The Listing Agent and the Landlord
While every real estate agent may operate differently, most will charge you a one month fee, equal to the monthly rent. From there, they will offer to the real estate agent a portion of that amount, known as the Broker Rental Fee or co-op fee. This can range from 10% up to as much at 50%. What does this matter to you as the Landlord? In a nutshell, how quickly your home or condo will get rented
.or not.
Believe it or not, real estate agents prefer NOT to work for free. And while your real estate agent should show you every rental listing that meets your requirements, it does come down to money. Plain and simple. Lets look at an example.
Monthly Rental Rate: $1500 (You pay your real estate agent this fee (one month) to find you a tenant and/or manage the property for you. We will talk about property management later) From this fee, they offer the co-op Broker 10%. Thats $150. Thats $150 for driving them around, perhaps showing 5, 10 or more listings before the prospective tenant makes a decision. Not a great wage.
So look at the difference if YOUR agent offers a higher co-op fee:
◾15% = $225
◾20% = $300
◾30% = $450
Can you see how a real estate agent might be more inclined to show YOUR listing if it had a higher co-op fee associated with it?
http://www.mymidtownmojo.com/broker-rental-referral-fees-what-difference-do-they-make#ixzz3A8037ijX
How Do Condo And Co-op Fees Differ?
A co-op fee typically includes an underlying mortgage and property taxes. Mortgage interest and property taxes are typically deductible, thus much of a co-op fee is usually deductible.
The precise percentage you can deduct will vary according to your particular co-op. See the co-op treasurer and your tax professional for details.
http://www.ourbroker.com/library/how-do-condo-and-co-op-fees-differ/
First, know that I am not a realtor; however, it appears to me that the 30% coop broker fee is paid by the cooperate owner of the condo to a listing agent who brings the renter to them. It is my impression that the Harris' unit was not coop but owned by an individual.
Since the Harris' did not own the unit nor carry a mortgage on the unit that they occupied, then they would not qualify for coop tax deductions on the assessed monthly maintenance fees.
From the link kindly provided by gngr~snap,
http://m.realtor.com/#details?property_id=5977574701, I believe the broker coop fee is a one time 30% fee payable to the realtor who finds the renter for the owner. A higher percentage, usually offers a better chance of the realtor showing your property to potential renters.
Feel free to correct any of these assumptions made on my part.
moo and all that jazz