In the Boston rental market right now, tenants are having to fight over the limited amount of Boston apartments available. It can be a difficult proposition to find a great apartment without stressing yourself out, never mind getting one at a decent price.  It sort of feels like the Wild West sometimes. Even the Boston Globe has written about how crazy the Boston apartment market is right now.

This can all be a bit surprising for tenants looking for a new apartment in Boston. That’s where I come in.  My job as a leasing agent at Charlesgate Realty is to help you sort through the market, determine what’s most important to you, and steer you to an apartment that fits your needs.  Here in a little more detail, are the Top 5 Reasons to use a leasing agent to find your next Boston apartment:

1.  Listings

When wrestling with any important decision it is best to have as much information at your disposal as you possibly can.  There is no greater need for this information, than deciding on your next home, whether it be a rental or a purchase.  You may have found your last place without a Realtor, or you may have friends that have had success doing so, but I can guarantee you that if you’re currently using Craigslist to search by owner, and you’re looking within the neighborhoods of Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the South End, or the Fenway – you are wasting your time.  Most of the landlords who own property in these areas have been working with Real Estate offices for years, and have since given up the desire to show their property 5-10 times a day, when they can simply call the offices they work with and tell them what’s available for June, or September.  If you contact a leasing agent he or she will be able to provide you with information on specific listings that may help you decide to see one property over the other (such as heat & hot water may be included, or the landlord is flexible on deposits).  A leasing agent will also generally have access to about 5,000-15,000+ apartment listings at their disposal.

2.  Time Management

When you decide to start your search for your next Boston apartment, it is important to have a professional leasing agent essentially organizing and researching all the potential matches for you, while you carry on with your every day life.  We understand that work and school can get hectic and who wants to stay up for hours after Modern Family trying to find the perfect 2 bedroom on the sunny side of Beacon St, and send out 50 emails a week hoping that by the time you have your appointment set up, the apartment will still be available.  If you call me on Tuesday and let me know when you want to start your search, and where you’re looking to move to, I will have a list of properties for you within 10 minutes, and continue to work on adding more properties from our initial phone call to the date we’ve set to view your next home.  All the leg work is taken out of the equation for you.  Now, all that you have to do is pick up the phone, and show up for the appointment.

3.  Managing Your Expectations

Probably the most overlooked aspect of a leasing agent’s job is setting and or modifying a customers expectations for their future apartment.  Obviously, the sticker shock for someone new to the area is to be expected, so if you’re coming from South Carolina, or Iowa, it is understood that your 1500 square foot 1-bedroom for $900 per month will now cost you $1900 month (and be half the size).  It is our job to give you as much information as possible and tell you what most 2, 3, or 4-bedroom apartments are renting for in the neighborhoods you’re inquiring about.  The biggest hurdle we generally face is having an answer for “my friend just found an 2 bedroom with a roof deck on Marlborough St for only $1800 per month.”  Has this happened?  Yes.  Is it common?  Most assuredly not.  There is always going to be that diamond in the rough situation where someone just falls into an incredible deal – but if deals like that were the rule, and not the exception, than the average rental price in that same neighborhood would significantly decrease, and that has not happened.  And there is every indication that will not happen.

4.  Negotiating

Whether you are offering to purchase a property, or submitting applications and a deposit to rent an apartment, there is always some form of negotiating.  Lets focus on the rental application for now.  The vacancy rate in Boston right now is incredibly low, which means that the market is extremely competitive.  If you want your application and deposit to stand out, then my job is to sell both you and your application to the landlord.  If you’ve never rented an apartment before and you really love the 3 bedroom on St. Botolph Street but you have some reservations regarding the current condition of the apartment, or the paint in the kitchen, or you need a 2nd parking spot, then you might have some difficulties getting all of these things taken care of before leases are signed.  It is my job to present you and your application to the Landlord, voice your concerns, and help you both come to a deal that addresses and alleviates all of your hangups on the soon to be perfect home.

5:  The Fee Hangup

Due to the fact that the vacancy rate in Boston is so low, it is very rare that a landlord will be willing to pay any portion of the broker fee.  This can be a hangup for some customers, and some will still try and go it alone to save one months rent over the course of a year or two or three.  But someone who does that will be limited in their selection of apartments, they will devote more time than needed, and more than likely add unnecessary stress to their daily life – that is already filled with the stress of work and/or school.  Our job is to make this process as seamless as possible for you.  If you find a leasing agent who knows what they’re doing, has made the process easier for you, and is willing to get creative in order to alleviate the additional deposit, then you’re probably working with us at Charlesgate Realty. 🙂  One of the best solutions I have found to the up-front deposit for the fee is financing it.  You finance just about every other major purchase in your life, why not the fee for your next home.  If you rent a $2400 per month 2 bed in the Fenway, and you’re having difficulty coming up with money for the deposit, then maybe it’s time we talk to the owner.  We can ask the landlord if he or she would pay the fee on the condition that your rent would now be $2600/month (essentially you’d be financing the fee monthly). And if you’re moving in with a roommate, it’s probably going to be easier for you to budget an extra $100 per month each, than come up with $1200 cash each up front in addition to 1st and last months rent.

Bottom line, my job is to help you. Those are a few ways I do just that. If you’d like to schedule a brief phone consultation to discuss your needs, please contact me.