petitefrancaise

If you're on a budget airbnb etc can be truly self catering. Unlike the aparthotels that have minimal equipment for this. Airbnb's are also in real neighbourhoods unlike the hotels and aparthotels. They can also be considerably cheaper.

Realtors that manage properties make money for doing bugger all. Certainly here in Austin, no-on would turn that away. True, realtors helping you to find a lease don't get paid much but on the other hand, they do it because it frequently leads to a house-buyer in a year.

An LLC almost always goes through a realtor/broker. Tax deductible and less hassle. No need to look at the state records. A private landlord however, is almost always the situation for a house. I also ask for a copy of the landlord's driver's license just to check id.

I personally would not go through a private landlord without a realtor ( with their license on the line) as added security. I also would not sign for a house without having seen it.

scrubbedexpat099

I operate under a LLC, all of this varies depending where you are and what you are looking at.

Some places, where HoA's City regs etc are involved require minimum 30 days.

Pulaski

I wrote a much longer reply, but really can't be bothered to argue with you line by line, but suffice to say IMO pretty much all of that is inaccurate, prejudiced, local to your city, or represents a conflict of interest on your part. .... Specifically, that you actively promote the direct-to-owner airbnb and vrbo short term rental web sites, but then advocate only going through a realtor for a longer term rental! That's not exactly consistent advice, is it?

Personally I would go through Zillow, Trulia, Padmapper, or similar rental web sites (personally I wouldn't touch Craigslist, but in some markets, such as California, BE members swear that Craigslist is a dominant player in the rentals market) and approach private landlords directly. You will be much more able to negotiate, given your personal circumstances than with a corporate landlord or agent who is contractually bound to a set of rules.

petitefrancaise

Yes, in Austin you have to have a permit to do the airbnb/vrbo short term rental ( under 30 days).

A realtor as property manager has to ensure that the building and the lease conforms to Texas property code 92. Ensures the deposit money is kept in a separate account and that the law regarding refunding it is followed.

If a property is listed and run by a private landlord and not by a realtor you have no guarantees that the building conforms to minimum safety standards and you may well have to go to court to get your deposit back.

A realtor can and does use discretion with potential renters. Some places require a credit score of at least 750, a big deposit, references for the last 3 years renting and do a background check. Others will take 2 months' deposit if no ssn and no credit history.

I'm sure it all varies according to market. Austin has high availability of apartments and corporations wishing to ensure that they have high occupancy rates. Lots of new places being built. I know it's not the same in NYC for example.

Certainly the realtors I work with have no problem spending a couple of hours viewing houses. They get 1 months' rent as commission which isn't bad for a morning's work. They keep in touch with the renters and yes, many people do go on to buy. This is exactly what we did.

Zillow/Trulia etc are webcrawlers. They are not updated frequently enough and are mostly out of date. Certainly in any fast moving market they are to be used as a guide only.

petitefrancaise

you're so funny. I've found ?14 people homes in the last month, including 3 international moves. Apartments, houses and condos.

scrubbedexpat099

The market is very different in Colorado, I have friends who are Realtors and I have never heard of any being involved in STR.s Or LTR's for that matter.

Mind you the market is pretty hot, short supply and no need.

Pulaski

So your advice clearly IS a conflict of interest, promoting the gravy train on which you are a passenger!

petitefrancaise

Yes, different. Although Austin has a large number of new inhabitants (net influx of about 100 per day), there has been a lot of construction nearer the city center for apartments - especially high rise stuff going up. A lot of the tech companies are slightly outside the city and there is plenty of space for new builds there too.

petitefrancaise

Really? You have no idea what you are talking about. I guess if you can't discuss properly you have to resort to insults. plus ca change.

petitefrancaise

Pulaski has sent me an insulting karma message.

Certainly all the companies I work with all have different city guides outlining how the different areas of the country have different rental markets. it would be useful if the OP could let us know where they intend to move to.

I would like to reiterate, that I would NOT hand over thousands of $ for an unseen home, to an unknown landlord, from overseas.

Giantaxe

My irony meter is going off the scale.

GeoffM

Depends really. If you're staying for a week then a hotel might be cheapest. Several weeks and AirBnB might be cheaper, as the rate can be cheaper per night but have a chunky "cleaning fee" at the end.

Triz

Wow, quite a response. Food for thought, thanks guys.

From what it looks like, the owner matches up on the state property register and they also have a significant and historical online presence, so it will be very easy to verify it's actually them over a Skype call. So I think that side of things looks solid.

Remaining worries would be actually seeing the place in person, but I think as we're going for an initial short-term lease of six months this isn't too much of a worry.

And secondly, not necessarily having a separate bank account for the deposit, which is a risk, but will be a calculated one as the time/money saved not spent in hotels will balance it out even with that risk taken into consideration.

Pulaski

I agree 100%!

tom169

A concern I saw that I don't think has been mentioned is that the owners are emigrating.

Are they employing a manager to look after the place? What happens if the dishwasher breaks? Cockroach infestation (not too uncommon in some rental places)?