Renting short term and then buying (Phoenix, Tucson: transplants, leasing, credit report) - Arizona (AZ) - City-Data Forum

teak123 · 06-14-2015, 02:19 PM

Does anyone know if there are many month to month rentals available in the Tucson area? Actually, we'll be looking for a short term rental in Picture Rocks, Marana, Catalina area. In searching online, I am only coming up with year long rentals.
We will be moving there as soon as our current house in the midwest sells. We'll be looking to buy a home, but we have no idea how long it will take to find one. We don't want to be rushed into buying something, but at the same time don't want to rent for an entire year. Do you think if we find a realtor they have access to short term leases while we house hunt?
How have others moved there and found a house without renting for a year? Thanks in advance!

jlawrence01 · 06-14-2015, 02:25 PM

^^^

I am aware of hundreds of them that are available month-to-month and are furnished. However, they are in the Green Valley area, south of the city. Owners would be very happy to rent during the summer through November or December when all of the snowbirds arrive. Long Realty is just one of the Realtors that handles a lot of short-term rentals.

Saguarogirl507 · 06-14-2015, 04:45 PM

We found our rental through VRBO and were able to stay 2 weeks at a time. We found our new home and no longer have to rent.

beTucsonan · 06-14-2015, 04:51 PM

Most rentals are available month to month, especially if they are being rented by an individual owner rather than a leasing company. If you find a place you like, but it stipulates a year-long lease, make a phone call and talk to them about it. In my experience in Tucson and elsewhere it is usually a matter of your credit report being clean and being willing to pay a bit more for month-to-month.

Also, many year-long leases have an "out" clause that isn't too bad and may not end up costing you much more than the month-to-month penalty. For example, I am just buying a house. We rented for a year and leaving early simply means we forfeit our security deposit (~$900). But the month-to-month option for our house would have been an extra $100/month. It works out to about even money for us to give up the deposit as it would have for us to pay the extra, so no worries!

Bummer · 06-14-2015, 04:51 PM

Wise decision / plan, Teak.

Sorry, no help on short-term rentals but I do know they exist.

Good Luck and Welcome to Tucson.

shpitz · 06-14-2015, 07:35 PM

I might be in the same boat... Been looking at some new builds in Marana/Oro/Sahuarita, and to get one we like, will require 4-5 months build period, as there are no quick move-ins we like.

Problem for me is I would need to rent in the same district as the house, as I don't want to pull the kids out of school again and again, moving here from IL is hard enough for them...

teak123 · 06-14-2015, 10:13 PM

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I will look into Long Realty and check out VRBO.
I will also keep in mind about asking about existing rentals being available monthly for a bit more money per month. I don't want to have to give up a security deposit, but if THE house comes along, I think it's worth it.
We're moving from Illinois, too. shpitz. Whereabouts are you in IL? Good luck in your move!

RichCapeCod · 06-14-2015, 10:17 PM

My spouse and I rented for several years before buying in Green Valley. Not only were we able to take our time when we finally decided to purchase a home, but when we moved from one place to the other there was no rushing around. Made life so much simpler and less frenetic.

Rich

jlawrence01 · 06-15-2015, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teak123

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I will look into Long Realty and check out VRBO.
I will also keep in mind about asking about existing rentals being available monthly for a bit more money per month. I don't want to have to give up a security deposit, but if THE house comes along, I think it's worth it.
We're moving from Illinois, too. shpitz. Whereabouts are you in IL? Good luck in your move!

Do remember that the BEST deals on month-to-month rentals are during the periods after the snowbirds leave.

A friend of a friend rented a place to us for $1200/ month for January and February last year. Before we were scheduled to leave, she offered us the place for $600 per month if we would sign up for a full six months. At that time, we could not and had to pass on it.

Another alternative that would work in Green Valley is to stay in a hotel for a week and drive around the area during that period. You will see a lot of for rent signs at the current time. Call the owners and see what they will do for you. The deals you can get that way will blow away ANYTHING you will find at Long Realty or VRBO.

BTW, you will find a lot of transplants from IL throughout Tucson but not as high of a proportion as you will find in Phoenix.

teak123 · 06-15-2015, 12:05 PM

Thanks, jlawrence, good tip on looking for rent signs while staying in a hotel for a week or so.
I didn't realize the rent prices would fluctuate so much because of the snowbird season.
We unfortunately don't know the exact timing of our move since we have to wait for our current house to sell, but we're hoping to get down there in the fall. I guess we'll be arriving just as rental prices start to climb, huh?