How to Avoid NYC Broker Horror Stories!
Any savvy New-Yorker-to-be knows better than to try to find an apartment in the city without help – and that goes double for an intern looking for summer housing! A trusted broker sounds like just the person for the job—but considering some of the broker horror stories floating around, is that the best way to go when you’re searching for housing for your summer internship? Even a broker can’t save you from some of New York’s “finest” moments. Consider these examples:
Couldn’t Tell If They Were Dead
One unsuspecting apartment-hunter did as she was advised and got a broker to show her some reputable digs. Imagine her surprise when the broker unlocked an apartment in the middle of the day revealing eight people lying about, sleeping (she hoped!). They literally had to step over someone’s prostrate body to get to the kitchen. Needless to say, that’s not where she ended up!
Too Many Tenants
A guy we know found the perfect sublet apartment in NYC.He paid the security deposit plus first and last month’s rent and was told he could move in on the first of the month at 10:00 a.m. When he arrived at the entrance of the apartment building at the appointed day and time, 25 other tenants, who had also paid their move-in money, were there, too! The “broker,” with 26 would-be tenants’ money ($4,500), was long gone.
Wait, what?
Not every broker has questionable morals. Some are merely clueless. Curbed relates this exercise in frustration: an apartment-seeker texted a broker that she’d like to see an advertised apartment immediately. The broker texted back “No pets allowed. If you have a pet, don’t waste my time.” Eagerly, the apartment-seeker replied, “No, I don’t have pets! When can I see it?” To which came this inexplicable reply, “I don’t have time to show you a place with pets. No pets allowed.”
Key Fee
Maybe not a horror story, but all-too-common is the broker who is “too busy” to show you an apartment, so if you want to stop by his office, he’ll give you the key and you can go see it yourself. Then when you come back to his office and tell him you’ll take it, he asks for a check to the landlord for the first and last month’s rent—and a check in the amount of one month’s rent made out to him…for his broker fee. For doing what exactly? Handing you a key?
Squatters with Attitude
You never know who might be lurking in your dream apartment. Squatters aren’t unheard of in NYC, especially in apartments that have been vacant for a while. When one broker found a squatter sleeping on an Aero-Bed on the floor of a luxury apartment she was showing, her clients shrieked. Unfazed, the guy glanced at the alarm clock on the floor beside him and said with drowsy indignance, “Do you have an appointment?”
Dream-Come-True Student Apartments
With anything possible in the NYC real estate rental market, even brokers can’t guarantee you’ll find the perfect summer intern housing. Luckily, we offer three amazing locations to choose from for your time here in New York City. Check out the amazing apartments available now and secure your summer housing today!
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