Citi Habitats broker makes neighbors out of friends

Caroline Bass, a Citi Habitats broker, has made it her business over
the last few years to find many of her friends a place to live, right
in her own building at 50 West 72nd Street, according to the New York
Times. Bass is not the official broker of the Upper West Side building,
which is known as Ruxton Towers, but that broker often lets her know
about listings. Bass keeps a mental list of friends looking for
apartments and offers to help rent out their current apartments if a
Ruxton apartment opens and they have to break their lease. Bass
typically splits the commission — 15 percent of the annual rent —
with the Ruxton’s official broker, but for friends, she often cuts her
7.5 percent share to 6.5 percent, a savings of roughly $360 for a
$3,000-a-month apartment. So far, she told the Times, none of her
friends have been unhappy with the arrangement. Studios rent for $1,600
to $1,800 a month and one-bedroom apartments recently rented for $2,800
to $3,200. Bass says she has been involved in 75 leases in the 210-unit
building and her friends say the building is worth it. [NYT]