By Nesbitt Realty – a family business
The goal is to find the rental that suits all of your needs, most of your wants and fits your budget. What's the most effective choice to realize that goal? You can:
Do it yourself; or
Enlist the services of a rental agent.
If do it yourself, then you are in effect your own rental agent. That means you must rely on your own personal knowledge of the area and your own contacts to find your perfect rental. Of course, you could change your own oil, put in your own stitches and you could cut your own hair, too. The only difference is that you have pay for these services and a rental agent's services are totally free to the renter!
A rental agent's job is to listen to your needs and then help you identify rentals that meet your needs. rental agents typically have in depth knowledge of the community and they are often aware of market rates. It's not uncommon for a "connected" rental agent to know of rental opportunities that are quietly listed and generally unknown to the public. A rental agent's fees are paid by the landlord, so there is no expense to the renter.
Q. Oh my goodness! what a mess! Ok here it goes. My husband and I moved to Las Vegas from WI, and we were in contact with the landlord by email.Well she sent us pic and we looked at them it seemed good on "line" that is. Well in her emails she stated the house needed painting but she did not have the "money" as of yet " But she did say would paint "later" So my not so smart hubby, sent her $2600 and she faxed the lease .When we arrived 4 days later and she met us at the property @11pm! When we went in the house it was not at all what it was on line !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was so peeved! I TOLD HER I WANT THE $2600 BACK!She said she did not have it & I thought i was going to have a nervous breakdown! She had the nerve to say we were too picky at the moment I could have dropped kicked her!!! NO paint!, carpet coming up and dirty!holes in walls because of nails! dirty , and too top it off BIG ASS COCKROACHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So my son & hubby took me aside to come me down!In the least we were to "maintain" the bug pest controll "Maintain" Not come into a house thats Infested! SO anyways to make a long story shorter... "LOL" we were mislead from the beggining , and she took off$700.00 and we painted only part of the interior... We did not look at the lease "date and she did not pro rate "She has march 1st -april 1st . and we got there march 27th .So we have had nothing but problems w/her and now our refrigerator does not work and we have told her time in and time out and she has never sprayed for bugs and she never has painted and she has done absolutely nothing!!! And since march we have been paying rent , its now aug and in july I got a hold of legal aid and explained to them our situation .That told us STOP PAYING RENT SEND HER A LETTER TELLING HER THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE!So we did and she came back with a nussinnce" letter of what we wanted done ! She said un authorized dogs which is a lie she knew about it!and refrigerator,and carpet. We went to court and the landlord started to talk about the rent &the judge said thats not what you have here! Nothing about the rent! The judge said if you want the money you need to sue! Then the judge said but it would be in your best interest not to ,because there are alot of things you did not do!!! Then the judge says to us why don't you just move.. And we said we are aug 21 2008. So thats what we are doing. But now we were served small claims court! I need to know what do i do now??
I won't attempt to answer this question in this blog, rather I submit the letter as a general lesson about what can happen when you choose to work without professionals. The questioner is well aware of the many mistakes the landlord made, but she is blind to the mistakes that she herself made. The landlord is convinced that the tenant is the problem. The judge knows the truth: both parties are in a mess, and both parties made serious mistakes. The best thing would be for these two to part ways as quickly and unceremoniously as possible. Small claims court will sort out the left-overs to see what rent if any is due. So what's the best/safest way to find a rental? The goal is to find the rental that suits all of your needs, most of your wants and fits your budget. What's the most effective choice to realize that goal? You can: Do it yourself; or Enlist the services of a rental agent. If you do it yourself, then you are in effect your own rental agent. That means you must rely on your own personal knowledge of the area and your own contacts to find your perfect rental. Of course, you could change your own oil, put in your own stitches and you could cut your own hair, too. The only difference is that you have pay for these services and a rental agent's services are totally free to the renter! Worse still, if you don't have a professional doing the work, you may have a botched hair-cut, engine problems or a tale like the lady with the rental question. What does a rental agent do? A rental agent's job is to listen to your needs and then help you identify rentals that meet your needs. Rental agents typically have in- depth knowledge of the community, and they are often aware of market rates. It's not uncommon for a "connected" rental agent to know of rental opportunities that are quietly listed and generally unknown to the public. A rental agent's fees are paid by the landlord, so there is no expense to the renter. It really is in the renter's best interests to employ the services of a trustworthy rental agent. Finding the right rental agent. The problem is many rental agents really only work for one landlord and thus only support their employer's building(s). Any agent at an apartment complex will only show properties at that complex or at another complex owned by the same landlord. Further, many realtors and real estate agents won't deal with renters. Here's why. After all the fees are paid, a rental agent generally makes about one eighth of a single month's rent for a rental. For a typical one bedroom apartment in the DC area the rental agent is often paid a paltry $160. (No withholding and no benefits.) So it's tough to find a rental agent who cares about your needs. Additionally, many renters are oblivious to the benefits of professional assistance and don't really take best advantage of the rental agent's expertise. No charge to you ... but not FREE! When you find a quality agent who is willing to help with your search, it's a good idea to maximize your productivity before the agent loses interest in your problems. Most rental agents (like most people) are good people and they care about their client's needs. At the same time, there comes a point where the rental agent has to consider his/her own self-interests. Because the pay-off is so small for the agent, even the best rental agent loses interest very quickly if the renter has unrealistic expectations or if the renter isn't ready to make a decision. So, it's in the renter's best interest to take advantage of the rental agent's expertise, but it makes sense to budget your time with the rental agent. For example, rather than using the rental agent's gas or time to figure out what the renter wants, a smart renter approaches the rental agent with an idea of wants and needs, and then uses the rental agent's expertise to secure the best possible residence. I personally have gotten to the point that I am very picky with accepting rental clients. I make sure that I explain to them upfront what my service is and is not. If you're looking for a rental in Alexandria and parts of Arlington please give me a call.
If you're new to the area, you'll soon find out what others already know. The DASH buses are a clean, safe and effective way to get about the city. Boarding the bus is simple and easy. When the bus arrives, just step into the bus and then deposit the exact fare or use your WMATA SmarTrip card.If you have any questions about routes or transfers ask the driver and then take a seat. On some of the most popular routes or during rush hours, there might not be any available seats. In that case just move as far to the rear of the bus as possible. This makes it easier for others to board easily.
Be aware that the bus driver doesn't always stop at all bus stops! To signal to the driver that your stop is approaching, press the yellow signal strip or pull the bell cord. It's best to do this about a block from your destination so the driver has timely notice to stop at the next bus stop. When exiting the bus the rear door is easiest because others may be waiting to board through the front door.
DASH has great service because it has great employees but also because area passengers observe a few simple rules of safety and courtesy:
In the Commonwealth of Virginia, emails sent for the purpose of advertising real estate services must contain specified disclosures at the beginning or end of the message. Does that mean disclosures are required in all emails?
Let's look at the case of Earl and Brian. Earl lists his home for sale with an agent named Brian. Earl is a busy guy and doesn't like phone calls. Earl prefers email and thus he and Brian communicate regularly by email. Late one night, Brian replies to one of Earl's emails but includes none of the required disclosures!
Has Larry violated the rules of the Commonwealth of Virginia?
The answer is no. Earl is already Brian's client and thus these emails are not solicitations. Disclosures are unnecessary when dealing with existing clients and in any correspondence required by the ordinary conduct of business.
For more information or to set up an appointment call Stuart at (703)765-0300.
