I think tropical expected it to be clickable which it is not but when copy/paste into browser it does work. To make it clickable if you know html put that around it, but even easier when typing a post as I am now look down a few lines. Copy/paste the link into the space "optional link url" and just give it a name...its that simple. You can even test the link in preview then just come back and submit.

Try doing a google search of the name of the company.

After selling our home last year, we returned to the Northern Virginia area and decided to rent for a while. We are now in our second rental house. Price negotiability really depends on your market. In my area, house rents are all over the map. There is definitely room to negotiate but it takes work and patience. Take the advice of the prior posters. But be prepared for rejection. If your new area experienced a big run-up during the boom or was an area with a lot of investment properties, many owners are trying to cover their mortgages. Makes sense. However, it's unrealistic for many owners to cover their mortgages and other costs if the area saw rapid price inflation w/o commensurate increases in income. Rent is very sensitive to income and I've watched many houses sit on the rental market because they're overpriced. It's very hard for owner/investors to accept that they make get only 60-70% of their costs covered. I've negotiated the rents down by several hundred dollars/month on each of my houses. I've also been approached by owners I had talked to during my search who are now ready to meet my price...housing markets are a bit wacky now even if you're just interested in renting. The good news is that you're looking at the worst possible time for landlords w/o tenants. It's late fall/coming up on winter and most families have moved in and settled down until the spring/summer relocation season kicks in. You're in an excellent negotiating position. Be fair and you may find a landlord that will appreciate it. Also, please don't forget that a good rental agreement isn't just about price. The terms of your lease are equally important. My first landlords failed to sell their home so they rented it BUT wanted to keep it on the market with a lockbox for the entire term of the lease. Needless to say we walked. They came back hanging their heads and we negotiated a much better arrangement for us. Now, this will sound strange but I considered it pretty important. If renting from a private owner w/o the involvement of a property management company, run a credit check on the landlords. There are a lot of homeowners out there teetering on the brink and you don't want a foreclosure/eviction notice after you've gone to the expense and trouble of moving in. The real estate agent should be able to help you. There are owner/landlords who will try and intimidate you because you're a lowly renter. Don't fall for it. Stay your best assertive homeowning self and don't settle for less than you need. It pays to know average rents for various types of housing in your market. I had a real estate agent helping me with the first house. She was great. She found places for me to see, called owners with home for sale to see if they might be interested in renting, she had the rental statistics, and she was invaluable in negotiating a lease. There are a lot of accidental landlords in the market right now and they range from decent to just awful. Having a real estate professional helping you with the details of the lease can save you money and enhance your living experience. The agent did not pressure us to buy. She earns a small leasing commission from the landlord and also earns a potential future buyer...you. We sent our agent a giant gourmet basket of goodies as a thank you and she was thrilled. I could write a book on the subject of transitioning from homeowner to renter and will be happy to answer any questions you may have down the line. One more piece of advice. Before you begin looking, study the landlord/tenant law in your new area. Most states/counties now have online handbooks and it's best to know your rights and responsibilities upfront.

Holly-Kay - First and foremost, if you are not enjoying being in charge of your rentals, I wholeheartedly recommend that you find a good property manager and get this worry off your backs! We have a manager for a rental we have in another state (the house that I inherited from my mother, as well as our own house in that state before we sold it) and it has spared us a lot of grief. As Sushipup mentions, our company charges 10% of the rent and takes care of everything. This has included dealing with wonderful renters, as well as some who refused to honor eviction notices, or fled without paying, or were very hard on the house, or just whined all the time. I would search online in the appropriate area first. Also, ask for recs from friends and/or real estate agents. I was lucky to have a close friend who is a very fine agent; when I told her what we were doing, she said to go with XYZ company because they were the best, and she was right. As to questions to ask: 1. What are your fees? How do you charge for maintenance and repairs? When our rental needs a new carpet, painting, a new fridge, tree removal, e.g., my company's rep calls me and explains various options, including whether I want to pay cash myself or have the cost deducted from the rent. I let him know a long time ago that he needn't call about small things - turning on and off and cleaning the swamp box, e.g. These "small" items - the swamp box, a new doorknob, a faucet repair, are simply listed in the monthly statement, so that every dollar is accounted for. 2. How do you choose renters? How do you vet them? What do you do about problems with renters? I decided a long time ago (we've been with them for almost 30 years) that I only needed to know about renter woes if there was going to be an interruption in the rent - in order to plan financially. I am pretty sure that whoever you choose will be happier if you stay relatively uninvolved and let them handle the various issues. 3. How does liability work? We pay for catastrophic insurance that includes terrorism! (this is Allstate's decision, not mine lol); it's not expensive, and we have never made a claim. But you will need to know what the rental agency is responsible for, if anything. Choosing professionals to manage our property was one of the best decisions we ever made, what a relief not to worry! Good luck!