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I didn't actually, I'm trying to save as much money as possible at the moment and while a broker would be a good solution it would be a bit pricey for me. Maybe

I didn't actually, I'm trying to save as much money as possible at the moment and while a broker would be a good solution it would be a bit pricey for me. Maybe when I'm older and willing to spend money on relocating that would be a better solution for sure!

dangus 5y ago
A lot of brokers work on commission that they get from the landlord. At least where I live, you don’t really pay for a broker as a buyer/renter, but I admittedly don’t know how that works in Luxembourg. A lot of brokers specialize on ex-pats, too! To expand on my point about knowing the local area, brokers know things like “what kind of person likes to live here?” Is it a young and trendy area or a quiet family neighborhood? (Admittedly, that information can be based on biases rather than data.) It’s something to think about. I know you might be looking to save money, but where you live is going to be a major purchase decision. Plus, spending time on your own apartment hunting platform isn’t technically free, your time is valuable. In any event, I’m sure with the kind of skills and dedication you have you’ll find a place in no time.
- jrockway 5y ago
  > A lot of brokers work on commission that they get from the landlord. It depends on the city. In NYC, the broker is pretty much always paid for by the person looking for an apartment, and it's quite a bit of money. I haven't looked for an apartment for 10 years, but I think it was 5-10% of the annual rent. (I imagine this gravy train is coming to its end, though. 10% was fine when your employer was paying for relocation, but in the All Remote future, this free money goes away.)
  - codewithmatt 5y ago
    I think in NY specifically it's still structured this way. But for the US as a whole, it's much more common for it to come out of the seller's end. Honestly here in Austin, unless you're walking into an apartment leasing office -- you're going to waste so much on rejected application fees by not utilizing an agent to rent a single family home.
  - tecleandor 5y ago
    Kind of similar in Spain. Usually it's equivalent to a whole month rent. A new law a couple years ago mandated that, if the landlord is not a person (a corp / company / org...) they must be the ones paying the fee. But I've been "extorted" twice in the last year by companies moving the payment to my person. And I say "extorted" because they defer details or information about the rental until the last minute, when you are days away from having to leave your old place and you have no other option.
codewithmatt 5y ago
I'm not sure how Luxembourg works, but in the US the "seller" or landlord in this case pays a fee. Obviously this may be drastically different in Europe, but it's worth having a conversation with an agent/broker. My wife is a realtor here in TX and when she is in-between home sales she helps people find rent houses and apartments. The seller pays a pre-agreed amount of 30-40% of the first months rent as a type of compensation. The buyer doesn't pay her anything at all. She is incentivized to find the right property for her client so she can get paid, and she also is better positioned to talk to the listing agent/landlord about you and the current competition among applicants. She ends up being able to save people money on application fees that would never get approved.
- b20000 5y ago
  the buyer pays, as the seller adds this to the price

dangus 5y ago

A lot of brokers work on commission that they get from the landlord. At least where I live, you don’t really pay for a broker as a buyer/renter, but I admittedly don’t know how that works in Luxembourg. A lot of brokers specialize on ex-pats, too! To expand on my point about knowing the local area, brokers know things like “what kind of person likes to live here?” Is it a young and trendy area or a quiet family neighborhood? (Admittedly, that information can be based on biases rather than data.) It’s something to think about. I know you might be looking to save money, but where you live is going to be a major purchase decision. Plus, spending time on your own apartment hunting platform isn’t technically free, your time is valuable. In any event, I’m sure with the kind of skills and dedication you have you’ll find a place in no time.

jrockway 5y ago
> A lot of brokers work on commission that they get from the landlord. It depends on the city. In NYC, the broker is pretty much always paid for by the person looking for an apartment, and it's quite a bit of money. I haven't looked for an apartment for 10 years, but I think it was 5-10% of the annual rent. (I imagine this gravy train is coming to its end, though. 10% was fine when your employer was paying for relocation, but in the All Remote future, this free money goes away.)
- codewithmatt 5y ago
  I think in NY specifically it's still structured this way. But for the US as a whole, it's much more common for it to come out of the seller's end. Honestly here in Austin, unless you're walking into an apartment leasing office -- you're going to waste so much on rejected application fees by not utilizing an agent to rent a single family home.
- tecleandor 5y ago
  Kind of similar in Spain. Usually it's equivalent to a whole month rent. A new law a couple years ago mandated that, if the landlord is not a person (a corp / company / org...) they must be the ones paying the fee. But I've been "extorted" twice in the last year by companies moving the payment to my person. And I say "extorted" because they defer details or information about the rental until the last minute, when you are days away from having to leave your old place and you have no other option.

codewithmatt 5y ago

I'm not sure how Luxembourg works, but in the US the "seller" or landlord in this case pays a fee. Obviously this may be drastically different in Europe, but it's worth having a conversation with an agent/broker. My wife is a realtor here in TX and when she is in-between home sales she helps people find rent houses and apartments. The seller pays a pre-agreed amount of 30-40% of the first months rent as a type of compensation. The buyer doesn't pay her anything at all. She is incentivized to find the right property for her client so she can get paid, and she also is better positioned to talk to the listing agent/landlord about you and the current competition among applicants. She ends up being able to save people money on application fees that would never get approved.

b20000 5y ago
the buyer pays, as the seller adds this to the price