About 36% of the nation’s households rented in 2019 (the last time reliable data was accessible), and that number is ever-growing as the housing market gets less and less accessible.
It’s likely that if you have a family (especially a young family), you’re looking for the best house to rent for your situation. But how do you find a good one in such a competitive market? What should you be looking for when you’re trying to find a rental property?
Let’s talk about it. Read on to learn a few tips for how to find a good house to rent.
Set a Budget
Budgeting is hard when rents are so high, so you may have to set a higher budget than you’d like. Ideally, you won’t be spending more than 1/3 of your income on rent. Try to find a house to rent that can fit into this restriction.
Remember that you’re also going to be paying for utilities. When you rent a standalone house, you’ll often have to pay for all of the utilities as well as garbage collection.
Make a List of Wants and Needs
There are plenty of things that you’re going to want in a rental home, but make sure that you prioritize your needs.
How many bedrooms do you need, and is there a way to shrink that number? For example, if you have multiple children, can you have them share bedrooms, or do they each need their own?
Do you need to have laundry in the house, or is that just something that you want? Is off-street parking a priority, or are you happy as long as there’s sufficient street parking?
If you have pets, you need to make sure that you find a pet-friendly home.
Know What Neighborhoods You want
Location is everything when you’re looking for local houses to rent. Ideally, you’ll be close to work. If you have children, you may be looking for good school districts or trying to keep your child in the same school district.
You’ll want to consider safety and access to useful amenities, like local grocery stores, parks, and access to public transportation.
It’s a good idea to choose several potential neighborhoods and list them from most to least desirable.
Read Listings Carefully
When you’re looking at listings on property management sites (click for more info) or popular rental listing websites, make sure that you read them carefully and get all of the information before you apply. It often costs money to apply for a home, and you don’t want to waste it on a home that you don’t actually qualify for.
Most of the time you can find rental qualifications, home features, and sometimes even a walkability score.
It’s Time to Find the Best House to Rent
Finding the best house to rent for your family can be stressful, but these tips should help you get started. Before you know it, you’ll be in your ideal home (or at least one that works well enough for your family).
For more helpful articles about the top trending topics, visit the rest of the site.
