Hello All,
We are struggling to find rental homes to compare to, and the local real estate company is not as helpful as we hoped. It's a lot of 'word of mouth' that owners use to get their homes rented (it's a small 5k- town in middle of Wyoming). Can't find postings or listing on any platforms, and we've reached out to the folks we do know to ask if they have rentals or know people that have rentals. 
We have seen a few 1-2 bedroom apartments for rent posted on FB, and they are asking between $675 and $775. Our property has two separate homes on it: a 3 full bed main floor 3 non-conforming bed basement, 1 and 3/4 bathrooms; and a 2 full bed 3/4 bath. Realtor said 2 bedroom could go for $700, but apartments are going for that rate.  We are aiming for $850 to start because of private 2 car parking, laundry in house, and new constructed/appliances. A fence divides the two homes, so they each have private yards and entries.
Having said that, it's hard to trust the realtor that thinks the 6 bedroom home is values at $1100 a month. We are contingent upon contract for $1200 a month, and we think that may be low. 

How do you value a rental when you can't find comparable rentals? Can you estimate per sales value of listed homes? We have not signed our tenants yet, but what's standard notification when you know you will be raising the rent next year? Of course we will notify them in advance, but is it wise to tell them before they even sign? I want to be transparent, but it's a gamble right?