We worked with Vena Priestly to find our condo based on many recommendations from folks in our old neighborhood Facebook group. Immediately after they suggested her, she reached out to me. Throughout the entire process, working with Vena felt like spending time with a lifelong friend. Not only is she knowledgeable and kind, but also Vena is an expert at managing buyer anxiety. We ran into some roadblocks with one seller that accepted our offer and then dragged his feet on signing the P&S for several weeks. Ultimately, we had to walk away. With Vena's guidance, we worked through that issue and secured another property within a week even in the competitive market. After that, we had to meet the new seller's one-month timeline to close, and Vena quarterbacked all the communications between the seller's agent, our lawyer, and our lender to an exceptional extent. We never felt like Vena pushed us toward something that didn't fit our needs in terms of space or finances. Plus, with each of the many properties we viewed, Vena showed her expertise in spotting issues that would mean unreasonable costs or compromises. We'd recommend Vena for anyone who is searching for a place to live. read more

While my wife and I enjoyed the apartment itself during the two years we lived there, our experience with Rise Realty Boston was ultimately frustrating and disappointing. Our landlord was pleasant and well-intentioned but lived overseas and relied on Rise to manage the unit. Because of this, all building communications were sent to him instead of directly to us, and we routinely missed important updates. We raised this issue more than once, but the communication breakdown was never resolved. More seriously, for the final six months of our tenancy, the unit did not have working smoke detectors -- a clear safety issue and a violation of Massachusetts law. Under state tenant protections, this is the type of condition that can legally justify withholding rent if left uncorrected. Despite repeatedly raising this concern and attempting to resolve it in good faith, our requests went largely unaddressed. Rather than fixing the issues, our assigned representative ultimately attempted to force us out of the unit, escalating a situation that could have been handled responsibly and professionally. Other issues such as heating, cooling, and more we're ignored because communication with our rep was very difficult. In the end, we are thankful for the time we enjoyed in the apartment itself, but we are relieved to no longer be dealing with Rise Realty Boston and would not recommend them as a property management company. read more

Our building used their property management service and it was absolutely horrendous - our property manager Valerie M. was moonlighting the whole time, never responsive, and would always say she was going to do something or make up excuses as to why something wasn't done. These are the people Rise Realty hires? Do not recommend at all. read more

Horrible HOA management company. They rarely reply to its residents and solutions is not a priority for them.

I don't know why my phone just rang and it was someone from Rise Realty calling to ask me if I want to sell my family home and when I said no, they asked me if I had any other properties I would like to sell! Are we that desperate for housing that realtors start calling homeowners to just randomly see if they want to sell their house or not? This is kind of ridiculous. I have absolutely no intention on selling my home, and I'm really quite perturbed that I received a phone call from anybody asking me if I want to sell my home! Do most homeowners who have not sought out a realtor, want to sell their home? Because that's not how I think it works. If I ever decided to sell, I certainly would not use a realtor who seems so desperate for clients that they telemarket for sellers! If the owners read this, DONT call me again!!! ALSO, I am on the no call list so I should report you to the FCC! read more

I worked with Calvin during my search in the Brookline area. He was awesome, highly recommend. I'm sure I'll call him again in the next year or two. read more

I've owned and lived in Brookline for 22 years and have always been in a managed building/community. We have had some really terrible management companies over the years who are non-responsive and/or have lost the HOA thousands of dollars. When we switched to RISE my bar was low, but they have well exceeded all my expectations. Valerie has a wealth of knowledge on all things building-related and a list full of great vendors at her disposal which has been a lifesaver in both locations she has managed for us. Her ability to keep things in perspective, deal with a multitude of strong personalities and overall professionalism has been outstanding. read more

Dan Rosenthal of Rise Realty is exactly what you want in a realtor: honest, reliable, patient, and compassionate. He understands the human side of the situation, unlike some realtors who seem transactional. He searched diligently for a rental apartment with tight specifications, and delivered tirelessly. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone looking to rent or buy in Brookline or Boston. Thank you Dan! read more

We worked with Vena Priestly at Rise to help us secure a rental in Brookline. We were coming in from out of state and Vena worked very well with us online and helped us make sure our time in Brookline would be well used, when we came in. She was very responsive on Text, WhatsApp, email and very personable. She seems to know other realtors in the area and that may help you with a rental when competition is high around Medical residency/fellowship start dates. read more

Just had a really bad experience working with Melissa. We've been trying to see an apartment since last week. When we contacted her, she was initially very helpful and sent over other units for us, as the one we were trying to see was unavailable. However, this is where things started to go off the rails. To start with, she sent us multiple units hundreds more than our maximum price. She told us that likely we could negotiate the rent down, and we were willing to sign a lease until 8/31/21 to get the unit back on a regular renting schedule. She also was confused at any given time about what apartment we were actually talking about and gave us the totally wrong information at one point. She also consistently told us it would be an 18 month lease, even though that would only go until June. She continued to argue the point and even said (and I quote): "January 15 to August 15 2021 would be 18 months" - you can do the math any way you'd like, but, that's not 18 months. We also did not want a mid month lease, but told her that we could not move in by January 1st (and had requested apartments with at least a Feb 1st move date), as it was only 20 days away. She was again confused by this and kept thinking we wanted a January 15th move date and that our lease would just end mid month in August, which makes NO sense at all. We still decided to see the units anyways, as a bad agent doesn't mean that the apartments themselves are bad, but when we tried to schedule a viewing, she continued to not respond for days at a time, even when we had viewing days scheduled. We initially asked to see two of the units she sent on last Wednesday. She didn't respond (despite two check ins) until Friday, at which point she suggested Monday for a viewing. We told her that would work for us. Then silence again, and she didn't respond to our follow up messages. On Monday, she apologized and asked if we could do Wednesday instead. Again, we said yes, and she asked what time. We told her, but never heard back. We checked in on Tuesday evening and she then told us that she couldn't do Wednesday for one of the units because the tenants wouldn't let her in and she didn't have keys and asked us if we could see the units during the weekend (1.5 weeks after originally trying to see the units)!!! Seeing as this is the weekend right before Christmas, we are not even in town, but she kept saying that the tenants wouldn't let her in until after the weekend, which doesn't make any sense - they should have had 24 hours notice at this point, but likely the realtor continued not to contact them and now was scrambling to cover that up, as now they weren't given proper notice. Do yourself a favor, and don't work with Melissa. Ask for a different agent, use a different company, and don't get yourself in the mess we did. We've wasted a week of our time just trying to see units that we would have been willing to sign a lease on the spot on. read more

See all

Vena from Rise Realty is truly amazing! After contacting her about our housing needs, she found our family an apartment in less than 48 hours! Her kind demeanor and speedy communication was so key whole process, making us feel at ease. Vena is truly a skilled realtor who knows the market and the lay of land in Brookline since she's a local! We had the best experience with Vena and will definitely use her again and refer to anyone for their housing needs! read more

Vena was an absolute pleasure to work with! She was always attentive and professional. We found our perfect apartment thanks to her. We recommend her to anyone who is looking for a new place to call home! read more

We worked with Vena when finding a 3 bedroom apartment in Brookline. She was very thorough and knew what to look for and the perfect questions to ask. She was a diligent and patient advocate for us when communicating with the owner. She helped us get our apartment that we love. Her personable and professional demeanor created a trust and made the whole process smooth. We can't thank her enough for all her hard work. We would recommend Vena to anyone looking for their next home!!! read more

Vena recently helped me rent my apartment in Brookline. I tried renting it on my own and had no success for weeks. Vena listed it and within a few days we had several showings and a perfect applicant! Vena was very communicative throughout the process and very helpful, respectful, and courteous. Thank you Vena! read more

Vena Priestley from Rise was excellent. She went out of her way many times for me to take care of condo selling and buying matters. I heard her interacring with prospective buyers, and admired the professional way she correctly and cordially answered their many inquiries (they then made an offer). I feel she is a great asset to this firm and would highly recommend her to any seller or buyer read more

Vena reached out to assist me within minutes of my posting a note on Nextdoor about apartment hunting in Brookline. She was indefatigable and prompt in answering my late night e-mails and requests about unit X and Y that I'd just seen on Zillow, Trulia, etc. Within a few days of back and forth she built a great itinerary of eight units for us to view this past Sunday. All of the units were reasonable matches to our criteria, but two stood out. We were accepted by our first choice that evening, and the lease was signed within 48 hours. Vena just exudes positivity and energy and is excellent at what she does. read more

I love the team at rise. Everyone I've worked with is a hard working hustler. They take pride in all their deals and I would definitely rent with them again! It is sometimes hard to navigate the real estate world in Boston, but I find them to be extremely genuine people who really love their job. Thanks! read more

We had a poor experience with Rise Realty. My husband and I were interested in renting an apartment they manage. We applied using a broker, paid one month's rent, and our application was accepted on a Sunday. By Wednesday, we had not received a lease to sign and our broker was concerned. Long story short - the owner was also interested in selling the apartment, and he sold it to someone who wanted to live in it. We found out on the following Tuesday that we lost the apartment and got our deposit back the following Saturday. We don't object to Rise Realty trying to sell and rent the apartment at the same time. That's fair. But, Rise should have told us this information. They were not honest about what they were offering us. If we had known that the rental was still uncertain even after our application was accepted, we could have hedged our bets and pursued other options. I'm giving two stars because we got our deposit back in a reasonably timely fashion, but Rise Realty was not honest in their dealings with us. read more

Vena Priestly from Rise Realty was UTTERLY AMAZING at helping us to rent an apartment in Brookline! She worked incredibly hard from start to finish to find a highly qualified, suitable tenant, helping us through every step of the process. She is extremely knowledgeable, listened well, answered all my questions, was always available, and worked extremely hard to make this happen. Highly recommend her to help with any real estate needs! read more

Steve Facelle was a fantastic agent! As first time home buyers, we were understandably overwhelmed about the market and had a lot of questions, but Steve was always available and extremely helpful. We knew that he negotiated with our best interests in mind and was constantly looking out for us. We would definitely use Steve again as an agent - he made what is usually a stressful process smooth and pain-free. Thanks Steve! read more

I just moved from another state to Boston. Just imagine how crazy it could be to find a place in this situation during COVID-19 pandemic. Vena Priestly helped me and spent a lot of time for months to fid a place that works for me, guess what? I just moved in and I love this place. Vena Priestly is an extremely genuine person who really enjoy her job! Thanks for everything! read more

I will never work with this brokerage again. The head broker there does not know what hes doing or how to manage a business. I'm not sure why I picked them to begin with. STAY AWAY!!!!! read more

I had to find an apartment to rent under difficult time constraints and Steve Facelle was very responsive. He showed me plenty of options and was transparent about the listings. When I had to make some difficult decisions, he was extremely patient and fair. Overall, he was fantastic to work with - he went above and beyond and I highly recommend him and the Rise Realty team! read more

I was in touch with an agent in rise realty recently and found their service really lousy and unprofessional. I spent 3 hours in their office for a short term lease and 3 days later on day of relocation they asked me for a lot more documentation while most of my stuff were already in the truck. Many other information about the building turns out to be incorrect or exaggerated and I found their words not trustworthy. I strongly suggest you to avoid working with this realty to be sure something similar do not happen to you. I wish I could give them 0 star but Yelp doesn't accept that. read more

We were moving from a condo to a house and Steve Facelle was able to help us through the transition super smoothly! Buying a home can be overwhelming but Steve was there every step of the way to make sure we understood what was going on, what we should be worried about, or what was exactly how it should be! He was always available to give us advice or hear us out and really had our best interests in mind. We love our new house and highly recommend Steve if you're ever looking to buy! read more

Gene is an extremely dedicated, hard-working and reliable individual. He always goes above and beyond for his clients, while making sure they're completely satisfied with the services that are being provided. Furthermore, Gene is incredibly professional, thorough and a true pleasure to do business with. Without any hesitation, I would highly recommend Gene and Rise Realty to anyone looking for a fantastic experience. read more

We moved to Boston from out of state and were looking to move in to an apartment as soon as possible. We worked with Steve Facelle who was extremely helpful, responsive, and very transparent. He made the entire process so easy for us, and took time to help us find the perfect apartment to fit all of our needs. We got the keys to our new place one week after our first meeting with Steve. If we move again within the Boston area we will definitely work with Rise Realty! read more

Steve Facelle is everything any realtor should aspire to be. He is responsive, as transparent as can be, and just an absolute joy to work with. I had to move out of my apartment during "off season" and move fast. Steve rose to the occasion, and that's saying something because I was not easy. I had a very specific idea of what I wanted with a fixed price range, and Steve did not stop until he found me the perfect place. Once he found it, he moved so fast to ensure I got the apartment and made everything unbelievably easy on me. He was available 7 days a week and always so quick to respond to a text or phone call. It's also obvious he knows the area as a BC grad-- he knew the T like the back of his hand and a bunch of the local "gems" in multiple neighborhoods. Honestly, I can't imagine myself ever recommending another realtor to anyone, or going to anyone else should I move again. read more

I was so happy with the help I got from Gene at Rise Realty. He made the very stressful first time home buying experience seamless and smooth. I was so impressed with Gene's professionalism throughout the whole process. Can't recommend him enough! read more

I've had the pleasure of working with Gene at Rise Realty recently in the purchase of a home. He made the process smooth and seamless. He was knowledgeable during all the transactions and always upfront. I highly recommend going to him if you are looking for an agent who will be looking out for your best interest from start to finish. I would 100% work with him again! read more

Gene at RiseRealty is an exceptional professional. He has helped me to manage my investment properties for the past 3 years. He always ensures to have best value for his customer and is very patient. He is dedicated to what he does and always has his clients best interest in mind. He has been professional in dealing with other realtors, lawyers and tenants and constantly gets high praises for everyone he works with in managing my properties. read more