Preview Properties

Brighton, United States

4.6

20 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 617-731-0101
Website:
www.previewbostonrealty.com
Address:
1694 Commonwealth Ave, Brighton, MA, 02135
b/t Colborne Rd & Euston Rd
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
150 ftSutherland Road
180 ftSutherland Rd - Inbound
190 ftSutherland Rd - Outbound
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Today

Today –
Local time (Brighton) 2:37 AM Monday, June 2, 2025

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Description

Specialties

The process of finding an apartment should not be nearly as difficult/​frustrating as many companies seem to make it. We have a lot of listings and we have well trained agents. Our agents are trained not to push property, but to listen to what your needs are and to match you with one of our several hundred properties. I often call my agents matchmakers rather than salesmen.

With an eye towards customer service, we make sure the entire process goes smoothly and comfortably for you. We make sure that you’re moving into a clean apartment on your moving day with keys that actually work. This may seem like common sense but a lot of agencies in our area seem to miss the boat on this.

As a show of appreciation, every one of our clients gets a personalized move in gift on their moving day. Finding an apartment in Boston doesn’t have to be stressful! We specialize in making the process as stress free, if not fun, as possible.

History

Established in 2006.

Formerly known as Hillside Properties (Established 1980), Preview Properties opened its doors in March of 2006 with 3 agents.

Since then, Preview Properties has risen through the ranks to become the #1 rental agency in Brighton, Ma.

With extensive training, attention to detail and an emphasis on customer service, Preview Properties is constantly striving to become the best boutique agency in Boston.

Meet the Business Owner

Adam M.

Business Owner

I opened Preview Properties after working at, as well as managing, several other offices in the Allston and Brighton areas.

I tried to take a little bit from each company, incorporating what they did well and learning from what they didn’t do so well. I know that the basis for a successful Real Estate agency is listings so I worked tirelessly to establish one of the best database of listings in town. After listings comes agents and I hand pick our agents myself. Ethics are extremely important to me.

Once we had the listings and the agents, I turned my focus towards our web site trying to make it as customer friendly as possible. I’m definitely not an absentee owner. I take a lot of pride when my agents do a good job and will continue to put blood, sweat & tears into this company for as long as I’m alive. Thank you in advance to everyone who has taken the time to give us a review after a positive experience with my company.

In my spare time you can find me on the golf course!

Preview Properties also recommends

Beacon Hill Athletic Club

58

reviews

Fitness & Instruction

Adam M. says,

«Great gym! Never too crowded, friendly staff. Priced less then the Y for some reason, much better facilities. Towel service, flat screens, etc»

Vicinity

Near this location:
50
ft
Dolce Vita Cafe
1698 Commonwealth Ave
60
ft
Chansky’s Market
161 Sutherland Rd
60
ft
Primos II Barber Shop
1692 Commonwealth Ave
70
ft
Appalachian Jerky Company
1700 Commonwealth Ave
70
ft
Hillside Properties
1694 Commonwealth Ave
70
ft
Hillside Properties
1694 Commonwealth Ave

20 reviews of Preview Properties

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Place rating: 5
Boston, MA
Preview Properties was great to work with. They fit us in for multiple showings in one day and were very patient and accomodating with all of our questions and concerns. They made the rental process very easy. Would recommend them!
Place rating: 5
Brighton, MA
Working with Keith Caterina from Preview has been so wonderful! He embodies what any great broker should be able to do. He was very knowledgeable about the apartments/​neighborhoods he showed me and was honest throughout the process. More importantly, Keith has gone above and beyond to make sure that my needs and concerns were addressed during this apartment hunt process. For him, my concerns were his concerns. To top it all off, he is personable and a joy to talk to!
I’ve had a fair amount of experiences working with brokers, but this is by far the best experience I’ve had yet! I would recommend him to anyone including my friends.
Place rating: 5
Brighton, MA
Elias was very friendly and helpful. Our apartment search didn’t have the feel that it usually does with added pressure of the broker trying to sell us on the place. He let us make our own decisions while providing actual helpful advice and worked around our hectic schedule. He even helped us in working with the land lord when it came to setting up a payment schedule for the deposits.
Place rating: 5
Allston, MA
Nadia is the best! She worked tirelessly to find us an amazing place to live, and is absolutely one of the most genuine and personable people I’ve ever worked with. She is very well-​researched, too — she knows the people, the houses, and the landlords, and used all of this information to help us find the best match possible.
She was flexible with scheduling, punctual, and always happy to chat in-​person or over the phone. Honestly, we lucked out with her, big time. If you’re looking for a new place to live, get in touch with Nadia — and I’ll see you here in a month writing a rave review just like I did.
Place rating: 5
Fair Lawn, NJ
Where to begin? I worked with Gabe at Preview Properties who not only showed me properties that fit my specifications to a ‘T,’ but helped me better understand the Boston area realty as a whole. Guidance was so greatly appreciated and I couldn’t have asked for a better, friendlier, more knowledgeable realtor who was actually interested in finding me the best fit. Worth every bit of time he spent with me! This place no doubt has realtors you’ll enjoy working with!
Place rating: 1
Jamaica Plain, MA
I thought the positive reviews meant this place was an anomaly in the Boston real estate scene and may actually provide a positive customer experience. That proved to be far from true. I saw an apartment listing on Craigslist, which I followed up with Shant about as instructed by the post.
There was no pet policy listed, so I asked about it. Shant’s response was:
«Thanks for the email. This ll will likely not accept a pet. Dog?»
The lack of effort to complete a full sentence in an email to a potential client should have been the indicator that he’s unprofessional, but I explained that I do have a dog and would love the opportunity for the landlord to meet us both. He fired back:
«I am sorry I just said the landlord will not accept a pet. No pets.» as if I had read his email incorrectly.
No — you just don’t seem to speak English.​You said the landlord «will likely not accept a pet» and then asked if I have a dog. Can you read?​He said:
«Yes, because there are many clients that will rent an apartment based on the fact that they COULD have a pet. That’s why I asked if you have a dog, can you think?»
I have a pet. I need a place that will allow a pet. What is so difficult to understand here? Why would I want a place that COULD allow a pet?
I guess you’re right, Shant, I’m the one who can’t think.
Place rating: 5
Boston, MA
Fantastic. Everyone was very nice and very helpful. Best of all brokers we met with by far.
Place rating: 5
Dedham, MA
In the past I’ve had bad experiences with realtors but working with Jeff C. At Preview Properties I was pleasantly surprised. Although I didn’t end up renting an apartment through them, my experience with Jeff was the best ive ever had working with a realtor. He listened to exactly what I wanted and wasn’t pushy at all. He was very informative and focused on finding us the right place. He frequently contacted me with new listings that were a close match and was very responsive. He also took the time to explain to us what he thought was realistic for our budget and gave us a tour of the area explaining what he thought would work best for us. I would definitely go back to Jeff at Preview Properties in the future. If you’re looking for an apartment in the area save yourself some time and go to preview properties!
Place rating: 5
Brighton, MA
I hate realty companies and in general realtors. Jeff C. surprised me and my girlfriend, thankfully. We had a very good (read:strict) idea and set of criteria of what we wanted in a place and she can be hard to please if the realtor doesn’t get back to her asap or they show us places that clearly do not fit our criteria (location, dishwasher, yard, laundry, etc). Pissed off girlfriend equals pissed off boyfriend. Luckily Jeff didn’t play any games with us. He was straight forward and honest from the get go. He actually even made deals with landlords when it came down to something like a move in date or a dishwasher that wasn’t there that we wanted l. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it. We were both highly highly impressed. Just last night we were telling our upstairs neighbors what a great experience we had with Jeff at Preview and they asked for his card– so we gave them one in case they are ever looking to move again. It’s pretty simple: if you want a realtor who isn’t going to play games and will be honest from the get go and work his ASS off to get you exactly the place you want (which he did– our place is perfect) then I highly recommend Jeff from Preview Properties. We fully intend on using him-​and only him– from now on. Thanks for making a stressful experience way more manageable.
Place rating: 5
Agawam, MA
I can not give Preview Properties a high enough rating. I have moved many times in the past couple of years and have had my fair share of horror stories when it comes to realtors. This time was SO different and I can not be more grateful.
I visited the office in total probably around four or five times. Each time I went there every staff member was friendly and inviting, offering me a coffee or water and making me feel comfortable. The location was always clean and professional looking which I appreciated as well. Although the office was great, what made my experience incredible was my realtor Jeff Colantuoni.
Upon meeting Jeff for my first apartment showing I immediately noted how professional he was. He was prepared with a super helpful chart he printed out with addresses, prices, and amenities included on each apartment we would be seeing that day. He also left spaces for my own notes on each apartment because it can get confusing when you’re viewing multiple similar apartments in one evening.
When we were viewing the apartments while Jeff was helpful with information when I had questions he was neither aggressive nor pushy. That is the MOST important thing to me when looking for a new place to live. I want to make my own decision and not be pushed into something by an over eager realtor. Jeff understands that completely. He was focused on finding my roommates and I the best apartment to fit all of our needs, not on making a sale just to get commission. I was so comfortable with him and didn’t feel nervous to let him know exactly what I was looking for.
The best thing about Jeff is that he did not give up. My roommates and I had very specific needs as to location, price, parking, distance from the t, you name it!!! He took on the challenge. He searched his database what seemed like nightly to try and find the perfect apartment … And he did!
We found our dream apartment with Jeff. Perfect location, parking included, in our price range, and a gorgeous layout! I didn’t think we would find such an updated, clean, perfect place in Brighton but we did! Clearly, I couldn’t be happier. I doubt I will be moving again shortly, but if I do, I know Jeff will be the ONLY realtor I use. Will also recommend Preview as a whole because the company really stands behind their customers and makes sure they get what they are looking for.
Place rating: 4
Boston, MA
My friends and I saw several apartments with realtor John Langone this summer. We did not end up renting any of the places we saw through Preview, but only because we found something we liked elsewhere.
If this review were just for John, I’d give him 5 stars. He was very helpful, professional and responsive. The first time he took us to see some apartments, he actually printed us a map of all the locations and a spreadsheet with the basic info about each place. He always let us take our time and didn’t put any pressure on us to move quickly or sign a lease before we were ready. John also went out of his way to mention downsides about some of the apartments that we may not have known about otherwise (e.g. landlords with bad reputations).
I did have some concerns about other aspects of Preview Properties. First, there were numerous instances in which my friends and I would find a very recently posted apartment listing on Craigslist by a Preview realtor and ask John to show us that apartment, only to find out that it wasn’t actually available or that some important details were incorrect. It seems like they could do a better job monitoring what their realtors post online and making sure they are accurate. (If you find a Preview listing you’re interested in on Craigslist, I’d recommend trying to find the same apartment on Preview’s website — those listings seem to be more reliable.)
Also, Preview has a policy that I know is shared with at least a few other Boston-​area realty companies but which I do not think is fair to prospective renters: They ask you to put down one month’s rent at the time you submit your application (rather than when you sign the lease). John assured us there would be no problem getting our money back if we were to withdraw our application before signing a lease, but the actual fine print on the application did not make this at all clear. I don’t know how common this practice is, but I think if realtors are going to take that amount of money from you before you’ve signed a lease, there needs to be a clear and well-​defined policy regarding how it will be returned to you if needed.
Place rating: 5
Brighton, MA
Jeff Colantuoni went above and beyond to find my boyfriend and I the perfect apartment for us. I have moved (too) many times and therefore have experienced working with several agencies and realtors. I have never once thought any past realtors earned any of their fee– it was like robbery. Jeff 100% earned the fee (and probably more in our case).
Jeff was always responsive– he would respond to emails, texts or phone calls right away (even late at night), he listened to what we wanted and showed us only places that were within our budget and had everything on out must-​have list. I can’t tell you how many times I have dealt with realtors trying to convince me to adjust my budget or go without something (such as laundry) I had as a requirement. Jeff did not do that at all– we liked all of the apartments he showed us and he ultimately found us our apartment which more than exceeds what we were looking for in a place (including a yard, two porches, free laundry in basement, dining room and sunroom).
Since I’ve been through the real estate wringer a couple of times I can be rather… forward. Demanding even some might say. Jeff took it all in stride and his energy level matched that of mine (I wasn’t being forced to track him down– he would contact me with listings he thought would be a good fit).
He is also savvy which isn’t a personality trait you see a lot in realtors. If we mentioned that we liked a place except for _​_​_​_​_​_​_​he would do his best within reason to fill in the blank. For example one apartment we liked very much but didn’t have a dishwasher he managed to convince the landlord to install a dishwasher at the same price. He managed to convince another landlord to switch move in dates by a month (to our advantage). We were impressed with his willingness to at least try to negotiate and it always worked out in our favor.
I’m so glad I finally found a realtor I will actually seek out again when I move in the future and definitely recommend him.
Place rating: 5
Southborough, MA
Super helpful in finding us a (potentially) awesome spot in Brighton. Saw a few places and had the paperwork in the same night. Mike was great at getting us all the information and helping us negotiate being able to bring our cat to our new spot.
Place rating: 1
Boston, MA
I used this service as a broker firm when I moved to Boston and was lied to. The house they listed wasn’t truly what the pictures showed on the listing and literally had missing window screens — walls that had old grease and food on them — mold in the refrigerator — and the neighborhood was unsafe. The broker also told me that the house had granite counter tops, annnddd they were plastic. All which they said were good. I was moving across country, so I wasn’t able to physically inspect it.
The moral of the story is that you do not use this company and/​or sign anything unless you physically inspect the property since they have given me reason to never trust them again.
Place rating: 5
Jamaica Plain, MA
I worked with Dylan this summer while my boyfriend and I looked for an inexpensive apartment in the Boston area for September. Before we met with Dylan the first time, he sent me an email with a links to apartments he planned to show us. When we went to view the apartments, they were nice and fit the vague specifications we’d given him but didn’t have the homey feel we were looking for. He listened to our concerns and said he’d follow up with us. Dylan continued to stay in regular contact with us and only showed us great apartments that actually fit our needs. He did his best to negotiate fees with landlords and advocated for us during the application process. He was easy going, professional, and genuine with us every step of the way. The way Preview Properties conducts its business is great overall and I would definitely choose to work with them again the next time I’m looking for an apartment.
Place rating: 5
Reston, VA
Flew in with my daughter to find her a place since she was going to be in grad school in the area. Worked with several different agencies, and had a couple of sub-​par experiences, until we met Holden at Preview Properties. He worked so hard to get my daughter and her roommate what they needed, in a market where apartments were being snatched up hours after they were listed. We always felt that he had our best interest in mind. Holden was totally responsive and up front with us in every sense. Even when it looked like we might go with a unit that someone else had shown us (which fell through), he was trying to help us get it worked out. I would give him the highest possible recommendation.
Place rating: 5
Boston, MA
I was moving to Allston with a large group of people and reached out to several of the real estate agencies in the area. Preview Properties was the only one that went to any effort for us. We worked with Bob David and he was professional, extremely helpful, and trustworthy.
Pros:
— They work for you.
I sent Bob two or three listings and talked to him on the phone about what we were looking for and he sent back several more for us to look over and decide whether we wanted to see them. He didn’t pressure us to make any decisions and gave us information to help us make the most informed decision possible. When we decided on a place we liked after visiting ~8 apartments, he negotiated with the landlord on our behalf to get permission for a pet.
— They go out of their way.
Bob not only helped us find new properties, but helped us get as much information as possible. We were concerned about utility costs in a three-​story apartment and he went above and beyond by getting us information on the typical heating costs for that unit.
— Professionalism.
Bob responded to emails quickly, was always on time to scheduled meetings, and was extremely patient and was just as helpful and willing to spend time for us when our group size changed from five people to three, despite the corresponding effect on his fee.
Cons:
— There’s a fee. :-/​
But, by the time we signed our lease, I really felt like it was worth it. Bob saved us so much time and was able to give us such a variety of listings that I was not unhappy to write the fee check at the end. Of course you can try to negotiate with the landlord to split or have them pay the fee — we went for pet negotiation instead.
Preview was by far my most positive broker experience and, for once, I felt like the broker was earning and more-​than-​earning their fee. I highly recommend Bob David.
Place rating: 5
Savannah, GA
I’ve been living in Boston going on four years and this was by far the best experience with a realtor. Holden was responsive, followed up with us and was upfront and straight forward with us, he showed us fantastic spots and was extremely professional. Most definitely would rent from them again.
Place rating: 5
Danvers, MA
When my boyfriend and I decided to move out on our own for the first time, we knew that we could use some help finding a place. We looked at a bunch of places on Craigslist, but we also decided to go with a realtor because, even though we’ve lived in Mass. our whole lives, we’re not too familiar with Boston. We were also working on a very small budget (for Boston): 900−1200/month, so we needed helping getting some bang for our buck.
If you’re looking for an apartment, I’d definitely recommend Michael Langone. He was so patient, friendly, never pushy and made the experience comfortable and enjoyable. He never tried to twist our arms into raising our budget– and we were never shown properties that weren’t in our price range. He was responsive to what we wanted: though we were okay with a basement, we were really interested in being above ground, and he tried really hard to show us as many non-​basements as he had– and it really did seem like Preview had access to a lot of (overall nice) places. We spent several weeks looking with Preview, narrowly missing a few places, but Michael never gave up and always had another couple apartments up his sleeve.
Michael was prompt with responding to calls and e-​mails and was able to give us answers about potential apartments within minutes, no exaggeration. He helped us gather info for our renter’s insurance after we’d signed the lease and walked us through anything we needed explained. The rest of the staff at the office seemed friendly and knowledgeable as well.
At the end of the day, we ended up with way more space and a way better location than I could have imagined on our budget and a very nice landlord to boot, though there were a couple issues with the apartment that were caused by the previous tenants (no fault of Preview’s). Next time we have to move, I can definitely see us calling Michael for help. I highly recommend working with Michael or, if the rest of the staff is of a similar caliber, anyone else from Preview Properties.
Place rating: 5
Boston, MA
Nice people… not the usual obnoxious, will-rent-you-anything-that’s-a-dump storefront realty place.
Earl (who also works a few doors down at Chansky’s) is great; tell him what you want, how much $, etc and he’s your guy. He won’t try to rent you something that just isn’t what you want.