Astoria Apartments LLC

My roommate and I decided to relocate from Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to Astoria, Queens. We found Taso through Craigslist. When we meet at his office he quickly showed us the viewing we had in mind plus other possibilities that met our preferences, near public transportation,
food store, laundry service, big bedrooms and a LIVING SPACE. After researching many apartments online and reaching out to brokers, it was a relief to stumble upon Astoria
Apartments LLC. Taso was responsive and more than helpful. We communicated via phone calls and texts. He kept us in mind whenever he had new listing and we were the first to view them. When we finally found a place things moved very quickly. Taso set up a meeting with the landlord at our convince (even though it was near the holidays). Taso helped emphasis our loyalty as tenants and the landlord approved. Taso worked through Christmas and New Years to ensure our apartment would be painted and cleaned for our move in date of January 2^nd. He even offered suggestions for moving companies that could help if needed. You can’t go wrong with Astoria Apartments LLC and definitely can’t go wrong with Taso and Kim.

Tasos is great! My roommate and I were working with some guy we met on Craigslist and it became apparent they were trying to screw us. Roommate called Astoria Apartments at 7:30 and in less than an hour Tasos had us viewing two apartments. We were able to sign the place the next day.
The guy works late every night and extremely flexible and sensitive to his clients needs. He walked us through the full process and made sure we both understood everything first. Also has a really nice and convenient office. After ysome bad experiences in the past, I’m thrilled that I finally found a realtor I can trust!!!

Taso is a great broker period. Quick and honest, made the experience painless and we got a great apartment. Use these guys if you want an apartment in Astoria.

I rented an Apartment from Taso and Kim last year. I had a horrible experience at the apartment they rented me. Prior to signing the lease, they assured me the landlord was a wonderful guy. Throughout my year at that apartment I had a severe roach infestation, squatters living next door, I was locked out of the building several times, had an electric fire due to the building not being wired to code, and spent several days during the winter with the temperature in the apartment below legal requirements. Upon moving out, I expressed to Taso how horrible my experience was, but he essentially said the issues were the landlords problem and he was going to continue to show the apartment. He did wait to show the apartment until after I moved out so I wouldn’t tell his new clients about my horrible experience. Taso knowingly rented my apartment knowing the safety issues and problems I had. I guess Astoria Apartments is not trying to find their clients quality apartments and are just renting places they know people won’t stay so they can continue to collect realtor fees. I would never use them again and highly recommend everyone find a different company.

We had a great experience with Taso. After being scammed by Astoria First Realty I didn’t trust just any real estate agent. But Taso was very professional. He knew exactly the type of apartment we were looking for and didn’t waste our time showing us random apartments. The first apartment he showed us we loved and he made it happen. I would absolutely recommend his business and I would come to him again if I ever need another apartment.

Great experience working with Taso. Especially after another real estate agency in Astoria tried ripping me off. I had about a week left to find an apartment in Astoria before my current lease was up. I found a listing on Craigslist listed by Taso, it was no longer available however the next day he showed my fiancée and me a great apartment. We did have give a lot of paper work to show we were responsible tenants who could afford the rent, which was a tedious process however I know it’s necessary to find an apartment in NYC. Within 24 hours he set up a face to face with the landlord and us, which was very important to me and he even got us the keys a week early for free! It was a quick, straight forward process and most importantly no BS! We love our new apartment. I absolutely despise apartment hunting and moving but if I’m looking to rent again, I’ll go straight to Taso.

We had a fantastic experience with Astoria Apartments. We worked primarily with Kim and somewhat with Taso. They are hardworking, honest, professional, and responsive. Here are the top 3 reasons we recommend this realty office:
1. They listened to us. We gave Kim a list of our requirements and she narrowed her search accordingly. So many times in the past, our past relators would present us options somewhat in the ballpark of what we were looking for (both in terms of price and what we wanted in an apartment) and the apartment search went on a lot longer than we would have preferred. In contrast to those prior experiences, Kim showed us two apartments that fit our criteria and we were able to get the ball rolling on the first apartment we saw.
2. Responsive and reliable. Any time we had a question or concern, Kim and Taso were reachable by phone and if they didn’t know the answer, they got back to us within the hour.
3. They helped us troubleshoot. We ended up having to move out early from our previous apartment and Kim helped coordinate an earlier move in with our current landlord. Although the situation was frustrating, Kim worked with us to make it as smooth as possible.

Highly recommend. Before coming here, we looked for 3 weeks with multiple brokers and didn’t see anything good in Astoria; everything was just a little too far from where we wanted, or it already had 3 applications. We worked with Taso 1 day and found a place. Everything he showed us was great. He knows landlords and doesn’t BS you. Very happy :)

I never write reviews but after my experience with Astoria Apartments, I had to write something. After seeing about a dozen apartments with different brokers I had just about given up, when a friend suggested I contact Kim after having a good experience working with her. I gave her a ring and arranged to meet the following day. The great thing about working with her and Taso was that they only showed me listing within my budget and showed me three very different places to get a sense of what exactly I was looking for. I ultimately went with the last place they showed me, which was in the exact area I wanted (right next door to my friend’s place!). But the reason I’m writing isn’t simply because I found a great place (so far, so good anyway) but because of what Kim did after I signed the papers. While most brokers would take the money and run, Kim didn’t. When I moved in there were still a few repairs that needed to be made, and Kim contacted my landlord on my behalf and even went over to my new place while I was out of town to make sure those repairs were made for me. I’ve never had a broker work so diligently for me before, and it was the first time I felt paying the broker’s fee was worth every penny.
To those complaining about handing over cash deposits, that’s pretty much how all the brokers in Astoria operate. At least with these guys you have receipts for any and all transaction that takes place. I’d recommend Astoria Apartments to anyone looking in Astoria.

I always like to give the good with the bad. Anytime I see a 100% scathing review always think «yeah this person must have an axe to grind». Anyway, started the annoying process of contacting realtors via Zillow, etc., found something interesting on Craig’s List and inquired. It had Kim’s # on it, and she was very responsive. I like this. I am about to plop down quite a few thousand dollars here, so please at least do me the courtesy of trying to earn that few-​grand-​you-​make-​for-​15-​minutes-​work…
Anyway I digress… I had become obsessed with getting outdoor space (for my pet), and I drive (motorcycle and car) so parking was also a «very-​nice-​to-​have» option. The original apartment was no longer available but she wanted to show me something in the neighborhood I liked (half block away from current!) and said it had a driveway and backyard (exclusive use). It was a lower level apartment converted into a legal 1^st floor and it was definitely (somewhat)acceptable against some of the 1960s apartments I was shown by other realtors, not to mention ridiculous pricing on new-​construction-​rentals (another rant to post somewhere else). Backyard was great and driveway was… TINY but hey it’s a driveway in Astoria (like a unicorn). They were very nice and responsive throughout the whole process, and had discussed with them specifically using the driveway for my car. They had both told me «yes you can use it as a driveway to park your car in. Buy a sign and yellow paint and paint the curb». I saw the curb wasn’t lowered so even asked again to be sure; Kim’s response was «Taso said you can use it as a driveway». GREAT. Met the owners and they were awesome; took care of some things I had requested before moving in. So when I finally removed the iceberg of snow from in front of the driveway, squeezed the car into it. A few days go by and I get a text from the landlord «You have to move the car, it is not a legal driveway». Explained that the brokers told me specifically that I can and even wrote it into the lease. Here is where I MESSED UP. PEOPLE, ALWAYS SCRUTINIZE THE LEASE. BRING IT TO A LAWYER OR A FRIEND TRUST ME. I get home look at the lease and remember him talking about the driveway and dog as he wrote them in as an amendment. When I read the lease it only said (included the dog) «use of front space». So I know when it comes down to it I have to get the car out and don’t have too much recourse. Talked to Taso and explained that this was a selling point and he started with the «what I really meant was you can park on the street in front, buy some cones». Now living a half block away for 8 years I don’t need to be told this. ANYONE can park in front. He then said he would talk to the landlord. Calls me back and says «ok if you take the sign down its ok». GREAT. Then calls me a few days later, and starts abruptly telling me how I need to remove the car. UMM. WHAT? Barely could get a word in edgewise as he would not listen to my logic, and really must have believed that he never told me I can use it to park a car. I tried to inject some logic but got more defensive and loud and he finally just said «bye» and hung up on me. I looked up a text where Kim said «yes Taso said you can use it as a driveway» and forwarded a screenshot of it to them both. Nothing. No response. After about a week I wrote something like «I guess your silence means you are too proud to apologize or you don’t care». Kim responded and after some back and forth (where she was VERY nice by the way) I just decided to let it go. She invited me to the office to talk to Taso but I am so annoyed I decided to just leave it at this 100% honest review. Keep in mind Taso never responded to any of those texts. Some sort of financial compensation would have been great, but honestly an apology from Taso would have been enough to at least NOT write this review
IMO most brokers are snake-​oil salesmen (and women) and this experience just kept that spirit alive.
PROS: They are responsive, gave me a little break on the broker fee as the rental price was a bit higher than I wanted to go
CONS: Misleading me about an amenity (and fairly major selling point), throwing the broker-​fee discount in my face when I complained
LESSON: ALWAYS READ YOUR LEASE!
SIDE-​RANT: Maybe the rentals wouldn’t be so high, if there wasn’t a broker’s office every third store front in Astoria???

I’ve had great experiences working with Taso. I’m a repeat customer and would gladly recommend him to any of my friends. Not only did he find me some great apartments, but during the process he was accommodating to my late work schedule showing apartments at all hours of the night.

Kim & Taso were great brokers. Major pros compared to other brokers is below:
1. Very professional
2. They have an office and provide receipts for everything, so you are more assured that you are not handing your $ over to some random person (plus I would rather trust my personal information with an established company than a person who you don’t even know if they will keep it secured/​dispose of it properly)
3. They have a lot of connections in Astoria (not just landlords but also movers, handymen…)
4. Their broker fee is very reasonable
5. They are very nice and great to work with. As a young professional who is super busy they agreed to meet on weekend, lunch after work etc
Definitely going to use them again and recommend to friends!
Thanks Kim and Taso!

Taso is the best agent I have ever worked with! He has amazing connections to some great steals in Astoria. He came highly recommended to us by another friend who he’d helped and I am certainly going to recommend him to anyone I know who is looking in that area!!!

After hitting that part of the NYC real estate hunt that can only be described as «that hopeless void where you’re sure you’ll be homeless», I called Taso at Astoria Apartments based on the recommendation of a friend. I’m so glad i did. Unlike other realtors who would either a) tell us we were being completely unrealistic b) encourage me to get rid of my cat or c) show me places that most definitely did NOT meet the requirements I laid out… unlike all of them, Taso listened to what we needed and only showed us apartments that met EXACTLY those criteria. What’s more, he wasn’t just a glorified showman. He actually hustled for us, talking one landlord down to our budget. We ended up deciding not to take that place. The next place he showed us he showed ONLY to us because he knew it would be perfect. And it was. And then he talked us (and my less than stellar credit) up to the landlord. We just signed papers last night.
If you’re sold on living in Astoria forget sifting through Craigslist et al. Talk to Taso and tell him exactly what you’re looking for. It took him less than a month to find us a damn near perfect apartment.

So happy I finally found my dream apartment in Astoria. I just moved to Astoria from Middle Village cause the commute to the city was hectic from Middle Village. I work so much and finding an apartment it’s always a headache. Looked for a broker in Astoria and found Astoria Apartments LLC. Went to their office and I met the sweetest real estate agent, Joanne. She is unbelievably nice, professional, helpful. She looked at me and she knew exactly what I wanted. Took me to the apartment and that was it. We made the deal in the same day. Fast and without headaches. I highly recommend her to all my friends and I usually don’t write reviews on Unilocal but this time I was so impressed and I really wanted to share this with everyone. Ask for Joanne! Five stars are not enough when it’s about her !

Unlike most brokers, Taso took the time to understand what I need and then took me to places that met my criteria. Timing is very important in what is available. The housing market right now is ruthless and that may cause Taso to appear ruthless as well. He helped me find my almost perfect apartment.

This place is awesome! Despite a bunch of really difficult landlords and a bunch of deals falling through because of them, Kim still managed to find my brother and I the perfect apartment! Five star service without a doubt. If I ever move again, I’ll be heading straight back over to their office!

I have been renting places in the NYC using realtors, mostly. So far I had the best success with Astoria Apartments LLC.
I wasn’t really liking my old landlord for some various reasons — 1) wouldn’t provide me with much heat, 2) never fixed the windows I requested and they would always remain open, 3) place had mice. So I decided to look for another apartment. When I came to Taso and his team, I was able to find a place immediately — actually the same day.
Taso’s coworker Kim T, also helped a lot with a lot with this apartment — figuring things out with the landlord, showing me the place and making sure everything goes very smoothly.
The only thing I was a bit uncomfortable with was after signing the lease about 2 weeks in advance, I didn’t get any keys or copy of the lease. Previously I have always got the apartment keys when I signed the lease. But it didn’t really matter. I trusted them and they made the entire thing a smooth transaction for me. So I am grateful for that.
I read a few reviews like they «made» someone get a $ 500 good faith deposit in cash or «made» someone get the entire realtor fee in cash … I must say, so far any good faith deposit that I made was in cash. The rest of the fee that I paid, Taso mentioned I could give him either back check or cash (just so I don’t have to pay the $ 10 back check fee), which I thought was considerate.
In any case, I’d definitely use Astoria Apartment’s service again if and when I have to look for a place in future.
Thank you Taso and Kim for your help with my current apartment.

I too worked w Taso and then watched him show several apts in my building to other ppl and he lies allllllll the time. So assume he’s lying and do your research.
Brokers fee is demanded in cash. No joke. He sent me to Citibank and when I couldn’t take out over $ 500 at a time from the ATM he argued w me that I could and should go back and try again.
Showed me terrible apts and I took the best of the worst. Lied about a leak in one apt. And lied about the apt I took. I asked about the driveway behind my apt he lied and said no one uses it and it’s used ALL the time. People park back there and it’s residential and commercial garages. So noisy and no privacy.
Then while I’ve been living here apts opened up in my building and I could overhear his lies as he shows the apts to other ppl. Landlord ripped the floor out 2 yrs ago and never fixed it and he lied and said the floor is sticky and that means they just took it out. Didn’t get fixed until at least 6 months later.
While I was signing my lease he asked me to lie to the landlord. Plus lie to another girl signing her lease. He apparently was charging her more than he showed me the same apt for and he didn’t want her to know.
Lastly you will wait around forever to be helped in this office. Waited to be seen when I made an appt. Then when I retuned to take the apt, he left to show someone else some places and I had to stand around for over an hour waiting for him.
Like any realtor, you may or may not see a good apt — it depends on timing. But when you see them w these guys they will lie and intimidate you just to get you in there. Good luck!

Update: Still happily living in the apartment Taso found us, 3 years later. The landlord is thorough & the super is kind. Maybe I lucked out…
In my opinion, Taso is a great realtor. One star reviews call him «pushy»…Are we talking about church or a realtor’s office?
My situation: Old apartment was month-​to-​month — and ceilings were getting leaky, neighbors were getting noisy and we knew it was time to bail. But we didn’t want to give our notice until we found a decent one-​bedroom in the right location for a fair price.
After a week and a half of combing Craigslist, dealing with attitudes, and seeing scummy apartments, we were pretty sure we’d have to wait another month before we moved. It was late in the day, so I decided to search one last time — and saw a listing for a promising apartment. My guy got on the phone and 15 minutes later, we were at Astoria Apartments shaking hands with Taso as he ushered us to his SUV and drove us straight there. The place looked great, and the price was right — $ 200 less than our max!
We know better than to say yes on the spot, so we decided to take a hike and talk it over. Taso had already said there was someone considering the apartment, but he also said he’d hold it for us overnight on our word — no deposit. After a couple hours we called back, made sure it was still available, and confirmed all the fees. Unlike other local realtors, his fee was only one month’s rent and a credit check. Next, we called our landlord and dropped the axe, then called him back and said yes. He held the apartment for us till the following evening. We met him and the landlord back at the office, talked a bit, went through all the paperwork, and sealed the deal. Maybe best of all, he actually gave us a copy of the credit report we paid for — a first for me. I’ve never known my credit score in my life.
I really can’t imagine things going more smoothly.
As for the reviews accusing him of working for the landlords — DUH. From the get go he told us he rented out all apartments in this particular building, and the disclosure agreement we signed clearly stated he was the agent for the landlord. I’d rather deal with a realtor who actually knows the landlord and gets him in the office to meet us before anyone signs anything.
I wish we’d found Taso earlier. I recommend him, without a doubt.