How to get rent $$ amounts easily.

[Account Closed]

Hi there. Does anyone have tips on how to get the amount of rent, taxes, ins, utilities, for a property?  They seem to be hard to get, especially rents. 

[Jon Holdman]

We have guidance for finding fair market rents.  The best way to do this is to look for ads (craigslist, signs, any local sources) and call the advertised number and ask questions.  Get as much detail as you can for property features and amenities, deposits and terms (e.g., who pays what utilities.)  But a site like rentometer.com will give you a pretty accurate number, at least around here.

Insurance is best determined by getting a quote from an agent.  After you get quotes for a few properties in an area, you'll have a general idea.

Properties taxes are usually online, on the tax assessor web site.

Utilities can be found from the utility companies.  They won't give you the exact bill amounts, but it you say you're looking at purchasing a property and want an average number, you can usually get it.  Realize this will vary based on usage.