Astor Realty

I dealt with Nicholas when I was looking for a one-​bedroom with my girlfriend. His was the first apartment I saw that was actually in my price range, and he didn’t try to upsell me like the other agents did. He showed me a great place only a few blocks from his office (I’ve been told to try and work with a realtor who works or lives in the area he’s showing), and I loved it right away. I will say that he sold me on the apartment. He had tons of information about the building and the area. He knew why certain things were the way they were, and made me feel comfortable applying.
My girlfriend was able to get an appointment the next day that fit into her schedule to see the place, and we tried to apply.
I had some trouble getting in contact with him when I was trying to apply, and he waited long enough to contact me that I had to call in a favor from a friend to get a payment in on time, but we were able to get all the paperwork in and after day two he was easy to stay in touch with.
He had many insights into the process. He had suggestions for getting approved i.e. which forms to submit based on my strengths as an applicant. We were able to schedule an interview with the management and we stayed in touch and he had some gentle advice for the interview. We were accepted and signed the lease.
Even my friend whom I tasked with delivering a payment on my behalf told me he had a nice chat with Nicholas about the neighborhood that turned a 30-​second drop-​off into a 10-​minute discussion about Astoria.
I will definitely contact Astor Realty first if I decide to move again in a year or two and stay in the area.
Keep on top of him and everything will go very smoothly.

STAY. AWAY. All Nicholas will do is waste your time and lie. I made an appointment to go view an apartment with him. I showed up at his office, and the door was locked with the lights on but nobody inside. He said his assistant left early, but I doubt he even has an assistant because every time I called the office he would answer the phone himself. We go to the listing, which was a great apartment. I asked him about how the landlord is with guarantors, and he said «i know for a fact it won’t be a problem because I’ve rented 4 apartments in this building with guarantors.» We go back to his office to fill out paperwork, and I get him all of the necessary financial documents the next morning. I even went to the bank to get his forms notarized… the whole 9 yards. As soon as I send them he replies «we have a problem» which apparently occurred within the 5 minutes in-​between him sending me the forms and me returning them to him. According to him, the landlord didn’t want to accept a guarantor because of an issue with another tenant in the building. I asked Nicholas to let them know that I was willing to pay double security or an extra months rent up front, and he claimed the landlord «wasn’t returning his calls.» Seems iffy, but even if all this was true, Nicholas promised to get other apartments together for me to view and to «give him a few hours» and he’s «working on my case right now» yet it’s been 7 days and my multiple emails have gone unanswered. He always says «i’ll get right back to you… gimme a couple hours» but he doesn’t get back to you at all, even after you text/​call/​email him asking for an update. If you’re gonna be spending $ 1700/​month on a 1 bedroom then give your brokers fee to a decent broker, one that actually gives a damn. And that is not Nicholas Drivakos of Astor Realty.

I called Nicholas about 5 minutes after an ad had been posted. He said he was getting the keys to the place and probably showing the next day, but that he would be in touch with me about when I could see it. The next day I hadn’t heard from him so I followed up to ask if they were in fact showing it that night. He told me that they had completely booked all possible appointments and that I couldn’t see the place. When I reminded him of who I was, he apologized and said he would call me back in 15 minutes and fit me in. I rearranged my schedule to be totally free for the 6 – 8 showing, my fiancé asked if he could leave work for a bit to go see it, and I never heard back from him. Its super unprofessional and unfair not to honor some kind of first come, first serve rule. My fiancé and I are refreshing Craigslist every 5 seconds to be on top of things and it sucks to think the place might have gone to someone who called a day later than me just because he was unorganized. How hard would it be to have fit me in after the fact? I had paperwork and a check waiting to be handed over. I don’t understand why people pay brokers, I’m not using one now.

Nicholas was AMAZING! He helped my boyfriend and I find the perfect apt. He was straightforward, honest, and told us what we had to do to get this apt. Plus he drove us all over Astoria (and even dropped my boyfriend off at the train station!) the absolute best.

I just rented my second place through Astor Realty, with Nicholas. The first time I visited from out of state to search before I moved and had a very tight time frame in which to find something, and had never lived in NY so was basically clueless. I looked at a lot of places and felt really uncomfortable with the pressure the brokers would put on, even when it was somewhere I clearly wasn’t interested in. Nicholas showed me the best one I’d seen– big and bright and in the right location, but didn’t pressure me and just let me make my own decision. Then, he got all the paperwork settled and even took me back so I could measure things before I flew home! I loved the place and would have stayed there for a long time, but after 2 years extenuating circumstances required me to move. This time, I looked again at a number of apartments but again the ones Nicholas showed me were just better. He also started out by showing me things well below the maximum I had said I would pay, to help save me money, which most other realtors wouldn’t do. He selects the places he shows carefully, and has ongoing relationships with all the buildings he rents from so is able to tell you details like who the other neighbors are, what the landlords are like, etc. He also sat and explained to me the details of NYC rent laws (like regulation), that were new to me. Everyone in the office is really nice, and they even remembered me from when I had come in before. I think some of the negative reviews here just general complaints that reflect the fact that the rental market in Astoria is very tight and things go quickly, and also that realtors in general are really busy people with schedules that are dependent on all of their other previous appointments having arrived on time. If you’re looking for an apartment in Astoria, I’d definitely recommend Nicholas at Astor Realty.

They had our deposit first, right before we are going to sign up the contract, they broke the commitment and the owner rented the apartment to other people.

I wanted to see a place listed on their website.
Sent two emails. Called twice. Left two voicemails. DIdn’t hear anything back at all.
Don’t waste your time.

The realtors were very rude. They made fun of my budget (because they felt it was too high?), and it made less than zero sense because if they’re sleazy then wouldn’t they WANT someone to overpay? Even their condescension was half-​baked.
Nicholas gave me his business card and never followed up. I threw it in the garbage today.

Unorganized. Nicholas (one of the realtors) was very rude. I left work early to meet with him about an apartment and all he gave me was his business card. Oh. He also took my information to show me an apartment this Saturday, but never followed up. After this experience I’m definitely glad to say that I won’t be spending any of my teacher’s salary to pay his broker’s fee.

Finding a dog friendly apt in astoria is about as easy as learning to drive blindfolded during rush hour. I came across a few dungeons in areas advertised as «astoria», but in reality, they were closer to the Bronx. After speaking with just about every broker, management company and dog owner I could get in touch with — I found Nicholas at Astor Realty.
His ad was honest. He was knowledgeable & personable. He showed me an apt by astoria blvd (it was actually within the vicinity of what’s considered astoria!). After I mentioned not being happy with the size of the kitchen — he immediately got on the phone and brought me to see another apt that wasn’t yet listed. Since it wasn’t renovated, he meticulously went through pictures of other renovated apts in the building that were recently rented out. He promised an impeccable apt and delivered. The apt was /​is perfect — spacious bright and clean. Most importantly– it is dog friendly (I should mention my dog would be considered an average size donkey in other countries).
Nicholas was great! Worth his fee and my piece of mind. Definitely recommend Astor Realty.

I just called them. The guy on the phone was extremely rude and uninviting. He definitely was high on attitude and does not know how to deal with customers! I would advise against using them at all!

I had a GREAT experience finding an apartment with Astor Realty. I had a very short time (less than a day) to look at apartments available for a 2 week move-​in date before I had to get back to Arizona. Nicholas showed me some great properties and although the one I wanted was gone when I called about it a few days later, he was able to get me in an even better one bedroom in the same building. He also took my local friend to see the apartment on my behalf as I was 2500 miles away. He took great photos, she made a video, and he was able to work out all the particulars with me via email, phone, and sms. He’s also coming in on his day off (Sunday) to give me my keys.
I will use Nicholas at Astor Realty again, absolutely.