In ultra-competitive rental markets, some renters are going to extremes to snag (and keep) the apartment they want: paying a full year’s rent in advance, delivering their application with a bottle of wine, or offering to paint the walls and replace the cruddy carpet on their dime. But this isn’t the new normal just for New York, NY, rentals: In tight markets around the country, from San Francisco, CA, to Washington, DC, renters are going the extra mile to land their dream place.
“Tenants are paying as much as what a down payment could be on a home,” says Nadine Fallon, partner and broker in Great Spaces Real Estate in Boston, MA. “When you factor first, last, security, and a broker fee, you are looking at $12,000 just to move in. Then calculate moving costs, and it becomes prohibitively expensive for frequent moves.” To make the process easier, Trulia’s new Rental Resume toollets users save and quickly send relevant lease application details — from how many pets they have to current employment information — any time they want to inquire about a property listed for rent on the site.