Sunderland lass

Hi all, I've been emailing a realtor regarding viewing a property to rent when we visit later this month. She says that I only need one realtor.
1) Does this mean I pay her?
2) If so, does anyone know how much is the norm?

I'm confused as in the UK, the seller/ landlord pays estate agent fees.
Can anyone shed any light on the matter?

Thanks in advance

Speedwell

I have always paid the landlord directly. It actually depends on who the management is. If the realtor's office also manages the property, you pay rent to them. But if the realtor simply acts as a leasing agent who you will not deal with later, and the manager is someone else, you typically pay rent to the manager.

The norm in the market in Houston is for the property owner/manager to pay the realtor's fees. Apartment complexes even pay a commission to "apartment locators" for bring them a prospect who eventually rents. I'm not saying this is true in every case, but in my opinion you should not be asked to pay the realtor's fees.

Sunderland lass

Hi Speedwell thanks for your quick response - it is greatly appreciated.
I haven't been very clear - do I pay the realtor for their services? Thanks in advance

Speedwell

No, you should not be responsible for paying the realtor (unless you have signed a contract that says you must).

When I rent apartments in Houston (I have had several), I use an "apartment locator" service. They compile a "survey" of properties meeting my criteria, and then I visit those properties in the company of the locator. Since I have commercial real estate experience, I may also opt to make some calls myself, but that's my choice to do. Usually the visit includes me telling the property leasing agent who my locator is, but if it isn't discussed then, I am given an opportunity to specify the locator at the time of lease signing. The property pays the locator a commission, and the service is completely free to me.

Your experience should be similar. If there is a question about who pays the fees, I suggest you insist that the landlord pay.

Sunderland lass

Great to hear. Thanks very much Speedwell.

Pulaski

Agreed. Outside of a few major cities, prospective tenants do not usually pay fees to an agent.

Is the agent looking across multiple property managers to find you a home, or did you contact her about a property she is the agent/ manager of? I hope you're casting a wide net, not just relying on one agent who is primarily acting for property owners rather than finding the best deal for you.

Try rent.com or other rental sites to look for properties in the area you're interested in.

Sunderland lass

I emailed several agents about properties they were managing and she was the only one to reply. A colleague said that may be because realtors only receive commission if they sell a property, so renting it would not benefit them.

She said she may be able to negotiate a deal with the owner as we would be signing a 2 year lease. Also if the property wasn't suitable she said would keep looking for one that met our needs.

Sounds like she'd have my best interests which confused me and made me think I'd recruited her/ paying her.

Pulaski, do you think I should look for another realtor?

Sunderland lass

Have been using HAR but will checkout rent.com. Thanks for the recommendation

Chrisdc

You just need to be upfront and start channeling your inner American. :-) Ask her, "so, will I have to pay a fee?"

Speedwell

OK, no, unless a 2-year lease is what you absolutely 100 percent want, don't bite. A 2-year residential lease favors the landlord, not you. 6 to 13 months is more usual in this market. "Negotiating a deal" means getting you rental and other concessions, not negotiating who pays her fees. You need a renter's representative. I'm not legally qualified to be one, because I haven't worked in real estate in so long, but there are many locator firms and you can work with them even if you are not in the city. And as I explained, locators actually do receive a commission from properties when they refer a prospect who signs a lease (otherwise they would not get paid at all since the prospects don't pay them).

Unless you have signed an exclusive contract with the realtor, you are not bound to use her exclusively.

Some people choose to stay in temporary housing as soon as they land, while they search for a more permanent rental. I would suggest this for you since you don't have any knowledge of the area where you will be, and your furniture probably won't be along for several weeks anyway. Enlist the assistance of your US-based employer if you have a chance to; the executive secretary will probably know whether you can get a pre-negotiated deal.

Pulaski

There's a bunch of sites, and I'm not in a position to recommend any one(s) specifically but Google is your friend. I found forrent.com, forrentbyowner.com, zillow.com, and chron.com all appear to be active in the Houston area, and Google lists others too.

Like Speedwell, I'd recommend not committing to anything until you're "on the ground", either visiting a few weeks ahead, or even when you "actually arrive" (staying in a hotel or short term accommodation) because, unless you're prepared to pay rent for the period before you move in, most landlords are not interested in signing up tenants more than a month or so ahead of time.

Chrisdc

Trulia.com also

Michael

Some people list through real estate agents to manage and lease the property and the owner usually pays the commission. Therefore a real estate agent likely will not show properties that they don't have a contract with the owner so it is likely better to use a web site which will likely list all the properties for rent in the area (rent by owner, rent by real estate agents, rent by developers, etc.). Not all web sites will list every property for rent so use several to find as many as possible.

Sunderland lass

Husbands employer will pay for 1 months furnished accommodation till we get sorted. Got a good relocation package so will put our own furniture into UK storage and buy new wwhen we arrive. The advice of signing for 6-13 months sounds more sensible especially not knowing the area well. We fly out October 26th for 1 week exploratory mission so I think we'll visit some areas several times day and night. Thanks for the time you have taken to advise us. Your thoughts are greatly appreciated. Many thanks once again.

Weeze

Although one month furnished accommodation sounds generous, the realities of renting a property and setting up utilities in that time may be a struggle. For us it took 3 months to find and successfully lease a property. To set up the utilities took 3 weeks.

Our realtor fees were paid by the company.