Renter expectations

One of the most important roles as a realtor is to set expectations for rental clients with regards to

• Availability
• Budget
• Turn-around
• Space

Some of the biggest shocks to renters include:

• Having pets drastically reduces what's available.  Large pets narrow the selection even further
• Expecting a landlord to keep a rental vacant for over a month greatly reduces your chance of getting the unit
• Short term leases (less than a year) cost a landlord substantially, both due to lost income from vacancy and the cost of restoring and finding a new renter
• If you've looked at a half a dozen units and everything is way off the mark, then things are very unlikely to improve.

As a realtor it's important to convey this information.  As a renter it's important that your realize that ignoring your realtor's advice will quickly land you without a realtor.  No one likes to be ignored, but more importantly your realtor doesn't want to waste your time and the realtor's time chasing possibilities that will never happen. Every person is an individual and as such we all have different wants and needs. This applies to all aspects of our lives but can be particularly frustrating when trying to find a home. In the rental market one size does not fit all and finding the perfect property can be a challenge. Adding to the challenge is the fact that occupancy rates and rents in desirable areas can be high and it is often difficult to find a property that suits both your budget and your requirements. Even in areas where there are more available properties it might still be difficult to find something that ticks all the boxes. [Read more about rental agents]