Annette Given and the team at The Charles Realty made a very difficult and emotional long distance selling process simple and clear. I will be forever grateful to the team for everything they did to help sell my uncle's home in record time. Annette was amazing, clear in her communication, and has a wealth of experience to help you make the right decisions around prep, pricing, and negotiating the sale and closing. Thank you, Annette and team. This was a challenging time and you were such a big help to get through it to the other side. I know the new owners will love the location and have much happiness there. read more

Peter Givens is the best! He's well connected in the market and is very knowledgeable. He's one of the best agents in Boston. Need a home? Call him and his mom, Annette! You'll be in good hands! Responsive and eager to help! Great realty firm! Willing to go the extra step for their clients. Thank you. read more

In the midst of a historically terrible buying season (mid covid, 2020), we were introduced to Sarah Glovsky. She represented us, first time homeowners, as a buying agent. Finding Sarah was the best thing that happened in the tumultuous process. Being so new to the market as buyers, she taught us so much about how the process goes, what makes a good offer, how to stand out and how to really understand our own needs and wants. Sarah is that someone who brings logic into the equation and looks out for your interests when your emotions run wild (and they will in Boston market). One remarkable thing about Sarah is that she will never make your decisions for you (even when you want her to), but she will make sure you are as informed as possible when you make them. Being a seasoned seller's agent too, she will tell you exactly what strategies you are working against as a buyer. Sarah made us realize the value a good agent brings to the table being available late nights, weekends for all those weirdly tight offer deadlines. You don't think you can get qualified for a jumbo in 20 minutes for your "best and final" offer? she makes a call and suddenly you are in the running again. You have trust issues and don't know anything about old colonials? Her people provide an inspection report that not only help you in closing but also help you plan the next 5 years after closing. She has a full arsenal of quality people and expertise that is available to you. Two full, happy years in this house. We loved every minute of it. It was a great financial decision with no bad surprises. If we had to do it again, we would work with nobody else but Sarah and her team of experts. read more

Betsy Herald went above and beyond helping us during our process buying a condo. She was extremely diligent when it came to sending us listing that had just hit the market and even had some options that had yet to hit the public MLS listings giving us the edge to find our home. When it came to her recommendations on lenders, attorneys, and inspectors, we only had great experiences who were all so helpful and educational for us as first time home buyers. We also really liked the fact that Betsy is not too pushy while still being extremely communicative during the process. Too often I found realtors trying to push the budget you give them but we never had that experience with Betsy. At the same time, she worked extremely hard in the background taking care of those small details that you might not even realize as a buyer. Betsy never hesitated at any of the many stupid questions I brought to her and was happy to educate me throughout the process. Without her expertise, I don't think I would have been able to go through this process. Her background and professionalism helped guide us through this stressful process and I can't thank her enough. 10/10 recommend. read more

Sarah Glovsky helped us buy our wonderful house in Roslindale in Spring 2020. Given the craziness of the market at that time, and the additional challenge that we were not in Boston yet, Sarah went over and above to make sure we ended up with the perfect home. Sarah not only knows the Real Estate market well, but took time to understand us and our home needs so that she could provide us invaluable and personalized advice every step of the way. My family only trusts Sarah and her team for buying and selling homes, and we feel so lucky to have had her expertise on our side! read more

I worked with Betsy Herald for my condo purchase and I cannot stop emphasizing how glad I am to have found her. She will make you feel like you are her only client. She will help you find a place that suits your needs, give any other real estate advice along the way, connect her to others within her network (who are all amazing btw, be it lawyers, inspectors etc.) - she goes above and beyond her "realtor" responsibilities to do everything she can to make your condo purchase go smoothly (e.g. I remember her reminding me to check in on my interest rate locks. I don't know how she remembered but she kept me on top of my key tasks along the way!) Mrinmay read more

Sarah Glovsky and her team helped us in selling our condo property in Somerville last December. Though in the winter market, Sarah's team found the buyer in just a month and we signed the sale contract. Sarah is very professional and knowledgeable for the real estate market . I was impressed by her quick response and coordination skills for the sale process. read more

Nathalie is wonderful to work with! We had been looking on our own for the past two years and were literally about to give up. However, finding Natalie was a game changer! She communicated so well throughout the whole process by listening and understanding what we were looking for. We definitely wouldn't have found this home that we absolutely love and checks all the boxes if it wasn't for Nathalie and The Charles Realty Team. Even after being in the house already for almost two months, we still see and hear Nathalie, checking in on how we are doing. We highly recommend Nathalie - She's a rockstar that you will be grateful to have on your side when buying and or selling a home! read more

Annette Given and everyone at The Charles Realty is amazing! I highly recommend working with them.

My boyfriend and I worked with Andy Glovsky for our first apartment together and he was nothing short of amazing. And I say that as someone who is extremely picky! At the beginning of our search, we were working with a different broker but began working with Andy when we came across a listing he was representing. While that listing did not work out, we were so glad our paths crossed. He was always timely with his responses, transparent and clear in his communication, and organized during the process. Working with a great broker was especially important as we found ourselves having to look for apartments during COVID-19. While everything around us was less than certain, Andy made sure we could count on him to find us a home to start our next chapter. If you can't tell by now we can't sing his praises enough and are happy to recommend him to anyone! read more

We worked with the Sarah Glovsky Team (Sarah and Nathalie) to buy/sell our past two homes, as well as sell my parent's home. I can say without a doubt they are the best of the best - Professional, responsive, full service. They bring a network of professionals for whatever might come up in buying/selling a home from fire inspectors and handyman to mortgage agents and attorneys. I will always go to Sarah and team and would recommend them first to anyone who asks. read more

Cannot recommend Sarah Glovsky more - she helped me sell my first home and find exactly what I was looking for in new home. She was patience with my search, questions, and helping getting my home ready for the market. She was never pushy but gave great advice and helped me get everything I wanted and more. On top of that, she has an amazing network and reputation in the area. Highly recommend!! read more

Sarah and Nathalie are a 5 star team for sure! We worked with them to buy a new home and sell our condo all in a pretty short timeframe and they were incredible throughout the entire process. They are very knowledgeable, attentive to every detail, quickly responsive to any and all questions and an absolute pleasure to work with. They walked us through every step of this complex and often times nerve wracking process and we never felt pressured by them. They also connected us with a great team of people to complete our closing as well as prepare for renovations on our new home. We would highly recommend working with them for any buying or selling of properties! read more

We worked with Betsy Herald to purchase a condo in Boston and I cannot say enough good things about her services. I have purchased and sold several properties over the years but this was the first time purchasing in Boston. Betsy found us an off-market unit and was very knowledgeable, incredibly responsive and a strong advocate for us. The transaction had a few unexpected twists and turns. What impressed me most about Betsy was that she always made sure that tasks got completed, whether it was her job or not. When unanticipated issues arose, she always stepped up, often doing the job of the listing agent, attorney, condo association and loan officer. If it were not for Besty's expertise and tireless efforts, I am not sure we would have ever closed. Betsy is a true professional and I highly recommend her for your real estate needs. read more

Nathalie was fantastic throughout the whole homebuying process! She was always available to bring us in places the day they went on the market (before an open house), super responsive to emails/texts/questions and never applied any pressure along the way. After the P&S, her guidance on inspections, vendors and mortgage broker options were second to none. We ended up using the bank she recommended and got an unbeatable rate! I highly recommend using Nathalie and The Charles Realty! read more

Nathalie was absolutely amazing. As first-time home buyers, we needed a lot of hand holding along the way and she was so patient with all of our questions! Our home-buying experience was seamless, and we could not have done it without her expertise and dedication. Although we now own in the neighborhood we love, and can't imagine living anywhere else, we would absolutely go through her again in the future. We can't say enough great things about Nathalie and the team at The Charles Realty! read more

Sarah Glovsky and Nathalie Grenet helped us sell our condo in Brookline. They are a great team and have all the traits one would want in their realtors: respectful, hard working, knowledgeable and honest. They have a real feel for the local real estate market. They staged our apartment beautifully. The photos and videos of the apartment posted on-line were excellent and captured all the good aspects of our home. This team was a pleasure to work with! read more

Sarah and Nathalie were truly exceptional. We never felt pressured at any point and they were always patient with us. They timed things really well considering the turbulent market, and the photos they set up were fantastic. We were never put out, and they worked around our schedules and those of our young children for showings. We bought a home and sold a home with them and they were really considerate in finding the right homes for us to view, and they were able to help us navigate the process from beginning to end. We hope to never move again - this is our forever home - but if we ever had to, we would use them again for sure. Couldn't recommend them higher. read more

I feel so lucky to have had Andy help me find my new home. My sister and I were very overwhelmed by the prospect of finding a new apartment (and on short notice!) but Andy eased the stress by being knowledgeable about the area and the available listings. He was always available when we had questions or concerns, and made time for viewings based on our schedules. Andy took our budget and our "must haves" into account and showed us a handful of great spots. In the end, I couldn't be happier with where we ended up. Will certainly be recommending him to my friends in the future. read more

My husband and I have worked with Betsy Herald twice, once as buyers when we purchased our condo and again when we sold it four years later. Betsy is amazing in every way -- organized, responsive, and above all, warm and caring towards her clients. We would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking for a real estate agent in the Boston area! read more

I have been doing business with the Charles Realty for over 10 years and have bought/sold/rented many times with great success. I can't begin to say how professional and competent my broker is at times when a deal or negotiations get difficult. In this biz the most important thing is honesty, professionalism and knowledge. With several successful closings under my belt I couldn't be more delighted with the Charles Realty. I have worked with other brokers and firms and have had many unscrupulous broker experiences. It has made me realize how important it is to be able to work with a broker who is professional and highly knowledgeable. Pay no attention to the clearly misdirected and angry 1 star reviews- the industry in the Back Bay is highly competitive and it shows in these reviews. read more

To start out, I want to make it clear that I interacted with The Charles Realty as a potential tenant to a rental property they listed. There was some communication between the current tenant of the property and I, in particular, a text (which I took a screenshot of) that indicated there would be half a broker fee for a property that was listed at $2,775.00/month; thus, ~$1,387.00. Since I inquired about this property on my own, outside of The Charles Realty, the same day it was listed (prior, maybe, even?), this didn't seem outside the realm of reasonable possibility. David sent me a text asking if I could see the place at 5:00 p.m., after I had communicated I could not view it until at least 6:30. After clearing that up, his response was a begrudging and inconvenienced, "Can you do it right at 6:30?" He suggested he would see me out front of the building. I arrived at 6:30 to find Marianne standing there (presumably David couldn't be bothered sending me a text that he wasn't in fact coming), who looked like she wished her day ended long before I arrived. After a brief and rather uninterested (on her part) walkthrough, we went separate ways. The following day I thought I'd make an offer. I was sent digitally protected forms that The Charles Realty requires you to print out and fill by hand; why? Then Marianne made it clear I needed to drop a check for the broker fee at their office. So let's pause. For half a dozen text messages, a five minute walk through, I needed to write them a check for $2,775.00? This was also the point I found out they expected a full broker fee (not a half broker fee as indicated by the current tenant). Before I responded with the screen shot of the text message saying, "...there will be a fee but it would be a half month instead of a full month", Marianne had written, "I spoke to the tenant and she said she never spoke to anyone about offering a half fee." She ended that email with "a serious applicant needs to put up 1 months rent/broker fee." Am I not a serious applicant? If $2,775.00 doesn't buy actual time spent working, it should at least trade for courtesy, respect, and perhaps a little empathy or kindness. And hey, it's the middle of the day, maybe offer to come pick up that check? Meet halfway? I believe there are good brokers out there, I've worked with a few; but they're not here. Technically they did their job. Technically. I'll throw in an extra star for that. Oh, and for those digitally protected forms. Just Google it. It's easier to remove the protection than to add paper to the tray in your printer. read more

Sarah and Nathalie recently helped me sell my Somerville condo. Both are outstanding agents and went completely above and beyond my expectations every step of the way. They were incredibly professional and diligent throughout the entire process. Sarah insisted that an agent from her team be present during every showing in order to answer questions & gathered feedback from potential buyers. I never see this level of service from the other realty firms listing the places that I later viewed as a buyer. Their photographer's photos were professional and really elevated our place. Whenever any hiccups arose along the way, Sarah immediately addressed them, and played an impressive negotiation game with buyers. Sarah and Nathalie were incredibly communicative and responsive the entire way - answering phone calls, texts & emails promptly. Selling a home can be stressful and nerve-wracking, but I felt confident that I had the best agents representing me and that I was in good hands. I will absolutely work with Sarah & team in future and recommend them to all my friends for their home sales. read more

Avoid dealing with any of these people at all costs! Our 'broker' showed us an apartment filled with tons of damage. She, and the realty group by extension, 'promised' that it would be fixed by the move in date. A total lie! We are stuck with walls that have nails and paint on them. The landlord is super cool, but the agent is incapable of forming a human sentence. These people care more about checking facebook and smoking cigarettes than they do about actually, you know, working. Don't deal with them; It really isn't worth it. read more

I would rather lick gravel than work with these brokers again. They are unorganized, rude, inadequate, and a constant headache. They would give me one hour notice to show my apartment, lost my keys, LEFT MY APARTMENT UNLOCKED, and were rude the whole time. I would never use them as an owner or as someone looking for an apartment to rent. It's embarrassing how horrible they were. I dealt with 3 different people from the same company trying to show the apartment and they were unorganized, horrible communicators, and lazy. The fact that between 3 separate brokers, I couldn't find a good one...that just shows the quality of people The Charles Realty employs. Scarlett is the only person I would actually recommend, as she was the only competent person I dealt with during the entire process, she was always friendly and accommodating. STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS. read more

I've had my fair share of experience with realtors. Jessica Freeman at The Charles Realty is absolutely the best. She was nice, patient, courteous, and prompt. I dealt with her a few times and every time it was a pleasure. read more

Buying a property in Boston is not easy these days as the inventory is low and the demand is high. You need strategies to make a good offer and compete against other offers to get the place you want. This is why finding the right agent is very important. We worked with Betsy and bought a place our second day in Boston. She has 25 years of experience and is super professional and dependable. Highly recommend Betsy if you want a great agent to work with in Boston. read more

Betsy Herald at The Charles Realty helped us buy our South End condo. We were unsure as to where we wanted to buy and looked at places in Charlestown, Brookline, Back Bay, Beacon Hill and eventually South End (at Betsy's suggestion). She was so patient with us and had a wealth of knowledge about Boston real estate. Betsy was never pushy or rushed during our many many visits and was a fantastic advocate for us when it came to negotiations. She knows almost everyone in Boston real estate and when we mentioned her name to other realtors, it was clear that they had the utmost respect for her professionalism and expertise. Perhaps the ultimate endorsement I can give her, is that there was no question as to whom we would use to sell the same condo less than two years later when my husband got transferred out of state for work. Betsy sold it in one weekend of two open houses for WAY more than we expected. Our entire experience with her was smooth, professional and enjoyable! read more

I was very pleased to work with Elizabeth (Gibby) Homnick from The Charles Realty. I was urged by another realtor to underprice my condo, so I went with Elizabeth, instead. She worked with me to set a price I was comfortable with. Elizabeth put so much work and effort into staging my condo,bringing in furniture, plants, decorations and more. In addition to having traditional open houses, Elizabeth had realtor lunches in the condo to spread the word and made appointments to show it at all hours. Even though my little condo was a 'small fry' in the current crazy world of real estate, Elizabeth treated me with respect, and I felt that she may as well have been selling a million dollar property. She was professional, competent, fun and funny - a great person to work with! Best of all, as an animal lover, Elizabeth donates a portion of her profits to help animals. Okay, for most of you, best of all is really this: I got a a great price for my condo - very close to what I wanted! If you want a realtor who communicates well and is accessible, knows what she's doing and cares about her clients, go with Gibby! read more

I worked with Adam Cutone at The Charles Realty recently. He was representing the seller in my condo buying process. The whole process was unprofessional to say the least. He had some type of relationship with the tenants living in the home I was purchasing and would use that as leverage in the closing process only when he needed it to show that we should trust them. However, when it came to helping me learn more about the condo association, doing the walk through of the apartment before closing, or even getting the key to the mailbox of the condo I now own (which I still haven't received a month after closing), the relationship was gone and so was Adam. Towards the end of the process I found out the tenants in the building actually planned to be there for a few weeks after they wanted to close. It was written nowhere and so we had to push back the closing. His response time was unpredictable and at one point near the closing he left for vacation without proper back up at his office. I never thought I would spend the time to leave a bad review but I guess everyone has their limits. read more

Anette Givens, the owner, will screw you and do it legally. I listed a condo with The Charles Realty only to learn later that "technically" I had a contract with *the broker who signed the listing agreement* who was not Anette. It didn't matter that I had spoken to Anette directly before signing the agreement and gave her important personal details about putting the unit on the market. it didn't matter that Anette is the owner of Charles Realty and the employer of the broker I worked with. I needed to sell the unit and Anette knew I was in a bind. She sold the unit to her BROTHER for a song. Could I have said no - technically yes. I called the State licensing Board and she was not breaking a law. I had no legal way out of the listing contract and no reason to believe that Anette's EMPLOYEES would choose me over the boss and find me a better buyer. So I bent over and took it. read more

If you are even thinking of doing business with the Charles Realty... think again. My boyfriend and I recently moved to Boston and crunched for time went through a broker. Unfortunately, our first stop was the Charles Realty. And to be honest we did end up getting our apt. through them (hence the 2 stars), however we were so strapped for time that we had no choice but to find a place within days. So we took what we could get and plan on moving from our apt. as soon as the lease is up. When we first arrived to our scheduled appointment our "broker" was busy smoking and asked us to wait. Oh about 15 mins later after watching her smoke and gossip she finally strolls over and says, "yeah, i couldn't find any properties for you b/c you have too many demands." These were our demands: 1.) 1 bedroom 2.) Cats allowed. Anyway, I could go on for pages on how crappy they were but here are just a few bullets to give you an idea: Oh, and yes, I blame myself for being so stupid that I actually worked with these idiots after the initial contact. *After our "broker" finally found 3 properties to show us she talked on the phone to her Dad nonstop, gossiping about useless crap. Very professional. *She told us that the green walls in our bedroom and bathroom would be painted before we moved in. They weren't. *We also were to receive a list of damages from our landlord, signed, and then we would add on and send it back. The "broker" never provided us with this sheet. We had to call the landlord ourselves. * I was flying into Boston fairly late with all of my luggage and I asked if the "broker" would leave the keys with our doorman. She said that I would have to reschedule my flight so that I could meet her at the office to get the keys. We just paid one months rent to this Bitch and she felt it was too much to leave the keys with the doorman.... *My boyfriend's dad cosigned on the apt. Anyway, he lives in CA and the "broker" had to send him the document to sign. She ended up only sending a blank piece of paper with a line for a signature. So basically, my bf's dad could have been signing for anything. After bringing this to her attention she repeated the same mistake 3 times. OK, I'm just going to stop, b/c I could go on and on and on. The bottom line is you can find a better broker. The Charles Realty was absolutely a nightmare to work with. Everyone was completely incompetent and rude. Please don't make the same mistake that I did. read more

I worked with Betsy Herald from The Charles Realty. She is really incredible. She helped us to both sell and purchase a new condo in Boston. She is incredibly responsive and willing able to help with all aspects of the process. I could not ask for a better agent and I would recommend her to anyone. read more

I was so impressed with having real owner-involvement while hunting down an investment property in Back Bay. Annette Given not only saved me alot of time (with my busy schedule!) in selecting the right location and property, but she took care of every detail without skipping a beat. From having names of experienced inspectors, attorneys, and other professionals, she picked me up for every meeting and brought me back to my office, a huge time saver. Her knowledge of the neighborhood is extensive and her advise was invaluable. I have never had a closing made easier. Have to "shout out" to MacKenzie Harpine whose professionalism and genuine kindness also made my experience a great one. Happy to share this so others can realize how easy this process can be; they really are great! read more