Do's and Don'ts First Rental Property?

[Ben Capone]

BP Community,

I am getting ready to list my first ever property for rent and am wondering what the main do's/dont's are that people have found out through trial and error for finding tenants.

Any good services out there that you have used to check credit/background of applicants? If so, what do these usually cost (per applicant? or is it a member fee? etc.)

Is using sites like craigslist and Facebook worth it or should I just stick to Zillow since they handle all of the applications internally?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 Ben

[Andrew Carlson]

@Ben Capone

I use trans union smart move. It’s ok. There’s probably a better one out there, but I don’t have a ton of background checks to do. Costs $40, which you can preselect who pays for it (you or the tenant).

As far as getting tenants, try a for rent sign in the front yard. That’s been the key for finding good tenants. I used Facebook one time and I just had too many tire kickers and people from ‘the big city’ that were enticed by the cheaper rents in my small town apartments.