Rapid Realty

Awful! Anyone who gave a 5 star review either knows them personally or caught a seriously lucky break!
Just talked with DARISON PEREZ, who refused to give the actual address of the supposed apartment! No kidding. Just ‘park slope’. Impatient that I was determined to nail him down in the specific place. Had no problem asking pertinent questions then suddenly had to deal with another client when I said I was from overseas.
Was aggressive and rude. And just like the previous reviewers said — ghetto.
Don’t deal with these guys and save yourself a lot of hassle.
Anyone with issues should drop a line here.

I just found Darison Perez through an ad on Craigslist last Sunday — Lucky I was… I was in a total panic as I only have a week to find a place!
Darison showed me an apartment that i liked a lot in Brooklyn — I’ve lived for 5 years in Manhattan and thought I would never make the move to Brooklyn! He helped me through my panic with kindness and reassurance that we would find something!
After looking at the apartment in Clinton Hill, we «flew» to his office and put an application /​deposit on apartment — very easy /​smooth process — So here we are… I met with landlord today, signing the lease on Friday and moving in on Sunday!
That easy!
Darison is very gracious, wants to help big time, works hard. A pleasureI Highly recommend him. He made everything very easy, responded to my texts in a minute — perfect! Thank you, Darison!!!

I would never in a million years use Rapid Realty knowing that they have people like Cynthia Johnson working with them. I called her based on an apartment I saw on Trulia which did not have an address but, only a zip code listed. She was very short when she picked up the call as if I was bothering her. As I mentioned the placed she got more annoyed because I could not give her an address. As I was explaining she got very sassy saying «I have a lot of listings, BE specific». I explained that Trulia gave me limited info which I am sure she is aware of because she created the listing.
I asked if I could see the apartment the same day and it was as if I was being interrogated. I understand normal procedural questions but, this was by no mean normal. She treated me like I was lesser than her. Honestly, I have to say unapologetically that she was factually behaved GHETTO. No judgment. All I could think of was that I was talking to a flip mouth Madea character of some sort.
The conversation went on after she interrogated me beyond the basic realty questions you ask a potential client. I had questions for her and she said «you are something else»!
She got upset because I asked her where the place was since I only had the zip code. I politely said, I am not looking for the address per se, just the cross streets. She blatantly told me NO and she would not tell me until was not telling me until I went to
to pull my up to date credit score. I continued and she said you know what «bye» as if she was ending the call. Shocked… I said hello… and she said «get your credit score and we will talk». I have never experience anybody so rude in realty. Rapid Realty has left a bad taste in my mouth.
I will continue to spread the word. STEER CLEAR OF CYNTHIA JOHNSON at RAPID REALTY. What a condescending sassy poor real estate agent. She is obviously an older lady and an elder that anyone would have a hard time respecting.
I was going to call back but, I thought… NEVER let anybody talk or treat you in anyway because they feel they have the upper hand. There are plenty apartments in New York as well as nice people to deal with and it’s not a must that I deal with MS. Cynthia Johnson.
This is her:
CYNTHIA JOHNSON
Licensed Real Estate Salesperson
New York, NY
347−483−0248
EMAILEMAIL

Not everyone comes to *Alicia Keys voice* «New Yooooork!» to make their dreams come true by clicking their heels while saying the magic words. Though you juuuust might need to when trying to find an apartment you can call home – especially as a transplant.
Despite all of my «research» I hopped a flight to NY solely to find an apartment and managed to just-​so-​happen-​to walk past this location of Rapid Realty and lucked into the most professional and effective Realtor Paul Reese.
After a few dealings with Paul, I felt like I could trust him (quite rarely that I do so) and that he could really find an apartment for my fiancé and I in a short amount of time.
After a few hiccups, time was not on our side yet Paul delivered saving the day just in the nick of time like Clark Kent emerging from a phone booth as Superman! Totally equipped with: professionalism, quick responsiveness, clear communication, familiarity with neighborhoods, flexibility to accommodate our schedules, comprehension of what we were looking for in a home along with an understanding of apartment approval process. Who could ask for more?
I’d also like to mention that other Rapid Realty Realtors we came into contact with like Lovell, are a positive representation!

You would have to be insane to use this realty company — FOR ANYTHING! They are so completely disreputable that it’s criminal, really. One of their favorite things to do: use photos of someone else s apartment and put them into your home’s Zillow listing. Yes, you can sometimes find apartments in your home listed on Zillow (when you haven’t contacted Rapid or any other realty company and the apartment is NOT for rent) and there you will find pictures of someone else s apartment. This has happened to be several times now. And people, please, never give anyone $ 500 in cash as a deposit. Only deal directly with a landlord/​owner and exchange money when the deal is closing — signed lease & keys.

Extremely difficult to get in touch with these folks. I’ve written, called, and even stopped in a few times over the last 3 years for multiple properties I’ve been interested in and never received a response back nor connected to a realtor who was competent enough to be helpful in my search. When I finally found someone who was at least responsive, she was also sadly unprofessional – didn’t get back to me for 2 weeks for listings and dragged personal issues into the transaction and then told me off. Trust Unilocalers when they say «unprofessional» and advise to pass.

Very unprofessional! Was looking for a commercial space to rent. They inaccurately and grossly overstated the square footage. What made this worse was that another rapid realtor had the same listing, different picture, but still inaccurate info. They seemed confused, unprepared, and uninformed of their own listings.

One of the worst real estate companies I have worked with. After seeing an apartment, we were urged to move quickly as there were others applying for it as well. We began the process and they only dragged it out for days, being completely disorganized and unprofessional.
After paying our deposit, our apartment continued to be posted on various sites like Craigslist and Padmapper, even thought it was supposedly «reserved» for only us.
Eventually we got the SAME apartment through a different real estate company in a very short two days, that did not charge the ridiculous 16% Broker Fee!

These people may seem like they are on your side, but they could not care less. They are on the landlord/​property company side. They spoke to me with understanding, but were very black and white about everything and wanted everything up front, right now, on their terms, no exceptions and dangled the risk of losing the apt right away if I didn’t act now. Getting everything together was not a fun experience and felt like no one was looking out for me, the tenant.
I looked at a place on the 13^th for a 1^st of the month move in. I was approved and then I was scheduled to move in on the 15^th. Problem is they wanted to me pay a prorate for the month I was still living in my current apt. They told me if I don’t move in and pay up, then I lose the apt I was approved for. If I chose to not sign/​agree to 15^th move in, I’d lose my initial deposit of $ 500 because I was approved for the apt. I saw this as void, because I was looking for a 1^st of the month move in date, not the 15^th. Obviously people bend the rules to their benefit.
Also, I confirmed with the realtor that there is a fee. She said there is, but what she didn’t tell me was the amount. I figured like all other NY apts it was a month’s worth of rent, but it ended up being 12% of the total year. Guess, shame on me for not inquiring further.
Overall, I’ve dealt with better people and I literally spoke to and was passed to five people in their office, which was awful. I’d recommend going with another company. The only time I felt like situations were being solved by them is when it came down to getting their fee.
SERIOUSLY — go with another company. There are million apts that become available tin NYC everyday. Don’t let anyone bend your arm like that.
BTW — I don’t know if it was this office because I visited two different ones to sign for my current apartment. To me — its all the same.

I am hoping so much that this place will not live up to the bad reviews. A group of 5 of us looked at a place yesterday in Sunnyside and we agreed to rent it. Now I’m getting extremely anxious that we won’t get the place. PLLLLEEEEEEASE DON’T LEAVE US WITHOUT A HOME RAPIDREALTY!
I will come back with a review after we do the paperwork and if we got the place without any trouble or not. Wish us luck.
Update: All went well — Would recommend Myra in their Brooklyn branch!

Two years ago, when my roommate and I were searching for an apartment in South Park Slope, we thought the Rapid agent we dealt with was scattered, but friendly. He also showed up at least 45 minutes late to our appointment. There were a few annoyances along the way. On one occasion, our agent told us to come to Brooklyn to see the apartment unit we were interested in, only to reveal that he didn’t actually have the keys once we arrived. But the worst was when we put down a deposit on an apartment that was being renovated. We were told that we could dictate some of the design and that it would be finished for a June 1^st move-​in date. A week later, we received a call that the contractors unexpectedly went on vacation and wouldn’t be done for about three months. Since both of us were already working and from out-​of-​state, this was a major issue. We ended up with another unit in the building that wasn’t just renovated.
The apartment itself was a great first apartment.
Flash forward two years. We’re moving out of our place in a month and the calls and text messages from Rapid agents have been incessant. We told them that we’d be able to show the apartment after 7pm Monday through Friday and on weekends. So far, an agent has sent two strangers into our apartment ALONE because he decided he couldn’t show the apartment after 7pm! He also asked us with three hour’s notice if he could show the apartment at 4pm on a weekday. We had no chance to put away valuables and declined. He then asked if the super could let him in. Some notice would have been appreciated.
My roommate and I have tried to be accommodating. Yesterday, she changed her plans and stayed home for an agent who never showed up. The same thing happened last weekend and she was stuck inside for hours on Saturday. But today, the same agent texted us and asked if he could show the apartment tonight. We responded that, because she switched her schedule yesterday, she now needs to work late on a Friday. He answered with frowning-​face EMOTICONS and asked if there was any way we could make it work. So unprofessional. We told him no and that we will not change our schedules a second day in a row for him.
Dealing with Rapid may be unavoidable when looking for apartments in this area of Brooklyn, but prepare yourself for a headache when you move in and when you move out. This company makes the stress of moving far more stressful than it needs to be and could benefit from an organized approach among agents when it comes to working with clients. A complete free-​for-​all battle to see which agent can sell an apartment first is not the way to do business or ever get repeat customers.

I was looking for apartments in South Park Slope and the northern section of Greenwood heights when I first interacted with RapidNY. After doing my research and reading all the bad reviews I had tried to avoid them; I underestimated their sneakiness. While dealing with a few neighborhood brokers I thought I should also give craigslist a shot and check out a few of the «no fee» postings listed «by owner» in the area. When I went to my first appointment and I was met by two brokers I was a bit puzzled. Not only was the place overpriced, it was an overcrowded chaotic building lacking any amenities, and in an unattractive area. On top of that, they wanted a broker’s fee! I had to ask what company they worked for and sure enough it was Rapid! They use deceptive ads all over the internet claiming «no fees» with no mention of their company or brokers.
My advice is search out the smaller neighborhood brokers and avoid the big companies like Rapid.

While I have to say… I do not look back fondly on my experience with Rapid Realty (or the relocation process to NYC in general!), I did just receive a note from the new owner via private message.
It was extremely professional and heartfelt (so we can hope), and so I am inclined to update (plus one star, let’s not go overboard) with the hopes that this experience with her is indicative of a shift in business practices.
As with any type of broker: be informed, do your homework, do not get pressured into anything you are uncomfortable with and stand your ground.
And if you’re moving to NYC… hold on to your shit, man. It’s tough.

Bait and switch operation. simple as that. If the other 2000+ reviews that say this don’t convince you, then by all means, try them out.

Let me first say my agent Mahdi was the best. I felt comfortable with him, he was very knowledgeable, friendly and helpful.
That being said, Annelese is the least responsible and down right nasty person I’ve ever had to deal with in my professional life. Upon our first meeting she was entirely snobbish and acted as though she was doing me a favor and that I was asking too much of her (literally all she is required to do is give me an application form). Hip cocked and bobbing her head side to side barking the address of the property I was applying for she was better suited for an episode of Jerry Springer.
Moreover, an entire day after I was told my paperwork would be submitted for an application I found out that it was never done because she had thrown away one of my documents. Furthermore, when I inquired why it wasn’t submitted and why I was not informed of this and led to believe that it was submitted and we were waiting on the building company her nasty attitude could no longer be masked.

I completely agree with all of the negative reviews and would definitely say, DON’T WASTE YOUR TIME! I don’t necessarily doubt the authenticity of the positive reviews, but why put yourself in a position where having a good experience is a rare exception?
On Wednesday, I was completely excited when I saw an ad for a great apartment on
–complete with the Dec 1^st availability I’m looking for – a rare find at the beginning of Oct.
I sent an email to Kristina Misailova, the agent on the listing. I asked if it was still available and let her know I was available to see it the next day and if it was what we were looking for, we’d also be able to sign and put a deposit down on the spot.
The same evening, this guy Lawrence, who said he works with her, gave me a call.
I asked if the apt was still available and he said he’d have to double check the next day as he didn’t have access to the database (it was about 930pm). He had just called to find out a bit more about what I’m looking for and would get back to me the next day.
OK, fair enough.
I know EXACTLY what I’m looking for and let him know to a tee. I also told him to be straight up with me about how realistic my criteria was – I’m very easy going and willing to adjust my expectations if need be.
Somewhere along the way, he tells me I should start looking for a place on Nov 1. Something along the lines of: apts that would be available on Dec 1 would still be under renovation now and the landlords wouldn’t offer a lease so far in advance. Umm, then why are you advertising apts that are available on Dec 1?
I should note that my interactions with Lawrence were positive. The story he gave me about why I should start looking on Nov 1 was kind of questionable, but he was pleasant and seemed like he would be helpful.
So, the next day came (Thursday) and he never called me back. By that time, I had checked out the reviews on Unilocal and was very wary of dealing with them any further. But I decided to go ahead and send him an email Friday morning with the details of what I’m looking for (hoping that would keep him from wasting my time with random apts I’m not interested in). And I decided that if they started with any of the games people have warned about in their reviews, I would stop dealing with them immediately.
Well, this morning, I was browsing
and saw a studio being advertised with the exact same photos that had been used in the ad for the 2br apt I was interested in!
The only difference is that a few of the photos had been excluded in the studio ad (I guess any of photos that would not support that it was a studio). It was being advertised by a Rapid Realty agent at a different branch, Samuel Rincon.
For me, that was their first and final strike. I sent an email to them both asking what the situation was and letting them know that their bait and switch game was apparent.
Who knows what the response will be and who even cares. I’m not working with a dishonest company that is all about deception and wasting your time.

Well, this was suppose to be my first apartment. So in January of 2010 I went apartment hunting. My initial budget was 950 but I ended up paying a little more. I found the perfect place in the Midwood area of brooklyn! Loved it. In the end I didnt qualify for the apartment. I was so anxious I put in another application for an apartment I didnt see and after signing the lease (I know– Im not advocating this) but Silvia Tejada was very helpful at this point and didnt send in the paperwork until I told her I loved the place. And thats when EVERYTHING WENT DOWNHILL!!!
On move in day I had to send someone to get my key because they 14^th of Febraury I waited 2 hours to get my key because Silvia wasn’t there and no one in that office dont know anything. WHEN I WENT BACK LATER ON THE OFFICE WAS CLOSED EVEN THOUGH SILVIA TOLD ME THAT THE GUY WAS GOING TO BE THERE! The situation begged me to ask the question of what they do know! Bunchof idiots.
Then I had to find the super in the building and inform him the keys that took two days to get was the WRONG keys!
They suck in the worse ways. I still have my e-​mail documenting these complaints with Silvia but of course you get the cookie– cutter response but based on these complaints Im glad I always had someone with me. Thats the key! They wont pressure you as much when you have a big burly guy with you!!!
Jhestmarty was our first person and she was a dream and I still have her number!

Don’t even bother with this place. They have all these bad reviews on Unilocal for a reason! My 2 roommates and I were looking for apartments in Brooklyn & ended up dealing with Rapid Realty because they have lots of Craigslist listings. We met with them to look at a place in Bed-​Stuy and the 2 agents that showed up were 15 minutes late to our agreed-​upon time. The place we looked at was SO sketchy — it was across the street from an abandoned hospital. When I pointed this out, the agent said, «but look, it’s also across the street from a row of brand-​new condos.» This would have been great, except that when you looked closer at the condos, they were overgrown with plants and were also obviously abandoned! We ended up not even being able to see the apartment because the landlord wasn’t home, which was pretty annoying after I’d spent bus fare + half an hour getting out to Bed-​Stuy.
The agent asked what neighborhoods we were looking in, and I told him Bushwick, so he took us to another place. This one was wonderful — brand new, huge rooms, really cute. My roommate and I both loved it and so he explained to us that if we put down a fully refundable $ 500 deposit, it would be taken off the market and we could look at other places while still holding this one. The next day, (Thursday of last week,) our 3^rd roommate put the money down to hold the apartment. My roommates met with them yesterday (Monday) to discuss financial stuff, and were told that the apartment we held «has been already rented out to a member of the landlord’s family.» So even though we put down $ 500 to take the apartment off the market, it was gone. They showed my roommates some other places and have since been pressuring them into getting one of these places.
This place seems to be doing a bait-​and-​switch. They lure you in/​get your money by showing you a lovely apartment, and then that apartment is mysteriously gone, even though you put down hundreds to hold it, and they go back to showing you shitty, over-​priced apartments in Bed-​Stuy. I guess they think that you are more likely to rent one of their apartments when they already have your $ 500 deposit to «hold» a place. Now that $ 500 is «holding» a different apartment, but how can they be trusted after what happened with the first apartment we held? Plus, when my roommates asked about getting their «fully refundable» deposit back, they were told it «takes a day to cut the check.» Sketchy! Avoid this place, they are liars.

Ok… well I found Rapid on accident when I contacted a broker who had a craigslist posting I really liked. Josh Ritts was the agent and he got back to me right away and set up an appointment to see the place. When the place got rented right before we went to see it, he personally called me and asked if I would like to see a few similar places in the area.
I just want to say, that all the places Josh showed me were really nice, in my price range, and what I had asked him for. I sent him a ton of listings from the website and he took the time to look through them all to see what I really wanted. He did not waste my time once, and followed up with me via email and phone whenever I needed. He also helped me through the Broker process.
I will admit the offices are like holding pens, I would never recommend someone just walk in there. The Brokers are also hard to work with as they have about 3 assistants and you get bounced around a lot, which is unprofessional. HOWEVER, Mary C. really helped my process go smoothly. She answered my (numerous) questions, and even worked with the landlord to get the security deposit lowered.
I’m taking off the one star because I could have had a better broker experience. They should be more clear with you and not bounce you around so much. If you want to work with Rapid they have a huge selection of great places. Just find the ones you want online FIRST, and make an appointment with the agent ahead of time. Skip the office.
If you want an excellent experience try asking to work with Josh Ritts and his broker Gabby, and Mary C. once you get to the paperwork process. If I need a new place in a few years, I’ll look up Josh.

So I’ve written about my experience looking for an apartment with Rapid, which was annoying as hell, but now I get to write about my experience with Rapid while trying to move out of an apartment.
5 Weeks before move-​out: Start getting a bunch of phone calls from different people. I counted 6 different Rapid employees that called me within 48 hours. I was out of town, and they are so unorganized that I had to tell all 6 of them the same damn thing. Have they not heard of a point-​person (WTF #1)
Anyways, I gave them my girlfriend’s number (sorry baby) because she was in town and then she starts getting text messages from this dude «Important, please call back immediately», not even the courtesy of a phone call? (WTF #2)
The next day, she gets a phone call, they leave a message about wanting to show the apartment. She calls them back when she was on her break at work, and the guy says «never mind, we showed them a different apartment in your building.» She gets home to find that our locks had been locked differently than we lock them, AKA Someone just came into our apartment without asking, without as much as waiting 2 hours for her to get back to them. (WTF #3)
4 Weeks from moving out: I was at home packing all day on my day off from work, when I get an unannounced Rapid person with a client. They just show up, no phone call, nothing. I tell them quite sternly that I’d appreciate them calling me before they just come over. They apologized, showed the apartment and left. (WTF #4)
A few hours later at 8pm! ANOTHER Rapid employee at my door, this time with two clients. I had company over, which made things even more annoying. I tell him the same thing! Please call before you come over. This guy didn’t even know if I had just moved in or was about to move out. He didn’t know my phone number or name. (WTF #5)
You people at Rapid need to learn that what you are doing is inconsiderate, and flat out rude. You’re going to have some clients feeling quite awkward when they realize they are intruding on people’s privacy. Surely they will think twice about renting from someone who can’t even keep their tenants straight. AND TRUST ME, the last thing Rapid needs is someone to google «Rapid Realty.»
Hoping that another update is not needed, but that will be up to the myriad employees at Rapid Realty.