Federer Real Estate

Cathy Federer could be dubbed the Mayor of Astoria! My partner and I were looking to move into a new apartment but wanted very much to stay not only in Astoria but also in our current hood near Ditmars. Cathy welcomed us into her office and immediately asked us all the right questions. When we told her our price cap she took us seriously and never once showed us anything out of our range. She spent two days showing us place after place and had wonderful relationships with every super we met. Once we found our perfect apartment (and it really is perfect) she created incredible portfolios on us and we were approved in a matter of hours. She even did us favor we didn’t ask for and found another tenant for the place we were vacating. Our roommates were thrilled. Her office is a kitschy little place on Steinway and if you’re lucky her little dog Billy Bob will give you a little love. If you’re looking for an apartment, stop by her office. You won’t regret it.

Pushy, rude and insulting. Insists on cash, no cashiers checks, CASH! Told us we would have to wire transfer and entire years rent in order to get a place. Seems shady.

Cathy took great care me. She was very honest, direct, and caring. She told me point blank because of my low-​ish credit score it would be a challenge to place me. She had no problem looking into other listing I found on my own and she warned me off a posting on Craig’s list that was later flagged and removed for being a scam. She’s been in the area forever, she knows everyone so she can put you in the best arrangement for you. I’m grateful for her relationships with landlords in the area because I did a lot of searching on my own and without great credit and high income some of these Co-​ops won’t even look at a single person. Cathy put me in a good size 1br with a great view of the city. I ½ months later I’m happy with building, neighbors, landlord and super!

Brokers suck: that’s just the reality of finding an apartment in NYC.
Despite the shadiness that is being a broker in NYC, Cathy was really great and understanding. My roommate and I were recent, as in two days, graduated from college with no credit to speak of and very little experience looking for apartments. Cathy was dedicated to putting us in a safe area as close as possible to the train for our price range. She seemed to have a good relationship with a lot of landlords in the area and is very knowledgeable about Astoria.
Sure, she can definitely be a bit much at times, and she did insist on getting cash deposits for everything, which put me off a bit. But she has an official office and a license and gave us paperwork and receipts for everything that we gave her. She kept everything as legitimate as possible, considering the circumstances.
She answered calls and texts right away and stuck with us when our schedules got really crazy.
We love our apartment now and we are loving Astoria. Thanks Cathy!

Be prepared to wait an hour for her to show up and another 4 hours just to see one apartment. I’ve never met a person so unorganized and sloppy as Cathy. She asks you the same question over and over but does not listen to your answer. You tell her your price range she still brings you to apartments way out of range. She is a hungry broker and it shows. Extremely desperate to take your money. Very aggressive and pushy and I wouldn’t recommend this place over my dead body.

Avoid this place!!!’
I dont know how she has good reviews its unbelievable, She is not honest at all and believe she is above the law, bad news Your not!
I will file a complaint against her and the money she stole from me.
Just AVOID Cathy!!!

This would be the worst realtor you would ever encounter. Please spare yourselves from her and her evil doings. I am officially filing a complaint through my lawyer through multiple channels because I am a victim of her knock-​off.

Cathy was one of the best real estate agents that I ever dealt with. I have been a tenant and a landlord for many years and have the chance to work with many agents. She is very honest, very hard working, and cares for the people that she works for. Yes, she is a professional real estate agent and charges a fee for her services but she works hard for that fee. The rental market in Astoria is very hard and she was not able to find for me the apartment that I was looking for. I ended up renting an apartment that another agent took me to. I will definitely give her a call the next time that I need to find a new apartment.

Cathy was very unprofessional. She was incredibly hard to get on the phone or have respond to text messages. She (I did feel) wasn’t honest with me about what was going on. She couldn’t control the situation that once a deposit is put down, the apartment goes off the market (for the time being).
A woman working for her claimed that Cathy’s phone died, which is why they couldn’t get a hold of her, which is ridiculous. There are pay phones to call people back and inform them of everything that is happening.
Avoid this place like the plague.

Cathy is the only good real estate agent in astoria. These bad reviews don’t make sense. Yes, she charges a fee and yes apartments disappear but she works on behalf of the tenant and doesn’t waste your time.
She is the only real estate agent who shows me what I want and has been honest every time I’ve worked with her.

Catherine did her very best to find my roommate, her 2 cats, and myself the apartment of our dreams. She was the ONLY broker that actually listened to what we needed (IE pet friendly, new construction) and stayed in our price range. We looked at nearly 5 places the first day, and even though we didn’t find anything that day she CALLED US BACK with MORE options the next day. Shes a broker that also a real and considerate person. Cheers, Cathrine your company knows whats up.
–RO

Shady, thy name is Cathy Federer.
Completely deceptive, will not explain what you are signing until she thinks she has you, posts CL ads with not even a hint that a broker is involved or that there is a fee. Just don’t even bother with this woman, she is not worth it.

I had a very positive experience with Cathy! She showed me several apartments based on what I told her, and I found the perfect apartment right away. She really knows what she’s doing, and can find you the best apartment for the best price. The receptionist, Joanne, was also very helpful and very professional. The only reason I did not give 5 stars is because I had to wait a while after my appointment, but if you’re patient, Cathy will find the best apartment for you! I highly recommend going to her to find an apartment, and I don’t think you will be disappointed at all!!!

Three weeks later I get a call that they have an apartment for me to look at. Nice to know, but I had already found one myself.

Realtors generally suck and are a bunch of slimy liars who will try to fob you off with something outside your budget or substandard. These guys definitely didn’t seem to fit that mold. We spent some time talking with the two ladies who worked there and they seemed caring and professional. Ultimately they didn’t have anything that fit our needs, but they seemed like people I would be happy to work with.

Cathy was FANTASTIC! I walked into her office cold on the afternoon before Thanksgiving. She dropped all her personal appointments and took me to see several places, all of which I could have taken. She found me a fantastic place for my family at a very good price. Ignore the other reviews and go see Cathy!

I totally agree and will return to confirm how awful she is.