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".

  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 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.

  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 was moving cross country & eager to find someone willing to work with my via FaceTime, and with my strict budget. I was impressed by my realtors demeanor & willingness to help! Once we secured a place, I was informed the apartment would not be cleaned or painted before we moved in. We agreed to doing it ourselves on the basis we would be compensated for materials / time. We had already paid for the month and had no where else to go in the mean time. So we cleaned and painted and painted... a few weeks went by and still no compensation check... somewhere within those first few weeks we ended up locking ourselves out and had to have the door handle replaced, we were told the money would just come out of the money that we were owed... it took us three months to actually see a check and when we finally did, it barely covered the cost of the paint we purchased (which was your basic white, nothing fancy) This company ripped us off... would not recommend to a friend or anyone ..