# Explain the NYC housing market to me **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 10, 2010, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-nyc-housing-market-to-me/528366 "2010-02-10T02:58:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-nyc-housing-market-to-me/528366/21 "2010-02-10T18:49:42Z")
> [@The\_Shroud](#): > > Luckily it’s a renter’s market now in Manhattan; when I first arrived in in 2006, it was tough to find any rental listings that didn’t require a broker’s fee (a one-time fee of 10-15% of the yearly rent). When I looked at the end of 2009, most listings were no-fee, and some even offered a month or two of free rent. Wow! It’s been several years since I rented in Manhattan . . . I don’t remember any renter’s market like this. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-nyc-housing-market-to-me/528366/22 "2010-02-10T19:50:28Z")
> [@The\_Shroud](#): > > Luckily it’s a renter’s market now in Manhattan; when I first arrived in in 2006, it was tough to find any rental listings that didn’t require a broker’s fee (a one-time fee of 10-15% of the yearly rent). When I looked at the end of 2009, most listings were no-fee, and some even offered a month or two of free rent. This is something to watch for if you are looking at listings online. Sometimes a broker will list an apartment for $1,833 per month when it’s actually $2,000 a month with one month free. (They may put the real price lower down in the listing, in a smaller font.) I always found that to be deceptive. Not that you would end up signing the lease and then find out the price is not what you thought, but if $1,833 is in your price range and $2,000 is not, this can lead to wasted time for you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-nyc-housing-market-to-me/528366.md?page=1)