site unseen (Boulder, Broomfield, Superior: for sale, apartment complex, rentals)

[Stolicakes]

We are moving to CO this summer (my fiance will be attending CU law and I will be working) We both are graduating this may from UNC Chapel Hill. He flew out there in March and found a few suitable apts in Bloomfield that we wouldn't mid living in. However, our preference would be a house because we have 2 dogs and are just overall fed up with apartment living. My question is, would you trust renting a house just from speaking to the landlord/management company and looking at pictures online?

Fowler property management has a few houses that would fit our needs and budget, but we can't afford another trip out there before the move to look at them in person.

Any advice?

[nelumbo]

I wouldn't, at least not anything with a lease. Maybe something temporary or with month-to-month instead. When I moved to the area, I had no opportunity to visit beforehand - I had no problem finding a (pet-friendly) place and only had to stay in a hotel for two nights. Set up appointments to visit properties before your arrival, that way you can immediately start viewing and not waste time. In my experience there can be a big difference between reality and how a property is portrayed in an advertisement, even with photos.

[Micktooth]

Broomfield is a little bit of a drive from Boulder. You might want to look into the Horizons at Rock Creek apartments in Superior first. They do allow dogs. Then when you are here you can find a house. Simpson Property Group | Dwell in Satisfaction

[Stolicakes]

The one in Broomfield we liked is Interlocken and it is only a couple miles from Horizons. We don't really mind the commute. We like being farther away from the city

[Katarina Witt]

I wouldn't rent anything sight unseen, including an apartment. It may be worth it to fly out sometime soon and look around and rent something. Most rentals don't become available until shortly before the lease starts. You might leave the dogs back in NC and get them later after you have found something that allows pets.

[kryptos]

We lived at Camden Interlocken and we didnt get a dog all the time we were there since the pet fee deposits were exorbitant.
The apartment complex itself, though, was quite nice. We lived there for over 2 years with no major issues.

[ohlab]

I know you're not buying, but we've had a real nightmare buying site-unseen. We had a great realtor the first time, who would have told us if there was a speck of dust on the floor - the place was immaculate. Trustingly, we tried it again. This time the realtors were real crooks, and dumped a real money-pit on us. We've spent a year just getting it livable; but, they also didn't disclose that the complete Community Well and all appurtenances were on our property with access easements running through it. My point is that if you have someone honest, you'll do okay, but you never really know if they are honest or downright cold-hearted crooks. Bottom line - best to go see it first; or have a condition of rental or purchase that it is contingent on tenant/buyer approval.

[TropicanaRose]

If you want to message me the address I will let you know what I think. I'm a native of Boulder and can probably give you a pretty good idea of what the places are like.

I would also recommend against commuting if you can help it.

[10%down]

You might also try looking at the Better Business Bureau listings. They sometimes have online searchable databases. They will list a management company as unsatisfactory if the company fails to respond to a complaint. They will also list complaints that a company has tried to resolve or successfully resolved. I searched it in Orlando and found most property management companies to have 3, but found one company with over 30 complaints. This might be helpful in eliminating some of the untrustworthy companies.

[10%down]

Another thing you can do to get an assessment of the neighborhoods is to check the sex offender registry. I don't know about Colorado, but Florida offers an online registry map that will list every registered offender within 1 mile, 2 miles, etc. from a particular address. Poorer neighborhoods tend to have more offenders. So, this may give you a sense of the safety of the neighborhood.

The other thing you can do is a search in google for the street name and the word "trulia." If any homes are for sale or have recently sold on that street, they may be listed in trulia. So, you'll be able to see some pictures of the other houses on the street and what those houses sold for. Sometimes, trulia has pictures where you can pan to the right and left and get a street view of the neighborhood.

These are just two ways to get a better sense of the neighborhood when you are unable to view it in person.