Realtor says we must face smaller, pricier digs
A real estate bozo is kindly warning us that we should adjust ourselves to expect smaller, more expensive living spaces so he and his predatory brotherhood can continue to profit by the “impressive” rise in rents here.
Tim S. 09:28 on 2019-11-21 Permalink
In NDG, I’m noticing more and more apartments and duplexes rentals being advertised by real estate agents rather than by the owner. So now renters have to support their incomes as well.
Chris 10:43 on 2019-11-21 Permalink
“have to”? Are renters being forced somehow?
JaneyB 10:49 on 2019-11-21 Permalink
The commission that agents make off rentals is trifling. They only take those listings to create goodwill with owners for potential future sales of houses or other holdings. If there are more agents in rentals than in the past, it’s either because there are owners getting into renting in a big way (many units) or because there are too many agents and they’ll take 500$ instead of waiting forever to get a $5K commission on a sale. It doesn’t make sense otherwise.
Kevin 11:09 on 2019-11-21 Permalink
The last apartment I rented (in 2006) was handled by an agent.
In this particular case, it was because the owners of the building lived in Sherbrooke and didn’t want to drive into town every time someone wanted to look at the place.
It’s also easier for out-of-towners to find rental spots if an agent has a listing.
MarcG 11:42 on 2019-11-21 Permalink
@Chris Are you suggesting that renters have the luxury of boycotting apartments rented through agents?
Ephraim 12:26 on 2019-11-21 Permalink
More people do it today than ever before. It’s easier to let someone be the intermediary and pre-screen applicants with no bias. My parents had a duplex with a bachelor… so many people skipped out on the rent on that bachelor apartment….
Blork 13:43 on 2019-11-21 Permalink
I rented a place on Hotel-de-ville for four years back in the 90s and everything was done through a property manager (not quite the same as a real estate agent). It was a lower duplex and the owners were off living in the US for a few years. It was great, because the property manager was really good. Whenever I had a problem she took care of it immediately. It was nice to deal with someone who had a sense of professional integrity and job responsibility as opposed to an owner who doesn’t give AF about nagging tenants.
I had some doozy problems too. One winter the pipes froze and burst, causing a flood in the crawlspace under the house. Another time the upstairs neighbour’s water heater burst causing a flood that caused my kitchen ceiling to crash to the floor. In both cases the problem was solved quickly and efficiently with no “evil eye” or owner trying to blame me or whatever.
Chris 13:51 on 2019-11-21 Permalink
MarcG, oh I see what Tim means now, I think I read it too fast.
Tim S. 14:53 on 2019-11-21 Permalink
I’ve had good experiences with property mangers and agents too (though mostly in other, more expensive cities). 500$ to save yourself the trip in from Sherbrooke 3 times a month sounds reasonable. Yet, I can’t shake the feeling that the single act of posting a Sotheby’s sign outside a perfectly ordinary duplex raises the price a fair bit.
Kevin 18:38 on 2019-11-21 Permalink
@Tim S.
Perhaps, but ReMax and other run-of-the-mill companies also handle rentals
david10000 19:44 on 2019-11-21 Permalink
Problem: The zoning-created artificial land shortage driving rents up.
Reaction: Blame the real estate agents who profit.