Renting 101: Top 5 Rental Real Estate Search Tools
By Dave Fleming 04/23/2014
With the ever-changing real estate landscape and the volatile nature of the internet, keeping up on the best ways to find your ideal home is a full time job (see: Realtor®). Gone are the days of going on a "for rent" sign hunt in the neighborhoods you like. Pull out your smart phone, check out these tools, and learn more information faster than any sign reveals.
#5 Apartments.com, Rent.com, Homes.com
These more generic home search websites are popular places to find rental listings. While they don't typically have the same features and search functions the rest of the other four, they are a good place to find some listings you might not find elsewhere.
These more generic home search websites are popular places to find rental listings. While they don't typically have the same features and search functions the rest of the other four, they are a good place to find some listings you might not find elsewhere.
#4 Zillow.com / Hotpads.com
Zillow is one of the fastest growing home search tools available with an easy to use smart phone app and a lot of data. Make sure you download the rental app specifically called Zillow Rentals. HotPads is a similar apartment & rental map based searching application that utilizes the Zillow/Yahoo rental network.
Zillow is one of the fastest growing home search tools available with an easy to use smart phone app and a lot of data. Make sure you download the rental app specifically called Zillow Rentals. HotPads is a similar apartment & rental map based searching application that utilizes the Zillow/Yahoo rental network.
#3 WalkScore.com
A unique home finding website, Walk Score is perfect if you are as interested in what's around your rental as you are in the rental itself. Searching Walk Score for your rental will allow you to find local restaurants, shops, stores, schools, parks, and more all in one place. This resource can be especially helpful for those moving to an unfamiliar area or finding a rental without first visiting.
A unique home finding website, Walk Score is perfect if you are as interested in what's around your rental as you are in the rental itself. Searching Walk Score for your rental will allow you to find local restaurants, shops, stores, schools, parks, and more all in one place. This resource can be especially helpful for those moving to an unfamiliar area or finding a rental without first visiting.
#2 Trulia
Quickly rising to the top of real estate search apps, Trulia, similar to Zillow, has great filtering options, plenty of data, and is well established. The ability to refine your search in Trulia is at the top of the class and makes finding rentals in specific areas of a large city especially easy.
Quickly rising to the top of real estate search apps, Trulia, similar to Zillow, has great filtering options, plenty of data, and is well established. The ability to refine your search in Trulia is at the top of the class and makes finding rentals in specific areas of a large city especially easy.
#1 Craiglist.org and its spiders
Not only Craiglist but other tools which use Craiglist's plethora of data from independently and professionally listed rentals alike can be great places to start your search. Some sites that pull and organize Craigslist rental listings include PadMapper, Lovely (LiveLovely.com), & HotPads. Just be wary of scams.
Not only Craiglist but other tools which use Craiglist's plethora of data from independently and professionally listed rentals alike can be great places to start your search. Some sites that pull and organize Craigslist rental listings include PadMapper, Lovely (LiveLovely.com), & HotPads. Just be wary of scams.
Some additional ways to find the right rental for you:
- A simple web search for your ideal rental is always a good place to start.
- Contact a Realtor® for exclusive access to properties not yet listed for rent. A charge is usually involved if the Realtor® finds a suitable property for you (typically one month's rent). Check out Realtor Dave's Free Referral Network to find a Realtor® today for free!
- Renting in Carlisle? Allen & Fleming Partnership has unique historic places for rent.
