The rentals list

At our office, I spend most of my time helping people who want to buy or sell real estate. But every week or so, I get a call about something else -- and the question I'm asked is always the same:

"Do you guys have any rentals?"

That's when I mention our list.

Our office doesn't actually own any rentals or perform property management for landlords. Nonetheless, we realize that many people, especially those new to the area, need places to rent and don't know the names of some of the local landlords to call. That's why we maintain and distribute a list of every currently available rental we know about. We give out the list free to anyone who wants it.

The list isn't exhaustive -- though we'd like it to be -- and doesn't rival the Chicago version of Craigslist. But for many people, the list provides a helpful start to the housing search. (Other good sources of rentals include the classified sections of the Macomb Eagle and Macomb Journal, our local newspapers.)

Because Macomb is by far the largest city in the area, most of the rentals on our list are located there. Occasionally we also get some rentals in the smaller towns nearby; Good Hope has frequently claimed a spot on the list with a rental or two. But you'd be surprised how often people call asking for rentals in specific towns (like Bushnell, Colchester, Table Grove, etc.), and we rarely have anything that specific. We hope to improve in that regard.

If you're a local landlord and looking for a tenant, call and tell us to put your name, phone number, and available rental address on the list. We'll do it for free. And we'll leave the information on the list indefinitely -- until you tell us otherwise.

Lately I've started getting more creative with the list. One client just bought a house and told me that he's looking for a roommate. No problem, I said. We added his info to the list. No word yet if he's had any leads, though I'm optimistic he'll get at least a few inquiries.

I can't claim credit for coming up with the original idea for the list; other agents started it long before I joined the office in 2004. But I'm happy to carry on the good work. After all, if we're not helping people, we're not doing our jobs.