Rental Talk

If you’re faced with moving from a house to an apartment, you’ve got a lot of good things in store for you—little to no maintenance, no property taxes, and possibly even perks like free water, trash or cable services. You probably even have at least a semi-furnished place awaiting where you don’t have to buy a fridge or a stove, saving you big bucks.

But the one thing that many apartments lack is sheer space. Sure, there are some huge lofts and really great multi-bedroom digs out there, but the average apartment is pretty cramped. So the question remains—what do you do with all your stuff?

Here are a few tips and tricks to use when you’ve got a small living space. (These can come in handy wherever you live—including small houses, too.)

Use every inch in site. If you have a jumbo space not in use but you still have piles of stuff, it’s time to rearrange. Read more

The economy's tight right now, so in the process of apartment hunting the first thing that comes to mind is price. Why pay any extra $100 if you don't have to?

I was recently in such a position. The rent at my current apartment was reasonable, but I thought I could do better, all things considered. After sifting through ads for boarding houses and shared bathroom Single Room Occupancy listings, I thought I found a good deal. Decent location (at least geographically speaking), private bath, private kitchen, and a significantly lower price. I didn't depend on it, but I thought that it couldn't hurt to schedule a visit.

Thus began the experience I have come to call, "Visiting the Worst Apartment in My City".

Now, I've seen bad apartments before, so I think I have a pretty thick skin about these things. I've toured the likes of a dump in Ohio with ancient, rubbery linoleum floors, cracked walls and light fixtures that were being held up with little more than a rusty nail and a daily prayer. Read more

<!--[if gte mso 9]&gt; Normal 0 &lt;![endif]-->There are few things in this world that can be more frustrating than a grouchy, demanding, or vindictive landlord. Not having a good relationship with yours can cause undue stress and anxiety, especially around the time that rent checks are due. Being friendly and proactive can help to diffuse any landlord anxiety before it even begins.

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Laying the Foundation

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The first step in a good landlord-tenant relationship should occur on the day of move-in. Let your landlord know who you are and a little about yourself by introducing him or her to your family or roommate. This will help them put a face to a name and helps to humanize your room mate which will help your landlord connect to you as not only a customer, but as a person. All mature, professional business relationships begin with an introduction and a firm handshake. Read more

If you have ever heard from disturbed and perturbed homeowners who commonly lament that they feel like they are merely renting a home from the bank as opposed to their wiser friends who choose to truly rent a home and not be subjected to the ins and the outs of home purchase, there are ample reasons as to why. First and foremost, a home is supposed to be an investment, however when owners are dwarfed by costly repairs, dropping home values and banks that seemingly don’t really care about them, many times it is similar to renting a home, which would, in the end, cost a lot less and have no apparent contractual long term strings attached.

How the Numbers Stack up
Here is a good way to compare the costs. Let’s say you bought a home at a decent average interest rate of say eight percent on a thirty year fixed note—in the end you pay roughly a hundred or so grand in interest on a four hundred thousand dollar home. Read more

As the economy takes a most certain dip and turn, and the real estate market spurs on a recession, millions of homes have entered the default process, and even more have already been foreclosed upon. This recent trend has created a huge demand for loss mitigation specialists, who are needed to fill the many vacant positions in loss mitigation jobs, which help negotiate settlements between lenders and struggling home owners.

While some people may be losing their homes, others are investing in those lost homes. In many cases, foreclosure real estate is hot commodity for an avid investor who is looking to build up their portfolio with quality homes that can be acquired for some of the lowest prices in history. Read more

I've been renting apartments and homes for over twenty years. And because I love the freedom to pick up and move whenever wanderlust strikes, I anticipate renting for a good many more.

Renting doesn't mean that we have no attachment to our physical surroundings, though. Our living-space is important to both health and mental well-being, so it deserves a little consideration, and occasionally some extra work.

One of the beauties of renting, of course, is that you're not ultimately responsible for the maintenance of a house. In the meantime, however, you can often make arrangements with the landlord to customize your living space with small and fairly inexpensive improvements like paint, updated cabinetry, flooring, or carpet. Usually, in fact, the owner/landlord will deduct part or even all of the cost of those improvements from your rent. Read more

Research the Area and other Available Rentals
You always want to take a good solid look at the local area and all of the available homes for rent nearby—you never know when you are going to find a better deal on a home that may offer more amenities and a more ideal location. A good site that you can use to find home rentals which is free of charge is Craigslist.com – you can use this site to find and compare home rentals in your area. This website will prove to be an invaluable resource when you are hunting for the perfect home to rent for you and your family. Take your time. Call around and talk to landlords, and check out a few homes before making your final decision.

Call Local Utility Companies
You will also want to call around to find out who will be providing the local utilities for the homes that you wish to rent. This way you can easily find out how much your monthly utilities will be on average for the home that you are wishing to rent. Read more

I am sure that you have heard all sorts of horror stories before of people renting homes with those that they thought at first would be the ideal roommates, only to realize the errors of their ways shortly thereafter; when a lease has already been signed contractually obligating them to rents for a determined period of time. I have seen it myself plenty of times before, more often than not, and have put some thought into this commonly experienced dilemma. What I have been able to digress are some really solid tips on choosing the ideal roommate, so that those of you who are considering such a living situation can make a decision that serves your interests the best. 

Determine Whether or Not Your Personalities are Compatible
First you need to make sure that you are compatible to live together. Hang out with them at their current residence to see how they live. Are they clean? Are they slob? Is their room covered in clothing in piles on the floor? How about their fridge, is it clean, and well stocked with food? Read more

If you are about to find yourself looking for a new place to call your humble abode, there are some factors that you may want to consider when it comes to choosing between and apartment or a home. Each has its own array of pros and cons to offer, and each can be the ideal or tragic situation for the individual.

Here is What You Get With Most Apartments
Generally speaking, you will get quite a few decent amenities with the average apartment when you rent one. Sometimes, however, they are amenities that many people overlook. For example: a pool and a Jacuzzi are commonplace at any decent apartment complex. You do not have to pay for the water for them nor the maintenance; they are included in your rental rate. Another overlooked amenity is covered parking and barbeque areas. Finally, some apartments will even pay the electric bill for you included in your rent, depending on where you rent from. Read more

There are so many good people out there who are trying to find home rentals right now amid soaring foreclosure rates and a declining real estate market that has made buying a home nearly impossible for most people. The saddest part about these types of economic dilemmas is that they comprise a breeding ground for scammers, who want nothing more than to take advantage of people’s good intentions, and take their money and run. It is certainly a tragedy that some people will get scammed when it comes to renting a home, but the good news is that there are ways to identity home rental scams and avoid them—if you know the signs of what to look for. Read on and see what popular home rental scams are currently going on, and what you can do to identify them and avoid them so you do not become the next victim of these terrible schemes.

What to Look for When Renting a Home
First you want to do your homework. Research the area and see what homes are for rent. Read more