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This is false. There are properties in the multiple listing service that do not appear on craigslist. Many realtors view craigslist as a big fat spamfest/scumfest and do not put their listings there.
Besides that, you only pay the agent if they find you an apartment that you like. So what harm is there in asking an agent for help?
True every single property offered for rent is not offered on craigslist, however the vast majority are and the ones that aren't can be viewed from realtor.com.
You only pay the agent if they find you a place true, but why would you use an agent if you know its not worth it to use an agent and pay one months rent as commission.
I'm going to give an agent a try. I will probably end up paying broker fee anyway, since most places have it, might as well pay it to someone who will actually do some work for me.
We had a property listed for rent in Jersey City through realtor last year. My realtor told me that now a lot of owners paid broker fee since the market went down. We rent out our condo in 2 weeks and we paid for the broker fee. You may give realtor a try.
True every single property offered for rent is not offered on craigslist, however the vast majority are and the ones that aren't can be viewed from realtor.com.
You only pay the agent if they find you a place true, but why would you use an agent if you know its not worth it to use an agent and pay one months rent as commission.
Actually the vast majority are not on Craigslist. Probably less than 30% of available rentals can be found on craigslist.
As for the ones on realtor.com, all will involve a commission, usually paid by the tenant, but sometimes paid by the landlord, and sometimes split between the two. Tenant-paid rental commissions are peculiar to New Jersey. I think in New York and most other areas, the landlord pays the commission (but of course often builds it into the rent).
Keep in mind though that most good agents do not do rentals at all. So it will be very hit and mostly miss as far as quality with respect to the agent involved. Rentals are usually handled by newer agents or unsuccessful agents who do them for awhile until realizing that they are a waste of time for the most part. I mean, drag someone around for 2 weeks to 30 apartments and then collect 25%-50% of the $1,800 commission? No thanks. When I was new, I took some tenants out to look at rentals and quickly realized that it was a time waster and I could earn more pushing a broom at Walmart.
Actually the vast majority are not on Craigslist. Probably less than 30% of available rentals can be found on craigslist.
As for the ones on realtor.com, all will involve a commission, usually paid by the tenant, but sometimes paid by the landlord, and sometimes split between the two. Tenant-paid rental commissions are peculiar to New Jersey. I think in New York and most other areas, the landlord pays the commission (but of course often builds it into the rent).
Keep in mind though that most good agents do not do rentals at all. So it will be very hit and mostly miss as far as quality with respect to the agent involved. Rentals are usually handled by newer agents or unsuccessful agents who do them for awhile until realizing that they are a waste of time for the most part. I mean, drag someone around for 2 weeks to 30 apartments and then collect 25%-50% of the $1,800 commission? No thanks. When I was new, I took some tenants out to look at rentals and quickly realized that it was a time waster and I could earn more pushing a broom at Walmart.
I'm just gon use all the options available cuz I need to find an apartment soon and I am new to the area, and I am not even there yet. Regarding hit or miss, I am sure you are right that mostly it's a miss, but I don't need to pay any broker fees that I would probably pay anyway without an agent until I find a place I like so that's fine with me, and I can still keep looking myself at the same time.
Keep in mind though that most good agents do not do rentals at all. So it will be very hit and mostly miss as far as quality with respect to the agent involved. Rentals are usually handled by newer agents or unsuccessful agents who do them for awhile until realizing that they are a waste of time for the most part. I mean, drag someone around for 2 weeks to 30 apartments and then collect 25%-50% of the $1,800 commission? No thanks. When I was new, I took some tenants out to look at rentals and quickly realized that it was a time waster and I could earn more pushing a broom at Walmart.
Is this supposed to be a good reason to use an agent? Doesn't sound like one to me.
Is this supposed to be a good reason to use an agent? Doesn't sound like one to me.
No, but the properties that are in the MLS system can only be accessed by utilizing an agent. Therefore, using low level agents is a necessary evil in some cases. Not that there aren't any good rental agents, but they are few and far between. Then again really good professionals in any field are hard to come by nowadays.
I prefer doing the hunting myself. I've browsed craigslist ads after work, looked at local websites (such as jclist, etc.), and taken walks around the neighborhood, which I do as a hobby anyway, looking for "for rent" signs. In a single night's walk I'd record more than a dozen addresses and phone numbers, and I'd make calls the following day. Each call takes 30 seconds. "is it available? how many bedrooms? is there laundry? can I see it tonight?" I'd line up 2-3 appointments on a weekday evening, more on weekends. I looked at 2 dozen places last time I moved. And it really took very little effort.
I've ridden around town with agents before, and found it to be ineffective. The agent doesn't know you or care about knowing you, doesn't really listen to what you want or need, and spends more time trying to convince you that the crap they're showing you is what you want, or that it's all that's available in your budget. They're not making enough money off of you to make it worth their while to care about you. If anything, riding with the agent let me know which places to skip if I saw ads for them later on.
So if you're reasonably familiar with the area you're moving to, or if you want to do the research to become familiar with it (which I'd advise, since you'll be living there after all), then you can do the leg work yourself in a couple of hours a week for a few weeks before your move date. And really, if you were using an agent you'd want to do the research yourself anyway to verify what the agent is showing/telling you.
And unfortunately, my own hunting has led me to places that landlords have used a broker to list. Sometimes the broker does an "Ok" job of showing me where to sign, and sometimes the broker doesn't show up for the lease-signing appointment. Sometimes the broker loses the keys to the apartment and has to ask the landlord to mail an extra copy, and then you're delaying your move-in 3-4 days. And for screwing up what should be a simple process, they still want a month's rent commission from you!
And regarding the point about no-fee landlords charging more, maybe that's true in some of the larger management-company buildings, with their "net effective rent" and other gimmicks, but in my experience with single unit landlords it's the opposite. Many of the places brokers showed me were $100/month more than the comparable place I saw one day while walking down the street.
So try to go fee-free, especially if you're only expecting to stay a year or two. No sense paying 13 months rent every year. Also, if you like a place where a fee applies, try negotiating with the landlord to have him/her pay half or all of the fee. If the broker is making anyone's life easier, it's the landlord's, and if the LL's place has been on the market awhile, and their mortgage payment is coming up, they might agree just to get someone in and paying the rent.
I prefer doing the hunting myself. I've browsed craigslist ads after work, looked at local websites (such as jclist, etc.), and taken walks around the neighborhood, which I do as a hobby anyway, looking for "for rent" signs. In a single night's walk I'd record more than a dozen addresses and phone numbers, and I'd make calls the following day. Each call takes 30 seconds. "is it available? how many bedrooms? is there laundry? can I see it tonight?" I'd line up 2-3 appointments on a weekday evening, more on weekends. I looked at 2 dozen places last time I moved. And it really took very little effort.
I've ridden around town with agents before, and found it to be ineffective. The agent doesn't know you or care about knowing you, doesn't really listen to what you want or need, and spends more time trying to convince you that the crap they're showing you is what you want, or that it's all that's available in your budget. They're not making enough money off of you to make it worth their while to care about you. If anything, riding with the agent let me know which places to skip if I saw ads for them later on.
So if you're reasonably familiar with the area you're moving to, or if you want to do the research to become familiar with it (which I'd advise, since you'll be living there after all), then you can do the leg work yourself in a couple of hours a week for a few weeks before your move date. And really, if you were using an agent you'd want to do the research yourself anyway to verify what the agent is showing/telling you.
And unfortunately, my own hunting has led me to places that landlords have used a broker to list. Sometimes the broker does an "Ok" job of showing me where to sign, and sometimes the broker doesn't show up for the lease-signing appointment. Sometimes the broker loses the keys to the apartment and has to ask the landlord to mail an extra copy, and then you're delaying your move-in 3-4 days. And for screwing up what should be a simple process, they still want a month's rent commission from you!
And regarding the point about no-fee landlords charging more, maybe that's true in some of the larger management-company buildings, with their "net effective rent" and other gimmicks, but in my experience with single unit landlords it's the opposite. Many of the places brokers showed me were $100/month more than the comparable place I saw one day while walking down the street.
So try to go fee-free, especially if you're only expecting to stay a year or two. No sense paying 13 months rent every year. Also, if you like a place where a fee applies, try negotiating with the landlord to have him/her pay half or all of the fee. If the broker is making anyone's life easier, it's the landlord's, and if the LL's place has been on the market awhile, and their mortgage payment is coming up, they might agree just to get someone in and paying the rent.
Good luck!
I agree with this advice and this approach to finding an apartment.
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