Leasing 101

I am sure you might have guessed I have a few opinions about first impressions. I don't expect anyone to show up to rent a home with a suit and tie. But I expect a few general common sense guidelines that I would guess anyone raised half-right could figure out. Essentially, it boils down to: in the landlord-tenant game, let the other party know they can count on you.

Because I have been working full time in the Phoenix real estate gig for the past few months, I have seen my fair share of folks looking for a place to live. The ones who come to me, asking me to represent them, don't seem to understand--the property manager will ask my opinion of my clients when she sells them to the landlord. So, if I find that I might have trouble saying nice things about them, I don't take them on as my clients.

A few things I have seen of late:

If you haven't paid your mortgage for a year and the bank is auctioning your home this Friday, don't expect a landlord/property management company to be all that impressed with your planning abilities. Nor your sense of entitlement. I understand homes go into foreclosure and we are in interesting finanical times. I don't lack compassion for your overall situation. However, if you purposely STAY IN YOUR HOME WITHOUT MAKING A PAYMENT FOR 12 MONTHS, you are stealing. Bow out with some dignity. We all comprehend the state of the economy is different than what it used to be. But we don't all get your inability to move on or the lack of foresight to find a place to live moments before the bank shows up.

If you have $100,000 in credit card debt, and a good credit score, you are still a financial risk. Bankruptcy laws may have changed, but you still can walk away from this. Landlords know it. Landlords will still see you as a risk. If you think you can hide this from me, the person representing you, or the person who runs your credit, we will still find out. And neither of us will be happy to be blind-sided with this tid-bit when selling you to a landlord.

If you need a place to live, please do not call me insinuating I am only giving you rental listings above your drop-dead rental budget. Guess what! There are NO 2,000 square foot homes built in the past five years where you want to live renting for $800 a month. I am not paid extra because I am showing you the $900, 1,400 square foot homes. Honest.

If you are a Landlord and you want your home rented. May I suggest cleaning it up. If you you want someone with standards to live in your home, show them the kind of standards they need to have. If there are broken items in your home that might affect a potential tenant's quality of life, fix them. Does the future car of your dreams have missing breaks, steering wheel and flat tires? Why do you think a future tenant wants to live with broken windows, holes in the walls and dirty carpet?

Also, if you are a landlord and homes are renting for $300 less than what you are asking for the same sized home in the same neighborhood, it stands to reason you just look like a clown. A renter doesn't care that your home has one more linen closet than the one across the street. I swear. They don't. It doesn't make up for a $300 price increase either. I promise.

And last but not least, we talk. In the years I have been handling real estate, I have met several of the Valley's property managers. I am not about to risk my reputation with a property manager on a tenant who doesn't tell the truth. Nor am I going to refer a landlord to a property management company if they aren't willing to provide a quality home.