The Renters from Iowa

Today I got an e-mail from Katy. She lives in Iowa, but she and Mr. Katy are moving to Phoenix this coming August. Could I help her find a rental home? On the surface, Katy's request seems so innocuous--even though I can't imagine why someone would want to move here in August. But the truth is, I don't know if I can help her. There are so, so many variables that go along with this request.

So, I prodded. Where did Katy want to live? I wasn't driving to New River for a $75 commission. Did Mr. and Mrs. Katy have pets? Credit issues? Felons? And my list went on.

Katy replied promptly, telling me she and her husband were in their early 20s. Both her and Mr. Katy were planning on putting all of their worldly goods in a trailer and just heading South because it sounded like a fabulous adventure. And by the way, they do have three rather large ("but they are like part of the family and such sweethearts") dogs. So, they wanted a home for what appears to be $500 under market, they need a home with a fence (I guess fences are exotic in North Dakota) because they are afraid their dogs will run. And the clincher: they want to live in Scottsdale because it sounds like a "fun place."

The one major question I didn't ask--and why I didn't is beyond me--is how were Katy and Mr. Katy planning on paying for their rental? Though I didn't ask, Katy did volunteer this. Neither have a job lined up. They would cross that bridge when they came to it.

Now that's a bit of a problem, because you see, landlords tend to be persnickety about unemployed people wanting to rent from them. A landlord also might not appreciate Katy's sense of adventure and mistake it as irresponsibility. Not everyone remembers what it is like to be young and optimistic. Especially landlords with mortgages.

Katy was undeterred. She asked what options she might have to get over this hurdle. I suggested 1) getting a job, 2) finding an apartment  (though good luck, because, see #1) or 3) finding a co-signer. When Katy replied back "what is a co-signer?" I decided she wasn't ready for my help. Nor was I ready to invest a lot of time into someone who thought employment was optional.