Is it worth paying an agency fee to find a place in Brooklyn? (real estate)

[joninaz]

I'm relocating from out West and have a job lined up... but now am looking at where to live. I've narrowed the search to a few adjacent areas of Brooklyn, but since I'm doing this from afar, I have to rely on internet searching for the time being.

That is: Craigslist, rental sites, google map overlays, etc. The whole "no fee" or "low fee" or "any fee" concept is new to me. I did spend a decade in L.A. where for a small fee one could gain access to a special database of listings, but NY seems to be a whole new cabbage patch. Likewsie I'm not adverse to paying a small fee if someone can show me good places that aren't on the radar. However I don't want to write a check for $1500 to someone who shows me a place I could have found on Cl for free.

I will fly out at some point and do in person tours, but even then I might be limited to just a few days. And who would give me the tour... a gal with 5 places she reps? Or someone with 8, who will show me no others?

So my challenge is to you. If you were moving to Brooklyn and didn't know a soul, how would you begin your search?

Thanks!

[mayorofnyc]

Originally Posted by joninaz

So my challenge is to you. If you were moving to Brooklyn and didn't know a soul, how would you begin your search?

By starting a thread on City-Data lol

No but seriously, I've used an agency when searching for a room to rent some years ago, which I assume is a similar experience for apts. I would just make sure that I know the essentials such as how far i'd like to commute from the job, and which areas are the safest...which can easily be found through a mere half-hour of casual research on this site. Then I'd compile a list of areas that peaked my interest based on a general consensus (assuming I've use this forum as research) and some personal preferences. From there I'd just hit CL or the Real Estate feature on Google Maps, type in the nabes on my list and get an overall feel for the rental market and what I should be expected to pay and even write the contact info of the apts that I'm interested in and eventually give the contact a buzz, preferably right before I visit. IMO, with so many tools on the web at your disposal, I just don't see the need to even deal with a middleman, but if the price is right and I was really clueless or undecided about where to rent, I'd probably consider it.

[newyorker24]

Look for a no-fee broker (to you) that knows landlords willing to pay the fee.

[bklynmomof3]

Try RapidNYC.com - a real estate corp. that lists mostly NO FEE apartments.
Good luck.

[Diana_christen1]

Here are a couple more good internet sources for your search:
naked apartments
street easy NYC apartments
NY bits apartments

I'm in a similar situation as you, except I'm originally from NY, just got back from an exploratory trip to the city and now know what neighborhoods I want to live in, and don't have a job lined up yet (LOL, I guess it's not that similar!). Anyway, it is daunting to do all of this on the internet, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be doable, especially since I'm interested in Brooklyn. I'm going to do everything in my power to avoid paying a fee, but I always know in the back of my mind that it's an option if I get desperate.

If you decide to do an exploratory trip to NY like I just did, I recommend finding an apartment or even a room to rent on airbnb.com in a neighborhood you think you might like, so you can get a feel for living there while you're in town. We stayed in Boerum Hill/Cobble Hill and absolutely adored it! I would never have gotten as good a feel for the neighborhood if I had just visited for a few hours (or less). Plus it's economical! Good luck.