Get Brooklynian.com by Email! 
Grab the Feed (RSS)Brooklynian » Forum » Williamsburg, Greenpoint, Bushwick »
-
Hi! I'm looking to move to the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area (ideally close to the Nassau G stop), and I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a good broker. Did anyone have a great experience with theirs? Anyone to avoid?
-
Subject: Re: Brokers?
I had a pretty bad experience with one. Well, the broker was okay, but the place was horrible. The broker & the landlord made tons of promises that they never came through with. We were contsantly withholding rent (a very risky tactic) and threatening legal action to get things fixed. They were so cheap they didn't even pay to have the place cleaned before we moved in. I came in one day before we moved in and found the broker cleaining the bathroom himself. (and he did a horrible job) Anyway, the company was Empire One Realty, the broker's name was Av (prounounced "ahv"), forget his last name. The landlord was Zalman Perl acting on behalf of Joseph Sander. Perl owns a number of buildings around Williamsburg, I urge you to avoid him at all costs. Getting anything repaired is a total nightmare, and what's most frustrating is that he is literally impossible to get a hold of. He NEVER answers his phone and his secretary ALWAYS lies and says he's not in the office. So basically if he never wants to talk to you, he never will. It makes impossible to get anything done. If you need repairs, but he never calls you back, the repairs never get made. We had a serious rat problem. Our heating was contsantly broken. And the biggest problem was when the roof caved in on the top floor of the house and my roommate literally had rain coming directly into his bedroom. It took MONTHS to get fixed. The heating constantly broke in the dead of winter. And the rat problem was NEVER taken care of. It was horrible. Perl is seriously one of the worst human beings I have ever met and I am not exaggerating. It was really a shame, b/c the apartment would have been cool if he wasn't a slumlord. It was a narrow 3-story 4 BR house. So me and three roommates had a whole house to ourselves at a reasonable rent ($2500 I think). But Perl was so miserable, and the place had so many problems, that the 2 years there were a total nightmare. The place was on Humboldt St near the Graham Ave L stopSpend a buck, light a number for one the 400,000 victims in Darfur: darfurwall.org -
Stay away from Greenpoint Properties.
-
Do NOT use North Brooklyn Real Estate (located on Norman Ave.) they are liars and cheats
-
Former broker here. My recommends, with full disclosure: Please keep in mind that YOU ARE THE CUSTOMER. With any company, it completely depends on who you work with. If you do not like the broker who answers the phone, call another one. No one over here has an exclusive, no matter what they tell you. You should trust them and you should at least find being with them pleasant - you don't have to like them. Feel that they are professional and know what they are talking about. If ANYTHING about what they say or ask you to do sounds fishy - and you didn't just arrive from Iowa [so you have a reasonable expectation as to what's involved in the process] - trust your instincts and don't go to the appointment, sign the document, or hand over money. Always get a receipt. That said: Aptsandlofts: mixed reviews, as always. It depends on who you work with. Kenn Firpo: I rented from them before I worked in BK, my friends rented from them, their friends and family rented from them. They have connections that NO ONE ELSE is going to have because they have been here for so long. Go to the office and meet with someone - forget asking about a web site, forget about craigslist, forget about your broker being some hipster. I cannot recommend them enough. Real Renters- my former affiliation. I still feel fondly towards the office staff. But, even with that, it depends on the broker. If you like them, work with them. Crifasi, Williamsburg Realty - they have less exclusives I believe than Firpo but you will get the old-school landlords who have worked with them forever. Finally, I also heartily recommend Johnna Woods, who is affiliated with J.O'Connor, go on craigslist and search on her name to get her number and listings. She was my competition, but she is smart and ethical and works hard and is a real person. I always tried to poach her and she always tried to poach me.
-
Subject: brokers
Anonymous » Former broker here. My recommends, with full disclosure: Please keep in mind that YOU ARE THE CUSTOMER. With any company, it completely depends on who you work with. If you do not like the broker who answers the phone, call another one. No one over here has an exclusive, no matter what they tell you. You should trust them and you should at least find being with them pleasant - you don't have to like them. Feel that they are professional and know what they are talking about. If ANYTHING about what they say or ask you to do sounds fishy - and you didn't just arrive from Iowa [so you have a reasonable expectation as to what's involved in the process] - trust your instincts and don't go to the appointment, sign the document, or hand over money. Always get a receipt. That said: Aptsandlofts: mixed reviews, as always. It depends on who you work with. Kenn Firpo: I rented from them before I worked in BK, my friends rented from them, their friends and family rented from them. They have connections that NO ONE ELSE is going to have because they have been here for so long. Go to the office and meet with someone - forget asking about a web site, forget about craigslist, forget about your broker being some hipster. I cannot recommend them enough. Real Renters- my former affiliation. I still feel fondly towards the office staff. But, even with that, it depends on the broker. If you like them, work with them. Crifasi, Williamsburg Realty - they have less exclusives I believe than Firpo but you will get the old-school landlords who have worked with them forever. Finally, I also heartily recommend Johnna Woods, who is affiliated with J.O'Connor, go on craigslist and search on her name to get her number and listings. She was my competition, but she is smart and ethical and works hard and is a real person. I always tried to poach her and she always tried to poach me.
I can say that my experience with Johnna Woods was great. She was totally in our corner, friendly and made us feel that we could trust her. I will be calling her again when my lease is up! -
Try Annie at Kline Realty. They've been there since 1990 and are very tuned in to the neighborhood and the people. Cool office, too.
-
Subject: need a 2 bedroom.. and wolf perl pt 2...
hahaha!! i had zalman/"wolf" perl as a landlord too. .what a scumbag.. never had heat during dec/jan/feb -- it was always "broken" and the guy was "on his way" to come fix it. plus he would hit on me! arent hasiddic men supposed to not have much contact with women other than their wives.. well i guess all husbands.. haha.. what a dick..
Welcome! Please log in to post, or register a new account!