"I Want an Apartment...But I Don't Want to Pay a Fee!"

The View from a Queens Storefront Office

Either at the beginning or middle of the month the phone rings more frequently with potential renters looking for new homes,.  Most callers know the "rules"-one month's rent, one month's security, one month's broker's fee.  However, I cannot tell you the number of times people ask why we charge a fee for our services.  It makes me wonder if I need to learn more about how to meet the needs of our potential customers.

Yesterday one woman said she was very interested in one of our craigslist apartments, but I had the hardest time trying to communicate with her that yes, indeed we are a real estate office and yes, there would be one month fee for the apartment.  Maybe it's because of our location and the influx of people from other countries in which agencies might not charge a fee, I don't know. 

It reminds me of the time I was working in a bookstore and a person came to the checkout with a book and asked me where the copy machine was.  "Isn't this a library?" he asked. 

With rents for 1 BR's averaging $1,500 in the neighborhood, I can understand people wanting to save a few dollars here and there.  However, I cannot fathom why a potential customer would think we would provide our services for free.

Happy weekend,

Laura, PCA Realty