Garfield Realty

Paul and Michael are great people. We didn’t intend to move to Park Slope but we did because we trusted them from start to finish. We’re super glad we did move here and if we have to find another place, our first call is going to be to Garfield.

I felt compelled to thank Garfield Reality for the really outstanding services my boyfriend and I received from the group. We’ve had terrible luck in the past with brokers, management companies, you name it– that have made the process of apartment hunting in NYC absolutely soul sucking.
And then Michael & Paul walked into our lives and we were blown away with their kindness, help & mutual respect. There is nothing quite like the NYC apartment search that can test your limits, and Michael & Paul made us feel human again.
So thank you, thank you, thank you for being so damn amazing!

I felt I needed to write this review after working with Paul Paglia. He was so prompt with his emails, answered our million questions patiently, and even was available to us while he was away on vacation. He didn’t pressure us at all, which has been my experience with so many other brokers. We have been trying to move to Park Slope for a few years now, and thanks to Paul’s help it all worked out perfectly!

We moved here from Portland, OR a year ago, and contacted Paul Paglia based on referrals from others who’d worked with him and liked him.
As parents with a pre-​school age kid, we were in the Park Slope sweet spot, with tons of families seeking the exact same type of place in just the right area. Paul showed us a wide range of places, just so we knew the lay of the land, sharing with us the inside scoop on each location, it’s school zone, it’s proximity to the park/​groceries/​parking/​etc. After a week or so of looking, he got word of a former client moving out of a building that was perfect for us. He spoke with them as well as the landlord and made sure that we were able to see it before anyone else, and it was (is) perfect. We scooped it up immediately.
On my first tour of NYC, I went through a bunch of brokers, and each made me feel like I was just an appointment. Paul understood what we wanted, our hopes and fears at the price levels, and eventually triangulated it all to find a place we loved.

We worked with Lia Wiedemann at Garfield to help us find an apartment or a house in Brooklyn last year, and she was wonderful. It was our first purchase and a steep learning curve for us in the crazy world of NY real estate, and she not only guided us through every step of the way, but she made everything run smoothly– like clockwork.
Garfield in general was much more personable and attentive than the big, corporate, anonymous agencies that make you feel like a cog.
Lia is friendly, punctual, responsive, full of integrity, and lacks any of the pushiness so typical of brokers (something the sales agents noticed too, and this helped smooth the way with them whenever we saw a place we liked). We ended up finding a great place and a great real estate lawyer through Lia. Working with her was a dream, and I would recommend her and work with her again in a heartbeat.

We worked with Lia at Garfrield realty for a rental. She set up over a dozen appointments for us in Cobble Hill/​Carroll Gardens/​Brooklyn Heights and came with us for many of the showings. She even worked tirelessly for us while she was on holiday with her family and was responsive throughout. We were very happy to have such a patient, thoughtful broker working with us. Her insights into the neighborhood and quality of life-​tradeoffs and the various apartments were invaluable.
When we settled on a unit, Lia helped us prepare an application and advocated for us in negotiations with the landlord and his broker. We highly recommend her services and would go back to Garfield again.

Saw an apartment with Michael Simmons and the whole process was extremely pleasant and shockingly painless. He was great to deal with — a very friendly and personable guy and really easy to get in touch with.
I contacted him after seeing an apartment on Streeteasy, which seemed to be exactly what my husband and I were looking for. In person, the place was even nicer than in the pictures. Michael answered all my questions and called to landlord to find out something for me. I filled out an application right then.
Less than 24 hours later, his partner, Paul Paglia, whom I haven’t yet met, but who was very nice on the phone, called with a few questions and to tell me he was doing a credit check. Then later called to tell me we got it!
(Also worth noting — Paul offered to take me back to the apartment this weekend so I can measure for furniture-​buying purposes, which I very much appreciated).
Could not be happier!

Lia was awesome! Helped us to get our apartment in a sellers market. As first time home buyers she guided us throughout the process and made sure that all parties involved in the sale were on top of things to make the sale as painless as possible. Thanks so much Lia!

A couple of years ago, my partner & I were looking for a rental. During our search we dropped into Garfield Realty & met with Paul Paglia. He was very helpful & friendly. He showed us a number of solid options that same day. Though we eventually ended up renting through a different realtor, we always remembered how great our experience with Paul had been.
This year when we were ready to buy an apartment, we knew we wanted to work with Paul again. It was probably the best decision we made. As first-​time home buyers (actually, now: owners!), Paul couldn’t have been more patient and knowledgeable. His advice and expertise was invaluable. I truly don’t know that we would have gotten the great apartment we did without his help.
Yeah, Garfield is smaller than other companies, but because of this, I felt we were given much more attention. If you’re looking to buy or rent in «brownstone Brooklyn,» I would most certainly meet with Paul & his team.

We worked with Paul Paglia who is very personable, enthusiastic and a great salesman. He can put a great spin on a terrible property, which is why you should take whatever he says with a large bucket of salt.
Paul *enthusiastically* endorsed the building at 152 8^th Avenue in Brooklyn and assured us that the landlord, Charlie Cross is fantastic. This was far from the case.
We lived in this building for over a year. However, the building is in poor condition and the landlord, Charlie Cross, was unresponsive, absent, or at best very, very, very slow to fix any problems.
It also took the landlord over 4 months to return our substantial security deposit once we moved out. He explicitly informed us that returning our money was at the bottom of his priority list. He only returned our security deposit once we filed a small-​claims court suit against him.
During our time living at 152 8^th Avenue we experienced the following problems:
— the apartment was filthy when we moved in with urine stains all over the toilets and food left in the fridge and freezer
— flooding in the building (both ground floor apartments had over an inch of sewage and rain water). This was never cleaned up properly, which accentuated an already existing mold problem.
— There was black mold growing on some of the walls. The air quality was so bad it was making us cough. We bought an air filter, which we deducted off the rent. The mold was never professionally cleaned.
— After the flooding, the building had a fly infestation with dozens of flies swarming in the basement and through the apartments on the first floor.
— Non-​functional washers and dryers. Some of the washing machines did not function at all, others leaked water all over the floor and did not actually clean your clothes properly.
— Poor lighting in the hallways inside the building. Many of the lighting fixtures had low-​watt lightbulbs and did not have all of the bulbs in them. At one point the lighting was so bad that we put in the proper amount of bulbs. The landlord subsequently removed the additional bulbs.
— Some of the tenants did not have working doorbells. This was particularly problematic for one tenant who had to sit outside and wait for deliveries and repairs.
When we were planning to move out, we explicitly informed Paul Paglia of the worst of these problems (namely the flooding and the mold) and the landlord’s poor behavior so that future tenants could be aware of these issues.
While Paul and Garfield Realty may have some good properties, if he tries to show you a rental at 152 8^th Avenue and praises how great the landlord is, be aware that this place is a lemon and not worth living in.

My wife and I recently worked with Paul and had a wonderful experience! Anyone that has ever apartment searched in NYC knows how competitive it can be and how pushy some brokers can be as well. Paul was very professional, likable and easy to work with. He has a strong knowledge of the properties he represents in Park Slope. If you are looking to move to this neighborhood, I highly recommend working with Garfield Realty!

Even though I have lived in NYC for 10+ years, I was a neophyte when it came to brokers. So I was hesitant when I reached out to Paul Paglia of Garfield Realty, but I am so glad I did. Even though I was looking for places on the lower end of the rent $ spectrum for Park Slope, he treated me with the utmost courtesy and respect (ha, unlike some other brokers!). He responded to my texts/​emails/​calls promptly, always showed up on time for appointments and was a consummate professional. He is also very easy to talk to, patient and knowledgeable. He quickly determined what I was looking for and helped me find exactly that. I couldn’t be happier with my experience. I would recommend these guys to a friend!

As a former real estate agent from a neighboring Park Slope agency, I have to give kudos to Garfield Realty for being such a personable, friendly office in what can be a very cut-​throat market. I worked with Elizabeth Kohen to co-​broke a deal and was so grateful for her hard work, professionalism, and kindness, even when dealing with a difficult client. I have since referred people to her, only to receive rave reviews. Not only is she an excellent agent who really knows the market, but she has the personal touch that makes the sometimes stressful process of buying a house, a great experience. Her dedication and the personal attention she gives to her clients are what makes her the agent you’ll want to work with.

We saw a place with Paul, and he was very good to work with.
Ultimately, someone else got the apartment before we could (NY real state moves fast!!), and we ended up finding an apartment through a different Realtor. But Paul was helpful friendly and very knowledgeable of the properties he was showing and building construction in general. He didn’t pressure us or make us feel anxious, and it was a very positive experience.

We’ve just gotten a place through Garfield Realty and Paul Paglia has made everything extremely smooth and hassle-​free; and it wasn’t an easy task! We’ve just moved to the country from abroad and all our paperwork (banks, ssn, etc) is still half-​baked. He has been extremely understanding and helpful offering us all sorts of options. By the by, our place was advertised on CL as no-​fee, I and that’s what it was! No hidden charges or anything of the sort. Really nice guy, polite and easy-​going, highly recommendable!

Paul Paglia is the best. He made the process feel easy and light. He is very helpful and honest and so easy to work with. He is also the realtor who is showing our place to others and has always called ahead before coming and has been great throughout the whole process.