Working with SG Real Estate is effortless. They are easy to get a hold of and really take the stress out of owning property. They easily rent spaces and do a good job of picking the kind of tenant that every property owner wants to rent to. I will continue to work with them and I'm glad I found them. read more

In order to apply to these apartments you need to hand over $40 if you are living off of your own income, or $80 if you are cosigning with a parent, for a screening fee (this is common, most places do this). What they don't tell you is if a group is already being considered for the apartment, which means you can lose $80 just to apply to an apartment you aren't even being considered for (nor getting screened for), with no refund because you have to sign their contract to apply. Unless you certain you are going to get the apartment, don't even bother applying. It's complete bullshit. read more

Ari was a great help with opening our business, I would highly recommend him and his real estate business! He answered all our questions in a timely manner and worked with us through out our stay. Thanks Ari! read more

I would not recommend living in the 1901 Dwight Way apartments. The building is not very well maintained (plants dying in the common space), not very secure, and the floors and walls are so thin it's hard to sleep with the movement of the people above you. If you do decide to move here - get the first floor or fourth floor. read more

Had the displeasure of speaking with their secretary Clorissa. Clorissa is highly unprofessional, insensitive, and lacks the fundamental understanding of providing customer service especially in emergency situations. I am hoping to hear from Athenna the COO to address this matter and will see the level of service I receive from her before I respond further. It's obvious Clorissa lacks integrity and I hope she doesn't speak for the rest of the company. Beware reporting any emergency situations to this secretary as I can assure you it will go no where and will most certainly take multiple follow-ups. read more

Highly unprofessional. My first encounter with SG, when getting my keys from the office, showed how dishonest they were. Someone called the office asking for measurements of their apartment, and the SG employee was getting annoyed, and another SG employee just told the other employee to just lie about the measurements and say a number to get the person calling to go away. And that's what the employee on the phone ended up doing. I leased an apartment in Berkeley through Athena, and she would almost never return my calls when I had questions for her, and when I emailed to complain, she would call me sounding angry, and like an annoyed teenager, whining "I'm busy", when it's her job to help her tenants. When I asked her for a written document for terminating my lease early, to ensure I would not get charged for months I would not be staying, she hung up on me. The apartment also had many problems and required maintenance in the bathroom and kitchen almost every week. There was a gas leak. I could very well have been in health or finance troubles, and nobody should have to deal with that. Also, after posting this review, one of the property managers from SG viewed my LinkedIn profile. So now I can say I have been stalked by them. read more

Slum lords! I've lived in my unit for over 5 years. The company that bought my apartment building a year and half ago chose SG Real Estate. Professionally managed, how? My last rent increase letter got lost in the mail (wrong zip code, still NOT corrected by professional management.) They do NOT answer questions at all, emails unanswered and phone calls never returned. They do NOT do maintenance requests in a prompt fashion. I've been waiting for them to fix my outdoor light socket that electrocuted me that I put in a maintenance request 3 weeks ago. It took them several months to finally fix a similar problem that I had put a maintenance request in to be repaired. This company is NOT professionally property management. read more

David reached out to me and listened to my issues and suggestions and we are working on a solution.

Horrible business management. High turnover, varying vendors. I believe SG Realty is the epitome of unprofessional slumlords. I have lived in my apartment for almost 8 years and I have never encountered such uncoordinated, inconsiderate, greedy property management company as this one. I have spoken to several neighbors who have been without consistent , if any, hot water since 2019. When the pandemic started they used it as a reason for not assisting; however, they have had several contractors and workers out decorating and improving the outside of the apartment but failing to address the concerns of the tenants. I have personally spoke to owner when outside with contractors to make aware and no corrections were made. It had gotten so bad that the 2 apartment buildings came together and had a meeting to document all the unattended issues. (Trust everything I say, I have documentation for) They even cut the hot water off last Friday to address the water issue with less than an hour of notification. It was not turned back on until Saturday around 11am. How egregious they can be in their decision making when most tenants here are essential workers who have to go to the facilities and offices and deal with elderly or immune compromised individuals, let alone, be one themselves, like I am. I have spoken to many different "senior" and "head" individuals who act as if they never heard about the issues and still have not much been done. I would never! If you have similar experiences, please dont be afraid to speak up and be vocal when they go to the rent board asking for increased rent due to the exterior improvements but fail to keep the habitability of tenants adequate or consistent. I would give a zero but it's not an option. read more

SG Real Estate is a nightmare to work with. They are generally unresponsive and are incapable of managing their properties. I live in a location with over 30 units and SG was recently hired to be the new property managers. They are failing to manage the communal spaces. Our communal dumpster is regularly overfilled and SG refuses to be consistent about addressing this with the tenants. We have furniture that is being placed outside of the dumpster which is causing our property to look like an eyesore. We have tenants who are frustrated at this entire situation and our behaving in an unruly manner. One tenant threw one of the pieces of furniture over the fence into our neighbor's yard and SG Real Estate, 3 weeks later, still has not addressed this nor have they retrieved the piece of funiture. They are not taking care of the cummunal laundry room. The floor is a mess and the garbage gets to be overflowing. Lost clothes do not get disposed of and surfaces are not getting wiped down, as is a property manager's job. Last month, several tenants were required to start paying increased rent. However, on our tenant-portal on-line, SG didn't even bother entering our new rent amount. It is insulting. read more

I work with Ari from SG Real Estate for a the rental of a commercial space. Through my experiences with initial contact, lease agreement process and now as a tenant, he has always been warm, quick-to-respond and professional. No complaints. read more

My fiancé and I just moved into an SG Real Estate managed property in Oakland this past weekend. We received our keys and went to our new apartment to find it was never cleaned. Instead of trying to resolve the issue, the property manager tried to say we didn't sign a lease with SG Real Estate. After convincing Charles that we in fact have an agreement with SG Real Estate, they had cleaners out later in the evening to clean the apartment. That was just the beginning of our ordeal. Upon move-in, we find there are no blinds, several shelves missing in the kitchen cabinets, towel rods were taken down but never re-installed in the bathroom, they can't find our mailbox key, and closet hanging rods are missing support brackets. So, we still cannot put away all our kitchen items or hang our clothes in our closets. The worst part is our heater doesn't have a thermostat so we have to open the bottom of the heater and manually turn on the wall heater. However, it's so filthy and old that we cannot run the heater without the fire alarms going off. The maintenance person came out and said the heater needed to be completely cleaned and he would have to ask SG Real Estate if they can modify the unit so we can have an actual thermostat installed. He said he had never seen a heater that had to be manually opened in order to be operated and was shocked there wasn't a thermostat. We're on our 4th day and we still cannot use our heater. We initially contacted Charles, but he's now passed us off to maintenance. We've been dealing with maintenance, but so far we've received one email from them saying they received our maintenance requests. Overall, SG Real Estate has been unresponsive and disorganized. It's shocking that the property manager never did a walk-through before move-in to make sure the unit was market ready. Also, it's disappointing that it takes more than 72 hours to resolve maintenance requests. Especially considering the issue involves not being able to use the heater in the Winter. But, I guess that's how SG Real Estate operates. I'm thankful I have a short-term lease... read more

I've been a commercial tenant at Macarthur Annex in Oakland since July 2018 and have been happy with SG as the property manager. My main contact has been Ari and he's been responsive to emails and requests. The leasing process was professional and no-nonsense. They keep the building clean and secure in a neighborhood where that can sometimes be an issue. Overall, no complaints and from my perspective they do a good job. read more

This company took over as property management of my building last month. There have been numerous mistakes so far including them giving extremely short notice on the change over, being unable to followup with the previous manager on payments, getting tenants mixed up as it comes to repairs, not responding to emails, sending incorrect notices, listing incorrect information regarding lease dates, etc. This has all happened in one month. I am really disappointed since the management before was pretty good, and so far this has been a nightmare. read more

It's very tough managing numerous properties with a ton of personalities. I have appreciated everything they have done for me during my time of need. SG Real Estate continue to accommodate everyone in my building and they try very hard to do it with tremendous respect and professionalism. I have dealt with Lisa on numerous occasions and she is just plain amazing...thank you Lisa! Getting things fixed has become an issue. It have been over 2 months with no solution. Other reviews have mentioned the same thing. I didn't think it could be possible until I had to experience it. There seems to be a bit of a combative tone instead of trying to work things through. Also working on a payment issue that has not been resolved. Waiting to hear back and not sure when that will happen either. It takes a lot of time to just get things done. I am not sure what happened but I used to have a great time interacting with the folks there. I hope they can work out their internal operations and streamline their communication with a little more emotional intelligence. read more

I've been a tenant in an apartment that is managed by the Shamszad Group for about a month now. I've been renting for the past 8 years I can honestly say, hands down, that they're the most friendly and professional property management company that I have ever done business with. The signing process was a breeze and they were pretty patient with all the questions I had. Also, they're quick to reply to emails, usually responding within 1-2 hours and sometimes as quick as 15 minutes. Would highly recommend them! Also, big thanks to Leslie and Erin for dealing with all my random questions and maintenance requests. Other landlords/management companies would've just told me to "tough luck; deal with it". read more

The staff here are amazing. Every maintenance request we have put in since we moved in has been responded to quickly, usually the next day. When there was a leak in our bedroom window that resulted in mold growth inside the wall, they worked so closely and nicely with us to have it properly diagnosed and repaired. While we had to be displaced during the repairs, they compensated us not only according to the guideline from the Oakland Rent Board for accommodations, but additionally for daily food costs. They even paid for our dry cleaning when we had to get everything in the closet cleaned because the smell of the mold had permeated the clothes while the wall was open during the drying phase! Communication was prompt and frequent, and so much care taken to make sure we were ok, comfortable, and happy. read more

SG Real Estate has been amazing. They recently took over management and I couldn't be happier. Not only have they automated payments online, but they have been very attentive to our needs. All maintenance requests have been fulfilled quickly and they are quite responsive when it comes to emails and calls. If you are looking at a place managed by them, do not hesitate whatsoever, they're great! read more

Kudos to SG Real Estate for turning the corner on managing 1625 Shattuck, where my office is located. They have responded to requests for building maintenance and cleaning, and are now able to effectively control the building security remotely, leading to rapid response, when issues arise. I recommend them for building management services. read more

Terrible company. I lived in their property that was falling apart and they refused to provide basic maintenance service without wanting to charge for everything. Extrmeley unethical. Avoid at all costs! read more

Now I know what it feels like to want a zero star option on Yelp. I and my partner are tenants in an apartment building in Berkeley that was managed by SG Real Estate until about two months ago. I can safely say that they are the worst property management company I've ever dealt with. Nearly all of their staff I interacted with (including the owner) are incompetent in several key areas of being a property management company: responsiveness, customer service, and being professional. The only person who was helpful and responsive was their Accounting person, Roi, with whom I interacted only because of the frequent billing mistakes they made. There is a long story to be told here, but I will simply list specific instances of personal experience that paint a picture of an unprofessional, careless, and dismissive company. If you can help it, I strongly recommend that you find another company for your property management needs or find another place to rent. 1. Ant Infestation - Our second-story unit became infested with ants in September 2015 and we were denied several requests for fumigation and treatment to seal the areas in the floor and wall where the ants were entering our unit. This was a problem common to at least 3 of the 5 units in our building. SG said that this was not a building-wide problem and that they weren't responsible for treating it. They also said that it was just "that time of year," implying that we should just deal with it. I can honestly say that we keep our apartment extremely clean, and that this infestation was not due to our neglect or dirty habits. They never did do anything about it and we had to wait until the weather cooled enough and the raining subsided before the ants went away. 2. Chemical Odor - We notified them as soon as we moved in (June 2015) of a strong chemical odor in our apartment and asked for assistance in testing the air for potentially hazardous chemicals. We were told this is not a service they provide and that they wouldn't "even know who to call." The odor lasted for well over 6 months and, after repeated requests, SG never provided any support. 3. Garbage Collection - For several weeks in a row, from September to November 2015 the garbage was not being collected from our building and overflowing from the bins. Our bins are in the back of the building and need to either be rolled out front the night before or the garbage collection employee comes to the back and gets the bins during pickup for a fee, called driveway service. SG couldn't figure out who offered driveway service, meanwhile telling me not to move the bins. I spoke to three different people and finally had to threaten to make a Rent Board complaint before they took action. It took me 30 minutes to call the City and Ecology Center to find out what services were available - it took them 2 months. 4. General incompetence - (1) SG changed the locks on our unit before we moved in but never kept a copy of the key for themselves so they always needed us to be home for maintenance requests. They also forgot they didn't have the key several times so would send someone out only to have them come back later. (2) They issued a monthly rent deduction for taking the garbage out (after the saga about garbage collection mentioned above), but I had to repeatedly remind them to include the deduction each month since they didn't put it into the system as a monthly recurring deduction. (3) They didn't give tenants any notice when the property owner switched management companies, which happened to be right at the end of the month, so tenants received two rent reminders: one for SG and one for the new company, and we didn't know who to pay. They could have just sent a courtesy letter saying that they would no longer be managing the property and that rent checks should be sent to the new company. All in all, SG Real Estate consistently failed to meet our basic needs as tenants: timely service, responsive communication, and competent management. They market themselves as a Millenial-friendly company that's less property management and more cool friend who helps you out - which is good for advertising and making people feel warm and fuzzy, but it doesn't mean anything if it doesn't actually translate into acting like a friend. Property owners - If you want a company that will professionally manage your property and meet the needs of your tenants, SG Real Estate is not the right choice. Tenants - If you want to live in a rental where you can rest assured that the property is being properly managed, avoid SG Real Estate rentals. read more

completely avoid them. they are just taking advantage and extorting money from people desperate to find an apartment near the university.. my sister co-signed to rent a studio apartment they advertised. they charged her 120 dollars in fees and a week later rejected her application claiming that she did not meet the 'threshold'.. they never allowed her to prove that she could meet the threshold they published at their web site. they simply wanted to disqualify her. my sister asked me for help. i co-signed as well, paying 40 dollars more so she could 'meet the threshold'. they would not respond after that. a day later they called my sister to say that they had 'found a stronger applicant'(bill gates ?). they kept dodging our questions. they never wanted to give us an apartment and it did not exist. read more

Leslie was an awesome landlord. I lived in a studio apartment on California street in Berkeley for a little over a year. I was initially skeptical about renting from a management company because I had heard horror stories from friends about other companies in the past. I was really impressed with The Shamszad Group though as a management company. They were receptive to all my needs and very professional. Leslie was supper easy to get a hold of and always answered emails right away which I really like. The only reason I moved out was I decided to go on a several month road trip. They were really awesome about my trip though and let me continue to rent on site storage while I was out of town which was extremely helpful. I would move back again if my apartment ever opened up! read more

Worked with them for years, an outstanding company. They have made my life so much easier.

BEWARE! This company is not only unprofessional but shady. I put in an application for an apartment on Spruce street in north Berkeley. The management company at the time was K&S who were awesome. I received a call letting me know my application was approved, but when I called back a few days later about the rental agreement I was told that K&S was no longer the management company for this apartment and S&G would be the new management company. I called S&G five times and left messages which were never returned. On the sixth attempt, Gracy answered and let me know that they weren't taking over on this property for another week. I called the following week and experienced similar problems with calls not being returned and eventually Gracy answered stating they were waiting for applications to be sent over from K&S. The next week I was told to be patient that the property was not being advertised and it was taking longer than expected to go through applications. The following week I spoke with Athena who told me we weren't approved and that the owner switched management companies for a reason and wouldn't accept any applications from the old management company. I therefore went online and submitted an application to S&G and paid another $40 application fee. I never heard from them and the apartment was taken off their website the day after I submitted my application. I believe the apartment was rented before I placed my application with S&G, and their were unethically collecting application fees from people. I have since found a nice and professional management company and rented a wonderful apartment. So, there is hope, but BEWARE of this company. read more

S&G bought our building recently and what a nightmare its been since! We had lived here for just under ten years under Lapham and wow! First of all, when we first moved into this apartment, our bathtub had no drain cover so we purchased one that slides across. It is faulty and our bathtub did inevitably stop draining. Keep in mind it has been almost 10 years. We contacted S&G and they did fix the problem. However, they emailed us a photo of the clog and said "If we ever did this again, we'd have to pay for it" as if we all tiptoed into the bathroom one night, cut our hair off and purposefully clogged the drain with it. Since we largely have no money, we have been dealing with a clogged bathroom sink for a month now out of fear that we will have to pay for what is really a larger problem with the entire buildings plumbing. I'd also like to mention that we had a lovely back yard filled with indigenous plants that didn't require attention or watering and still had pretty flowers and a tree that grew wild plums in the spring. S&G hated it, tore it all up, planted a Bank of America looking landscape out here that requires an extensive (and very loud) watering system so at night I fall asleep to the sounds of the Earth's most precious resource being sucked out and sprayed into our ugly new yard. The power source is directly outside my bedroom window, making the whole side of our apartment sound like a toilet from 1-2AM every day. read more

I've been a tenant in a building in SF managed by these guys for years now. My wife and I are consistently impressed by how friendly and professional the entire staff is. In particular, my interactions with Erin and Athena have been first rate. Whenever we need something, they get back right away, which is unlike my experiences with other management companies. Our apartment is looking better than ever. Highly recommended. read more

I have lived in a SG property for just over two years. I have had to call the office on two occasions and I must say both experiences were very positive. I placed a maintenance requests for my broken shower head and it was replaced the same day. I was also locked out a few months ago and called the emergency phone line. They responded to me right away and provided me with a copy of my keys. read more