Could save a lot in the long run.
A red flag would be a landlord who exchanges a dozen e-mails with a prospect. I would usually not exchange more than perhaps two with a rental prospect. My usual reply is, here is my phone number, call me.
I don't put e-mail on Craigslist because you get spammed and scammed.
And other than vacaton rentals I won't sign a lease with a tenant without an in person interview.
Oh, PS - If you look up my property all you will find is an out of state corporation. That's called asset protection. And privacy protection. Cheers
It is best if moving to a new area to stay in an extended suites hotel (or whatever your budget is) rather than renting sight unseen. This will allow you a couple of weeks to look around. Could save a lot in the long run.
A red flag would be a landlord who exchanges a dozen e-mails with a prospect. I would usually not exchange more than perhaps two with a rental prospect. My usual reply is, here is my phone number, call me.
I don't put e-mail on Craigslist because you get spammed and scammed.
And other than vacaton rentals I won't sign a lease with a tenant without an in person interview.
Oh, PS - If you look up my property all you will find is an out of state corporation. That's called asset protection. And privacy protection. Cheers
And that's when you call the Better Business Bureau.
And that's when you call the Better Business Bureau.
This course of action is perfectly legal and common place. However if you are persistant enough you can find the names of the officers off LLC's and the like.
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another possible option...
Moving and info
