I've used a broker without feeling like it was worth the money. My roommate and I came across our current apartment on craigslist, checked it out, decided we li

I've used a broker without feeling like it was worth the money. My roommate and I came across our current apartment on craigslist, checked it out, decided we liked it (even with the broker's fee on top of the rent), and then signed the lease. The broker did show us the apartment and do a bit of coordination with the landlord, but it's not like he was showing us lots of apartments or coordinating with a coop board. Our landlord runs a shop right below the apartment, so it's not an issue of someone living far away or anything. I understand how it makes it easier for the landlord and can be beneficial for the tenant (I've had beneficial experiences myself), but I don't think the broker added a lot of value in this particular process. Edit: this was in Boston, which tends to have a pretty competitive rental market, and brokers are pretty standard. I had a more positive broker experience when I went with a broker who showed me around to a variety of apartments rather than using one because they had an exclusive on a particular apartment that was interesting.