Property showings:
When selecting this package an Eight Wards representative will be assigned to you and facilitate showings of any and all properties you are interested in seeing for one month.  For those properties that are listed in the MLS, managed by us, or where we have showing arrangements with the owners Eight Wards can guarantee a showing and can even drive you around as needed.  This gives you a guaranteed opportunity to view over 2000 listings in the DC Metro area. 

To understand the value in this you need to realize that there is a big difference between seeing a listing on-line and actually viewing the unit.  It costs a Real Estate Broker very little to post a rental listing on the MLS and as a result many Real Estate Agents post rental listings without even being willing show the units.  It is their hope that another agent will show the unit so they can collect a commission for doing nothing.  We are guaranteeing that you can actually see any units you wish to.  If you are interested in seeing units advertised by individual property owners that are not in the MLS and where we have no arrangement to show the unit, we still support you in any way we can regardless of whether or not there is an opportunity to earn a commission on the rental.

Internet Search Assistance:
Anyone can search rental listings on craigslist and other rental web sites without our help.  The problem is not access to information.  The problem is the tremendous misinformation that is also out there.  Because Craigslist charges nothing to post and has no membership or registration requirements, Craigslist has become a breeding ground for misrepresentation and scams.  Large numbers of postings grossly misrepresent the apartments in question and many are purely “bait and switch” nonsense.  Some posting are complete scams that have nothing to do with renting apartments ranging from phishing for identity theft to guys trying to meet women.  We strongly recommend against women visiting rentals unescorted unless they can verify the legitimacy of who they are dealing with.  There are large numbers of scams that quite frankly we can’t figure out.  For example, there are several people posting detailed descriptions of apartments that sound like great deals, except that the exact same ad is being posted in several cities.  Clearly it is a scam, but it is hard to know what is behind it.  If you work with us we will encourage you to use Craigslist and other sits and report back to us before you invest too much time in any lead.  In many cases we can save you time by telling you which postings are a complete waste of time.  We can do this not because we are smarter than you, but because we do this for a living and see the same scam postings again and again.  How legitimate can an apartment posting be if the same posting has been reposted every week for 4 years?

Advanced Listing – Possibly the most valuable benefit:
We post on Craigslist and other sites all the time.  Whenever we post a desirable apartment on Craigslist we literally receive over 100 responses within the first 24 hours.  Usually we can’t even read all of the responses.  For an apartment in Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, or Georgetown the responses come in faster than we could read them even if that is the only thing we did.  Even a top applicant will miss out if they do not respond at the right moment or if they are not by their phone when we call.  However, if you are a client of ours we will provide you with information on every new vacancy we become aware of at least 12 hours before we advertise it and guarantee you a showing if you are qualified and interested.  In many cases apartments get rented before they become vacant.  About half of our apartments are rented to individuals who have viewed the apartment completed applications and cleared background checks prior to the apartment ever being advertised.  We have no doubt that it works this way all over – for the best apartments and deals people are not advertising for renters.  If they are advertising at all they are advertising for backup options.

Credit and Background Checks:
If you request, we will perform a credit check and eviction records check, so that this information can be included as part of any rental application.  Most landlords require these checks be conducted and often charge a fee.  Therefore having the background checks done ahead of time makes you into a stronger applicant, streamlines the process, avoids any awkward surprises, and may even save money by avoiding application fees and being able to negotiate a better deal.  If there are errors in your reports we will direct you to services that can assist in fixing these issues.

Lease Review and negotiation support:
Having an experienced set of eyes review any important document is never a bad move.  In this instance the laws governing leases and rental units are actually different in Maryland, Virginia, and DC, so knowing what to look for is not trivial.  We can also provide sample leases which many “mom and pop” landlords will use at your request.

Helping you secure the apartment you want:
As with anything in this world having an advocate with connections is always a good thing.  Does anyone truly believe that George Bush Jr. could have become president, or even graduated college, without his family connections.  Having a team of experienced leasing agents, real estate agents, and property managers working as your advocates will ultimately help you get the apartment you want.  This is not because we are smarter than anyone.  We are not rocket scientists we just have invested the time to go out to dinner with the right people.

The rental Credit – Why most of our rental clients pay nothing:
If you end up renting an apartment where we earn a commission then we will refund your payment to us in full – as a credit towards the first month’s rent.  This list of apartments would include everything in the MLS, all units we manage, any third parties who offer agent commission, and any leasing arrangements we have.  Collectively this represents over 2000 available properties.