All Forum Posts by: Josh L.

I'm surprised that rentometer is still being recommended. Are we still using mapquest too?

Look at how it calculates its estimate- it asks for the number of bedrooms but it doesn't ask for the number of bathroom nor does it ask for square footage to finds its comps within half mile radius.

But, there's a big difference between a 4 bedroom and 4 bath 10,000 sq feet mansion vs 4 bedroom and 2 bath 3,000 square feet house even though Rentometer would give you the same estimate for both of them.

Pet owners will filter for rentals that allow pets. 

But, renters won't see your rental that because you didn't mark that down as an option. 

Instead, you only mentioned it in the description that you would allow a pet.

But, don't expect people to actually read the description.

How'd you find out about their tax lien?

I thought liens don't show up on credit reports anymore.

And, since credit scores no longer factor in the tax lien, then that's why their credit score seems high. Otherwise, their credit score would be lower.

If you readjusted their credit score to reflect that tax lien, would you still rent to them with that lower credit score?

One of the more devious cons is that the scammer actually lets you in and shows the place, and thereby tricking and  then stealing the applicant's money.

The scammer rents a place on Airbnb or VRBO for the weekend under a fake name/credit card and then lines up a whole bunch of people to come see in on those two days. In the Bay Area, where homes can easily get rented out after only a few days, a scammer could probably swindle a good amount of money in that period. 

Or, if you have a lock box, the scammer will email the real owner by posing as an applicant and ask for the lock box code but then use the code on their victims to convince them that the scammer is really the owner:

https://wjla.com/features/7-on...

Here's an interesting post by a security expert who was initially fooled by a rental phishing scam:

https://jeffreyladish.com/anat...

It shows that the scammers are getting better and more sophisticated, where the applicant was sent a link that looked legitimate but actually sent him to a phishing site. 

And, now with virtual showings, its going to be that much easier for these scammers to trick and swindle applicants. 

So, is there any way we can prevent our ads and pictures from getting hijacked by these scammers? And, how can applicants verify that the ad is real?

We can watermark our photos, but I've seen plenty of fake ads that still lifted photos with watermark.

With places4students.com, is the landlord able to filter for graduate students only or do you get a lot of undergrad students inquiries too?

And, how long do the medical residents stay? Are they like undergrads with turnover every year or do they stay there long term for a couple of years since their residency lasts a couple of years?

Isn't the low oil prices due to Saudi Arabia and Russia price war hurting Texas rental market?

Texas finally issued a statewide stay at home order only a couple of days ago and that will make it more difficult too. Although, Abbott might have issued that order too late and Texas will get hit really really hard. 

Ideally, I wouldn't want either a tenant that smokes or has a pet. 

But, in these uncertain times, if you had to choose one, which one would you choose?

I know smoking leaves smell on the carpets, but won't pets do that too? Or, what if you don't have any carpets- you have laminate or luxury vinyl plank? Do you have to worry about that pet or smoke smell on those surfaces too?

And, if you don't want a smoker or a pet, how do you spot a applicant that's lying about being a smoker or has a pet? Are there any tell tale signs you look for?

@ Cassi Justiz

Thank you for this information; it was really helpful.

The hospital does have a nurse residency program, but it also sounds like that doesn't effect when the nurses will need to find a rental because "Residency program does not make the newly graduated nurse wait for program specific dates."

https://www.hoag.org/about-hoa...

I tend to use Zillow more, but mentioned Craigslist because you can search for "X" hospital in Craigslist but not Zillow.