Although many of Manhattan’s landlords have pulled out the OP (Owner Paid) commissions for brokers, many still remain. The market offers a mixed bag and at times, brokers and their clients are all mixed up. OP’s are on one day, then off the next. Some landlords offer a half month OP so brokers have to advertise it as “low fee”. One of our landlords (the name will remain unmentioned) will offer an OP on some apartrments in the building but not on others.

The entire situation does not help broker/client relations. Everyone wants a NO FEE apartment and in recent years apartment seekers have felt like chumps for paying a fee. Even in a classic choice between No Fee and For Fee apartments, ie. the fee apartment actually is a better deal than the no fee apartment, the client would rather take the No Fee apartment. Some people just don’t like the idea of paying a fee to a broker, even if that broker has found them a great deal.

Most apartment hunters understandably approach the process of using a broker with wary suspicion. Even an honest broker can be suspected of the old switcheroo when trying to navigate through the ever changing mix of fee and no fee apartments. Landlords aren’t doing anything to help the situation. They are feeling their mojo again (justifiably or not) and they don’t want to pay the broker either. The fact is that in spite of all the online resources of information, the services of a broker are needed now more than ever. Information overload (most of it bad or out of date) leave the waters more murky than ever. But who will pay for this service? It’s hard out there for a ….