September 28, 2000

Dot-coms offer help to renters

Nearly three decades ago, when jobs were scarce and the nation's pulse was quickened by the war in Vietnam, I boarded a late-night flight just hours after my college graduation to prepare for a job interview.

  There were no corporate teams of recruiters then, no possibility of incentives or up-front options. Any corporate meeting was precious and took place on the employer's turf. To say that I was excited was an understatement The meeting went well. However, when I returned to our two-bedroom duplex a week later to collect my desk, books and pots and pans, the roommates were gone but the clean-up work remained. Not only had I not planned on four days of solo cleaning and numerous runs to the dump, but also there were also bills to settle with individuals who had left the country.

This sour residue was the result of my first experience of renting real estate. Even though I had known all three of my roommates for at least two years, it would have been much better had we shared more of the responsibilities. It's true, you don't really know somebody until you live with him/her -- or ask him to be held accountable for paying a bill.

  In an attempt to solve roommate issues before, during and after the rental term, companies like ApartmentGuide.com have produced a top-10 list of tips for students and others who have decided to leave the family home or college dormitory to live off campus in an apartment for single-family home.

"Everyone has a story about the mistakes they made when renting their first apartment, so we came up with 'if we knew then what we know now' list for new renters," said Jamie Gallo, chief executive officer of ApartmentGuide.com. "We hope these tips will help students make smart decisions and avoid some common mistakes first-time renters often make."

Some of the items on ApartmentGuide.com's list are obvious -- respect your neighbors, be safe, understand apartment policies -- but "get to know your roommates before you move in" is in bold print and ranked No. 5 on the list. Renttech.com, one of the first local Internet companies around the country that focuses on a specific market (San Francisco, Seattle) now features a roommate referral service along with data for landlords and renters.

"The biggest difference between us and some larger companies is the type of property we deal with," said Wazhma Samizay, director of Renttech.com. "We are more like the bulletin board that you see near the supermarket or on campus. Many of the apartments are in smaller complexes while many of the homes we offer come to us word-of-mouth. We then contact the landlord in an attempt to see if the property is still available."

Renttech.com also has a full-time Capitol HIill office offline that encourages renters to utilize its rental lists, landlord contacts and even telephones. Samizay said customers are attracted to its drop-in atmosphere, yet 70 percent of all clients have done some research on the Web. The charge to consumers is $75 for a three-month period of referrals and resources. "Our typical customer is a person who is looking to save some time in the rental process," Samizay said. "Just how much is your time worth and how much time does it take for you to find a place to live? For most people, it's several hours and we want to help them reduce that time."

Some of the information compiled by companies like Renttech.com includes:

• Statistics on residential parking - location and costs

• Average rents by specific area of a city

• Particular difficulties renters and landlords are experiencing

• Pending legislative decisions

• Trends in the types of units available.

"The number of units that accept pets continue to be less and less," Samizay said. "So, be prepared to look longer and it helps to stretch your geographic area further than you initially wanted to go."

While many rental markets swing with the academic year, Samizay said the high cost of homes in many areas has become the chief reason her customers continue to seek rental units.

"August and September are usually the busy months, but a place like San Francisco is always consistent," Samizay said. "It definitely is still a landlord's market. While we obviously have no control over actual rents, what we can provide is a list of some experiences that have helped renters succeed."

Rental coordinators say that finding success in a popular area can be difficult and a special amenity can make the search nearly impossible. I guess perfect roommates would be off the charts.

Previous columns:

• Helping the kids buy that 1st house, 09-21-2000
• Dorm option: Do you really want to play landlord?, 09-14-2000
• Location, location, schools, 09-07-2000
• Beware the predatory lenders, 08-31-2000
• Fix-up, remodel or move, 08-24-2000
• Limiting renters in condos, 08-17-2000
• New mantra: location, location and wired, 08-10-2000
• Tips on buying property in Canada, 08-03-2000