Any GOOD EXPERIENCES WITH A BROKER ON THE BUY/OR SELL SIDE

a guy offered me candy one time :)

at least you have a sense of humor w67, everyone else out there seems to not be able to poke fun at themselves or others

thxs... this is where I let my hair down... as you know... if you live in NYC... you know someone who is a broker and I need to get along or else my wife gives me hell... :)

hehe, i am glad your wife is keeping you under control:) but do you not have One little story about a broker who did something right by you? Or whom you respected?

on the commercial side absolutely... Garrick Aug... can't give actual name as it would be obvious who I iz :)

on residential... not so much... sorry I'm trying really hard.....let me sleep on it.

*crickets chirping*

LMFAO. It appears there isn't even ONE positive realt-whore experience. Let me know when you start the NEGATIVE experience thread ...i have dozens.

Overpaid, underworked nit-wits. "First, let's kill all the realtors", Shakespeare should have written.

welcome aboard admiral... permission to hoist sail. Let's point this ship downwind. :) Need sleep... gotta go.

I find it pretty offensive that you would want to kill me without even knowing me. Admiral, perhaps you went through a glut of undertrained agents who worked for companies that practiced shady business, as there are in any field. I can honestly say that I have never once in my 8 year career in real estate had my name besmirched or had a buyer/seller that I am aware of who was unhappy in my services. I work extremely hard to get my client what they want on on their terms, and am for the most part succcessful. I do not think that I was overpaid for the number of hours I worked and know for sure that i am of a high level of intelligence, Considering this post was made 15 minutes ago i suggest we wait before passing judgement.

I really like my broker. Have used him for years, both buy and sell (and just to look). Very witty guy, doesn't hesitate when I tell him what I want to submit as an offer, and gets the job done without any hassles or drama. I look at alot of properties, on my own for open houses but with my broker during the week, when I'm about to buy, and it helps to have someone who is organized, competent, and amusing to slog through the process with.

In selling two apts in '07 and purchasing one in '08, I used the same broker. She was a "luxury," not a necessity. She did three deals for me and not just one because I loved the services she provided in making my life simpler and speeding things along. How? (1) She knew the buildings and brokers in my niche/area very well and could provide "inside" info on boards based on prior dealings and on particular sellers that their respective agents were willing to provide to her (e.g., estate sale, seller transferred but not yet moved out, etc); such info useful in negotiations and determining if building right fit for me. (2) I prefer negotiating strategies that make use of intermediary and my broker is savvy and smart enough to know how to play the role to full effect. (3) I HATE assembling board packages, forms and crap that goes along with a purchase/sale--she did all that for me and got it right. (4) When selling, she held open houses EVERY weekend until the place sold--that was part of our deal; and if not cobrokered, she cut her percentage. (5) She recognized she is in a service profession and could not have been more attentive in quickly obtaining info, responding to calls, checking in with me, updating me on open houses within minutes of them ending, etc. Upon completion of deals, she said "thank you" will tremendously generous gift cards and thoughtful tokens of appreciation for the business that showed she remembered my hobbies/interests and took the time to pick out somethings she knew I'd like.

In sum, my broker knew how to provide Four Seasons Hotel-like service and I didn't mind paying for it. She found qualified buyers quickly, unfailingly gave sound advice on marketing and purchasing, and NEVER pushed. I am an extremely engaged buyer/seller who lived on Streeteasy. I didn't need her for the MLS and she knew that. Instead, she provided other valued services.

I should add, while I parked myself in a sublet while I looked to buy, my broker set me up in one she represented--in the new neighborhood I was looking to buy in--and waived her fee. Knowing I was good for potentially 3 deals in a 12 month period, she made the right business decision in waiving the rental fee and absorbing some incidental costs for me--and she did it without me asking. That's good business.

I've had good and bad experiences with brokers on the buy side. One sleazy Brown Harris broker tried to lock me up within 5 minutes of sitting down with him. When he made a particularly crass remark about women a half hour later, I knew he wasn't for me, no matter how good he said he was. I eventually found a great broker though - she drove me from open house to open house over a few weekends and was extremely patient with me (I shopped for over a year), never overbearing, prepared with the right and most relevant information, and was fully aware of the services I actually needed (as with kylewest's experience above).

I once bid on a loft represented by Sandy Mattingly. He was not my broker, but represented the seller. Besides nice, he seemed quite honest and forthright and was very easy to deal with even though someone else won with a higher offer. I think the seller ended up doing really well, too.

anon2 - He's a class act, and a rare breed.

I've used the same broker for 9 years, and followed her through a couple career moves. She understands what I want and far I will go in the bidding process, and adds value by staying on top of comps. It's one thing to understand the market or neighborhood, but in reality a good broker requires micro-knowledge (THAT block, and especially, that specific building).

I find a lot of mediocrity in the legal and financial professions as well. When you find someone you trust in any of those three areas, hang onto them.

How about Noah (Urban Digs). Definitely never met a residential broker as smart. And, in terms of honesty, he's certainly up there. If you're wading into this mess of a market, I think you need a lot of both.

I joke I went to work for Gil Neary because he sold me my first apartment, and my second apartment, and my third apartment . . . but it's true.

Not only is he a good broker and an extremely wonderful human being, he's got a better architect/designer's eye than any architect/designer I have ever met.

ali r.
{downtown broker}

I like Uri Hanoch over at Elliman. Smart/reasonable.

Anyone recommend a good rental broker?

Noah at UrbanDigs.

thanks guys for all the feedback (I started the post) NYC real estate is like a small village in a way, and I know most of the agents you commented on, and am glad that some of you have had positive experiences. Of the agents mentioned I can personally say that having read Noah's posts he is extremely in tune with the market place, and with regards to Uri Hanoch, I did a deal with him last year where I represented the seller and he represented the buyer and he was extremely professional and on top of his game. As in every industry there are people who are good at their job and go out of their way to represent their clients interests, and there are those that are not. When considering a broker one should take the same approach as hiring an attorney... trust and experience are paramount.

aboutready
about 4 years ago
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Member since: Oct 2007
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I really like my broker. Have used him for years, both buy and sell (and just to look). Very witty guy, doesn't hesitate when I tell him what I want to submit as an offer, and gets the job done without any hassles or drama. I look at alot of properties, on my own for open houses but with my broker during the week, when I'm about to buy, and it helps to have someone who is organized, competent, and amusing to slog through the process with.

AR, did you use the same broker for the Harlem offer and the Williamsburg purchase?

Kylewest can you provide your brokers name?

AR? Kylewest?

Brokers are the most educated, sophisticated and generous people I know. I love their wit, their great writing, their understanding that less is more, and their ability to quote what a remodel will cost in just a minute or two. They never push, they all read Proust, and I just wish I could swim in a great big pool filled with brokers all the time. I wish my parents were brokers, my doctor was a broker and I even wish my fish monger was a broker. My son is in med school now but I have encouraged him to drop out to work for a brokerage firm -- you know a "real classy" one filled with those great folks like the ones at Elliman. "You don't need to be an MD", I tell him. "Just take a brokers test and you will be qualified to do so many things." And I told that if he cannot pass that "really tough" test, he can always be a managing agent -- such an elegant job.

Catwithguy, something tells me you don't really have much respect for doctors.

Chk your gmail nada. :)

Interesting. Most people I know never check their mail, so they need to be reminded to do so.