How apartment locating works
Apartment locating is free to the renter because the community pays the locator's brokerage after the lease is signed. At Imperium Sky Realty, a licensed Texas real estate agent takes your brief once, confirms availability, pricing and move-in specials directly with properties, and books your tours, and you pay no locator fee at any step.
How do apartment locators get paid in Texas?
Apartment locators in Texas are paid a commission by the apartment community, under that community's locator program, after a renter the locator referred signs a lease. Because locating is licensed real estate work in Texas, the community pays the brokerage -- here, Imperium Sky Realty -- and never the renter.
Three things follow from that arrangement:
- The renter is not the customer who pays. Imperium Sky Realty charges you nothing for the search, the tours or the follow-up.
- The fee is not added to your rent. Rent is set by the property, and it is the same rent you would be quoted walking in alone.
- The arrangement is disclosed up front. We tell you at the start that the property pays us, so you always know how the service is funded.
Apartment locating in Texas requires a real estate license from the Texas Real Estate Commission. Every Imperium Sky Realty search is handled under the brokerage's license, and the brokerage is the party the community pays.
What happens after you start a search?
After you start a search, an Imperium Sky Realty agent reads your brief, contacts properties that fit it, and comes back to you with a confirmed shortlist; from there you tour, apply and sign on your own timeline, with the same agent following each step.
- You send one brief. The search form asks for your move-in date, monthly budget, bedrooms, pets, the areas you are considering and any must-have features in the home. It goes to the brokerage, not to a listings site.
- A licensed agent contacts you. The agent reaches you by text, call or email, whichever you picked on the form, to fill any gaps.
- The agent confirms, then shortlists. Availability, current pricing, fees and move-in specials are checked with each property before anything reaches your shortlist, so you only see places that fit today.
- You tour in person or by video. Tours are scheduled around you. If you are still out of state, live video tours show you the actual unit.
- You review requirements before applying. Each property's application criteria, fees and deposit are walked through with you first, so the application holds no surprises.
- You sign, and we follow up. When you tour, tell the leasing office you are working with Imperium Sky Realty. After you sign, we check in, and if something promised on the tour is missing from your lease, we help you raise it with the property.
Who is responsible for your search?
A licensed Texas real estate agent is responsible for every Imperium Sky Realty apartment search, working under the brokerage's license from the first message to move-in day.
The agent is the person who matches you to apartments, answers your questions about a property and speaks with properties for you. An automated assistant may collect the basics -- budget, timing, size -- and hand them to that agent; it does not choose units, advise you or negotiate.
What we ask about is the home you need: budget, timing, size, location, features and pet policy. We do not ask who you are or who you will live with, and the areas you search are always your choice.
Questions about apartment locating
Does Imperium Sky Realty charge renters for apartment locating?
No. Imperium Sky Realty charges renters nothing for apartment locating; the participating apartment community pays the brokerage after the renter signs a lease.
How can a renter check that an apartment locator in Texas is legitimate?
A legitimate apartment locator in Texas holds a real estate license, and any license holder can be looked up by name in the Texas Real Estate Commission's public License Holder Search.
Are apartment locators in Texas the same as Realtors?
Not necessarily. An apartment locator in Texas must hold a real estate license from the Texas Real Estate Commission, while "Realtor" is a membership in a trade association, which a license does not require.
Does an Austin apartment locator go on tours with the renter?
Imperium Sky Realty schedules Austin apartment tours in person or by live video around the renter's schedule, and the renter's licensed agent answers questions before and after each visit.
Can an apartment locator help a renter with credit concerns in Austin?
An Imperium Sky Realty agent reviews each Austin property's stated application criteria, fees and deposit with the renter before applying, so a renter with a credit concern can focus on properties whose requirements fit; approval is always the property's decision.
Ready?
Tell us the home you need. A licensed agent takes it from there.
Our service is free to renters. We are paid by the property when you sign a lease. Availability, pricing and specials are set by each property and can change without notice; we confirm them before you apply.