Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with brokers

F*%$ing agent

ohio — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:14:52 -0800

ChicagoApartmentFilter: What leasing agent/company/broker/other should we use for finding an apartment in Chicago? Any other tips or tricks we should be aware of? What we're looking for below the jump. So we are currently looking for an apartment in Chicago and we just got really screwed over by an independent agent. So we are going to start again, and I want to do a better job this time. We are looking for a 2 bed/2 bath higher-end place (with laundry in-unit, for example), in the Ravenswood/Andersonville area. My questions:

Are there any agents or brokers that you know or have worked with that are especially good and will have things to show us in that area?

Are any of the free services worthwhile? We looked at Apartment Finders, but they didn't have the kind of place we are looking for.

What should we expect in that area? What should we expect from an agent?

Any other relevant advice would be appreciated! Thanks!

How do I even start to fill out these short-term health care applications?

Skwirl — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 19:37:42 -0800

How do I fill out an application for short-term health care if I barely even remember which doctors/clinics I've been seen at, let alone why? So, now that I'm all unemployed and without healthcare, it seems like a good idea to sign up for a short term or catastrophic plan. Michael Moore's Sicko has me all freaked out that if I don't disclose every last hangnail, the insurance won't even matter in a pinch because they'll go all Private Investigator on me and drop me for some minor misrememberence.

So, I probably need to collect all of these disparate records into one place. Google Health seems to be ready to serve this function, but it seems like a Bad (!) Idea (!) to put that kind of stuff up on the web behind a wimpy password when it has no good reason to be there. Is there another service where they'll go from a list of clinics you've been at, then have you sign some release forms and send you the stuff without doing your own legwork? Is this what health care brokers do? Are health care brokers a good idea or a rip off?

Is finding an apartment in NYC without going there to see it an option?

makonan — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:42:02 -0800

Relocating from St. Louis to New York (Queens/LI border). I need to find an apartment to move into July 1st. How screwed am I? Here's the lowdown:
After four months of interviewing and multiple flights and hotel stays, I've finally been hired for this job. It starts in five weeks. Due to prior commitments including two out-of-state weddings, my current job, and studying/sitting for my board exam, I really, really do not have the time to fly out there for a fifth time this calendar year to hit the pavement looking for an apartment. I'm seriously at a point where I basically need to just pick something based off photos, send over a wad of money and then haul myself and my stuff there at the end of the month. The whole prospect of apartment hunting in the NYC area is daunting enough as it is, but am I making it even worse by trying to do it remotely? Am I fooling myself by thinking I can trust a property management company or a broker to find something for me? I've heard enough Craigslist horror stories that I'm not really sure I should bother looking at it anymore. Am I wrong to dismiss it as a viable option at this point? I have a few phone numbers for property management companies and will start making calls tomorrow, but I'd love to hear from anyone who has been through this and can give me any tips, or tell me that there's no way in hell this is going to work, or anything.

Shady Broker Situation

theseampsgoto11 — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:15:22 -0800

My broker is trying to charge another fee to put someone new on the lease for the NYC apt. we've been living in for 3 years. Is this legal? Do I have any recourse? Brief backstory: About 3+ years ago, two friends paid a broker's fee and signed the lease on an apartment in Manhattan. One moved out and I sublet (legally) for a few months. Eventually, we added my name to the lease. I didn't pay a broker's fee, just $100 or so for a credit check.

Now my roommate is moving out and I found someone new to move in. Our broker is trying to charge this new guy a broker's fee for the new lease, even though I did the work. Is this legal? Do I have any options other than losing the apartment?

I'd appreciate any help - thanks!

Moving from Manhattan to the Outer Boroughs, help requested

incomple — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 23:21:59 -0800

My roommate and I are planning on leaving our filthy, shitty East Village apartment, to find something nicer and larger in Brooklyn or Queens. How do we go about making this move? We're likely making this more complicated than it should be... Our current lease is up at the end of the summer, but we want to start looking for places as soon as possible. Obviously, no unit would stay vacant for six months, so we can't look at properties now, but is it at all possible to set up an arrangement with a broker, who might know what rental properties will be available in six months' time? Have any of you ever done this? We're thinking that by August, when our lease is up, our search will be complicated by the plethora of students looking for housing. Hence, we want to find something, and ideally have a lease, before then.

Neither of us have ever had to deal with a broker, having inherited leases from friends, so we don't really know how to go about making the first move. Do brokers deal with specific neighborhoods, or can I just call up any broker in the city and get what we're after? Can anyone recommend any brokers or agencies from personal experience?

(If it's of any relevance, we're looking at basically anywhere in Brooklyn, ideally "brownstone" Brooklyn, that's less than a half hour to the city. We'd prefer not to go past Prospect Park, though I lived in the Lefferts Gardens area before and found it to be quite nice. Failing that, Astoria or LIC in Queens.)

Mortgage broker or big bank, and does personality count?

kmennie — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 10:57:00 -0800

I'm getting a mortgage; I have been talking to my bank, and two mortgage brokers. They are competing, of course, but I'm not real clear on what's important. Went to a major (Canadian) bank months ago, were approved (for more than we were asking for), without hassle. Nothing changed on this end, but, 24h before the initial closing, the manager -- let's call her Banker Barbara -- decided she wanted a co-signer.

"No," I said. Thank heavens nobody else was interested in the house; extended closing, called a broker...

Within the same 24h, the bank no longer wanted a co-signer. (Huh? I didn't get anything approaching a decent explanation for the temporary screw-over.) 5.10%.

The first broker I went to after the screw-over, "Bob," also offered 5.10%.

Broker "Billy" then entered the picture, at 4.99%.

Banker Barbara: "4.98." I am still irked with Banker Barbara, and I like Broker Billy.

I am less of a fan of Broker Bob, but he's now dangling 4.94 (not guaranteed, but).

Do I let them compete against each other until zero hour? Hang it all and go with Broker Billy? Is there some advantage to having one's mortgage with a big bank? How important is it that I like who I'm dealing with? (If that's important, it looks to be particularly so here. Bob and Barbara irritate; Billy, I like, and he/his assistant are top-notch at quickly giving good answers to questions.) What sort of "what else is involved vis-a-vis your brand of mortgage" questions should I be asking?

Who to believe? Broker or lawyer?

ny_scotsman — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 18:44:26 -0800

Brokers - I think I got some bad advice from a real estate broker when buying a house, and it might cost me the deal... how do I know who's telling the truth? Before we put in our offer, our broker said that we shouldn't ask for a mortgage contingency clause because it would make our offer more attractive. So, we bid and specified no contingency - and now our lawyer wants us to sign a waiver if she's going to continue to represent us because she says this is a really bad idea. The broker claims in five years of doing closings (this is in Scarsdale, NY) she's never had a contract with a mortgage contingency. Our lawyer and our mortgage broker says that can't be true. Is our broker telling the truth? If she's not, what can she stand to gain?
Our lawyer says that without the clause, the seller sees little benefit but we face enormous risk if it goes pear shaped, which we agree with. Our broker says if we don't agree to waive the contingency clause, we'll lose the deal... has anybody been through this before? What's going on here?

Broker/agent recommendations for Jersey City rentals, please!

cyrusdogstar — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 09:07:35 -0800

Looking for some specifics and some general advice: broker/realtor/agency recommendations for finding a rental in Jersey City, and/or links to general resources for someone new to real estate/apartment hunting. This is a semi-followup to my earlier JC-related question, for what it's worth. In addition, from perusing other such threads, I've already bookmarked Del Forno Realty and Armagno Agency. However, if possible I'd like recommendations for other such groups, or specific individual agents who specialize in Jersey City.

As with the other thread, please do not mention New York City or Hoboken resources unless they also deal with Jersey City, and yes, I have heard of that quaint little "Craig's List" WWW thingy, thanks :) And we've heard the "no brokers, they suck" argument ad infinitum, and have taken that viewpoint into account.

Sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite!

anjamu — Tue, 16 May 2006 18:17:15 -0800

[New York City apartment filter] So my future roommate and I found a place we thought was perfect. We're thisclose to signing the lease. And then a search with HPD turns up 96 open violations in the building. How concerned should I be? We're working with a broker, and we have put down the security deposit but not the first month's rent (also required) and we haven't signed a lease yet.

The place seems almost too good to be true: spacious flex 2 BR for $2200 in the Financial District, replete with doorman, elevator, laundry in-building.

(I know, I know: if it seems too good to be true, well, it probably is.)

The 96 (!) open violations, courtesy of NYC HPD, include roaches, mice, all kinds of maintenance issues, and worst of all, bedbugs. Only 2 out of 5 tenants on apartmentratings.com recommended it, but I don't know how much weight to throw behind that, as I'd never heard of the site before today.

I should note that our broker is the only broker who rents places out in this building.

My questions include:

1) If a building has bedbugs, even if they are only cited in one apartment, do I run?
2) How many violations are normal? Is this excessive?
3) Are there any other city websites I should check out?
4) How much might it cost us to escape this deal?

Mac-friendly Online Broker

travis vocino — Thu, 20 Apr 2006 06:26:18 -0800

I'm searching for a Mac-friendly online trade broker. Something with great tools that I can use for up-to-the-soonaspossible statistics and whatnot. Any recommendations? I used e*trade a long time ago and they had a win32 app that you could download that had graphs, stats, and everything. When I think about having really good stats on all my trades and movements up on dual monitors on the G5 or at the airport on my MacBook I get really excited.

Advanced web apps are ok too, as long as they will work on Macs. Also, the normal recommendation variables (price, time, etc.) still apply.

Should I tell my mortgage broker I just lost my job?

elisabeth r — Fri, 31 Mar 2006 06:47:36 -0800

Yesterday I got fired from a job I hate, but I'm in the middle of applying for a mortgage and I'm worried this will jeopardize my chances of getting approved. I need to know what I should tell the mortgage broker, if anything, about this whole situation. Some facts:
I was given four weeks notice (paid), but not required to report to work.

I was also given a severance agreement- this would give me an additional two weeks pay. Don't worry- I'm having a lawyer look it over.

I was planning on (and had budgeted for) quitting my job in seven weeks- I am starting a new job over the summer, at a substantially higher income, and have documentation to support that.

This is when it gets complicated- Even though every other mortgage person I talked to said it's common to get approved for a mortgage based on future employment prospects, the broker seemed to not want to know I was quitting my job and didn't want to see the letter documenting my future income.

So it looks like the broker is trying to do my mortgage based on my present income and the fact that I am currently employed. I don't know what to tell him- how do I tell him not to call me on my work number anymore without it seeming suspicious? What am I obligated to tell him? Am I "still working" even though I'm on what amounts to paid leave?

Other information- I have excellent credit (~770), but was in school until a year ago, so my income has always been very low. I am liquidating about half my assets for the 20% down payment, and my parents are gifting me with some money for closing/settlement costs, moving expenses, furniture etc. My parents are also willing to cosign the loan, but obviously I would rather not have to make them do that if at all possible.

Any advice would be appreciated!

Real Estate agent credibility

Amizu — Sat, 04 Jun 2005 19:30:19 -0800

Any advice for checking out real estate agent credibility? In the Miami area for example? (And has anyone ever worked with Bill Brough - Homefinders of Miami, Inc. - in South Beach?)

Finding a mortgage broker

jca — Mon, 20 Dec 2004 11:35:34 -0800

Finding a mortgage broker? I need to find a mortgage broker for a first time home buyer relocating to Atlanta GA. There seems to be a lot of "noise" on this subject as far as searching the web for information is concerned.

Can anyone offer any advice/recommendations on finding a broker?

I'm looking for a recommendation for newsletter content brokers.

willnot — Wed, 24 Mar 2004 15:03:37 -0800

I'm looking for a recommendation for newsletter content brokers. I've found a few, but their offerings seem a bit on the weak side. Has anybody worked with any that have high value content available? Bonus points if that content skews towards Human Resources/Staffing/Management.