We have always rented through a property manager. How is renting through a private owner similar or different?
A property manager simply serves as the intermediary between the owner and renter. When we started renting in the early 90’s (pre-internet), the only way to rent a condo was either through word-of-mouth (e.g. you happen to be fortunate enough to run into an owner during your stay who had not already rented for the following year, or an owner happened to run a newspaper ad in your local paper) or through a property manager. In the 10 years we rented, we were lucky enough precisely once to rent a condo through word-of-mouth from the actual owner. The remaining times we rented we went through a local property manager. The advantage of going through a local property manager is that he/she often has a variety of properties available in different complexes which increases your chances of finding a place to stay during the time frame you are looking for. This route is also particularly helpful if you want to experience the amenities and community of various locations and you don’t want to do
