jgomez916 t1_j6fiawn wrote on January 29, 2023 at 11:40 PM

Reply to comment by MailsDavis in Is prepaying your rent a smart idea? by MailsDavis

I’m in CA so it’s a different market (unsure how competiré NYC is) but when I was looking for rental I did something unconventional and would write a letter(like homebuyers do to homesellers) and include the link to my FB which was always professional and to my LinkedIn so the home owner would get a glimpse into who I was on a “personal” and “professional level”.

Technically speaking because of fair housing policies they can’t ask for anything of the sort but I found I got more call backs for tours when I did this than when I did not.

If that seems too personal an alternative may be simply making a 3-5 page Canva of what you are looking for in a rental, the type of tenant you’ll be and maybe references idk how non conventional you want to be - IF at all.

Autogazer t1_j6hhbz0 wrote on January 30, 2023 at 10:35 AM

I’ve never heard of home buyers writing a letter to home sellers. I certainly didn’t do that when I bought my house. I could see how that would help with applying to rent, not so much for buying a place though.

wyndmilltilter t1_j6igg7j wrote on January 30, 2023 at 3:53 PM

It’s been pretty standard for hot (re: coastal/urban-exurban) markets for at least 5 years. Does it make a difference - probably just a little on the margin. Won’t win you against a better offer but all things being equal if you can manage to make a connection in a letter, maybe gives you a slight edge.

SeminolesFan1 t1_j6hpm0v wrote on January 30, 2023 at 12:18 PM

I wouldn’t say it’s incredibly common but we did it. It definitely helped us, owners told us, since we were one of 15 offers and they picked ours.

Justisaur t1_j6idnhw wrote on January 30, 2023 at 3:35 PM

There was a story I heard recently of a flipper doing this and saying they were a single mom, and negotiating a lower price.

CaptainTripps82 t1_j6jq78a wrote on January 30, 2023 at 8:39 PM

I was encouraged to do so when I purchased a home a few years back. The market wasn't as crazy at it's been the last couple of years but it was still competitive and starting to tip towards sellers with a lot of cash buyers around, so it was seen as an edge.