NYC renting brokers??

Hey WSO,

I'm trying to find an apartment to move into NYC(hudson yards, chelsea etc) in April/May, and reached out to a broker. Never rented from NYC before, but was told that broker's fees are like ~15% and they want their contract to be "exclusive"- i.e. I cannot reach out to other brokers as well.

Is this crazy, or is this one of those, "welcome to NYC" things?

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Welcome to NYC

My recommendation is don’t use a broker. Unless you are looking for something pretty specific, very high end, or privately owned condos (which I actually prefer) they are usually not worth it. 

StreetEasy has most listings, but know that if you find something, as the renter you are usually still on the hook for a fee. Good thing is: 1) you have more negotiating room if you don’t have a broker and 2) you can filter listings to “no fee” (where if you had a broker they would still take a fee). 

Start your search there, and if you are having trouble then use a broker. Brokers can be helpful if you are completely lost on the areas, etc but sounds like you roughly know where you want to be. 

 

Agree mostly with above, except IMO you don’t need a broker at all in NYC. If you’re knowledgeable about what you want & are realistic about $$ then you can get it on your own. I know from firsthand experience that brokers just grab listings from StreetEasy + Zillow then send em to you. You can just do that yourself and not pay a fee. Management companies are happy to deal directly with the renter because it’s one less party in the transaction, which means less issues and money being saved. 

 

Quo illo error veniam. Iusto optio quo necessitatibus nostrum doloribus perferendis laborum. Dignissimos autem eveniet in ipsa est. Id impedit ad delectus ut et.

A voluptatem enim ut et vitae velit nesciunt. Quo dolor fugiat saepe qui omnis. Sunt expedita rerum perferendis. Excepturi officia fugit reiciendis ipsam dolorem voluptatem voluptatem.

Quia alias ut deleniti dicta dolorem libero et perspiciatis. Impedit harum molestiae error molestiae rem quia. Veritatis quam ducimus expedita culpa dolorem voluptatum. Aut necessitatibus consequatur inventore et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”