Brooklyn w/o broker seems RLY difficult

in new york, to show an apartment you either have to be the owner or a broker. fee or no fee apartments, most of the time you're dealing with a real estate agent, the only difference is who pays the agent, you or the owner.

you can use nybits.com for the luxury developments, but it is very unlikely you'll get out of paying a fee unless you have a friend that will give you a landlord's number. And even then most landlords prefer to go through a broker because they will do the work for them.

your best bet if you really don't want to pay a fee is to focus in on south williamsburg around grand avenue, close to the lorimer L. There are lots of developers there that typically use their inhouse brokers. Also check out the dermot company, they have their in house brokers and show by open house. Their apartments used to be really expensive for the rents, but now they are just a little on the high side. Other than that, I really don't know anyone else. Vacancy is really tight right now.

oh and try brownstoner.com
some owners have started posting there as it is less expensive than streeteasy.

Brownstoner sucks hard! This site is basically a shill for Realtors and its editor will bend over for advertizing money! Most posters there are owners and lack total objectivity!

sledge, you couldn't be more wrong. Brownstoner is a pretty great site, not sure where you get off thinking it's such a shill.

helenwaite, depends where you're looking. New developments or smaller co-ops? It makes a pretty big difference.

Helen: I take it you are looking in "Manhattan East" areas of BK like Willie B, BK Heights and the like?
BK is a bit like Manhattan used to be years ago. A sort of wild wild west.
Most broker's will do a one month fee as opposed to 15% unless it's a co-broke. CL is totally bogus as I go through and notice 95% of the "by owner" ads are actually brokers. Dermot is solid quality, albeit somewhat small sized. Try Flatiron RE or Slope Realty. Try a good broker who knows and lives in BK and see if they are negotiable with fees as they may have some great exclusives.
As a an agent, I can say 10% of something always beats 100% of nothing. If someone is upfront and we don't waste time, I am then free to move on to other business.
Good luck!

Wow, thanks! So many helpful and productive answers here.
Funny that a couple of you mentioned Dermot; I was on that site right before popping back here to check this thread!

I'm not completely against fees, but a month is more dealable that 15%, of course. I suppose that I can always ask for a break from a 15%er.

Ronnie: "Manhattan East" = lol. But yeah, mostly. Though I have lived in NY for around 20 years, (with an unfortunate 4-year gap in there) I know Brooklyn area mostly in terms of proximity to BAM and St Ann's Warehouse. Heck, we figure we could count the amount saved by walking to those places toward our overall rental package thingy.

BJW: I'm not fussed about type of building. For me, square footage and the ability to have my own W/D are king. (Oh, and a "new economy" budget. Sigh.).

Yeah, CL is just plain over.

Thank you all again,
H

Zoiks! Check out the yelps for Slope Realty!
http://www.yelp.com/biz/slope-realty-co-brooklyn

@helen: For below market rents and deals you would never find on your own, that's what a broker is for. For a smaller area like Carroll Gardens or Fort Green, go with Crystal Green or Peter Charles Bright if you have to go with a broker. They know the area better than any others out there and are no b/s. She's with Rutenberg and he's with Custom Brokers. Tell them I referred you as they are personal friends and may give you a better response from a warm referral. We "brokers" can tend to look at "clients" the same way you all tend to view us at the end of the day I guess...#SHADY! Lol.
Good luck!

i don't think you have an interest ever in actually renting an apartment helenwaite. you have been all over this board for years, asking open-ended questions for neighborhoods as varied as the upper east side to now brooklyn. why?

@Jim: Really? I have just noticed a bunch of posts of all types in practically every thread from her so you may be right.
@helen: They have cheap apartments. I thought yelp was better for FOOD reviews?
I am now really confused.
Is SE about sharing information or just a place to comment in threads and get our apartment porno on?

i might be moving to brooklyn! in about a year, though. where should i live?

You move a lot

After a recent spate of curses and vitriol from Hones, I got a clue and decided not to un-grey his stuff.
Besides, it's not as if whatever he wrote up there would be anything creative or new; it's all just variations on a theme with Jim.
A few weeks ago he went with words that include but aren't limited to "idiot, b-tch, c**t" on a few different threads. So, I reckon there's no further knowledge to be gained from him.
Actually, it was rather sweet when the Mods took down some of the attacks he threw at me. Maybe because the abuse was getting downright threatening; something about wishing I would contract a painful, lingering illness and would die slowly and in great torment.
So, thanks again, Mods!

Hey - remeber a few weeks ago when Hones - confusingly - started saying he was not a broker?
What was the deal with that?

Ronnie -I just thought the yelps were rather funny which is why I shared them with you. They came up when I did a search for the places you had suggested.
Yelp oftentimes seems more axey-grindy than here.

"You move a lot"

no shit, sherlock

i haven't moved yet, i'm just saying it's on the table. like the far corner of the table, you can't even see it, it's behind the cereal box. but it's there. i can't lie, i do like jersey though. but life changes and we must change with it, right?

I tend to stay off of the boards because of all of the axe grinding. Seeing as how I am "below the scum of the earth" (yes I recall seeing some of those threatening comments in threads towards you) and this is my field of knowledge, I tend to chime in from time to time to add some levity behind those cereal boxes.