Using CraigsList to rent your home, or find a rental

Posted on Monday, December 24th, 2007 at 9:24 pm.

We do not typically handle rentals, since we instead prefer to focus our efforts on specializing in home sales & purchases. If you're looking to rent your home, or find a rental, we can refer you to a specialist in the industry, but we're also just as happy to give you tips on doing it yourself.

Renting property consists of two main areas:

Finding a quality tenant
Making sure the tenant abides by the terms of the agreement

Here are a few tips for both:

Finding a quality tenant: We typically suggest using www.Craigslist.org to find rental tenants. Make sure you post photos when you place an ad - using photos will make a big difference in your response rate. You might also choose to use a free service like Postlets.com to compose your ad. Depending on how much of a rush you are in, you might start your rental at a price that's higher than you think anyone will pay, and then lower it every week until you get sufficient tenant interest. Make sure you run a credit check on your prospective tenant (trust us on this one - no matter how stellar the tenant looks, run their credit).

The Agreement: Here is one of our favorite tips to cut down on the "toilets, tenants and trash" bothersome elements of having a tenant in your home: In the rental agreement we use, we have the tenant pay a deductible as part of the agreement, usually of $100. This makes the tenant responsible for the first $100 of any items that break, which translates into less headaches for you, because you won't get a call when the toilet clogs, or the tenant is locked out of his house, etc. If you'd like a copy of our agreement to review, we'll be happy to provide you with one, just contact us. You should also make sure you have collected enough of an earnest money deposit to cover potential damages to the property - at least one month's worth of rent.

Good luck!

Direct Link to this FAQ: DROdio.com/faq/?p=296

Call Anytime: 1-800-705-2782

Contact Us

We'll respond in 15 minutes or less.

Search our knowledge base

Find Property Near You

A message from Daniel:

Buying A Home

All About Home Financing & Loans (51 Q&A blogs)
Wondering how the lending process works? Wondering if you should pay any 'points'? Jump in for the answers.
All the questions you were afraid to ask (108 Q&A blogs)
If you're a first-time home buyer, indulge yourself with answers to all the questions you were afraid to ask!
Client Testimonials (18 Q&A blogs)
Read some glowing Testimonials from clients who have used our services to buy a home!
Contract Questions (21 Q&A blogs)
Contracts can be scary things! But after you read through this section, you should be much more comfortable with the process, and we're always just a phone call away!
Learn About the Area (31 Q&A blogs)
Curious to know about certain areas? Find your answers here. This is especially useful if you are buying from out of town.
Negotiation Techniques (13 Q&A blogs)
One of the things that makes DROdio agents so special is our strong emphasis on negotiation. Many Realtors (especially the "weekend warriors") aren't too good at negotiating you a stellar deal. We'll reveal some of our secrets here. If you're a Realtor from competing company and you're reading this section, you should be ashamed of yourself! Then again, maybe you really need the help, so read on...
REO Foreclosure Listing Q&A (4 Q&A blogs)
Our firm sells REO foreclosure properties from multiple banks. This section is dedicated to common questions & answers from both buyers and REALTORS representing buyers in these transactions.
Tax Questions (14 Q&A blogs)
Aaaaahhhhh, taxes. Our favorite. Here are tips & tricks to minimize your tax burden. Note: we are not CPA's, so these are just general observations from our experience. But *please* speak to your CPA to discuss your specific tax situation.
The Buying Process (66 Q&A blogs)
How exactly does the buying process work? What should you expect? Whether you're a first time home buyer or you've done it several times, you'll find plenty of gems of information squirreled away in this section.

Selling A Home

All the questions you were afraid to ask (23 Q&A blogs)
If this is the first time you've considered selling your home, you probably have lots of questions that you're afraid to ask. Fear not, your answers are here!
Client Testimonials (1 Q&A blogs)
Read some glowing Testimonials from clients who have used our services to sell a home!
Contract Questions (3 Q&A blogs)
This time we'll address contract questions from the seller's point of view. What makes a contract strong vs. weak? How do contingencies work, and which ones are dangerous? These questions and many more are answered in here, so come take a look!
The Selling Process (18 Q&A blogs)
When should you list your home? How do you price it right? How do you get maximum exposure? Find answers to life's questions here... well, at least when it comes to selling your home!