how about a discussion from a different angle? –
My DD needs to rent near her job that will begin in August – DW and DD drove to the area earlier today to meet the boss and check out rental property – DD had checked the newspaper online and scheduled a few inspections, but nothing that they looked at today was satisfactory – frankly, not even close – they did make connections with a realtor and did a driveby of an apartment complex that has potential –
my question is, how do we get in touch with the Mooney of Greencastle IN? – DD will be a good renter, and certainly she is not particularly fussy, she’s a good farm girl –
we are 3 hours away from this town, don’t have any contacts in the area – how would I find youar alter ego if I were looking to rent?
Replies
I'd say the safest bet for any out of town renter in any town would be an apartment complex.
just look for the features she wants and go from there.
we always looked for a pool and laundry. Security gates are also good. Then take it from there.
Jeff
U looking anywhere near Indy? My sis's longterm boyfriend has a coupla places(houses) outside Indy ... near Greenwood.
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Greencastle is west of Indy, Greenwood is south/southeast of town - (and Greenfield is east/northeast...)Greencastle is a small town (maybe 25K or so?) and is the home of DePauw University, so that skews the market a bit - nice to have the young people, but not good for a working person to live amongst them - the schedules conflict - I hope to take a field trip and beat the bushes a bit, but I've got no experience either - "there's enough for everyone"
the university will have a list of preferred renters.
if she's past the student age, I'd call their recuiting office and ask who they have as good renters for their visiting professors.
Jeff Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
if you are wanting a single family home it's pretty tough.if you use a management co. i think the odds are slimer of finding something thats decent.if i don't have the time to show them,and hire a company to do that,i don't have the time to maintain them ,either.
sounds like a small town,but i advertise in craigslist.some will have pics to get you started.try that and newspaper. we advertise in a catholic newspaper here,get better people ,but i think the landlords that advertise in it have better places.they don't want people to think they are "sluming it"so you might check that.
if your looking at apartment complexs,all you can do is go looking.they have tendancy to show you a "model" apartment then when you move guess what ?yours isn't quite as nice.so if she is ready to move have them show you the one she will get.
since i'm on the other end of this deal,i'm not the greatest resource!but i'm surprised at what i here people tell me they see out there.for me it's a good thing that some of these guys never clean or maintain.
some things that will help her is if she has her credit report in hand,have several copies,no pets will give a bigger selection also.if she has a pet be prepared to put down a pet deposit.here's something kinda stupid. wash that car and clean out the inside,while your filling out my app i just happen to go outside to look at something..............if the cars a pig sty so will be the house.
other than that a full tank of gas and a couple days,your good to go.wish she was coming to wichita,my kind of tenant. larry
if a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
good tip on the car - she does keep it nice and clean - I'm thinking the good landlords don't have to do as much advertizing as the slumlords - nice places and fair dealings would mean a more stable tenant base (less turnover) - I don't know how word-of-mouth works in the rental business, but we are a few days away from wrapping up a strawberry season where we will have moved several tons of berries and the advertizing outlay will be less than $100 - I'm hard for new people to find - a few road signs, classified adds in two small newspapers, and word of mouth - just trying to figure out what I'm going to do when DD and I go hunting - "there's enough for everyone"
We've learned to check with a bunch of real estate agents, also. Their commission structure is different so they frequently don't list their rentals online. Agents selling higher end homes often have other rental listings from the same clients, at least here.
Once you learn that, there's no reason to stay with one agent. Confuses them because they're used to being the only buyers agent, then we remind them that they're the ones not putting their rental listings in MLS.
Craigslist is also good, we've picked a house that way, too. You can end up with some inadvertent landlords with no business experience going that route, so be careful.
What goes up must come down unless it gets into a stable orbit.
Craigslist
I'm sure you are waiting breathlessly for the denouement -
DD, DW, and I traveled the 2.5 hours to greencastle this morning, kept an appointment with an insurance agent, traveled a 25 mile loop around the area, getting the lay of the land, stopped by an RE office (on the advice of one of DD compatriots) and picked up a list - one of the office associates is a leasing agent for a number of landlords -
break for lunch, review the list (a short list...) one possibility - back to the agency, luck is with us, agent will show us immediately -
at the building, a three floor, 6 units of 2 BR, she ushers us into a ground floor apartment - a bit of musty is detected as we go down the half flight of stairs - door opens to a spotless room, professionally cleaned carpet, a running toilet, big rooms, lots of closets, clean, clean kitchen - when pressed, the agent admits to water issues during the recent record rains/flooding -
OK, let's look at the second floor unit - up the stairs, into a mirror image unit, also clean, clean, clean - 8' ceilings, while ground floor has 7'
$475/month, renter pays the electric - and the heat (and AC) is electric - radiant ceiling heat - hmmm.....
shaded off street parking in the rear - no washer/dryer -
we thank the agent, she takes off, I walk around the outside, DD and DW catch another tenant leaving and chat with her for a minute, she is real happy - landlord is responsive (owns a hardware store one town north), no complaints -
we drive off discussing, hunt down the one other possibility pulled from the local paper's classified adds - a top floor, one bedroom in a 3 plex firetrap - for more money -
OK - back to the RE office and fill out the paperwork and leave a deposit on the second floor unit - so, short of something unforeseen, DD has a nice clean place to live within walking distance of the heart of a nice midwestern town -
thanks all -
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View Image"there's enough for everyone"
So are you going back next weekend to cut in a window over the kitchen sink?"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
nah - it looks like one of those 'do I have to paint you a picture' locations - "there's enough for everyone"
No wonder there was water damage in the downstairs unit...there's no shower curtain on the upstairs shower!<g>
I caught the thread a little late or I may have been able to help with my Greencastle contacts. It's only about 45 min. from me. But it looks like you did well.John
J.R. Lazaro Builders, Inc.
Indianapolis, In.
Sorry I got here late . Too late .
Well you didnt find me but you might have done better , dont know .
Im getting the idea this is your daughter thats a young age . Most of the time this situation needs some security and it looks like the parking lot has some . The small town helps a lot . The apartment looks nice as it should . Now it depends on what the other tennants are like .
You didnt say why you were looking for me but if you would have found me I would have been booked up. Realators give my name a lot if they cant find them what they want . Ive got a different deal than everyone else in that I rent nice three bedroom homes . I dont have near as many as there are apartments . Ive got 14 right now and there are probably 1000 apartments .
If you were looking for me you would ask for someone that keeps nice houses. In that business. I dont think you were looking for me . Shes probably in a better situation being a young single girl going to college.
But any way where you live is a big part of being happy. She may have found a good fit but mebbe not the best. The renters that stay with me are very happy becasue Ive got what they wanted . Only reason I can figgure they stay. Ive got a two bedroom house comming up that has a nice yard and a big carport in a nice area of town. Its 450$ so it beats the apartments at 400 to 450 in my mind but mebbe not hers. If she had been here or you , I might have sent you to my retired carpet cleaner . He has a set of one story apartments in a very nice setting behind the library. Very quiet place that has no traffic. It holds serious students normally .
If you found Larry or I ,we would know all the places and what they are like . Depends on what you were looking for of course. I would have been happy to have told you becasue I want a fit if she was going to stay with me . People normally have to like yards to stay with me and not mind mowing them. She wont mow a lick where shes at but probably wont sit out side either.
Nows shes there she can still look unless you signed a one year lease . Even if you did its not that hard to get out of a lease if she needs to for what ever reason. Its not set in stone she stay there . She will know in the first month. If shes looking she looks at the small adds every week by owners . As she stays there in that town she will learn it . Im not on the college list becasue I dont want to be , but Id welcome a farm girl that doesnt mind mowing her lawn and likes having flowers. Larry mentioned the car . If they ask if they can have flowers and make beds , you dont have to worry about how the yard will look.
Tim
thanks Tim - I think you are spot on with your analysis -I feel real good for the immediate term - there very little in the area presenting itself, this is the only place for less than $500 that wasn't a dump - this will give her a comfortable base to become familiar with the area, no maintanence issues as she starts a demanding job, an easy 5 mile commute to a rural school (not good for the car, that short of trip) - who knows, she may not stay beyond the this coming school year - teaching chemistry, she can go where she wants, she had several job offers - but it does look like a good situation - around here, I could come up with several places - driving into new territory, with limited time, this was the second trip, and I was worried - feel relief today - "there's enough for everyone"
i think you did good,you can feel like your daughter has a good clean place and will be pretty content there.
only problem i have with it is,is the guy that laid the brick still in business? man is that stuff crooked...........lol larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
It was a clean looking place .