"WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN RENTING A HOME"

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THE FIRST AND MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION IS;  WHEN DO YOU WANT (OR NEED) TO BE MOVED INTO YOUR NEW HOME?

Your moving date needs to be decided before you start your search.  Whatever that date is, you need to start looking for your new home between two and four weeks before that date.  Any earlier than that you will be wasting your time as well as the Real Estate agents.  Once you find the home you want to lease you need to be prepared to start paying rent on it within two weeks of putting in the application.  Most landlords will only hold a property after application approval for about two weeks, and that will require a holding deposit.  That deposit can be as little as a few hundred dollars up to as much as a months rent.

THE SECOND MOST IMPORTANT THING IS WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?

It is important to determine what parts of town you would be interested in finding your new place to live.   You can do that months in advance if you already live here in Las Vegas.  The best way to do that is by doing some research on the internet and driving the areas that are of interest to you.  Real Estate professionals CAN NOT  suggest or recommend where you should want to live,  that is all up to you.   It is also up to you to do your own research on things like crime statistics, demographics, schools, churches, etc in any given area.  As Real Estate Agents we do not like to be rude, but by law in Nevada we can not answer any of those kind of questions.

THE THIRD THING "YOU" SHOULD DO IS TO PRE-QUALIFY YOURSELF.   "WILL I QUALIFY FOR THE PROPERTY THAT I WOULD LIKE TO LEASE?"

When looking for your new home you must decide what you can afford.  The monthly rent should never be more than 1/3 of the total cash income (after taxes) for the adults on the lease.  For instance,  it you bring home pay checks each month with a total of $3600.00 for all the leasing parties,  you should only look for rentals that are priced at $1200.00 a month or less.

In addition to making enough to be able to afford your new home,  you will need to consider a few other qualifying factors.   These can be as important or more important than income. 

  •    Do you have any evictions in your rental history?        This is a disqualifier!
  •    Do you have any broken leases, (unpaid balances)?  This is also a disqualifier!
  •    Are you in the middle of a bankruptcy?                        This is a disqualifier     
  •    (At least until the bankruptcy is discharged.)

In some cases they will still consider you, but you will need to be prepared to pay extra security deposits and/or months of rent upfront.

Credit history is also important, but not necessarily a disqualifier.

It is also important to note that extra money will be needed at the beginning of a lease for security deposits, pet deposits and misc deposits.   The amount of these deposits can range from 1 times the rent to 3 times the rent.  This is usually based on your credit rating and other factors.

THEN IT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER WHAT IS YOUR NEEDS VERSES YOUR WANTS.

In selecting a new home to rent we all have different features we need and want.  Several things to consider are: 

  • Single Family, Townhome or Condo
  • Square Footage (size)
  • Bedrooms (number)
  • Bathrooms (number)
  • Garage
  • Landscaping
  • Floor plan
  • 1 story or 2 story

Currently single family rental homes start at $900 and up in most neighborhoods, and condo/townhomes start from $600 and up.  Though you may be able find lower prices on sites like Craigslist, please be aware that there are a lot of rental scams going on in the Las Vegas area.  Also if you find homes priced lower than stated above they may not be in the section of town that you desire.

LASTLY, DOES MY FAMILY INCLUDE ANY FOUR LEGGED MEMBERS?

When considering a new rental home it is very important to consider the pets in your family.  A lot of Landlords do not like to have tenants with pets.  Many landlords will only accept small dogs and most landlords will not accept agressive breeds like Pit Bulls.  Almost all landlords that do accept pets will charge an extra deposit for a family with pets. ($200.00 to 500.00).  Some landlords are also charging extra rent per month for pets. 

RENTING A HOME CAN CERTAINLY BE MORE OF A TASK THAN RENTING AN APARTMENT,  BUT THE REWARDS MAKE UP FOR THAT EXTRA EFFORT !

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