Still one star - but wanted to let fellow yelpers know that it wasn't just Rick who dropped the ball, it was also Adam, and now, the owner, Jack. We were told that the $100 cleaning fee that we paid would be reimbursed by Rick, since he lied and told us that the apartment would be professionally cleaned and wasn't. I was told by Adam that my check was in the mail. Two weeks later, I still hadn't recieved the check, so I followed up with Rick, Adam and Jack. Adam told me that the check was never in the mail, and Rick would not be sending it. So, Adam lied to us too. I haven't heard a word from Jack who was copied on all of the emails, even after letting him know that I expect the check from him, since his employees lied to me. Beware of ALL agents are Centre Realty Group - they are all liars. It's no wonder, I'm sure they're taking lessons from their "owner". read more

I was really disappointed by CRG, my first bad experience with a realty company (I've been lucky). They seem to have good inventory, and I chose a place with the help of a newer employee who was helpful and not pushy. But the higher-ups to whom she reported made lots of promises that they later went back on. One was that the unit would be clean on move-in, which I think is reasonable. When it was not clean, I got in touch with CRG and they became defensive and angry. I persisted, and they ignored me. Ultimately I had to pay cleaners myself to get basic cleaning done - previous tenant's urine off of toilet, food spills out of cabinets. (I'm not expecting perfection, just a livable place.) I felt really disappointed that I paid one month to these people who did nothing for me, truly nothing. If they had been respectful and responsive, this could have been a positive review. read more

I called this agency because there were no pictures for the rental in question. I spoke to a guy, asked him for pics and he forwarded me an email within a couple of minutes while were still on the phone. Unfortunately as I went to open the email minutes later there were no pictures attached. Not only that, but the rental price was more than what was advertised. I immediately came to Yelp to read reviews and wasn't surprised by what I saw. I decided not to do business with this group. Thanks Yelp for always coming through. I feel like I dodged a bullet. read more

So...update from the last time I wrote about this place. After we sent an official letter of complaint to the company, we were contacted by the Director of Residential Operations, who seemed sincerely apologetic about our bad experience, and wanted to deal with our problem personally (although the letter wasn't addressed to him specifically). He was in constant contact with us through e-mail, and showed a lot of initiative. Ultimately we got a partial refund of our realtor's fee, so props to that. Perhaps Mr. Mobtaker is just not one of the company's top real estate agents, since he is blatantly left out on their website, and another yelper here (Deirdre T), also had a bad experience with him. I suggest not bothering with this company if you are assigned to him. read more

The last thing the agent who worked with me, Marybeth, said before I signed a lease on a rental was, "Don't worry--it's not like I won't be here for you after you sign." 48 hours before I was scheduled to move in with a signed lease, the landlord emailed me to say the apartment was undergoing reconstruction for 7 weeks, would be filled with dust and debris, and basically uninhabitable. Oh, and I was to come and pick up my furniture (which they had allowed me to move in two days early after repeated delays) immediately. Given that I was without a place to live, I asked Marybeth to help me search for another place. She agreed to do so pro bono and told me she'd get right on it. For the next two days, I send her message after message to check on her progress and heard nothing. Then finally, I get a reply: she was willing to help me but only for her full fee. The landlord's last-minute construction may have been unanticipated but in retrospect, I should have seen problems with this agent the first time I met her: the fact that she would agree to terms but was reluctant to put them in writing. The fact that when I insisted, she omitted a significant item we had agreed upon from the lease and when I was about to walk, she wrote it in and said with a nervous smile, "We'll see what the landlords says when he reads it." Mind you, all of these were terms she told me the landlord had already agreed upon. When I relayed this problem to the management, they initially agreed this had been mishandled, but when I asked for their help, their response was that this was the landlord's problem, not theirs. The folks at CRG are very skillful at making the sale (or rental) but once they have their fee, they are out of the picture. If you plan to do business with them, I'd recommend first finding yourself a good lawyer as I plan to do. read more

I'm searching for an apartment rental, and ended up speaking to Jack on the phone. I gave him my information and told him what I was looking for, and we set up an appointment for the next day so that I could see a few places. When I arrived, I was told that Jack just sets up the appointments, and that someone else would help me. So despite that I'd called ahead and even emailed a list of things I wanted in an apartment, I sat there for 25 minutes looking through the online database of available places. Of the three apartments I had wanted to see, the realtor had lost the keys to one and could not get a hold of the property managers of the others. 40 minutes after arriving, I had not seen an apartment and I was dismissed without the realtor so much as him asking me my name. I won't be returning. read more

Didn't just flat out ignore us but worse..kept giving us hope that we'd see places and then taking hours and hours or days to respond only to say that the listings had been rented already. By far the most unprofessional realty experience I've had. That is saying a lot, I've lived in the city for 5 years and have gone on plenty of showings with 22 year old fresh grads. I almost got the feeling that our price range deterred these sharks from working with us even though they had PLENTY of listings that met our criteria. If I was a property owner I would NEVER use this company. read more

I worked with Rob Silverman and had a really wonderful experience. I'd been looking at a lot of different places since March and finally one that I really liked. Knowing the competitive rental environment in Boston, Rob worked quickly to meet with both the listing agent and owner to get me the place. Great experience and great person to work with. read more

I've communicated with at least four different CRG agents regarding 8 or so apartments, and not once have I been fully satisfied with any of their performances. Typical salesmen: they communicate with you to arrange viewings, falsely advertising garbage units, but flake out as soon as they show you the first unit. I just had quite a unique experience: a realtor had arranged viewings of four different units a few days in advance. The DAY OF THE VIEWINGS, she texts me saying she had "unforseen family commitments." Fine, maybe it's an emergency. But she fails to get someone to cover for her to help me out, then sends me street addresses but no apartment numbers for two of the four units. I show up and ask her via text to send me the apartment numbers, while I'm waiting in the doorway. She says she's looking for it, but after 15 minutes I just bail. Hours later she texts back, asking if I found the place and if I'm interested. Really? Avoid CRG at all costs; you will not be satisfied. If you want something done right, do it yourself. These people are NOT professionals. Save yourself a few headaches. read more

I'd avoid personally. Bait & switch was only the beginning of the problem. No sense of urgency within the Watertown or Newton office . They promote known slumlords as well . It's very disturbing to have to pay a fee to people who literally do nothing. Before I signed a lease I'd have my emails responded to but right after not a single one. I've left voicemails and no responses, emails no responses. It's a joke. Can't have a single question answered. They couldn't tell me when I'd get keys or even how to contact the landlord . Not worth the aggravation . I'd try else where read more

Contacted the landlord directly and set up an appointment to view the apartment, several days later Anna emails from the realty asking the same questions and sets up an appointment at the same time at the house at 6pm. We show up and there is a nice gentleman Aaron who is the broker and the owner who starts showing the unit to another couple. We are next in line and the owner invites us in and runs through the house answering our questions, just as we were wrapping up a gentlemen walks in demanding to know why were are viewing the unit and says he is the realtor "Alex" whom I've never communicated with was very abrasive and down right rude to the owner and us. Barks at us demanding we go through him and pay him a realtors fee. Needless to say I declined and he said "we can't have the place", I said well no thanks then and walked out. "Anna" calls demanding to know what is happening and keep going on and on. I called the owner of CRG and left a message to discuss as there is more to this story and no return phone call. read more

I went to see an apartment with Tracey Johnson within the past month. I cannot say it was a good experience. She ignored me and flirted with the current occupant the whole time. Everytime I asked her a question, she would answer briefly then continue speaking with the occupant about his hobbies. It was as if she could care less about renting the apartment. read more

Adam Taffel is an outstanding broker and a pleasure to work with. My husband and I own an apartment and he was very diligent in finding the perfect tenants for us this winter. He also gave us excellent advice on how to improve the quality of the apartment. We have used Adam's services on other occasions and each time he found us wonderful long term tenants. We highly recommend him. read more

Adam at Centre Realty was more than helpful. We walked in and just wanted to talk to a real estate agency face to face rather than via email with someone from Craigslist. He took down notes about everything we were looking for and set us at ease that we were going to find what we were looking for. Definitely recommend talking to him. read more

What is the deal with all the negative reviews? We found a place on zillow, Called up CRG, and yes we lift a few messages and an email, but we were pushing the urgency and expected some sort of magical rapid return. Sam responded and he really swooped in and saved the day. Aug viewings for sept? that was our mistake. Anyhow Sam was accommodating BEYOND any expectations. Charming fellow who keeps the conversation going so you don't have to deal with a robot, and not in that fake sorta way. He showed the apt to my roommate, let him take a video, which a lot of people are soooo against. later at around 6 he re-showed it, stayed back after ALL his co-workers were gone and basically missed dinner for us. The sign up is streamlined for the application. you do it via computer so its zip........and done. I highly recommend this place. If the bad reviews are for a certain person, just ask for Sam. read more

My roomies & I were in a bind over the holidays & needed to unexpectedly find a new place by the 1st of the year. When i called CRG, Mary Beth dropped what she was doing & drove us all around the area, showing my room mate & I 4 apartments back to back. They were very kind to us, and that's something I will not soon forget. Even though we ended up going with another apartment, I wanted to give Mary Beth a huge THANK YOU for going above & beyond when we needed her. read more

Alan was very attentive and patient as he showed me four separate places. He clearly put my needs first and it was much appreciated. If looking in the Waltham area or close by, I would recommend Centre Realty. read more

I've used CRG twice while i was in college and both times they have been great. The agents I had were very easy going and comfortable to talk to and they found me unbelievable deals both times. I'm giving the 5 stars because they arent they typical apartment rental office, they're more classy, laid back,are willing to negotiate with landlords, and always have great apartments to show. read more

Kim Clark helped me find a great one bedroom near Brighton Centre with very short notice. She showed me several apartments in Brighton and Chestnut Hill, and within two hours, she had helped me settle on a nice place. She was friendly, professional, and diligent, and made the experience easy and fast. She was a great person to work with, would recommend to anyone searching for housing in the area. read more

Weird experience with this outfit. I found an apartment on Craig's List - actually CRG had posted the same apartment 7 different times under 7 different realtors. I happened to notice that there was a similar description under "Apts by owner", and when I contacted the owner, they had no idea CRG was listing their apartment and had never worked with them! Anyhow, happily for me it was a GREAT apartment and I rented it, but I did think the whole thing with CRG was a little weird.. read more

"Kim Clark helped me find the perfect apartment! I was moving from out-of-state and didn't understand the Boston rental market at all. Most of the brokers I had contacted just wanted to show me a single place and then collect a fee. But Kim met up with me on the one day that I had in Boston, drove me around the neighborhood and gave me a tour of Boston College where I am currently working. She explained the entire process to me, showed me a good mix of places in the neighborhood that were in my budget, and even negotiated on my behalf on a variety of things that were important to me, especially with regards to my pets (which made the apartment search even more difficult and which other brokers wouldn't even consider asking landlords about). She made me feel like she really cared about getting me a good fit. The initial apartment I wanted fell through, but she continued to look for places and sent me listings while I was in Michigan and then we did WhatsApp tours of the places until I found the place that I really wanted. I was really worried about renting a place sight unseen, but I also knew that Kim had my back and she was honest about her evaluations of whether the neighborhoods and the buildings themselves seemed safe, or wouldn't meet my needs in other ways. Overall, I had a great experience and I recommend her to anyone I know of who is looking for a place." read more

I had a great experience working with Adam Taffel when my boyfriend and I moved from out of state. Adam was incredibly attentive and helpful through the whole process, and he is a genuinely nice person. Thanks again! read more

Worst experience I've had. My friends and I sent in our applications before anyone else. Our realtor was working under one of the head realtors. They both had a group looking at the place, full month's rent for realtors fee. When we gave our applications to our realtor, the head realtor started stalling her and wouldn't take her calls. Sure enough the other group which had their applications in a day after us got the place. Not even sure the landlord saw our applications, but of course there was an application fee too. Scummy people read more

This review is for Samantha and her manager Anthony. The first apartment we made an appointment to see, we show up after a half-hour drive and are told that the tenant is not cooperating and that we will not be able to view the place. Ok, understandable. No second appointment is made when it is available to view, and it is rented to someone else. The second apartment that we go and see, it is advertised at $1200, so I tell the realtor to submit my application. She responds and says that she submitted my application to the realtor, but informs me that the rent is actually $1300. Samantha first tells me that the manager made a typo mistake in the database. Then she changes her story and says that the landlord had posted the apartment as $1200 first, and then decided to raise it to $1300. I call the landlord (very nice young man) to clarify, and he calls me multiple times to apologize but inform me that the rent was always at $1300, never once advertised or verbally told as $1200 by him. CRG flat out lied to me. At the end, they were willing to discount the full broker fee to a half-fee after multiple emails and one phone call with the manager. Thus the one extra star. I did not sign the lease for the place due to their subpar way of doing their job. I would not recommend CRG to a friend. read more

I'm really surprised to see all the negative reviews for CRG, as our experience with Patty Greene was great. Patty was incredibly responsive to our emails, answered our questions with useful information, and got us the information that we needed in order to quickly make a decision about an apartment we were considering. She seems to put a lot of thought into finding the right fit among the potential tenants, apartment, and landlord, and her experience and insight made the process of apartment hunting pretty painless. read more

CRG is the best!! I have had nothing but positive experiences with them! I know several agents who work here and am certain some of the more disparaging YELP reviews posted which are over the top and negative do not reflect most client experiences. There is no one better than CRG when it comes to finding rentals in the Boston and Metro West areas! read more

I had a wonderful experience working with Adam from the Newton office and can definitely recommend him!!! He was very quick to respond to my initial phone call about the place, even though it was on a Sunday night. Although I was not 100% sure that I wanted this particular apartment (I'm actually very happy with it now!!!), I never felt any pressure that I must rent it. Adam was always on time for our appointments (on the dot) - it was incredible to see such degree of punctuality!!! My paperwork appointment took about one hour, which was mostly me reading the terms of the lease. Adam was very clear about every piece of paper I had to sign, so I knew exactly what I was signing. After that we went and inspected the apartment one more time to make sure I don't have any unpleasant surprises when I move in. There were also a few requests I had that both landlord and Adam were very flexible with and I am truly grateful for that! I have to tell you that this whole process took about one week (from the moment I found the add on craigslist to the moment I moved in). During this process Adam was there to answer every question I had and was very specific about every little detail (even after I moved in). I never felt rushed and can truly say that this was a very smooth and painless move for me!!! Thank you, Adam!!! read more

Looking for a place for me at least can be so stressful. Sean made the experience so much better. He listened to what I was looking for. Didn't try and show me places that were out of my budget and responded to all my messages quickly . He even made himself available on weekends and evenings. I was very impressed him and I would definitely use his services again. read more

My wife and I are very pleased with CRG. They had plenty of excellent and diverse properties to view. We found the perfect place on our first round out! The whole process was very smooth as the agents were well versed with the business and meeting clients needs..nice office too. Our agent was John very friendly! read more

Following up on my review, after 3 months of back and forth with the owner, Jack Foster, I ended up working with the Director of Operations, Adam Taffel who worked with us to refund our full fee, which we appreciated. read more

SUMMARY: My husband and I had an absolutely excellent experience working with Adam Taffel at Centre Realty Group and would highly recommend him if you need to find an apartment in the Boston area. He is professional, helpful, kind, and an overall pleasure to work with. Our story: Both of us have dealt with difficult or non-responsive brokers in the past, so we have previously adopted a highly skeptical attitude about working with them. In fact, my husband was loathe to even look at apartments with broker's fees because of this. Adam completely changed his perspective and we are both eager to send our friends and family to him after having such a positive experience. We contacted Adam after seeing an advertisement he listed for an apartment on craigslist that seemed absolutely perfect for us. He was extremely prompt in replying to emails and set up an appointment for us to view the apartment very quickly. I had no trouble reaching him after normal business hours, which will likely be a huge help to anyone who can't drop everything to apartment search while they're working. When we arrived at the location, Adam walked us through the premises, answering any questions we had honestly. In all our interactions, we genuinely felt that Adam wasn't just acting as a salesman for the landlord, but cared about whether my husband and I felt the apartment was a good fit for us. After we decided that we wanted to apply for the apartment, Adam worked with us to get all the materials together as quickly as possible to make sure we didn't lose it to other applicants. I can't stress enough how important this was, especially given how fast the real estate market moves in Boston. If you need to find an apartment in the Boston area, I would strongly recommend working with Adam from Centre Realty Group. He made the process easy and stress-free, and truly went above and beyond to make sure we got the apartment we loved. read more