How s it going everyone Matt Leighton and welcome back to another video.Today we re talking rental application mistakes.In this video, I m going to give you 7 mistakes to avoid when you apply for your rental property.This is mostly for applying to condos, townhouses, and houses that are owned by a private ownerbut could also be used for applying to apartments.So with that being said, let s get started.Number one is Negotiating before Applying.When I have a rental listing, I will get so many calls and emails that say something like- Is the property still available and is the owner flexible on the rent?Okay what?You haven t even seen the place but you want me to ask the owner if they ll lowerthe rent?Will you be applying?Do you want to set up a visit?Can we see your application to make sure you don t have a credit score of 400?The time to negotiate is when you submit the application.THere s nothing wrong with negotiating.In fact, I almost encourage it depending on the market.But your initial contact with the agent or the owner should never be asking if the owner will lower the rent.Without an application, you have zero leverage and you re wasting everyone s time.Mistake number two is applying too far out.In Virginia most properties come available between 45 - 60 days from when the propertyis available to move-in.Yet I will still constantly get inquiries from people looking to move 6 months in thefuture.Sure if you re purchasing a property, maybe there s value there, but if you re renting,I just can t do anything for you when your timeline is that far out.Some people told me that they were disappointed I wasn t able to help them.I m like there s nothing I can do!An owner won t hold their condo in Clarendon for you for 4 months so you can line up yourmove-in date perfectly.I can t add value to your search until there are properties available that are within yourtime frame.The best time to start looking for a rental in the Northern Virginia area is 60 days fromyour move date.And even that is pushing it.If you are looking for a place and your move-in date is more than 2 months in the future,you are wasting your time.You will be visiting places that will be leased up by other people who are moving in the nextfew weeks.Most landlords will only hold their property for a month so if you apply to a place inearly June, they would be looking for an early July move-in.Be aware of your timeframe so you re not out wasting your time.Mistake number three is not knowing your move in date.If a real estate agent or owner asks you when your move in date is, you better have an answer.If you say, oh whenever I have a month-to-month lease .That is the wrong answer.You will go to the bottom of the order on who will get to see the property.And you might say oh well when I see the right place, I ll make a decision , greatthat tells me that you ve seen 50 places and you still haven t made a decision.In my experience, those renters that don t have the motivation of a firm...
