Amazing level of service, Zealestate is a true professionals! I was in situation when my moving date was in 6 days and i still haven't find my new place. Even if you have good credit score and money, it's still not easy to find a good place and have a reasonable realtor who can help you, there are so many details you need to know. I decided to give a try this company. First i got the call from Sam, he asked me what apartments i'm looking for and he sent me list with 5 places. They all were actually very good, I picked the one that was closest to my work and I scheduled showing. I met with Marvin and he was incredibly professional, honest and upfront. He answered to all my questions and showed me apartment, literally everything was clear and transparent for me. There was no weird feeling like with other agents I met recently and he was responding very fast to my messages. I applied in the evening and the next day in the morning i got the answer that I approved. It was very quick, specially when I didn't have much time left to find a new place, they just literally saved me! I wish I worked with them before in the beginning of the month, so I could save myself a lot of time and avoid so many problems with searching new places. Everything just went so smooth. Definitely recommend to everyone, you can rely on these guys. Everything went on high level of service and painless for me. Marvin and Sam, thank you again! read more

Zeal Estate was, in our experience, unprofessional and inexperienced, causing serious stress and putting us as owners in a difficult position; inspections were not attended on time, so if you're considering using them to sell your home, please be very careful and think twice--it wasn't worth it for us. read more

Seriously-- heed the reviews. Omar was 20 minutes late to our apartment viewing before calling to say he couldn't make it-- he seemed apologetic and gave us the code to let us into the apartment, so I shrugged it off. As it turns out, this wasn't a one-off and he often cancels on his clients with no notice. After viewing, we were pressured into putting in a competitive offer above the listed price, plus a 15% broker fee (absurd, but we were unfamiliar with the renting landscape in NYC after the FARE Act went into effect). It took almost two weeks, and many, many calls, emails, and texts from both of us and our guarantors (we spent literally hours trying to get in touch with Omar), to finally be sent the application materials. ANOTHER week passed with no reply or acknowledgement before we gave up on the unit. The whole experience left us feeling frustrated and ignored. Do yourself a favor, avoid this group and any of their units. No matter how much you like the apartment, there will be another one-- without the headache. read more

HIGHLY UNPROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, WOULD NOT RECOMMEND. At first, Omar was very friendly and helpful. However, after we submitted our application, he disappeared for weeks, ignoring multiple calls and messages. He finally confirmed our approval, but pushed us to pay an upfront broker fee to receive a discounted monthly rent, instead of just letting us pay the full advertised rent (which was listed with no broker fee). Because he was being incredibly pushy about the upfront fee, we felt uncomfortable and proposed a compromise: paying half the fee before moving in and the other half after moving. He refused. When we reiterated we would just pay the full advertised rent with no broker fee, he stopped responding completely. The communication was terrible and the experience was very frustrating. Avoid this broker. read more

PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW BEFORE YOU DECIDE TO WORK WITH OMAR!! We were excited to work with Omar and moved quickly to submit all our documents. Unfortunately, after putting a lot of trust and effort into the process, we were met with complete silence. Applying for a home is a vulnerable experience, and basic communication is the bare minimum. When we met Omar in person, he came across as someone who genuinely cared. That made the ghosting feel even worse. We would NOT recommend working with Omar. read more

Avoid at all costs!! Omar is a scammer. There is a reason that there are so many bad reviews. Never use this terrible company.

Unfortunately, my experience with Zealestate would receive zero stars if possible. It started off fine. We enjoyed our apartment, but then Zealestate broker (Omar Saeed Butt) worked with our landlord to jack up prices in the final years. The tactics were bold and stressful. On multiple occasions Omar would come to our apartment after 11PM and tell us we would need to pay more. He would stand in our kitchen and rant for 30+ minutes about how he knew Mayor Adams and cared about us. These were intimidating and unnecessary. This is during our active lease! When we eventually left to buy our own place, Omar got involved with the landlord and they withheld a reference until we agreed to give them additional money beyond forfeiting our deposit and moving out weeks early. I typically don't leave reviews like this, but anyone considering working with Omar/Zealestate should think twice. read more

Omar was responsive at first. When scheduling a showing, Omar simply provided me with the lockbox code and I toured the apartment by myself. He was not present then and even less so when it came time to submit a "good faith" deposit of $500 when I was interested in the apartment. After Zelle-ing him the deposit, he became unresponsive. After 2 months of radio silence, I went to visit his office in person, to see that he had been evicted by the State Marshals. To this day I am out $500 due to his negligence and lies. I can not advocate enough to not trust him as he operates in bad faith while faking the slightest facade of transparency. read more

For over a decade, Omar Saeed Butt and Zealestate Group have been ignoring laws, scamming clients, and giving kickbacks to landlords. If the scathing reviews on Yelp, Google, Reddit, and others, are not enough red flags for you... I'd avoid a brokerage that was evicted for non-payment of rent! read more

Zealestate Group - Real Estate Services Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

Omar went above and beyond! Last fall, we toured an apartment just to get a sense of layout/location, etc, as we couldn't move until the following summer. Omar remembered our fondness for the building and the block, and reached out to us months later when there was a unit available, saving us the hassle of a search! He also managed the renovation of the apartment prior to us moving in, and it was better than we ever could have imagined it. A gorgeous new kitchen, thoughtful touches all around the apartment (covered radiators, a coat rack and key hook installed! And more!). Omar and his team did such amazing work and we are so grateful to them and love our new home. Thank you, Omar! read more

Stay away from this firm! So unbelievably unprofessional. When I was working with them I went to look at online reviews and found that about half were negative, I should have listened to the reviewers! It would have saved me a huge headache. I worked with Omar. He was barely responsive, and only after multiple texts/emails from me asking for follow ups. I eventually got through and signed the lease for a wonderful apartment in Park Slope. A few days after I signed, Omar tells me the landlord won't countersign the lease until after I wire them the first month's and security deposit. When I told Omar that I had a few questions about this and wanted clarification before I wire them thousands of dollars, he went on a full tirade equal to what I can only say was a 7 year old who didn't get what he wanted for dinner and his parents were making him eat broccoli. Meanwhile, I get an email from the landlord saying that Omar told her that I refuse to pay rent and am no longer interested in the apartment. Which wasn't true, I just wanted a clarification before I send thousands of dollars! He texts me saying that he and the landlord no longer want to work with me and they will refund me the "good faith deposit" I sent them. All of this happened within 20 minutes. Honestly, the most unprofessional person I have encountered while living in NYC. read more

Didn't show up for our scheduled tour, or respond when I asked if they needed to reschedule. Don't waste your time with this brokerage.

Made an appointment with Omar in park slope and he just ghosted us. Never showed up, never responded to calls/texts. Also read online that he's a scammer and steals deposits. read more

BEWARE OF MR. OMAR BUTT!!!!! My partner and i went to view an apartment in gowanus, and had to let ourselves in with a lock box KEY. omar was not there. the fee was 15%, near 7k (obscene). I asked Omar to offer the owners full payment of rent, but a 1 month fee. IN the meantime, i was looking up the listing further on the internet and TURNS OUT THE APARTMENT HAD ALREADY BEEN RENTED TO PEOPLE BY A DIFFERENT BROKER. IT IS WRONG TO WASTE HONEST FOLKS TIME!!!!! THIS IS CALLED SCAMMING!!!! stay far far away if you value your time, money, and sanity. read more

Avoid at all possible. A week ago, we found an apartment through StreetEasy listed through Omar/Zealestate. When we questioned the high broker fee -- 15%! -- he offered a lower monthly rent. However, when he sent us the application later that night, he included the higher monthly rent. We noted this as we submitted all of our paperwork (W2s, banking accounts, etc) and paid for the application fee. We never heard from him again. No one was in the office when we stopped by during the week. He took our application money but never responded to multiple emails, calls, and voicemails. read more

Our experience was good enough; properties were shown quickly and our needs were considered. Omar served as a good advocate between tenant and owner. I docked a few stars because this place is a prime example of the people making housing painful in NYC. Our fee was insane; 15% of yearly rent is robbery. I'd feel like a rube agreeing to it in the first place, if our rent wasn't fortunately pretty low. On top of that, many of the various fees and deposits must be paid in cash; not a great feeling traveling from your bank to their office with thousands of dollars on your person. Nice guys, good properties, shame about the pricing. read more

Had such a good experience with Zealestate. I was working with Nkosi, he was so polite and patient with me. I messed up my appointment time and he had to wait for me for 40 mins! When I arrived Nkosi was very understanding and took his time showing me 2 units, one of them I ended up taking. In my previous experience with brokers, I was rushed through the apartment tour and had wishy washy answers that left me confused. Nkosi patiently addressed all my concerns and guided me through the rental process start to finish. Very grateful for the honesty and all the help I got along the way. read more

Agents don't contact you back. Given the rental estate environment in NYC during COVID, you would think there would be an urgency to answer client questions. Sorry to call out Omar, but he's extremely unresponsive even during weekdays. I really liked a property but had questions that went unanswered. I'll change the review if someone else from the management team messages or calls me to resolve. read more

I did not have a pleasant experience dealing with Zeal. I found two apartments on Naked Apartments that they listed, and which they claimed were their exclusive listings. My own broker contacted them to set up viewings. One of their agents, Jonathan, showed me the apartments - one that was advertised for $2800, the other advertised for $3000 on multiple websites including Naked Apartments and StreetEasy. Jonathan was friendly, professional, and helpful, and confirmed that the prices of both apartments were as advertised. I had no issues dealing with him, and had a positive experience with Jonathan. However, when my own broker (from Citi Habitats/Corcoran) reached out to Zeal to let them know that we wanted to apply for the $3000 apartment on Saint Mark's Place in Park Slope, Omar (the owner of Zeal) immediately jacked up the price to $3125 and told her that if we wanted the apartment for $3000, she would have to give them $900 out of her own cut of the broker's fees. In all my experience renting apartments, I have never had a listing agent demand money from my broker just so I could rent an apartment at the price that was ORIGINALLY ADVERTISED in the first place! Naturally, I found this shady, unethical, and suspicious. I felt like I had walked into a bait and switch situation. A current tenant in the same rental building also told me that they had found Zeal sketchy and had been uncomfortable dealing with them. When I told the tenant what was happening with us, the tenant reported that this is something Zeal does, and so they were not surprised. However, as Zeal claimed to have the exclusive listing on the apartment, my broker could not do anything about it. I personally, of my own accord, reached out to the landlord, Charmaine, to clarify the situation to see if a mistake had been made. I was happy to work with brokers to rent the place, but wanted to make sure that the deal was aboveboard and honest. Charmaine revealed to me that she had not actually signed any exclusive agreement with Zeal on the apartment. They had lied about having an exclusive on all the websites. Charmaine thanked me for informing her of the situation, and told me that she would ask Zeal to contact me to clear up any misunderstandings. Omar from Zeal did contact me, only to basically say that what had transpired was okay because he had "informed my broker" in the first place. While he was polite in his correspondence with me, I did not see how false advertising and trying to demand extra money from my broker was okay just because he had told my broker he was going to do so. I also asked him to confirm that the price of the apartment was indeed $3000 (the price it was still listed on all websites at the time). He chose not to confirm the price or respond. Furthermore, he contacted my broker threatening legal action even though she had nothing to do with contacting the landlord, AND Zeal did not have an exclusive in the first place, giving them no leg to stand on from a legal perspective. As you can imagine, I did not want anything to do with a deal so sketchy and unethical. We immediately decided to look elsewhere. Thanks my to my amazing Citi Habitats broker and a wonderful listing agent from Corcoran, my fiancé and I scored the apartment of our dreams soon after. It's a far better apartment (beautifully renovated, huge backyard, exclusive basement use, private entrance foyer, our own washer/dryer) for a BETTER PRICE in the same neighborhood. We have rented the apartment for exactly the price it was advertised at, and all brokers involved in the deal were paid fairly without having to give up money from their share in order to get us our apartment for the price it was advertised for. Companies like Corcoran and Citi Habitats are part of REBNY (Real Estate Board of New York), which holds them accountable to high ethical standards. Zeal is not part of REBNY, and obviously does whatever they want. Their dishonesty is shocking. I recommend dealing with brokers from agencies that are members of REBNY to avoid getting caught up in shady deals like the one I experienced. read more

Zealestate and Omar specifically will try to scam you anyway they can, sometimes the scams don't even make sense!! They're just unprofessional and uninterested in working with anyone. I cannot conceive of how they are licensed to practice real estate. read more

I had a miscommunication with the owner, Omar Saaed Butt. I thought he was not responding to my texts, and therefore my son wasted a trip to see an apartment. But as it turned out, Omar was trying to text me; it's just that I had put my home number in the registration, rather than my cell phone. After a few tense e-mails back and forth, Omar had the grace to call me to apologize and to work things out, and was very accommodating about re-scheduling if we wanted to. I'm not sure if my son wants that neighborhood, so we might not continue with the process, but I do have to give credit to Omar for his efforts to make things right after the miscommunication. read more

Sara Marcus of Zealestate Group was an absolute pleasure to work with. I reached out to her with [many] questions over a month before my anticipated move (from Washington, D.C. to Brooklyn, NY) and she answered each of them thoroughly and within a timely manner. As someone who has never lived in NYC, she made this whole process as painless as possible and I never once felt alone. When I was ready to look at apartments, she blocked off a whole day for viewings and each apartment fit my criteria and was within my price range. During the viewings, we took our time so I could evaluate each unit and the area surrounding it, and make an informed decision. Even after I signed my lease, she kept in touch and continued to provide assistance and answer any remaining questions I had. I moved into my Brooklyn apartment last week and I could not be happier. I would recommend Sara to anyone moving to Brooklyn. She is warm, kind, and well-informed about NYC living. AND, I am proud to say that I now have a new friend in Brooklyn! Working with Sara was a delight and this apartment is a dream come true! read more

Asif is incredibly deceitful. He posted an ad on craigslist under the "by owner" section. When I contacted him, he reminded me of the brokers fee. I was immediately confused. "by owner" apartments dont have fees. I called him out on it. He justified it - saying that all the other brokers do it... how else is he supposed to get ahead. Hes a liar. Dont waste your time. There are plenty of honest people out there that dont have to LIE to get ahead. read more

Zealestate Group is the best broker I've ever worked with. Their listings were superior to those of the other brokers (for equal or better prices). This is due to Omar's selectivity, relationships with landlords, experience, and proprietary database. Their staff is awesome: They take the stress out of the process by being professional and kind. We had a ton of fun seeing places with Nkosi, and Nkosi and Omar were very diligent in walking us through the application and signing process. They even stayed at the office with us until 10pm on a Friday! We had found a place we LOVED, and they wanted to make sure we were first in line, and that nothing fell through. In fact, we were able to sign the lease within 24 hours of finding the place. They were available to help even up until the point of move-in, which I found exceptional. Thanks, Zealestate! read more

I found Asif from Zealestate from a Craigslist posting for an apartment in Ditmas Park at a price that worked for me. I called him up and we were able to meet that evening. Asif followed through with his word to help me not only find a nice apartment in a lovely Brooklyn neighborhood, but secure it and ensure I get my application approved. He was incredibly responsive and professional throughout the entire application process, even willing to respond to my texts and e-mails at unconventional hours. I could tell Asif truly cared about ensuring the approval, which meant alot. Unlike other brokers I've tried working with, Zealestate works with landlords that they have known for years. This personal relationship, it turns out, goes a long way towards securing trust between the applicant and the landlord. For this reason alone, I'd recommend working with Zealestate. Ask for Asif. read more

Omar was friendly and very easy to work with. He stayed late and gave me honest, no bullshit advice as I mulled over a rental decision. Like the other review, there was no pressure or rush to move on the apartment which I appreciated. Moreover he was very accommodating (he showed the apartment Sunday evening and stayed until 9pm when I finally made a decision). Omar is willing to move very quickly for interested parties. If you like a place, and have the correct documents, he'll zip you over to his leasing office and get the ball rolling immediately! read more

Stay away if you can. If you find an apartment you love through Zeal Estate, ask to speak to the tenants about why they're leaving. The listing for my apartment was full of lies- that there was a washer dryer in the building (there was not, the building was just above a laundromat that only allowed drop off and pick up!), that there is bike storage, that pets are allowed. The landlord was neglectful, leaving the trash area filthy and rat infested, resulting in several fines from the sanitation department. The super never answered his phone, resulting in a filthy leak in my bathroom that lasted for months- it was still there when I moved out, leaking brown water constantly. When I chose to leave after just a year, I found out they lied to prospective tenants when asked why I was moving out, saying that I was leaving New York (not true). The agent from Zeal Estate also left the apartment unlocked when showing it, with my belongings still inside. If you need to work with them, at least ask to speak to the tenant leaving. If you can find an apartment you like elsewhere, I would suggest working with other agents. read more

I had a great experience with my realtor Kasif. He was kind, professional, and timely for both meetings and communication. Be prepared with your paperwork and make sure to be a solid renter. The building management that I rented was very strict about having all official paperwork notarized and prepared. Good luck! read more

Organised a viewing of a property. I received automated hourly reminders the morning of my appointment at 2pm. I changed my schedule and left work early. I then travelled across Brooklyn to the property. At 1.59 I received an unapologetic phone call telling me the place was no longer available. I reached out to complain but was completely ignored and not apologized to. This is why the world hates estate agents. When they can get your money they are all over you, but if there's no possibility of a commission then they don't give a shit about you. read more

Giving 5 stars because of the awesome broker I worked with, Tarin Schendler. She was helpful, kind and spent a lot of time with me as we went to all the places I found I wanted to check out, and did so much legwork for me. I found a place after a few days of working with her, but I want to stress that we saw a million places until I found the right one and she was game for all of it driving us all over park slope and prospect heights. As for Zealestate, I really recommend updating the website so it's usable. It's great to employ wonderful people but I wasn't able to view properties they represented online or the brokers working there, and only found Tarin through a Street Easy listing. read more

This company has ruined my week. First, I made an appointment with Wuddy. I left a work event early to come see an apartment. He called and let me know that, unfortunately, the apartment was no longer available to see that day. I set up another appointment two days later, the earliest they could show it, with Jonathan. I left work early to come see the apartment. I arrived, asked to put in an application, he looked at his phone and said, "oh, this apartment was actually rented two hours ago." He had ample time to check to see if the apartment had been rented when I was still at work--before I wasted an entire evening coming to see the apartment, touring it, and asking to apply. Companies like these make looking for an apartment in New York--already a horrible experience!--about 1000x worse. read more

I've rented many apartments in the city through many brokers and agents, and every single one of them said "we work for you." But when these guys say it (I dealt with Omar and Marjorie) they really mean it. I found an apartment that was listed by another broker through these guys, and even though they weren't getting the full fee, they worked through the sticky situation that I was in as if this was their own listing and their own apartment and got me approved. And later when I had to back out of the application after approval due to once again my personal situation, they responded in the middle of the night and worked through the next day as if it was their own situation and eventually got me back out even though they were already paid their fee and their job done. And then they insisted on returning their fee too because "I didn't get the apartment in the end." They were very knowledgeable, professional, and above all, patient and understanding from the beginning to the very end. I know I can trust them, and recommend these guys without hesitation to anyone looking for a new home. read more

Found essentially our dream apartment in a dream location (Park Slope central, right off 7th ave) quicker than we could have imagined. We were in a unique situation as we knew what we wanted and had an exact move-in date in mind (Nov 1st) but living outside of the city currently, we also didn't have a lot of flexibility to hunt around for a place. The very FIRST apartment we saw in-person checked just about every box on our list, so we decided to take it & within 48 hours were approved and signing a lease. Appreciated the straight forward, no BS approach to working with them. Omar also helped to coordinate us buying some furniture off the current tenants who are moving (we lost all of our old stuff in a house fire, so we literally don't have a couch, but were able to secure one for dirt cheap through these tenants, so that was awesome.) This was my first time ever paying a brokers fee lol, and while yes it is painful having to pay that, I also appreciate that they lowered our fee significantly based on the income bracket we fell into. I know it's totally standard anyway to pay a fee not only for New York City, but specifically for this neighborhood in general (Park Slope), so it's all good. Well worth it as we plan on indefinitely staying here. Looking forward to keeping in touch with Omar up until our move-in date. He has been very helpful. :) read more

Even though we didn't go through Omar to get the place we ultimately settled on, he and Nkosi did a fantastic job at informing us on what to do. Me and my girlfriend were waiting to see if we should get this duplex that was through another realty company in park slope and continued looking for other alternatives with Omar. When we told them about the duplex, they immediately told us to focus on getting the duplex which was at no financial gain to them. Immediately we applied for the duplex and got it. I would highly recommend anyone just call Omar first if you need to find a place. read more

Asif helped me secure a beautiful apartment in a stellar building in Greenwood/Gowanus. He was quick to ask thoughtful questions about my potential needs concerning pets and train commutes. He also noted many interesting details about the building itself and the people who live there. In the process of applying for the apartment, he assisted me as much as he could and streamlined the process so that I could apply right away and sign a lease within two days. It has been a real pleasure meeting and working with Asif. I could not have scored such a beautiful, sunlit apartment without his expertise and pull. I would definitely recommend working with him! read more

I had an immensely positive experience with Sara Marcus; she is extremely attentive to her clients and worked hard to find me an apartment that fit my many specifications. I had never lived in Brooklyn before so I had many questions. She was very patient and thorough in answering all of them and adjusting the apartment search to accommodate my concerns. She is pleasant and friendly to work with and I will definitely be going back to her for my next move! I also briefly spoke to Omar on the phone, and he too was amazing; very knowledgeable and even gave me advice on an apartment that I was seeing through another broker. I highly recommend Sara and Zealestate! read more

Shauna met me on Memorial day, and showed me a few apartments, multiple times. She was sweet, understanding, and communicative. I'm so happy with my new apartment, and will use Zealestate if I ever move again! read more

Asif is a consummate professional, and someone I will continue to work with! He has a great demeanor, listened to what I want and is not pushy at all. He goes to bat for you with landlords and is someone I am happy to have met and look forward to working with again in future! Do yourself a favor and work with Zealestate group - you won't be disappointed. read more

Farhan, did an amazing job of showing multiple listings to me and my wife. He also got to know the basics about us and our search to be able to make good recommendations and steer us clear of others as fit our needs. His help and accessibility through the process was outstanding, especially given that we were searching 'no fee' listings through him and Zealestate. Not giving 5 stars is not to say I wasn't completely happy with the experience. However, there were certain aspects of the process, such as a cash deposit, and requesting bank checks at signing that made for minor inconvenience more than anything. I can't blame the agency if these are protective measures of the landlords or even their own. Like I said, given the 'no fee' listing we were thrilled with our experience with Farhan and agency, and happy in our new apartment. read more

These guys were great! I reached out to Omar from his street easy listing for a place. He had me fill out a quick questionnaire about what I was looking for and then set up a time for us to check out apartments. I met our agent, Nkosi, that day and they showed us that apartment and another which had just come on the market (the old tenants were moving out as we toured). It was a phenomenal place and we signed. The signing was very quick and Omar was very diligent. Awesome experience! read more