Guideline for renting out condo apartment in Seattle, WA

[Ajeet Ganga]

Hello Friends,

 I had bought my condo in Belltown-Seattle, about two years ago, but now I have to move to a different state due to job. 

The condo is new (2008 built) and is close to zero maintenance, bar things such as batteries in smoke detector and light-bulbs. The outside maintenance  is covered by condo-association. Considering, what I think is, the good location, getting it rented should not be issue.

Can you guys advise me on:

1. Correct rental price discovery : Can I rely on  Zillow estimates alone ?  How do I factor in unique things about my apartment, such as courtyard view, insulated from three sides (no noise), above the (seldom used) gym.

2.  Lease agreement :  Is there actual standard one year lease agreement for Washington state ?  Is there usual/default lease agreement I should read about ?

What I am using : 

http://rentalleaseagreement.org/wa/washington-stan...

3. Filtering/choosing of the lessee :  What criteria I should use to filter/choose lessee. 

What I am using  :  Credit score of above 700, no collection account.

4. Broker vs self :  Are there any advantages of using broker ? (Currently I have posted on Craiglist/Zillow and I am getting couple of calls.)

5. Any other thing I should be aware of ? 

Also I am curious, if I should rent out place fully furnished at higher rent vs unfurnished.

I also wonder about experimenting leasing individual bedrooms instead of who apartment.

Please advise, and thank you in advance. :)  

-Ajeet