Thanks JerseyMom, for this expert advice. I think I will need to talk to the maintenance company that currently handles my building - I assumed that the super we have living onsite would handle routine matters and be able to deal with any specialized maintenance that crops up, like need for a plumber, as he has for me while I've lived here as an owner. I would continue to pay building maintenance fees while a tenant lived in my unit, certainly.

It does also sound like working through a real estate agent would be necessary to help handle credit checks and such, assuming one would be willing to work with me when I would soon be out of the country. It may end up that I have to leave the unit empty, which seems like such a waste. . . .

Hi all,

I'm a new poster but a longtime reader of jclist and am hoping I can get some advice from you about renting out my apartment. Please excuse the lengthy post.

I own and live in a one bedroom near St. Peter's College/McGinley Square, in a building that has 30+ apartments, about half owner occupied, half rented. Laundry in the building and a great super, but that's about it as far as amenities go. It's a nice building, nothing fancy but very well maintained and neighborly.

I'm now considering a job offer that would take me out of the country for at least a year, so I have to either sell or rent my apartment, and ideally do so very quickly, in the next couple of months. I'm leaning toward renting it out but have never rented before, so I'm wondering if anyone here has any advice for a first time renter, especially considering I would not be close by to monitor things once I leave for the job. If I were staying in the area I think I would definitely try to rent on Craigslist, as others here have advised, but since I will be out of the country once the place is rented, and possibly even before, would a realtor be a good idea, and able to handle things in my absence? Or would responsibly renting in this scenario just not be possible?

Second question, I bought the place cheap a few years ago and have been very slowly fixing it up a bit and upgrading. However, the apartment is still pretty rough around the edges. I'm guessing I would need to redo the floors and give the bathroom a facelift, also get a new fridge at the very least. Are there other things I should consider to try to attract quality tenants? Anyone recommend any handy people who could do this kind of basic facelift work at a fair price? I was laid off a couple of years ago (hence the move for a new job) so my budget would definitely put me in the basic, not too expensive category, but at the same time I recognize that 'doing it right' and paying for good quality is worth it in the long run.

Finally, anyone have any idea what a one bedroom in this area would go for, rent wise? I'll ask other owners in my building, but thought I'd ask here too. The space isn't at all fancy, like I said, but it's not a hole in the ground either - it's a little over 600 sq feet, on the building's top floor, sunny, quiet, a nice street, etc.

Well, thanks for any advice you can provide to a total newbie in this area. If anyone with experience thinks trying to rent from afar would be a total disaster and that I should look into selling instead, I'm all ears. Any advice on realtors is also welcome.