I worked with Harry Maria and Jhosmarty Castillo at the Williamsburg branch of Prudential Douglas Elliiman (490 Driggs Ave. Brooklyn NY 11211). Their branch isn't listed on Citysearch yet, so I'm reviewing it here.
I contacted Harry via email late one evening and had a call back from him early the next morning about an apartment he had available in Park Slope (the neighborhood in which I was looking) that matched what I was looking for. Long story short, I saw the apartment that day, put a deposit down the next and signed the lease 2 days later.
Harry and Jhosmarty were SO friendly and down-to-earth. They dealt with the management company to negotiate on my behalf in regards to me not having 100% of the money required to move-in and were able to work everything out for me.
I hunted on Craigslist for weeks and saw nothing but shady brokers listing apartments for less than I knew they were worth, or crappy apartments for too much, photos of apartments that weren't representative of the actual apartment, etc. I had read horror stories about Rapid Realty and other smaller, less reputable brokers. I was exhausted and didn't want to search through crap anymore.
I had always been hesitant to work with Realtors with higher fees (12%, 15%) but I now understand that you get what you pay for and it's worth it if you experience high anxiety around finding an apartment. They aren't pushy in the least and are willing to whatever they can to help you -always with a smile. Worth every penny.
I now have an adorable apartment in Park Slope that is just what I had hoped for.
Thanks Harry and Jhosmarty!
Pros: friendly, helpful, great listings
Cons: the broker fee, but worth every penny
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