We know it’s tough at the moment with more and more people looking to rent, and less and less properties coming onto the rental market. If you’re looking to rent a property then you need to know how to get the one you want before anyone else does so here at Torbay Property News we’ve come up with our Top Ten Tips on how to get THAT property!
How many times have you rung an agent after seeing your ideal home in the paper only to be told: “Sorry, that one was taken yesterday”. Gone yesterday? The paper only came out half an hour ago!
The secret is…
Don’t wait for the paper, get ahead of the game! Here’s how:
Rule 1. Find an agent that’s on facebook or twitter – these agents often put properties on facebook and tweet about them first, sometimes just to say a property MAY be coming up in a few days time – We do! This can give you a days head start on all the other people looking for the perfect property.
Rule 2. Get on an agents HOT LIST – good agents will want to take your details and may well have a small list of serious people that are desperate to move…YOU NEED TO BE ON THAT LIST!
Rule 3. Befriend your agent – we all want to help someone we know so ring regularly, pop into their office just to say “Hi, I’m still looking”… Low and Behold – if anything comes up they’ll think of you first! (P.S. we love cakes and coffee from the Coffee House across the road!)
Rule 4. Get on the internet: http://www.rightmove.co.uk is the best but other great ones are www.radarhomes.co.uk , www.zoopla.co.uk and www.primelocation.com . These sites let you save a search so any new properties that are added will come straight to your email!
Rule 5. If you see a property you like on a website, DON’T just send an email to the agent – DO ring them! It’s not unusual for agents to get 20 to 30 emails a day about properties on the internet and you could be at the back of a very long queue! Get on the phone first thing and jump ahead of all the ‘emailers’!
Rule 6. Be prepared. If you find something you like and go for a viewing, take some cash with you – if it’s the property for you, show you’re serious and put down a deposit there and then, before the next person does!
Rule 7. Are you the ‘perfect tenant’? Let the agent know who you are, where you work, how long you’ve been there, where you live at the moment, how much your current landlord will miss you! If you know you don’t have the best credit history in the world – get a guarantor arranged (this is someone that will guarantee the rent to the agent if you don’t pay!) It’s usually a relative so be nice to mum and dad, take them out for Sunday lunch and drop it into conversation!
Rule 8. If you email an agent or leave a message – Make sure you leave the right number!! It might sound obvious but you wouldn’t believe the number of mobile numbers we get… with a digit missing!!
Rule 9. If you see a property you like – ring the right agent! All the time we hear “I’ve just seen one of your properties on Park Street on Zoopla”. Our reply: “Really sorry but we don’t have a property on Park street!!”.
Remember: There’s more than ONE agent on property search websites!
Rule 10 – Don’t wait for the paper, it’s out of date before it goes to print!
