I first went to realtor A. Realtor A sent me 3 listings based on my requirements, and I didn’t like any of them. I then found listing 1 on SUUMO that I liked, showed it to realtor A, who brought me to view the property.
Meanwhile, I found a different listing 2 that I liked on SUUMO, clicked through the enquire forms and was approached by realtor B that brought me to view listing 2.
I ended up liking listing 1 better than 2, and informed realtor B that I’ll be going with listing 1. Realtor B then attempted to poach realtor A’s business by quoting a half-price off for the brokerage fee for listing 1 (a \~100,000yen discount).
Does this happen often? Should I do the “right” thing and go to realtor A or should I just take the discount? What would you do?
9 comments
It’s a dick move, one that usually means one more agent that won’t want to work with foreigners in the future.
Since A took you there, negotiate with A. Tell him B wants to give you a discount, and see what he can do for you. If A can’t do anything then politely decline him and go to B.
Realtor B wants your business more than Realtor A, reward them
You are missing an important point. You viewed a property with agent A, and the agent representing the property (the landlord’s agent) will remember you. This is because agent A probably made the reservation by saying something like, “I’m bringing you client X from Denmark who works for Y company making Z yen a year.”
If you then apply for the property using agent B, the agent for the landlord of Property 1 will recognize you and say, “hey, didn’t you view this property with agent A? Why are you now applying for this through B?”
You only answer is that you are betraying the original agent for a few bucks. That of course makes you a less desirable applicant. Japanese real estate relies on courtesy and decency, so the agent representing the property may reject your application based on your cutthroat behavior.
So you should apply for the property with Agent A, paying full price. And if the application fails, go to agent B and say, can you find me another property for half price fees? They will likely say no, because people who do the actual work of finding you a property cannot afford to do it for half price. Only poachers can make a living at that level.
The other people here looks like they have money to burn 😂 that’s a significant discount. Honestly, I would tell realtor A straight up the other guys offering me a huge discount. See if they can match it.
A will match B, almost guaranteed. Ask for more and chances are they will just cut the fee to zero to keep you from going to B. Give it a try, nothing to lose. But going to B is a bad move here. Your name is in the system.
If this situation wasn’t your intention, why did you even inform B of your plans? All you need to tell any realtor is if you want to proceed with whatever they’ve shown you or not. You don’t owe them any additional explanation about your intentions.
Realtors are pretty predatory stuff in Japan
It’s business. B gave you a better deal, go with B. You could negotiate with A and see what comes out to be cheaper for you but ultimately you have every right to pick the better deal so ignore anybody calling it a dick move or putting you on an imaginary blacklist
I would tell you my experience earlier this year
A: Showed me the apartment I am currently living in. I somewhat liked it but wasn’t sure. But A wasn’t very keen on showing other apartment.
B: Showed me mostly shitty apartments. Also showed me the one from A but advised me not to take it. He pushed for a literal rat hole. I did not use his agency again.
C: Same as B showed some apartments. But the one A showed was still a better option. So once I told him I liked another apartment better; he offered me to charge 25%. It was quite a bit of money. So I gave him the apartment info and rented it through him.
So I do think it is normal behavior. They also know you have probably been to other agencies.