Harvard Ave Realty

Orit Aviv. She is the reason for this 5-​star review.
Orit is not only very good at her job. She is a very special lady that will always go the extra-​mile for her clients. Out of many real estate agents that we’ve met, she was, by far, the fastest in finding good properties, the cleverest in negotiating with the landlord, and the best at knowing the neighborhood. She is intelligent, friendly, kind and warm, but most important– she delivers, while all the others just talk!
Orit found us a wonderful apartment, and solved several major issues by negotiating with the landlord. It was a pleasure working with her, and we couldn’t have asked for a better agent.

Orit was not just an agent doing her job efficiently and proactively, but she was also a caring friend who made sure I was getting the best out of the deal and she stepped out for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better broker!

I just moved from Philadelphia to Boston and my first goal was to find an apartment. Orit Aviv took it upon herself to help me through Harvard Realty. Knowing I was new to the area, Orit took me in and worked with me to find the perfect apartment that suited my needs. Her dedication to make me feel at home was extremely admirable and I was able to find a wonderful apartment as a result of her hard work and genuine care. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a comfortable and safe place to rent!

It’s not that easy to find an apartment for a family of 4 kids coming from
across the Atlantic… We have been looking for a place to rent for almost
6 months, with no success. We then contacted Orit and within hours (!!!) we
found the perfect place for our needs! Orit was friendly, efficient and
reliable. She also offered lots of helpful insights about the neighborhood.
Orit was patient, answered all of our questions and professionally managed the negotiation process between us and the landlord through email.
I would definitely recommend Orit to all the apartment seekers out there. Thank you!

Since my review (3 years ago I might add) — I’ve been contacted multiple times being asked to remove my review. One even going so far as to say my review was the reason someone was fired. This place clearly has issues far beyond one employee. Stay away. They don’t deserve business if they can’t even manage their own.
Also since some of the people who have messaged me have also posted 5 star reviews — I would take those with a grain of salt. They are clearly having their own employees lie and write positive reviews.

I’m not sure why there are so many bad reviews of Harvard Ave Realty! My boyfriend and I were looking for a one bedroom off-​campus to save money. We didn’t have a big budget and I was picky with what I wanted. Furthermore, apartments were renting out fast! We worked with Dan Patzelt and it was only a pleasure. He was very candid about the apartments and seemed to know a lot about the area. He was accommodating to our student schedules and even picked us up/​dropped us off at our dorm sometimes on the way to or from showings. Now that we’ve moved in, the process was easy. Dan answered all of our questions and concerns. I’d definitely recommend Harvard Ave to others!

Deanna is a great agent if you’re looking to see apartments in the Boston/​Allston/​Brighton area. She’s patient, attentive, and interested in helping you find a good fit for your needs. We really appreciate how quickly she would respond to emails and texts! If you need a good agent, give Deanna at Harvard Ave a call!

One star is too much for this business. I replied to a posting on
and Susan DeLeo called me. When I told her I was a grad student without a co-​signer, she hung up on me. This by fat has been the most unprofessional behavior I’ve dealt with. These people want an arm and a leg for sub par apts.
F.Y.I — if you didn’t abruptly hang up on me I was going to tell you that I would be paying a year’a rent upfront in full.

I never write Unilocal!reviews, like ever, but I have to give Marika at Harvard Ave Realty two thumbs up. She’s so sweet and truly cares about her clients, both renters and owners. She was super accommodating and got us into see units in no time at all. She was responsive and never left us hanging around waiting for answer. She was never pushy and always let us do things on our own timeline. I have a pretty limited experience with realtors but she is awesome– I, without a doubt, would choose to work with her again.

I had a great experience working with David. He was on time for my appointment and even stayed a little later than he normally does to show me a place and accommodate my schedule. He was honest about both apartments that he showed me, both the positive and potential downside, but I loved one and ended up signing a lease that night. I was lucky because the building works exclusively with him. He wasn’t pushy like most other realtors that I’ve dealt with. It was a really pleasant process, and I will be recommending him to anyone that needs a realtor.

Definitely the best real estate office in all of Boston!!! I’ve rented my apts in the past through other offices but I have to eat say, Harvard Ave Realty had the best customer service and made my apt hunt fast and easy !!
I rented my apt through David who was very friendly and helpful. The other employees in the office were also very friendly Everytime I’ve been in the office.

I see some negative reviews with Harvard Ave Realty, but my experience was with one agent in particular, Dan Patzelt. Dan showed us a place we unfortunately weren’t too happy with once we saw the size, but we went back to his office after at 8PM and he sat with us for over an hour going through listing by listing to find something for us. He was candid regarding location, landlords, price points, etc. In the end, we found something in Brookline that was a great deal though another agency, but Dan was still in contact with us.
He sent us an email asking how the search was going and once we mentioned finding a place, not only did he wish us well but he actually gave us a contact to reach out for to rent parking!
If you’re looking for a place in Brighton/​Allston, reach out to him, I swear he knows everyone in the area.

We just signed a lease today on an apartment with Sean Paine (Champagne Sean Paine). My roommates and I were apartment searching for months with other agencies and backed out of a place with another agent just so we could give our business to Sean. Everyone at the office was incredibly friendly and helpful and we couldn’t be happier about our new place. I really couldn’t have asked for anything more from Harvard Ave Realty.

Finding an apartment in Boston is never easy, and there are a lot of awful realtors out there that will show you something either out of your price range or something you explicitly said you didn’t want. Luckily, I met David Sugarman who actually listened to everything I wanted, and was able to show me all the apartments that met my criteria. When I mentioned I had a friend who lived in a building I liked, he spoke with the owner to get the apartments in his inventory. What a guy! He was always professional, and had a really friendly staff whenever I was in the office. I highly recommend Harvard Ave Realty to anyone looking for an apartment in the Boston area.

I had a fantastic experience with this realty! David helped me find the condo of my dreams and I am forever grateful to him and his team. He had great insight, knew the area extremely well and took the time to show me many different options. When the time came to negotiate the price David made every effort to get me the best deal possible. He is extremely professional and knowledgeable.
I would definitely use this realty again in the future and have told many of my friends and coworkers about the great experience I had!

I can’t praise Sean from Harvard Ave Realty enough, he is the best! He was professional, efficient, and helpful. I hate it when realtors show apartments outside my criteria for the sake of showing it. Sean never did that, and was very realistic about my options. As a result, I love the apartment he found for me. The entire staff was also pleasant in general, though I don’t have much experience working with anyone else.

I’m a little confused and disappointed that others on this page have given Harvard Ave Realty such poor reviews. In my experience this agency is as good as it gets. I came to Boston University last summer to take some summer classes — also Boston has been on my list of places to visit for some time. Harvard Ave Realty was incredibly helpful and accommodating in my search for a short term rental for the summer. What I appreciated the most was that this whole process was entirely last minute and yet they still managed to help me find a great apartment close to campus — and within my budget! I would highly recommend Harvard Ave Realty to anyone searching for an apartment in the Boston area. 5 stars!

Some of these reviews make me really angry. I grew up with parents as realtors, and I’ve met some pretty bad ones in my day… so I know the sour taste they can leave behind in your mouth. As a freshman at BU I first looked up Inbound Realty and was SO turned off by their awful and pushy service that I didn’t move off campus. As a sophomore looking for housing for my Junior Year, I stumbled upon Harvard Ave Realty and came across a Realtor named Dan Patzelt.
Honestly my situation was horrific. I had two weeks to find an apartment, and I was overseas without ANY internet connection for most of my transaction. Dan worked above and beyond to get me an apartment.
On top of that, when I landed in America the entire office helped me unload my 4 suitcases off the curb, into the office, and helped me move into my apartment THAT DAY (again I gave them 2 weeks notice.) Almost every agent in the office was so helpful that day. They helped me get a parking spot, worked with me even though I was probably the most difficult client they had. On top of that, I was getting a studio. That means they were making very little money on me.
I have to think that some of these reviews are coming from disgruntled customers who didn’t necessarily «get there way» which if you live in Boston for more than a year, you can understand not every apartment is going to be perfect for the price you’re asking. Honestly, I’m not sure why some agents are getting bad reviews, but I can say I’ve dealt with four real estate agencies in the Allston/​Brookline area and this is the ONLY one i’d recommend to a friend (and I have several times), and I’d recommend any Realtor there.

Eric at Harvard Ave Realty does nothing but post bait and switch ads on Craigslist. My husband and I have each called on separate occasions about a listing that was posted weeks apart and he called each of us back saying it was suddenly rented because it was such a great place. All he wants is to get you on the phone to see what you’re looking for and then try to get you into some shady apartment you wouldn’t otherwise consider.
Do not trust this «agency».

I would totally recommend Dan Patzelt, or as my roommates and I call him, realtor Dan. He was extremely helpful in our apartment hunt process and definitely gave us the insider tips to truly find what we all wanted. The best part was that he was very accommodating, being able to meet with us and answer our questions quickly and efficiently.
I do not know about havard ave realty as a whole, but I can tell you choosing realtor Dan will not be a mistake.