Renters Want to Pay 1 Year Rent Up Front

[Maggie Shortridge]

Hi. I have a home in a highly desirable residential neighborhood that I rent out.  (I used to live there, but got married and moved into my husband's house.)   My former tenants recently moved out and I relisted it this week. A lady responded saying she was moving here from out of state with her husband and 2 kids, and they want to rent it sight unseen and pay an entire years rent up front. She says they are closing on their own house this week and says they made "a killing" on it.  They are moving to my state to go into the property investment business here. (This was all by phone and she sounded educated and nice.) She then asked me "How is the market there"? Which I thought odd, but maybe she just wanted my take because I would assume they would have researched it.   Anyway, on the one hand I can understand just wanting to pay up front and not bother with writing checks for a year AND our rental market is very competitive so I can get the "sight unseen" AND this is a very desirable coastal town.  But going sight unseen AND offering to pay a year up front is rubbing me wrong.   Is it me, or does this seem too good to be true? She says they plan to rent for a year until they find something to buy.    Moving here immediately after they close in a week.  Leaving their former professions to be property investors here.  Said she has been having hard time finding a suitable place in our town that will accept 1 year rent up front.

I will obviously check them out once I get the application, but wondering people's thoughts on this. Am I just getting lucky, or is this a scam or something?