So frustrated trying to find a place to live!!!!

[Renee in NC]

We haven't heard back from the man who owned the house we really wanted. I have called him and not gotten a return call. He said he would call us Monday with an answer.:glare:

 

I reply to ads on Craigslist and get no answer.

 

I call ads, leave messages, and either get no return call or the house is already rented.

 

I look on realtor.com, I look in small local newspapers.

 

I'm not too picky, but it seems everything we can "afford" (1/3 income or less) is in bad areas or forever away from his work and therapy. When we get there, I will get a job when dh is home and our income will go up, but I have to get there first!

 

I drove around last weekend looking for homes and didn't find much. Everything is an hour commute (and before someone says, "That isn't bad!" - if we had to pay those kind of commuting costs, we won't have anything left for rent.:tongue_smilie:)

 

Dh is leaving Friday morning. The dc and I will follow once we find a place to live, but we can't go until then.

 

Just frustrated!!!!!!!

[Starr]

I'm so sorry! :grouphug:

[LidiyaDawn]

When we've been looking (we've always rented, never owned yet) I also place 'house wanted' ads of my OWN...you could try that as well. We've landed a few places that way - the owners hadn't advertised it yet or not much.

 

Check and see if the town/city you want to live in has a local community forum online - many do, and have classified sections or you could just post in the general area that you're looking to rent such & such a place in the community...

[Parrothead]

Check with the local estate agents. We found this rental and a rental for an acquaintance by going through an estate agent. In this economy many sellers are willing to rent for a year or so if their property isn't moving.

[elegantlion]

:grouphug: I know how frustrating that can be.

[Renee in NC]

When we've been looking (we've always rented, never owned yet) I also place 'house wanted' ads of my OWN...you could try that as well. We've landed a few places that way - the owners hadn't advertised it yet or not much.

 

Check and see if the town/city you want to live in has a local community forum online - many do, and have classified sections or you could just post in the general area that you're looking to rent such & such a place in the community...

 

I did put a "Wanted to Rent" ad on the local homeschool loop and Craigslist, neither of which have panned out yet. I am looking for more local forums - I know of one and I have looked there. I'll keep looking, though.

[Mynyel]

We haven't heard back from the man who owned the house we really wanted. I have called him and not gotten a return call. He said he would call us Monday with an answer.:glare:

 

I reply to ads on Craigslist and get no answer.

 

I call ads, leave messages, and either get no return call or the house is already rented.

 

I look on realtor.com, I look in small local newspapers.

 

I'm not too picky, but it seems everything we can "afford" (1/3 income or less) is in bad areas or forever away from his work and therapy. When we get there, I will get a job when dh is home and our income will go up, but I have to get there first!

 

I drove around last weekend looking for homes and didn't find much. Everything is an hour commute (and before someone says, "That isn't bad!" - if we had to pay those kind of commuting costs, we won't have anything left for rent.:tongue_smilie:)

 

Dh is leaving Friday morning. The dc and I will follow once we find a place to live, but we can't go until then.

 

Just frustrated!!!!!!!

 

 

I feel your pain Renee, we have been looking for rentals in another state ourselves and either the ads are scams, no one gets back or you just can't find anything.

 

No advice but I do understand and :grouphug:

 

ETA: What area in NC are you looking at?

[Rhonda in TX]

We rented a house when we first got married and found it through a real estate agent. See if you can get one up there that will help you with that, especially since you're not living there yet.

[----]

How frustrating! It drives me crazy when people don't return phone calls.

[justamouse]

:grouphug:

[Tammyla]

:grouphug: I would check with a local realtor too. They usually screen, show and write up the lease.

[Renee in NC]

Check with the local estate agents. We found this rental and a rental for an acquaintance by going through an estate agent. In this economy many sellers are willing to rent for a year or so if their property isn't moving.

 

We rented a house when we first got married and found it through a real estate agent. See if you can get one up there that will help you with that, especially since you're not living there yet.

 

Are they going to help someone who is lower income, bad credit, and a large family?

[Renee in NC]

I feel your pain Renee, we have been looking for rentals in another state ourselves and either the ads are scams, no one gets back or you just can't find anything.

 

No advice but I do understand and :grouphug:

 

ETA: What area in NC are you looking at?

 

We're looking in the Durham area.

[LibraryLover]

We're looking in the Durham area.

 

 

Wow. I was curious, and I checked some listings, and that is $$$$! I thought it might be less than that.

 

http://www.durhamrent.com/site/search/results?search_submitted=1&rent_low=&rent_high=&num_bedrooms=4&num_bathrooms=&type=house&x=44&y=13

[Renee in NC]

Wow. I was curious, and I checked some listings, and that is $$$$! I thought it might be less than that.

 

http://www.durhamrent.com/site/search/results?search_submitted=1&rent_low=&rent_high=&num_bedrooms=4&num_bathrooms=&type=house&x=44&y=13

 

Not only that, but you have to be *very* careful in Durham because some areas are very, very bad. My dad works there and drives all over the county everyday - I have to run every address by him (except for areas that I know are safe/unsafe.)

 

For example, the listing for $895 on Dearborn Drive? Not on your life. You can also go from decent to gangland in a matter of a tenth of a mile.:glare: My dad went by one place that was *just* off a good road and he said no way.

[Parrothead]

Are they going to help someone who is lower income, bad credit, and a large family?

They might. I don't see why not.

 

ETA: Generally the estate agent will make $100 up front and gets that from the owners. If the estate agent is acting as a property manager the owner pays a monthly fee. That fee is usually rolled into the rent amount. You are paying it, but it isn't advertised as such. It is just rent.

 

Estate agents like to help out with rentals because generally when the renters are in a position to buy the go to the estate agent that was so kind and helpful when they first moved to town. The agent who helped us gets my business and now my parents.

Edited February 9, 2011 by Parrothead

[LibraryLover]

That's too bad! I wish you luck.

 

This one is $$, but it looks so cozy on the outside. Plus, it looks like it has garden beds. I love looking at real estate. lol

 

http://www.durhamrent.com/nc/durham/206887-spacious-family-home-with-large-bonus-room

 

Not only that, but you have to be *very* careful in Durham because some areas are very, very bad. My dad works there and drives all over the county everyday - I have to run every address by him (except for areas that I know are safe/unsafe.)

 

For example, the listing for $895 on Dearborn Drive? Not on your life. You can also go from decent to gangland in a matter of a tenth of a mile.:glare: My dad went by one place that was *just* off a good road and he said no way.

[vonfirmath]

I have not had good experience trying to find a rental on Craigslist. I HAVE had good experience finding a real estate agent that would help us find a rental in our price range.

[TravelingChris]

WE found both of our last rentals working with a real estate agent. I expect we will be doing that again this summer unless we are moving to the one place we will end up buying.

[Mynyel]

We're looking in the Durham area.

 

Ah, well my landlord can't help then :) I was going to see if he had something but we are near Asheville, a bit of a far cry from you :)

[MamaAkins]

Have you looked in Pittsboro, Hillsborough or Bahama? You may find that you get more (or better) home for your money in the rural areas, without sacrificing too much of a commute.

 

What price range are you looking for and how far (mileage) of a commute from a certain zipcode area?

[Renee in NC]

Have you looked in Pittsboro, Hillsborough or Bahama? You may find that you get more (or better) home for your money in the rural areas, without sacrificing too much of a commute.

 

What price range are you looking for and how far (mileage) of a commute from a certain zipcode area?

 

Bahama and Hillsborough are defintely on my list. Pittsboro? Eh. The commute is pretty bad and the schools there are not good (and Woods Charter's lottery is already past.) I am resigning myself to the fact that we will not be near anything (which means no extra therapy for the boys.)

 

I *want* to be within 30 minutes of MLK and Hope Valley in Durham (27707) and our budget is $900. The further out we go, the lower the budget gets due to commuting costs. Right there at that intersection means we can go higher. I need decent schools (we don't homeschool anymore.)

[Blackacre Farm]

Hi Renee,

 

I hate trying to find a rental house! We moved here from Florida too and it was really hard. We live in SW Durham near Hope Valley Farms and we really like this area.

Eventually we found our rental house through hcoproperties.com . You might want to call the owner, Mark Heizer, to see if he knows of anything that would work for you. He should be okay with your large family- he has 6 kids of his own. I had to be a little persistent to get a return phone call but it paid off.

Also, I will keep my eyes open for any available houses. What is the minimum size house that would work for you family? How many bedrooms?

[Rhonda in TX]

Estate agents like to help out with rentals because generally when the renters are in a position to buy the go to the estate agent that was so kind and helpful when they first moved to town. The agent who helped us gets my business and now my parents.

 

This is what I was thinking. If they are smart, they will look at you as potential buyers in the future, not just renters.

 

Thought of something else... When we were selling our house, we had a real estate agent ask if we would consider renting it. He had people looking to rent and thought they might like our house. We ended up selling it, so we didn't need to do that, but that's something else an agent can do. They will know the houses that have been on the market for awhile that may be willing to take a renter.

Edited February 9, 2011 by Rhonda in TX

[Renee in NC]

Hi Renee,

 

I hate trying to find a rental house! We moved here from Florida too and it was really hard. We live in SW Durham near Hope Valley Farms and we really like this area.

Eventually we found our rental house through hcoproperties.com . You might want to call the owner, Mark Heizer, to see if he knows of anything that would work for you. He should be okay with your large family- he has 6 kids of his own. I had to be a little persistent to get a return phone call but it paid off.

Also, I will keep my eyes open for any available houses. What is the minimum size house that would work for you family? How many bedrooms?

 

Thanks! I was just in Hope Valley Farms this past Friday looking at houses.:D Thanks for the info - I did look at that website, but I'll give him a call as well. We are fine with a 3 bedroom and probably 1200 square feet.

 

I've called a couple of realtors and so far (after the initial "OMG!" at the number of dc:lol:) they have been helpful. The ones that couldn't help me were able to refer me to someone else. I have a lead on a doublewide in Granville County that is right up our alley. Let's hope it works out!

[Renee in NC]

No luck yet. The doublewide in the country is a maybe - the real estate agent didn't call me back and when I called her she told me that I needed to fill out the rental application and submit my $30 fee. She won't go to the owner to see if he will even entertain renting a 3 bedroom to 8 people until I do so. *sigh* I'm afraid that we're going to have a repeat of last time - already knows the answer but wants our $30 anyway.

 

At this point, I haven't found a realtor who wants to help me find anything - they tell me what they have listed with them and that is it. That is most likely because we aren't prime candidates for buying a house anytime soon.

 

I did find one guy who doesn't care about credit (just rental history) and dh will go see the house on Monday (if he doesn't rent it this weekend.) It's 1100 square feet, but it is 4 bedroom, 2 bath. (Not sure how you get all that into that small of a space!:lol:)

 

So, keep thinking about us as I keep slogging through hundreds of rental ads.:tongue_smilie:

[Barb_]

Renee, check out http://www.padmapper.com

 

It's fantastic! You can specify a commute, minimum bedrooms and bathrooms, although be careful with how many narrowing options you choose because a good ad could be filtered if it doesn't mention, say, bathrooms or sqft. The site pulls mostly from Craiglist but puts everything in an easy to read googlemaps format. It also updates constantly.

 

Good luck to you...I feel your frustration.

[Renee in NC]

Renee, check out http://www.padmapper.com

 

It's fantastic! You can specify a commute, minimum bedrooms and bathrooms, although be careful with how many narrowing options you choose because a good ad could be filtered if it doesn't mention, say, bathrooms or sqft. The site pulls mostly from Craiglist but puts everything in an easy to read googlemaps format. It also updates constantly.

 

Good luck to you...I feel your frustration.

 

Thanks! That was interesting - I did find one house I hadn't seen before.

[newbie]

No luck yet. The doublewide in the country is a maybe - the real estate agent didn't call me back and when I called her she told me that I needed to fill out the rental application and submit my $30 fee. She won't go to the owner to see if he will even entertain renting a 3 bedroom to 8 people until I do so. *sigh* I'm afraid that we're going to have a repeat of last time - already knows the answer but wants our $30 anyway.

 

At this point, I haven't found a realtor who wants to help me find anything - they tell me what they have listed with them and that is it. That is most likely because we aren't prime candidates for buying a house anytime soon.

 

I did find one guy who doesn't care about credit (just rental history) and dh will go see the house on Monday (if he doesn't rent it this weekend.) It's 1100 square feet, but it is 4 bedroom, 2 bath. (Not sure how you get all that into that small of a space!:lol:)

 

So, keep thinking about us as I keep slogging through hundreds of rental ads.:tongue_smilie:

 

I feel your pain, I have been looking, anticipating the landlord will kick us out in August, since we fixed up her place. There is nothing and hard to find a house w/2 ba in the area.

[Renee in NC]

I feel your pain, I have been looking, anticipating the landlord will kick us out in August, since we fixed up her place. There is nothing and hard to find a house w/2 ba in the area.

 

I told dh we would live in a 2 bedroom, 1 bath if it meant we could get Chapel Hill schools.:D I'll put 3 kids in each room and our bed in the living room. I am REALLY not picky other than it needs to be a good area.;)

[Mergath]

No luck yet. The doublewide in the country is a maybe - the real estate agent didn't call me back and when I called her she told me that I needed to fill out the rental application and submit my $30 fee. She won't go to the owner to see if he will even entertain renting a 3 bedroom to 8 people until I do so. *sigh* I'm afraid that we're going to have a repeat of last time - already knows the answer but wants our $30 anyway.

 

Oooooh... rental application fees make me so angry. :cursing:

 

We were trying to move back to Duluth at one point, and found a place we loved. We filled out the application, paid our fee- I think it was thirty bucks there, too- and the next day were told that company wouldn't approve us, but they were selling the property to another company, and that we should apply to them. So they ripped us off, knowing they were selling the place.

 

So then we paid the same amount to the next company, and were denied because my dh has a misdemeanor on his background from fifteen years ago. AAARRRRGGGHHH.

 

I feel your pain.

[Renee in NC]

Oooooh... rental application fees make me so angry. :cursing:

 

We were trying to move back to Duluth at one point, and found a place we loved. We filled out the application, paid our fee- I think it was thirty bucks there, too- and the next day were told that company wouldn't approve us, but they were selling the property to another company, and that we should apply to them. So they ripped us off, knowing they were selling the place.

 

So then we paid the same amount to the next company, and were denied because my dh has a misdemeanor on his background from fifteen years ago. AAARRRRGGGHHH.

 

I feel your pain.

 

I doubt the first guy even "processed" the applications as no one ever called my current landlord or my references. I am up front that we have bad credit - it frustrates me to have someone then charge me $25 or $30 to deny me because we have bad credit!:glare:

[Mergath]

I doubt the first guy even "processed" the applications as no one ever called my current landlord or my references. I am up front that we have bad credit - it frustrates me to have someone then charge me $25 or $30 to deny me because we have bad credit!:glare:

 

Sometimes I think these companies probably make more on app fees than on the actual rentals.

 

What's really annoying is when one company owns literally every rental in your price range in a town you want to move to, and once they deny you, you're effecitvely barred from ever moving there. There really should be a law limiting what percentage of rentals any one company can own in a given area.

[TN Mama]

:grouphug: Praying you find the right place for your family. Soon!

[caitlinsmom]

You might want to check city-data. Depending on the area, people have been very friendly and helpful in finding others places to live. Its worth a shot.

[Renee in NC]

You might want to check city-data. Depending on the area, people have been very friendly and helpful in finding others places to live. Its worth a shot.

 

I have done quite a bit of reading on the forum for the area we are going to, but haven't ever posted personally.

 

The one problem with the place my Dad drove by and dh will visit Monday is that he wants an 18 month lease, which means if it ends up that we don't like it we are stuck there for a long time.:tongue_smilie: You can't really tell about an area or neighborhood until you live there. For the first few months we were here we didn't have any neighbor issues because she didn't let her kids play outside at all.