Why hire a realtor to find your next rental home?

1) Avoid Rental Scams

You’ve probably seen this headline before“family scammed out of money and home by rental scam” and yet people continue to get scammed. How is this possible?

There are a few reasons. One, they don’t use a real estate agent who can verify if a rental is legit or a scam. Two, scammers are getting more sophisticated. Three, people just think it won’t happen to them because they’re smart.

Well, I am here to say scammers are doing their homework and jumping through hoops to ensure they can fool people. From showing the home themselves to impersonating the landlord they are more believable today than ever.

2) Access to Rental Inventory & Restrictions

It might be fun for some people to search online for homes. However, when it comes to rentals the restrictions and requirements for these listings tend to be limited or non-exist when it’s syndicated to third party websites. So it’s not uncommon for people to find a home they want to view, but find out the landlord won’t accept their pet.

When working with a real estate agent they’ll do the searching for you based on your needs. Have a pet? They can search for that. Need to move within 30 days? They can search for that. Want a fenced yard? They can search for that too.

3) No More Calling Around

How frustrating is it to call an agent about a rental listing and not receive a callback? It happens all of the time. Oftentimes it’s because you’re not calling the listing agent and the agent you are calling can’t be bothered. Then there are times you will be calling the listing agent, but returning your call isn’t a priority. Should agents return calls? Absolutely, but it’s not uncommon if they don’t.

4) Negotiation Expertise

Every landlord and real estate brokerage will have different requirements when it comes to submitting an offer. A majority will require a signed contract to lease, rental application, proof of income and copy of your driver’s license. Some will want you to provide a copy of your credit report while others will pull your credit and do a criminal background check themselves.

5) Knowing What You’re Signing

There are a few items you will need to sign when renting a home. The first is the contract to lease, which contains the terms you’re offering the landlord. The offer itself is usually 2-5 pages. If the landlord accepts your offer you will then be required to sign a lease, which on average can be 30 pages long. A lease is going to be significantly more detailed when it comes to each party’s responsibilities and what happens if those responsibilities aren’t met. If the home belongs to a homeowners association you will be required to sign an additional application.

6) Money, Money, Money & Moving In

As mentioned above there are scammers out there, so you need to make sure you’re giving your hard-earned money to the right person. When working with a licensed real estate agent they’ll make sure your money is going to the correct person. Sometimes it might be the rental brokerage while other times it will be the landlord. Either way, you’ll know who the certified funds need to be made payable to and your agent will make sure the check is put in the right hands.