After so many bad experiences with brokers over the past decade and a half, I've come to accept them as a necessary evil but from my first emails with Ibrahym, I was so pleasantly surprised. Honestly, it was completely refreshing! First, he responded immediately and while dealing with a property that was difficult to schedule viewing, he was respectful of my time and my motivation to find the right place quickly. He has gone above and beyond what any broker has done for me. Any emails or texts that I sent, regardless of the time of day, were answered within a half hour at most but usually right away. He is professional, thoughtful and genuinely kind and super efficient. I worship at the alter of efficiency and dude is for real on point. The first unit that we looked at with him was perfect but even though we were qualified for the place, the owners decided to change their mind on their pet policy last minute. It was a little heartbreaking but Ibrahym was so supportive and just genuinely nice to us through this process. I actually came to be grateful that we did not get it because I knew we'd find something better (an aside for people with animals, his support and attitude about my dogs not being welcome was genuine and appreciated). He worked very hard to find listings in the incredibly specific area I was looking to stay within and sent several options everyday that were really right on. Continuing to represent us through other brokers' listings and being honest about the realty business every step of the way. He helped me to avoid a few things that were a waste of my time and he was a solid sounding board. Having him with you while looking at places is a blessing, especially if you are doing it alone. He's smart and fun to talk to. 100% He absolutely understands what his clients are looking for and I came to feel that he just got it. He got us. He had listened and understood what I wanted. Above all, he was always fair and honest. For the first time, I felt no ill will regarding a brokers' fee. He worked hard for it and deserves it. Couldn't be more satisfied with Brick and Mortar or Ibrahym. Will definitely look to him again in the future! read more

We found B&M them because they had a great listing right on Bedford ave. and from the moment we walked into their stylish & warm office, they welcomed us like old friends. In a competitive market rife with bidding wars and aggressive brokers, these guys were elegant, smart, patient and sincere through the whole process. They were extremely hard working - sending us comps and renovation ideas, available to answer any questions anytime, and they were also lots of fun to go house hunting with. They always offered honest and informed opinions along the way. In fact during our time of indecision, these guys never discouraged us from keeping an open mind even if it meant walking away from a deal that didn't feel quite right to us. Seriously you never get that in a broker! They always empowered and accommodated, rather than pressure to make a quick commission. After a long house hunting season, we came very close to closing on a property, but wound up passing. While most brokers would have waved us away in frustration, B&M didn't bat an eyelash and wished us the very best, offering any help needed to continue our search. Its for these reasons that we have decided not only to pick our search back up with B&M, but to give them the listing to our property that we currently own. Ask for Rolan and Charlie. They will make house hunting in New York a pleasure, not a chore. If I had a 10 thumbs, they'd all be up for these guys. With us, they've earned two customers for life. read more

We ordered 1 peach soft serve and 1 cheese slice. It was our first time at Stretch and we just wanted to try it out. The soft serve was given to us immediately ... then we waited, and waited. It felt like 10 minutes passed but to be honest it was probably more like 5 or so minutes .... But the place was 1/4 full and there was no line. So that was a bummer. But we are staunch believers that restaurants should be graded mostly on the quality of food ... not price ... not portion size, because if food is lip-smacking delicious people want it no matter the stakes. So ... the pizza is subpar. If in the suburbs maybe it would score high, but in NYC no way. Slices at Joes are significantly better, and if you want one of those personal Neapolitan pies Roberta's, Motorino, or Paulie Gees knock it out of the park. The sauce at Stretch is bland. The pie just lacks a lot of flavor outside of salt and vinegar. I guess if you are going to point to its strength most people would agree that the dough is pretty solid. That's our two cents ... but beware of reviews on pizza spots in NYC; They are not to be relied on as there are to many tourists posting who don't know what's good or there are locals who think pizza should be a certain price and size otherwise they knock it (Roberta's). For example, the highest rated pizza spot in Williamsburg is L'Industrie and that spot is a far cry from the best pizza around. read more

Finding an apartment in NYC is just as terrible as they say, so thank god my roommates and I found Brick & Mortar. After checking out places with a handful of random and horrible brokers, we met Sam Stuckey, and working with him was like a breath of fresh air. Sam is passionate about the Greenpoint/Williamsburg area, so he was not only looking to find an apartment that would work for us, but also an area where we would feel comfortable and at home. He immediately understood our group and connected with us as individuals, which was so amazing compared to other ruthless brokers who care only about their fee. Most importantly, Sam worked his ass off to not only make us feel like we were his only clients, but also to make sure that we found the absolute best place possible for our group. There were a couple of times when we totally dropped the ball and weren't able to move fast enough, but Sam kept working with us and went above-and-beyond to guarantee that we were prepared to lock down a place. He always called and emailed immediately after new apartments came on the market, and he was willing to meet us at any time of day to show us spaces. We are now living in our dream place, and it absolutely would not have been possible without Sam's guidance. I 100% recommend him to anyone looking to find an amazing space and to make friends with a sweet dude during the process. read more

Throughout the entire process of finding our new apartment, Martin and the B&M team were nothing short of perfect. We spent weeks deciding between a few apartments, and Martin answered all of our questions promptly and thoroughly regardless of the time of day. Martin took what can be a frustrating process and made it easy. For example, the apartment building we were looking at had a hookup for an in-unit washer/dryer, but the tenant was responsible for buying the washer/dryer for the unit. Martin sent us a list of inexpensive washer/dryers that would fit the space that he found on craigslist. He has extensive knowledge of the New York area, and even as born and raised New Yorker, I trust his expertise. Even since we've moved into our new apartment, Martin has continued to go above and beyond. I wasn't sure where I should be dropping of my rent check, so I sent Martin an email asking him. I came home that day to find that Martin dropped off a package of envelopes with the management company's address and my return address already on them. That's amazing service! Throughout this whole process, my girlfriend and I have remarked again and again that Martin has been the absolute best, and we couldn't recommend him enough. We'll be looking to buy in the next few years, and I know we'll want Martin to help us find that home. read more

My husband and I recently went through the process of selling our co-op in NY and needed a realtor to assist us with the process. We lead very busy lives and currently live in a different state from where the property is located so needed a competent realtor who would make the sales process as painless as possible. After searching online and phone interviews with a few realtors I found Brick and Mortar. We were connected to Megan Eisenberg and from the first conversation my husband and I were impressed and decided that she was the one. We couldn't be more please with her service. Megan was excellent throughout the process - knowledgable about the market which allowed her to list our place at a competitive but attractive price. Within a week of contracting her she had the place listed, held an open house and in that first weekend we had 2 solid offers ABOVE our asking price. She was very accessible, responded in a timely manner to questions, had great recommendations for legal services and contractors. She facilitated whatever was needed whether it was with the management company, lawyer, buyer etc. We closed a few weeks ago and are so thankful to have found her. She is truly an A+++ realtor and we will not use anyone else if we decide to invest in the NY market in the future! read more

I recently found the apartment of my dreams in the West Village with the help and guidance of two amazing, smart and sweet brokers, Kaila Rhubright and Courtney DiRenzo. My friend sent an image posted on instagram of a charming apartment, I contacted Kaila Rhubright, the broker who posted it and along with her biz partner, Courtney, they showed it to me right away. I immediately wanted it and started the application process. Not only did they guide me through the whole process but they were constantly checking in and updating me knowing how I really wanted it. I was also having issues with my current lease and apt that I was leaving and they were also guiding me through that with their expertise in the business and were such a support system throughout. When I got the new apartment they bought me a bottle of wine and still check in to see how my move is going. I've lived in the city for 20 years, have used so many realtors/brokers throughout and have never worked with such caring, smart brokers who not only know what you want and make it happen, but understand the stress of getting an apartment and are caring and invested in the journey with you. I wouldn't have been able to do this change without them. read more

Wonderful company that is run by really fantastic people. This is a 100% professional operation. I have worked with Rolan, the owner, over the years on many real estate transactions. He helped me find my first apartment in Williamsburg in 2009 prior to his founding Brick and Mortar. After founding the company, Rolan worked diligently in helping me successfully secure commercial real estate for my second office. It was in a highly sought after area and the listing was off the market, but Rolan persisted and it paid off big. Most recently, Rolan assisted me with the purchase of a townhouse in Clinton Hill. He was very patient as we looked at several houses for the majority of a year. He placed a number of offers and handled all aspects quickly and professionally - weekends and late hours included! We ended up in our Brooklyn dream house and the deal was seamless, due in large part to Rolan's seemingly innate skill and finesse. I would, without hesitation, refer anyone to Brick and Mortar for any real estate needs. It has been a true pleasure working with Rolan over the years and seeing his business grow so rapidly is no surprise given his obvious talent and dedication to his work. read more

I recently used Rolan and Timothy to help lease out my condo in Williamsburg. I relocated to the west coast after only owning my condo for 18 months. It was stressful enough to try to find an apt in an unfamiliar city. I tried posting myself on Craigslist for about a week before I got tired of having to leave work to let people into my place and not getting a great response. I enlisted the help of B & M - within 48 hours they had come to my place and taken professional photos (slightly better than the photos I took from my phone :-)) and posted on an array of sites I had not even heard of. They wrote a great description of my apartment, even detailing all of the best restaurants and bars off my stop (Graham / Grand area). They were able to show my apartment while I was at work, and found a great couple to rent out my place within a couple of weeks. They even performed the credit check and led the application process and contract signing. I had to do zilch other than review the applicant they pre-approved. Both Rolan and Tim are EXTREMELY responsive over both email and text. I will be using them to rent out my apartment for as long as I am on the left side! read more

We worked with Inga Wszolek to find our next apartment in the Williamsburg / Greenpoint area and could not have had a better experience. In the past and in this current search for apartments, we met with many other firms, small and large, to try and find apartments in the East Village, Williamsburg, and Greenpoint, and no one else was nearly as informative, friendly, and helpful as Inga and Brick & Mortar. Walking through the unit she gave us a detailed history of the building, information about the neighborhood, and information about the rental experience with the management company to put us at ease and set expectations appropriately. She continued to offer advice about the neighborhood (where to buy plants for our apartment, what options were for gyms), to a degree we would have never expected a real estate agent to go to. The entire time, being extraordinarily friendly and easy to talk to. I can't imagine that we're going to be leaving our next unit any time soon, but if we were to move again, I wouldn't want to go through the process with any other firms. We would recommend anyone we knew that was moving in the New York City area to reach out. read more

Real estate in NYC is a tricky business for a novice buyer, but I was blessed to work with a talented, efficient, knowledgeable agent name Mark Fraser of Brick and Mortar. Mark, went beyond the call of duty and supported me every step of my arduous process. His communication was impeccable and his excellent problem solving ability resolved many of the issues that surfaced from no where. He advocated for me with lawyers, bankers, realtors, HPD and a host of other city regulatory agencies, that were making the buying process unbearable. I wanted to jump ship a number of time, but Mark always shared a word of wisdom that tamed my fiery beast and helped me refocused on the task at hand, which was to purchase this home. Mark negotiated prices and helped the seller arrange for the property to be clean before the sale . Mark was delightful, always professional and reasonable. I was thoroughly impressed with his knowledge of the world or real estate He is passionate about his works and always puts his clients first. I refer Mark to everyone I know in need of real estate. If you want a professional job, with a caring individual Mark is the guy. read more

I have used Brick and Mortar for several real estate transactions. Worked mostly with Rolan Sereny. Have nothing to say but good things about him. From start to finish he has a "Can do" attitude. He is efficient, intelligent, detail oriented, helpful, responsive, extremely knowledgeable about the real estate market and the whole works. Any problems or issues, he always manages to find a solution. You can depend on him to make it a smoother experience for you. Rolan thinks outside of the box and will help strategize to achieve your goal in your sale or purchase. Basically, you will sleep better if you let him handle your buying/selling/rental. He will not steer you wrong. I have confidence in this guy. He is top notch. Look no further. I do have all the transactions to show the number of times I have chosen to work with him. On top of it all, I do not even live in NY which makes it even more challenging for him. Bless his heart, he even oversaw a list of about 20 work items that I wanted the handyman to work on to get my condo ready to be put on the market. Thank you Rolan for doing such a wonderful job. You went above and beyond. read more

Everyone knows what an epic struggle it is trying to find the perfect apartment in NYC. Looking for places is difficult as descriptions/photographs may be misleading or listings have carelessly been posted online for two weeks (and we all know, this type of apartment was taken two weeks before it hit market, womp womp). It's a stressful task but Brick & Mortar make this life event super easy, from the UX/UI of their web-page letting users know that an apartment has a pending application in real-time to current photographs living as proof that apartments posted are actually what you'll be viewing, and adjacent descriptions are on par with what agents list. Johanna was amazing to work with. She was super responsive, friendly and provided five star service guiding me through the simple application process. Love the professionalism. I suggest if you want to make your search more stress free, you check out their site and look through Johanna's listings. Quality from end to end. https://brickandmortar.com/about.php#johanna-cohen read more

Renting an apartment in New York City is quite possibly one of the most stressful life events you can go through, and in 14 years of renting here - its safe to say, its hasn't gotten any easier ... until now. Martin Olsen @ Brick & Morter is a miracle worker, and managed to get me locked into the apartment I had my eyes set-on in record time (in under a week!). I am a picky renter, and know exactly what I am looking for - and Martin plays zero games when it comes to showing a space that checks all the boxes I wanted. There was never a moment I felt I was getting duped, upsold, or mislead - and throughout the process Martin was extremely communicative and proactive with updates. Since renting my space - Martin has gone above and beyond by checking in to make sure the move went smoothly, as well as ensuring the apartment met my expectations and more. Luckily, I don't have to move anytime soon, but when I do - I can say with the utmost confidence, that I'll skip streeteasy and go straight to Martin next time! read more

We have now been in our fantastic new apartment for a couple of weeks in large part thanks to Sahar and the entire Brick & Mortar team. Sahar was nothing but a pleasure to work with. She was very attentive and accommodating throughout our entire apartment search. The reason I am not giving 5 stars is because of an unfortunate incident we ran into. We were all set to move into 175 Kent, but 15 hours before our movers were coming, we found out the management had decided to raise our rent by $400, thus putting the apartment out of our reach. Neither Sahar nor her boss were able to convince them that we were quoted a different price so we lost the apartment. However, my boyfriend and I had gone to see a couple of buildings 2 months prior to working with B & M and both buildings still had available apartments. We ended up renting in one of those and are very happy! While Sahar did not help us find the apartment, she did help us get all of our application materials submitted and approved all in 1 night! read more

I had the pleasure of working with Toby from Brick & Mortar. He was awesome. I was looking to move to Brooklyn from Austin, TX and had virtually no idea where to start. He took into account the limited criteria I provided and was quick to produce an impressive list of apartments all which met my needs and were unique in their own way. Toby was a great tour guide of the south Brooklyn area and seemed to have an impressive knowledge of all the areas we looked at and was quick to point out his favorite haunts from when he lived in the area. The professionalism and dedication I received from Toby was exceptional. Seriously. Even amid a minor family emergency that would have left me insanely frustrated had it happened to me, Toby was calm and collected and never failed to exceed my expectations. We were able to find me a great apartment in two days, all before I had to hop on a plane back home. The rest of the logistics were easily completed remotely and everything was clearly communicated to me. read more

My husband and I had been trying to find a space for our next business for ages. Couldn't find an agent who actually seemed to care. They kept coming to us with exactly what we didn't want. Then, out of sheer luck, we ran into Phillia and Claire from Brick and Mortar, who took over our space search like no one. Honestly, they had all the connexions and all the info, that no one else seemed to have. On top of all the business spaces that were about to be put on the market but still weren't. So they were great for that. But they were also great when it was time to negotiate and secure us the spot we liked. You could tell they had our best interest at heart and were rooting for us. Amazing availability too, answering questions almost immediately every time, and really just going the extra mile every time. For any other real estate search, business or home, it wouldn't even cross my mind not to go through Brick and Mortar, and more specifically, Phillia and Claire. AMAZING working relationship. read more

My expectations for a NY apartment were low, hearing about how much a tiny box costs here, and how rough it is to sort through all the deception. Some coworkers who recently found an apartment in Williamsburg used Brick and Mortar and mentioned how great the experience was with Mark Fraser. He showed me several sweet pads from the first day of searching, all of which would have been great choices. He was straight up, friendly and relaxed, putting me immediately at ease. I felt right away that he was in my corner to find the perfect spot.. He consistently went above and beyond what was expected, walking me around the communities we checked out, and passing on interesting and useful information about the areas. Even with my unique situation ( no US credit score as a Canadian/ or social security number! ), Mark worked tirelessly to make a deal for me. I now have a fantastic penthouse apartment, thanks to Brick and Mortar. Highly recommended! read more

Phillia and Rolan were a true pleasure to work with. They helped us sell our apartment in Greenpoint for $35K above asking price. We got a buyer about three days after putting the place on the market. Rolan's photos of the apartment were so beautiful that they made us not want to sell it! However, then we remembered that we had had a baby and needed a bigger place. It's good not to forget that you've had a baby. Anyway, Phillia and Rolan then helped us win a bidding war to land a really nice place in Jackson Heights. The seller was difficult, but they dealt with him and helped us navigate the strange sea that is the co-op application process, a sea in which we might have drowned if left to our own devices. To sum up: there are a lot of aggressive weirdos in NYC real estate, but they don't work at Brick & Mortar. If you want to deal with nice, down-to-earth people who know what they're doing, you couldn't choose a better outfit. read more