It's also unreal to me living in the midwest US. I've rented several spaces, and never once would have considered paying one (nor was I ever asked to). This is

It's also unreal to me living in the midwest US. I've rented several spaces, and never once would have considered paying one (nor was I ever asked to). This is purely a problem of: A) Too many people want a limited supply B) The government has regulations which prevent expansion of said supply C) The government does not prohibit what amounts to... gouging? collusion? utterly pointless middlemen? Sure, most people have to deal with agents when buying or selling property around here (though I bought my current house from someone who didn't have a seller's agent) but I don't know of anywhere nearby where you'd think to get an agent to rent a place to live.