When renting a apartment in Shanghai, its very important that you have a good relationship with your agent. A bad relationship with a agent can cause you endless problems and cost you huge amounts of time and money.
They say that moving house is one of the most stressful things in life, add in some culture shock, home sickness, work pressure and all of the ups and downs included in relocating to Shanghai and you can get very frustrated when things aren’t the same as “back home”.
Agents dealing with foreigners in Shanghai encounter there fair share of clients from hell on a regular basis.
1) Clients who are dishonest and dont trust the agent.
Clients who are not honest about their budget, requirements and other information are a nightmare for the agent. If you dont trust your agent then simply find one you do trust.
2) Clients who want to see properties now but not ready to sign a contract.
It requires alot of effort on the agents side to arrange viewings of properties, and the likeliness of a property being viewed today being available next week are slim. Dont start viewing apartments until you are ready to sign a contract, or at-least let your agent know when you will be ready to sign a contract.
If you would like to see properties but not sure about signing a contract then ask your agent for a city orientation so that you can identify possible locations and buildings, they should be happy to do this for you.
3) Clients who are working with multiple of agents.
There is no benefit in working with multiple agents at the same time, by doing so you are just putting yourself in a position whereby the agent will not go that extra mile to help you. There are no exclusive listings in Shanghai, meaning if you have seen a property or seen a picture online of a property you would like to view, tell your trusted agent and it is likely they will be able to arrange that.
There is nothing more frustrating for an agent to find out a client they have been showing apartments to has now rented a place with another agent.
4) Clients who’s companies have already sole agreements with agents.
Sometimes companies who relocate expatriates to Shanghai have sole agreements with agencies, meaning that any properties rented by their staff must be done via the sole agency. If your company has such agreement signed then any other agent you work with will either have to split the commission with your companies sole agent or could be cut out of the deal completely.
If for any reason you are not happy for your companies allocated sole agent and seek the services of another agent, make sure your new agent is aware of the sole agreement your company has and will advice you of how to deal with it.
