Hi again, Hope you are having a great Fall.

Well, rental scam continue to rise on the popular website Craigslist.

If you have read any of my blog entries you will notice one thing. I don't recommend at all using any website where you are not working with a professional. If you need help here in VA or MD contact me. I can help you personally in Northern VA. I do have approved Realtors who specialize in other area here and Nationally.

Please whatever you do, do not do this on your own.

Have a great day!

The Rental Market is still active for those homes that are in good shape and priced right. Most for rent by owners are still overpriced so stay away. Still find it incedible how much time people are spending on there home search tours. Had a person contact me last week asking for availaiblity in 2011!! That is incredible.

Again, all you need to do is look that first week prior to the month you want occupancy. If you are trying to do this on your own which we never recommend you might want to start the process a bit sooner though less than 2% of the available rental market will for the month you want.

Our clients are still getting the homes they want all in one day. It's easy when you know how to search correctly.

Hi, been awhile since I blogged. You know year after year I see renters who are looking to rent feel the same frustration. Even though rental website are prettier, more colorful, more informative, more pictures I still find that the majority of my clients to who come to me (a human) find there online experience a terrible one. Most of my clients have been looking for months. Had one person say she has been looking for 6 months!!! She comes to me "finally" and we go out and in a few hours she has found a great place.

So, you ask why? I will tell you. When you look online you are limiting your choices. The search criteria is very narrow and the most important thing is that you cannot organize the information from most recent listing to oldest. <<<VERY IMPORTANT!

So, I will say it for the 1,000,000 time. Use us when you need a rental! It's faster, better, safer and your less likely to get scammed.

You may have seen some of the new websites like Zillow.com for sales and now Zilpy.com for rentals.

I entered in one of my listings just to see how accurate the data was. It was suppose to provide me with some detail on pricing in the area. WOW, was it off by about $2,000!! I've used Zillow also to search sales and again the data is simply off. You cannot really use this information to justify pricing. Yea, it looks cool, well organized but if the information is simply no good why use it.

Hint, want to know what something should really rent for you. Contact me and I'll show you. We have the real data and the real computer systems that have accurate data.

This comes from MSN Karen Aho article I thought I would share.

The scam is as old as desire itself: sell a "super" product at a "low price," then make off with the cash as the victim discovers he's been left with a fake bill of goods.

Now, with a slow economy and more Americans in need of affordable housing, the age-old ploy is rife in the rental market. The rental scam comes in several variations, but it typically follows the same basic recipe: A con artist finds a property, pretends to be the owner, lists it online, then communicates with the would-be renter and takes a cash deposit.

The renter is left with nothing or ends up squatting on someone else's vacant property while paying "rent" to a fraudster, all unbeknownst to the property's real owner.

Hi, Thanks for reading my blog. Everything I write is real and meant to help people avoid making mistakes when searching for rentals. Today I am getting calls from people who are doing yet again what is going to get them in trouble.

Case 1. Had a call from a woman who wanted to use my services. Great! I thn found out she has been looking online for over 2 weeks from out of state. Interesting that she said the following to me. I assume that all of the listings you have I have to pay the HOA fee correct? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

This is what happens when you dive into the dark world of craigslist, Militarybyowner or any other by owner websites!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Stay away or you are going to get taken advantage of. Trust me, you will!

I proceeded to tell her that it is uncommon that owners (other than those renting out there own home) will charge an HOW fee. In fact I have never in 24 years had any client of mine pay that. In fact I have in 100% of ALL cases where an owner was charging that "repair deductible" I was able to negotiate that away saving my clients hundreds of dollars.

Again, I say as I've said for 20 plus years. If you really think you know how to properly search for a rental, you don't. Nothing personal but you don't. Call me instead and I'll save you weeks of looking and money!

Hi again, Hope you are having a great Spring. My entry today involves the ever preying For Rent by Owner. You read that I nag on this all of the time but when you sit in my chair every day and see the rip offs it really makes me sick.

OK, had an owner who was going to list his place with me for $1895.00. This was the market price I suggested based on others that have rented. He placed it on the market for $2100.00 which was overpriced for his neighborhood. In fact there was another one just down the street for $1895.00. Anyway, the place rented to someone who contacted him as a for rent by owner. The sad news for the person who decided to rent it is that he could have saved $205.00 per month by simply staying away from the for rent by owner and using us.

What more do I have to say......If you are dealing directly with a for rent by owner..DON'T. You will probably pay too much and the odds on a foreclosure or other unreasonable request like first and last month rent, app fee rip offs, deductible rip offs goes much higher.

Happy Hunting!