No, it's not too much asking him to send you listings of houses that are available to rent.

Agree that the agent can/should help you look for a rental but I would also look on your own. If he is an expert in sales and not rentals, he may do his best but still not find what you are looking for. I was in this position, looked on my own (craigslist, etc.) and also utilized an outside broker that specialized in rentals. Time was of the essence so there were no hurt feelings, I was clear with my listing agent that she may not get the commission on the rental side because we needed to find something ASAP. She completely understood, no one wants to be homeless or stuck in an awful house for many months because they rushed to finally sign a lease the day before they closed on the their old home.

Many rentals are not listed with a Realtor;
the landlord either handles everything to do with the property or has his/her own sales & management staff.

I'd scour every source;
newspaper
craigslist
ask at church or school or work
everything

In my area most Realtors do not deal with rentals at all, and wouldn't have any more knowledge of what is available for rent than you. The MLS here does not have residential properties for rent. They would probably refer you to a property manager/rental agent.

thanks for the input! I know that they say first time home buyers have it bad, but I think the subsequent homes are harder, having to juggle where you are leaving and where you are going! While I am feeling quite unsettled about not knowing where we are going to be living, I know it will all work out. LOL, in addition to your suggestions, I've posted on FB to see if any of our contacts have any leads!

Don't forget - he gets a commission from the apt. owners when he sends them tenants!

In my area, rental listings are listed in MLS the same as single family homes and real estate agents show them just the same as any other listing. As Sylvia said, use all resources to find your rental.

Don't forget - he gets a commission from the apt. owners when he sends them tenants!

In my area, the tenant pays their real estate agent.

We sold our home last March and are currently renting. As Linda117 states, we found our townhouse (which we are renting for a year) through Listingbook which allowed us to search various zip-codes until we found our place. Our Realtor would take us to see the various places. She sold our home and helped us find our current rental. She was paid commission by the owner of the townhouse.

Jane

Exactly - rentals are not 'sales', and the tenants don't pay commissions, the landlords do.

Exactly - rentals are not 'sales', and the tenants don't pay commissions, the landlords do.

Larke, its not as cut and dry as you think. Jane is in a county that requires landlords pay the commission if listed thru the MLS. I am in a county where it is not required and 9x out of 10, the tenant pays.

As a realtor, I love helping people rent because they often become buyers. I hate the rental process and the pitiful commission, but in my area rentals are hard to come by and clients are very grateful.