Disparity between estimated rent from agent vs. area research

[Alexander V.]

If you use rentometer and various apartment searches and believe that a unit should rent for, say, $650, and your real estate agent estimates that it should rent for $600, that's not a big deal. The different isn't that large. But if you can't find a single unit in the entire area that rents for less than $900, yet the agent still says that the unit won't rent for more than $600, how do you handle such a situation? I'd trust an agent over rentometer, but if I am incapable of finding any property near what the agent claims similar properties are renting for, I don't know how to resolve such a blatant disparity in the numbers.

How can we tell whether 1) the agent is correct and it is somehow a fluke that everything else implies a far higher number or 2) the agent is making an inaccurate estimate and the rent shoulder be much higher.

[Nathan Gesner]

You're probably relying on a sales agent, which means they know next to nothing about the rental market. You don't need an expert to comparison shop. Study the market yourself and act accordingly. 

You should never, ever rely on a sales agent for advice regarding rentals. The vast majority of them have never owned a rental, managed a rental, or studied the rental market.