Looking to rent my house..but not sure I can (Issaquah: tenants, landlords)

[IDontKnowWhyIDidIt]

Its been 11 days not including two weekends and we have had just two people come to see the house. The demand is really low seems like. We are priced reasonably, less than some of the similar house prices here. January just seems to be really slow.

[mkarch]

Nobody wants to move in January.

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by IDontKnowWhyIDidIt

Its been 11 days not including two weekends and we have had just two people come to see the house. The demand is really low seems like. We are priced reasonably, less than some of the similar house prices here. January just seems to be really slow.

Price your house $200 a month under every other house you see of the same approx value, do not ask for last month's rent, have a reasonable deposit. A fair price isn't necessarily a good deal. People know a good deal, trust me, I do! Post nice and detailed pictures (and lots of them) on craigslist, not just some ad with words. Also, include your phone number in the craigslist ad, as many people get sketched out seeing ads with only emails, not being sure if they are spam. Issaquah is a prime location and if you have a nice house the area will be desired. If you do what I say, tell me if you cannot have your house rented out quickly. Some landlords think by keeping the price a bit higher they will not lose as much money as letting their house sit for 2 months vacant. But, you would be surprised at how many people are looking for a deal and would jump on a good deal like flies on cow droppings.

Trust me, I am one of those people. Also, if you are a private landlord, many will prefer that to property management. If all you have is one property, it is a waste of your money to use property management. It would make much more sense to manage your property yourself and keep the 30-40% extra a month the property managers would swindle from you. There are many firms and contractors out there that handle repairs and home maintenance for a fraction the cost that property management would.

[RVD90277]

hmmm, I rented a house last year in Kirkland. It was a 4200 sq ft house and the owner wanted $4200/mo. I ended up bargaining him down to $4000/mo.

There weren't many homes that big and there seemed to be strong demand.

[IDontKnowWhyIDidIt]

When was this? For some reason my house is not getting too many viewers. I wonder if the agent is not doing a good job.

[mkarch]

Originally Posted by IDontKnowWhyIDidIt

When was this? For some reason my house is not getting too many viewers. I wonder if the agent is not doing a good job.

Surprisingly, I noticed there are quite a few larger homes in the microsoft vicinity that were recently purchased and are now listed on CL for rent. About half are owned by a company instead of an individual. Not what I expected as it's highly unusual for investors to buy $600K-$800K houses as rental properties.

[IDontKnowWhyIDidIt]

Well I keep on hearing that there are not too many houses for rent on the market either. So I dont know what the equation is here. I want to reduce my price but the agent says that wont help since the market is just sloww....

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by IDontKnowWhyIDidIt

Well I keep on hearing that there are not too many houses for rent on the market either. So I dont know what the equation is here. I want to reduce my price but the agent says that wont help since the market is just sloww....

BS.. Your agent is full of it.. Is your agent making a cut of the rent or profits?

As somebody who rents and likes to save money, I can tell you he/she is dead wrong.

Either lower the rent or offer to pay water/sewer/garbage, give some incentives. If you are in the middle of the month, offer the rest of the month free.. Some people are stuck in situations where they have to pay double rent and that would be a great advantage..


BTW.. I tried renting a house out in Sultan that was underpriced by $200-300 and somebody beat me to it. The place was rented out in 4 days from the ad posting. I saw other houses in Sultan that were "fairly" priced and have been sitting for over a month.

[IDontKnowWhyIDidIt]

OP here...We reduced the house rental price.

All, I have a one renter interested in my house, finally. However these are folks with pets. Even though the posting said No Pets, they have one dog that they share with their parents and have it for a few days in a month. Its a labrador. They say they mostly keep the dog in the garage which I find difficult to believe since the garage is not heated.

I have not met the party or dog but as per the agent they are a young couple.

Q. What do landlords think about dogs as pets. My house has hardwood floors in the living area and kitchen and carpet all over.

Another thing to add:
----------------------
There is one more person coming today. She saw the house from outside and liked it and she had two kids and a cat. She will confirm today whether (if she comes) whether she will want to rent.

Q. Is it better to rent to someone with a cat compared to a dog?
Q. Can I charge more non-refundible deposit for pet
Q. Can I charge more rent for pet. My house is very reasonably priced, but for No Pets

[RotseCherut]

Originally Posted by IDontKnowWhyIDidIt

OP here...We reduced the house rental price.

All, I have a one renter interested in my house, finally. However these are folks with pets. Even though the posting said No Pets, they have one dog that they share with their parents and have it for a few days in a month. Its a labrador. They say they mostly keep the dog in the garage which I find difficult to believe since the garage is not heated.

I have not met the party or dog but as per the agent they are a young couple.

Q. What do landlords think about dogs as pets. My house has hardwood floors in the living area and kitchen and carpet all over.

Another thing to add:
----------------------
There is one more person coming today. She saw the house from outside and liked it and she had two kids and a cat. She will confirm today whether (if she comes) whether she will want to rent.

Q. Is it better to rent to someone with a cat compared to a dog?
Q. Can I charge more non-refundible deposit for pet
Q. Can I charge more rent for pet. My house is very reasonably priced, but for No Pets

Good luck renting a large house in the suburbs that doesn't allow pets.. You will certainly be losing more money turning away perfectly good renters than most likely any damage a pet can do.. Just ask for a reasonable pet deposit.. You will lose more money sitting on your house.. The fact you do not allow pets and have a house rental is another reason you have had trouble renting it. Children, more times than not, will do more damage than a pet, so if you find a couple without kids , you have found your best candidate to preserve your home. Most people with pets living in a more upscale area, like Issaquah, would most likely have well-behaved animals that would not cause any problems.

P.S. It's illegal to post an ad that does not allow children. But, I would be more fearful of a house with 4 or 5 wild kids than a person with a well-trained dog or two.