I get calls all the time asking if we have any rental homes available since I used to be a landlord and manage 38 rentals. The 1st question I ask is how many people have you called? Most of the time they have just checked rental listing sights such as RentMLS.com, Apartments.com, Rent.com, Airbnb.com or Zumper.com. This is the wrong way to go! You may happen to get lucky but just like people looking to sell homes your just one of hundreds of people that have called to inquire. Even if you find a place the terms may not be the best since the landlord knows if you don’t accept it they have a long line behind you. I recommend networking your neighborhood like I do for my home buyers that are trying to find a house with no listings on the market. You can use tools similar to what realtors use. First you need to find your local parcel website. Most of them can be found on Google by searching “(Your County) Parcel Search” for Grand Traverse County it is: http://maps.grandtraverse.org/propertysearch.asp. Now you want to narrow down your search to the road or area on map that you want to live. Remember many of these people may not be interested in renting so be careful when soliciting and have a game plan on how you want to portray your situation. The parcel search will give the name and address if you want to write letters. If you do not want to write letters I would recommend a site like BeenVerified.com to get the property owners phone number to reach out. These tools may not be as good as what realtors have available but are free or inexpensive to use. Targeting apartments or condos will have better success giving you a inside track to the owner and not the property manager. Once making contact ask for 5 minutes of their time to meet you face to face over coffee or at any event they maybe attending. Sometimes making connections in the community is the key. Investing time into your search may yield better results and you may find yourself in a beautiful rental with an amazing long term lease.  Amber is the #1 most followed Michigan Realtor on Facebook. Make sure to keep her in mind if you need a Northern Michigan Real Estate Agent.