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We've sold our house and will be (hopefully) closing the beginning of December. We're interested in the Clayton area and rather than rush to buy something, we've decided to rent and take our time checking the area out. We've owned two homes but have never rented before.
Since we want to rent a house rather than an apartment, should we use a realtor? Do most realtors deal with rentals? Is there usually a fee associated with using a realtor?
I honestly have no idea how to approach this. We will be in the area in a couple of weeks for the weekend so I want to be able to setup everything before we leave because we won't have a lot of time.
Thanks for any input!
Try online classifieds like craigslist or the websites of the local newspaper. Realtors in the Triangle area don't tend to work with renters, and there are very few MLS listings for rental property. This is a huge contrast to up here in Virginia, where one of the best ways to find a rental property is through MLS.
Thanks for your replys. It looks like this is going to be tougher than I thought. According to my realtor here, house rentals in this area are usually posted in the MLS. I had a feeling that it was different in NC when I saw very few listings on the MLS. I'll start reading the classifieds....
Hi,
Just to let you know that we had a tough time trying to find a rental. We could not get people to return our calls when we expressed interest in seeing the property. Now, maybe it was just us---because we have never rented before. When someone is on a limited time schedule & you want to look at "x" amount of homes in just a few days--this is not good!
There were a few we made contact with & out of that small group we did choose one.
If you want to PM me, I have a collection of web sites (several I did get off of this board from previous messages) which lists several rental properties in the Raleigh area--I could send them to you.
There are a few rentals on MLS. Typically, if I have a client who needs a rental, I'll just send them the listings. I have an investor that buys smaller homes in Clayton and Johnston County, fixes them up and rents them out. If you do not find a rental, send me an email and I'll have him call you. Typically, the homes require a l year lease. I will tell you this...most of my clients find their "dream home" within 3 months so I'm not sure a l year lease is the best option for you. Especially this time of year, when alot of the builders are offering "incentives". Vicki
I have talked to the owner and done 6 month-9 month leases also from listings on the MLS. Especially if it has been sitting for awhile. Gives you time to learn the area, and make sure the home you pick is really where you want to be. I understand how it can be hard to just pick a home when you know nothing about the area.
Thanks Debbie and Vicki. My husband is not keen on the renting idea, he just wants to go down and buy a house. It's been an ongoing debate between us for a while. I think a 6 or 9 month lease would be the best for us, I just have to convince him. I'd really hate to buy something and find out we don't like the area and have to move again. (There isn't enought Xanax in the world for that!) Another issue I have is that I have 2 children in school so I'm trying to find a rental in an area that I think we will end up buying in so the kids don't have to change schools again. It's hard enough to be pulling them out now and turning their world upside down...
I've been checking the classifieds and Craigslist and some other links that jgmarie sent. After our visit in a couple of weeks I'll have a better idea of the neighborhoods and where we want to be.
Thanks again for your replies!
I did exactly that for a client that I actually met here. That person wanted to rent in the Jones Dairy School district for a few months until they decide where to live. They are now having a home built in that same school district. So the children can go to the same school. Good Luck with your decisions.
Debbie
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