Why should I use a broker who charges a fee?

a) never trust a broker. Their interests are not aligned with yours.

b) In the wonderful manhattan rental market, you will pay a fee if you rent an apartment that is represented by a broker, regardless of whether or not you have a broker.

find a no fee listing yourself... but don't be lazy about it. there could be (am I saying this?) cases where having a broker can actually help you, if you don't know what you are doing.

" I'm looking to rent an apartment in Manhattan and don't know which way to go about it."

That's what a broker is for. Duh.

"How do I know whether or not I can trust a broker?"

Trust him with what? He wants to make money by helping you find a place. What, do you think he wants the place for himself? If he wants his own place, I don't think he needs you tagging along while he looks.

"never trust a broker. Their interests are not aligned with yours."

What? I am missing your point of where you think their interests lay.

>How do I know whether or not I can trust a broker?

It's probably best to trust no one, without long and repeated evidence of integrity.

The question doesn't arise with a rental, though, as the newspaper and websites are full of no-fee apartments. Just go rent one. You may miss out on something better/cheaper, but you can't have everything.

there's a guy named jim hones who posts here--he schelepps rentals with an approach that can only be described as altruism--a true client lover he is

>How do I know whether or not I can trust a broker?

Why do you need to trust them? You are paying them to find accomodation, provided accomodation is found, what does it matter? When you request other services, say the pilot who flies you, the guy selling you fruits, the person installing you washer, or whatever, where does trust come in?

Your handle is a bit ahead of itself then, no?

>Your handle is a bit ahead of itself then, no?

He can't even write properly: "which way to go about it"

But we all know this poster is as fake as this one: http://streeteasy.com/nyc/talk/discussion/28140-how-dilusional-is-the-usa-renter-and-buyer

Wbottom
about 3 hours ago
stop ignoring this person
report abuse there's a guy named jim hones who posts here--he schelepps rentals with an approach that can only be described as altruism--a true client lover he is

Widebottom, follow along.

Clients are owners. Tenants are customers. I treat my clients very very well. I do indeed love them. Customers are a dime a dozen. Like you.

@newyorkguy

u will lose about 1-2 months of rent money if u get one as the fee.

there are trust issues in regards to wasted time. if u r a busy professional or run a business, these dumbass brokers can find a way to suck up ur entire day with nonsensical crap that u don't want to see. to resolve these issues, i usually give them my criteria initially including maximum amount. i also tell them that if even 1 of those criteria is violated they are fired. i've had to fire many. in fairness to them, most are not truly crooks or liars, they are just not very smart...

nyc1234, what is your profession?

what i find to be far more true is tbat apartment hunters are very unrealistic in their criteria, particularly in the beginning of their searches. which makes them ignorant.

The only valid reason is that the broker might have the apartment you want. Landlords often assign their properties to a broker paid for by the tenant. They give up a bit in order not to have to find tenants themselves, so that usually (but not always), apartments with a fee are cheaper than no-fee equivalents. In the end, it's a wash. With a fee, you pay a bit more upront, or pay a bit more period, for a better place. Without a fee, the monthly rent is a bit higher, but not as much as paying 15%.
Just look at both options, knowing that no-fee sites have less than half the inventory, and rental brokers are by and large Dickensian vilains.

I found an apartment on my own but have to go through a broker who represents the landlord. The broker will not back down from her standard fee, which is more than 10% but less than the 15% that the broker wouild have to split if I were represented. Does anyone know how unreasonable that is? I'm willing to pay more than 7.5%, but it seems unreasonable that this person will not even negotiate.