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

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

I had the pleasure of working directly with Shalabh Sanger of Spire while searching for a 2-bedroom rental apartment in Manhattan. He was extremely professional and never once pressured us once to make a decision. We wound up with a newly renovated apartment in our target area and the rent was even below our maximum budget. Shalabh takes a very honest approach with his clients about the apartments he shows and was quite organized and proactive. I would most certainly recommend him to all of my friends, family and colleagues in search of a new place to live. read more

Katrin is a pleasure to work with! Her communication is excellent and she really listened to what I was looking for and didn't waste any time. I feel like I got the inside track on finding exactly what I was looking for. She knows the market and I'd definitely work with her again in the future. read more

I worked with Avi Cohen, and I was extremely satisfied. Avi was extremely attentive and helpful during the entire experience. He went above and beyond to make sure that we were satisfied with the apartment, lease and his service. Avi was able to find us an amazing deal in a luxury building. He made sure that we were satisfied and helped coordinate all parts of the viewing, application, and lease signing. I recommend everyone to use Avi when searching for an apartment! read more

Vlad was amazing. He was extremely helpful and knowledgeable of the area. The best part about Vlad was that he was not pushy whatsoever. It was very easy to talk with him and give him our preferences without feeling pressured. He was patient and saved us a ton of money. I would recommend him to ANYONE. read more

This review is for Dimitar Nikolov. I originally asked about an apartment on StreetEasy. Dimitar got back to me almost immediately, stated the apartment was no longer available, and asked what requirements I had for my next place. My biggest issue was wanting a no fee apartment, and Dimitar delivered. There was no hassle, no bait-and-switch, just the real floor plan of the apartment and an easily scheduled viewing. He even agreed to meet with my partner on a different day in order to make it more convenient for us. He's a genuinely good person, and it was an absolute pleasure working with him. read more

AJ was responsive, professional, showed us quality apartments that were within our specified budget, was not pushy, helped make sure all elements of the application process and approval ran smoothly and was incredibly kind throughout the entire apartment search process. I would highly recommend him if you're searching for an apartment in the city! read more

My roommates and I are feeling so blessed and lucky can find an agent like AJ. He immediately sees our needs and locates our dream apartment. It only took one week to sign the lease. Worked so efficient! read more

Not recommended. Brokers advertise no fee listings for rental apartments that have fees. Shady.

AJ and Ivan were really great to work with. We were on a really tight timeframe with needing a place to move in just 3 days from that point. They both worked quickly and helped to get us in a place so we could move out of the hotel. I definitely recommend them both. They were up front and honest about things. Would be happy to work with them again in the future. read more

This review is for Avi Cohen Avi \ is unlike other agents I have met so far. He is professional, prompt, knowledgeable, and honest. He is quick to recognize client's needs and never fails to put his client first. We were able to find the perfect place, get approved, and sign the lease--all within one week! I am so grateful for all he did for us--thanks to him, finding a new apartment was a swift process. Thanks Avi! read more

I have really enjoyed working with Martina Dechevska in my home search process. She is a real pleasure to work with, very efficient, proactive and quick to execute. Very early on, she was extremely quick in understanding what I was looking for and quickly implementing the search. Later on, as my requirements evolved, she was flexible to evolve with those. The thing that impressed me the most about her is the fact that never once did she impose her opinion on me or try to influence my decision making. She is very effective in laying out pros and cons of different options but leaving the decision autonomy to the buyer. I highly recommend Martina to any prospective buyer or seller. read more

I've met more than a few brokers in New York and if you're looking to land a spot in LIC than these guys are your people. Not only has Ivan created a solid relationship with every building manager in the area and makes sure he knows every unit he shows - he is an incredibly nice and honest guy. He tells it like it is and doesn't ever push you to just make a decision. It was refreshing and I was able to find an apartment in my price range the first day we looked. Don't waste your time looking with anyone else. read more

My fiance and I just had the pleasure of dealing with Spire - Ivan and AJ specifically. It was only two weeks ago that I sent my first email to spire asking about an apartment and I have already signed for the apartment I will move into April 1st. I didn't think such advance signing was possible in NY but Ivan/Spire made it possible by having access and a great relationship with the brand new buildings that were just starting to fill up the space. This has made my life exponentially less stressful. Ivan/AJ's confidence in the building and the deal we were getting made our decision that much easier to make after only seeing one building. Ivan is who we dealt with entirely except for the showing of the apartment - he was an excellent communicator, professional and approachable from the beginning to past the lease signing. He was an invaluable resource for us throughout the entire process. And AJ was extremely patient and informative during the showing and you could see he had a report with the building, which no doubt helped us in many ways. read more

Getenet Wubnech is absolutely the best real estate agent you'll find, he's the man and will go above and beyond to help. He'll pick up every time you call, work with the management of buildings, and help every step of the way. The process and the result were both great and I couldn't be happier with the apartment. Also met with Leah from Spire to see a few apartments and she was awesome as well. Without a doubt I will be recommending Spire Group, especially Getenet, to anybody I know who's looking for an apartment in NYC. read more

We were looking for an apartment with all the amenities, in a nice neighborhood and close to the city, and with the Spire Group, we got everything we wanted quickly and easily. They were pleasant and responsive and repeatedly checked in on the progress of our application. read more

My roommate and I are looking for an 2 bedroom apartment in Long Island city for moving in next month. Ivan and AJ are very helpful finding us a nice 2Br with amazing price that is lower than most of the luxurious apartment nearby. Everything is done pretty fast and we are about to move in after only 2 weeks searching. Thanks Ivan and AJ for all the effort! read more

Avi Cohen set himself apart from the from the beginning. All the other agents I contacted (about 15 or so) failed to go above and beyond a generic auto response email. Shortly after our first conversation Avi found and scheduled a tour of an apartment that fit my needs. I was out of town so he sent me the layout before he walked through the apartment with me on Face-time. He worked with the leasing agent to get me not only approved but he got me the listing for under their asking price. Avi made my search for an apartment truly quick and painless. I highly recommend his services. read more

I'm certain this is a case by case basis, but my current experience with Spire has been just terrible. My roommates and I were looking for a 3BR and were lucky enough to find one in Manhattan, but through a broker with Spire. Because of this, we had to pay a 15% broker's fee. Given the hell that is Manhattan Real Estate, we decided to take the apartment and maybe negotiate the fee down a little. It was supposed to be smooth and easy after that. IT WAS HELL. Our broker called us all the time for materials that we were missing (we weren't), scheduled to meet with us at times we had ALREADY said were not going to work (jobs), and was just overall unhelpful. It was to the point of annoying. He consistently became reminded of things like, "oh! also your guarantor needs to sign this... and we need it in 24 hours." or "oh! that time we set to meet up to sign the lease isn't going to work. How about next Tuesday at 2pm (couldn't do it, 9-5 jobs)?" My favorite was the time we were told we could move in a couple days in advance by our broker, but when we went to sign the lease, the management company said they knew nothing about that. I couldn't get a hold of our broker (who apparently also had the KEYS to our apartment) and my moving date was RAPIDLY approaching. I will NEVER use Spire Group again. This process has made my life a living hell. A constant condescending barrage of texts, emails and missed phone calls from the broker has ruined what was supposed to be an easier process than searching for the actual apartment. Never again. Never again. read more

I had the pleasure of having Martina Dechevska help with finding a new apartment. She was very knowledgeable, super friendly and very quick in finding what we were looking for, and then getting everything done smoothly. Would totally recommend her to anyone looking for a new place! read more

This is only in review of Mohit Sethi and Nish. I found an apartment on renthop that I contacted them through. The deal seemed almost too good to be true and my roommate was skeptical so she kept asking questions just to confirm that we really could get a flex 3 bedroom for 2900 (I know, I know). We asked if it was a railroad style apartment and Moe (who was the primarily email responder) said no. So my roomie and I are curious and we meet during the day to check it out. Turns out, it's a Stuy town apartment. We get down there and Nish, not Moe, greets us and leads us in the main Stuy office. We're looking at the apartment layouts, and at this point, trying to explain to Nish how putting a bookcase in the middle of the room does not turn the room into two separate bedrooms. You can't put doors on this 'bookcase two bedroom'. We were there so we saw the apartments and he kept going on his phone being like 'well I have this apartment and this one' all of which were out of our budget (that we had to keep reminding him about). He was very condescending with the whole experience and kept telling us 'Well 500 people line up outside this office before it even opens. Everyone wants these apartments'. No they don't. At the end of the tour, he had the gall to ask us if we wanted an application. He asked us twice. Never getting in contact with them again as it seems they will say anything to get you to even look at an apartment. On the plus side, the Stuy town tour guide was cute. read more

DO NOT waste your time...unless you want to experience first hand the old bait and switch. I found a listing on RentHop in Murray Hill...I had to meet the guy 20 minutes away where he showed me 2 apartments in Stuytown (nice space if you like the college dorm feel). When I asked about the apartment I thought I was going to see in Murray Hill he seemed a little confused and said that it was off the market. BUT it is still on Rent Hop as I type. There are plenty of reputable realtors out there, do yourself a favor and stay away from Spire Group. read more

My husband and I were in a pinch, looking for an apartment with just about 2 weeks to go on our current lease. We worked with Ivan Palov, who was a true professional. He took us to a series of great apartments, all of which were "no fee" (meaning the building covers brokers fees). He never tried to sell us on a place with a brokers fee, and he continued to offer up options until we found an apartment we loved at a great price. Ivan's knowledge of the industry gave us the confidence to know when we found a truly great deal. He knows every apartment building in NYC and what the going rates are for each. We would definitely recommend him to other apartment seekers in the NYC area. read more

Do not trust this realty group to find you suitable housing. They are clearly not investigating the quality of the properties to which they are directing their clients. We paid $5,000 in fees to have them rent us an apartment in a completely unsanitary building. We are currently dealing with the following after only 1 month in the new apartment: -Bed bugs -Upwards of 5 rats running rampant in our garbage room at all times (which is inside the building). -Mice/rats scratching at our walls and ceilings -Attempted break in last weekend *I should note this was a co-broke with Bohemia Realty Group, where I have also posted this review. read more

I can't recommend Kosta Blyznakov highly enough. We got in touch with Kosta through Craigslist - he replied within minutes, which is typical of the way he works. Over a couple of weeks, Kosta arranged several days of apartment showings for us - hours of listings in a row without a moment spared. The man is an expert on the city and what's available, and is totally open about pros/cons of different options - without pushing you in any particular direction. Kosta is an extremely genuine, really nice and charming guy and my roommates and I felt extremely comfortable with him guiding us as we navigated the maze that is the NYC apartment hunting scene. I'm not sure how anyone could ever do it without a "Kosta" - can not recommend highly enough! read more

Katrin Tchernev at Spire is the best broker I have ever worked with. Listened to all my needs and helped me find the best building based on all of my preferences. Worked tirelessly to help close the deal with the building. Was constantly on top of everything related to getting the lease signed, answered all my questions and was always available to help. Super easy and friendly to work with and I'd highly recommend anyone looking for an apartment to reach out to Katrin read more

The place was fine at first, but after politely informing the broker we had already found a new apt, he then wrote me such an unwarranted, nasty email. It's slightly disgusting and below professionalism! Certainly shows that his "kindness" to start was all BS. Too bad his boss lets him be this way. Crap image for the company and can't and won't recommend this place. read more

Dimitar Nikolov, Yordan Bobchev, these guys are so unethical. I had an appointment with an agent from another firm to see some apartments in East village and Gramercy areas. Like anyone looking for an apartment would do, I contacted so many brokers from different firms. That's when I saw an ad on renthop.com for the same apartment posted for a lower price by Yordan Bobchev who works as a team with Dimitar Nikolov. So I contacted him, upon discussing about the location, I realized that it was the same apartment that I already had an appointment for with another agent. When I told them that I won't be able to meet them first, they offered me $400 not to meet with the other agent although I gave them the name. Turn out, the apartment was in Waterside Plaza and Stuyvesant town. I decided to go straight to the Compassrock Realty management and reported the issue. ****Please for your own safety do not deal with anyone from Spire Group, 150% of their rental postings are false.*** STAY AWAY!! read more

Absolutely the worst. Advertise apartments that don't exist. No ethics. Just to clarify, one apartment advertised did not even exist at all, in any shape or form, according to the leasing manager at the property. He couldn't explain it. These guys will waste your time and try to upsell you, all while trying to distract you with disingenuous good humor. AVOID. read more

I recently purchased my first home in NYC. Bianka from Spire was essentially to making it happen - I would highly recommend her. She's very communicative, prompt and knowledgeable. She explained and provided guidance every step of the way. When you're ready to find your next place definitely reach out to Bianka! read more

I had the absolute worst experience I have ever had in my entire life with this company. The realtor that I was working with was not only manipulative, but was related to the owner of the condo. She believed I was naive and essentially tricked me into putting a down payment on an apartment that I never felt comfortable with. I never received a refund for this apartment even though the owner did not sign the lease. The realtor, Tammy Hsu was not allowed to continue renting out to the apartment because of her rude behavior and unprofessional attitude. She flat out lied about the condition of the apartment and the fact that SHE WAS LIVING THERE. Please do not waste your time with this realty group. read more

Brett was a pleasure to work with! Transparent, efficient, and generally just a great guy. Super knowledgeable about the listing and the area. Would recommend to others and will be reaching out next time we're in the market! read more

Robert & Jason totally saved me and helped me secure my dream apartment. I was doing a last minute cross-country move from San Francisco to NYC all alone, and had dealt with 2-3 other terrible brokers, and was feeling super trapped with my options in a time crunch. I called Robert to view one of his properties that I'd been watching for weeks, just to see what I was missing out on.... and now I live there! Robert was SO HELPFUL; he helped me work through all of the NYC rental garbage, is SUPER responsive (always got an email or call back within 30 mins of sending), and made sure I was happy and that everything was done correctly, perfectly really. He also helped me stand up to some other brokers who were giving me a hard time being pushy/predatory (which he definitely did not have to do), but chose to help me anyway because he didn't like that I was getting bullied/taken advantage of. He's a no BS guy from Jersey who honestly felt like a protective big brother (which I really needed at the time) -- "don't you let that [other broker] bully you, I hate people who do that, it's not right. I got you on this one, you tell me if you need my help and when, and I'm here to help you. This is your home, you're gonna live there for years, we gotta make sure it's the right place; don't accept anything you don't love". If you want someone who'll act in your best interest, be your fighter against other brokers/property management companies to get deals done quickly and correct, and be extremely transparent and upfront about things... you should 100% pick Robert Forster. And shoutout to Jason too, who took me on a very last minute tour in the POURING rain and then also then also got the locks changed for my house and brought new keys to me at work the next day. Can't get better service than that. read more

Martina was amazing to work with from start to finish! We were moving to NY from out of state and were a little apprehensive about using a broker but honestly, I don't know if we could have done it with out her! She was so incredibly helpful and responsive the whole time. Since we did not live in the area, we were worried that we'd be competing with residents who were more available to signing a lease right away, but when we found a unit that we liked she was loyal to the fact that we were the first to apply and worked with us through the whole process to lock it in. We were not able to see it ahead of time but it was exactly as she described and has been our home ever since! Added bonus - she kindly checked in even after our move and gave some great suggestions on restaurants in the area! read more

Avi is amazing! He made the process of finding an apartment so much easier than it normally is. He only showed me apartments I would be interested in and all of them were good matches and within my budget. He helped me find my dream apartment within a few hours. I highly recommend using Avi to find your next apartment! read more

I almost never write reviews but Ivan Palov deserves an excellent feedback! When I decided to move to NYC from CT I was very nervous as I was afraid I will end up at a place that will make me feel miserable. When I first contacted Ivan he told me not to worry because his goal is to find me a place which will make me happy and he did. We spoke several times and he listened carefully to understand what my needs are. He then made very honest and very helpful recommendations taking into consideration factors such as my commute situation. I agreed to see certain buildings he suggested and he scheduled appointments convenient for me. He also sent me a list of all documents that I needed to have on me when I go see an apartment in order to be a competitive applicant. When we met, he was on time, all appointments were very well coordinated and all buildings he showed me were really of interest to me because he knew what I wanted. If I didn't like an apartment for some reason we turned around and left right away- he didn't try to talk me into liking the apartment . We found a place that I really liked, I submitted an application right away and I now live in a place I love! I highly recommend him as he was very honest, very knowledgeable, very diligent, not pushy and overall very pleasant to work with! read more

Ivan and AJ were a pleasure to work with, and secured me a place within my budget and with all features I needed, in a great location. There were helpful, productive, and no-nonsense. A rarity these days in the rental market. Highly recommended. read more

We worked with Ivan Palov. He was very professional. Responds to emails/phone calls fast. Ivan is patient and will find what you are looking for. He is a nice, and honest guy. Highly recommend Ivan to anyone. read more