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.

  My two roommates and I had a great experience with Maurika. Seems like the one-star reviews concern other realtors, so I'd recommend asking for her when you call! My two roommates and I got a really cute and affordable 2-bed with a roof deck through Harvard Ave.

Maurika was very flexible with timing, and organized both a viewing and a lease signing after work hours, making it really convenient for us. She put us in contact with the current tenants, and we were able to negotiate over taking some of their furniture. She also helped us negotiate with the landlord about having an extra roommate when he originally only wanted to rent to two people. Additionally, she gave us her phone number and was happy to take calls outside of work hours. Maurika was able to meet us right at the apartment to get the keys instead of the office.

The only issues we had were that we only got one set of keys, which was inconvenient, and we weren't entirely solid about move-in time until the day before. It was a Sept. 1 move, though, so that's how those things go. Anyway, that's why Harvard Ave is 4, not 5, stars.

Overall a great experience! Would definitely work with Maurika again for housing in Brookline/Allston.

  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.

  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.

  I cannot praise Orit Aviv highly enough--she was exactly the type of broker I didn't know I needed to secure the housing I wanted. I'd contacted Orit regarding a listing that had already been rented, but she was incredible in helping me find other options. She was transparent and honest about the apartments we saw, incredibly easy to communicate with, and proactively sent me listings that fit what I was looking for that weren't available online. I can't say enough good things about Orit: she knows what she's doing and she's good at it. Because of her I found exactly what I was looking for: she helped me navigate an ever-changing, fast-moving housing market swiftly and successfully. A process that would have been stressful and headache-inducing was made easy and painless thanks to Orit. Best broker I've ever had, hands down.