There's some really good reviews and some bad reviews up here about Proper Real Estate and we're going to have to add to the GOOD reviews. We moved from San Francisco to New York and unfortunately landed in an sublet that was soaked in cat pee and hasn't been cleaned in at least 4 years. We had an urgency to find our own place ASAP. We made an appointment to see one of Proper Real Estate properties in Greenpoint. Chris showed us the listing we wanted as well as others in the area. All were clean and nice, quaint. He then suggested we go get some water and cool down in their office for a break from the 95 degree heat. Chris mentioned to us that he feels we would like Williamsburg better (both my boyfriend and I are in creative industries), we told him we would love to but feel its out of our price range. At that point he thought of a couple of properties we should see in Williamsburg so once we finished hydrating and cooling down a bit we headed back out to view them. He showed us, what has to be, one of the best railroads in Brooklyn!! Immaculately clean with brand new stove, cabinets, counter-tops, refrigerator, sink, and floors- Newly renovated! The apartment is full of sun and we moved in 4 hours later. Paperwork was quick and easy. We felt very respected and comfortable with our interactions with Donna and her team. We met the landlord within an hour and got our keys and the landlord let us move in 10 days early for FREE because they felt bad for us having to stay in the pee soaked sublet. On top of it Donna was able to lower our monthly rent so it fit our budget. these types of things are obviously dependent on the landlords availability/kindness- we felt very lucky! If you want to go to Nooklyn and be bounced around from one unlicensed realtor to another, and churned out by a machine, then do so. If you want to have a human experience where people actually look out for you and care to place you in the right home FOR YOU, then see Chris or Donna at Proper Real Estate. I can't tell you how many crappy apartments we saw through Nooklyn all the way out in east Bushwick for the price were paying now. New York is a bit of a hassle when it comes to finding a good apartment, and we were just so incredibly grateful to have met Chris and Donna who took such good care of us. read more

I just signed a lease yesterday with Donna at Proper and the experience was fantastic. I've lived in my current apartment for 8 years and was really dreading moving out but had no options since they tried to hit me with a 50.2% increase (HA! That's real cute). My neighbor downstairs who has plenty of free time on his hands since he's an author did some research and landed on Donna being the best for the Greenpoint/Upper Williamsburg area and had used her a few months earlier. I went in a month and a half prior to make sure that I had all of the credentials I needed and meet Donna and see if maybe there was some real estate that would be ready for September 1st but there wasn't at that point and she told me to come back on August 1st. I came back and saw 2 apartments that were in my price range and were fine and decided to sleep on it and decide which one I liked more over the weekend. I realized that I wanted to see more than just 2 apartments and that I really wanted to be in love with my place so I called Donna and told her I wanted to come back out and see a few more. When I arrived, we waited for her son to come back since she was there by herself. While we were waiting, she got a phone call about a new apartment that just became available that day. She ended up taking me right over to see it and I won't go into too many details because it's rude to brag but this apartment is perfect. It is just amazing and I wrote a check on the spot. I know that doesn't happen all of the time, but apartments come and go in one day in some instances (which was the case with me unless she set up some elaborate scam to get me a great apartment? Doubtful). Regardless, my experience was great and she was happy to show me more apartments and to get me in a place that was less than my max even though it lowered her commission and for that, I am truly grateful. I hope everyone has a similar experience to mine. read more

I had an amazing experience with Proper Real Estate. Finding an apartment in NYC, especially in North Brooklyn, can be a difficult task. I sent out over 50 emails and made dozens of phone calls in response to Craigslist, HotPad, Zillow, etc. ads and was met with phishing scams, pushy brokers, and bait-and-switch deals. Finding Chris, Dorothy, and Greg was a blessing. They are honest, kind, hard-working people, and I'd highly recommend them to anyone looking for an apartment in Greenpoint. The team at Proper Real Estate really went out of their way to get my girlfriend and I into the apartment we wanted; a beautiful rent-stabilized unit on a tree-lined street in a prime location and with amazing locally-based landlords. We were days away from finalizing a lease on a different apartment in Greenpoint that was not as ideal for us and that was slightly out of our price range. When the apartment that we really wanted opened up, the team at Proper Real Estate called us immediately and made sure we were the first ones to have a chance to rent it, despite the fact that the other lease was in the works. They even took a lower broker's fee in the process due to the lower price of the second apartment. I knew they were honest people when I met them but that really solidified my opinion; taking a lower broker's fee, doing extra work, and going out of their way to get us into the perfect apartment. I'm a native New Yorker and this is my 4th apartment in Greenpoint over a 9 year period. In that time I've met with many brokers and real estate agents and the team at Proper Real Estate was by far the most helpful, honest, and trustworthy bunch I've come across. Thanks guys! read more

Donna is a complete nutjob. Neither her, nor Chris, have any idea about privacy, tenancy laws, or human decency All of you people renting from Donna and loving the experience will not be so happy when it's time to move out and they barge into your apartment on no notice at all hours of the day. Despite a number of phone calls, and emails, AND in person meetings clarifying that I needed to be notified before they let themselves into my apartment with a client, they continued to barge at-will into my apartment. As I very reasonably tried to organize the viewings (like I was asking for a 30 min heads up... nothing crazy), Donna proceeded to threaten me by saying that the law stated that I had to let them in whenever they wanted since the landlord gave them a key (lol). When that argument didn't work she told me she would hold on to my damage deposit if I didn't allow them full access. I reminded her strongly about tenancy laws, the bounds of my lease, and how many places they had already broken the law; she got extremely upset and agreed to give me warning. 2 days after that conversation, Chris waltzes in with a client unannounced, and then got in my face and screamed at me when I told him I would have to ask them to leave. On the 3rd last day of my tenancy a team of people who didn't speak any English barged in at 7 am to paint around me. I still hadn't finished packing. Organized by Donna. Also the other review calling Donna racist... Donna is totally a racist. I wouldn't put anything past that crack pot. Nightmare-ish people.Overpriced neighborhood. By all means proceed with significant caution. read more

If you are looking to move in the Greenpoint area (Williamsburg as well, but primarily focused on Greenpoint) and are not looking for a new construction building, I would look no further than Proper Real Estate. Proper is run by a lovely family who has raised their children (who now work there) in the neighborhood, and have not only an unprecedented knowledge of the neighborhood's workings, but as long-time residents themselves, connections with the landowners. Relationships with landowners matter more in Greenpoint than it seems to elsewhere. A few things really stood out to me - 1) the family works hard to make sure both the landowner and tenant are happy (truly), 2) one month fee (they do not try to start at 15% and negotiate downward like most others in the neighborhood), 3) per my comment above, Greenpoint is a unique neighborhood and in order to secure the best apt, you need to work with someone versed in all-things Greenpoint like Proper is. I would unequivocally recommend Proper Real Estate. Do not be concerned by how quick & easy (and informal) of a process the lease signing & application submission is. This is a trustworthy family who did well by me. Lastly, you're in good hands with anyone who you work with. I had interactions with Donna, Chris, Patrick, and Dorothy - all were a pleasure to meet & work with. read more

Pros. There's something about renting in Greenpoint that feels easy and trustworthy, and Donna and her team offer no different an experience. She has a personal connection with the landlords that you won't find at a newer company. We were looking for an apartment as the month was coming to a close, and she helped us move quickly and get one that we really liked. Within the day I was meeting the landlords and received a signed lease to take home. Very friendly and accommodating people. Cons. They don't seem to rent apartments for people with pets. Yes, Donna will probably forget your name but don't take it personally because it can happen within your first conversation with her. Landlords can deny your lease renewal, that's just how it goes. I don't think they're very good with e-mail, it's best to show up there. Overall. I understand a lot of the negative reviews here. I just haven't had that experience with them. NYC is a tough place to find an apartment (esp on low budgets) and for me, it was refreshing to work with a place that doesn't just take on crooked clients to represent as many properties as possible like so many other realtors in the city. Many of the problems I'm reading are simply problems that can come up in an NYC apartment, and not necessarily the fault to Proper Real Estate. read more

I used handful of real estate agencies since I moved to New York, but by far this was the worst experience. I was already living in the area for sometime and decided to get a place on my own, so I went to Proper RE. Proper agents showed me a few different places, I picked out one that looked clean and signed the lease. The agent told me the apartment was "newly renovated", but it was anything but. Broken toilet, broken windows, brown water from faucet, no hot water, bathroom tiles falling off...as soon as I moved in, problems just kept on coming. When my one year lease was about to expire, I was called into Proper office again to sign lease renewal...a new lease with 30plus percent rent increase. I was pretty upset...prior to signing the first lease, I was told by Proper RE agent rent increase will be "$100 at the most". Needless to say I moved out. I can understand that an agent cannot know every minute details about all the listings she has, and I can understand he cannot control the rent increase, but I cannot help feeling Proper was not honest about the apartment from the beginning. My advice is that you make sure you get all the details directly from landlords before you sign anything. As for Proper realestate, I won't be using their service again. read more

I have moved 4 times in NYC, each time with a broker, and Donna is hands down the best broker I have ever worked with. She will listen to what you are looking for and earnestly care about finding something that will make you happy. We were working with a limited budget in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and we wanted something on a 2nd floor, with lots of light and plenty of space. This is a very tall order to fill, but Donna didn't hesitate a bit, and made it happen. I can't tell you how happy we are! And, I honestly feel like Donna is happy that we are happy, and that is a first for me in experiences with broker. In response to some of the negative reviews below, Donna worked hard to negotiate our rent down so that we could have the apartment of our dreams in our price range. She is amazing, and an all star negotiator. And - a shout out to her three children, who showed us apartments upon apartments until we found one that made us happy. They were all very courteous, nice, patient, and most importantly, honest about what we could expect to find in the area. 5 stars for Proper Real Estate. I would give 6 if I could! I highly recommend Proper Real Estate to anyone seeking an apartment in the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area. read more

I totally agree with all recent reviewers who gave Proper Real Estate 5 star raving reviews. My experience with PRE was beyond AMAZING. I met with Donna at the office with really really tight budget. PRE showed me one apt, but when I told the agent I needed bigger, cheaper place, she told me to come back the next day. Following day she showed me a beautiful gigantic rent stablized loft within my tiny budget. When I mentioned to her little Tim at home needed sugery, she so generously offered to waive her broker fee, but I was so grateful to her I paid her in full. I highly recommand you ask for discount if you are poor. Tim got the sugery he needed. And Tim and I with our pets including 2 feral cats, 3 dogs, and Bobo, the chimp now call the gigantic loft our new home. I even named my one of pitbull bitch after our agent. Our agent surely is a pillar of the neighborhood, an asset to whole of Brooklyn. She's so INCREDIBLY HONEST! Proper Real Estate got so many 5 star reviews recently, and only reason I give PRE 4 star instead of 5 is that I'd like my review to seem credible, not like those perfect rating other real estate offices give themselves. Donna is just like Mother Theresa, only NICER! read more

Donna and co. at Proper Real Estate just saved me from having to move to the suburbs. I called them on recommendation from a friend (who lives in a miracle apartment in Greenpoint) and they showed me a studio that day. It was a little out of my price range, so we parted ways. I went back to Craigslisting studios in Newburgh. Two days later, I get a call from Donna--they have a studio in Greenpoint priced the same as what I'm paying now splitting a two bedroom THREE WAYS. Can I get there that evening? NO. I'm working. I'll be there tomorrow at 11am. Of course I assume it'll be gone by the morning, either that, or it's a crawlspace. WRONG. It's a lovely, small studio, and it's perfect for my needs. I see it at 11, sign the lease at 12, and have the keys by 5pm. I am still pinching myself. Everyone I interacted with at Proper was incredibly friendly and helpful, and THEY called ME to let me know about this place as soon as it hit the market. I am still in total disbelief that this process was so pleasant and easy and I truly could not recommend Proper enough. Thank you!!! read more

I'm a 27 year old female who was looking for a 1 bedroom apartment in Brooklyn when I had the extreme luck of a friend recommending that I contact Proper Real Estate. Donna at Proper was the most friendly, accommodating, and resourceful agent that I've ever had the total pleasure of working with. She helped me find a lovely, affordable 1 bedroom in Greenpoint. The process was totally seamless and pleasant, especially compared to any other experience I've had with brokers/realty companies in the area. After helping me find and sign on a new apartment in record time, Donna then walked me around to show me the neighborhood gems (best places for pastries, produce, etc), and has already made me feel at home in this perfect neighborhood. I couldn't more highly recommend going through Proper Realty for renting in the Greenpoint area. And the family-run business, run by her daughter Dorothy and assisted by son Gregory, promises that the experience would be just as good, regardless of who you work with there. read more

I cannot say enough good things about this place. I literally walk off the street at random with no appointment. Only the reference of a co-worker. Within 5 minutes, they showed me an amazing place on my favorite street in Greenpoint. Not only was it really reasonable rent (especially now, when Greenpoint and Williamsburg rents are insane), the place was the beautiful, the landlord nice, and best of all i had a signed lease in my hand less than an hour later. Donna, Dorothy, and Chris were really sweet and ran their business like it was in a small town. They know everyone and remembered their previous customers. When I was waiting for paperwork, Donna and Dorothy helped someone who they had found a place for three years ago with issues that she was having with new owners of her building. Definitely go in and meet them in person. They are the best! read more

Donna is one of the nicest brokers I have worked with. If you tell her need to stick to a budget she will find you an apartment in your budget, unlike other brokers that will take you to see an apartment out of your price range and then do a hard sell. Not to mention the broker fee is only one months rent - unlike other brokers which is astronomical and they have no personal touch. Donna made me feel like i was her only client during the time we were trying to finalize our lease being signed. She always called me immediately if something with the apartment came up. She was always easy to get a hold of via the phone and called back immediately. She is passionate about Greenpoint and sold me more on the neighborhood then on the apartment.. I will definitely recommend proper real estate to anyone looking to move to greenpoint. read more

I highly recommend Proper Real Estate in Greenpoint. My boyfriend and I had been apartment hunting for almost 2 months. Unfortunately, we came across a very unethical broker during our search. We were told by him that we were approved for an apartment that we loved. Much to our dismay, he disappeared after that conversation with a great deal of our personal information.... It was a huge sigh of relief to work with Donna and her family at Proper Real Estate after having such a horrible experience. They were no nonsense, honest and quick. Moreover, Donna assisted us to negotiate a lower price for the apartment we selected. Out of all the brokers we dealt with during our search, I would definitely say without reservation that I would use Proper Real Estate again. I would recommend them to friends and family. read more

Our experience with Proper Real Estate has been nothing but amazing. Patrick was really patient with us, showing us several properties and answering all of our questions. Donna and Dorothy were very helpful in ensuring that we got the apartment we wanted, and worked very quickly to make it happen. They even made some recommendations for the best bakeries, grocery stores, and furniture stores in the area! We are so grateful that Proper helped get us the perfect apartment as we are new to the States. We thought renting here as a foreigner was going to be really difficult, and a daunting experience, but they made the whole process very easy and simple. The whole family was so lovely - they have been in the neighborhood for decades and are true experts in the field. Would definitely recommend!! read more

I recently moved in to the second apartment I found through Proper, and am thrilled. This apartment is even better than my last place, the rent is fair, and the experience was a breeze. Really. I don't really understand some of the reviews posted here; it's as though some of these folks don't understand the role of a broker and definitely don't get the culture of the neighborhood. Yelpers gonna yelp, I suppose. I've lived in the neighborhood long enough to know that finding a reliable, trustworthy broker is necessary, and I really appreciated how straightforward Donna was. So when the time came and she recommended I look at a place that day, I dropped everything. Donna, Chris, and everyone at Proper were great to work with, know the neighborhood, and never wasted my time. Thank you! read more

Donna was recommended to me by three other friends who found apartments with Donna and she is the ONLY realtor that showed us apartments in GP that were actually liveable. We had given our last landlord notice that we were moving out and had a month to find a place - we were nervous so signed up with several brokers....and every one besides Donna showed us apartments that were awful (dirty, overprices, run-down, etc) and certainly NOT apartments they would live in. In one day Donna showed us 4 apartments all of which were far and away better than the ones we had seen with the other brokers. We have a great apartment....I have to say if you rent an apartment with "Ugly elements" like a drop ceiling I don't think that's Donna's problem. She is the go-to person in the neighborhood. read more

I cannot say enough good things about Proper Real Estate! I found a listing for a studio that I loved, but unfortunately, I wasn't approved because of my cat (the building had a no animal policy). Donna could clearly hear the sadness in my voice and she got to work looking for other options. I was fortunate enough to be able to find an even better spot, and I'm moving in this weekend! I spent MONTHS searching for a place, we all know how hard it is in NY, but once I met the kind folks at Proper Real Estate, things moved so quickly. This is a family-owned and operated business. Not a big developer, but classic, kind-hearted, hard-working New Yorkers who have been here forever, and are always willing to help you. Thank you Donna, Chris, Patrick & everyone for all your help! read more

Dorothy, Donna and the whole family of Proper were a blessing for me and my process of moving. I was looking for an apartment for several months with no results. I found Proper, talked to them about my specific needs and they were comprehensive, attentive and supportive. I was stuck and overwhelmed by the constant search, and how fast paced the market is. Dorothy and Donna were always kind, diligent and patient with always positive energies towards finding my new home. They are honest, hardworking family and I felt welcomed and supported for the very first time I sat in the office with them. If you feel lost and overwhelmed looking for a new place, Dorothy and Donna will make your search pleasant and successful! Thank you so much Proper family! I am so thankful for you read more