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Babies: 9 - 12 Months
If you've rented a house, come in
A million questions 
How much did you need up front?
Did the owner take care of yardwork & maintenance?
Were utilities included in your rent?
Anyone rent to own?
Other advice?
We're (FINALLY) getting out of our 2 BR/2Bath apt hopefully by the summer and decided to rent before we jump in and buy. Any and all help is appreciated!
How much did you need up front?
Did the owner take care of yardwork & maintenance?
Were utilities included in your rent?
Anyone rent to own?
Other advice?
We're (FINALLY) getting out of our 2 BR/2Bath apt hopefully by the summer and decided to rent before we jump in and buy. Any and all help is appreciated!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: If you've rented a house, come in
btw your son is really cute
first and last months rent and a deposit do you have pets?
maintenance yes yard work no
water sewer and trash
good luck on your move..
we looked into renting a house when we first moved here, but didn't want to sign a 12 month lease in a neighborhood we couldn't see in person.
typically the deposit is = 1 month rent
we would take care of yardwork since it's free for us
utilities are not generally included from what i've seen
my friend couldn't sell her house and did rent to own. i would find a realtor to help with that.
2 months rent for deposit.
No, I do the yardwork, but they take care of things that break (as long as it's not our fault).
No, they're not included.
We needed 1st month's rent + deposit (same amount as first month's rent)
The owner took care of yardwork and maintenance.
They paid water and garbage and we were responsible for all other utilities.
Never rented to own.
You can try to negotiate the monthly rent. I've had a few friends ask for extended leases (2+ years) and got $50-100/month knocked off their rent.
1.) Our security deposit was the same as one month's rent. So, two month's rent.
2.) No; we're responsible for mowing/raking the yard and trimming the trees and bushes, and for shoveling in the winter.
3.) The only utility included in our rent now is garbage pickup. We pay for electric, gas, and quarterly water/sewer.
4.) Nope; we are not at all interested in getting into this wacked-out housing market until it starts to settle. (Which I don't think will be for another 5-7 years at the earliest.)
5.) If you know neighborhoods you'd be interested in buying, try to rent a house there or nearby. It's a great way to more or less try before you buy!
ETA: We negotiated our rent by signing a two-year lease; the owner agreed to drop $50 per month from his asking price in exchange for the two-year lease.
Someone's going to begin TTC soooooon!
We needed first month's rent and then a month's rent as a security deposit.
We did the yardwork and minor maintenance. They took care of the big stuff.
Utilities were separate.
We had to do first month, last month and security deposit. That was $4,500, but our landlord let us make it in 3 payments prior to move in.
We were in charge of yardwork, but there wasn't much to do b/c we were in the city. Landlord was in charge of routine maintenance, but if we outright broke something (like my dumb dog barreling through the screen door) we fixed it.
Only water was included.
We did not rent to own, but considered it. We decided we didn't want to live in a big city anymore.
Just document everything. Our landlord was awesome the whole time we lived there and then tried to screw us over in the end. Just make sure you've got everything in line.
I highly recommend renting a house. There are a lot of nice ones out there b/c people are having a hard time selling.
How much did you need up front? First and last month's rent.
Did the owner take care of yardwork & maintenance? They fix stuff in the house and take care of the lawn and driveway in the winter.
Were utilities included in your rent? We pay everything.
Anyone rent to own? n/a
Other advice?
My mom also rented a house out. Make sure you read the contract (and get a copy) word for word.
first months rent plus deposit, which was the same as first months rent.
we've rented 3 houses. the owners took care of all yard and maintenance. the last house we rented had yard guys that came every Friday. very nice.
nope, nothing included.
no. ive heard that that is not a good option.
definitely take pics of everything wrong w/ the house. the 2nd house we rented they kept our entire deposit and cited a buynch of crap that was there when we moved in as the reason. so that was crap. i got so pissed. the next house we literally photographed every stain in the carpet. We got $1800 back from our deposit, which I thought was amazing!
Ive had really good experiences w/ renting. definitely rent in the area that you want to live. you could meet people and get a feel for the neighborhood.
How much did you need up front? First, last, and security
Did the owner take care of yardwork & maintenance? We did yardwork, owner did maintenance
Were utilities included in your rent? No
Anyone rent to own? No
Other advice? Renting is renting, whether it's a house or an apartment. The whole process is the same.
How much did you need up front? Depends on your landlord and laws allowed by your state. Pets usually require an additional deposit also.
Did the owner take care of yardwork & maintenance? Yes
Were utilities included in your rent? Water, sewer and garbage
Anyone rent to own? Nope
Other advice?
I worked in property management for a while, definitely go over the lease with a fine tooth comb and talk to the landlord about anything you don't like. Some require you professionally shampoo carpets every 6 months and without a receipt you are in breach of lease, others dictated what color window treatments you can have, all kinds of stuff! I know, crazy right? Get everything in writing, and like pp said, do a "move in inspection" and do it with the landlord and make them sign off and date it so they can't get you later.
Also, find out the laws for where you are moving. There's a lot out there to protect renters that they don't even know about!
GL with the move
How much did you need up front? It was just like any other rental. I had to pay first, last, and security deposit.
Did the owner take care of yardwork & maintenance? Well, yes, technically. I rented the house with my ex. My ex mowed the lawn and plowed the driveway in the winter. For this the landlord paid him $25 for every mow and plow. (By paid us $25, I mean we deducted the $25 from our rent that month).
Were utilities included in your rent? Yes... all we had to pay was phone & cable. I've always thought that was odd. Any other time I've rented, I've had to at least pay electric.
Anyone rent to own? N/A
Other advice? Just treat it exactly as you would if renting an apartment. But make sure to have a clear understanding of who takes care of/pays for yardwork, snow removal, etc. I would want that detailed in the lease. Things just depend on your relationship with the landlord. When my ex and I rented the house, it was different than renting an apartment... all of my previous rental experiences were apartment complex. You know, where there was a management office you could stop by if there was a problem/issue/etc. But when we rented the house, our landlord lived 50 miles away. (He was just a guy who owned an extra house which he rented out)
So when something maintenance-related occurred, we handled it, and the landlord paid... for example, our refrigerator motor broke, and the landlord let me take care of it. He told me to just call a repairman (of my choosing, since he didn't really know the area) and he paid for it. I ended up with a new fridge that I picked out and didn't have to pay for. Now that was nice!