A couple of weeks ago, I came to NYC from Georgia to interview for a job. Having never been to NYC, I started calling brokers once my successful interview had completed. I ended up dropping all of the other ones when I came in contact with Debi Brown. She was the first broker who kept in excellent contact with me from the get go. She knew me better than I new NYC straight off, and was able to match me with one of the best possible areas of NYC when i THOUGHT I already had my area picked out elsewhere. Debi had VERY little time (2 days) to understand what I wanted for my limited budget and my THREE DOGS. She showed me around eight apartments, worked with me and the real estate company, and got me leased to a great apartment with two bedrooms. My apartment is on the bus line that takes me to work (It stops in FRONT OF MY WINDOW!!!!), is on amsterdam a block from Broadway, is a block form the subway, and is a couple of blocks from both Central and Riverside park. After the lease was signed, Debi even came to my apartment at 11:00 PM and helped me move in a 17-foot UHAUL while in rain! She didn't go home until 2:00 AM. I can't begin tell you how amazing Debi has been to my dogs and me. I never write reviews because I simply don't care that much, but in this case, I'm more than happy to write one for her. She has definitely made my move to NYC an extremely pleasant experience, and I highly recommend her. She wont try to over sell and will work hard for you. I don't know how most apartment hunting experiences go, but I'm glad to say that I have made a friendship and not just a business contact (even though she was amazing and I'll use her again in the future)! - Blake. read more

Ivan and Vlad were great. Showed me some nice apts but made sure we kept looking till I found the one I really wanted. Streamlined the process and pushed it through when a third party verification company slowed it down. Can't thank them enough, definitely recommended!! read more

I worked with Ivan Palov and Vladislav Vladimirov to find an apartment in Long Island City recently. Being from out of state, they did a great job explaining the nuances of renting in NYC as well as compiling as many apartments to view as possible in the one day I had to see them. Vlad was very patient and thoughtfully informative while showing the apartments, while Ivan was quick to respond and an expert on all the details for me to know. They were easily accessible by email and phone from the beginning of my search until the signing of my lease. They did a good job and I would recommend them for others searching for apartments as well! read more

Ivan Palov is the best broker I've ever worked with. He listened to what my roommates and I were looking for, and showed us exactly that. He was always available for questions and concerns, he guided us through the application process, and was always so pleasant and helpful. Notably, when the leasing office had issues and wanted to increase the price of the apartment, Ivan fought hard on our behalf and was able to deliver exactly what we had originally wanted. The process would have been extremely difficult and stressful for any other New York broker, but Ivan made it delightful. Give him your business, you won't be disappointed! read more

Whether it's intentional or not Spire misrepresent many of their listings on sites such as Zillow (probably others such as craigslist, and padmapper no doubt). Their broker, Bianka, conceded they have an automated process which reads an internal database and posts listings on to these sites. Whether it's intentional or not they serve as a bait and switch. read more

This review is for Brett Tartarkin. He was excellent in helping me decide on and secure my first apartment in the upper east side. He put me at ease during the showing and answered all my questions. He was thorough in explaining the application process, very responsive during it, and dealt with some difficulty from my past landlord with patience and understanding. He truly went above and beyond to make this a smooth and welcoming transition. Would 100% recommend Brett and his services! read more

This is a review for Liz Sheina from Spire group. She is the BEST. Super organized and genuine. We didn't close with her but she still helped us when we were with another untrustworthy broker! She found out the unit they were trying to sell us had no heat for 2 months and would be under construction at move in. She's a great person. I'd gladly work with her again! read more

TLDR Summary; Good result but an awful process. My girlfriend and I were moving from San Francisco to New York and between our shared school, work, and personal obligations we were left with very little time. My girlfriend was able to spend an entire Friday - early Monday viewing apartments and I could only spend all day Sunday and early Monday. My girlfriend reached out to a representative at Spire about a week or so ahead of time and let him know our price range, desired amenities, neighborhoods and timing. He was responsive and was able to show her many apartments on Friday. To his credit, he had a long list of quality apartments that fit most of our requirements. She took a hiatus on Saturday to visit with friends, but the broker had more apartments available for viewing on Sunday. I joined on Sunday and we saw an additional 8 or so apartments. We found two (in the same building) that we really liked and by early Monday, made a decision to put in an offer on the first one (Apartment A). We emailed the broker and put in an offer for Apartment A at a slightly lower price then listed. The broker gave us a call, and said that there was no way it will happen and that the landlord had a firm price with no negotiations. We said okay, then we'll put an offer under list for Apartment B (cheaper than Apartment A). After waiting for a bit, he calls us back and says Apartment B has actually been claimed and diverts us back to the more expensive Apartment A. We said there is no way we can do Apartment A at the current price and we are not going to rush and make an irrational decision. After waiting for another half hour, he calls back and offers to 'split the difference' and give us part of his broker fee. We still did not feel comfortable doing that knowing that we would be starting with a higher base rent if we renew our lease. At this point, we were tired of negotiating and were about to leave to EWR for our flight. We had options for staying in New York temporarily and could re-start our search if needed. The broker gives us a call and said "I begged and pleaded and was finally able to get the price down". I appreciate the work to lower the price, but I have my doubts that he had to beg and plead for a $100 reduction. He knew that we were on our way to the airport and 15 minutes later he gives us a call stating "We have one complication; the management company wants to meet you in person right now to sign the lease" Seriously? There was absolutely no way we were going to cancel our flight to meet with the management company. We told him this was not happening and we have no idea what value meeting in person brings given that it is 2018. We could sign the documents electronically and/or get them notarized. We hung up upset and about 15 minutes later he texted us back saying "we are good". He gave us another call a few minutes later to talk about lease signing, indicating that the lease will be mailed to our home address. We asked him to also send us the lease in soft copy so we can review it on our flight back. He said that he does not think he can send the lease in soft copy because it is, and I quote, "Thousands of pages long" and that he would "F*** it up". If putting a lease through a scanner and emailing a PDF is difficult and complicated I am not sure what is easy anymore. He eventually sent the 'template' through PDF so that we can at least look at the boiler plate language. He sent the lease and it did not arrive until Wednesday afternoon. He asked us to notarize & complete it & send it back overnight to make it in by Friday even though we had another couple of weeks before our lease started. When we reviewed the lease, there were several mistakes in our documents. One of the 'riders' was not dated and the lease itself had an incorrect end date. We emailed the management company and the broker to ask how we address these items. We told our broker since the lease was signed late, and mistakes were made in the documents, we would not be able to overnight it from SF to NY to get there by Friday. He called me to see if there was "anyway that you can get it, I think the management company will be very upset and they may take another tenant". At this point, I was livid. I sent him a soft copy of our notarized signature pages as well as a scan of our cashier's checks for the property and told him that we were going to sign and we were unconvinced that Friday was the true deadline since our lease didn't even start for another two weeks. He still rushed us, so we sent it overnight on Friday, and guess what? The office was closed so the package could not delivered until Monday anyways. We paid $50 extra to send it overnight when it could have gotten there on Monday for the same result. After the dust settled, everything worked out and we moved in. It just felt like we were hit with every cheap used-car salesman trick in the book. read more

This review is specifically about Spire's Gregory Crisci: At first he seemed promising. He called me the night before we supposed to meet to confirm all the details of the viewing apartments in Astoria. He told us to meet us at a diner in Astoria and then he would take us to about six apartments. He said he would send me an email to confirm this information. In the morning, no email. I texted him. No response. But since he had been so responsive thus far, we would go up to Astoria to meet him as planned at 1pm. We arrived 20 minutes early to diner. I texted him saying we there. NO RESPONSE. 1:10, I texted him again. NO RESPONSE. 1:25, texted him again. NO RESPONSE. 1:40, I called him. 5 rings and then to voicemail. Sent another text. NADA. It was evident that Greg had flaked and as a result our entire afternoon was shot as we had blocked 4 hours to look at apartments in Astoria and we ended up not seeing anything. When I still hadn't heard from him the next evening, I texted him again to make sure everything was ok. Finally, he responded, saying he had had an emergency. While I fully understand that urgent situations, in the mobile era, there is no reason someone can't spend a moment to notify someone that something has come up. And no response for over 24 hours! When I called BS on this convenient excuse, he didn't respond. Definitely not professional. Avoid this broker. I guess I will have to give my 15% annual fee to someone else. read more

Ben Lazari is awesome. Extremely knowledgeable and thorough. Ben is laid-back - but not in an irresponsible way! - in more of a relaxing way. It helps ease you into the quite stressful process of finding a new place to live. He responds to texts/calls/emails very swiftly, and is very attentive to your needs. If you need a broker, this is your guy. Ben even haggled with the landlord for a bit for me in terms of price. He is willing to go above and beyond, and fight for his clients. On top of it, he has a fun British accent, which is always a plus. I rented an apartment from this agent. read more

I am reviewing Ivan Palov with Spire Group because my experience with him in finding my current apartment has been nothing short of phenomenal. This is one of the reasons I decided to create an Yelp account. A good broker in NY is hard to find, this one deserves all the praise. I was initially looking for a place in Manhattan but my budget limited me to seeing bad to ordinary apartments at best. I decided to give Queens a shot and ,of course, started with an online search of Long island City and Astoria because these neighborhoods were the closest to Manhattan where I work. I used multiple different apartment platforms and Ivan's name was a recurring one on all of them. In all honesty, there were other similar ads posted by other agents, so I guess they could have shown me similar places but I decided to bet on Ivan based on the fact that he seemed to know LIC well and also based on his reviews. I clicked on a couple of his ads and (I don't know how it is possible) I received a response to my inquiry within no more than 5 seconds. We engaged in a conversation and he offered to call me to better understand my needs. We scheduled an appointment to see a few places on the weekend. He took me to 3-4 buildings which he described as "the best deals on the market right now" because of the incentives they were offering in comparison to other buildings which were not. I liked everything he showed me. Worse, I liked every building almost equally. It was extremely difficult for me to decide on one single apartment because I did not know much about the neighborhood and the pros and cons of each building. I then went on asking a ton of questions to better evaluate and Ivan answered all of them quickly and with patience. His confidence and knowledge were fundamental, I trusted him and his professional opinion and this eliminated so much anxiety. For me, this broker was a huge help. Pleasant, easy going, knowledgeable, serious when needed and when numbers are involved, honest, straightforward, fast and effective in his communication. "As good as it gets"! read more

Dimitar helped me find my perfect apartment! And it wasn't without effort... We literally walked all over Manhattan until my feet were blistered. He showed me something like 30 apartments, reiterating the motto the entire time, "I want you to find the best apartment for you". He was knowledgable about all the different buildings and neighborhoods we looked at and after everyone asked me for my feedback and then used that to decide where to go next while he formed an idea of what exactly I was looking for (unlike some brokers that just take you to all their listings blindly). Eventually we ended up finding exactly what I was looking for. I'd highly recommend Dimitar for his patience, knowledge, and professionalism to anyone looking for an apartment in Manhattan. read more

I had a difficult time finding an apartment that would accept my German Shepherd until Martina flew in to save the day. In super hero fashion, she whizzed by hundreds of listings until she found The One. Her tenacious work ethic and attention to my needs resulted in a perfect apartment located in a great neighborhood. Martina is very knowledgeable about city neighborhoods and market price points. She's also very easy to work with and made the process fun. read more

First of all, I would like to thank the other reivews on Kurland Realty. I'm currently moving from Boston to NYC and was looking for a good agency to work with for my apartment search. Based on my research, I chose to go with Kurland. I first worked with Debbie Portnoy who is such a nice person. She took all of my apartment requirements and also sent me a list of paperwork that I should bring for my NYC visit. Unfortunately, she was unable to go on the 30+ block walk with me throughout the city on a beautiful Saturday (she is very pregnant). Instead, she had Josh Fields take me on my apartment search. Josh understood all of my requirements based on his discussion with Debbie and hit it right on target. We concentrated our search on the east side between 22nd and 66th streets for about 5 hours. I ended up loving 2 apartments. I expect to submit an application for one of them this week. Josh has a lot of experience in the NYC area. He used to live in the area of our search and personally knew the management at several of the buildings. He also gave me insight into how much his past clients liked each of the buildings. If you are looking for an apartment in NYC, then I HIGHLY recommend going with Josh Fields or Debbie Portnoy. Otherwise, just choose Kurland Realty. They made my search sooo easy. read more

Hats off to Ivan Palov for going above and beyond to make our apartment hunting experience a positive one. Ivan really listened to us and what we wanted from our next apartment, before finding us the best unit in LIC and the move value. I can't wait to move in and enjoy the views of the Emprire State Building from the balcony in our new apt. If you're working with Spire, ask for Ivan! read more

Ivan and Vlad were extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and responsive. He asked us a few preliminary questions via text and set up multiple appointments for exactly what we wanted. Finding a new apartment in NYC is never a fun experience but they made it easy. We never felt pressured one way or the other. It felt like they truly wanted the best for us throughout the whole process. We honestly could not recommend him and the rest of the team enough. They helped us through the entire process. We just signed the lease to our dream apartment because of them! Thank you! read more

Dimitar Peev helped my boyfriend and I find a great apartment in the financial district. He showed us about 15 apartments that day. He was very nice. He also only showed us no fee buildings at our request. The listings are for the most part not real, however that's likely due to the fact that apartments in the city get rented within minutes. It seems like they have specific areas where they know buildings with available units and post listings with amenities they know exist within the buildings they will take you to. So if anything, the listings are more of a way of setting a baseline for what you're looking for. It's not really a bad thing in my opinion. If anything, it's a hell of a lot better than the standard bait and switch I've seen in the past where the apartment looks amazing online and then is a total piece of shit in person. In this case, the listings may not have been the exact same, but they were definitely comparable in quality and price. When we first e-mailed we were e-mailing with someone named Luben. The first apartment we saw was in Stuy Town, and someone other than Luben (his name was Kosta) showed up to show it to us. We decided we wanted to see some more places before deciding so we were told to meet Kosta in the Financial District several days later. When we got there Dimitar was there to meet us. I don't really care that it was a different person each time, but it did make it a little confusing at first. All in all, we had a good experience with Spire Group and were able to get a great apartment for no fee. Specifically, Dimitar was very helpful. He didn't push us to sign anything and was happy to show us multiple listings, even though it was pouring the day we met with him. I would recommend Spire Group to others looking to find a quality apartment in the city. read more

Work with SPIRE and ask for KOSTA! I moved to NYC from Texas and was completely overwhelmed when I got here. I went through a dozen pushy and deceitful brokers before I found this place. I worked with KOSTA and he is AMAZING!! My rommies and I wanted a 3 bd, no fee, wall already built apt in midtown for cheap cheap cheap.. Basically, we wanted what's practically impossible to find in NYC but Kosta found it for us! He was never pushy or rude and always seemed to have our best interest in mind. He was so patient and didn't mind working with 3 women. I have already recommended him to 2 of my friends moving up here. read more

I finally found amazing space. martina helped me a lot, and take care of me. she always respond quickly and helpfully. she is very reliable and I will ask her new apartment soon. read more

We were trying to avoid paying a broker fee at all costs, but I think it was well worth it considering we got an apartment we love and had a great experience with Deyan Ivanov (goes by Dan). He was very patient, amicable and answered all of our questions. Knowing how quickly apartments get snatched in NY, we were pleased at how responsive he was to all of our texts and calls. We also asked for some flexibility on the move in date which he worked out for us by working directly with the building's exclusive broker. Even when there was a mix up and we were told the apartment we applied for was given to someone else, Dan was quick to apologize (even though it was not his fault) and reassured us that he would help us find another place. Moving can be a stressful time, but all in all Dan definitely helped alleviate some of that stress and I would recommend him to friends and family. read more

My boyfriend and I had a really bad experience with one of the brokers at this firm. We scheduled an apartment viewing in Prospect Heights based on an ad in Streeteasy for an apartment on the 5th Floor. When we arrived at the building, there were only four floors. I contacted the realtor, who was supposed to be meeting us at the apartment but hadn't come. The realtor told me that "this apartment" was already rented and sent us (by ourselves) to another apartment nearby. This other apartment did not have any of the amenities of the original apartment. The broker never showed up to our appointment. We will not be using these brokers again. read more

Ivan Palov was my LIC real estate agent. It could not have been an easier process. Ivan was able to find me a place within my budget and requirements. His honest communication was great from start to finish, any questions/doubts I had he answered straight forward. He's a nice guy who doesn't wastes your time. I'd recommend him to anyone looking for a place, great real estate agent! read more

Dimitar in particular and Kurland Realty was such a wonderful pleasure to work with. My roommates and I came to New York fresh off the bus, already tired by the amount of communication we had to do with brokers about our likes/dislikes and preferences. We were apprehensive at first because we had to communicate our requirements to them a few times, and the first apartment he was going to show us was actually way out of our location range. However, it only got better and better. We ended up signing with the third apartment we were shown, and he was our first broker! We found the perfect apartment in our location range and budget, with the most amazing spread of amenities (gym, pool, classes, roof top terrace, salon, free shuttle, valet service, car rental service, etc) and that we would be the first tenants since it was just finished. He was very helpful in helping me picture a converted room, and patiently answered the boatload of sometimes slightly hostile questions we flung at him. We could not be happier with the apartment, and can't believe we found one so quickly on our first day. Our friends were all incredibly jealous/disbelieving beyond regard, and we recommended Kurland to all of them. read more

Setting out to find my first NYC apartment was probably the most Intimidating thing I'd ever done, until I found Brett Tartarkin. When speaking with brett he really took the time to listen to myself and my roommate and consider what we were looking for. The first thing he asked of us was to send him our price point and any necessities. After a couple of days he told me he had a handful of apartments for us to see that met our requirements. The moment that set him apart was when he reached out to me telling me that he had found the perfect apartment for what we were looking for, it actually ended up being the apartment we decided to go with. It was then clear to me that he took my burden and truly made it his own. He brought us to many apartments that met the different aspects of what we are looking for and never pressured or hounded us to make a decision, he encouraged us taking our time to think over our options. He gave us the space and freedom that we needed to look into each spot with the care as if it would be the one that we chose. When we did make a decision he was supportive and clearly explained what it was that we needed to do next. His friendliness and natural candor made him instantly trustworthy. I couldn't have picked a better realtor to work with, he made the whole process enjoyable and easy, I would recommend anyone embarking on an overwhelming apartment search to work with him, you'll be happy you did. read more

I found my dream apartment thanks to Sean Flaherty and Spire Group! The service was personalized, efficient, and communicative. My agent, Sean, was extremely detail oriented, and attuned to my needs. I would highly recommend him & Spire Group to any of my friends! read more

Spire Group is a great company that provides excellent services and consultation. I had the pleasure to work with Dan and Kosta. We were able to find and secure an apartment that we loved in one day. Dan listened to what I was looking for and came well prepared. We had seen other apartments with other brokers but they either didn't work for us or the fee was ridiculous. Kosta and Dan are very knowledgeable and experienced agents. They know how to do business and have great connections with the landlords. Don't hesitate to ask for them if you are looking for a new place. read more

This review is for Kosta Blyznakov with Spire Group. Kosta was a pleasure to work with as I completed my first apartment lease in New York. He was prepared, knowledgable, and available at all times. In addition, he covered taxis between different buildings I was viewing. Kosta's relationships with building management and phenomenal haircut set him apart! I have recommended Kosta to all of my friends who are looking for places in NY. read more

Kosta went above and beyond showing us apartments around Manhattan. We only had an appointment to see one unit, but he took us to many different apartments and walked us through the process. He was a great help in this stressful situation. Would highly recommend! read more

Had to move and I couldn't imagine a better experience than I had with George Z. He wasn't pretentious, and he actually made me feel like I was his number one client. I told him what I wanted and he found the exact apartment that suited my needs. In my line of business I deal with a lot of real estate brokers and he is definitely on top of my list of best performers. On top of everything else, he found my new place where the apartment paid him so it didn't even cost me a dime. Kudos George! read more

This review is for Kosta, he is an extremely nice and patient realtor who went through the whole process with us. He responds to emails almost immediately and always answers your questions. I would definitely recommend him! read more

We worked with Kyle Carscaden and had a wonderful experience. He was incredibly knowledgeable, very attentive to our interests and price point, didn't pressure us at all, was very transparent and honest, and was truly fun to walk around NYC with. He also knew a ton about the buildings and neighborhoods we visited. I would highly recommend Kyle to anybody who is looking to find a great apartment as you'll be very happy with both the experience and the new home you end up with! read more

This review is for Dan and Kosta with Spire Group: They we're both so attentive, kind, and reassuring throughout the process of finding the right home for us in NYC. I would 10/10 recommend these two, they are a great pair! read more

I recently worked with Ivan at the Spire Group and found him super helpful and attentive finding me an apartment in LIC. He was super knowledgeable about the buildings and agents and helped me find a great apartment. read more

by chance, i wanted to look at an apartment they had on craigslist. worked with alex and baran. they were very professional. they not only showed us the one advertised but several others around the neighborhood and we liked all the apartments they showed. they didn't waste our time with apartments that were in bad condition and we ended up applying to a place the day of and got accepted the next day. they definitely knew what was needed with the application, and kept in contact throughout the process. so helpful throughout the process and best of all- they said fee was negotiable (about one month- which is pretty good in nyc) and also showed us no fee places! would DEFINITELY recommend them- very helpful and courteous compared to the other brokers i worked with who basically showed us things i could find listed everywhere on craigslist/ other no fee sites or would not respond unless i emailed them a million times. read more

Katrin was a dream to work with! She was professional, timely and friendly. She had a plan set and we spent the entire day looking for the perfect apartment - which we found! I would recommend Katrin to everyone looking for an apartment. read more

I would highly recommend Agent Kosta Blyznakov to help in your apartment search. He is professional and very responsive. One of the first comments he made was that he was going to be there for us - night or day until we find a new home. If I had a question for him and he didn't know the answer - he would find out immediately and would email me with the response. He sent recaps and updated me and my roommates through the entire move in process from start to finish. If we didn't agree upon something with the building- he acted on your behalf to make sure you were in the right, there was no question left unanswered. Kosta was a pleasure to work with and I would recommend him in your apartment search. read more

Chad Ryan gives Spire a good name. When my company decided to move this California girl to the Big City, I tried Craigslist only to be overwhelmed with run-down apartments on the wrong side of town. The professional looking listing was by Chad Ryan and on it he said to call at any time of day. I was in NYC on business when I called at 8pm and sure enough he answered. He sent me some listings that night and we were looking at apartments the next day. Unlike other brokers, Chad has always delivered on every promise and has advocated for me during the brutal application process. I highly recommend Chad if you are looking for a personal or corporate lease in NYC. read more

I worked with a wonderful agent by the name of Ying Huang, Spire Group She was wonderful! My daughter needed an apartment and was moving from California to New York. She was starting a new job and needed an apartment as soon as possible. As parents we were very conceder about having her in a good area that was safe and close to work. Ying found her the perfect apartment in just one day. Everything my daughter saw she really liked but by the end of the day Ying found her the "perfect" apartment. It was close to work, in a great neighborhood, a grocery store across the street and a police station just down the street. The building and the apartment is beautiful and very nice. My daughter is very happy and loves her new apartment and the location. Ying handle all the paperwork and made things so easy for us here in California and for my daughter in New York. My daughter was in her apartment within a couple of days. I can't say enough about how wonderful Ying was to work with. I would recommend her to anyone who is looking to move in Manhattan or surrounding area. Here is her information: Ying Huang Licensed Real Estate Salesperson| REBNY Member Spire Group - A Kurland Holdings Co 20 W 23, Fl 5 New York, NY 10010 cell 718-216-6133 fax: 646-253-1262 Ying@spiregroupny.com www.spiregroupny.com read more

I have always been skeptical of working with a real estate agency, since I assumed I could do the job just as well myself. I am so happy I took the leap. We just signed the lease on our literal dream apartment. Within a few hours of my first call to Justin and Rares, they had sent a list of 15 places to my inbox that perfectly fit our preferences. Within a week they had secured our favorite spot, with Justin not only negotiating with a property manager to have him accept our sub-par credit score, but also holding onto the place for multiple days until we got back from an out-of-town holiday. We'll be grateful for these guys every time we walk out of our apartment into the Central Park entrance half a block away. read more

Jimmy Gonzalez was my realtor for my last apartment, and I had an awful experience with him. During the height of the pandemic, he demanded he come into my apartment to take photos, and beforehand promised he would under no circumstances touch the items in my apartment, as I was there to do so and move things if needed. He promised me multiple times he would not touch my items. However, after I left and came back I found he had touched many of my personal items and moved everything. He manipulated and lied to me for his own self interest. Afterwards, he denied ever saying he would not touch my things, even though I had the texts to prove it. If you think he has your best interest at heart, he does not and I would absolutely recommend finding someone else to work with. read more