Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty

Absolutely crushing experience working with Tammy DeWolfe of Gibson Sotheby’s! We make an offer for her client’s property. She verbally tells us the offer has been accepted. Tammy then sends us the DotLoop documents for us to sign. We sign. She then comes back to us to add new contingencies for the seller. We negotiate, with Tammy telling us she has represented our response back to the seller. We are at this point $ 2500 apart on a $ 700K+ deal… rounding error. Then a cryptic «seller family emergency — seller unreachable through the weekend» message from Tammy on eve the Memorial Day shopping weekend. Tuesday, still radio silence from Tammy until after 9pm. Gosh golly, they got a new offer much higher than ours on the property. My thought is that the seller must not have been so unreachable after all! So if I had it to do over again, I would never sign a DotLoop P&S nor make an offer to Tammy DeWolfe or Gibson Sotheby’s again without having my own realtor from another firm.

They required I pay my realtor’s fee with a certified check, which was fine, but then they lost the check. Who knows where my information is floating around now… I no longer had the receipt from the certified check and getting the money back into my account was a lengthy and annoying process.

Gibson Sotheby’s is a good real estate agency. Or at least the realtor we dealt with was. We used them to find an apartment and was then managed by Avery Property Management who shares an office with this Gibson Sotheby’s location. Gibson Sotheby’s was not an issue (actually they solve a lot of the problems because Avery is so bad). I would HIGHLY recommend finding out if Avery will be your management company if you sign a lease with them.
Avery Property management was the worst management company I’ve ever dealt with. I left a review for them describing a few things that happened, so search for it if you’re interested in knowing how terrible they are. Again, Gibson Sotheby’s is actually quite helpful.

I just bought a condo!!!
Going into this, I had a lot of apprehension with this being my first time buying a house. I had read horror stories of sleazy realtors and hidden fees that will ultimately cost you all of your savings.
Jared got in touch with me after a random question I had on zillow and has been my realtor since then. I was hoping that it would be something super quick in time for the September 1^st lease, but it wound up taking over 6 months. He never complained about it taking a long time, never got pushy, and didn’t get frustrated when the house just didn’t ‘do it’ for me. As a young professional, it’s nice working with another young professional as he’s honest, aggressive, and will try his hardest to present your offer to the sellers and to get you in the door if you miss an open house. He also comes with some very good references for lawyers, home inspectors, and mortgage brokers that I wound up using.
If you’re a working professional and are looking for a realtor who won’t waste your time and gives you a straight answer every time, then absolutely go with Jared.

I wish I can give them 0. I make around 70,000 a month and my wife had gotten accommodation expenses for 2 years from a dental college. They rejected my application presuming I cant pay her rent without asking me questions. I think people who run this may be too rich/​busy caring about anybody’s preferences. They are too rich to be in business and should be shut down.

Dewina and Travis were very helpful when we were trying to rent an apartment in the South End. When we ran into serious trouble with the management company involved in the transaction, they were both very helpful in facilitating communication.

I worked with Kim B. to rent a unit in South Boston, and after just signing the lease today, I am thrilled to be writing her this fabulous review! Kim is responsive, friendly, has a great sense of humor, and is extremely knowledgeable. Making sure that I was happy was her top priority. Having rented ~5 units in Boston during my post-​collegiate life thus far, I can honestly say that Kim was the best broker I have worked with. I am so excited about my new apartment that she helped me secure, and will certainly keep her in mind when my boyfriend and I decide to purchase our first home!

Would not work with this organization again if Monic d’Alcantara is any representation. She was late for our scheduled apartment viewing on a very cold day while I waited outside — and then she was rude when she arrived. Dishonest person. Long story short, I found the apt. listing through CL and the deal with the owner was that if a CL tenant found without the agent, the fee to her would be less. She didn’t know I had learned this on the back end, and she lied to me (on video tape). She said she would follow up, never did, and when she finally did, she said that the rent had been raised and there was a new additional move in fee… sounds like SOMEONE wanted their whole realtor fee instead of prioritizing the owner’s best interest of getting the unit filled! ⁰⁄₁₀ on people skills and professionalism.

Page Innis was a wonderful realtor to work with. She was fast, professional and really took our standpoint in thinking about the right place to settle. I’d definitely recommend anyone to work with her.

Ah yes, the illustrious world of real estate in the great city of Boston. It was time to buy a 1 bedroom condo. I had been working with another agent but when I began my search, but I found it to not only be a bad match for me, but I felt as though i was flying solo in some ways, versus having a total partner. My agent had been out of town on multiple weekends (when there are open houses) and I had grown frustrated.
So, Easter Sunday morning, I venture to an open house, alone again, listed with Sotheby’s, in the building in the Fenway I had drooled over for years. After chomping at the bit all winter and spring with virtually no inventory in the sub-​$ 500k range, I had all but given up hope for finding a property and having the luck I needed to get a condo.
With multiple offers well over asking price for most properties, many foreign, all-​cash offers, some waiving inspection, I figured I was doomed. But, that Easter Sunday morning, things changed.
I met Gem Mutlu who was hosting the open house for a colleague, and realized that if I wanted this property, I needed to work with him. As he wasn’t the listing agent, but he was an agent at the same agency, I realized that my absentee agent would not be the best choice for me in this nutty market, and if I didn’t buy a condo soon, I’d continue to see my 350 square foot Fenway studio creep even closer to the obscene $ 2000/​month mark. I didn’t want to keep throwing money out the window. It was time to look out for #1 (that would be me). And as I learned from Jerry Maguire, this isn’t showfriends, this is showbusiness.
By jumping into this with Gem who was able to represent me, the DEAL CAME THROUGH. With my full-​price offer and the Gem’s presentation of the offer to the seller, it was accepted. In a market like this, maybe some seller would have waited for another offer, since my offer came in the day after the open house. However, whatever partnership between the seller’s agent and my new agent Gem, it worked in my best interest. The two made my dream property come to fruition.
After the offer was accepted, we began to work on some of the contingencies, a home inspection, some contractor estimates that we would use as part of our information gathering, much of it handled by Gem. Given that I was at a new job and couldn’t keep bumping out of work for everything, Gem gave me the true white glove treatment and handled everything in my absence. Without his assistance on these things, it’s possible I wouldn’t be able to work this deal AND stay employed!
The end result is that my first home and dream property are mine. Without the synergy that Gem and the seller’s agent, also from Sotheby’s, this could easily have fallen through in this crazy market. If you want the white glove treatment with a true professional who loves the exciting city of Boston proper, then work with Gem. Tell him I sent you!

Sad to report — Gibson has once again greatly disappointed. Do not rent from them. You’ve been warned.

Brian Hendrickson is an «A» player, he took the time to understand what we loved about our place, and was able to articulate that to our prospective renters. He was quick to reply to all of our questions and did so professionally. We look forward to continue working with him for many years — Jen and Jay

Page Innis was the realtor that rented my apartment. Hands down the least professional woman I have ever met. I should have known it would be a mess, when her emails were riddled with typos and grammatical errors. She hounded us with unreasonable requests and had a serious attitude problem. On the last day of my tenancy, BEFORE we were required to be out of the unit, she came and took all my mail and refused to bring it back to us. Definitely would not recommend working with her.

I had the pleasure of working with Jared Kurker. We first started out looking for many multifamily homes and ventured into all different parts of Boston and outside of Boston. After a year of looking and seeing countless properties every weekend, I finally purchased my 1^st Condo.
Jared is the definition of a perfect realtor. He doesn’t force you to buy something you don’t like, and he doesn’t put you in any uncomfortable situation. He is truly looking out for your best interest.
One of Jared’s strong trait is his motivation to do his homework and getting his facts right. Jared is always ahead of the game. He will run comps for the surrounding areas, call people, and provide you with as much information as possible before you make any decision. If you decide you don’t want to go through with the offer, he is more than willing to put in the effort and time all over again on the next property. I was able to save $ 16,000 through negation, and all this is due to Jared coming prepared to the table. My Leander has made the following remark «Jared works fast! He is 5 steps ahead the process and on time. We received all your documentation for closing and you are good to go!»
Another aspect of Jared I like the most is the relationship he creates with his clients. This is a people’s business, and Jared makes it his business to get to know you. He makes it very obvious from the start, he is here to work with you and build a relationship for the long term in case you have any questions or need additional help. He is not here to make a quick buck and not here to leave you stranded.
After such a great experience with my condo, I have continued to use Jared as my realtor to lease the condo I bought. He was able to get me top dollar for the condo for the area and a tenant that is absolutely perfect for the property I own.
Jared’s patients and good worth ethic allows him to be a top realtor in Boston. He represents Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty proudly, and does justice to the name. I would not be surprised if Jared started his own business one day, His people skills are great and he is destine for greatness!

Gibson Sotheby’s — total lack of professionalism.
Two times in the past four years I have walked in, filled out a rental application, and never heard from anyone afterwards. Both times I left numerous voicemails, with not one email or phone call even to say they were too busy to take me on as a client…
It’s comforting to see all the other one star reviews on here to know that it wasn’t me, it’s just the standard of their business.

My boyfriend Chris, and I worked with Brian Hendrickson to find an apartment in the Back Bay or South End. He was professional, laidback, and patient while we were looking. Chris and I are pretty picky– we were really specific about what we wanted and weren’t willing to settle for anything but. All of the options Brian showed us were right in the realm of possibility.
One of the best parts about working with Brian is that he didn’t pressure us too much to take a unit we didn’t like. Sure, he wanted to get us in somewhere, but he was easy to work with and understanding. He let us take our time through each unit. He was also willing to work as hard as he could to show us units during the hours we could see them. We both work full time, so this is sometimes challenging when living in Boston.
I would wholeheartedly recommend Brian to anyone looking to rent in Boston. The high quality of units, the honesty, and the laidback attitude was something we appreciated. We are happy to report that we’ll be moving in to a new place in the Back Bay on August 1. We can’t wait!
UPDATE*** — Brian reached out during the moving process and offered to help. It was extremely considerate of him to think of us as we are moving. I didn’t have the heart to ask him if he wanted to move our couch for us, but if I asked he probably would!

Over the course of 2 weeks, my girlfriend and I worked with Jared Kurcher in our search for a South End apartment rental (he worked out of the 597 Tremont office). Jared was incredibly easy to work with. Every time I reached out with a question (whether via phone, text, or email) he was quick to respond. And more importantly, he was honest and realistic in his advice and never pressured us into acting before arriving at a fully-​formed decision.
After coming very close to signing a lease, my girlfriend and I decided to stay in our current apartment. Rather than taking our change of heart poorly, Jared kindly offered to help us restart our search again in a year’s time. It might be due to a lack of experience on my part, but I fully expected our decision not to move to have the result of burning a bridge with a competent and friendly agent. But Jared proved that assumption wrong.
I am not sure what other Gibson’s realtors are like to work with, but if Jared is any indication, you will be in good hands.

It shouldn’t matter whether or not you are a client… agents here should treat everyone they are in contact with with respect.
I can assure you after this experience, I will not be working with Gibson’s in the future, and I will be telling everyone I know not too either. The fact that my issue was handled so poorly is a reflection of this entire company.
I was referring to the fact that I was always promised a call back from Andrea, and she never called me back. When I spoke with her (for the 4^th and 5^th time) she had no idea what I was talking about, it was like I had to go though the whole thing all over again.
At first she said she would work to get me a refund. Her story quickly changed, and she handled the problem by doing NOTHING.

After everything I went through trying to find a new apartment for Sept. 1, I was thoroughly impressed with Kristen. I highly recommend her.
She was professional and friendly throughout the process. She was upfront about the competition for apartments, especially in South Boston. Because of her words, we filled out a rental application as soon as our appointment was over. We found out later that someone called the next day wanting our apartment. Thank goodness we made a quick decision!
That wasn’t all. She took the time to go through the entire lease and explain to us what each piece meant. I have NEVER had a Realtor do that for me before. Ever. And I have signed a lease in front of 2 different Realtors for 2 different apartments.
This attention to detail and customer care level should be standard at every real estate company in Boston. Sadly, it is not.
Skip the folks at Jacob, etc. Go straight to Gibson.

I decided to sell FSBO. I paid to use MLS and offered 1% as a co-​broke fee to deter any brokers from brining their clients. I went the FSBO route because I didn’t have enough equity to pay out a commission. If there was sufficient equity, I would have hired a broker to take care of the sale.
Allison Mazer, of Sothebey’s International Realty located at 69 Newbury Street, 2^nd Fl, Boston, MA 2 116, brought a client to my first open house. Allison called me after the OH because she wanted to know about the 1% fee. I explained my situation.
Allison informed me that the usual broker fee is 2.5% and I told her I was aware of that and my fee is still 1%. She asked if I would be willing to go up another point and she would take a hit on the 0.5 point, which was a HUGE concession on her part. I said no. I suggested she ask the buyer if she wants additional commission. She said this would be a difficult conversation, I reiterated my situation. I felt I was pretty clear where I stood. Mind you, I agree people should get paid what they are worth and I’m not suggesting she shouldn’t get the full fee. She went on to tell me she has never seen anything like this and would have to contact the CEO of her company to see if this commission could even be accepted.
I can understand she didn’t want to work for a small amount; however, her client was driving this transaction. Don’t realtor’s licensed by the Greater Boston Real Estate Board and hold a license under the Division of Professional Licensure of Boston have a fiduciary duty to their clients?
I never found out what the CEO said. Allison was in a tough position. Her client was interested in the property and I couldn’t pay more than 1%. I’m not going to get into the myriad of phone calls/​emails, low ball offers, comps to justify low ball offers, etc. My grievance is that she lied to me, misrepresented Sothebey’s and didn’t represent the buyer (to the best of my knowledge).
Commission came up again in one of our phone conversations. She mentioned how she used to work for a smaller «boutique» firm where rules weren’t so strict. Now that she works for Sotheby’s rules were enforced. She actually mentioned rules were «written in stone». I heard this and repeated what she said and she again answered in the affirmative that the rules are fixed.
She submitted additional offers each creeping toward my asking price. One thing I noticed was her fee was at 2% on these offers. I rejected the offers because I would only pay 1%. She mentioned the buyer was coming up with the other 1%. I figured good for her; however, I was confused. Why wouldn’t I be receiving the full amount of the offer presented? I realized she was including her additional 1% fee in the offer, which I would not be receiving. Also, wouldn’t I be paying stamp taxes on this extra money? Why all the games?
I really wonder if her client, who happened to be very nice, knew what she was aiming for, i.e., getting 2% at the risk of losing the sale. The end result was I went with a different buyer so I would not have to interact with Allison any longer. I found her business practices and ethics abysmal. Her client actually came in higher than the offer I accepted; however, it was worth it to me not to have to deal with Allison any more. Have she been more up front and not interested in playing games, she and her client would have gotten the sale.
I do not recommend Allison or Sothebey’s. After the closing, I called the managing broker, Laurence Rideout and discussed my concerns. He confirmed that nothing was written in stone and all fees were negotiable. He did feel Allison was doing her job and was trying to negotiate the fee. I took his comments to be a way of covering himself. I disagree with Laurence. The best business practice is complete transparency. Smoke and mirrors do not belong in any business transaction.