Are you looking for an apartment in Brooklyn and are you looking on your own? Does this make sense?

The Internet and Social Media have taken the real estate market by storm. In the past, attempting to navigate the Brooklyn rental market without a broker was often an exercise in confusion and frustration. Fewer people possessed the knowledge or resources to successfully brave the market alone. Now, with more free online classifieds, no–fee rental sites, public real estate databases and forums hitting the Web every day, renters are becoming incredibly savvy about the Brooklyn real estate. 

You have the ability to find a great apartment without enlisting the services of a broker. All you need is plenty of time. But how much time you have left in your day after accomplishing your daily duties at work and home? The more time you can devote to your self–propelled apartment search, the more likely you are to wind up with an apartment you’re happy with. It’s like another “job”.

Much of your free time will be spent poring over apartment listings and coordinating viewings. If you work full time, you’ll probably need to take time off or use your weekends to view apartments. You probably must work around the schedules of the owners or supers or brokers showing the properties. You may take the time to check out 20 apartments only to find you hate everything and become exasperated and bitter as a result. Apartment searching may even become somewhat of an obsession — you may find yourself itching to browse listings and frantically making phone calls on your lunch break to set up appointments, all in hopes of not missing out on that exclusive apartment that’s “the one” (note that I know from experience).

Keep in mind that if successful, you’ll be handsomely rewarded with a happy home you found on your own, and you’ll also be up to 15 percent of your annual rent richer (since you avoided a broker fee). On the other hand, apartment hunting in Brooklyn without a broker is far from easy, and can, in short, make you feel like ripping your hair out. Particularly if you’re using a free online classifieds service to search, you’re bound to at some point run into con artists and scams; flaky, unprofessional owners or other persons who should show the apartment who miss appointments and never return your calls. You will see apartments that look like fantastic in photos, but in reality, more closely resemble accommodations at Riker’s. These things happen.

So what will you get if you decide to use a broker?

Mostly, the gift of time. Brokers know what is available, going to be available and what apartments aren’t worth the time to look at. They will use this information to eliminate many units that won’t meet your criteria. This market knowledge is invaluable to renters who are picky, time-strapped or not familiar enough with Brooklyn to successfully search for themselves. Once you find an apartment you like, the broker will also help you prepare your application package and, if necessary, negotiate with the landlord. 

You may be surprised to know that with the exception of exclusives, Brooklyn brokers generally do not possess any special inventory of apartments that the layman can’t access. So, your broker’s personality and working style are really what you need to evaluate when deciding who to work with. Whether they are with the largest or smallest company, you’ll still have access to the same great apartments. The bottom line is if you feel your broker doesn’t have your best interests at heart, find someone who does.

You can start your search here…