I hear ya on the dogs, but $3500 seems really high. I have been looking for rentals too and realized that Craigslist is not a good place to look. Plus it just seems that landlords who post there are such wierdos and/or flaky and they want my SS number and bank account – no way. So I’ve been sticking with property management cos, but you have to check almost every day since the good houses seem to go really fast. You also should check how long ago the place sold so you don’t wind up in a FB’s palace.