I recently received an email from a reader asking how to best let local people know about a place to rent. Hers is actually an apartment, but those who rent rooms (or full houses) face the same issue. I have, at times, rented out a couple of rooms in my house (poor law students are prone to such exploits). I have mostly used Craigslist, and used to also use the City Paper online ads. I no longer use City Paper because:
1. Craigslist is the big game in town;
2. if City Paper ran the ad in print it was typically after I had rented the room, but I kept getting the emails.
This particular reader doesn't like Craigslist (due to "posers"), and was asking about other online forums, and good physical places to post ads.
Lots of us rent spaces, whether we rent them from someone, or rent them to someone. So, where do you place ads, or read them?
Bonus, tell me about your renting experience in the neighborhood. I want to hear from both sides (renters and landlords). I've been both in this neighborhood. How did you search and find your match? What was the ultimate outcome? Do you like/love where you live?
17 comments:
Craigslist, then also Washington Post, just to remind them that when you rented, you rented to someone who answered via Craigslist and will not list with them again.
The issue is how to describe the location. Is my home in SoFlo, Near Northeast, H Street Corridor, Capitol Hill North, NoMA?? Personally I wish Capitol Hill North would catch on. I have strong nostalgia for saying I live in CHiNo.
As a landlord/lady;) of a 4 unit apartment building I have been really lucky! I have found great tenants through word of mouth and when that doesn't work I always turn to CL. As far as I am concerned, CL is the only game in town. Yes you have to sift through a lot of emails and deal with people not showing for appointments but everywhere else costs too much to advertise and you don't get nearly as many hits. My perception is that "posers" are in the personals section of CL and for the most part "normal" people use it for finding apartments and things to buy and sell. I also have seen a lot of ads/seekers in an online listerve MOTH (Moms on the Hill) for families, that is also a good forum. When describing the area of the rental I use NE Capitol Hill and H st NE (Atlas District). I love the CHiNo idea though! I always require a credit check and references so that weeds out people pretty fast. Looking for a great 1 bedroom, plus office (2nd floor), 5 blocks south of the Argo? I have one opening as of Jan 1st:)
reneelynntho at yahoo dot com
Ryan,
Why be cute with neighborhood names that mean nothing? Just give the address.
Besides, anytime I see a stupid "new" neighborhood name, I think crappy newly renovated house/apartment asking way too much.
I rented out 2 places just north of H a total of 6 times. Craigs list was responsible for 100% of my successful tenants. I once tried WP, the CityPapaper, and the Blade with no success. I too struggled with describing the neighborhood but the following worked for me - for the location field on CL, I put "H Street/Atlas/ Capitol Hill N."
I have a basement apartment and have either rented via word of mouth or Craigslist. I think with Craigslist people want to see pictures and know what is included and what isn't. I've done "open houses" instead of appointments and that worked well. I rented my place last September and had 20+ people attend my open house and fill out rental applications. I also use www.mysmartmove.com which is a tenant screening service. It costs $25 for the applicant and provides the landlord a credit check and criminal history check. I highly recommend it.
I've only used Craig's List to rent my house or find roommates.
This time, to avoid the numerous no shows, I had a 2 hour open house, and about 15 potential tenants showed up! I think that people running into other potential tenants increased the desirability of renting my house, and my "first choice" people took it! Of course, the low rental price helped increase demand.
I also encouraged people to do a walk or drive by if they aren't familiar with the neighborhood. In the past, I got way too many "surpised" people who loved the house but weren't interested in the neighborhood- which wasted everyone's time. They were generally surprised at how quickly the neighborhood changes east of 14th St NE.
I stopped using Capitol Hill in the ad, and called it "H Street area." I also give the exact address so people can do a walk by.
It seems like mostly landlords have posted. When I was a potential tenant, Craigslist was the only place I really looked. At the time, I knew I wanted to be in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, north or south didn't matter much to me. I'm really glad I wound up where I am (and have been for a little over a year). When I was looking I did use the filters on Craigslist, so if someone does post on there, make sure to fill everything out (e.g. fill out whether pets are allowed, etc.) I also made sure to only look at places that had a washer and dryer in the unit, which I know is not a deal-breaker for some, but it was for me. In short, make sure you succinctly list all of the good qualities about your property and don't just assume that people will show up and then see how great it is. (This seems like common sense, but for some people, I don't think it is.) Also, I agree with what others have said: listing a neighborhood (Capitol Hill, H Street, The Atlas District, whichever applies) is good for people who are doing a search, but it's helpful to list the exact address or at least cross streets someone in the listing. Additionally, pictures made a huge difference for me when I was looking.
Thanks, Kim for the tips. I haven't had to find a new tenant in more than five years, but I have been successful with CL. I tried CP six years ago, but that was probably the last time. I would also suggest Georgetown Law's housing office. Walking distance on a nice day, easy bus ride and close to their amenities.
I've been renting out my extra room for 9 years and I've put in adverts in the CityPaper, posted on CL, and once paid for the Washington Post. The Post was a waste of money. I haven't used CP lately because I need to put in more detail.
With CL I put in the cross streets, I call it Shaw/ Truxton Circle, give pictures of the room and try to honestly describe the neighborhood. I demand an in person interview. Though I'm sympathetic with folks trying to rent from afar, we're not doing each other any favors. They might be able to cope with the hood, and I might not like them. I follow up on references, only one email reference allowed and I confirm employment/internship/etc.
More importantly, I try not to be so hard up to just get someone in. It's a good way to wind up with a deadbeat. Remember whar you want is a paying (unless you're very charitable) roommate who won't send you running from your own home.
You're welcome, Karen!
Wow, this was helpful I'd never heard of www.mysmartmove.com (thanks bakerette), I'd used e-renter and intelius when I first rented my old house. Like many of you I used Craigslist, talked to friends, I did open houses yadda yadda. CL was the most successful, although it took three months. Well, long story short, I just had to file a Form 1A today, if you know what this is, then you know what I am going though.
I've listed it with DCHA (Housing Voucher Program), on my Job's internal site, on CL, and I put a sign in the front yard.
To my surprise the yard sign was more effective than CL. I get the most contacts from DCHA.
Misleading or unfamiliar neighborhood names can really turn people off, so giving the actual address is a must.
-Robby
Interesting post...I'm looking to move to the area (hopefully walking distance to Union Station) and haven't had a ton of luck with craigslist. So now...due to my current lease I'll hopefully be moving to the area in May...so you know if anyone is looking for a nice responsible tenant with a cute dog and a good job and references please let me know!
I used CL to find the place I am currently living and to say the least I LOVE it! I love my housemates, my house, my neighbors, my neighborhood - it is all great. I was *very* skeptical of looking for a place on CL, but when I read the post for my current home, I knew that this was a good find due to the message that was written about the house, the person renting it, and the neighborhood. I agree with the other posters, putting the address (or at least the address of a nearby business) is great as then it can be mapped on Google. I always do this to see what is in the area, how I would walk to the Metro, etc. Anyway, to say the least, CL is the best option both for renter and rentee. It may take time and you may have to wade through many posts, but if you are diligent and persist I think you can find a great place to live.
How many of you put "English basement" in your ad renting out your "extra room"???
Craigslist has worked for me. Also, some places have community bulletin boards. Big Bear's is occasionally useful to post.
As others have said always, always post pictures. Setup a flickr/picasa/whatever album if you want to put up more than 4 pictures. List distances to metro stops and your cross-street.
I've used Craig's List to post for rooms opening and an English basement. I've had a bunch of people come by, but no one's applied yet (one room open -- $800 -- and the English basement -- $1200). I put Stadium/Armory as the location and make sure to put Capitol Hill and H St/Atlas District in the ads, as well as the D6 and where it goes.
People who have no reading comprehension are the ones who drive me the most nuts. Yes, when the map pops up, it asks if you meant another area of DC. However, if you have read the ad and looked at the map, you would know that the map shows the correct location. I've been the one looking for an apartment before, and I always appreciated the ads with more detail, so I make sure to put a lot of details in the ad.
If anyone is currently looking, please feel free to contact me at aliza(at)alum(dot)bu(dot)edu.
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