Back in March of 2020, I received a note from a friend: “Are you working in rentals, and will you help find a rental for some colleagues of mine from Spain?”
My answer: Yes, we do rentals and leases, although the sale side of the business is usually too busy to allow us to do so. But, we will always find time to help International clients coming to the USA.
So, I connected with a nice young family from Spain. The husband, a professor, was coming over to do a 1-year stint (2020-2021) in America, and was being joined by his family.
Before I could start the search, the COVID-19 Pandemic hit. Ultimately, their plans to come to America were delayed for a year, but in March of 2021, they decided they would come for the 2021-2022 school year.
Due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, they could not come over to look at places. This meant that all offers to rent a unit would have to be sight unseen.
In rentals, homeowners/landlords can be very restrictive in who they rent to. International clients generally fall at the bottom of the totem pole: Among other issues, they do not have a credit report and only look at a place sight-unseen (which can lead to disputes down the road).
Fortunately, after searching for just 48 hours, I was able to arrange for a quick tour of a newly listed property for our clients. The unit had three beds, and one-and-one-half bathrooms, and was in a perfect location for them.
Using our experience backed by our reputation, our clients were able to submit a quick lease and obtain the rental. We also were able to arrange for the transfer of funds and the signing of all supporting documents. I look forward to meeting them to hand over the keys in August!
