Landlords &/or tenants if you're not using John O'keefe from Devoted Real Estate you're making a…read moremistake! After a long search filled with viewing crappy apts & dealing with unproffesional brokers i was losing hope. Thats when i sent the "id like to request a tour" message to one of Devoted's properties and all my troubles went away. That was on a Tuesday morning. I met with John to view it just a few hours later that day. Applied on Wednesday. Approved on Thursday! I could of signed my lease same day or next day too if I wanted but I opted for that Saturday. John answered every one of my concerns, gave me his advice & opinion on questions I had that wasn't even part of his job to answer he's just a good guy on top of good at his job! He may be a little late to your meeting or miss a text because he's juggling so much getting us into our new homes but i'm telling you do not let it deter you from working with one of the best agents out here! Oh and dont hesitate to provide whatever is needed to submit your application. Just think about all those apartments you reached out to on zillow or street easy but then didnt respond after. Devoted wants to protect their time spent, show you're serious and also make sure you dont back out last minute of a property another potential tenant could have its only fair! I can confirm all agreements were honored with no issue! I could go on and on because I'm so shocked at how seamless the whole process was but i'll end it with John you're the best! It was a pleasure and thank you a million times over!

I used this real estate agency as a landlord to fill some vacancies I had. Over the course of 2-3…read moreyears I started having issues with all 4 tenants they brought me. Different issues all at different times. They brought me two tenants who should have never passed a background check. One tenant had multiple criminal charges in a different state and the other had stopped paying after moving in. Stay far away from them. They are not thorough and just care about making money.

Female Tenants Beware of 493 Pacific Street!!! I am writing this post to warn prospective renters…read moreabout 493 Pacific Street in Boerum Hill Brooklyn. I rented from this property for 2 years. Allen Barcelon of Boerum Hill Realty is the broker and super of this building. In my 2 years at this apartment, my husband and I regularly paid our rent on time. This August , however, after my husband and I separated (on good terms), my husband informed Allen that he would be moving out and i would be staying and wished to renew our lease, Allen informed me he would not be renewing the lease for "repairs" and upgrades to the apartment. Allen failed to provide me with 60 days notice of the non-renewal of the lease as required by law. When I reminded him of this, Allen responded to me in a text message "here is her reply, a real c*nt." (See screenshots). When i told Allen he sent the offensive text message to me, instead of apologizing, he replied "Ooops!" This is not the first time Allen has acted this way towards me. Earlier this year- without notice- Allen shut off the water to our shower to do a routine/ NON-emergency repair. Our shower was shut off for two days during the work week and we could not use it. When i politely told Allen that he should have given us notice and should at least pro-rate my rent, his response was to call me over the phone and yell at me saying "Are you f**king serious??" In general this behavior has been consistent from Allen. He also typically tried to only communicate with my husband, rather than me, even though I was also on the lease. He also refers to roaches as "palmetto bugs" - we have notified him several times of roaches in the building and as a result he sends in monthly exterminators but downplays the problem by refusing to acknowledge they are actual roaches. Absolutely unacceptable behavior. I wish I had looked at prior reviews of Allen Barcelon and his realty company (Boerum Hill Realty) before I rented from him, on help (see screenshots). They are an accurate depiction of my experiences with him.

We rented through Al, just moving to Brooklyn. He was responsive and a fair dealer the whole way…read morethrough. Renting in New York is tough, obviously, but working with Al was easy and there weren't any surprises or gotchas.

We worked with a broker, Brenna Prochnow…read more She went above and beyond for us and we were able to rent an amazing apartment during a tough market. I'm so glad we went with her as our broker. I would absolutely recommend her to anyone seeking a broker.

Brenna is an exceptional real estate agent who consistently exceeds expectations. She's fast,…read moreclear, and results-driven--always doing everything she can to move things forward efficiently. I first met her as the listing agent for a high-end condo I was considering. She responded quickly, followed up promptly (which nudged me to act), and navigated a complex condo board application with ease, making the rental process smooth and stress-free. I later hired her to rent out my own apartment. She marketed it beautifully, encouraged me to list at a higher price than I'd expected--and secured that price within two weeks. I recommend Brenna without hesitation.

Amazing level of service, Zealestate is a true professionals!…read more I was in situation when my moving date was in 6 days and i still haven't find my new place. Even if you have good credit score and money, it's still not easy to find a good place and have a reasonable realtor who can help you, there are so many details you need to know. I decided to give a try this company. First i got the call from Sam, he asked me what apartments i'm looking for and he sent me list with 5 places. They all were actually very good, I picked the one that was closest to my work and I scheduled showing. I met with Marvin and he was incredibly professional, honest and upfront. He answered to all my questions and showed me apartment, literally everything was clear and transparent for me. There was no weird feeling like with other agents I met recently and he was responding very fast to my messages. I applied in the evening and the next day in the morning i got the answer that I approved. It was very quick, specially when I didn't have much time left to find a new place, they just literally saved me! I wish I worked with them before in the beginning of the month, so I could save myself a lot of time and avoid so many problems with searching new places. Everything just went so smooth. Definitely recommend to everyone, you can rely on these guys. Everything went on high level of service and painless for me. Marvin and Sam, thank you again!

Seriously-- heed the reviews…read more Omar was 20 minutes late to our apartment viewing before calling to say he couldn't make it-- he seemed apologetic and gave us the code to let us into the apartment, so I shrugged it off. As it turns out, this wasn't a one-off and he often cancels on his clients with no notice. After viewing, we were pressured into putting in a competitive offer above the listed price, plus a 15% broker fee (absurd, but we were unfamiliar with the renting landscape in NYC after the FARE Act went into effect). It took almost two weeks, and many, many calls, emails, and texts from both of us and our guarantors (we spent literally hours trying to get in touch with Omar), to finally be sent the application materials. ANOTHER week passed with no reply or acknowledgement before we gave up on the unit. The whole experience left us feeling frustrated and ignored. Do yourself a favor, avoid this group and any of their units. No matter how much you like the apartment, there will be another one-- without the headache.

very rude! wouldn't recommend. not professional at all their units don't even come with air…read moreconditioning (basic human right)

Inhumane bunch of people. Berman Realty is a multigenerational family business (patriarch Joe &…read moresons Marc and Stephen) who seem to have lost sight of what it means to interact with humans. (Stephen is friendly. The other two are deeply unpleasant and tyrannical.) They're very nice when they're getting you to sign, but this pivots quickly once you're a tenant. Unless you walk on needles around them (or even if you do), they'll easily get nasty with you in a totally unwarranted way. The apartments themselves are really not great - prewar and dated with minimal amenities. The heat was uncontrollably hot and uncomfortable (85 degrees in the winter with all my windows open) and very loudly hissing radiators. The tenant below me had a ceiling fan that made my bedroom sound like a washing machine. They took months to repair a very bad leak in my wall (the walls across the length of my entire apartment looked like they had shingles) because the building is on a single boiler. There was no laundry in the building, and I used the coin-operated laundry in the basement of another unit a block away. They offered and then rescinded my lease renewal and hounded me out of the apartment when I took too long to get my shoes out of the hallway. I look back and can't believe I paid that much to live in that dusty, moldy shoebox of an apartment. SO MUCH DUST even though I vacuumed every week. When I moved into the apartment I had serious allergies, and later on the allergies subsided but I would get sick much more frequently than I ever had in my life. For the amount of rent they charge, you shouldn't be living in a health hazard.

Greg Timmes was such a fantastic help to me and my roommate in our recent apartment hunt. He was…read moreresponsive, kind, and genuine. Anyone who has been on the NYC apartment scene knows that someone like Greg is an incredibly rare find. He is truly fantastic at his job! Highly recommend that anyone and everyone work with him.

I had an extremely frustrating experience working with this realtor, Ying Lo. Communication was…read morepoor from the beginning, and multiple apartment-viewing appointments were never properly coordinated or followed up on, despite repeated attempts to connect. As a serious and qualified applicant, I felt completely disregarded throughout the process. The lack of professionalism ultimately cost me the opportunity to secure an apartment I was genuinely interested in. In addition, the tone of the communication was at times dismissive and rude, which made the experience even worse. Based on my experience, it felt like certain applicants may have already been preselected, while others were not given a fair opportunity or transparent communication regarding the listings. I would strongly recommend improving responsiveness, professionalism, and fairness when dealing with prospective tenants, or request for someone else

Nicholas Venezia did an excellent job on the sale of my one bedroom apartment in Dyker Heights…read more At our initial meeting, he came prepared with a marketing plan and comparables that demonstrated his in-depth market knowledge. He worked with me to set an asking price that would appeal to the market but not leave value on the table. I started getting offers literally one day after hiring Nick due to his network within the neighborhood that brought a number of prospective buyers to my property. After evaluating many offers in the following few weeks with his advice, we had a contract out less than a month after listing at 5% below ask. He was a pleasure to work with and communicated with me frequently throughout the entire process. I'd highly recommend Nick to anyone who is selling a property in this market.

I just wanted everyone to know Ben Bay Realty is the BEST, Nick Venezia is a very professional and…read morewonderful person. It was a pleasure to work with him and the company. My home, as well as 3 other homes on my block were sold in less then 3 months. I would recommend this company and especially Nick to all interested in selling and buying, you will not be disappointed. It was a very enjoyable experience. Me and my neighbors were very happy with his service.. Carolann Saponaro-Tangorra

Anisa was amazing in assisting me with finding my first apartment in New York. Her expertise and…read moreguidance were invaluable as she patiently walked me through the entire process as a first time renter. She really took the time to understand my preferences and was attentive from start to finish. She addressed every minor issue and question along the way and was always willing to help!

Mike Morales was my contact person I've never experienced a real estate agent who is helpful,…read morecourteous and kind. I recommend this agency to anyone truly serious about finding a home or apartment in the New York area..