The City That’s Never Cheap
Renting in New York sucks.
This isn’t news — ask anyone who lives here.
70% of New Yorkers rent. It’s a process we all begrudgingly go through. Because it sucks. Here’s why:
Illustration of NYC rental market
1. Cost
Renting here is crazy expensive with the average currently at $4,000 a month. Add a 15% broker fee (average of $7,200) and the total spend becomes unaffordable.
2. Scheduling
The constant back-and-forth over Gmail is difficult to manage. If you have even one roommate, you end up balancing your schedule, their schedule, a broker’s schedule, and the building’s schedule. Not cool.
3. Headaches
The horror stories of NYC apartment searches are legendary. From the classic “Bait-and-Switch” technique to the “pre-war gem with character”. You don’t need games — you need a place.
Finding your new home shouldn’t be so painful. It’s a burden on your brain, your time, and most importantly — your wallet. But there is another way. And no, it’s not posting on Facebook…
“Hey NYC Friends! Moving to you in a month. Know any good brokers who take a lower fee?!”
SURPRISE!
No-Fee Apartments Exist!
I know, right?
That’s right. Apartments… without fees. But how?
By going directly to the property managers, that’s how. The real estate sites you visit today are ad-based. You hit the page, they make money, and you’re handed off to a broker who then brings you to the property manager.
“Couldn’t I just go to the property manager myself?” -You, right now
You sure can. Oh, and they even have Leasing Agents who are there to show and rent you the place. Pretty awesome, right?
It is awesome. There’s just a couple issues. First, you don’t know who the property managers are. And second, they’re limited because they only have their own listings. So even if you took the time, did the research, and found their site… they may not have apartments for you. Time wasted.
But if you put all these type of listings together on one platform… wouldn’t that be sweet?
Thanks Spidey
Yes, it would.
And that’s why we created Abode. Abode connects you directly to those awesome Leasing Agents with the no-fee apartments. It’s pretty great.
Here’s Abode
in 59 seconds…
TL;DR = watch video
Built by renters, for renters — Abode makes renting in New York City suck way less and rule way more. Let’s look again at our list above:
When you use Abode to find a place
1. Cost
Duh… no-fee means your total spend goes way down. The average NYC renter saves $7,200. That’s 1,387 Shake Shack burgers. Or like — three drinks at a bar.
2. Scheduling
Eliminate one schedule from the equation and things get a lot easier. The process is cleaner when it only involves the person viewing the apartment and the person showing it.
3. Headaches
You know what you’re seeing, when you’re seeing it, and you’re talking directly to the person who will rent it to you. It’s basically Advil for real estate.
The agency model was created in a world before the internet. It’s time we used technology to make this process more intelligent.