Not a good idea to rent a property sight unseen. Yes, you can get pictures of the property on google earth and elsewhere, but you really don't know who's living there, what condition it's in, or what the state of the title is. Best to contact a local licensed real estate broker in the local area. The broker can find out if the property is in fact up for rent or currently occupied and really available. And always pay by a traceable method.
I received a call after my expressed interest in a rental property on O'Fallon street found on Craigslist. So far it seems a little fishy. The pictures of the location on Trulia and Zillow do not match the property advertised. The man claimed to be Paul James, had an accent, and after terrible cell reception during the phone call he called me from a Florida number also with terrible reception.
Not a good idea to rent a property sight unseen. Yes, you can get pictures of the property on google earth and elsewhere, but you really don't know who's living there, what condition it's in, or what the state of the title is. Best to contact a local licensed real estate broker in the local area. The broker can find out if the property is in fact up for rent or currently occupied and really available. And always pay by a traceable method.