Really great. Fast and effective work style - doesn't stop at anything to get the apartment you want. They follow an online application process where you don't have to sit and fill out paperwork all day or multiple times if your first apartment isn't accepted. Quick fix to the online form, a signature and away it goes! Would recommend to anyone thats looking for a new apartment. read more

Michela Nionakis was easily one of the worst realtors I've ever worked with. From the beginning, communicating with her was a nightmare. I would wait days for answers and had to follow up multiple times just to get basic information. When we scheduled a tour, she didn't even confirm the showing until we reached out two hours beforehand. She confirmed 3:15 p.m., but we told her we were driving from out of state and traffic would put us closer to 3:30. When we got there, she acted like we were late and told us we would have to reschedule. The showing itself was just as bad. She showed up in a graphic sweatshirt, didn't greet us professionally, and barely explained anything about the apartment or application process. When we asked normal questions, she was dismissive and impatient, even sending texts like "..." as if we were bothering her. Since she gave us almost no useful information, we had to contact management ourselves. The application process was where it got even worse. After we completed the lease, she told us on 4/20 that we needed co-signers, then disappeared for the rest of the day because she was off for "the holiday." She was rude and unhelpful to our co-signers, including my friend's mother, whose first language is not English. I asked to speak with her by phone so we could get on the same page and I could help walk our stressed-out co-signers through the process. She refused and said, "I don't need anything from you. If the co-signers need anything, they can contact me directly." Our co-signers were already overwhelmed because of her lack of guidance, and she still couldn't be bothered to help. The next day, she gave us an ultimatum to get the new paperwork signed by 2 p.m. or she would refund our deposits and pull the application. When I told her to go ahead and pull it (because I didn't want her getting the commission for doing NOTHING), she suddenly claimed there were other pending applications and that we wouldn't be able to reapply. We called management directly, and they confirmed we were the only application........ Overall, Michela made this process SO STRESSFUL than it needed to be. She was slow to respond, dismissive, rude, unhelpful, and misleading, and SO UNPROFESSIONAL. I would absolutely not recommend working with her, even our co-signers commented on how horrid it was working with her. read more

Jake Costello was very responsive and helpful. He showed us apartments that fit our requirements and was very quick with the application process. We were able to confirm our apartment the next day! I would recommend working with him. read more

Literally the worst experience ever. Scheduled a tour this evening with a broker. But then the broker told me her colleague rented the unit. So much miscommunication in the company. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. I would suggest that when there's showing happening with another agent and when other people are sending applications, that agent could at least notify their colleagues. Also update all information on a timely manner. If multiple applications have been sent and being reviewed, how could another agent still be scheduling tours with other potential renters? This is not making any sense, unless someone was skipping the process. If the current agent could inform the renter that someone was ahead of the process and the unit could be gone any second, then the renter won't have high expectations. Those are some suggestions that could improve future renters' experience without upsetting them. read more

I'm writing this to be as truthful to the reality as possible and will highlight the good and bad aspects of this company and particularly Roberto at this company. TLDR; I would not choose them again and felt disrespected and pressured by the process. I did the work ultimately and I left feeling that the broker fee should have been mine. To begin with the good Roberto was extremely responsive. He immediately contacted the location that I wanted to rent and set up a viewing. He was from there consistently removed and pushy for us to sign immediately with very little regard for our thoughts or opinions about the location. When it came time to sign the lease he changed the information and methods of payment multiple times as he was not in recent contact with the landlord. Regarding the lease and the concerns we had he on multiple occasions just lied that he had asked the landlord for the amendments we wanted and took advantage of the fact that the market is tough and we needed to move fast. To be fair this is true but it was not done with us in mind and instead was what I can only assume was to get the security deposit faster. He was rude to my fellow roommates and would mock them on the phone to others and was generally unprofessional. This being said we did get the location we wanted and he did get his fee. Was it worth the service we got? absolutely not but in some ways that the nature of Boston. I ended up getting in contact with the landlord and handling the rest of the move myself as this company's involvement unnecessarily confused the process. Would ultimately not use them again but I also cant say if this is the case for all of the Boston real estate market or just my isolated experience. read more

Had a great experience with Encore Realty in securing a competitive apartment. Andi Bauer went above and beyond to lock us in and get the unit the same day which was crucial in this competitive market. Would recommend to a friend. Only critique would be a need for a more robust payment portal option. We had trouble getting zelle to work with the information provided and other options like venmo and wire transfers can add additional fees to the process. read more

We had a GREAT experience with Andi Bauer and Encore. We were first time renters after selling the home we had lived in for 20+ years. Andi took the time to explain the process to us. He could not have been more professional and he never pressured us. He worked with us to complete the lease and was willing to take us back to see the apartment again after we had already signed. The property we are renting is a beautiful apartment in a great neighborhood and met all of our needs. If you're looking for a professional agent, we highly recommend Andi Bauer at Encore. read more

We had plans to see 4 apartments today and he cancelled last min after 10pm yesterday (Friday). We are from out of town and made plans to stay in the city solely for the purpose of seeing the apartments with Graham. Very disappointed. I am updating this review. Following the cancellation, Graham did reach out to apologize. He offered to go take videos of the spots and meet up another time if we wanted. read more

Encore realty assisted me in renting apartment in Mission Hill, boston, MA. Was shown a video tour of the apartment but was not offered to see in person and was urged/pushed to sign as soon as possible given the competitive nature (supposedly apartments being rented within hours of posting advertisements). Unfortunately for me, I signed. First, the apartment building as a whole was a DUMP with trash in the stairwells. The apartment was incredibly small and not as shown in the video. Also, I reached out to the broker, Christian, months before move in asking for dimensions of the apartment and was ignored/ did not receive any response. Why did I have to pay one months rent ($2600) for this terrible service and misrepresentation? You can't even send me dimensions of an apartment after you took almost $3000 from me? Broker fees, and more specifically encore realty brokers, are SCAM ARTISTS in my opinion. As soon as you sign the lease you will never hear from them again, all while they pocket thousands of dollars for DOING NOTHING on your behalf. AVOID these people and find apartment complexes without broker fees. read more

This guy is the absolute worst. Complete bait and switch guy... he makes appointments and doesn't provide details in email. Met in person and he barely speaks, not friendly at all. Every place we saw the landlord spoke the whole time and gave the talk and we went in blindly. He never followed up with us. NONE of the units were clean. Complete waste of your time... dont bother. read more

I have lived in Boston for 6 years in the past and have worked with several different realty offices in the past. For the most part, my experiences have been extremely negative. Most realtors in the Boston area have horrible follow-up and a general disinterest in helping you out. My experiences with Encore Realty were quite the opposite. I have worked with Diane Kuang for the past several weeks looking for an apartment in the Boston/Brookline area. She has been completely available and very responsive. She has sent me several units and continued to follow-up with me on a daily basis. I asked her to find me a unit in a specific apartment complex and as promised, she followed through with my request within 48 hours. I highly recommend Encore Realty for your apartment search. A note to remember is their fee is non-negotiable 1 month's rent so be ready for that! Good luck! read more

Diana Kuang was our realtor to find an apartment for myself and my fiance at the time. We were moving from NYC to Boston and had only 4 days to sign on a place before the wedding/honeymoon. Lucky for us, Diana was on top of everything from day 1. Before our visit, she stayed in constant communication by sending us relevant offerings on the market and answering all of our questions. Once we reached Boston for the apartment tour, we felt very well prepared. Additionally, Diana was very punctual and accommodating as she drove us around the city to view various places. We are so appreciative of Diana and her extensive knowledge of the Boston real estate market and would certainly use her again in the future! read more

Encore Realty has been an absolute dream to work with. I cannot recommend them enough. Lauren was terrific. She is so responsive, so helpful and goes above and beyond. I would absolutely look to Lauren again and Encore Realty to help me with my next apartment search- which hopefully won't be for awhile as Lauren helped me find the perfect place! read more

I was looking for a dog friendly place for almost 6 months now and couldn't find anything that I'd like. Dave Monheit from Encore Realty really helped me with this, he had the patience to understand my dog needs and together we found an amazing place in Cambridge, exactly what I was looking for. I couldn't be happier!!!! They're really nice guys there! read more

Diana Kuang helped me rent my place in Boston's South End in June, 2015. After sending Diana a set of keys, the entire process was seamless and, more importantly, effortless on my end. Diana took care of everything. She let me know ahead of time when she would be showing the unit, scheduled several showings, and ended up renting the apartment within a matter of days. All I had to do was sign and return a copy of the lease that she prepared to my specifications. Her communication was prompt and concise. She turned what is typically a labor and time intensive process into a half-hour long exercise for me. If you are looking for a knowledgeable and efficient rental broker in Boston, I would highly recommend working with Diana at Encore Realty. read more

Dave Monheit is phenomenal. Let's face it, buying a home is one of the most expensive, stressful things you will do in your life. I've been through this song and dance twice, and in doing so I have realized that there is a significant difference between having a good realtor and a GREAT realtor. Dave had the patience of a saint with me as I changed my mind roughly every other day about what I was looking for, where I was looking, and what my time frame was. I never felt pressured to do anything, but he was always there waiting to support whatever my latest decision was. When I finally found my DREAM HOUSE, his negotiation skills were completely on point, and whenever I started to freak out about even the littlest things he would call me and talk me off the ledge. This guy made buying a house a completely non-stressful ordeal. My financing fell through (due to another deal it was contingent on) the day after I signed my P&S, and Dave worked his personal connections and got everything back on track that day. I have two coworkers who bought houses a few months before me, and frequently we'd talk about my home buying experience. Their reactions to my updates were always the same - "Wait, what?? My realtor didn't do anything like that! Your guy is amazing!!" And it's true - Dave definitely goes the extra mile. So if you're in the market for a new home and you want an amazing experience working with someone who is insanely committed to his job and doing right by his clients, then go work with Dave Monheit - you won't regret it. read more

Initially I was unhappy with the end product, but I've been impressed with Encore's repeated efforts to amend the problems with my apartment (namely the landlord). Most people in this business seem more than happy to take your money and walk away, but the owner Dave took the time to reach out and offer his assistance in mediating the landlord/tenant relationship, and it's elevated my opinion of the business. I'd also never used a realtor before, so I admit I'm knew to this process. Personally I am an advocate for going out and finding your own property and not paying a fee, but I'm discovering that's very hard to do in Boston. It's upsetting for this very reason - if you end up not liking a place, you have to cough up another realtor's fee in a year's time. That's a lot of money for an ultimately negative result, but it's not entirely the realtor's fault. So while I may have been unhappy with the apartment I found, Encore has proven they won't leave their clients hanging, and that counts for a lot. read more

I worked with Allie Flores during my move from NYC to Boston and it was as smooth as it gets! My first big move and Allie made it easy and painless. She was quick to get back to my concerns during the entire process and was still helpful after a month into my move when I needed info about issues in the unit. I needed a unit that was dog friendly within the Boston area and within my budget and she delivered easily. Highly recommend! read more

Michela was very attentive and informative to my family's needs when it came to find a new home in a new region. We appreciated her candor and her ability to follow through as we applied and signed our new lease. Within half a week of looking, she helped us find a good home. My family and I are very pleased to say the least. read more

My roommates and I had a very negative experience with Cristian Lorenzo. My roommate found an open house for our apartment on our own and attended it, and then we applied through Cristian. He never did a private showing for us. He actually never showed up to a scheduled showing we had with him because of traffic, yet we were all there. He gave us different deadlines for the broker's fee, which we obviously weren't excited to pay because he truly didn't do any work for us. Initially, he said he would waive the broker's fee and the security deposit, which he never did. He then held the keys to the apartment hostage until we paid it, which we all had by August 31st. My roommate went to his office on September 1st to retrieve the keys and he was extremely rude and condescending to her. He said he wouldn't give her the keys till he got his money and he had told her he needed the fee because he has "bills to pay." We had already paid the entire fee at that point, so he didn't have his facts straight before he started speaking down at her with a condescending attitude. Leading up to this, he never responded to us or our mothers and we had all sent texts, emails, and left voicemails. He was supposed to stop by the apartment on the 1st as well, but never did. We're now each out of a grand because he snuck the fee into one piece of paper we signed for the application and refused to give us the keys to the apartment we paid for. It was extremely frustrating and exhausting to attempt to work with him, as he literally did nothing and lied about all the payments we had to make. We do not recommend him nor his agency given that they have also been unresponsive. read more

I rented a house through Encore and Rob was my agent. I had been searching for about a month and connected with Rob through a listing I discovered online - within two days of meeting him I had signed a contract on a house that was very specific to my needs and difficult to find. He would even respond to my emails at 6:30 in the morning - very reachable and responsive - highly recommend him. read more

Incredibly unresponsive and not helpful, does not follow up or answer any questions after meeting. Had several unanswered texts, e-mails, and phone calls. Would NOT recommend going through Graham or his coworker Becca. read more

I've been helping a couple of my friends look for apartments. And I know the Boston market pretty well considering I'm also a renter and I have a really awesome broker friend that keeps me in the loop. I called to setup an appointment for a property and before I could even ask, the man on the other end (who didn't even introduce himself, who was very unprofessional; which made me change my tone of voice as well), started interrogating me about my friends. This place obviously doesn't care to create relationships with their prospective clients. We're not college kids that you're going to deal with just once. Think about recurring customers. This guy was unprofessional and all I wanted was to see the place. read more

Amanda O'Grady had several mishaps when she was our broker in the fall. She sent our personal financial information to the wrong email address and made promises to us about the apartment that were only based on her assumption instead of doing the work to figure it out. It ended in the landlord's broker threatening a lawsuit if we proceeded. Needless to say, I was surprised to receive her ill-written "Happy Valentine's" day email asking for a review. Next time Amanda, I recommend you check your contact list for clients you screwed over. I will not be referring anyone to you. read more

Diana Kuang is the best! I originally worked with her to find an apartment in Boston to rent. We quickly decided it made more sense to purchase an apartment or condo, and Diana was nothing short of amazing throughout the process. I was living in New York during the search, but Diana was constantly in touch with me with new listings, or just checking in. I honestly felt like I was her only client because she spent so much time working with me. We had a number of weekends where we saw apartments, and Diana was so incredibly helpful. As a first time buyer, there was a lot I didn't know about the process, including what I should be looking for or asking during an open house, but Diana had everything covered. It took us a few offers before ours was accepted as we were looking in a super competitive market, but we ultimately closed on a condo all because of Diana. She had several recommendations regarding the terms of the offer which the seller told us were deciding factors for her. I am so incredibly grateful to Diana and would highly recommend her to anyone looking to buy, rent, sell, etc. I am so in love with my condo that I don't plan on moving any time soon, but when I do, I will definitely be using Diana!! read more

Talked to one of the owners about helping us to buy then managing a property. He promised to follow up but never did. He had my phone number and email address. But no response. We had a cordial conversation, so it wasn't anything I said. I guess they just have too much business and do not need any new customers. read more

I recently worked with Diana Kuang to find an apartment in Boston. I was very specific in what I wanted and only had a weekend to find the right place. Diana made it a point to understand exactly what I was looking for and put together a list of great options. Coming from out of state and being unfamiliar with the area, Diana helped me figure out which neighborhoods to target and was honest about where I'd be most comfortable given what I shared about my lifestyle and what was important to me. I would certainly recommend Diana and will use her again once I am ready to purchase a home. read more

Diana Kuang was awesome! She was very patient with us when we were in the process of buying a house when we weren't even living in the Mass. We was living in California when we were looking at a house. She was helping us by facetime/ Skype and she was able to meet with my family to show the houses that we looked at. After 6 months of searching, we were able to find a house that we loved and in our budget. Diana was a very professional and has a great knowledge of what she does. read more

Although my roommate and I did not end up renting with Encore Realty, our experience was very positive. Our realtor, Jonathan, was personable, honest, and attentive to our specifications. We were very happy working with him, and would definitely recommend him to anyone. read more

When my husband and I had to start looking for a new apartment after we had a fire, I dreaded having to deal with brokers again. We'd had a terrible experience the first time when we originally moved to Boston and expected the same again. Thankfully, we connected with Brad at Encore. Beyond everything else, he was honest and straightforward, which sometimes felt impossible to find in this field. He wasn't pushy and he didn't waste our time showing us places that didn't fall within the description of what we'd said we wanted. He clearly invested a good amount of time researching places for us, and when we identified a place we liked, he was quick and responsive about getting us in to see it. I would definitely recommend Brad to anyone who is looking for a place in Boston! read more

After an exhausting and disappointing search for a 1 bedroom apt. in the Boston-area, my girlfriend and I came across some listings by Heidi at Encore Realty. Most agents we'd met with (from other companies) seemed more like salesmen who were really only after us for the commission, but our Encore agent, Heidi, was the opposite. She was quick to respond to emails, listened to us and took all of our preferences seriously. On our first meeting she managed to show us 3 potential apartments in one morning. The best part about this was that it was on the weekend and the tenants were home so we were able to ask them more detailed questions about each apartment. We were lucky enough to find one we loved and submitted an application for it right away. Even though it was a Saturday, Heidi ran our credit check right away and forwarded our application to the landlord immediately. By the afternoon, she called to tell us that the landlord had accepted our application (pending landlord referrals) and we signed a lease on Monday. When we came in a few days later to sign the lease Heidi explained every step of the process clearly. She was flexible and able accommodated our limited availability (mostly nights and weekends). She also forwarded our questions to the landlord and property manager and was even nice enough to reach out to the previous tenants about buying some of their furniture. It was the first time we felt like an agent genuinely cared about our well-being and wasn't just trying get us to sign a lease at any cost. We are extremely thankful for Heidi's help and the ease with which she helped us to finally find a great place to live! read more

Nicole Crichlow bailed on us for 4 showings today. No call, no show. We called, texted, and e-mailed multiple times and never heard back. We had the entire afternoon booked and, with the market being what it is in Boston, we certainly wasted countless opportunities to see and sign leases for other units. Another company happened to be showing a unit we were interested and they let us in. The broker there informed us that he used to work with Nicole and that this is common behavior from her and we should expect this. We will no longer be interested in retaining the services of Encore Realty moving forward seeing that this is the type of professionalism that they allow to represent them. read more

My roommate and I had a terrific experience finding an apartment in Lower Allston with Lauren Deseyo. Lauren was flexible with viewing times, and accommodated our need to complete viewings via FaceTime (as both of us were located remotely). Lauren was always friendly and highly responsive to questions, and helped us negotiate a lease period that worked for us. I was impressed by Lauren's professionalism, and would gladly recommend her to friends and family in the future. read more

My daughter had 4 days to find an apartment and Amanda was the best! She was amazingly responsive - put together showings, made time in her schedule on 2 consecutive days and found a gem of a place for her on Commonwealth Ave. She worked late getting all the paperwork done and made sure everything was in order. Got it done with about 12 hours to spare. She offered to arrange parking permits for the moving truck and call the building management to find out about special access to the building. Very sweet, very professional - I can't recommend her enough! read more

Finding an apartment in Boston is a complete pain in the ass. Finding an apartment in Boston that is suitable for yourself, your partner, and your two dogs while living out of town is nothing short of a nightmare. Honestly, I may have still been stuck in Upstate NY if it wasn't for Dave at Encore Realty. He somehow managed to turn around my awful experience and made it relatively pleasant. He didn't balk at the fact that I had dogs and a budget (I know, the audacity.) He was entertaining, respectful and friendly during our apartment hunting process and generally made things pretty easy. Not only that, but when we moved into our apartment and it was completely filthy (seriously this guy had NEVER cleaned, much less cleaned before we moved in) I called Dave and he went completely above and beyond and brought us a broom and dustpan, which was so very much appreciated. Anyway, I have had my share of pretty terrible realtor experiences over the years, so thank you to Dave and Encore Realty for helping to redeem my faith in realtors. read more

Great experience with Rob Silverman. I signed up for the email updates with the company and was put in touch with Rob. I saw something I wanted on one of the emails and he was helpful and speedy in getting the paperwork together. Good stuff! read more

It was impossible to contact them by email or phone, even during business hours. I've left messages that were never returned, and when my brother finally managed to get in touch with them to schedule an appointment to see an apartment, nobody showed up. read more

The leasing and sales consultant who was showing my apartment failed to give notice until the same day, which I found to be an incredibly rude imposition. I hope I don't have to deal with anyone from this agency in the future. read more

I worked with Rob Silverman back in March to rent an apartment and had a great experience. He regularly sent me updates with available apartments, and when I saw a listing that I liked he immediately arranged for me to see it. Upon touring the apartment that I ultimately rented, Rob worked very quickly to start the lease application to ensure that no one else would get the apartment first. He even went to the office on a Sunday to fill out paperwork. Rob also did a great job talking with the building manager to help ensure that my application got approved. Overall I was very impressed with Rob's - and all of Encore's - professionalism and diligence. I highly recommend working with Rob if you are looking for an apartment in Boston. It was a very positive experience, and I would definitely go back to him again in the future. read more

I am relocating to Boston and tried multiple times to get a listing of places that were dog friendly. the realtor I was assigned, Jason only responded once. I contacted the agency a few other times to say I didn't hear anything back and was still looking for a place and never got a response. Very disappointed. I guess they did not want my business read more