Boston Realtors (sales, real estate, cheap apartments)

[bosguy]

I am going to relocate to Boston in October, but I only have 2 days to find an apartment. Do you think its a good idea to hire some realtor to show me apartments, or should I just go to websites and then look around myself? Does anyone have any idea of how much mpney realtors charge??, I am looking for a one bedroom apartment in or around downtown boston.
I checked some realtors websites like "gibson domain" and they have some real cheap apartments, do realtors show cheap apartments in bad areas?
Sorry for all the questions, but I have never actually looked for an apartment with a realtor, I usually have more time, so I just look for apartments myself. And I dont want to pay an agent too much money, if they are going to show me shoddy apartments,
ok then hope to hear from your comments.

[Baltic_Celt]

Hello -

You can check for apts yourself on "craigslist dot org". Friends who own some apts, rent with great success thru craigslist only & say they always rent their units in 3-wks maximim. When researching moving, I always check out apts on craigslist & "move dot com" to get an idea of the areas. It's very helpful.

I have another friend who uses realtors frequently to rent his apts & he's charged 1/2-mo's rent (the renter pays the other 1/2), which I understand is normal. Will realtors show "cheap apts in bad areas"? Of course, their job as salespeople is to rent their clients' units as quickly as possible. As far as "cheap", I don't know what you consider inexpensive. I checked out the gibson domain site & there are so many neighborhoods listed, I have no idea in which area you were searching. But, closer to or in Boston, you'd be spending $1-1,500+ for a 1-b/1-b, again depending on the area.

My best advice is this - if you only have 2-days to find something & your income affords you the 1/2-mo's realtor fee, find someone to help you secure an apt w/either a mo-to-mo lease or a low-term lease (6-mos, if possible). 1-yr leases or mo-to-mo are the norm here, but perhaps you can negotiate. That will get you here & then you can decide where/if you want to move into another neighborhood, after you've had time to look around.

BUT REMEMBER, you're coming back when all the college students are moving back into the area, so you may have a bit of difficulty finding exactly what you want, where you want it, in the mos of Sept/Oct. So, choose wisely, but get moving, I'd say... FYI, paying 1st/last mo's rent with a security deposit (most landlords charge 1/2-mo's rent security) is the norm, unless otherwise stated. So, with a realtor, you'll need to come up with 3-mos rent off the bat. I suppose you could avoid the frantic pace of the above by choosing a roommate as a temp solution, if that's workable at all? Maybe "roommate dot com" would be of help to you then? Some folks there are looking for roommates, fast.

Best of luck & welcome to Boston... Baltic_Celt

[jaya]

I am a Realtor with Eleven Park Realty. Contrary to popular belief, Realtors do NOT charge extra to show you apartments. Normally there is a fee that is being paid to the broker who is listing the apartment. This fee is a month's rent and is paid by either the landlord, building community management, you-the tenant, or can be a mix (ie. half fee).

It is beneficial to hire a Realtor to represent you because as I said, even on a "no fee" apartment, your Realtor will be paid by the landlord and you will have the benefit of having a professional opinion and negotiator to help make your decision easier.

When you work with Eleven Park Realty, we even give you rebates on our commission! In some cases where there is "no fee" such as luxury apartment buildings where the management pays us to bring you in, or when landlords pay the fee, you will actually MAKE money that you would not have made otherwise had you gone to this apartment on your own...That on top of the professional opinion makes it a no-brainer to hire a Realtor. On apartments where you are required pay a portion or the entire fee, you will get a discount from Eleven Park Realty, you will never pay a full fee! Even if you find a full or no fee place on Craigslist which I know one poster suggested, you can contact Eleven Park Realty to represent you to help you save on the commission that you would otherwise pay to the listing brokerage.

Very few brokers if any in Boston do this, so I suggest finding one that does like Eleven Park Realty to help you save or even make money renting an apartment.

Go to Rebates on Boston Sales and Rentals of Real Estate to request more info.

Sincerely,

Jay Alberino