Welcome Home Real Estate

This agency is just another agency that is just destroying the affordability of NYC especially in areas like Sunnyside which is a working/​middle class neighborhood. I viewed a few spaces with them and they were insisting I would not find anything cheaper. Do not get fooled by these ladies sweet smiles and comfy atmosphere in their office.
Of course I found multiple listings through other brokers and on Craigslist that were more realistically priced and did not feel as if they were exploiting the market for their own advantages. And locked down an amazing one bedroom in Sunnyside Gardens for a more reasonable price. But what really ticked me off was their need to assure me that I would not find anything cheeper.
Try Queensboro or Olympic real estate agencies instead if you want to work with someone who is more honest and not looking to exploit NYC rent prices and blatantly lie to your face about the rates in the market in the area.

The boutique agency features many exclusive listings as they have personal contact with the landlords. This puts the agency at an advantage because they can negotiate the rental price with the landlords and create some wiggle room in case there is little/​no credit history on behalf of the applicant.
The agency focuses on Sunnyside and Woodside and the listings are pretty. The broker, Ms. Massimo, is well known in the neighborhood. As we were walking to visit the apartments, everyone knew her and greeted her. She definitely established a foundation of trust in the community, which is what sets her apart from the franchise competitors such as Corcoran and Century 21^st. Sunnyside and Woodside are getting as expensive as the Upper East Side, but you get the silence that you do not get in Manhattan.
I really really loved the fact that Ms. Massimo knows the landlords and that her listings are not some random listings off the MLS. She also knows the properties, as in, she has seen them and she knows whether they would be a good fit for you or not.
She was also very patient with me. I am a picky renter, and usually start my search three months in advance of the expiration of my lease. We walked into a lovely one bedroom at the top floor of a pre war building, but the unit was next to the elevator. There was a strange and persistent noise coming into the apartment, and she found out it was indeed the elevator’s engines. I ended up not taking the apartment.
I will go back to her soon. (Fingers crossed I won’t need to) And if not, I will refer everyone I know to her. People who complain about Sunnyside being expensive… it is about time you get better jobs. Even New Rochelle is expensive (it’s actually more expensive than Queens).
To be considered by the landlords you mush have great credit, make 40X the rent, and possibly have a guarantor in the tri state area. Good references from previous landlords may help, if you lack the credit score.

I first met Carmela Massimo when she showed me a house in Sunnyside Gardens over 10 years ago. She helped me make an offer, which probably would have been accepted except that the owner’s purchase of another property fell through, so he ended up taking the house off the market. I went on to buy a house in the Gardens directly from a different owner who did not use a broker. But I kept in touch with Carmela — she was an excellent resource for local vendor referrals and generally a source of wisdom and knowledge about the community.
Fast-​forward 10 years and I’m now living in Los Angeles and renting my Gardens house. Without even putting an ad up, Carmela found me very high-​quality tenants in exactly the timeframe I was hoping for, went above and beyond to help get the place ready and liaise with the outgoing tenants, and handled all the tenant screening and lease paperwork extremely smoothly. I feel lucky to have her looking out for me while I’m so far away, and when I sell the house someday, I will definitely have her handle the sale. She is very knowledgeable about the area and has her finger on the pulse of real estate values — not to mention an address book full of people hoping to buy in Sunnyside as appropriate properties become available.

They told me about an apartment on 43^rd street for 1900 dollars (way above my budget which apparently would not get me much in the neighborhood) Gosh so negative! at least pretend to care) However I had just seen the same apartment with another realtor up the street who in the office had said it was 1850 by the time the lady walked me there it was 1875!!! and at Welcome home it was 1900!!! REALLY? REALLY? very classy, I said nothing. speaks volumes. They were not unpleasant just uninterested in my budget.

I knew I wanted to rent in Sunnyside or Woodside, so I searched online for a small, local company with expertise in those areas. I called the Welcome Home office after business hours on my first day in New York City. Carmela Massimo returned my call the next morning. By phone we discussed my budget and some desires and she offered to show me two places in her portfolio that met my criteria. Even over the phone, she earned my trust immediately due to her demenor, her many years of experience, and her thorough knowledge of the area. She was honest about everything. Carmela was direct, informed, and patient while giving me tours. In the end, I signed the first unit she showed me and she maintained good communication during the application process and through an interview with the owner of the small building. On move in day, I met her at the office to pick up keys and she even offered to ride in the U-​Haul with my parents for the few blocks to the unit to help find a parking spot! I’ll recommend her to everyone I know.
Though I didn’t work with anyone else in the office, the others present were always friendly and courteous on the three occasions I visited. I was dreading the experience of finding a first apartment in NYC, not least because I had limited time to search. Nothing about the process could have been better. Thanks, Carmela!

Absolutely disgusted by this company. I was interested in property listed by this company. It was shown by appointment only, so I decided to walk by it to see exact location and such. As I approached the address I saw several people walking out of it, I asked a couple that was leaving if there is an «open house»? They told me no, but pointed out to an agent who showed them the place. I ran up to her trying to get a little bit more info and possibly see the place, since she was right there. Carmela, was her name, did very good job trying to talk me out of this property. She pretty much told me that previous owners had issued with the noise, that the back yard is split, that the property is rather small, questioned me if I am familiar with the neighborhood and its’ prices and she absolutely killed me with her last statement… She said, and I quote «I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, BUT WE DO VERY CAREFUL SCREENING OF OUR BUYERS» Seriously??? That’s right, you don’t know who I am and what my bank account looks like. I was absolutely flabbergasted by that statement. I would never, ever, do any business with this company and I will spread the word to anyone I know not to have any dealing with them!!!

While looking for an apartment in several neighborhoods in Queens, I had previously dealt with a lot of brokers. With few exceptions, they all shared a couple of things in common — they didn’t show me anything I hadn’t already found online, they lied blatantly about things I already knew through my own research, and they expected me to pay them 1 – 2 months worth of rent for the privilege of dealing with them.
Welcome Home, and specifically Carmela Massimo, was 180 degrees different. After I wandered into her office unannounced right before closing time, she listened to my requirements, went through her files, and on the spot showed me a place that wasn’t even officially listed yet. She gave me details on the building and its owner that I couldn’t have got elsewhere. She proceeded the next day to also show me another more expensive unit she had listed, but explained several things about the cheaper one that actually would be better for me. She guided me through the application process, including keeping me informed when the landlord went incommunicado in Europe for a week, and never fed me a line of BS the whole time.
I’m living in Sunnyside now, and if it weren’t for Carmela I probably wouldn’t be. Seems worth a Unilocal review.

My wife and I were looking for a 2-​bedroom apartment in Sunnyside. We gave our maximum budget and were told that someone would get in contact with us. Granted, the broker mentioned that finding something within our budget would be tough but that she would be on the lookout. We never heard from her again.
I would expect a small business that invokes a «home sweet home» brand would at least have the courtesy to let us know that they are not finding anything in our price range and that we should look somewhere else. Luckily, we found another agent, who was able to get us a 2-​bedroom apartment below our budget in Sunnyside. I would recommend this realtor if you have a budget that is to their liking… else they do not believe in working for you.

I cannot say enough good things about my experience with Welcome Home, specifically the agent I worked with, Carmela Massimo.
I found Carmela from one of her listings posted on craigslist. The listing was accurate and had lots of pictures (quite often not the case in NYC). From the first call I made to her, she was flexible in her schedule in showing me the apartment, took me back a second time that afternoon so I could look again (after I thought of some more questions), was very low pressure, professional, and kind. Having lived in several apartments in NYC and dealing with many real estate agents/​brokers in my apartment searches, this was a truly different and positive experience.
The application process took a bit of time as the landlord had a few questions and some back-​and-​forth over the course of a week. Carmela kept me updated daily and was always reachable by email and phone.
What impressed me most was that even after lease signing, Carmela offered to reach out to the building management to help coordinate some details of my move in date.
I would highly recommend Welcome Home Real Estate if you’re looking in the Sunnyside/​Woodside area.

Thanks to Bonnie at Welcome Home I’ve ended up in Sunnyside :) she’s patient and understanding of what your looking for and has no problem working around your schedule for showings. The office is two blocks off the 7 train at the 46/​Bliss stop

Although I have not ended up renting an apartment through Welcome Home, I wanted to write a review for them because my experience was so positive. I have been looking for an apartment in Sunnyside, Woodside, or Forest Hills over the past six months, and after dealing with some of the most pushy, condescending, shady, and unprofessional brokers on Craigslist, I went to Welcome Home’s office one Saturday while exploring Sunnyside with a friend and met Nerina.
I was not in a rush to find a new apartment, and I admit to being extremely choosy, and Nerina has been patient, friendly, efficient, responsive, and completely professional. She knows the area extremely well, listens to what her clients need in an apartment and only shows appropriate listings that suit what her clients want. I will be looking to buy a place in the next year or so, and I will definitely go back to her. Don’t waste your time or money dealing with obnoxious, unprofessional brokers; go to Welcome Home if you are looking in Sunnyside.

Bonnie from Welcome Home Real Estate was fantastic helping my niece find an apartment. Bonnie was very caring and the same time extremely professional. My niece is very very happy with her new place thanks to Bonnie.

Note: I didn’t actually end up getting an apartment with them, but they were so lovely that I wanted to review anyway.
I met with Narina regarding an apartment that was amazing and remarkably well priced — so first off, impressive on her for showing such a great place that was such a bargain (I didn’t get it because of my issue with the décor, not any pressing issue, my boyfriend still thinks I’m crazy). She was absolutely lovely from start to finish (think of the kind of personality /​persona that goes with someone named Narina). I told her I wasn’t moving forward with the apt. after I applied and she was still lovely. If I know anyone looking for an apt. I will recommend her certainly.

I had spent a couple months scouring internet postings for Sunnyside and Woodside, dealing with pushy brokers, and seeing some real duds, when I finally wandered into Welcome Home.
We dealt with a warm and friendly broker, Nerina, who wasted no time in immediately showing me the apartment that met all our parameters. In fact, I’m sitting in that apartment right now, and both my fiancé and I love it.
That’s right. She brought us to the perfect apartment, in our price range. First. And when we asked to get the paper work going, she did. Immediately.
We dealt with several of our own complications, and she was both patient and understanding while we got our act together. She took every one of our phone calls, and explained every silly question we had. It was my first time finding an apartment, and not a sublet, and signing a lease, and I was searching for my fiancé as well, who was currently stuck in a far off city. While I was stressed out beyond belief, she made getting the apartment the easiest part of the process.
During my time in the office there, it became clear that Welcome Home is a small-​town business. The brokers are on a first-​name basis with the people walking their dogs past the shop, former clients pop their heads in say «hi,» and they know every nook and cranny in the neighborhood, and are not shy to share that knowledge with you.