the 15% of yearly rent broker free

It's not "across the board." See http://streeteasy.com/nyc/rentals/nyc/rental_type:frbo,brokernofee%7Cprice:-1600

There're lots of people -- even "professionals" -- who can't afford to live in prime Manhattan, and so they make do elsewhere.

[She felt] "that she was worthy of a more gracious setting, but then there are few of us who do not occasionally set a higher value on ourselves than Fate has done." -- Barbar Pym, Less than Angels

brokers are not necessary...just keep searching

goto craigslist, search for no-fee

plenty of major LLs have little signs outside their buildings advertising occupanices, walk around, take note, find apt, pay no fee

Don't be ridiculous. It's not "cruel" it's business. And of course it's legal. You have a job right? And you get paid for that job, correct? Well, so do brokers. If you use a broker to find an apartment, you don't think that broker deserves to be paid?

Just factor in the cost of the commission and adjust your budget accordingly. Or, don't use a broker and do the leg-work yourself.

"I'm a young professional woman, who would prefer to live alone,but can basically only afford $1600 a month tops, which gets me a less than 250 sq ft studio and no real kitchen."

Where are you looking?

For $1600/month, you could find four times the space in Washington Heights, in a spacious one bedroom with eat-in kitchen. Or you could find something smaller for even less money.

Who says you need a broker?

You found this site, now find the advanced search on the rentals page (dont worry, it is a 21 part process for many)

Good luck,
Manhattan owner who rents most of my apartments directly though this very website

PS. For $1600, you can get 5-600 SF on the UES with no fee...

lol

actually most brokers don't "find" the apt. You go searching yourself online or on the real estate websites, you jump to open houses between open houses, and then once you find something...the broker who is "listing" the apt demands a 15% cut. 15% for what? for listing it on a website??

420 East 55th St has nice studios - big ones, for around that price, with no brokers free. Kitchens are not brand new, and they don't have great views, but very nice, doorman building on a lovely block just off Sutton Place. (They don't face brick walls or anything, but many of the studios face into the courtyard.)

I rented there twice, and was very happy both times. Call Michael Noble and see what he has - 212-371-0477. He is a great guy, and easy to work with.

Have to agree with NYCMatt, maybe consider a move uptown? Granted it's not as "trendy" and less fun to say "I live in the 100s" than Spring St. but at least you'll get space at a reasonable cost and, likely, sleep better at night knowing you can afford your place.

Lanzz, you poor sap. The client is the owner. We bring them tenants. The rate is what the market willl bear. Two years ago the landlords paid the fee, now the ten-a-penny renters do. We make money no matter. Enjoy your stay in our fair city.

jim_hones09, jim_hones10, jim_hones11

why do you take such pleasure in other's misery?

Check out the NYC no-fee rental search site:

http://www.nybits.com/managers/residential_property_managers.html

Also, pound the street and speak with doormen about buildings that rent directly.

Consider places like Brooklyn which has many delightful neighborhoods and substantially lower rents. As your career advances you may ultimately choose to move to Manhattan. (It took me a few years before I could afford to move from Park Slope, Brooklyn to Manhattan.)

Good luck!

>why do you take such pleasure in other's misery?

I just choked on a piece of air when I read that.

Misery cc? You either chose to pay or you don't. Clearly from what other psters say, there are options.

Everyone deserves an apartment in New York for free. Even columbiacounty, so long as he'll accept one with a window in the shower. That's his personal hell.

I don't think anyone is living in a park or subway station because of a brokerage fee for an apartment. Or living on food stamps, cc. Think about the misery caused by bankers.

Think about the misery caused by columbiacounty.

like what?

OP (essentially). ". I love Ferraris. They are beautiful, exclusive and exactly what I want. The dealers charge a premium for such a fine product. IT'S NOT FAIR. I want my Ferrari for the price I think is fair, not market price. THIS SHOUlD BE AGAINST THE LAW BECAUSE IT IS BEYOND BY MEANS BUT EXaACTLY wHat I wANT"

I can't think of a more pathetic way to earn a living than being a rental broker. Honestly. Do they have any redeeming value at all? What service do they provide? They fetch the key to open the apartment and point out the bathroom and "the closet space". Yeah, that's worth 12%.

As rents and real estate prices have increases over years the fixed 15% or 6% continues to feel more and more out of line. The fact that the real estate industry has effectively maintained this ridiculous commission structure while other industries such as stock brokerage has not, only means it's a rigged game and not free market.

What service do they provide?

they provide a service for the L: they know prevailing rental rates, advertise the space, qualify the T, show the space, get the paper work together (& make sure it's the correct paper wk), collect the $, make sure the space is in move-in condition & close the lease. If the L doesn't have the manpower to do that in-house, then a (competent) broker can be essential.

Dwell, don't try and explain.

Again, for the n'th time, the service provided is to the owners of the property.

Tenants would be best served thinking of them selves as about as significant as a person on line to buy a cup of coffee at starbucks. The line is out the door. The price is fixed by demand. You don't like it? Go get your fucking coffee at a deli.

"Where is the consideration for those who simply cannot afford to pay? "
omg! This sounds very entitled. Should Louis Vuitton be cheaper just so you can afford it? Non! ya buy a cheaper bag.

Find a neighborhood you can afford. Can't afford filet mignon? nothin wrong with hamburger. Or, figure out a way to earn mo money.

When I rented my last apartment, I had already researched the building I wanted to look at. Once there, the building's rental manager did all the work and showed me the apartment with the slow-witted broker tagging along 10 feet behind us. The broker offered nothing in the way of negotiating the price on my behalf or going over the contract with me. I reviewed all the paperwork myself. I dealt directly with the building's rental office for almost everything. I paid the building a deposit directly. Please explain why the building hired a broker to bring me into the building to see the apartment when they could have saved themselves the fee? What service are they providing for the building owners?

Riversider, I can buy stock online. Let me know when people start to rent and but apartments without getting off their asses and seeing them in good numbers.

NYCROBOT, you need to learn how to kick back part of your fee to the building manager.

You couldn't buy stocks on line back when brokers deregulated. If they broke the real estate lobby we'd have tons of great new services..many of which we've never dreamed of.

"Again, for the n'th time, the service provided is to the owners of the property.........The price is fixed by demand."
Amen, Jim.

Jeez, I wonder if that ""Where is the consideration for those who simply cannot afford to pay?" is for real. I mean, is smarkyo just being smarky or is he/she paraphrasing Marx. Jeez, even Russia ain't commie any more & the jig is up in Greece. I hear there's alota cheap flats in Albania & ya can live on the dole.

Nycrobot: the didn't "hire" the broker. And you were clearly too fucking stupid to find this listing on your own as clearly it wasn't an exclusive. I've never had a client come within 100 feet of the owner of oone of my listings till after I had a closed deal. Your stupidity cost you money.
I won't argue that every deal requires an agent. I contract with landlords that would rather deal with me than fuckers like you. I keep their vacancies low and at market rents.

I hope that supposed RE lobby isn't costing you much. They've done squat for you so far.

Jimboner:

If you make so much money for doing so little, why are you so angry?

"I contract with landlords that would rather deal with me than fs like you."

Jim,
so true. Leasing a space is not like fitting widgets on an assembly line. It's very individualistic, with each T having their own needs, wants & quirks. It's very time consuming & a broker who can make the process seamless for the L is worth the fee.

Little? Do you know how challenging it is to keep a major property owners happy? No, you wouldn't have the foggiest how any business gets done would you?

Yes, little.

How many penises down that dirty gullet today cc?

Alanhart, what did you do today?

So you shit on the potential tenants because the owners are so unpleasant?

did you contribute one thing to either improve someone's life, a companie's bottom line? Anything?

Not much, I just collected unearned commissions. You?

You sound just like the piece of shit thief I've always though you were. Shame on you.
Me? Worked on my back stroke. Brought my two year old to Barnes and Noble story time. Got a tan.

Which of those activities contributed to the bottom line?

I don't "shit" on them. I just care about them as much as Starbucks cares about who buys the next cup of coffee.

I get it. In a few yrs you can take your daughter to work for take your daughter to work day.

Hi honey...here's a tenant. Take a dump on them.

Here's a landlord..open wide.

This 'open wide' reference, does it reflect when the window in columbiacounty's shower is open?

Very subtle. When will you bring Lucille around?

In 10 minutes. She's just finishing with the neutered dog.

The average multiple dwelling unit in columbiacounty, what are we talking there?

I've been apartment searching for a month now and I cannot agree enough that a fee of 15% of the annual rent is absolutely absurd! Whether your monthly rent is $1200 in the Bronx or $2300 in the village...to give someone that much money to list something on a website is robbery. I have been walking on foot and contacting mgmt companies only to be told I had to go through their realtors..so I contact the realtor and I have to fork over 3K? FOR WHAT? I did all the work! I believe the only exception is when you are working with the same realtor and they're out there trekking the city with you viewing apt. after apt. until you find what you're looking for.

a 15% fee doesn't just go to the landlord's agent or the tenant's agent (aka the brokerage, building, more often than not the fee is split 4 ways), just like a server does not keep all of the gratuity left to them. if one does not want to pay for any ramification of service, don't indulge the service. brokers tend to work 7 days a week and often put a lot of work, time, and money into clients who will never pay them for their time, like the job, there are many unseen things that go on to find such agreeable people apartments in an expensive city and those things need to be paid for, somehow, somewhere... brokers are some times evil or shady and the exact same goes for the clients who utilize them. just like anything, educate yourself and choose wisely as a prudent decision can reap rewards.