Are you getting new tenants during COVID pandemic?

[Noah Gregory]

I was planning on buying my first property to house hack in the upcoming fall 2020. Due to the COVID pandemic, some peers and I are unsure if we can count on quickly finding new tenants. What is your experience? I'm in Denver CO if anyone knows about this market specifically. 

TL;DR 

Are people moving to new rooms/houses during this pandemic or are most people planning on riding out another lease due to fear? 

[John Chapman]

I'll offer a countervailing/anecdotal view on this one.  I just rented a house in what I would submit was record time.   It's a weird house and is the lemon in my portfolio.  Always takes a little time to rent and it's tough to get good tenants.  (I've wanted to dump it for years but haven't gotten around to it.)  Rented in less than 48 hours to an exceptionally strong candidate.  I was drowning in interest and applications, which I've never experienced in 9 years.  Pretty sure I did not misprice it.  I think that renters are still looking to move for all the normal reasons and, on top of that, you've got a whole new market of apartment dwellers who are going nuts in quarantine and finding apartments are not the best for weathering a drawn out pandemic.  (Heard that a number of times from applicants)  Realize it's just one data point and it's too early to tell how it will all shake out, but it was interesting.