Does it seem like it’s gotten harder than ever to find a great house for rent? If you’ve felt that way during your most recent search for a rental property, you’re not crazy, and you’re certainly not alone.
It really has gotten harder to find a great rental home at an affordable price. Skyrocketing real estate prices have driven more and more homeowners to become renters, increasing demand for rentals while stretching an already-thin supply even thinner. Bellingham is no exception, with a current vacancy rate of 3% and a 17% increase in real estate prices from June 2021 to June 2022.
That’s one reason why Realtor.com predicted 7.1% rent growth in 2022, and so far, it looks like their prediction was right on the money.
If all this sounds very gloomy and pessimistic, here comes the silver lining: there are still plenty of ways to find a great house to rent if you know where to look. The following are five of the best resources to help you find the perfect rental.
Who Can Help Me Find a House for Rent?
There are a few different options for finding a house for rent, including:
Online real estate portals
These days, there are countless online platforms for finding rental homes and apartments. Zillow, Apartment.com, Zumper, HotPads and Rent.com are some of the most well-known.
Any of these home rental sites and apps can be useful for finding rental homes in your area. Each has its own unique range of search features and filters, so it’s often useful to use multiple platforms in your search, rather than just one.
Word of mouth
Sometimes, you can find surprisingly great things when you simply start to ask around. We all have a friend’s-brother’s-sister-in-law who has an apartment for rent! So go ahead and ask your family, your friends, and your coworkers for any tips on available rentals.
Ultimately, looking for rentals by word of mouth probably shouldn’t be your only search method. But it doesn’t hurt to ask around, in addition to some of the other resources listed here.
Real estate agents and brokers
One sure-fire way to find a rental property is to get in touch with a real estate agent or broker. After all, it’s their job to connect people with properties, and contrary to popular belief, most work with rentals too; not just sales.
Just remember to find an agent you really trust. There’s nothing worse than feeling like a real estate agent is trying to force a property on you just so they can earn a tidy commission.
Bulletin boards and classifieds
When we say bulletin boards and classifieds, we’re talking about them in their traditional forms—like the bulletin board at your local coffee shop and the classifieds in your town paper—as well as their online counterparts. Craigslist is the best-known version of the latter, but there are many others.
These are solid resources for finding a rental apartment, especially if you’re the type who prefers to rent from an individual landlord directly. That said, you do have to watch out for scams.
Property management companies
Many landlords and rental property owners hire property management companies to oversee their rental properties. That includes marketing rental properties and filling vacancies.
In many cases, the listings you’ll find on various platforms were actually put there by property management professionals, and you can save time and effort by working with property managers directly.
In fact, you can usually go straight to a property management company’s website and easily find a thorough list of all the rental properties they have available. It’s also worth noting that property managers are pros when it comes to customer service, so you can count on great communication.
Contact us today to learn more about how working with a professional property management company is the best way to land a great rental property at a great price. No matter what type of home you want to live in, our team of property management professionals is here to help every step of the way.
