In the worst cases, the story details a long exhaustive quest for just the right house for the family. In many stories, unqualified agents take newly arrived expats around to houses that are outside their budget, in unacceptable condition, don t match the needs of the family or are located far from the neighborhood that the family wants to live in. As in so many business dealings in Indonesia, there are a multitude of brokers that would like to help newly arrived expats find a house. They may or may not actually be the sole representative of the landlord of individual properties, but since the landlord pays their fee, they have a vested interest in getting you to pay the highest amount possible to lease the house. Many newly arrived expats are referred to such brokers by someone in their company - from the HR or Formalities departments in major multinationals or by other staff in key positions.
Most independent brokers find houses through word of month and networking through other brokers.
While many brokers specialize in a particular area, they will be willing to help you find a house in other areas as well. What they do then is contact other brokers who have contacts in that area who know what houses are available. Utilizing this system may work, though the search is much more lengthy. You will also undoubtedly see a lot of unsuitable homes in the process, as your broker will not be familiar with most of the houses they show to you. The negotiation process will also involve more than one broker, sometimes up to 3 or 4, since every broker that had a hand in referring the house will want a piece of the commission pie.