Craigslist is my main go-to. Our local classifieds are sometimes good too, though there isn't much info up front.
Zillow sometimes has good rentals listed, but not everyone posts there.
Any other "rental" type sites I have found to be pretty useless because they just show big apartment complexes with generic listings (1-4 Bedrooms, $750-$1500!) It doesn't sound like that's what you are looking for.
Yes, Craigslist is fine. Just be wary of places that are too good to be true. I got a few emails like the scammy one you posted when I was looking for a place, and it was always on a beautiful home that was significantly cheaper than other places I was looking at.
I found my current rental by posting in the section "looking for a rental" or whatever it is called. I think I just got really lucky, but I was having a really hard time finding a place to rent with my dogs. I posted a description of myself, employment situation, what my dogs were like, etc and got several responses, including the place I currently rent. It was a total shot in the dark that I did NOT expect to work, but it did!
Hotpads, realty websites like Zillow, Realtor, ect. Driving around in areas you like to rent in was the most effective for me. Landlords in my area are just beginning to turn to the internet. It's mostly word of mouth referrals here.
Why is CL out? We found our last 3 apartments there. Just look for properties advertised by the leasing company/ property manager. I also like zillow and redfin.
I found my current rental by posting in the section "looking for a rental" or whatever it is called. I think I just got really lucky, but I was having a really hard time finding a place to rent with my dogs. I posted a description of myself, employment situation, what my dogs were like, etc and got several responses, including the place I currently rent. It was a total shot in the dark that I did NOT expect to work, but it did!
I did the same thing and also had really good results. My boyfriend and I at the time had two large dogs and four cats. Moving to the NYC area.
We got desperate and I placed the ad. It worked out really well.
When we moved from Oklahoma to Michigan this Summer we used Trulia,Zillow and realtor.com. We also used Areavibes.com to compare schools and neighborhoods.