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Old 06-26-2008, 04:49 AM
 
82 posts, read 238,076 times
Reputation: 67

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I am relocating to the East Bay from NH and will be coming to visit the area for 4th of July weekend. I am most interested in finding a rental home in Walnut Creek due to affordability and proximity to SF for commuting, followed by Lamorinda (a bit too pricey) and possibly Pleasanton. I've seen so many great places for rent on Craigslist but I'm not sure if I'd be better off working with a Property Management company who can advise me better on the areas of each town. Has anyone else moving to the greater SF area had success finding a decent house and landlord on Craigslist, or will I be better off to just work with a pro? Any suggestions?
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Old 06-26-2008, 07:31 AM
 
253 posts, read 1,332,377 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JCPTNH08 View Post
I am relocating to the East Bay from NH and will be coming to visit the area for 4th of July weekend. I am most interested in finding a rental home in Walnut Creek due to affordability and proximity to SF for commuting, followed by Lamorinda (a bit too pricey) and possibly Pleasanton. I've seen so many great places for rent on Craigslist but I'm not sure if I'd be better off working with a Property Management company who can advise me better on the areas of each town. Has anyone else moving to the greater SF area had success finding a decent house and landlord on Craigslist, or will I be better off to just work with a pro? Any suggestions?
I've gotten my last three places through Craigslist and they've all been great. I prefer renting condos from private owners - and they usually use real estate companies to handle the advertising and leases.
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Old 06-26-2008, 12:28 PM
 
655 posts, read 1,983,525 times
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Why not try both, and see what you get?

That said, Craigslist is a pretty reliable source of listings in the Bay Area, even for single-family homes--many fewer owners list exclusively with management companies than in East Coast cities or other parts of the country. You'll see plenty of management companies advertising their properties on Craigslist, too. The caveat is that with a management company, you'll be limited to the homes they manage that are available on your timeline--which may not be very many. With Craigslist, you're more likely to wind up with a private landlord (can be good or bad--there are lots of first-time landlords out there renting houses right now because of the housing crisis, but at the same time, many of those homes were first spiffed up for a potential sale and thus are pretty excellent rentals!)
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Old 06-26-2008, 12:42 PM
 
82 posts, read 238,076 times
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Thanks to you both for your replies. I think we are going to try both routes. Does anyone have any recommendations for a management company to work with in the Walnut Creek area? I've seen a couple who have posted properties on Craigslist, but I'm sure there must be others. If anyone has had a good experience working with someone, please let me know! It's incredibly stressful to try and pick the right house in the right area with the right schools from so far away and with no first hand knowledge of the area. I need all the help I can get!
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Old 06-26-2008, 01:05 PM
 
253 posts, read 1,332,377 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JCPTNH08 View Post
Does anyone have any recommendations for a management company to work with in the Walnut Creek area?
Keller/Williams Realty represented the owner when I rented in Walnut Creek - they were good and seemed to handle a lot of private-owner rentals.
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Old 06-27-2008, 03:06 PM
 
655 posts, read 1,983,525 times
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No idea if they're any good or not, but Caldecott Properties also seems to manage a lot of single family homes in our area. I think they have a Walnut Creek/Lamorinda section as well.
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Old 06-30-2008, 05:28 PM
 
19 posts, read 71,689 times
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Thumbs up Do Craig's

You'll find nicer people to rent from on Craig's List, and it will most likely be less expensive and no fees. Much quicker, too.

I was here only 1 week and had a cute little cottage on a larger property.
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Old 06-30-2008, 05:36 PM
 
82 posts, read 238,076 times
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Thanks for all your advice. Finding a house seems to be a bit harder than I expected. One seemingly well known property management company hasn't replied to me about seeing their properties, nor have 5 of the 6 Craigslist ads I've responded to! I hope it's not because the houses in Walnut Creek are disappearing as quickly as they're listed.
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