Smith Hanten Properties

I loved my experience with Smith Hanten. Having dealt with a handful of other brokers in the area, I had a bad taste in my mouth walking into any broker’s office. But Peter completely changed my view of the whole apartment hunting experience. He was so helpful, completely straightforward, and just an all around good guy. He never pressured me to make a decision or to sign paperwork I wasn’t ready for or to give them a deposit on an apartment I didn’t want (all things that other brokers pushed me to do). Peter was a delight to work with. I’m telling you — work with Smith Hanten. You won’t regret it!

Peter really took the time to help me and my significant other find the perfect apartment. Once we visited the apartment (now ours!) we moved right away to complete the paper work. Peter was flexible with meeting us right away. He is fantastic to work with and very chill. He makes sure the apartment suits your needs and standards! I love my landlady!

I recently worked with Smith Hanten when renting my new apartment, and they were extremely responsive, nice, and professional. I worked mostly with James, who is great and still remembers my name when I see him around the neighborhood. If you are looking around Boerum Hill or Cobble Hill (at least that’s where I was looking), be sure to check out what they have on the market.

Apartment hunting in New York City can be an extremely stressful experience where you really see the worst of humanity. My roommate and I were fortunate enough to have a fantastic experience with James Lola at Smith and Hanten Properties. James was patient, honest and friendly with all our questions during the touring and application process, and even helped us out a lot with logistics after we signed and moved into the apartment. We love our new apartment and are grateful for James’ services. We would definitely recommend Smith and Hanten to anyone looking to rent in the BoCoCa area of Brooklyn!

I didn’t really mind writing the check for the broker’s fee, which is just about the highest praise I can give.
Far and away the best real estate agency in the area. Peter was so helpful, kind, and generous with his advice (even when it didn’t benefit him, business-​wise, to be). After dealing with so many terrible brokers as we made our way through Craigslist listing after Craigslist listing, it was SUCH a relief to stumble across a listing of Peter’s and find ourselves with someone who was actually both good at their job and good for the neighborhood that he is in. I love Boerum Hill, and I am happy that our neighborhood has Peter and his team finding people places to live here.

The service Smith Hanten provides values your time, and money, as if it were their own. Moreover– working with them dramatically simplifies the daunting process of apartment hunting, while providing access to worthwhile properties unavailable through conventional web searches.
Through every phase of the process, from identifying apartments to signing the lease, communication was thorough and prompt. Smith Hanten, and in particular Peter, are the model to which all Real Estate Agencies and Brokers should aspire.

Peter was very straightforward, honest, and quick. He didn’t sugarcoat anything, he explained the process of renting thoroughly and didn’t make me feel pressured into renting anything. I’d definitely recommend him to a friend.

Peter was extremely helpful with helping us find our first apartment in Brooklyn. He is very professional, straightforward, and keeps the customer’s needs in mind. His communication is also very quick. He follows up immediately and even checks up to see how we are doing. He went out of his way to make sure we were able to find a great place within our budget, and took out his own time to find us an apartment that wasn’t even listed under his agency. I couldn’t recommend him and Smith Hanten enough for making the hassle that is apartment hunting as smooth as possible.

Peter was not our broker, but he was as as good as it gets. Honest to a fault. He told us what’s good and what’s bad, and helped us find our new home. He deserved every penny of his fee… was extremely responsive. Emailed me from overseas at some point, answered every stupid questions, helped us get through the process and put our best foot forward so that we could get approved. Very happy to have stumbled into his office on Smith street.

I was new to the neighborhood as a landlord but Peter was great. He was fair with me and the tenants, knew the neighborhood/​prices and found great people. I would highly recommend him as a broker for landlords or tenants.

I’ve been to many meetings of landlords and perspective tenants over the years and I can say that Peter McGuire at Smith Hanton knows his stuff. I am a landlord and the tenants he’s gotten me have stayed for many years! Peter is a match maker and a all around great neighborhood asset. Thanks Peter.
Scott Oskow-​Schoenbrod

Looking for an apartment in NYC can be a nightmare but Peter made it a breeze! Can’t recommend him highly enough. Very nice guy — professional, courteous, efficient and great communicator. Have recommended him to friends who want to live in the area.

Peter at Smith Hanten helped me and my roommate a few years back find an apartment in Boerum Hill. Peter is a great guy and just a refreshing change from typical brokers — he’s a genuine person and a straightshooter. Plus, he’s lived in the Cobble Hill /​Boerum Hill area for a long time and is deeply invested in making the neighborhood a better and more liveable place. I would happily recommend him to anyone and everyone.

I worked with Peter McGuire of Smith Hanten this past fall in my search for an apartment in Boerum Hill. After meeting broker after broker who frankly extended the stereotype of NYC brokers, I was beyond surprised to find Peter. He made the entire process feel like a small town operation and one that focused on personal service. He really does care about his landlords and the tenants and you could see it even in the way that the neighbors greeted him, the landlords spoke about him, and in the service I received during the lease process. If you are going to work with a broker there is absolutely no question this is the firm to go with.

As others have said, Peter is a wonderful broker. My financée and I had looked at 20 apartments before we met him so we had a fair idea of what we needed and what we could hope for in our budget – though we were fairly exhausted by running all over town. After a short conversation to get to know each other (a remarkably important part of a good broker relationship), we walked over to the apartment he had in mind and we were both instantly sold. Not only was it exactly what we were looking for, it had amenities (like a back garden) that we had only wished for. He didn’t pressure us at all and wanted to make sure it was the right place for us.
What makes Peter a good broker is not just that landlords come to him with good listings, it’s the follow-​up that he provides: helping to establish a good relationship with the landlord/​lady, putting together the paperwork and financial documents in a clear and understandable way, and making sure that everyone feels good about the transaction. The New York broker’s fee can be a bitter pill to swallow but Peter makes the process as smooth and pleasant as possible and does so with a generous smile.
If you’re looking in this area, I can’t recommend him enough.

If you’re looking for a place in this area (the best part of Brooklyn btw), then congrats, because you’re almost done! Smith Hanten is honestly the only broker service you will need.
My girlfriend and I searched all over our favorite (and not so favorite) parts of Brooklyn to find a new apartment, and if you’ve ever done that, then you know how frustrating and time consuming the process gets. Other brokers will take you around to view dozens places, making it seem like they’re doing a lot of work, but in fact they’re just wasting time looking at their cell phones while you’re left wondering if they even heard a word you’ve said about what you are looking for. Enough about them though…
What you will get from Peter McGuire and Smith Hanten Properties is someone who listens, understands, relates, then finds you the place you’re going to love living in.
We didn’t spend a whole weekend browsing nightmares, because Peter asked the right questions. He listened and understood what we wanted, then showed us just one apartment that was perfect for us. When we went for the place, the landlords first had some understandable concerns about our finances and weren’t sure if we were right for the place, but Peter went to bat for us, set up a meeting so the landlords could meet us, and we of course ended up getting the apartment we were dreaming of.
To top it off, Peter follows up to see if we’re still liking our place, our landlords, and the neighborhood. Yes to all those, and Yes to having the best broker in NYC!

What a relief! I cannot say enough good things about these guys. I happened to walk into the office after meeting with a number of other realtors and feeling extremely downtrodden, pushed around, and fed up with the apartment search. In a matter of minutes, my faith in realtors was restored.
James Lola was such a pleasure to work with. Professional, a great listener, a bit of a comedian, and kept his promise not to show me anything I wasn’t interested in. They only work with landlords who really care about their tenants and properties, which is a rare and wonderful thing in NYC. I can’t get over how painless and quick the process was. James found exactly what I was looking for and I couldn’t be happier.
I’ve recommended James to all of my friends already. So happy to have found Smith Hanten. Go see these guys!

Peter McGuire made my apartment search in Boerum Hill as painless as possible. He was very professional and straightforward. Most importantly, he had roots in the community and knew the lay of the land. He helped me find a great apartment at a price that fit my range in as short amount a time as possible.
I cannot recommend Smith Hanten enough, especially if you are looking in this part of Brooklyn.

Extremely professional and one of the best experiences I’ve had with a broker since moving to NYC 10 years ago. As a user experience designer I tend to be very sensitive to the details of these sorts of things and to the tactics employed by sales people trying to seal a deal. Peter really nailed it at every turn with genuine thoughtfulness and was very communicative throughout the entire process. I’ve already recommended him to all of my friends.

Peter is great! He’s like a property wizard in this super-​desirable neighborhood. Prior to meeting Peter, my wife and I were terrified of this market. Everything we looked at was always slightly off or at a crazy premium.
When we first called Peter, he asked us for our wish list of amenities — we gave them to him not thinking they would be possible.
Peter said he could help, so we met up and he showed us TWO amazing places with ALL of the elements we wanted. They were both slightly above our price range — but welcome to NEW YORK!!!
We’ve been in the pad now for 3 months and we continue to wake up feeling lucky to have found such a place.
And bonus, as part of our welcome package, he gave us a winning lotto ticket!
What a guy!!!
Definite recommend.