Rental Orientation
Looking for a rental in the Greater Fairbanks/North Pole Area?
The first question I'm usually asked is: "Where can I find a place (website, catalog, office) where there is centralized information covering pretty much everything that's available to rent? Answer: There isn't one, sorry. No nifty cooperative apartment guide, no rental database, nada. Welcome to the Last Frontier!
The NEXT question I'm often asked is: If one of yours doesn't suit us, can you help us find a place to rent?....Answer: While I'd love to say I can point you to one or more renter representatives who can help because I feel that incoming renters would benefit as much as a home-buyer from professional (and knowledgable) assistance... Unfortunately, that service is not provided in a regular or structured manner by anyone (that I'm aware, and I've been here for 18+ years) for *residential* rentals, mainly because few (if any) realtors and/or management companies and/or private owners offer any compensation for this service. (in fact many ofen don't even provide particularly easy to find and/or detailed rental information) As a result there is, sadly, really no established cooperative process for helping qualified rental applicants find and secure rentals...and the VERY few that do offer some compensation are often the larger complexes (and for whom fair information is often available on-line) such as Birchwood homes--which usually isn't what you are looking for IF you want a renter representative to help you find a place.
The renters themselves are often surprised by this...but it is just one more aspect of living in the last frontier! Although it is possible to pay a realtor directly as a consultant (hourly, etc) to assist you in making a good choice (and there are several environmental, zoning, etc issues to be aware of as either a renter OR homebuyer!) it is rare that an individual is willing or able to do so.
Some Market History for Rentals:
Until as recently as spring/summer 2007, our rental market had such a low vacancy rate for so many years that the average condition of a rental steadily went down while rents went up...all the while with fewer and fewer landlords allowing pets of any kind due to negative experiences with irresponsible pet owners who continue to make life difficult for all of the attentive & caring pet owners out there. However, in roughly mid 2007, a comparative flood of rentals have been introduced into our previously VERY low vacancy rental market. This has had a trickle down effect and has resulted in a couple of noticeable things happening: 1) landlords who are NOT paying attention or are not properly motivated have empty and/or cosmetically or functionally substandard (what was acceptable previously is not any longer in many cases) rentals and may not seem to be very reasonable based on changing market conditions. Don't try to change their mind, just move on, they'll figure it out eventually. 2) the greater amount of 3,4,5 bedroom rentals, and the corresponding easing of rents/rental terms over the tight conditions prior to 2007 have allowed many folks renting smaller units to move up a bit, so don't think the easing doesn't also apply to smaller rentals. Remember, however, if you are in a time crunch/or have other limitations (pets, etc), then don't assume the next one will be a lot better and/or cheaper. After you have done your homework and feel well educated regarding the market...my advice is when you find a fairly priced "good" one, then take it. Remember, the truly good (good = nice setting, well documented & maintained, fairly priced, good/better condition, attentive, reasonable and well-informed manager or landlord) ones tend to go much more quickly. There was a bit of a turnaround tothis general trend in summer/fall of 2009 when there were several THOUSAND military and their families moving back to the area, putting actual or perceived (which amounts to the same result) pressure on the rental market, so for certain types of properties, folks found themselves in serious competition and some higher rents than may otherwise be indicated by this article. If those conditions exist when you're moving here, then be prepared.
With a single family home, you can often expect to pay rent and ALL (yes, I said all) utilities necessary to operate the home, as well as basic lawn care & snow removal. OR you can expect to pay what might seem to be a very bloated amount in monthly rent to cover "heat included". With multi-family dwellings and apartments/condos, it runs the entire spectrum on who covers what with regarding to utilites & maintenance. Educate yourself on the current rental market (i.e. make efforts to look at several places AND get accurate utility information), and then you'll be able to more quickly recognize and act on the better condition, fair-market-price, and "allows pets" properties that meet your needs. If you don't, you may find that they were taken by someone else who was better prepared or more able to act quickly.
Remember that there are LOTS of smaller-privately owned apartments, condos, multi family properties as well as single family homes for rent. It has become almost a toss-up recently as to whether the local newspaper rental search section or Craig's List (specify Fairbanks or North Pole) is the most efficient place to look. NOTE: as of late 2009 & early 2010 many local property managers and would-be renters have reported an increasing number of fraudulent & phishing "ads" on craigslist regarding rentals. These seek to obtain identity info by requesting you fill out an "application" and/or to obtain money as "security deposits". Be wary! When looking, to hedge your bets, I'd haunt both on a regular basis for best results. In addition, try dropping in on realtor.com from time to time as there is a VERY small handful of rental properties that are actually placed in our MLS meaning that they should appear at realtor.com as well. Try a search for “asking price” as low as possible and then sort least expensive first. If there are any rentals this *should* make them fairly easy to find. And of course, if you are military then you should search ahrn.com as well. Some property managers in town ONLY advertise on Craig’s list and ahrn.com.
Also remember that some folks are good at getting back to you, some aren't. Many folks who run ads are literally bombarded by the amount of phone calls they receive, so don't judge an unreturned phone call too quickly. 8 a.m. on the first day you see a new ad is NOT too early to call. Be aware that most responsible landlords/managers (i.e. the ones who keep things up and probably the prudent renter would prefer to rent from) will typically want a credit report when you apply. The knowledgeable landlord typically won't even consider accepting a security deposit check to "hold" a place without a written agreement in place-so be wary if this is offered to you without an accompanying written lease. And, if you have pets, it can sometimes help to carry copies of a good (i.e. heart-warming) photo of them along with a description of them and their breed's general personality characteristics. I've even seen "no pets" people change their tune when approached by a well-prepared and diplomatic pet owner accompanied by a well-behaved and well-groomed pet.
I hope that you find this information helpful. It is not, of course, a comprehensive guide in any way, shape or form...it's just a place to begin the rental search process.
Good Hunting! Lori Price
P.S. Here's a time-saving tip. After months (or longer) of monitoring the following sites, it is obvious that taking time to search the following sites for rentals in OUR area of central Alaska is pretty much a complete and utter waste of your valuable time! [forrent.com, rentals.com, apartments.com, rentalalaska.com, places4rent.com, rentalhouses.com, rent.com, rentalsonline.com, apartmentfinder.com, campusrent.com, rentvine.com, alaskarentalsonline.com (pointer site), akforrent.com (defunct)] If you become aware of any other generally higher-profile sites that seem to be consistent and total time-wasters for our town, email it on over, and I'll check it out for possible inclusion.
