Pune: Techie Ashish Sinha (39) prefers a brokerage-free platform for finding accommodation on rent as it is pocket-friendly. “Online platforms are very helpful in finding a house or flat on rent, as it saves on the brokerage that we pay to a real estate broker,” he said.
According to a recent report by website Nobroker.com, Pune has topped the list of customers choosing a brokerage-free platform, with 82 per cent respondents saying they would not want to pay brokerage while searching for a flat.
This survey was conducted in Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi/National Capital Region (NCR) among more than 8000 people, including 2,000 participants from Pune.
According to the survey, 13 per cent of Puneites found their homes through personal connections while five per cent of them used real estate websites. Around 10 per cent of the total respondents prefer going through brokers.
“A real estate broker will charge anywhere between 1.5 to three months’ rent as brokerage. This is much higher in comparison with the minimal charge that online platforms ask customers to pay. Details about the property, like photos, are available on the website, which helps in filtering properties as per the requirement,” Sinha explained. Marketing professional Meghana Dekhane (34) chooses to save brokerage money by asking for references in her friend circle.
“A salaried professional like me always looks to save the money we will end up paying a real estate broker. These brokerage-free websites give us a good option to save money. But it is time consuming and requires a lot of patience. Therefore, I prefer to go through my friend circle and social contacts if I am pressed for time.”
However, 25-year-old Shruti Kothari from Kothrud feels that choices are limited on such websites or groups. “Paying brokerage equal to one and half months of rent is not at all affordable. But usually there is not much choice, as most of the time, people rent their flats out through brokers only. Though some might say it is hassle-free, I feel that more choices must be available directly from house owners.”
