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NYC Real Estate Agent Secrets REVEALED
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 22, 2014
Modified Jul 23, 2014
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jul 22, 2014
Modified Jul 23, 2014
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"This is a TV apartment!"
Recently a real estate agent at an unnamed company in New York left a manual behind in a client's apartment, and what follows will totally not shock you.
The manual was discovered by a Guardian writer after the realtor departed his home, and he's now sharing what he discovered inside. Basically, realtors are sneaky, just as we suspected. Some bullet points from the guide:
- "For all studio ads put 'One bedroom' in the box and then specify that apartment is a studio, or alcove in the title of body of the ad.”
- And about those little cozy nests we call studios, the spins continue: “This studio is bigger than any one-bedroom for this price!" “This studio is an alcove - you can easily put up a wall!"
- Suggested phrases include: "This is a TV apartment."
- Of course, many of their promised dream apartments (particularly those no-fee ones) do not exist. Their ALL CAPS mantra: “WORRY ABOUT THE APARTMENT LATER … JUST GET THE CLIENTS INTO THE OFFICE.”
- Trying to find something in your budget? Forget about it—the manual reads: “Think out of bounds; if their budget is $3,100, show an apartment for $3,500.”
- Agents are also urged to “never show a husband the apartment without his wife."
- And of course, always make the client feel the pressure by telling them things like: “For every great apartment there are five to 10 people you are competing against who want it!” And, "Apartments can be gone within 20 minutes, [you] do not have the luxury of taking time to think about it."
Most realtors aren't living in dream homes either, however—as one former agent wrote earlier this year: "Of course, it was fun to check out townhouses in Park Slope, airy two-bedrooms in Williamsburg, and gargantuan apartments in Ditmas Park, imagining what it was like to live in each one. But it was hard to imagine living in a $2 million home when you consider two slices of $1 pizza a splurge." Maybe we can all work on this housing revolution thing together.
Tagged
apartment
real estate
realtor
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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