I&I Real Estate

We have had an amazing experience working with Ronny Zimin over the past 5 years. He was with another firm and then moved over to I&I a couple of years ago. Through the time we have known Ronny, he has helped us find our rental apartment as well as found our first home we purchased in NYC. There three big things that distinguishes Ronny from every other real estate broker out there (and believe me before Ronny we went through many of them!)
1) Unbelievably HONEST. He he will never ever try to sell you, even if it is in his best interest. As an example, after living in our rental apartment for a couple of years we went back to him asking if it was worth moving. He quickly looked up rates and came back to us and told us to stay right there and renew for another year as we had the best deal on the market at the time (even though he would get no commission). How many brokers are this honest?
2) Unbelievably PATIENT. We have referred Ronny now to 10 of our friends and some are more demanding than others. Whether you would like to see 2 places or 40 places, he will never ever try to sell you and instead will show you all the options. Again, with his honesty, he will tell you right away when you walk into a place not to take it.
3) KNOWS NYC MARKET COLD. When we were searching for our first home to purchase, Ronny was away out of the country for family reasons so he put us in touch with other colleagues. While they were good, it was Ronny who found our dream apartment in NYC the day he came back into the country. He knows the market cold and his years of experience make him one of the most knowledgable brokers out there.
Finally, he is just a great guy. He even offered to help us move into our new place and constantly checks up on our new son (who was born in our new home he found for us). Ronny is a rare find out there as he is someone who is far more interested in doing the right thing for other people than what is best for him. You won’t be disappointed!

I worked with Medelene Tran and it’s been the best experience I have had with a broker and finding an apt! She is very pleasant to work with and organized. We chatted on the phone and I told her what I am looking for. She showed me a bunch of apts, all of which fit my criteria and we’re great. I highly recommend her!

Finding an apartment in NYC can be tough, especially when you have a budget and most brokers will put you way over that budget. When I emailed Celine, I thought it was going to be more of the same: brokers showing me units that are «super hot» and «won’t last long» on the market. Celine was super transparent with me and it was refreshing.
She set aside several places for us to visit and was attentive to my requests and needs. I was extremely pleased to have someone like Celine on my side and even went on to recommend her to my brother who was looking to move at the time.

I had the pleasure of working with Madelene Tran, who took care of me and my partner from start to finish; and eventually found my dream apartment in my ideal location.
Coming from California she made sure she contacted me and my partner on both time zones and literally made herself available for every single scenario including setting up my utilities, and bringing my keys in the rain. Would recommend her to all.

I worked with Boaz, and while at the beginning he came off very genuine and cared about making the process as smooth as possible; I have found that many of my questions and concerns were considered ‘not important’ to him. Such as needing the landlords info (which he never gave me) and he gave me the incorrect address of where to mail my rent check as well. When I asked to meet at his offices for paperwork his comment was ’ they are all the way in midtown, and much of my business is up here (Harlem) — so he met me in subway and Starbucks (sketchy). I asked about sub letting at the first viewing, his response ’ it’s your place, you can do what you want’… But when I got the lease that was not the case, I could be evicted if I didn’t get pre approval. Also I asked about his fee right away since I contacted him in the first place and he just opened the door and he said around 2,500 (negotiable) then it went up to 3,000 and non– negotiable. I even tried calling the i&i realty to speak with someone and they never returned my call. Just not happy with the experience.

I worked with Jeff Jacobs to purchase an apartment. Jeff was the seller’s realtor, but he was always available to answer my questions and show me the apartment. This was my first time buying a place and the experience was awesome!

I worked with Jeff Jacobs on the sale of my apartment and he made the entire process so easy for me, which was needed as I have a new baby to take care of while also trying to unload the property. Always available to talk to for any questions, super friendly and outgoing, and my coop board, known to be difficult, even loved him! He found the perfect buyers for my unit. I couldn’t have sold this property without him, so thanks again Jeff!

I had the pleasure of working with Medelene Tran in July when I first arrived in NYC from Chicago. It was important for me to find a Realtor who understood my needs/​wishes and could show me a good variety as I am brand new to the city.
Medelene was gracious, articulate, knowledgeable, and accommodating — all the while not being pushy or trying to over-​sell me during the process. She showed me every neighborhood I asked to see (over five) and took on the monstrous task of finding a King-​size bedroom for two people in Manhattan, at a price where we could still afford to eat every week. Did I mention we needed the apartment ASAP as we had to commute over an hour each way from the suburbs every day for my brand new job in Midtown? We were not easy clients to work with by any means!
Not only did Medelene find us the perfect apartment at a great price, she made me feel comfortable and consulted me on my expectations of this brand new rental market. Medelene is the antithesis of the stereotypical Realtor/​Broker most people think of.
From our initial call, to the lease signing process, to check-​ins before our move in date, Medelene was professional, courteous, and kind. A week after we moved in, we received a very sweet and generous housewarming gift, throwing the nail in the coffin for any recommendation I ever give to anyone looking for rental or sales property in NYC.
Save yourself the headache of annoying realtors who show you crappy apartments and call Medelene!

I was referred to Medelene by a friend and she didn’t disappoint. Within days of arriving I was in my new apartment thanks to Medelene. Working with the small budget my roommate and I had, Medelene was able to find us multiple locations that fit our needs. She was very professional and extremely helpful in answering various questions. She helped us feel at ease in a place far from home.
I would definitely go back to Medelene if I need a new place and would also recommend others to contact Medelene for their apartment needs in New York.

We worked with Celine Thornton to find an apartment in Harlem, an area of the city we didn’t know well beforehand so her knowledgeable advise was essential to our decision-​making process.
She started by listening to all our search criteria and wish list, and selecting a set of apartments to visit during a single day. That sample was not only composed of viable candidates but was also spread across the different areas and price points the neighborhood has to offer. This gave us great confidence when making our decision as we felt very informed on the state of the market.
During the visits she was always paying attention not just to our feedback but also to the reactions to the properties and made really good questions that helped us make our decision while never pushing us in any direction. I find that a rare skill to have not just on a broker but in any services industry professional.
Finally, when the time of placing an application and signing the leas came she was very efficient and very, very helpful making the process a breeze. Her attention to detail was a valuable asset at this stage.
I strongly recommend working with Celine and would hire here anytime.

My fiancé and I worked with Jeff Jacobs to find and purchase our new apartment and we had a great experience with him! As we were first time buyers, the process seemed daunting and confusing, but Jeff was there every step of the way to help us through everything. He was readily available to answer our questions (which we had plenty of) and always seemed one step ahead of the game. Jeff’s positive and calm demeanor helped us to stay relaxed during the process. He was so kind and went above and beyond to ensure that we were taken care of. It was truly a positive experience working with him and we are very grateful. Thanks to Jeff, we have a lovely new apartment we can call home!

I’ve moved a lot, and when work said you have to move from SF to NYC I needed a no worry answer to finding an apartment. Marty was a Godsend. He not only booked over 17 appointments on a Monday– which was the only day I had to find a place, but he offered his opinion and helped me sort through my options. I found an apartment in NYC and signed in 3 days. No fuss, no mess– Marty was legit. I highly recommend him.

Regarding agent celine thornton
She is professional dependable and extremely dedicated
There are a lot of agents to choose from in nyc she is the best

I had a great experience working with Madeleine Hormann. I came to the city from college and hoped to find a good place at a reasonable price, which also has to be close to my company and be okayed by my roommate… in a very short period of time. I contacted Madeleine on nakedapartments on a Sunday night and she gave me a call back 5 minutes after I sent her the request. The next two days we set up viewings all over Flatiron/​Union Square/​Kips Bay and I eventually found a perfect apartment in only two days.
Besides her professionality, what differentiates her from other agents in the city is her attention to her client’s true needs. When you find apartments in NYC, you will definitely come across one type of agents who keep using the line «you must be asking, ‘why haven’t you shown me the dotted line yet’», trying to make you sign a lease ASAP and move on to his /​her next client. The truth is, those pushy agents don’t tell you that there’s no washer /​dryer in the BUILDING and it’s a double-​listed apartment thus you have to pay a 15% non-​negotiable commission. What Madeleine did was that she would show you a handful of listings first, then start asking you to compare them so she knows what characteristics of the listing really matter to you. As the time goes on, she eliminates some of the listings that she knows you won’t like and show you only the ones that fit your criteria. Additionally, she’s upfront about the financial side of this business. She’d be very open to tell you if the commissions are negotiable /​non-​negotiable /​building covered and give you an adjusted monthly rent (commissions can be costly!).
Overall, it was a great experience working with Madeleine. She’s an outstanding real estate agent.

I worked with Joe — very honest, hardworking, amiable guy. The first place he showed me was the best one I had seen on my hunt of 2+ weeks prior by far, and when I said I wanted to jump on it he made the process go through very quickly. A high fee, but the place is definitely worth it. Would recommend to anyone.

Madeleine Hormann was amazing to work with. I told her exactly what I wanted. She was great at finding me properties to view (90% no fee) and was happy to show multiple listings at a time. I highly recommend her, and have personally referred friends to her as well.

Me and my two teenage kids had to find a new apartment within 5 weeks. Our lease downtown was raised so high that we had no other choice than moving. Harlem/​Washington Heights made the most sense for our commutes to schools and work and, luckily, Celine Thornton was recommended to us by another family that had just moved there.
I liked Celine right away — very friendly, understood my taste and the needs of my family, was knowledgable about the neighborhood and at the same time professional and organized about showing us places (often 4 – 6 apartments in one afternoon). I never imagined that this extremely stressful time could be enjoyable. Even in a snow storm in the middle of Harlem, we laughed or found a café to take a break.
Celine ended up finding us a large 3-​bedroom apartment for a lot less than our 1-​bedroom downtown. She was extremely patient and never pushy. During my search, several other brokers were recommended to me which I decided not to use, because I really felt I was in good hands. Thank you, Celine, for making this all happen.

We worked with Marty and he was the absolute best! We legit had to find someone to rent our place in less than three weeks and he got it done! He listed our place within 24 hours of us working together and immediately started showing our place numerous times a day. And worked with the new tenants to stick with it, even though our leasing company was being extremely difficult.
It’s never fun dealing with brokers but he was honest and got the job done as promised!
STRONGLY recommend and specifically recommend Marty

We worked with Medelene to find our first apartment in New York. She was a great help searching for the right place and after we found a place.
Highly recommended

Let me start by saying ask for Joe Tartaglia. I’m sure the other folks at I&I are great as well, as reflected by other people’s reviews. But I cannot imagine better service than what we got with Joe.
He started off by taking the time to ask us many questions about us, what we care about, what are our priorities, our budget and actually used (!) that information to hone in on the listings that best fit our requirements. He only showed us quality/​clean listings and was upfront about fees. And was very patient with us as we asked a barrage of questions about every unit and took all the pictures we desired without ever rushing us.
He was always happy to meet us on short notice and stay beyond our pre-​allotted time when he had no other showings. The first day we met, we were late due to just having arrived into the city and he met us with a warm smile and stayed with us for an hour longer than we had planned. On the third day we just happened to be close to one of the apartments he had shown us the day before that we very much wanted to take a second look at and as he didn’t have anything booked at that time he rushed over to let us in again, and then proceeded to spend the next hour showing us a couple more listings that he had uncovered that day.
Whenever there was something about the apartment that he could not answer on the spot he would make a note of it and ask the question to the management/​owner and get back to us within the same day.
If its not yet apparent from this review, Joe is the first person I’d recommend to any friends looking for real estate agent.