Whew! It looks like renting an apartment can be as complicated as buying a house. There’s a lot of planning and in depth research still necessary to rent your place – could be almost as much as if you’re planning to buy.
And a lot of the criteria to consider seems the same from location, housing type, does payment include utilities, required budgeting, parking availability, nearby transportation availability, if you have to supply your own appliances!, is there rent control (vs maintenance fees), etc. So why not have a rental real estate agent help guide you through the ins and outs of renting – if there is such a beast.
At first I wasn’t sure. Then it seemed that they did exist but they were rare beasts and kept their own low profile. Turns out that they were hiding in plain sight! Apparently you can call any large real estate firm and they’ll have agents that will help you find a rental property that is right for you.
I was hoping to interview an agent this week but it has been crazily unnormal. I’ll see if I can talk to one in time for next Thursday’s post.
But meanwhile, here’s the answer to the biggest question I have: what’s in it for the agent? Apparently real estate agents receive the first month’s rent as their commission. However, you as the renter don’t pay anything extra – you’re expected to pay first and last month upfront to the property owner anyways. I’ll be verifying this next week.
For this Sunday, I was hoping to post about my second foray into open houses but I have a feeling the pickings will be slim as it is a long weekend. If so, I’ll be blogging about storage solutions.
Owner to be? My home search 