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Old 03-03-2013, 09:31 AM
 
188 posts, read 515,748 times
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I'm officially moving to Seattle now (pending the paperwork)... any good suggestions on hunting for homes to rent? I know about the basic online searches that I have used in the past (craigslist, etc.), but are there any other effective methods? I unfortunately don't have the time (for the time being) to spend a week up there searching around. I've narrowed down my choices of where I would like to live (Bellevue, Newcastle, Kenmore, Shoreline, Edmonds, Lake Forest). I remember hunting for places in NYC usually was made easiest by a real estate agency. Does that apply to Seattle? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Old 03-03-2013, 10:05 AM
 
1,630 posts, read 3,883,864 times
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Best is to drive around area you want to live looking for signs ... that's the most advertising most people have to do for rentals.
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Old 03-03-2013, 10:53 AM
 
Location: Midwest
39 posts, read 60,813 times
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Craigslist has become my new best friend last few weeks, have been looking for house rentals. Pricing high and inventory goes fast, however been fortunate enough to have viewings set up for next week, actually found 2 realtors that offered to help us find a rental.
Good Luck!!!
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Old 03-03-2013, 11:29 AM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,576 posts, read 81,167,557 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tobester View Post
Best is to drive around area you want to live looking for signs ... that's the most advertising most people have to do for rentals.
That, and talking to people here that know of someone moving. People I know that have found the best deals find them by hearing that a friend of a friend is moving out and contacting the landlord before it ever hits the market, or even seeing someone move out, stop and ask for the landlord's name & number. The great apartments/houses go very fast and rarely need to be advertised in this hot rental market. If you end up working at a large enough company, you may even find rentals listed on the corporate employee classifieds. You should get temporary housing when you first come anyway, to be able to drive around and look for the area you want to live, and consider commute times, crime, and amenities. For example, you mentioned Edmonds which people would consider a great place to live, but it does extend into highway 99/Aurora Avenue which I would want to avoid.
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Old 03-04-2013, 03:24 PM
 
188 posts, read 515,748 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140 View Post
That, and talking to people here that know of someone moving. People I know that have found the best deals find them by hearing that a friend of a friend is moving out and contacting the landlord before it ever hits the market, or even seeing someone move out, stop and ask for the landlord's name & number. The great apartments/houses go very fast and rarely need to be advertised in this hot rental market. If you end up working at a large enough company, you may even find rentals listed on the corporate employee classifieds. You should get temporary housing when you first come anyway, to be able to drive around and look for the area you want to live, and consider commute times, crime, and amenities. For example, you mentioned Edmonds which people would consider a great place to live, but it does extend into highway 99/Aurora Avenue which I would want to avoid.
I agree with your assessment, but I don't have the luxury of paying for temporary housing. I'm going to probably end up on the east side because it seems listings are plentiful. I already know what my commute will be like because I'm going to do park n ride and then bicycle into work. I was just wondering if there were any other resources. I appreciate the help!
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Old 03-04-2013, 03:44 PM
 
5,075 posts, read 11,074,084 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sarichter View Post
I agree with your assessment, but I don't have the luxury of paying for temporary housing. I'm going to probably end up on the east side because it seems listings are plentiful. I already know what my commute will be like because I'm going to do park n ride and then bicycle into work. I was just wondering if there were any other resources. I appreciate the help!

I wouldn't consider temporary housing a luxury. You could end up settling for a lousy place that only looks good online if you don't check the listings in person.
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Old 03-05-2013, 10:35 AM
 
1,314 posts, read 2,054,460 times
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When I was looking I used Hotpads.com, as well. Sometimes Walkscore.com is helpful, because they aggregate listings from several different places.
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Old 03-14-2013, 02:17 PM
 
188 posts, read 515,748 times
Reputation: 114
Quote:
Originally Posted by mkarch View Post
I wouldn't consider temporary housing a luxury. You could end up settling for a lousy place that only looks good online if you don't check the listings in person.
I understand that to a point, but I'm under a heavy deadline at work so I don't have the time to fly out... plus the costs of moving. As someone mentioned earlier, Hotpads.com + Google Street View I've found to be pretty good indicators of how bad or good a neighborhood is. Not a perfect science, but leases are only for 12 months... so it will give me some time to find a good place to rent in the future. Wish there were more resources than just craigslist and Hotpads.com though!

Quote:
Originally Posted by angelenogirl View Post
When I was looking I used Hotpads.com, as well. Sometimes Walkscore.com is helpful, because they aggregate listings from several different places.
Thanks! I have been using those sites quite a bit in conjunction with crime maps. Prices are pretty high on these online sites, but I'll probably just have to eat it for a year and then try and find something better (and possibly further out if necessary).
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