For Rent's Jodi Gilmour shares tips for choosing a rental

HGTV's For Rent is back for its third season (Mondays at 8 p.m.) and host Jodi Gilmour has some tips for when you're searching for new rental digs:

- Don’t limit your rental search to the internet. Visit your preferred area and look for “For Rent” sign in windows. Sometimes low-tech landlords are a diamond in the rough! 

- Don’t judge a book by its cover; sometimes the photos posted online don’t do a good rental justice. That makes it worth a look!

- If you have a very specific need in a rental, like a bath tub (or) full-sized stove, it’s worth calling ahead and asking the landlord before you book an appointment.

- Think ahead: if you’re renting in the winter, don’t forget to ask about air conditioning for those steamy summer months! Ask who maintains the lawns, gardens, etc.

- Choose a neighbourhood if it puts a skip in your step, and small sacrifices won’t seem so bad. This can be far more important than having somewhere to store your juicer.

- Pick a rental where you like to hang out. Your friend will be more likely to come and visit! Just make sure the commute to work isn’t too killer.

- Basement apartments are always less money. If you’re considering a basement apartment, also consider how you’d get out if your main door was not an option….

Check out Gilmour's tips for making your rental feel more like home.

Comments

[Mrs. Laurie Rahn]

Hello Jodi or whoever answers for Jodi... My husband and I will relocate to Toronto when he retires... in a year,,, we need to rent... why not have a show with this age category in mind ? We are from a small town and now want to be in the action of Toronto...and feel renting is the proper step before committing to a condo purchase ... do you agree ? I love your show and all your ideas ..and I feel there are a lot of people in our age category,
who could benefit from your help. We want to get there, just don't know where to start !! Thank you... for your time and I look forward to some return feedback. Laurie Rahn

[jennifer]

dear Jodi,
my family is relocating to Pinellas county, Florida in August 2013. Where and when do I start? I've been looking on craigslist and realtor.com, but feel its too premature to make any calls. we are currently in Michigan and cannot just pop down to florida anytime we feel like it.