Moving to NYC - Can anyone recommend Park Slope Brokers?

Subject: Bruce at Rita Knox

Great guy! no joke. He worked Hard to find us a place and was nothing but honest. Typically there IS NOT BROKER'S FEE but only if you sign a two year lease. If you want to go 1-year You front the fee.

In Park Slope to get a nice place? I think that is fair and reasonable.

apollonia666 wrote: I rented my place in PH through Hakeem Shahid, an independent broker who works mostly through Craigslist and was recommended to me by another person who posts here. He was really nice, helped me with a very difficult application process, ran interference with the landlord for me when there were some difficulties with my credit history, cut me some slack and only charged me his fee for a one-year lease even though he got me a two-year lease, and even helped out at the last minute when the management company screwed up on the plans for my move-in date. I liked him a lot, and he seems to have good places to show (including sometimes places in Park Slope). His number is (347) 386-2288.

I used Mr. Shahid as well. He was very professional.

Subject: burke? arrogant and greedy!

Flexichick wrote: Actually, I made a mistake. It was Burke that I used. John J. Burke. I know nothing about Berman.

oh, he's just horrible! arrogant, greedy, unwilling to negotiate his fees... and apparently he owns all the properties he rents! so, he doubles as your agent and then as your landlord...

FYI, if anyone's still reading this - Walter Cole, formerly of Warren Lewis, is now with Corcoran.

Subject: Re: Bruce at Rita Knox

15th STREET SALLY wrote: I also think, and posted this on another site, that Rita Knox is a great Broker and Bruce is a doll over there.
I would only use them.
I asked him about that two year rule, and I think he said something about it being the owners perogative. But if they know owners that will do that for the renter, fantastic!!
Avoid Berman, he is a slumlord. He also walks around like he's the King of Park Slope. He's wife, who used to work out at the Slope Fitness was a bitch to the staff. What an A#@$#hole family.

I also used Bruce at Rita Knox. He really knows his stuff, and is not pushy at all. Plus he let's you decide. Use them, they are great!

Can someone please explain how Rita Knox stays in business? They have the most uninviting storefront with NO listings or anything at all in the window. Looking inside is like "scenes from a boiler room" or something, just a few desks, no artwork, no decorations, not even any computers! Sometimes there's a person sitting at one of the desks staring into space. Mostly there seems to be no one in there. Whenever anyone asks about brokers in our neighborhood they don't even come to mind. My wife is convinced they're a front for some sort of nefarious activity!

Slopehead wrote: Can someone please explain how Rita Knox stays in business? They have the most uninviting storefront with NO listings or anything at all in the window. Looking inside is like "scenes from a boiler room" or something, just a few desks, no artwork, no decorations, not even any computers! Sometimes there's a person sitting at one of the desks staring into space. Mostly there seems to be no one in there. Whenever anyone asks about brokers in our neighborhood they don't even come to mind. My wife is convinced they're a front for some sort of nefarious activity!

I have known Rita Knox for almost 20 years. She is an old fashioned broker. One of the last true neighborhood brokers left in Park Slope. There is no glitz or glamour to her, this is true. But if you want honest service with no sales pressure then she is the right person. She really knows the business. It depends on what kind of service you want. Do you want big and impersonal, then Corcoran and Brown Harris Stevens has many listings. But if you want a person that will match you up with the right owner, then Rita is for you. Depends on the level of service you want and expect.

I have used Warren Lewis Realty on 7th ave. When I was married I bought with them. Since then they have gotten me 2 great rentals. Small shop with good people.

Aguayo and Huebner isn't that bad if you know how they work.

their old website is crazy, but persuasive for some odd reason. Their new website is supposedly going to replace it. I don't like how they rarely list floorplans, but the pictures are good.

A&H currently list properties below market. If you know this, then no problem: you think about how much over ask the place is, and if the open house is busy and you're told there are over ask offers, you better offer over ask, or you won't get the place!

You can avoid them if you want but they have a number of good exclusives, and they go very quickly. Often in a week. Brooklyn properties, for all its apparent size, seems to show the same tired old co-op and townhouse listings week in week out, and probably gets more business from new development condos.

Corcoran takes listings that have previously been FSBO or another broker and slaps on $20k or more and relists. This works for them, but it might annoy you.. on the other hand they have a lot of agents and you can probably find one you like to work with, who appears to have your interests at heart. They also happily co-broke. Well, maybe not happily, but deal with the other firms. A&H tries not to.. but their percentage is lower.

Some buildings, like Turner Towers on eastern parkway, have specialized single-person brokers that grab half of the stuff that comes up in the building, probably because residents refer each other to them. If you are looking at a big co-op building you might find out which broker does most business in the building and get in touch with them..

there are a couple of fsbo-consolidated websites, and of course craigslist..

brown harris is like corcoran, but they don't get so many park slope places recently. I don't know why. They do more in brooklyn heights..

My technique is a folder full of bookmarks, natefind.com, craigslist RSS search feed and lastly, looking at the windows!