I used The Agency twice in December 2019 (as the buyer) and July 2020 (seller). I represented myself in the purchase as I am a licensed real estate broker in a foreclosure purchase of a very nice home. It was a complicated purchase so it took a while as foreclosures have no disclosures and it was a hillside property so there were numerous inspections involving engineers, consultants and more. As the buyer, you are pitted against the selling agent because you wanted to get the best deal. Well, Austin Brunkhorst from The Agency couldn't have been better to deal with. He was always professional during tense periods which including dealing with negotiations with the banks and inspectors. Alex Brunkhorst was also part of the my transaction in July 2020 and was amazing to work with. One transaction was 7 figures (more than double the other) and the other was 6 figures, and they treated both with equal care. So when I had to sell my house months later, even though I had originally considered other agencies, one that specialized in modern homes, I changed my mind and chose Austin because of his temperament and how he handled everything. His sister Alex Brunkhorst was also involved and she was amazing as well. He also referred the title company, and I was happy with them as well. I'm a broker, but I don't work in the market regularly. Our house that we were selling was not a regular house, but a house (tear down) with approved plans. The market was a pandemic market, which was unpredictable, and seemingly great for houses ready to go, and not so great for ours. Developers were hot to buy our house at a discount. An owner/user MIGHT want our house at the price we wanted, but there weren't a lot of people who wanted to take on a project. His team helped us figure out pricing, photography and more. We listed the house Monday night and had a full price cash offer Thursday. We had back up offers in case the first offer fell through. COVID delayed closing because the city was slow with the title report but it was still as smooth as it could be. I look at the low ratings for the Agency and want to say that the Agency is big. Obviously there are excellent, average and mediocre agents everywhere. I kept in touch with Austin after they sold me my house. You just have to find and pick the right agent for you. I have referred the Agency to two of my neighbors already. read more

Mike Bary was unable to sell our home. Mike Bary was unable to rent our home. Mike Bary needed to involve a third party, Figure8 (who was lovely and did a fantastic job securing tenants and managing the property), to finally secure tenants. Mike Bary included a clause in the lease agreement that he would be owed 4% of the sale price if the tenants purchased the property, which they eventually did. We foolishly signed this contract giving 4% of the value of our home to Mike Bary for simply making an introduction to tenant. Our real estate attorney noted that he had never seen such a large commission for simply making an introduction to a buyer in his many years of practicing. We would never work with Mike Bary or The Agency in a real estate transaction in the future. read more

Entire house had mold behind the drywalls, floorings, and ceilings after purchasing my house in the flats using their recommended inspector who did not let me know. I started having health issues after a few months of ownership and my doctor told me to check for black mold in my house. I sent a mold company to check it out and they found years of mold growth. Just putting this out here as a precaution of this real estate company for future homebuyers in the area. read more

My experience with The Agency, and specifically agent Jana Woods, has been extremely disappointing. They listed and rented my property, but the process was mishandled from the start. The lease contained multiple errors that were not in my best interest, the tenants were not properly vetted, and a dual agency was initiated without my consent. Although communication from Ms. Woods appeared professional, I was repeatedly misled and dismissed over ten months, resulting in serious legal problems. I strongly advise against using this agency. read more

do not use their home inspectors. they do not tell you of any problems and are working with the agent to sell you a house that has damages. stay way at all costs. read more

they are not all their cracked up to be. I mean they do the job but they can slack and they're confused at times and they don't keep in touch. I've bought and sold a few houses in my day and I wish I use somebody else. But the house is sold monies in my pocket so I can I complain. I guess I can. read more

They refuse, or don't understand how to follow the simple CANSPAM law. I would not trust them to have the ability or desire to navigate the complex California real estate legal landscape. read more

Have e-mailed them several times requesting they stop contacting me. I would not do business with them. read more

There seems to be a lot of sleight-of-hand in terms of who is responsible for the agents associated with this Michael Caruso-owned agency. I had a very bad experience with Artin Hovsepian in the Studio City office and, after he ghosted me when escrow closed without rectifying the problem, it was nearly impossible to even find out who his broker is. I would recommend against using any agent from The Agency. read more

Stay far far away!!!! Please!!! Horrible stuck up company. Taking forever to answer calls and emails if you are not worth more than $40 million. Dont answer phones. Receive a text saying "email only" and you can only email their assistant. Don't want to show on Saturday or Sunday because of the football game taking place. Also asking for a pre qualification letter just to tour a small apartment with such condescending attitude. Stay away from Daniel Stevenson. Where do they get these people? read more

This company made an unsolicited call to my cell phone to sell my house. I never had any business with them and I am not in the process of selling my home. Somehow, they got my name, address and cell phone number, and shamelessly called my cell. They disturbed my day, greeted me on a first name basis, said they are "The Agency" from Beverly Hills, and that they have a buyer to buy my home -- completely unsolicited. Eerie and an invasion of my privacy. Even if I was selling my home, I would not hire you, as apparently one thing you do great is disturb complete strangers!! read more

Repeated emails to them to observe our Do Not Disturb/No Soliciting signage were met with "We'll take care of this" and "Sorry to bother you it won't happen again" reassurances. It was BS. They don't care and will say anything just to make you happy in the moment. This company seems to be the Fyre Festival of real estate. Look at the negative reviews. The don't care. There are much better agents who are actually living or are from your area, use them. Also, look at the language they use on their listings "This archetectural luxury home..." it's total nonsense. read more

I am stunned that no arrangements were made for my condo walk-through before the selling agent left for her vacation. And I am even more flabbergasted that she had not made arrangements for someone from the office to accommodate me, the buyer. Another brick wall with the office manager. Horrific customer service. Quick to take a commission, slow to provide service. Also, the HOA on the condo I purchased was listed at one price, but I later found, during the signing of the final paperwork, that the listed price was not correct. Bait and switch? Although I am from the east coast, it seems that the Texan old saying, "All hat and no cattle" applies here with The Agency. read more

I called the new agency in Carmel and my mother died and owned a property for 45 years and the biggest estate in Monterey California and Cecily Sterling did not know what to do because sorry I'm laughing out loud right now. Sorry I'm chuckling Cesily. Sterling did not know how to handle the house and did not take me out. It was extremely fucking rude part part my language my mother would not like that but give me a break she is supposed to be at Mauricio Homans, I got it spelled out auto auto won't get that right hold onhumansky's who is worth $1 million if she is one of his no no no 1 million 100 million and she is one of his workers and she doesn't she would not take on the property because it is not in my brothers or my name it is in the trustee executors name duh I called five more realtors and they of course Whitney we deal with this all the time when someone dies it and they and the property is in the trustees's nameOK they suck read more

Working with Azy Farahmand at The Agency was one of the best decisions we have ever made. As first time home buyers, we had many questions and wanted to see a lot of houses. Azy made this process so smooth and easy. She answered all of our questions at any/all hours, knew exactly what we were looking for and found us our perfect home. Her knowledge of real estate, attention to detail, and positive energy made finding our first home a breeze. We loved working with Azy, would recommend her to anyone and will definitely work with her again! read more

Unprofessional!!! I don't know where to begin. Had a few interviews with a couple different agents to list multiple properties in my portfolio, most were too young and inexperienced. The owner was just after the money(commission). I feel like Ethics went out the window with this company. read more

They are kind until they tried to undervalue my place and I know the value so I guess it's just not for me. This office is very LA

I bought a house listed by one of the agents in this company. The experience is very bad. Her name is Aileen Comora. Very inpatient, Super mean!! I never had such a bad experience before. Don't know why she can exist in this industry. Do not choose her! read more

I got a personalized letter from their agent christing agopian saying she had a "time sensative client who specifically purchase my home" and that they were "desperate" to find a place in my neighborhood. after a certain amount of back and forth and me asking what they were looking to spend she came at me with an insulting low ball offer that was 25% lower than what is on several listing sites and over 25% lower than what the house 2 doors down from me recently sold for despite the fact that it is on a much smaller lot with fewer bedrooms. I dug deeper and it turns out she is also representing a developer...thus the lowball offer. I truly doubt she is representing anyone other than the developer and I'm sure she gets a nice fat commission when she gets them a property super cheap! read more

HO HO HO! Santa has a lump of coal for the Agency! My client in West Hollywood constantly complains about a sale in his building where the British Boys (James Harris and David Parnes), unloaded a condo last year to one of their friends for $125,000+ below market value. To make matters worse, Mr. Harris and Mr. Parnes sent out a flyer to all the homeowners in the building after close of escrow touting how they got "over asking price" and "sold with multiple offers". This is all baloney. Mr. Harris and Mr. Parnes never put the property on the Multiple Listing Service and never held an open house. The property was sold in an off-market transaction to a friend or close client of the Agency for $125,000+ below market value. Period. And unfortunately, the seller of the condo had no idea what the true market value of the condo was at the time. Knowing this information, Mr. Harris and Mr. Parnes leveraged their television fame and took advantage of the situation. Still fuming from the situation more than a year later, my client did some research on the Agency and Mr. Mauricio Umansky (head of the Agency), and found this article: https://theblast.com/rhobh-kyle-richards-husband-real-estate-lawsuit-dismissed/ After reading the article, one thing is clear: morals and work ethic are not a top priority at the Agency. In the article Mr. Umansky tries to deny any wrongdoing saying that the sale was "subject to the terms of the U.S government", but that doesn't mean Mr. Umansky is automatically dismissed of his fiduciary duties to his client. Did the U.S. government sign the Listing Agreement?? I don't think so. Therefore, Mr. Umansky's loyalty and obedience is to his client, not the U.S. government. Furthermore, another condo (with an inferior view but similar in size and condition), recently closed escrow in my client's building for much higher than the one Mr. Harris and Mr. Parnes sold, further solidifying the fact that Mr. Harris and Mr. Parnes deliberately sold the property for below market value to a friend at the detriment of the seller, my client, me and every other homeowner in close proximity of the discounted sale. In summary, not every agent at the Agency is bad. I know a few agents there who are honest and hard-working. But as they say in sales, the fish rot from the head down. Being that Mr. Umansky is in charge and the British Boys are viewed as role models, taking a refresher course in ethics might be worthwhile. However, if these antics keep up perhaps the Agency's marketing department should consider changing their mantra from "Your Move" to "Got Ya". Just a thought. P.S. In no way is this review an endorsement for Josh Altman. read more

The word "integrity" appears in their mission statement. I don't believe they have any. They will fall back on the wording of a standard lease agreement rather than what's right. I paid a deposit and a year's rent, $52,000., up front and I am now cleaning, painting, and trying to figure out how to live with filthy, stained carpet and wall paper I can't remove. They got their fee and that's all that matters. They pretty much told me to leave them alone, they are done. They don't deserve the one star I had to give them read more

asked multiple times to never contact me, and yet they keep spamming me with their offers on my personal and business emails. very unprofessional George Ozounian and Vincent Morales. read more

A decade ago, I called one of the senior partners, who use to work for Hilton and Highland. I wanted to list my two acre gated estate, located on a promontory, with a 40 car motor court and a very large pool. My views are from downtown L.A. to the beach. The senior partner of the Agency NRVER even returned my phone call, and he is their senior partner today. I just counted 9 one star reviews for this company. What does this tell you? There are thousands of other real estate agents in Los Angeles, use anyone but these guys. read more

The Agency is spectacular to work with! Receptionists at every location are more than welcoming. The agents are friendly and the modern way about real estate The Agency has implemented and continues to do so is extremely convenient! read more

We used Ninkey Dalton to sell our home and she is an attentive, communicative, and kind agent. She will make you feel cared for in every step of the process and couldn't be a more genuine person. If you are looking for an agent who will take the time to explain and simplify the complexities of what can be an overwhelming process, who is committed to making you feel comfortable throughout your buying or selling experience, Ninkey is the agent for you! read more

Working with Charlie was easier than eating ice cream, seriously. He is so calm and patient and knows exactly how to approach difficult and tricky situations with ease and skill. Let's face it moving is on of the 3 most stressful things a person can do. Selling a house that you have lived in over 20 years also adds multiple layer of additional stress, as does falling out of escrow, all of the things that happened to me. Charlie literally held my hand through all of those things, talked me off the ledge and never was short or annoyed for the 5 million questions, emotions and phones calls that accompany moving. He NEVER was unavailable, always answered the phone, talked through issues, answered texts or said let me come over and explain it to you, he has multiple projects going on as all realtors do, but he always made me feel like I was the only one he was servicing. After my house feel out of escrow, not only did he bring me another buyer (literally same day), but full price offer with barely ask backs or issues, luck you say, maybe, but maybe not, maybe Charlie understands the profile of a d "difficult vs. easier" client. All I can say is your guy if you are buying or selling a home, it felt like dealing with a family member that wasn't trying to screw you over, he is an honest and amazing person. Charlie thank you so much for everything you did for me and my family, I would use you and refer you 100% again and again. If you use Charlie you will see what I mean and agree he is your guy for any real estate need read more

This escrow was the most pleasant experience we have ever experienced. Relocating from Belair to Encino was stressful to say the least. Michelle was such a trooper and really held our hand through the whole process. Everything she said she would do, she did. Her referrals she gave us were tremendous. We can't say enough to thank her for the time and effort she put it to our sale and purchase. Thank you again Michelle and we look forward to referring all of our friends to you in the future! read more

Excellent agency. Professional real estate professionals. They understand your budget, and will aggressively advocate for you during the bidding process. read more

I've previously worked with agents from The Agency and have been impressed until today. I was driving past a duplex in my neighborhood and noticed that it was recently listed for lease. I looked on The Agency's site, as well as Zillow and reviewed the listing. This morning I was headed out to the Hollywood Farmer's Market and noticed that the unit was open and possibly being shown. I pulled in front and spoke with a really nice guy who happened to be the owner and asked if it was being shown. He said the agent, Ninkey, was inside doing a showing and could show me the unit. I parked my car and walked into the unit. I asked if she was Ninkey and said that the owner said that she might be able to show me the unit. Here's where it went completely sideways. The first thing out of her mouth (in a very unfriendly tone) was, "It's $4250 p/month, are you ok with that?" Not "Hello, I'm Ninkey Dalton the listing agent for the lease, how are you?" And to really seal the deal she had that sourcreamface that the Beverly Hills shopgirls from Pretty Woman had when they told Julia Roberts, "It's very expensive! You're obviously in the wrong place." (Sidenote-look her photo up on their website-she actually looks like the older sister of one of the shopgirls in the movie-no joke). I had a copy of the listing in my hand and according to both UC Berkeley and the State Bar Association of California can actually read higher than 3rd grade level. More importantly, I can read and write well enough to compose this review. I also own a home in the neighborhood Ninkey. You'd think I'd stumbled into a 47M showing in Beverly Park or taken a time machine back to 1961's Clybourne Park from A Raisin In the Sun. If she'd bothered to be polite, I would have explained that I was looking at the unit for my brother who is relocating from SF and would actually find it the deal of the century based on the rent he pays in SF (the unit has a lovely 900 sq ft outdoor space and garage parking). It pains me to say it, but NINKEY DALTON judged the wrong book by the cover. She saw a Black woman in sweatpants stroll into the unit and thought for no other viable reason than racism, that I needed to be told "this unit is really expensive, can you afford that?" As Julia Roberts told the shopgirls after her spree w/Richard Gere, "You work on commission right? Big mistake! Huge!" It's a complete shame because the owner is a lovely human being (who's done a great job renovating the property btw) but is being represented by a wackass racist twit! The Agency can do better and needs to give Ninkey Dalton mandatory racial sensitivity training or drop her from their roster. She is a not a good look for you! read more

Received a spam from The Agency in a bilingual format soliciting properties in Korea Town. It should do its homework when sending out marketing materials to the mass. read more

Worked with Michelle S. To sell a home during divorce. She was rude and unpleasant in a very sensitive situation. Would stay away from them in the future. read more

My husband and I had a wonderful experience buying our first home with Michelle Schwartz. She was patient, down-to-earth, professional, knowledgable, and efficient. We couldn't recommend her or The Agency more highly! read more

I'm in New York and I have contacted a few representatives at The Agency who were more than willing to take time and offer information on listings and the surrounding area. Many brokers at other real estate firms would not take the time to talk if they knew it was not going to result in a sale, but the brokers I spoke with were more than helpful. If that is how they take care of inquiries, they must treat their clients like gold. I wouldn't hesitate to refer their services. read more

Jeff Sandorf is hard working, resourceful, extremely organized and detail oriented, highly knowledgeable and very reliable. He has an unparalleled ability to think ahead, anticipate potential issues, and deal with them quickly and efficiently so they do not thwart the home sale process. He is unfailingly polite, courteous, helpful and explains complex issues clearly and succinctly. His judgement in all real estate realms is outstanding and grounded in a background as both an agent and a builder/developer. He exceeded consistently our expectations and held our confidence throughout the sale process. We give him our highest recommendation. read more

Dear Billy Rose: Every now and then, you catch a break. Like the day in our lives when Craig Knizek and Debra Jaffe propped up their "The Agency" sign in our front yard and the other guy took his down. Didn't seem to matter to them that our house had been shopped like a bad movie script for months. So they went to work--strategizing, creating and conduct- ing open houses, advertising and guiding us through all the mind-numbing paperwork, inspections, negotiations and down-to-the-wire don't-flinch staredowns. High level drama. Fun to watch, actually, The house sold--in our favor and at our price. And Craig and Debra shrugged like it was the only possible outcome, like it was never in doubt, slam dunk, walk in the park, all that. And now they have gone off to other real estate advent- ures, sort of like the conquering characters in a movie, and my own downtime can be spent recalling how these two gifted professionals shepherded my wife and me through the emotional roller-coast ride of selling a house with their super-sharp skill set of integrity, good old-fashioned smarts, incredible patience and understanding. Like I said, sometimes you catch a break. Tod Faulkner read more

The agency is one of the premier real estate companies in Los Angeles. They employ some of the most sophisticated realtors in the city with amazing marketing tools and a wide array of technologies to showcase their real estate expertise. Highly recommend them read more

Michelle Schwartz is my savior! After gutting it out with me for 2+ years looking for the perfect home, she nailed it. Not only is she patient and resourceful, but she lives and breathes real estate. You will not find a more dedicated, knowledgeable, and responsive agent. She handled both my buy and my sell; a monster undertaking. She coordinated all inspections and went to my home to accommodate agents/potential buyers. Overall, her flexibility and positive attitude are unparalleled. Thanks superwoman; you are the hardest working person in RE. Let's not forget that she has a great team working with her. A huge thank you to Garrett and The Agency! read more

Team Mauricio, Farrah , Melanie , Edwardo and Jane were extremely Professional, efficient and proactive with my listing. I especially appreciate the Upbeat Positive attitude the Entire team has. It's no question why they are so loved by the Los Angeles community and beyond. Thank you for the service! read more

Me and my husband wanted to thank you The Agency for all the help and professionalism during the process of buying our new home. Michelle is very skilled and well informed, and responded to all our concerns very efficiently. We will definitely be recommending Michelle and Garret to our family and friends! read more

I had the pleasure of working with Natasha Barrett recently on a real estate transaction. Having just sold a property in Santa Barbara, I had been looking for awhile for the perfect replacement that satisfied my many requirements for a new living arrangement. Natasha found the place and helped negotiate my offer and transition seamlessly into a new place which is just right for me. She and the Agency are highly professional and met my needs al throughout the process and I would highly recommend them to anyone. read more