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March 6, 2009
help with using craigslist...
I wanted to ask you for your input on finding rental apartments on craigslist. I just finished school and have no experience dealing with landlords or brokers(lived in student housing...) and I guess I'm just a bit nervous about signing a housing contract for the first time. I'm sure landlords have similar anxieties about new tenants, but still, could you give me some advice on what to look for, what to look out for? Many thanks!
Comments
Craigslist is a great resource but is also unfortunately ripe with scams. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Don't pay anyone anything until you have a lease.
Get a good idea of average rents in the neighborhoods you're considering. Know the market.
Google street view is the best resource ever. Scout out apartment locations. Some you can probably eliminate without even visiting.
Start looking a month before you need a place. In the first week or two, be very picky. If you still haven't found anything two weeks before you need to move in, start being a little less discriminating.
What neighborhoods/price range are you considering?
Posted by: alsawo at March 6, 2009 4:11 PM
I have found tenants on Craig's for many years & it can be an excellent service. People looking at my place have told me that you have to look out for agents posing as owners - & be careful about signing things because there might be hidden fees. Sometimes you can tell by a similar look to several listings on the site. Don't be alarmed by forms you may have to fill out: I ask for a lot of sensitive information, myself - ssn, prior landlords, i.r.s. statements, etc. so that I can run a credit check - as well as a month & a half security. Those kinds of things are not unusual.
Posted by: Arkady at March 6, 2009 4:12 PM
Also, have lots of information ready (reference letter from an old landlord, letter from your employer stating your salary and your past two W2s are standard documents required) so you can act quickly. Being about to act quickly is key in securing a place.
Posted by: alsawo at March 6, 2009 4:16 PM
Bring someone along who has been there and done that.
Don't sign anything untill someone else has seen it.
u will meet great people and total nut cases...welcome to the real world, good luck
Posted by: dutchman at March 7, 2009 1:25 AM
I agree with all the other posters' advice, especially about having the proper documentation ready.
Here is my .02:
Beware of fake postings that are designed to lure money out of you before a lease is signed. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. DO NOT hand over any money (except, perhaps, for a reasonable fee for a credit check) without signing a lease.
Don't listen to brokers who tell you that something is listed "below market". Look at anything and everything (even if it is out of your price range), just to get a sense of what "market" really is. Brokers will flat out lie to you about market conditions to get you to rent some crappy place.
The same advice goes for the broker fees. Speak to different brokers to get a sense of what their fees are, and don't listen to them when they tell you that their fee is less than everyone else's. Honestly, you could probably target your search to places listed by owner to avoid the fee, but beware of brokers posing as owners to bury the fee somewhere else.
Be mentally prepared to act *very* quickly if/when you find your place. Even in a bad market, there are still plenty of people competing for the right apartments. If you have all of your documentation (paystubs, W2s, references, etc.) ready, you will be in good shape.
Check the address of all listings before you arrive to make sure it is actually listed in the neighborhood that the broker claims it is in. I think this is where most brokers scam potential tenants, since most people in your situation are not really sure what the neighborhood boundaries are. For example, most brokers want to claim that their listing is in Park Slope or Prospect Heights, but when you look at the address, it may really be in Crown Heights. Try to learn the real boundaries of the 'hoods to keep yourself educated.
In a nutshell, do not trust anything that you are told by people with no interest in you other than taking your money. Expect that almost everything you are being told is a lie. Do your own research, and don't be afraid to just look at things to get a sense of the market.
Good luck!
Posted by: seahag21 at March 8, 2009 9:51 AM
More regarding apartment hunting than Craigslist, you might find these two links useful. First is the City's own link with apartment hunting tips; second contains maps and pay-for-feature highlights of some Brooklyn neighborhoods (take it with a grain of salt, it includes the alleged neighborhood Bococa):
http://www.nyc.gov/html/housinginfo/html/apartments/apartment_hunting_tips.shtml
http://www.brooklynnow.com/index.html
A good, zoomable map by neighborhood and precinct is available at: http://brooklyn.com/modules.php?name=Police
Posted by: vinca at March 8, 2009 12:51 PM
Thank you so much for all your helpful advice! This site is awesome! I will post updates about my apartment hunt...hopefully someone else can make use of my experience. Thanks again.
Posted by: jonahkd at March 8, 2009 1:47 PM
My advice, avoid Rapid Reality.
Posted by: mrkknox at March 9, 2009 3:29 PM
I'm in a similar boat, although I've found apartments in other cities before. I've been using this website to help with the search; it combines CraigsList and Google Maps. http://www.mapskrieg.com/view/
Posted by: dgs290 at March 9, 2009 3:46 PM
deal with owners not brokers
Posted by: Santa at March 9, 2009 4:47 PM
Pictures tell a lot. If a Craigslist ad doesn't have pictures, I wouldn't bother responding. A serious owner who will make a good landlord will post pictures. I also agree that the 360-degree "street view" feature on google maps (linked at the bottom of most apartment ads, but not all) is great, once you get the hang of navigating around it with your mouse.
Posted by: elizabethJane at March 9, 2009 5:44 PM
Craigslist phone verified accounts, or PVA, are required to post in many sections on Craigslist. While Craigslist still remains a mostly free online classified site, they have introduced phone verified accounts as a measure to restrict the number of ads anyone can post from one account. Craigslist pva are limited to three ads every 48 hours. If you exceed this limit you run the risk of having your account put on hold.
Therefore, it makes sense that if you plan to post multiple ads on Craigslist you will need multiple verified accounts. Almost every section on Craigslist can require a verified account. You may notice that originally you could post in any of the free (non-services) sections without a problem, but then one day were asked to phone verify your account. This typically is the result of Craigslist logging and tracking the number of ads you have posted from a set number of IPs and then decided that you were posting too heavily and implements phone verification on your IP range. Without verifying your accounts by phone, you can not continue to post using those IPs.
Our craigslist phone verified account-PVA has following features:
* Unique USA IP
* Fresh Gmail Account
* USA Phone Number
* 72 hours Guarantee if any PVA blocked will replace with new PVA
* 3.50$ each
we can be reached at 708.777.9477, the.pva.guru@gmail.com & msn messenger the.pva.guru@gmail.com
Posted by: thepvaguru at March 23, 2009 12:06 AM
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