We have decided on Boca! Help! (Orlando, Palm Bay: real estate, apartment, renter) - West Palm Beach - Boca Raton - Boynton Beach - Florida (FL) -Palm Beach County - City-Data Forum

Jessan357 · 12-30-2015, 02:37 PM

Hi all!

After researching North Carolina (which was VERY short lived) and the. The Orlando area thoroughly we decided to broaden our search. We love the beach, having access to lots of amenities and cities. We have two boys in elementary school so want a safe area. We also want access to cities. Etc etc. Boca has met everything we wanted and then some. It's so nice to have a decision!

Anyways - I'm looking for some advice on house rentals. We are looking to preferably rent by owner but will be fine with s realtor. It's just annoying to deal with all of the credit pills and application fees.

I see a ton of rentals on Craigslist but most of them just have some random email for contact information so I'm worried about it being a scam.

Does anyone have any insight on good places to look (or people to contact that you've worked with) to explore rentals?

I am looking for 3+ bedroom house, pet friendly (we have a 10lb bichon frise) for preferably under $2k s month. According to what I've seen so far that is definitely doable but again... This is based on Craigslist.

Thanks for the help!

ThatUsernameIsTaken · 12-30-2015, 05:30 PM

Try Zillow.com and rent.com

City Guy997S · 12-30-2015, 06:42 PM

realtor.com

2k a month and 3 bedrooms will be a dump ....and most likely in West Boca off 441 (no where near the beach)

skylinet · 12-30-2015, 09:30 PM

Be leery of craigslist there are a lot of scams on there... If it seems to good to be true it most likely is.
as city mentioned your search for an actual house will be pretty limited. Most of what comes up are small (1000-1200) sqft homes. There are 2-3 decent ones for a little over 2200
Also most houses will require first, last, and a security deposit if you aren't aware.
there are some nice townhouse communities you might find something if you are open to that.
Boca is a nice area, you may want to consider Boynton Beach as well as it will be a little more affordable

kimmerthy · 12-31-2015, 12:02 AM

I've been researching FL for the last two years, Gulf and East Coast. We've decided on Boca/FLL area, mainly bc of our checklist, and also bc my husband has an opportunity now in Ft. Lauderdale. If you don't want your kids to have to change school districts, try to focus on the area you want to be/settle in, and rent in that area. We want to be in East Boca and this is the area we focused in on, and specific to a zip code. Good schools throughout, some areas better than others. Pricey, but worth it to us. All your preference, obviously! I've stuck to realtor.com and redfin.com for rentals, home buying. I grew up in NC and I think it's beautiful, awesome, but we chose FL to settle bc this is where we want ultimately want to be. Good luck!

nina702 · 12-31-2015, 06:09 AM

If that's what you are looking for...

look at Boca Pointe Townhouses.. you might be able to get a 2/2 under 2000K You will have a hard time finding a house in Boca for rent under 2000K, but you never know. Not sure what the pet policy is in townhouses.. some let others don't.

Many rental homes (even houses) are managed by management companies that "demand" your credit report and other documents (even tax records sometimes). Your best bet is to find a rent by owner. If you do go the craigslist way. Check the Palm Beach Assessor to make sure the landlord is the actually owner of the property. Get in touch with the owner listed on the assessor's page, so that you can make sure they are renting the home.
That's the best advice I can give when trying to rent off craigslist. If you actually get hold of the owner you might be able to come to an agreement directly with them and bypass the credit reports etc.

You probably want to be in zip code 33433 and 33486 that has the best schools in Boca..

GolfMomTN · 12-31-2015, 08:34 AM

There are scams on the local Craigslist -- I was looking for my husband (moving short term until we can buy a house) and I wrote one listing for the address (the house sounded perfect and way below what the rental rate was). The person wrote me back and asked me to complete a credit report at some website BEFORE they would give the address -- TOTAL SCAM.

Please be careful and for rentals, it might be better to work with a local agent. But you should get all the info upfront about the listing, go and see the house and then do not put down any money or give any personal info until you can verify the owner, etc.

cfbs2691 · 12-31-2015, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

realtor.com

2k a month and 3 bedrooms will be a dump ....and most likely in West Boca off 441 (no where near the beach)

This!

And stay away from the Sandalfoot area of Boca if you decide to go west.

Jessan357 · 12-31-2015, 08:56 AM

Hi all! Thank you so much for all the replies. I though I had turned on the notifications but apparently not! Sorry for the delay in response. So it appears that you guys are right.. I found and emailed like 20 (seriously!) places in the price range and NONE of them were real. It definitely appears that Boca will be out of our price range. I'm just not ready to pay THAT much in rents. Bummer.. I loved everything about that area!

Do you guys have input on areas from Jupiter south.. Preferably within 30 min to the beach that have decent schools, are safe and might fit the price range?

My husband and I both work from home so are bringing our jobs with us. We aren't forced to be in a certain area which is good. I love the southern east coast of FL. There are a lot more cities and places which larger populations and things to do. I looked at Palm Bay and it was definitely affordable but 2 hours to Boca and a little over an hour to Orlando so it kind feels like there really isn't a lot to do without driving over an hour

I would love to do a rent by owner but I think you guys are right.. It would probably be better to work with a real estate agent to ensure its not a scam and they can give advice on the areas. Any recommendations on real estate agents or rental management companies that handle rentals in the southern east coast? I don't mind my credit being pulled I just don't it pulled 20 times while looking for a place. I'm still not a fan of the whole $80-$100 application fee per rental either. That's crazy!

cfbs2691 · 12-31-2015, 08:59 AM

Jupiter will be about the same as Boca price wise and you need to accept that there will be application fees.

However, there are no realtor fees by the renter as there are in some states.

Your price range in South Florida is going to be tough if not impossible.

As an example: My friend lives in a 1 bedroom apartment (I'd say it's maybe 700 square ft) in Deerfield Beach (next door to Boca), near the beach and the rent is $1200...nothing included.

The neighborhood is safe, but I cannot stress to you how small it is.