Alright, so I wanted to find a place in Seattle, you know, a rental, but I didn’t want to go through some big company. I figured renting directly from the owner might be cheaper and maybe a little less…corporate. So, I started this whole process, and let me tell you, it was a bit of a journey.
Figuring Out Where to Look
First, I scoured the internet. I mean, I really dug in.
- I started with just general Google searches. Stuff like “Seattle homes for rent by owner” – you know, the obvious stuff.
- I also tried looking at community websites.
The Deep Dive
I spent hours looking. I mean, we’re talking serious dedication here. I made a spreadsheet – yeah, I went full nerd – to keep track of everything.
Here’s what I tracked:
- Address: Obvious, right?
- Price: Gotta know the damage.
- Bedrooms/Bathrooms: Super important.
- Contact Info: So I could actually reach out.
- Notes: I wrote down any red flags or anything that seemed particularly good.
I contacted a bunch of people through email. Some never responded, some were already rented out, and some were just…weird. One guy wanted me to send him a picture of my driver’s license before even showing me the place. Hard pass on that.
Viewings and Applications
After a lot of back and forth, I finally scheduled some viewings. This was another whole thing. Coordinating times with owners, driving around Seattle (traffic, ugh), and actually checking out the places.
I filled out a standard rental application for my ideal house.
Success (Finally!)
After all that, I actually found a place! It wasn’t perfect, but it was in a decent neighborhood, the price was right, and the owner seemed like a normal, reasonable person. We signed the lease, I paid the deposit and first month’s rent.
So, yeah, that’s my story of finding a rental by owner in Seattle. It took some work, and it was definitely a learning experience, but I ended up with a place I’m happy with.
