FTHer Series - 6. Leases - Who Needs Apartments?

Perhaps your not ready to move into a home, but don't want to live in an apartment. Depending on where you live: Corona, Murrieta, Riverside, Ontario or any of the other cities in Southern California - you could be living in a house instead.

You can lease a condo, townhouse or single family residence (a house) and get a taste of what expenses are incorporated in keeping up a home for the future. Lucky for you - I can help. Realtors can help you find a place to lease in whatever terms you're looking for and best of all, just like buying a home, you don't pay for the Realtor's services.

Why drag a Realtor into it? It's similar to purchasing a home - a Realtor digs through the piles of homes for lease and matches the ones that fit to you. Then we preview those properties and after you've decided which one you'd like we put our offer to lease in. Here's what to expect when applying to lease a property:

-You'll fill out an application to rent possibly including:
     Your information - past residence history, employment history
     Credit Information - savings, checking, loans, credit cards
     Personal references
-A credit check will be ran on you and typically all adults who will be living in the residence.
-A rental agreement (this outlines the terms of your lease - lease length, deposits, monthly payments, etc...)

So what fees are involved? They differ on such issues as a pet and the landlord's wants, but here are the basics:

Credit check (per adult)
First months rent
Security deposit
Pet Deposit (if applicable)
Misc Deposit(s)

Remember to look what's included in the lease or extras such as homeowners association fee, water, trash, gardener, among other things. So if you're interested in leasing a home rather than renting an apartment, let me know I'll be happy to help.