Amin was incredibly helpful throughout our entire apartment hunt. Not only were the properties he showed some of the best we saw on the UWS, but his professionalism and availability made the process of finding a home during the coronavirus pandemic safe and easy! The apartment we decided on had everything we were looking for, so I would certainly recommend Amin and the rest of Guidance Realty to anyone looking for a home in NYC. read more

Giving two stars because David was a great real estate agent, he was helpful and kind which is why I gave this a 5 star originally. I lived in an apartment managed by this company for 2 years. Every year they raised the rent $100/month if you renewed the lease. The super Mark was always rude and condescending, in fact it was actually impossible to reach anyone else at that company. They tried to make me feel bad for having a mouse problem claiming it was my fault and should be expected since I lived on a low floor. Moving out of this management company was the best decision I've made and I'm glad to be in another building in the city who cares about residents. I had an overlap between apartments and moved the majority of my things out since I no longer wanted to be there. They kept asking when I was moving out even though I paid for the full month and they had someone moving in the 1st of the next giving no room for repairs or cleaning. I was nice enough to let them come in before my official move out date to paint etc. as long as they didn't touch my remaining belongings. They moved forward with throwing away everything that was left in my apartment even though I mentioned that I hadn't moved out yet and was still paying rent (poor planning on their part), they did not offer to replace any of the items they tossed however Mark did apologize. Finally, they have good initial rates for apartments...a neighbor of mine who had a one bedroom was raised $400/mo after their first year to raise up to "market value". This isn't meant to be rude, my apartment was lovely and well located and priced accordingly. I just had such a negative experience with management and/or anytime something malfunctioned or needed repairs or just working with Mark in general. I would recommend (and have) steering clear of this group when looking in the Upper West Side. read more

My wife and I relocated this month from Atlanta, and we had dealt with two other brokerages with absolutely horrific experiences. Without going into details, we were frustrated, lost and had wasted five days and considerable $$ apartment hunting. With no results. Enter Al and Mark with Guidance NYC. We ran into Al through a craigslist ad and he was immediately different from every other broker. He wasn't pushing us to take apartments that weren't right for us. He wasn't making excuses. He was on time. He called back. He was eveything the other brokers were not. At the point where my wife and I had to return to Atlanta, we still had no apartment but had just three weeks before we had to be here. So when Al called two days later and said he had found a place for us, it was a tremendous leap of faith. We rented our apartment SIGHT UNSEEN. Why would we do that?!? We did it because Al had clearly shown he knew what we wanted, what we didn't want, and was dedicated to finding the right place for us, not just "any place." We threw challenges at him, from pets to qualification issues. He and his partner worked hard and worked outside the box to make it work. End result? We're in our apartment and we love it. And even though Al and Mark had their commission check and could have been done, they had the professionalism and caring to BOTH call us the night we moved in to make sure my wife and I "loved the place" as they had promised we would. That showed us they cared about the deal and us, and not just the cash. Great guys. I cannot recommend them highly enough, and rest assured when anyone asks me to recommend an agent to help them find an apartment in New York City, I'll be whipping out their card. Thanks, guys. read more

Adnan was absolutely PHENOMENAL. He went above and beyond for my sister and I when finding an apartment in the city. He was very on top of everything. He updated us everyday, and made the entire process very easy (as we were moving from out of state). I would 100% recommend Adnan to anybody looking for an apartment in Manhattan. It was a pleasure to work with him and he made our move to the city possible. Thanks Adnan!!!!!! read more

First of all this company also has reviews on another yelp page so I am going to leave comments on both, here is the link for the other one http://www.yelp.com/biz/guidance-nyc-new-york I worked with Mark and Mike overall everything went well and I have been living in my apt for about 5 months now thanks for the help guys! read more

We had a bad few experiences. They are not organized. They had our paper work and when they pulled out the folder, it was mixed up with others...They are supposed to trash/shred your info if you do not get an apt ...but they kept ours. One of their very nice (grunt worker) but ill informed broker showed us 2 apts in same building and mixed up the rents. When we found an apt with citi habitats... the guidance guys walked in the main leasing office were so noisy, and listened in while we went over our contract/lease. Talk about rude, inappropriate and unprofessional. Stay away. read more

My wife and I were looking to sell our home in Hinsdale Illinois but we were against going with the "big box" realtors. We didn't have the typical million-dollar price tag Hinsdale home and it was immediately obvious that the local realtors had way bigger fish to fry and our house was not going to get the attention we wanted and quite frankly, the attention we felt we deserved. A friend of mine suggested we talk to Mohammed Iftikhar with Guidance Realty but I was a little apprehensive about the distance his office was from our house. We decided to meet with him anyway and from the moment he arrived to see the house we knew that we would be in good hands. Mohammed made the process easy; he took care of everything and most importantly to us, Mohammed respected us and our time. We always were well informed about scheduled showings and if something changed, we were told in advance, no surprises. Mohammed was persistent with the visiting realtors to get immediate feedback and a better understanding of what potential buyers wanted so we could make any adjustments. When we received an offer, Mohammed's negotiating skills proved to be extremely impressive - always staying in control of the process and keeping our best interest at the forefront. In the end, Mohammed's know-how and seemingly endless list of contacts from handymen to attorneys to lenders resulted in a quick sell at full asking price... my wife and I couldn't be happier - I would recommend Mohammed Iftikhar to anyone looking to buy or sell a home! -Paul Herrold read more

Felt compelled to write a review after reading the reviews already posted on here. My girlfriend and I were looking to move to the UWS from Brooklyn, and were dreading the process since we both have moved several times in NYC. We found an apartment we liked with Al. He was very communicative, thoughtful, and punctual. Unfortunately, even though we put a deposit for the place we saw, someone from the building asked to move in, and was given preference by the building owner. Al felt awful and showed us an amazing apartment only 4 blocks away before anyone else got to see it. He also helped us negotiate down the rent to fit our budget! We signed the lease and can't wait to move in. There seems to be a lot of comments on his 'rude' demeanor... I can't speak for anyone else's experience, but my girlfriend and I found him honest, and to the point, like a true New Yorker. After spending several wasted hours with much more bubbly, but much less effective brokers, someone who wasn't looking to waste our time or his was a breath of fresh air. We will definitely work with Al again next time we are looking to move, but I don't think that will be for a very long while (since we love our new place so much!) Thanks! read more

David is candid, calm and a nice person. We really appreciated his professionalism and work for us. We love the apartment and highly recommend him to everyone. read more

I unfortunately didn't get the apartment I wanted but Amin was the best agent anyone could ask for. He ran around NYC in the heat going up multiple flights to show apartments. Guidance Realty is superb! HIghly recommended when looking for an apartment. read more

With all the hoops other real estate agents make you jump through, working with Amin was a breath of fresh air. He made helping my boyfriend and I rent our first apartment in Manhattan together a seamless process. Well worth the broker fee! Couldn't be more happy with how things turned out. Just ask for Amin! read more

tried giving these guys a shot... However it was probably the biggest waste of time and waste of money.. Gave them a deposit on an apartment which I found out was no longer available however they took my deposit and credit application fee.. They did not run my credit or anything 2 days later they told me the apartment is rented out. After spending 3 hours at the buildings 3 separate days trying to get it.. I would not recommend these guys to anyone. read more

Al is amazing. Quick in answering to email, phone calls and text (which is not the case with all brookers), he helps to make the whole process easy, quick and efficient. Great broker! Thanks Al! read more

David was AWESOME!! He helped me find a great apartment (which I love!!) in the exact area I was looking for and right on my budget. To list a few things, he met me at the subway station to sign the lease because I was on a rush to the airport on a very rainy day, got me a nice deal with the landlord and helped me get out of an extra month security deposit. He is truly the best broker I've met so far in NYC. read more

David is amazing. Actually, I think amazing doesn't cut it. I have been renting for over 10 years now, and never have I come across an attentive and genuinely caring broker like David. My search began when I was abroad. I emailed him (and a bunch of other brokers, too) with basic questions--wants, needs, absolute must haves etc. And he responded to me right away. Almost immediately he sent me an apartment to look at. Though I was abroad, he sent it over to get a better idea of what I was looking for. And it was literally everything I had in mind and more. Keep in mind I was also in contact with other brokers. Yes, they also sent me units to check out, but all of them sent me the same stuff. (To no fault of their own). David, on the other hand, had access to apartments that the others didn't. Since he works in the UWS primarily, he sort of has first hand information on what's coming up and what's currently available. He's also really attentive to budget. He did show us a couple of apartments above our range, but only if they were negotiable. We ended up signing a lease on a newly renovated studio. It is beautiful. Tons of storage, new appliances, the whole shebang. Though, of course, with every new renovation (the final two units in the basement are still being worked on) there come some issues. David has always called and checked in on us to see how things are going, if everything is working smoothly etc. A couple of things were missing in the unit, and he made sure to liaise with the landlord about it. And the landlord was great with having it taken care of ASAP. Even after our lease was signed, and we moved in, he continues to check in, to make sure we're liking the apartment. It's nice to know that it doesn't just end after papers are signed and checks have been cashed. We genuinely feel cared about and taken care of. I am so pleasantly shocked at his caring and attentive nature. I swear I've gone through maybe 3 or 4 brokers during my time in NYC, but none have been as proactive as David. read more

Working with Guidance Realty Corporation was an overall pleasant experience. I worked with Marcela and Greg and both were more than accommodating with my schedule. My roommate and I were looking to relocate within the Upper West Side and we found an apartment on Craigslist located less than 2 blocks away from where we currently live. We were introduced to Greg who met us at another apartment further south on 81st to show first. The apartment closer to our apartment was lovely and we were very interested in applying for a lease. Greg was more than willing to take all night to work through the process, as it was our first time applying independently for an apartment in New York. He took the time to explain each step necessary for applying for an apartment in New York and was more than willing to explain, in deep detail, how the NYC renting system works. My experience at Guidance was nothing short of a positive one. Greg was more than willing to give excellent and helpful advice and do everything he could to help. He was straight-forward and real, making sure we understood every step of the leasing process so that we weren't going into anything blind. The NYC apartment hunt is a nightmare. Applying for apartments in New York is invasive and seems to be as intense a process as joining the secret service. If you're going to use a broker, I recommend Guidance, Greg and Marcela imparticular, because they're going to be straight forward, accommodating, and honest. read more

I would leave negative stars if i could. They are in charge of leasing the apts on west 76th street and dealing with the management. They showed me an apt in the upper west side that I liked so I signed the lease in their office (never meeting the owner). My first issue was that I was in the apartment for over a month but had not received the keys to the mailbox. I tried reaching out to the owner via email (the only contact info I had) but i was told to reach out to guidance realty instead. When I tried that, I had to go to their office on two separate occasions before finally tracking them down to give me the key. After that, any time there was an issue and I tried to contact the owner, I would either be asked to deal with guidance realty or someone named Reyes. When I finally vacated the apartment, I emailed the owner several times without response. After several weeks of asking, I finally received an email that my deposit was on its way. Two weeks later I still had not received it. I thereafter contacted guidance realty given that the emails from the supposed owner repeatedly referred me to them for all issues. Once again, i did not hear back from them. Guidance realty were the only ones I dealt with during this whole ordeal and even left the keys of the apartment with them after vacating (as instructed by an email from the owner). I am not sure what the relationship is between them and the owner but I was hoping they would be more helpful given the owner's reliance on them and repeated requests to go to them for everything. Because of this, I left a bad review on yelp about them and then received an email that if I don't take it down, they will reach out to lawyers. When I asked them for the name of the lawyer, they said that they will file a complaint with the agency that I hold a license with instead of hiring a lawyer. My experience was a terrible one with this agency and I was never sure whom I should contact for any issues. Instead of helping one of their customers, they were terrible throughout and then sent very aggressive emails trying to force me to take down my review when I complained. read more

Run, run away from this realtor as fast as you can! Here's what I experienced during the one year tenancy at one of the buildings they managed on w 80th street: -They did not deliver what they promised. They only promised so to get you sign the contract. - They managed the building poorly - They lied to you. Some example of issues I had with this company: Mark, the building manager/agent, promised they would hire professional cleaning person to clean the apartment prior to my move in date. On the move in day what awaited me was floor full of foot traces, and rusty bathroom cabinet, yellowish stained tile grouts ( I washed them for two hours they turned white! from greasy yellow! Yikes!) Second month into the lease my boyfriend and I slept in for the first time (I used my apartment as a home office where I would work in it during the day and go to my boyfriend's for the night), he got bitten by bedbug. We freaked out and searched the whole house and saw two of them. Upon reporting it to Mark, he kept asking me to show him photos to prove, and he even had the guts to tell me maybe my boyfriend (who happens to live in a very well maintained building and we never had a sighting of a bug) brought it from his apartment and if they r to hire exterminator I have to share the cost with them. I got this issue controlled anyway, at my expense. Due to the post trauma of seeing bed bug, I was scared to go home, to stay in it for a long time, to sleep on my newly bought bed, or to relax in my newly bought sofa watching favorite shows on my Sony TV. I spent less and less time in my apartment and I don't cook so there's no food smell in my apartment. Yet one day I saw a baby mouse coming out of the kitchen stove top!!! With greatest courage I looked into the stovetop for the first time since I moved in, I wished I never did. I wrote a long email with all the issues I've been having to Mark and Rabi Sarhane, who is listed as my broker on the rental lease. Mark blamed all of the problems on me and my misuse of the street-facing entrance, which "brought in things that aren't supposed to be in the house".Rabi, on the other hand, did not reply until a week later after returning from vacation, only to apologize for what happened to me. NO ATTEMPT TO HELP WITH THE SITUATION WAS OFFERED BY ANY OF THESE TWO. Now onto the building itself. The hallway is never fully lit up. It makes you feel like you are in some sort of B-Movie from the 80s. Let's call it nostalgic. Everyday there would be tiny bits of paint chips falling off the ceiling. These are the things you wouldn't notice until actually living in the house. It irritates me that this realtor took 15% of your yearly rent as service fee but not only did they have no control over the quality of the apartment they brokered, their lack of enthusiasm in resolving your issues towards the end of the lease is absurd. read more

Karen Fossli was AMAZING. She knew exactly what we wanted and worked harder than anyone I have ever worked with to find something within our very limited budget and timeframe. She returned emails and calls quickly and stayed on the case, never giving up when others would have. THANK YOU KAREN. read more

The brokers from Guidance (specifically Graig) were very helpful to me in my apartment search. He went out of his way to find apartments that fit my criteria, and to show me those apartments at my convenience. I appreciate all of the effort that Graig put into helping me find a new home! read more

Jack (off) Marciano is the worst agent at Guidance Realty Corp. I called him about this really beautiful apartment and wanted to go see it and I ask him the brokers fee and he told me 15%, I wanted to see if it can be lowered, and he told me to go F myself. I saw another Guidance Realty listings by this guy Greg Hudson and he was the most awesome agent to work with and he wanted to get me into the apartment that I would love, not just any apartment and gave me a 10% brokers fee which I was really happy with Guidance Realty has some awesome agents like Greg Hudson who went out of his way to make me happy, just stay away from Jack (off) Marciano. read more

Al is nothing but rude on emails. It's no wonder they list such cheap apartments & have not moved into bigger deals.

I'm shocked to see some of the horrible reviews on here... My fiance and I worked with Al from Guidance Realty and couldn't have asked for a more pleasant experience. We stumbled upon a Street Easy ad Al posted on Wednesday morning and viewed an apartment we really liked the same day. We sent him an application that night. He advised that the building manager, Joe, would need to meet with us before we could sign a lease and offered to show us two other apartments that were slightly less rent on Friday morning in case we needed a back up. We met Joe on Friday and signed the lease on the original apartment on Friday night (although the back up options were actually legit options!). The process couldn't have been easier! Highly, highly recommended. I've never felt loyal to a broker in NYC before, but if we are ever searching for an apartment again Al will be the first call I make. read more

We also had a terrible experience with "Al." He was untruthful throughout the process along with his business partner "Mark." We have looked for apartments several times and this was one of the shadiest groups I have encountered. They lied about the entire application process to continue to up-sale the unit. I would advise that you forego any apartment listed with this unethical establishment. read more

David Marciano was extremely helpful and I ended up going with the first apartment he showed me. He listened to my needs and found the perfect place. I didn't have a lot of time to find an apartment so he was able to make a stressful and time sensitive process extremely streamed lined and easy and I was able to move in the next day with a reasonable deposit and great monthly price thanks to his amazing negotiation skills. He answered e mails very quickly and I am always able to get a hold of him if I need anything which is so important when it comes to trying to find an apartment in Manhattan. I highly recommend! read more

Al was an amazing broker! He did not pressure us and took us to see listings that had just come out and some that had not even been posted yet! He listened carefully to our needs and only showed us apartments that met them. He was honest, on time and kind. Thank you Al! read more

We had a really great experience with David. He was super speedy with responding and we love our new home!

I cannot say enough good things about Greg Hudson at Guidance Realty. Searching for an apartment in NYC is stressful enough, but I was on a tight timeframe and my husband and I had a long list of requirements for our new place. But Greg went above and beyond in helping me find the perfect place for us. After viewing just a few apartments, I knew that he truly understood what I was looking for in a place. He previewed numerous apartments for me, to save me time. Greg and his team worked endlessly to get the price down on our top picks. Most importantly he is just a nice guy who wants to make his clients happy. And that is what he did for us! Thanks Greg!! read more

This is for Greg Hudson who works for Mark Hassounya at Guidance. I and my boyfriend recently relocated from DC and needed an apt asap. I wished I contacted Greg first. By the time I started working with him, I already worked with another broker who didn't listen to us and we did most researches and just b/c we didnt have the time to contact and organize the site visits, he arranged them. If I had time I would never used him (he was wiht Anchor though I dont write his name here.) On the other hand, Greg listened to us and picked up the properties which are in line with our criteria; size, budget, preferences, etc. I really wished I worked with him from the beginning, then I didnt have that much frustration which I had with the other broker guy... After all, we didn't have time to take another week for our search and we decided to take an apt which we found but the anchor guy showed to us. I highly recommend Greg for anyone who are moving to Manhattan area and dont have time or knowledge about the Manhattan market. He knows the neighborhoods and not only shows you the properties, but also tells you about the neighborhood; restaurants, grocery stores, cafes, etc. read more

We would definitely recommend David - another broker friend introduced us to him. He was able to tell us about an apartment that wasn't even listed on the market and gave us time to think about the decision of whether to put an app on it or not. Once we did, although we do think we could have negotiated more, David was extremely available and responsive during the rental process. He went out of his way to make sure we were moving into an apartment whose condition we were happy with. In this crazy rental market of NYC, David and Guidance Realty were a welcome change. read more

I do not recommend working with Guidance Realty. I've worked with a couple of brokers in NYC now and the brokers from this group are unreliable and misrepresented the apartments. They charge 15% broker fee too, and you can find better brokers that charge less. PLEASE do your research before contacting this group. read more

Jack is an expert on the UWS so I highly recommend him if you are looking in that area. He is fair, honest, and not pushy, which I haven't always found in NYC. read more

I worked with Al and he made an apartment miracle happen when finding my current home. I immediately knew I could trust him and he was not like other brokers who only look out for their cut of the commission. Al wants the best for those he works with and it's very apparent. I don't skip a beat telling friends looking for an UWS apartment to contact Al and that they'd be in trusting, successful hands. Al truly has the tenant's best interests top of mind and goes to the extreme to "make it happen!" Thank you, Al! read more

I found a craigslist posting for an UWS studio which included pictures. The pictures were of a gorgeous, sun-drenched studio recently renovated. I went from downtown all the way to 85th street and arrived eight minutes late. I called the individual who said he had left already, that the appointment was at 5pm. He eventually realized the lack of rationale and told me he'd be there in a few minutes. Eight minutes lateness does not warrant the kind of impatience and lack of courtesy I received. I must've missed the sign that says, 'amateur real estate broker at work,' on my way there. I was met by a man who called himself 'Al' (his card read something else, somewhat close to that) who not prone to small-talk led me up the stairs to a fifth floor walkup. Once we entered, I was inside a gloomy, crummy studio at the back of the building. Still recuperating from the vertiginous climb (which I had anticipated) I marveled at how quickly the beautiful craigslist ad had morphed into something that had nothing to do with my expectations. I told our friend 'Al,' this is nothing like the pictures. His response was, 'those pictures are the standard ones for all our listings.' Am I supposed to be impressed by this dodging of my inquiry? Does it make me naive to expect the same apartment as I had seen online? Not at all. I am aware of the practice of brokers to put up one set of same pictures for different listings but all these listings must come from the same portfolio: the renovations have to have been done similarly, the layouts are similar, etc. In this case, I saw the poor man's Xanadu online and what I got was Motel 6 manager's quarters. I didn't need anything else. And apparently, Al was in a hurry to get rid of me, as he said, 'run to your next appointment,' after I declined seeing any of his other properties. Something tells me we're not going to meet again. read more

This is terrible experience. So I was asked to show up to see a studio by Souhail after being in communication through email for a few days. So when the time (5.30 pm) was finalized I show up to see the studio on 78th street and find no one there. This is after giving a heads up an hour before. I try to call his cell and there was no response. So I called up Guidance Reality on their number and their response was "this studio is rented and I should address all my concerns directly with Souhail". Wow - what a great reality company! Did not even to bother what went wrong. And the advertisement is still up and shows as available. Don't waste your time! Find someone better... read more

Worst experience in my 10 years living in NYC and I've moved 4 times. Unprofessional and dishonest. They withheld certain legal information about our apartment and played games throughout the entire lease signing. Thanks to them, I am now living in a property so poorly managed it took me over a month to find out who to contact for the super. Never received a copy of our signed lease and in speaking with other tenants in the building they rented apartments to, turns out they told lies to them as well. I am not typically one to write reviews but please do yourself a favor and stick with more mainstream reputable realtors. This place is beyond unprofessional and is a sad example of a "realty" corporation. read more

Guidance worked to get me into an apt quickly and efficiently. They went out of their way to help me!!

I was put in contact with David Marciano after requesting information about an apartment on the Upper West Side from an online realty website. My inquiry was met with a swift reply and an opportunity to see the unit the next day. When I arrived at the building, not only did David show me the unit I saw online, but showed me an additional apartment in the building and even another apartment down the block. After my visit, David gave me his cell phone number in case I decided to move forward with an application, which I did. Throughout the application process, David was available for consultation at every point in the day. He was able to send and receive documents instantaneously and forwarded each of my application documents to the landlord as soon as I finished them. However, the reason David deserves five stars is due to his eagerness to negotiate with the landlord on my behalf. Unlike other brokers I have used in the past, David worked with me so that I was able to move into the apartment that I liked most at below the list price. Moreover, he understood that I needed to move immediately and was able to get me the keys before the official start of the lease. He turned an incredibly stressful situation into a quick and painless transaction. The importance of having a good real estate broker in New York cannot be overstated. David is a very accessible, cooperative, and honest person to work with and I highly recommend his services. read more

I have had a great experience working with Guidance reality to find my new home. I was able to find a place that I call it home, and sign a lease and moved in within 48 hours from the time I saw my first showing. I worked with Jamal and Mubarak, they are very responsive. I would definitely go back to them personally and recommend other to consider working with them. read more

first listing a low pricing and nice pictures advertisement on craigslist, but end up showing me a $250 more expensive apartments and worse condition. dishonest staffs and can't be trusted. read more