Ilya and the Rasner Group did an outstanding job selling our house in Somerville. Above and beyond the standard stuff that any agent can do, Ilya added a lot of value in two critical areas: - He came up with a listing price that was just right; it generated lots of interest and produced multiple offers. - He leveraged the competitive situation to optimize for price and terms of sale. I highly recommend working with this real estate agent. read more

Ilya and team were a huge help in the home buying process. Amidst a VERY competitive market in 2021, with Ilya's advice I was able to get the first place I put an offer on, which is almost unheard of with the demand at that time. Before working with Ilya I worked with another realtor and I wasn't especially impressed, so sought out a better realtor and found Ilya - and very glad I did! Ilya as very insightful and knowledgeable of the market and process and made the usually stressful process a breeze. He's also a very friendly and easy going guy, but stays on top of important stuff. Even after the closing process, llya went above and beyond, and arranged at his own expense a junk hauling service to remove a huge, unwanted piece of furniture from the new property. read more

My husband and I were first time homebuyers, and I had reached out to some friends in the area to get recommendations of a realtor to work with, but before I contacted the realtor they mentioned, a family member who is a realtor connected us with Ilya. As such, I was a bit on guard when I walked into his office to meet with him, but he impressed us so much in that initial meeting that we decided to go with him. He took the time to make sure he understood what we were looking for, helped us clearly define what we value most in a property, explained the homebuying process, and answered all of our questions. Ilya is very knowledgeable when it comes to the real estate market where we were looking (Cambridge/Somerville) and once we started attending open houses, he looked at the properties that we were interested in with a critical eye, pointing out pros and cons of each property to us. Most importantly, he took into consideration the preferences we mentioned in that first meeting with him and made sure we didn't lose focus. That helped us not get overwhelmed with the number of properties we were seeing, and ultimately ensured that we ended up in a condo well within our budget that we love living in, versus a place that might have been staged nicely that just wouldn't have been as suitable for our family in the long run. Ilya made what can be a stressful process seamless, and I would not hesitate to work with him again. read more

Thanks to Ilya Rasner, a realtor at KW Cambridge, I now live in what I believe to be the single most adorable house in Somerville. I didn't even think I COULD buy a home at this stage in my life, but Ilya had me meet with a great mortgage advisor who showed me exactly what I can afford, and how much my monthy payments would be. Ilya was a great realtor, really listened to what I was looking for, and was able to show me properties that really fit the bill. The great thing about Ilya too is that's he's a fun guy to be around, with a great personality. I cannot stress how much this matters, since you tend to spend quite a bit of time looking at homes with your realtor. I could not be happier with my experience with Ilya and would recommend my realtor to anyone and everyone. (Look at the profile page to see pics of my swank little abode!) read more

Ilya is delightful. He made the stressful and intense process of searching for and buying a home easy and fun. His knowledge and experience in real estate are a great resource whether you're buying or selling a home. I could not recommend him enough. If we ever decide to move again, we will be going back to Ilya 100%. read more

As a first time buyer entering the process, I'd done a fair amount of reading and research online about the purchase process, but still felt extremely nervous about how complicated everything seemed, especially in the Cambridge and Somerville area, where competition is fierce. A friend who had recently purchased a home and had a phenomenal experience the whole time recommended I talk to Ilya. I met with Ilya over a casual coffee and lunch, and he explained the whole process to me step by step, including an overview of area property prices, the general vibe of the current market, and a list of other people I'd need to get in contact with to ensure the process ran smoothly. At no point did I feel like I was pressured to make a decision about using him as a realtor - in fact, it felt like an extremely supportive and friendly conversation where he genuinely had my best interests at heart. That same vibe was reflected in all of the folks that Ilya recommended in his network to help me with the mortgage, legal, and inspection side of things - Rob Veneziano and Jeff Shargel and Don Bissex. They were all genuinely good people who felt more like friends that business folk - I never felt rushed into a decision without all the information I needed. Everyone was funny, good-humored, and had a great outlook on any situation - something that helped alleviate any moments of emergent mental stress. Throughout the searching process, Ilya was really helpful, visiting properties with me and pointing out specific things to watch out for at each location and astutely determining the different motivations and incentives that every involved party (sellers, buyers, condo neighbors) might have at a property. This knowledge was extremely helpful in my scenario, since there were a series of really tough complications with the property I eventually settled on. Throughout the process, Ilya worked really hard with Rob and team and Jeff to make sure that all the complications were resolved in a really positive and ethical way. When we finally closed a home that I really loved, Ilya and Jeff and I sat down to chat and celebrate and talk about our lives, instead of simply vanishing off the face of the planet as I've seen happen with other realtors my friends had worked with. That's just one example of how Ilya and his network made the rigid process feel very human. Because of that (and on top of his excellent business acumen), I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to purchase in this area! read more

Ilya truly is as good as it gets! From start to finish, he did an exemplary job of serving as our realtor. He takes his job seriously, and this work ethic pays off. Ilya took us through the steps of finding and buying a home, from identifying our priorities to beginning the actual search (involving looking at between 40 and 50 properties - eek!), to supporting us through the search and checking in about priorities, to finally finding, making an offer on, purchasing, and moving into our home. Ilya was also very helpful in the financial realm, connecting us with a mortgage broker and consulting on the financial side of things. Our home is in Brighton, in a beautiful and historic area with which we have fallen in love. Thanks to Ilya, for finding our home and seeing us through to become homeowners! read more

Ilya is great to work with. He's super responsive, helpful, straightforward, honest, and friendly. It feels like he's working for you, and totally on your side, instead of trying to hustle you into something that's not right for you. We just worked with him for the second time, and we would definitely work with him again. read more

My husband and I recently bought a house in Stoneham with the help of Jacob. Jacob was great to work with, always available to talk if we had questions (day or night and on weekends) and went out of his way to be available whenever we felt like looking at a house. He was instrumental in helping us figure out exactly what we were looking for and he was really fun to work with. Highly recommend!!!! read more

Great experience with Ilya. Easy to work with, efficient, knows what he is doing and really good at closing. Had a very very positive experience, glad that we went with him to sell our place-bottom line 6 offers above asking in a 4 day span. Just like some of the other reviewers said he is well prepared and I highly recommend him if you are looking to sell based on my experience. Funny thing is I made the call after looking at his yelp reviews. Good luck! read more

My wife and I recently bought our first home and Ilya helped us through every step of the way. At an initial appointment in his office he took over an hour to get to know us, our desires in a home and our long term goals. After we went to a couple of open houses and solidified the neighborhood and home style we wanted, I spotted the perfect townhouse condo on Ilya's website. I emailed Ilya to ask if he could get us in for a private showing, which he made happen the next day. On a return visit with my wife, Ilya astutely picked that the seller's agent had no idea how to get into the basement: a subtle clue we were the only interested buyers. After negotiating a $40k price reduction (!!!) in another power move Ilya penned an offer letter that gave the sellers only a few short hours to accept. Although the sellers were being tough about the closing date Ilya stuck to his guns and powered late, late into the night to seal the deal. Our final offer letter was accepted some time around 1am. Ilya was just getting warmed up. Next, he activated his personal network of trusted home inspectors, attorneys, mortgage brokers, etc. At no point in the whirlwind process did I need to fret about tracking down for myself any of these supporting players in the home-buying process. Ilya would simply refer me to a handful of (for example) home inspectors he had worked with and trusted. Everyone he put us in touch with was great and we really felt like we had "Team Ilya" on our side. Ilya is a real estate Ninja. We are thrilled with our house and look forward to working with him on a future occasion. read more

Ilya was great! I was nervous about entering the house hunting process solo with zero knowledge about how to buy a house. After finding a ton of positive reviews about Ilya, I met up with him for coffee, and spent a bunch of time getting educated on the process. I never felt like I was being sold a service - he was patient, supportive, and also helped to provide all the facts about a property before I made offers. I feel confident in my investment as a result of Ilya's analysis and support during the process! Ilya also had a bunch of recommendations for inspectors, loan officers, attorneys, etc, - he never pressured me to use them, but I'm glad I did! Rob Veneziano, Jeff Shargel, Brett Cortez were all amazing and made this process seamless for me. Ilya is hilarious, very down to earth, and a very genuine person. I would absolutely work with him again and would recommend him to all of my friends. read more

BEST CASE SCENARIO! 20% over asking price! Jacob walked us through fixing up the house then really guided us through all the right moves to end up with 28 offers on our home. We truly believe we had the results we had because after researching Mr Rasner we felt confident in following his advice. It was a long process fixing up the house and staging it but in the end we profited greatly financially so it was worth the time and effort. We would not have known what to do and what to leave alone without professional advice. We really felt respected and were impressed that Illia put his money where his mouth was by paying for a professional photographer and caterer for our main open house. We literally showed the house for six days and were sorting through the 28 offers seven days after it hit the MLS. He is a strong negotiator and at all times had our best interest in mind. We were able to contact him with ease and felt throughout the process we were receiving top notch service. You would think reading all this I'm talking about a million dollar home. Our home listed at 299,900! He treats everyone respectfully and professionally not just the homes that he will make big money on. He worked both hard and smart for us so if your buying or selling a house please know you can't do better than Mr Rasner! Also, our house was in Woburn not in the city so by all means enjoy a high end Cambridge realtor for your suburban real estate needs. In closing, THANK YOU Illia Rasner you are the best and it was a pleasure working with you :o) read more

Read my other posts and you will see I don't give out 5 stars to everyone! Ilya sold my old condo and helped me buy my new one. Selling the old condo could have been tricky - the building had low owner occupancy and at the time there were approximately 736,475 condos on the market in Allston. But everything he recommended from how to de-clutter for showings to pricing strategy worked out and it sold relatively quickly. He also helped negotiate letting me stay in the place while I closed the new condo so I wouldn't have to deal with putting stuff into storage. He dealt with some really crazy potential buyers. I was traveling for work while a lot of this was going on but he facilitated doing most of the paperwork electronically even if it was 10 at night. And he's fun. You're going to spend a lot of time with your realtor, so pick someone you'll like! I should also mention that my new place is in Brighton and Ilya knows both Allston and Brighton well. read more

Hire him and you'll be happy with your decision! The way he guided our homebuying process was probably not a common approach among real estate agents, but turned out to be very good for us. Instead of pushing us making a bid, he played a bit of devil's advocate to make us realize that what kind of home we really wanted, what things were really important and whatnot. As the first homebuyer, this whole process has been really enlightening. The home we bought had a fierce competition, probably 11 or 12 bidding parties, but he acted very quickly to set up things around inspection and financing, and communicate to the seller's agent, and that led us to winning the house! I would definitely use him again for the next opportunity too. read more

Ilya helped my husband and I buy our first home in 2008. He made an overwhelming, scary process into a very rewarding experience (and often quite fun!). From the initial meeting to the final stages of signing papers, Ilya was right there with us sharing a vast amount of knowledge and expertise in the real estate business. Ilya also recommended an amazing mortgage broker, inspection company and attorney. We learned very quickly that his recommendations are always spot-on, whether they be about a home, a price or another player in the home-buying process. We have recommended Ilya to a number of friends because we truly feel that he is the best agent out there. He knows the Boston-area real estate market and he always has his client's best interest as his priority. If we ever move from our home we'll work with Ilya in a heartbeat! read more

Ilya Jacob Rasner helped us buy our condo in Charlestown this summer. He came recommended by a friend, but we were first-time homebuyers, and were attempting to find our place long-distance, coming up for open houses and so forth from New York City. Ilya really took the time to get to know us and help us clarify what we were looking for. He also understood our tight timeline and busy schedules, and made sure that the time we had to see places in Boston was well-used. He was always easy to get in touch with, and he did a great job helping us understand our options to make a competitive bid in this market. At the same time, we never felt pressured or rushed. The home we ultimately chose needed a little bit of work, and Ilya's recommendations for contractors were so great that not only did we use them to get prompt bids that helped us negotiate with the seller, but we are having them back to do the actual work. Ilya was also a great advisor during the negotiation process, helping us to play out various scenarios. He recommended a lawyer, Cindy, who we found to be thorough and friendly, and affordable to boot. I really cannot say enough about Ilya. He made what seemed like an impossibly complicated process very manageable and even fun, and we just love our new home. read more

I used Jacob as my realtor to both sell my condo and buy a new 3 bedroom condo in a great neighborhood all within a 2 month period! He was recommended to me from two friends who also used him to sell their place. He got me an incredible return on my condo and was able to get me my new place for a great price. He works really hard to make sure you are taken care of. He will take the time to explain things in detail. He is a great strategist and has an excellent grasp of the market and psyche of people. A trustworthy person who you can work with for such an important decision in your life! He also works with a great network of people to help you at various points in the process whether it is Julie the stager, Cindy the lawyer, Ricky the handyman or Shant the mortgage broker. He is the best realtor in Boston. Call no one else. His great work could not have been done by anyone else! read more

I recently sold my two-family house in Brighton with Ilya. I've worked with quite a few realtors and he's, by far, the best I've worked with in the Boston area. He was friendly yet professional, gave great advice on how to market the property, and ensured I understood each step of the selling process. He took the time to understand my needs and married that with his understanding of the customer base we were targeting to create a marketing approach that got the house sold quickly and for a higher price than I expected. I would highly recommend Ilya and his team to anyone looking to buy or sell a house. read more

Ilya is the top notch agent you'll want in your corner! As a first-time home buyer, I had a lot to learn. Ilya was patient with educating and guiding me throughout the process. After a few short months, I got my first home with a backup offer. Instead of playing the waiting game, Ilya kept checking in with the seller's agent and was seeing that the other parties were having a rocky experience. I sense that the seller switched to our offer not only because it was better but also that Ilya was building a good rapport with the seller's agent and that they could tell it would be a far smoother process choosing us. Here are 5 reasons you should connect with Ilya as your next agent: 1. Knowledgeable - Ilya knows the process in and out and keeps things moving smoothly. He also has a good sense of evaluating a home so you have an early/rough idea of what condition the property is in. Note: This doesn't eliminate the need for a home inspection but is very helpful as a first pass. 2. Honest, trusted advisor - He'll help you weigh the pros and cons of a particular house and offer. You'll feel like Ilya has your best interest at heart without ever feeling pressured. 3. Strategic - Ilya knows the game and has a bag of tricks to pull from for helping you make the strongest offer. 4. Strong network - Along the home buying process you'll need assistance from a variety of people. Ilya has a strong network in place to help you at any stage. 5. Proactive, take action approach - Whether it's getting the inside scoop from the other agent or quickly lining up a home inspector, Ilya's already on it. Aside from that, Ilya is an all around great person and enjoyable to be around! Choose Ilya for your home search, you won't regret it! read more

When it came time to sell our condo and I needed to choose a realtor, I did what any rational person would do--I simply did a Yelp search and contacted the realtor with the best reviews. After my first point of contact with the realtor--Jacob Rasner--I knew my search was over. One of the first things I noticed about Jacob is that he is very tech savvy. As a former Google engineer, that is not a term I throw around lightly. Whether it was his Google Docs-driven information gathering form, his fancy Asus laptop, or his knowledge of cutting edge online real estate tools and techniques, I immediately knew that he was not your run of the mill "stick a Century 21 signpost in the front yard and be done with it" realtor from the past. Another quality that immediately stood out is that Jacob is very down to earth. We always felt like we were talking to a friend--not a salesman. He doesn't care whether you call him Ilya, Jacob, or even Bob. He always made us feel like we were his only client. He was very communicative throughout the entire process and was very easy to reach whether it was through email, phone, text, or IM. Jacob sold our home in about 9 days for the exact price we agreed would be fair before the condo hit the market. He utilized numerous best of breed associates, such as a photographer and a staging expert to make sure our condo looked as attractive as possible on the Internet and in person. His marketing expertise generated admirable turnouts at both of the open houses we held. To be frank (no pun intended), on occasion we were somewhat of a pain in the butt as far as sellers go and Jacob handled it very well. He would often go well outside of his job description to make sure everything remained optimal. I won't give specific examples because I don't want to encourage future clients to fall back on him in cases where they shouldn't, but lets just say the previous reviewer who mentioned he was allowed to eat a sloppy sandwich in Jacob's Mercedes was not exaggerating about Jacob's generosity. Overall, our experience was flawless and I will definitely be giving him a call when it comes time to buy my next home. read more

We chose Ilya and his team to find a house that was right for us and our family, and they delivered. Ilya was instrumental in the final negotiations, helping us to get a better house in a better location than we had expected. We would recommend the Rasner Group to anyone looking to purchase a home in the Boston area. read more

I'm jumping on the bandwagon to give Ilya 5 stars. He recently brokered the sale of my condo, at a negotiated sale price that I was more than happy with. I'll keep it brief: Ilya is the paramount professional - intelligent, responsive, enthusiastic, but most importantly he knows how to set expectations. Throughout the entire home-selling process, he was a true trusted adviser. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to walk away with much given the work that needed to be done on my condo, but he worked his magic and like I said, I got even more than what I wanted. Just make it easy for yourself and give him a call if you're selling your house - you won't be disappointed. read more

We recently purchased a condominium in Cambridge thanks to the outstanding work of Ilya Jacob Rasner. Jacob stands out from the pack. We had previoulsy tried to purchase a condo in Berkeley. We dealt with several agents, all of whom who seemed more interested in selling high-end houses than helping us find a condo. They also seemed apathetic about fighting for us. In contrast, Jacob was the one who made it happen. From the very beginning, he was responsive. When I first called on a Sunday afternoon, I was stunned when he responded by early Sunday evening, particulalry considering how busy all real estate agents are on Sunday. This was a difficult purchase since we were located in California. He seemed to take this in stride. He has obvioulsy worked with long distance purchases before. He videod properties for us to view and handled parts of the transaction that normally someone in the area would handle themselves. Even though we asked about 150% of him, he never balked when i called one more time to ask if he would be willing to do something As we found how competitive the market is for hot properties in Cambridge, Jacob strategized as to how to nab the property we wanted. Then he took the time to explain the nuances of the Cambridge market. I think it he hadn't taken his patient time in educating us, we never would had closed our deal. Aside from his skil in real estate, his personal contacts are a treasure trove. He found us a perfect inspector, the best real estate attorney in Cambridge (Cyndi Sherman), and a top performing mortage broker. From start to finish, he was patient and positive. We closed the transaction in only a few months. However, I think if it had taken us a year to find the perfect property, he would have been fine with it. He once explained to me that he doesn't look at it that way. if it takes a long time to find a property, that is just the way it is. Jacob Rasner deserves 5 stars, no let's say he deserves 6 stars. He is simply superb. read more

My wife and I came to Boston last month for one week, Jacob was able to find us a nice condo at a reasonable price. He is honest, humorous and fun . He does his homework and works very very hard. He is quite objective and not pushing. If you ask the right question, he always give you more information than you expect. We learned so much about real estate that we felt we would have to pay him for the education. Once, we were in a hurry, and he let us have lunch sandwiches in his Mercedes ! I guess if you ask, he may even let you brush your teeth in his car! If you are looking for the most wanted real estate agent in Boston, he is the guy! read more

Highly highly recommend Ilya!! Work with him and you'll be glad you did. I found Ilya by reading his positive Yelp reviews. I have worked with Ilya on 3 different occasions in the past 3 1/2 years so there is a lot to sort through, but the main theme is he is great at what he does and I would definitely work with him again. As a wide eyed first time home buyer Ilya really took the time to listen to what I was looking for and thoroughly explained every step of the process. The biggest thing I remember is how seamless and easy the process was, where most people do not have the same experience, and I know this was because of Ilya. I decided to sell the above condo and gave Ilya a call. We met up and talked for about an hour and set up a plan on how to go about it. He set up a stager and photographer, with no cost to me. Because of his forward thinking and preparation he maximized the return on my condo. And finally I decided to buy my house and couldn't be happier with the results. Great negotiator! Ilya explains, in detail, every step of the process and asks for feedback to best help his clients. He and his team work very hard, are always available to answer questions or concerns, very professional and geared towards customer service. He has a great feel for the market and the people he is working with to get you the best results. read more

We worked with Ilya (Jacob) last year to find our home, and couldn't be happier. He started by taking the time to learn what would make us happy with a home. He then educated us on the big and little things to look for - we really had no clue! At one point, he had to give us a difficult reality check on a home we really liked at first glance, but after home inspection it became apparant that it would have been a real money pit - the kind where you aren't even sure they used insulation! My point is that he's not in this business to make money, he's there to help people. I also can't say enough about the great people he helped put us in touch with. We really liked our lawyer, and couldn't have gotten the mortgage we did without his small bank contacts (big fan of Bank of Canton). We love our new home, and definitely recommend Ilya as an agent and friend. read more

My fiance and began working with Ilya in September, 2009 with the hope that we would be homeowners by Nov. 30 to qualify for the tax credit. Ilya took the time to walk us through the buying process and showed us homes that fit our lifestyle and budget. He was wonderful about answering all of our questions, and believe me, we had a lot of them. We were very impressed by his knowledge of the different neighborhoods outside of Boston (we looked in Medford, Arlington, Somerville, and Melrose, primarily) and his strong work ethic. We'd have an appointment to look at a condo and Ilya often seemed more prepared and knowledgable about the property then the seller's agent. He does his homework and definitely knows what questions to ask! I was very glad to have him on our side. Thanks to Ilya's help, within a month, we had found a condo and closed in November!! We love our new home!!! read more

Ilya (Jacob) Rasner was absolutely great to work with amid the craziness of the Boston area market. In our first time buying a home (condo), my husband and I had not only never experienced the process before but also not being from the Boston area, were not as familiar with the different neighborhoods as we would like to be. Ilya helped us with everything we were timid about with a sense of humor and patience. After looking at different types of houses, condos, townhouses, and different areas north of Boston, we definitely put Ilya's knowledge and professionalism to the test and he passed with flying colors. We always felt comfortable to call up Ilya to share our concerns or ask questions and Ilya always worked with us to make sure we were getting what we wanted (even if we couldn't articulate it.) We highly recommend Ilya and will definitely work with him whenever we decide to jump back into this crazy market. read more

We hired Ilya Rasner as our realtor and we could not have been happier. Prior to working with Ilya, I had another realtor who I had to let go as I felt the other realtor was very pushy. The contrast between Ilya and my first realtor was very noticeable. Here are a few of the many things that I felt made Ilya amazing to work with. * There were multiple open houses we went to where Ilya pointed out things that helped us avoid buying the house that was not what we were looking for. I think this alone sets him apart from all other realtors. He wasn't trying to quickly make a sale and get his piece of the pie. He genuinely cared about finding a house that we loved and he didn't mind if that implied that it took more of his time. * Ilya always provided facts before making decisions. There were houses that we liked, but overpriced on the market. Instead of having us "take him on his word" for it, Ilya always gave us a list of similar houses, the prices and why he believed that the house was worth something else. He then highlighted the price delta and asked us if that was the route we wished to take. It's important to put weight on facts as buying a house is so emotional and Ilya did a great job separating out the two and made sure that our emotional attachment to a house didn't come at the cost of overlooking important facts about it. * Ilya was both professional and had a great sense of humor. * During negotiations and writing up offers, Ilya was always looking out for us and helped us make very strategic decisions. We ended up in a much better position than what we initially imagined thanks to the way he handled everything. We always felt like he was on our side and as first time home-buyers, having him on our side put our mind to ease. I would definitely recommend Ilya to anyone and should I have home needs again, I will definitely turn to Ilya. I recommend reading his other reviews. It's what convinced me to select Ilya after my bad experience with my first realtor. read more

An important thing about working with a real estate agent is knowing that you can trust them, and that couldn't be more true in the case of Ilya. He helped us sell our condo and buy a house over the course of the Spring, Summer, and Fall of 2009. He really is dedicated to his clients best interests, and works very hard to insure that there is some sanity in the often dysfunctional world of real estate. He made what could have been a tedious and tiring process a real joy for us, and I would recommend him to anyone, anytime. Like, right now. I recommend him to you-- if you're looking for a good, smart, thoughtful, hardworking, dedicated, and honest realtor-- this is the guy. read more

My homebuying experience was as good as it could possibly be thanks to Ilya. He provided excellent insight and was very proactive in getting me to extrapolate on my preferences and therefore narrow my search. Ilya did a great job managing a challenging buying process due to pre-existing issues with the property. He continued to monitor the market, provided numerous comps for multiple properties and was really thorough in everything he did until I got the keys for my new condo. He showed a good feel for the market, knowing when to be aggressive and when to lay back. Overall I had a wonderful experience using Ilya as my buyer's agent and would recommend him to anyone looking for guidance in the real estate market! read more

This review is too far overdue and should have been written a while ago. Jacob was more than we ever could have asked for in a realtor. He helped us get out of a difficult situation at our previous condo and find a great new spot in our perfect location. He has great contacts and did such a great job marketing our previous condo that we received an offer way sooner than we ever imagined we would. We ended up accepting that offer, but then had to scramble to find a new place. It was a definite challenge, but Jacob knocked it out of the park. Highly recommended!! read more

Jacob made the entire home-buying experience a pleasure. He helped me focus and prioritize my objectives and made sure he understood what I wanted. At viewings he was always practical, looking and asking about things I hadn't even considered. All the professionals he recommended were also extremely competent. I felt as if I had someone on my side the whole time. Do yourself a favor - use Jacob. read more

Ilya and Greg did a fantastic job helping us navigate through and finalizing our first-time home purchase. The whole process was very smooth and fast due to their great expertise, availability, and professionalism. They also provided great recommendation for the attorney and lender, and all of them are working as a very efficient team. I highly recommend Ilya and Greg as your future realtor!! read more

Ilya is absolutely the best real estate broker I have ever worked with. From the start, he came supremely prepared with the information we needed to find the correct price and listing time for our condo in Cambridge. As a fellow techie, I appreciated the fact that all of this information was delivered and accessible electronically. He employed multiple innovative methods of marketing our home, including creating a video about it (complete with an actor)! He was always accessible by phone, text, and email. He was able to obtain a selling price for our unit that was both above our expectations and above the price for recent homes sold in our building. Ilya was an absolute pleasure to work with and I would recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a home in Cambridge. read more

Jacob Rasner exceeded--by leaps and bounds--all of our expectations in the sale of our single family home in Cambridge. From our first meeting, his depth of knowledge of the market came through in his thoughtful presentation of recent sales in our area and we appreciated his integrity, warmth, expertise, sense of humor, and genuine interest in meeting our needs from the start. Incredibly, he had our home listed within a couple of days, compete with a gorgeous website, professional photos, and interactive floorplan. His recommendations regarding approaches to pricing, the open house, offers, and everything were consistently spot on; at the same time, we always had autonomy to direct the process according to any strong preferences we might have. We were able to reach him easily with questions and he kept us up-to-date--so helpful when the sale moved as quickly as it did. The day after the open house, we had 10 offers to choose from--wow! But even more than such a great outcome, we are delighted to know Jacob and to have had the chance to work with him. For real estate in the Boston area, now that we know what true professionalism looks like, we would not even consider working with anyone else. read more

We came out of a bad experience with a realtor, so we were definitely hesitant to trust a new one. Very soon into working with Jacob, we felt that we were in very good hands. He was highly knowledgeable, not only about the overall home-buying process (which was key for us, as first-time buyers), but also about the specific real estate market we were targeting. One of the best things, though, was how accessible he was: he always answered our emails and phone calls promptly. At one critical point in the process, he even took time away from his vacation to make phone calls and send faxes on our behalf. He was fun to work with, trustworthy, and always a great advocate for us. We would recommend him to anyone, and we would be grateful to work with him again. read more

Jacob is a great real estate agent you will not regret to work with. We are from California for one week. And he is able to help us find a nice condo for my daughter going to BU plus get a prequalified loan application approved. He does more than his homework and is willing to work extra hard for you. We learn so much about r.e. within a week , we probably feel very bad if we are not able to find our condo. He is professional and well educated about the r.e. Working with Jacob, we feel fun and relaxed. He even let us have our lunches in his Mercedes. I doubt if he will say no if I ask him to let me brush my teeth in his car. He should deserve the 7 stars rating. If you are looking for houses or condo in Boston area. He is the guy.No regrets only happy ending! read more

When we were ready to list our condo for sale, we did not think twice about which agent to contact. Ilya had been the seller's agent for our condo when we bought it, and he was so great to work with in that capacity that we knew he would be an excellent listing agent. We were so right! Ilya is knowledgeable, personable, attentive, and incredibly good at what he does. He made us feel totally comfortable with the process, and really listened to our opinions and thoughts. He had our best interests in mind every step of the way, and went above and beyond-- he even called a local property management company to see if they would rent parking for a potential buyer when it became clear that may be a roadblock to getting an offer. He was confident in his marketing strategy-- which made us confident-- and it resulted in a strong offer above our list price. His support did not stop once we had our offer accepted. When our moving plan fell through last minute, he was on the phone with moving companies trying to help us out. Beyond being a true professional, he is also just a great guy and it was fun to get to know him through the process! Ilya and his team do an excellent job, and you should not hesitate to contact them for any of your real estate needs. read more