How realtors find apartment owners: tips, examples

Where to find your first client? All new realtors entering this business ask themselves a similar question. This article will describe in detail how a realtor can find buyers for an apartment, how realtors find apartment owners, how to work with advertisements correctly, as well as some tips for beginners.

How can a realtor find an apartment from the owners?

Finding apartments with a realtor

So, how does a realtor look for apartments? The easiest and most popular way is to search through advertisements. There are 2 main types of advertisements, where the main factor is the age of the owner.

Internet resources – youth and middle-aged people are posted here;
Printed publications (magazines, newspapers) – older people of retirement age prefer to publish here.

There are special programs on the Internet that can filter out advertisements about the sale of owner's homes from all others. The only thing is you have to pay for it. But there is a large error, so manual selection will be more accurate.

What a realtor should pay attention to when searching for an apartment through advertisements:

The first date of placement of the same advertisement, most likely from the owner of the apartment;
The price of the apartment/house is higher than in similar messages;
Advertising is too simple, without details;
The photo is not of very good quality, or depicts items that do not affect the sale;
Absence or incomplete description of the availability of necessary papers when completing a transaction;
The cost of the object is significantly overestimated, because... realtors put their commissions into it;
The author of the message is indicated.

Some tips for finding owners:

A systematic analysis of all resources for the fact that new advertising has been added will allow you to notice an advertisement from the property owner in a timely manner.
Information boards have a paid feature – they separately show updated data on a daily basis;
Try to view ads for 2-3 hours a day;
You should not call for all messages.

Step-by-step instruction:

Manual filtering of advertisements from owners;
Working with data, collecting all available information about the apartment/house, comparing costs;
When calling the ad, check the availability of the owner and ask for additional information about the property.

Tips for finding apartment owners

The main disadvantages of a newbie:

No experience in finding clients and housing for sale;
There is not enough knowledge;
Authority has not been developed;
Little self-confidence;
Gives in to failures and obstacles.

The main reason new employees leave the real estate business is a lack of understanding of where to look for real home owners with whom to cooperate? Let's try to answer this question.

How to find an apartment without an intermediary - 4 ways

First, it’s worth understanding whether the “game is worth the candle.” Of course, the real estate agency will take a certain percentage for intermediary services. For this money the client will receive:

apartment that meets the requirements;
viewing housing at a convenient time;
accompaniment at viewings;
assistance in drawing up a lease agreement;
consultation on all legal issues related to rental housing;
checking the documents of the homeowner and the transaction for legal purity;
drawing up a transfer and acceptance certificate.

Typically, specialists require 50-100% of the monthly rental cost for their services. If you want to save money, you can do the search and documents yourself. In this case, free legal advice can be obtained on our website.

So, if you are determined to search on your own, then you can use one of four ways to find an apartment without the intermediary services of a realtor.

Through the Internet

Access to the Internet ceased to be a luxury a long time ago. Now everyone has a personal computer or smartphone. There are now many sites on the Internet where anyone can place an advertisement for housing for free. A potential tenant just needs to study the offers and choose the appropriate options.

First you need to exclude advertisements from intermediaries. How to do it? Very simple. Typically, intermediaries post several offers on one resource. Almost all sites have a “show other user suggestions” function. If, after clicking on this button, another 10-20 ads appear, then you have an intermediary.

There are other ways to distinguish an intermediary from the owner:

owners usually list in detail the requirements for tenants, it is important to them how many people will live, their nationality, the presence or absence of children and pets - this does not matter to the agent;
owners prefer to rent out housing for a long term - agents do not insist on this;
the owners know what condition the room is in, where the windows in the kitchen and in the room face, when the renovation was done, who the neighbors on the landing are and what their names are.

Another key difference is that when you first call, agents try to find out your details and contact information. They need this to replenish their base. Homeowners do not need such details about your personality at the stage of the initial call.

Newspapers and magazines

Not everyone uses exclusively electronic methods. Printed publications have not yet sunk into oblivion and are still relevant. Moreover, they are popular among certain segments of the population.

In particular, older homeowners are more likely to turn to their local newspaper than to well-known online sources. The same applies to conservatives, who often publish advertisements in paper newspapers.

However, intermediaries also use the services of printed publications. To calculate them, pay attention to the indicated phone numbers. Agency numbers, as a rule, differ slightly (by one or two digits). When calling, ask questions that only the owner can answer (where the windows face, what the neighbors’ names are, etc.).

In addition to the Internet and newspapers, some still post advertisements on entrances and public transport stops. To search, you will need to go to your desired area of residence and carefully read the advertisements.

In this case, there is also a chance to get involved with intermediaries. However, it is not that big. In addition, this method often helps to find inexpensive housing in the desired area.

Friends and acquaintances

A good option is to ask friends and acquaintances. Perhaps one of them or their neighbors rent an apartment?

This way you will definitely avoid fraud and intermediary. But, as you know, it is better not to have money dealings with “your own”, so be careful. Do not abuse your goodwill and friendliness - pay on time and do not allow the condition of your home to deteriorate.

Methods of work in searching for owners:

How to find owners for a realtor, a few recommendations:

Outdoor advertising - boards near entrances, at bus stops, in crowded places. Text on behalf of the buyer with an offer to buy an apartment for cash;
Advertising in print media of the local region;
Online advertising on all possible resources.

Tips for advertising online:

Creation of a professional profile on social networks (Facebook, VKontakte). Regular publication of thematic posts will arouse interest among readers and potential clients will appear among them;
Internet boards. A large number of advertisements, but many also from intermediaries;
The best way to attract clients is to create your own website. Post information on the topic of real estate and add keywords and phrases to the text. A user who is interested in the topic of buying/selling real estate will type certain words into a search engine and end up on your website. To increase the number of visitors to your target audience, set up targeted advertising.
The creation of a mobile application attracts the most active users of social networks, mainly young people.
Participation in thematic forums where you can meet a large number of people united by the same interests.

Read on the topic: How realtors find apartment owners Features of the work of a realtor in a real estate agency Overview and essence of the realtor profession: specifics of the work

Step-by-step instructions for renting an apartment

Those who want to rent a good apartment for a long time from the owner and decide to start searching on their own will have to free up a lot of time and be patient. You can’t rush in this matter - it’s better to carefully work through many different options than to take the first one you come across and end up with problems later.

Be prepared for the fact that you will have to make a lot of calls, communicate, ask questions and travel. It is best if during this period you are free and mobile so that you can view the apartment at any time. Good options are selling like hot cakes, so it is very important to quickly respond to an attractive ad and come and look at the apartment first.

Let us consider in detail the rules for renting an apartment and analyze the entire process step by step.

We are looking for suitable options

Choose the appropriate methods for choosing an apartment and start searching.

A huge number of options will be presented to your attention, so in order not to go crazy from viewing hundreds of apartments every day, immediately set up filters based on the main parameters:
area;
number of rooms and area;
price;
type of house (new building or resale);
comfort level;

On ad sites and in specialized databases, all these parameters can be configured automatically, so the system will only provide options that suit you.

Be careful, don’t believe in miracles - if you come across a wonderful apartment at too low a price, the likelihood that it’s a scam is very high. Websites with advertisements are full of photographs of beautiful apartments that attract attention.

If you call on such an ad, the most likely scenarios will be as follows:

you will be informed that the apartment has already been rented, but there are several similar options;
you will be informed that the apartment has already been rented out, and in the meantime your phone number will be included in the realtors’ database, and the very next day you will start receiving calls with supposedly lucrative offers.

Expert opinion

Klimov Yaroslav

More than 12 years in real estate, higher legal education (Russian Academy of Justice)

Ask a Question

One simple but effective way to check such an ad is to save one of the photos of the apartment and do a Google image search. Based on the results, it will immediately become clear whether the photos are unique or not.

We arrange a meeting and inspect the property

Once you've selected a few suitable options, start calling landlords. At the very beginning of the conversation, you should ask whether you are talking with the owner of the apartment or not. In most cases, if the answer is negative, there is no point in continuing the conversation if you want to communicate not with the realtor, but with the homeowner directly.

Don’t be shy to ask a lot of questions already at the stage of the telephone conversation - this will help to weed out unsuitable options and not waste time inspecting an apartment that will not suit you. The owner of the apartment will probably willingly and completely provide all the necessary information, but the intermediary will most likely answer vaguely or offer to discuss everything during the meeting.

By phone, ask the landlord about the following:
floor and number of storeys of the house;
are all the neighboring apartments occupied (or will noisy renovations begin in the future);
size of the parking area, availability of free spaces;
the presence of schools, kindergartens, clinics, and large stores nearby;
average amount of utility bills;
who lived in the apartment before and why they moved out.

These questions will be enough to understand whether this apartment is suitable or not. If yes, then you can safely arrange a meeting and inspection of the premises.

Important! Under no circumstances agree to a “paid” inspection. Don’t pay anything, even if the landlord starts complaining that many people come to look at the apartment, waste his time and ultimately don’t agree. An honest and interested owner will show the premises for free without any questions.

You can arrive at the object a little earlier than the appointed time. Take 10 – 15 minutes to explore the area.

It is important to pay attention to the following:

whether the courtyard area is closed or open;
Are children's playgrounds well equipped?
how many cars are parked in the yard?
how good is the asphalt road surface in the yard and at the entrances to it (are there many holes, or is there no asphalt at all);
the presence of park areas, shops and other infrastructure within walking distance from the house.

When meeting with the owner, first of all you need to check the documents for the apartment when renting - this is a passport and documents about property ownership. Ask about the presence of other owners (in case they are against renting this apartment).

Important! No matter who shows you the premises, you only need to sign the contract with the real owner of the property, so as not to run into scammers. There have been cases when scammers rented an apartment for a couple of days, rented it out to naive long-term tenants, took payment from them and disappeared. The next day, the real owner appears, renting out his apartment by the day, and finds strangers there who have already paid for several months.

After checking the documents, you can begin to inspect the apartment itself. It consists of the following steps:

Inspect the entrance and assess its condition. It can tell a lot about other residents - your future neighbors.
Check the plumbing and assess its condition. If something is leaking somewhere, bring it to the attention of the landlord.
Inspect the furniture, assess the degree of wear and tear, and check if anything is broken.
Turn on all the equipment in the apartment, it should work properly. If something is wrong, let the owner know. Also check all switches and outlets.
Connect to the Internet, check its speed and stability.
Inspect the locks. Ask the owner if it will be possible to change one lock. This will protect you from the risk of being robbed, for example by previous residents.
Assess sound insulation and check the condition of all windows and doors.

Expert opinion

Klimov Yaroslav

More than 12 years in real estate, higher legal education (Russian Academy of Justice)

Ask a Question

Do not hesitate to ask all the questions you are interested in, this will protect you from unpleasant surprises in the future. If you are satisfied with everything, you can proceed to concluding an agreement.

Registration of a lease agreement

This is an important step, without which it is impossible to safely rent an apartment, so do not agree to any agreements without this document, even if you want to rent an apartment for just a month. Remember that you can only enter into an agreement with the real owner.

Important! If there are several owners, require written consent to rent from each. The same applies to people registered in this apartment.

A properly drafted contract should contain the following points:
The subject of the agreement is the address of the apartment, its area and number of rooms.
Parties to the agreement, their passport details.
Duration of the contract, amount and procedure for monthly payment. This can also include penalties for violating this clause. Also the amount that the new tenant pays when concluding the contract, for example, payment for the first and last month of residence or a security deposit.
Eviction procedure - how much time is given to the tenant to leave the apartment upon termination of the contract.
The frequency of owner visits and the time during which the tenant must be notified of the visit.
Contact information for both parties – such as email addresses and telephone numbers.
List of repairs and who will pay for them (by agreement with the owner).
Who is responsible for repairing broken equipment and furniture?
Other persons and animals who will live in the apartment.

In addition to the contract, it is important to draw up a transfer and acceptance certificate, which will describe in detail all the valuables in the apartment and their condition. It is best to photograph them, and print the photos and attach them to the act.

Where else can you find an apartment for sale by owner?

New buildings put into operation. Buying a new apartment is a great way to invest money. And as soon as the owner receives the keys to the apartment, he immediately puts it up for sale. Advertising leaflets, flyers, and billboards will help here.

Newspapers with a release date a month ago. The owner of the property posted his ad, but then changed his mind or postponed this matter until better times. You offer your help, which he will not refuse.

Advertisements on the Internet that are a month or more old.

Advertising for the sale of furniture by a private person. Often several pieces of furniture or household appliances are sold by people who put the apartment up for sale.

Step-by-step instructions for renting a home

The algorithm of actions is simple:

Finding a suitable option. Where and how to look is described above.
Phone conversation. Immediately clarify all the nuances if something was not indicated in the text of the ad. Ask what condition the apartment is in, how utilities will be paid, for how long the housing will be rented, who the neighbors are, etc.
Home inspection. Check how the plumbing works, inspect all corners, ask questions, inquire about the use of household appliances and check that they are working properly.
Drawing up a lease agreement and a transfer and acceptance certificate. Be sure to read the documents before signing. Clarify any unclear details. Remember, the more detailed the contract is, the easier it is to resolve disputes in the future if they arise.

The issue of a possible rent increase should be discussed in advance. This is also stated in the text of the contract.

The acceptance certificate is also an important document. It is he who confirms that the owner transferred, and you accepted, the living space for temporary use. Record the condition of the furniture at the time of transfer of housing, data on repairs and meter readings.

How to find out that housing is being rented without the participation of an agency?

The most effective way to obtain such information is to call the number indicated in the apartment rental offer. In this case, you can personally find out whether the author of the advertisement is the owner of a specific living space.

Important. When searching for suitable options through various Internet resources, you should set a filter to display offers exclusively from the property owner.

Additionally, it is worth noting that some signs can be identified that directly indicate that the property is being promoted through the efforts of realtors. This includes the following:

The same phone number is listed under several different offers. This is obvious evidence of the fact that these apartments are rented out by one real estate agency.
Several advertisements for renting different apartments contain the same photographs.
This or that option is quite often found on various sites, and also appears in pop-up advertisements.

In general, it can be noted that searching for housing without intermediaries is a rather complicated procedure that requires a lot of time and effort. Nevertheless, this option is also real. If you follow certain rules, you can actually contact the owner of the apartment directly and avoid paying a commission.

How to rent a room or apartment without a realtor, where can you look?

As mentioned above, searching for rental housing without the help of a realtor is a rather complicated procedure. However, if you wish and have enough time, it is still possible to find a suitable option. The first question that concerns many tenants is related to identifying places to look for premises for rent. The following main options can be listed:

through relatives, friends and acquaintances;
by posting notices in the area of interest;
tracking offers posted on the Internet;
use of thematic groups on social networks.

Will friends, relatives or acquaintances help me rent housing?

When looking for rental housing, the very first step that should be taken is to interview relatives and friends living in the region where you need to rent an apartment.

In practice, cases often occur when housing can be found through friends. And here the following options are possible:

someone plans to rent out their own living space;
acquaintances soon want to move out of a rented apartment (for example, due to moving to another country) and may advise you to take it instead of yourself;
Also, situations sometimes occur when one of your friends or acquaintances may know about good premises for rent, etc.

Reference. Having chosen the word of mouth method, it would not be amiss to ask about renting housing from grandmothers sitting near the entrances (usually this category of people knows a lot about a lot), from the concierge, janitors or security guards.

Posting advertisements in the area you are interested in

Another option is to distribute paper advertisements looking for a rental apartment. If you choose this method, follow these steps:

First you need to decide on the region for renting housing, as well as the characteristics that the rented apartment must meet.
Next you need to prepare the ad text. Its content should be short and clear. You can include the following information there:
the main characteristics that a rented living space must meet, usually the number of rooms is indicated here, for example: “I’ll rent a room or a 1-room apartment”;
a few words about yourself, for example, you can use the following formulation: “a single girl will rent a room for a long time, I guarantee timely payment”;
a note stating that the services of intermediaries are not of interest;
your phone number - it must be included in the advertisement on tear-off sheets.
The finished ad should be printed and reproduced (50-100 copies can be made).
Next, you need to walk through all the areas of interest and post your ad on the doors of the entrances of apartment buildings, at bus stops, poles, etc.

It is worth understanding that this option for finding rental housing is not the most effective.

The fact is that there are much fewer offers for renting apartments than the demand for them (especially in the most popular areas), so you can hardly count on the apartment owner himself to call the specified number and offer his apartment.

Information resources on the Internet

The most effective way to find rental housing is the Internet. Today, a fairly large number of different platforms are successfully operating, designed to search for tenants and landlords, as well as sellers and buyers of real estate. So, we can list several of the most well-known services with which it is possible to find suitable rental housing:

Avito is the largest Russian website designed for posting various types of advertisements (selling and buying goods, vacancies, providing various services, etc.).
This service also contains a wide range of housing rental offers. " Important. On Avito you can set a filter to search for apartments exclusively from the owner.
“Yula” is a bulletin board that also contains a large number of offers for rental housing. This service belongs to the largest IT holding – Mail Group. About 30 million users visit this resource every month.
“Non-agent” - this service positions itself as a resource that accumulates offers for the sale and rental of real estate directly from the owner.
"Real Estate.Mail.ru" is one of the most popular sites with a wide selection of offers for the sale and rental of housing. It is worth noting that before publication, most advertisements are checked by moderators and marked with a special icon.
“Domofond.ru” is also a very well-known Internet resource containing offers for the sale and rental of real estate. This site belongs to Avito, so all advertisements posted there are automatically published on Domofond.ru.

Can I find it in groups on social networks?

Also , don’t forget about social networks , where most of the population sits, which significantly increases the chance of finding a rented apartment in the right place.

Mainly, you should pay attention to thematic groups in contact (for example, “Rent and sale of real estate St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg”, “rent in Moscow, rent an apartment, room Moscow time”, etc.) and classmates.

You need to collect a list of the most popular groups on social networks and visit them regularly, keeping track of all the latest publications.

In addition, you can also place your advertisement about searching for housing there, indicating your contact details (WhatsApp, email address, etc.).