I keep track of renters or rentals that are available. If you are in search of a property to rent, send me an email telling me what your looking for, the price range you're trying to stay within and your contact information.
If you are a landlord that has a current rental, please let me know what you have. I get alot of calls weekly from people that are searching for property. Please note, YOU still do all your normal screening, etc. for the renters that I will share that have contacted me.
Please also note, rentals are required to be registered with the City of Detroit Lakes, please contact them for those details.
Where do you turn if you're in the market for a new place to live?
A lot of people go online to find affordable rental properties. But before beginning your search, the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) is warning people that there are many unscrupulous individuals using Craigslist and other websites posing as landlords or rental agents to scam you or steal your personal and financial information.
The number of rental property scams online continues to grow, says Dana Badgerow, President and CEO of the BBB. The names of the fictitious property owners may change, but the methods are always the same: attractive-looking properties are offered at low or unbelievable prices; consumers wire money for security deposits or the first month's rent and then quickly discover they've been defrauded.
Ads like these are not limited to Craigslist, and the online thieves behind them many of whom are based overseas are out to swipe your money and your identity.
The BBB provides the following tips for avoiding online rental property scams:
"Be leery of deals that sound too good to be true. Scammers will often list a rental at a very low price to lure in victims. Do some shopping around to find out how comparable listings are priced. If the rental comes in suspiciously low, walk away.
"Never wire money at the request of any prospective landlord via Western Union, Money Gram or any other wire service.
"Never send a scan of your passport or any other ID. Online thieves will use your identity to scam others. Ask to see the landlord's ID - record all the information you can from it.
"Do an Internet search of the person's name you're supposedly dealing with. You could add the words "fraud" or "scam" at the end of your search terms.
"If the ad or posting is full of spelling errors and grammatical errors, be aware there's a good chance you're dealing with an overseas scammer.
"Always ask to inspect the property inside and out. In many rental scams, the landlords prefer to communicate via email, claiming to be out of the country and unable to show the rental property. This is usually a huge red flag.
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Consider using a real estate agent or a rental agency to find the property that's right for you.
Check them out first at www.bbb.org.
(The above information is complements of The Better Business Bureau) 5/31/2012