Renting ‘Sight Unseen’? A Broker and FaceTime Helped

My daughter rented an apartment outside Boston during Covid with just a zoom call. When she got there she was awestruck by dampness and the smell of mold. Needless to say she didn’t stay long and managed to sublet it to someone who could visit it in person. She swore she’d never do that again.

My sister purchased a condo in a large metropolitan city based only on my phone description and photos that I was sending during our call. The first time she saw it was just before the closing. That was many years ago. She still owns the condo and has used it as a rental property, it is almost always occupied. It's near a large medical center and traveling doctors and nurses are her clientele.

This is a success story for the broker (commission) and the client (spectacular views + proximity to NYC albeit $15toll across the George Washington Bridge). For $5K a month the apartment could be updated a bit, particularly the kitchen. Perhaps this is a sublet with a 1-year lease or lease-to-buy. Paying $5K rent for the long-term doesn't make financial sense in Fort Lee, NJ or anywhere.

Did you all notice this is a three bedroom apartment? And looking at the pictures they are not small rooms. Probably also with a lot of amenities, and what a view. Bus service to midtown NYC, or bus across the GW bridge and then the A train. We spend the first three years of our marriage in a high-rise in Fort Lee, and loved the location. It does indeed sound like a great deal.

That is indeed a fantastic view - I see why he fell for it!

My daughter recently rented an apartment sight unseen in another city. She was moving there for work and already knew her employer, who volunteered to Zoom with her (and me) from the apartment. We got a very good sense of the place and could ask questions in real time. It has worked out fine, no unpleasant surprises.

Great views, great looking apartment. Seems it would still be hard to be that far apart though.

I rented my apartment sight unseen and since I have been here for four years things obviously worked out. And when I sold my house several years ago, the husband saw it but his wife, stuck in D.C. with their kids, saw it for the first time on the day of closing. Both were the result of logistical issues comparable to those described in this article, so I don't think it is all that unusual. Glad things worked out for this couple.

With Face time or Zoom it wasn't sight unseen! The agent was referred from a co-worker who knew her personally. Also may I add , when dealing with professionals working at this level ( at a price point around 60,000 per year) , the risk was a speck of dust.

I've done the 'rent long-distance' deal and the only time I got what I expected was when I moved into base housing. Instead, this time I'll be taking a little exploratory trip up north, the second week of November. I expect things to move quickly after that - one way or another.

We recently rented a studio apartment in Portland Oregon sight unseen. What made the difference for us was that the building manager took the time to show us a video tour of the actual unit (not a "model unit' video). It turned out that the management is excellent, down to leaving bottled water and snacks in the kitchen for us on move-in day. The difference when renting online is the human connection - much like the broker in this story. By the way that's a million-dollar view! It must be beautiful at night too.

Congratulations on finding the perfect place. Coffee with those views must be awesome in the morning. Here in CA renting an apartment sight unseen is very common, especially since COVID. I moved to my current place after doing a virtual tour with rental agent. I did end up traveling here to see the neighborhood and then I took another quick peek at the apartment in person and the building too. It wasn't really necessary. I would Strongly suggest Never, never sending $ to social media listings. Look up the apartment buildings leasing office and call them or go to their web site. Most listings on FB and Craigslist and other platforms are fake.

Glad this worked out for him. If I knew a city well enough to know what the neighborhood was really like, what the buildings adjacent to mine contained (residential or commercial), and amenities I might try it. But otherwise, too easy to make assumptions based on photos. In my neighborhood near Denver some townhouses were built along a railroad tracks but had good views of the mountains. I live about a dozen blocks from the train tracks and in the middle of the night I can hear freight trains off and on. At a distance they almost lull you to sleep. But if your bedroom window faced those tracks the noise would be very disturbing. I can see a clever realtor showing views of the mountains in their sales brochures with no mention of the train tracks. That would be my fear of renting or buying something sight unseen.

Great views and art work. Looks like a wonderful spot! Well done

Wow, you found a great place! Enjoy! See you at the Met!

Killer apartment! And great way to work out the long-distance relationship. Best of both worlds.

my favorite place too- in front of that window- I will even hold the doggie!! fun story- lots of info- handsome, upbeat people who solved a problem and are good at it- please enjoy your view!! It is stupendous! I am sorry about yourMum -

Bought my new home in AZ sight unseen but trusted my agent to do right by me and she truly did.

Today, I am moving into an apartment I rented sight unseen. Back in the day, I bought a house in the DC area, sight unseen (worked out great). I sure do feel like an outlier!

For all the talk about the relationship/marriage, I would have really have liked to see a picture of the couple together!

Dumb, dumb, dumb. I work as a real estate Broker in Californians and I've rented homes sight unseen, twice. Both times I warned the tenants that they were making a big mistake by not viewing it first ant that once the lease was executed, no backsies. Well, as you might I guess, both renters, found "issues" and then tried to back out. Both were so venal and duplicitous, I let them go, but I did ding their credit for breaking a lease. It's not that hard to jump on a plane and go look at an apartment, especially if you are going to be signing a 1 year lease.

This just sounds like every rental story in summer 2020

I'm glad this worked out for this couple. It's very important to have a good broker in NY, or so I have read. But the flip-side in other parts of the country, especially in Los Angeles, is that renting or buying a place sight unseen can be a disaster. In Los Angeles, and I guess some other cities in CA by now, one of the biggest scams is paying $35 to $60 as an application fee for apartments that don't really exist. See four places you're interested in a competitive renters market and there goes $240 for nothing. You might hear back a "no thanks" from all four. The units are just photographs on a website. I know of a couple who believed the Internet so much that they bought a house in a Southwest state without actually visiting the house and neighborhood in person. Between the time escrow closed and the time they moved into the house, which was in a bad neighborhood but they had not investigated the neighborhood much, the home was invaded by addicts and badly vandalized. Why didn't the neighbors call the police when they saw signs of an invasion? Because it was a bad neighborhood. What a nightmare of a financial mess. The Internet is a great tool for convenience, but when it comes to vital things, like housing, not all cities are run like New York. Not all brokers are honest, not all online reviews of a place are honest, and renters and buyers still have to watch their backs in so many housing markets.

Now, I do not live in either New York or New York City, so my point of reference is quite different, but finding a rental 'sight unseen' does not seem to be such a marvel in modern communication. It is, in fact, how I rented the place I currently occupy. And I did it without either a broker OR FaceTime. Life must be very, very different in NYC.

NJ has the best view or used to before they built all of those nasty glass blocky towers. Much love to Mr Honeychurch - enjoy every minute

My mother grew up in Brooklyn and NYC. She once told me that her first apartment had a fireplace, a view of the East River, and the first month's rent was free---that was in the 1920s! Obliviously, things have changed, but Mr. Baptiste's apartment reminds me of my mother's view of the river. What a wonderful place he lives in! Great artwork, too on his walls.

The views are outstanding. I'd get no work done looking out those windows! Can there be a typo? Dr. Batiste is 65??!! Whatever he's taking I want the same! Enjoy your new home gentlemen. (and Bravo too of course..)

Full disclosure: I have known Dr.Batiste for many years as a colleague - and admirer. He is a truly elegant man, wise mentor to fellow educators and an icon in my profession. Bravo on the apartment and double Bravo on the 4 legged Bravo, clearly a much loved companion.

Congratulations to Dr. Batiste, Mr. Honeychurch, and Ms. Friedman! Great story about aging baby boomers who pivot successfully in this age of digital possibilities and Covid safety precautions! Fort Lee, NJ is frequently overlooked as a comfortable place to call home. While the rents are higher than in other Bergen County towns, it may be because of the proximity to NYC. While Fort Lee coop and condo prices are also a bit higher in price, they are roughly 50% less costly than comparable properties in NYC; with significantly MORE square footage and amenities. $5000 is the current monthly rent for a 2 bedroom, 2 bath, highrise rental, inclusive of 24/7 doormen, indoor gym, movie theatre, swimming pools (indoor & out), and secure garage parking. And, new borough pickleball courts! I live here and this is exactly what I pay. It is a different building than where Dr. Batiste lives. I trusted my local Sotheby's realtor in the same office and am very happy. For aging baby boomers, Fort Lee is an under-the-radar high-rise rent and/or ownership lifestyle for those who are now downsizing from the $1.5 million ++ dollar multi-level mansion homes in Englewood, Tenafly, Cresskill, Demarest, and Closter, where they raised their children. And, those who chose to, or can, send their children to the highly regarded Dwight-Englewood private school, where Dr. Batiste has accepted a new position.

Wow, that apartment is beautiful! Nothing beats a Hudson River view, and the one from the bedroom is spectacular. I'm glad Bravo and his dad have found a home they can both enjoy!

Whole Foods you say. Not bad Bravo.

My husband and I recently made a similar move. We're in our mid-60's and semi-retired, and we found the Ft. Lee area had great options for condos (we ended up moving to neighboring Cliffside Park). Our roomy unit has a great view of the GW bridge and upper Manhattan and probably would have cost at least twice as much on the other side of the river. Great, walkable neighborhoods, shopping, restaurants and public transportation.

I am glad to see affirmation that marriage and commitment do not necessarily mean living in the same house. My dear love and I live 30 miles apart, each in a house that suits us very well. I would love to live together, but can not imagine his giving up his home, nor me mine.

It must have been really hard over the past few years. I am so glad you were able to be with your mother and that now you have found a lovely place. Best wishes to you and your husband and, of course, Bravo!

$5000 to…not live in New York, but look at it from a fair distance. And his agent has him thinking he scored big. He’s right, she IS “amazing.”

My dog thinks Bravo is fetching....

I like the views.

Great apartment. If I read it correctly, his rent is $5000/month. He is a school administrator. I wonder how many of the teachers (the "actual" workers in an educational setting - or the whole point of that setting, secondarily only to the students) he "administers to" can afford $5k/mo. for rent. Our values systems are so messed up! The teachers should be making the big bucks first ... if there's enough left over, then sure, big bucks to the administrators, too. I'm aware that my constant focus on economic inequality gets tiresome, especially to those who are given more than their share of the world's finite resources. Sorry, not sorry. I see economic inequality as the driver of all our other problems and it needs to be fixed. Not to take away from Mr. Batiste. He is not responsible for the injustice and maybe he's trying to make it better? Maybe he is working hard to change things, so that the teachers in his district earn as much as he does. Maybe not. Either way, he has a beautiful view to enjoy while he ponders these questions about society and the future of education in the US. I hope he can help.

The downside, of course, is that rents are soaring, so I hope their incomes enable them to keep up with the increases. In the currently volatile economy, I am grateful for the fixed-rate mortgage I have on my co-op apartment in Manhattan. Fort Lee has numerous high-rise condos with spectacular views of Manhattan. Unfortunately, interest rates are soaring now, but it's a buyer's market.

If the renters are reading this...check out the parakeet colonies in Edgewater. I lived there 20 years ago right as the Whole Foods went in and always dined at The River Palm and Azucar, amazing restaurants. But those parakeets were a block away and it was fascinating for us and our dog!

I’m really pleased with Dr Batiste found success in the NY area. He looks nice a nice fellow. But I baffle that anyone in a school job can afford a $5k/mo rent, plus his views. How’s this happen without significant inheritance or subsidy? I wish these people well, but how long does this $5k/m lease last on a school salary? How do you go to the theatre at NYC prices?

I really enjoyed reading this- what full and fulfilling lives Dr. Batiste and Mr. Honeychurch have created- I wish them both the very best!

Your new home is beautiful. Enjoy!!

With those views I would get no work done ... ever.

A great real estate/relationship story. A lot of people couldn't imagine a long distance relationship whether married or not. But, if that connection is there, distance is nothing. Congratulations on your successful apartment search and your long distance relationship!

Gotta say, love the Welsh Terrier. View is gorgeous as well!

I'm the same age as this delightful couple, yet I wish they would adopt me. :))

Doesn't the dog always come first. He does at my house.

Kudos to Mrs. Friedman - a great apartment. Truly, it’s who you know 😉