Reviews of Elika Real Estate (Real Estate Agency)

Reena Liebling

I had the pleasure of working with Elika when I recently relocated to New York. Having never dealt with the New York real esate market before, I was extremely lucky to have Megan from Elika representing me. She found me the perfect apartment and was kind, patient, and professional throughout a process that would have been daunting without her. I would definitely recommend Elika to anyone looking to buy or rent an apartment in New York.

Jason Bulloch

I worked directly with Gea of Elika Associates and he has definitely earned my full confidence. I was moving up from Las Vegas, NV and he made the whole process of finding a place so much easier. Mr. Elika exhibits professionalism and is a tireless work ethic. I could reach him anytime of the day and he would make himself available to talk with us and work with us. I am really impressed by the service he provided us looking for the right property in NYC. He walked us through the buying process in detail so there was no room for confusion. I would recommend anyone to work with him in future. Thanks Gea!

Steve Lieberman

We were very fortunate to be introduced to Gea by a trusted friend for whom he had recently found a lovely condo on the East side. At the time we knew that we wanted to stop paying rent and invest in our residence, but we really didn't have any idea what or where would fit our needs. Gea spent a great deal of time helping us understand our options and showing us units in various neighborhoods. His patience paid off and he found the perfect unit to meet our needs in Battery Park. He knows the market, he focuses on his client's needs, and by working only for the buyer he never tries to push any property. We've been here 3 years now, and we're still very pleased to have worked with Gea. I highly recommend him for any prospective buyer--you won't be disappointed.

James Tate

I have lived in NYC all my life and have always found the process of looking for a place to live excruciating, that is until I met Gea and Megan. When I was finally ready to purchase my first apartment they found the perfect place for me within days. They handled every step of the process with professionalism and total regard for my best interests. Years later I couldn’t be happier with my choice of apartments or who I used to find it. I will ever use anyone else.

ika sitorus

Sara Yap has been very helpful, fun and yet professional who helped me find my dream place to live in. I was content with her representation and will definitely recommend her to anyone searching for future homes. Thank you Sara

Myles Glashier

Elika Associates are by far the best real estate firm I have worked with in New York City. Gea acted as broker for the rental of our Condo in Manhattan and did a superb job. He found a tenant before the property even hit the market and at a price that was beyond my expectations. The whole process was a breeze. Having worked with numerous brokers in NYC it was refreshing to deal with someone who is genuine, honest, efficient, professional and at the same time lots of fun. The sort of guy you would feeling confident doing a deal over the shake of a hand. Gea continues to go out of his way to help out. For example checking up on the work of flooring contractors, painters and cleaners for me when I’m out of town. Elika Associates were introduced to me by a friend and I would certainly have no hesitation in recommending Gea if you are looking to buy or rent out a property in NYC

Jenny Goodman

I really enjoyed working with Gea Elika of Elika Real Estate. This experience was everything we had hoped for from a buyer's agent. Mr. Elika demonstrated excellent service in helping us find the right property, and not just any property that he could just collect a commission on and walk away. He walked us through the buying process as first time investors in great detail and gave us first class representation. His experience and knowledge of the marketplace helped us navigate the market with confidence and ease. I look forward to working with Mr. Elika in the future and highly recommend Elika Real Estate for anyone looking for an exclusive buyer's agency.

Peter Alston

Jillian and Gea were incredibly helpful during our search and made sure we had everything we needed to get our new place before we had to be out of our rental. I would definitely recommend them to friends and family. They always had our best interests at heart.

Jesica Cruz

Just want to thanks Elika Asssociates for their service. I am over satisfied and highly recommend for all...

Kyle Mathews

Thanks again for everything you guys do in the area. I know that it's tough to find a reliable real estate company here in New York, but I am happy with Elika, and will be back again.

Ryan Norris

As first time home-buyers, we needed a lot of guidance through the process of figuring out fair value, negotiating the price, and figuring out the other details involved. Gea could not have been more gracious in answering all of our questions and making sure that we were informed buyers.

Marlene Moronta

As a first time buyer someone should hold your hand and that's what I thought I was getting by having a buyer broker, however, I would have been fine on my own. I am a Native New Yorker and was a first time buyer looking to purchase in Brooklyn or Queens, I had very specific parameters for actually making the purchase. I submitted these to the team at Elika and every time I would get back suggestions to look at places out of my price range, with too high a down payment, with too high a coop management fee, etc. I ended up finding places on my own and visiting 85% of them by myself, never with my buyer broker. It was a miserable experience that took 6 months. The brokers have little to no experience dealing with purchases in Queens therefore if you want to buy in Queens do not select Elika. As I was a first time buyer, as I had no contacts, I used the suggested support teams from Elika including my Lawyer and my Mortgage bank. I was taken advantage of by both, I later discovered two on-going issues that should have been found in the board minutes and through the inspection. The Elika agent, came to my final walk through and found so many issues that could have been identified even before signing the contract. She acted as if it was my fault that my inspection didn't uncover these problems. I did have a complaint against the inspector, however, had she taken the time to actually inspect the unit with me before I signed my contract I would have known to include those issues in my rider. If you need a recommendation for a lawyer go through friends (not anyone recommended by Elika), had I gone that route, I may have been happier. The recommended Mortgage agency immediately sold my loan and refused to give me credits they had promised, making it up by sending me a $400 check after the closing. I didn't get my list of final costs until 11 AM the day of my closing, when I was closing at 1PM. That was unacceptable and again something that my Agent didn't even bother pushing for. I felt completely abandoned in this purchase. I am happy where I am now (I found the apartment, came up with the offer on my own), but I know that overpaid considering all of the work that I've had to do. I finally had to get a lawyer for another issue that came up after the purchase (I also hate my management company they have gotten so many bad reviews, another item that could have been known before closing). If you need a recommendation, I’m using Ross Levine at Schwartz, Levine & Kaplan, PLLC. He’s more expensive than the lawyer recommended by Elika, but you get what you pay for, and I’m still paying for it.

Jinghui Xu

Gea is even better than what we could ever imagine. We found him through NAEBA. Very nice guy. He doesn’t require any upfront commitment, which is a huge risk for him, AND he was not pushing any deal. Gea is very professional in dealing with all kinds of people. But what we value the most, is his honesty. He is not just trying to say something that we want to hear, but what he thinks is right, based on his experience. Over the three months, we’ve gone through tons of different apartments. Even though he’s very busy, he was always there. He also patiently and promptly answered all of our questions. During the negotiating process, he was very professional. For the first apartment we bid for, we walked away because Gea told us that the price the seller asked for was ridiculous. Finally, we found our dream home, with Gea’s help. I don’t know what else you could expect from a broker.

Natasha Shick

I used Elika Associates to purchase my first investment property in Manhattan. Currently, this property is generating great income. Mr Elika is very knowledgeable of city and the market. He's a real professional and an amazing negotiator. He will not rest until the client is satisfied. I am currently in the market for a new family home for my husband and our son. Mr Elika has been very patient in helping us attain our dream home. I plan on using him time and time again.

Houdad Javidnia

We contacted Gea Elika after 3 months of conducting our own search in Manhattan through Street Easy and going to Open Houses on weekends. We were originally thinking that by going to Open Houses, we would eventually meet an agent whose style matched ours and whose knowledge of the market was suited for what we were looking for. Finding the right agent in New York City turned out to be a tougher task. Buying your home any time anywhere is one of the biggest decisions you make, but it becomes that much bigger in NYC where you're making a sizable investment especially in a hot market. Getting the right advice over saving a few thousand dollars or shaving a few months to rush into a decision was very important to us. The process for us was much more about working with an agent who was patient and consultative to help us through our own thinking about this decision. We didn't know this going into it (as much as we thought we did) and that was one of the most invaluable parts of working with Gea and his approach. After getting a bit of experience going through Manhattan open houses and interacting with several agents, I decided to search for buyers' agents and found Gea. Since he didn't require us to lock into any agreement with him right away, we saw it as low risk to work with Gea for a few weeks to see if he was the right fit. Gea worked with us through our initial set of requirements and spent the time to listen and help refine our search. One advice I would offer to any home buyer, especially in NYC, is to stay engaged in the process and regularly offer feedback to your agent (assuming you have one that listens well!) Our search once we started working with Gea took 6 months before we entered into contract. We started out looking in lower Manhattan but ended up buying a brownstone in Brooklyn. The inventory was low so any properties we were interested in often had multiple offers from the first open house. We put in 3 serious offers (in both Manhattan and Brooklyn) that we lost out on to higher or all cash offers. We had numerous places that we considered putting offers in on but the savvy advice of Gea, backed by his experience as well as facts and data he would research and provide us, helped us avoid the wrong investments or places that ultimately wouldn't meet our wants and needs. This was really important and helped further establish our trust in Gea. He wasn't in it to make a quick commission which became apparent when he advised against certain offers. Gea's circle of recommended references from mortgage brokers to home inspectors was another invaluable part of the experience of working with him that helped us put together the right team. I'm happy to say that we've been living in our new home for a month and a half. We are happy with our decision and couldn't have done this in a very hot market without Gea. In summary he top reasons we recommend Gea are: - he invested the time to look at properties with us and listened to our feedback - he invested the time in researching the right price when we put in offers - he advised against the wrong investments based on his experience and knowledge of NYC real estate - he never pushed a property for a higher price or a higher offer just to close Gea earned our trust and future references.

Tull Price

Great company. Gea Elika knows New York real estate from top to bottom. He represented me twice , once in acquiring an investment property which is yielding good results, the other purchasing my current residence. I was impressed on both occasions with his knowledge of Manhattan real estate, attention to detail and negotiating skills. If your looking for a place in NY i'd highly recommend you consider his services.

Robert Lindgren

Gemma found our dream home. She was extremely helpful, professional and she immediately understood what we were looking for. She showed us multiple fantastic options and took care of everything to make the otherwise pretty painful process a walk in the park.

Chris Millsom

I had a wonderful experience working with Gea at Elika Associates - his professionalism and dedication helped me smoothly purchase my first apartment in New York. To begin with, the website is fantastic with a great service to alert you to apartments that fit your criteria. His guidance on what property to look for was key as a first time buyer and his access to resources is great. Having closed less than a week ago, I am looking forward to many happy memories and years in my new apartment and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his services to friends or family and would definitely use his services again in the future.

Steven Thomson

Working with Gea and Elika Real Estate made setting up in New York that much easier, especially as we doing so via correspondence from Australia. Being a young family we wanted to avoid a sublet situation and then having to move again so we briefed Elika to find our new home. Gea listened to what we were after, provided numerous options and personally inspected up to a dozen properties on our behalf. From which he provided honest assessments, took additional photos and at one property (the one we ended up taking) even returned with a tape measure to ensure our furniture would fit. We have now been in our West Village home for 3 months and we couldn't be happier. Therefore, i wholeheartedly recommend Gea and Elika Real Estate to anyone in a similar situation to ours. You won't be disappointed.

Johnson Huang

Margaret L. (Elika Associates) was extremely knowledgeable and helpful as we search for a condo in Brooklyn, NY. She is truly a Buyer's agent and acts solely in the interest of the buyers (us), especially during the negotiation stage. Margaret is very responsive in emails, phone calls and text messages, she has many quality references from attorneys, banks to inspectors. Margaret did everything we ask of her such making appointments, speaking to sellers/agent, showing up to MULTIPLE appraisals, showings, walk-troughs and closing. On top of that, she is such a sweet and nice person, she listens and offers (no pressure) advice. We couldn't ask for a better buyer's agent. Thank you!!

Barbara Ann Rogers

Sara Yap was great to work with! She represented the buyers of a co-op I was selling as the listing broker. She was patient, thorough, and knowledgeable - truly a joy. I would love to do more deals with her!

le paris Co

Waratah Properties Algarve were incredibly helpful during our searching Vale Do Lobo, they made sure we had everything we needed to get our lovely new home before we had to be out of our rental. I would definitely recommend them to friends and family. They always had our best interests at heart. Thank you Waratah

Maria Gallego

As first time home buyers in the New York area we had no idea what to expect and only knew we had a daunting task ahead of us. Due to several factors we had a very complicated closing, but Sara was absolutely wonderful and helped us keep calm. From the very beginning it was clear she had only our interest in mind. She helped us with every step, even after we were in contract. I highly recommend Elika Real Estate and especially Sara Yap, a wonderful professional who really knows the industry.

Ying Gao

Rebecca Wu is one of the best brokers I have met not only because of her professionalism but also her attention to detail and extreme patience with the long difficult process during my search for housing. I was a young professional fresh out of college looking for an apartment in New York City. Having never really lived in the city, the experience of looking for housing was daunting, not to mention I did not have any guarantors who lived in the tri-state area. After learning about my tight schedule with work and my situation, Rebecca took note of my preferences and helped me to find the perfect place within a few days. It was a fast and efficient process and the experience became a lot easier with her help. In every step of the application process, she was there offering me suggestions while seeing the process through with the agent. Even after I have moved-in to the new apartment, she asked about the living situation and made sure I had no problems with the apartment. Rebecca is truly a responsible and caring person, and I feel very happy that I was able to receive her help in this process. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for housing in New York City.

Linda A

Denise Thirkill was our buyer's agent. It's great to have an broker whom you know is entirely on your side, and in it to make sure that you have the best outcome. Denise was very diligent in finding listings that fit our criteria for sq footage, location, price range, etc. while also looking for her unique take on whether or not a prospect would be a fit for us. So we did not waste time on apartments that we would never have bid on, such as those needing extensive renovations. She met us at every appointment, and went into the apartment with the same keen eye as you would look at yourself. In one case, she noted a flat landing outside of the kitchen window (not for use as a terrace) and inquired about how the area drained water which could have caused damage to the kitchen wall, something I would never have thought of to ask. After a long delay in approval of our bid, Denise advised us to write a letter to the owner to personalize ourselves. She has excellent instincts for negotiations and for what might be appropriate as next steps. Highly recommended.

Rob Spectre

As a first time homebuyer, I felt like I was jumping into the deep end of an ocean full of sharks wearing prime filet steaks as clothing. Manhattan is the most competitive real estate market in the entire world and I knew next-to-nothing about it. Walking into this market with Gea Elika was like flash evaporating the water, leaving the sharks flopping helplessly on the ocean floor while you stroll through to take your pick of the best coral on the reef to call home. Gea's unique insight in the market comes from his steadfast representation of buyers only, producing the kind of week-to-week market visibility no data tool, analysis subscription or premium newsletter can buy. His reputation compels the kind of credulity that propels his clients to the front of the line in every building they visit. It's an instant signal to the seller you're not here to mess around. His taste is so discriminating it cut months off the search saving us from lemon buildings every single weekend. So much could be said about this experience but it is not exaggeration to say that I've had a harder time hailing a cab in the rain, boarding the L train in the morning, and finding a decent burrito in Manhattan than I had buying a home with Gea Elika. Gea is the New York buyer's unfair advantage in the most treacherous market on Earth.

Richard Weinberg

I have successfully acquired two New York City condo properties with the help of Gea Elika from Elika Real Estate. I have had the pleasure of working with Elika Real Estate and being represented by Mr. Elika for approximately four years. Mr. Elika has proved to be a consummate professional and shown a true and deep understanding of the Manhattan property market. On both purchases he provided us with a detailed comprehensive value analysis and negotiated the most favorable terms. As a result, our New York investments have performed very well and proved to be the right decisions. Elika Real Estate has also managed each of the properties since purchased and consistently achieved a record rent roll for their respective product type and neighborhood. I highly recommend choosing Gea Elika as your exclusive buyer's agent based on the results that we have experienced.

Edward Bostock

I have had a great experience with Gea from Elika Real Estate who was instrumental in not only sourcing high quality investment prospects but helping me navigate the New York real estate market, procure financing and purchase from abroad. Gea was responsive and gave well informed and balanced views on all potential properties. Since acquiring an investment property Gea and the team have managed the property for me seamlessly. If i was to buy again Gea would be my man on the ground!

Dewey Moss

We want to send a personal thank you to your company for your help in finding our new home, and particularly call your attention to the outstanding job that Ben Nitti did for us. Though this is the first time we have made a purchase in New York City, it happens to be our third real estate deal over the years. Each of those times we have engaged a Buyer's Broker and have had excellent experiences in doing so. Naturally, we sought to work with a Buyer's Broker again as we began thinking about purchasing an apartment in NYC, but had no idea if such a firm existed for this market. Luckily we found your company. We had some question as to whether or not a Buyer's Broker could live up to our other experiences, especially in what seems to be a cut-throat real estate market like NYC. Would we receive the same personalized attention? Could a Buyer's Broker really help with the intricacies of a NYC transaction? Would a Buyer's Broker even being interested in working within the neighborhood we desired and within our certain requirements? Ben certainly proved that the answer to all of our questions was a resounding yes. Professional, courteous, and well-versed in the real estate process, Ben was a true partner for us every step of the way during our purchase. He listened to our requirements, did timely and relevant research, and presented us with a strong list of possibilities that matched all of our needs. He attended every viewing with us and made great recommendations on the properties, while maintaining the appropriate neutrality in our personal decision. It was clear he was there to support us. During the offer process, Ben was the driving force behind the deal. He made sure all parties involved were acting appropriately and in a timely manner. When other parties may have been "dragging their heels," Ben knew just how to approach the situation to get things moving again. Ben's guidance, such as the recommendation for our Mortgage Broker, was very much appreciated and helped our deal go incredibly smoothly. As we moved into the board interview phase, Ben's execution of the board package and his advice on the interview was invaluable. He made us feel at ease about the entire process of purchasing a coop -- a process that was completely new to us. Simply put, we believe that the success of this deal is due in large part to Ben. We would not hesitate to recommend Ben to anyone, or to use him again should be make another real estate purchase. In terms of a person representing your firm's image and reputation, Ben couldn't possibly have done a better job.

Dean Washington

Best real estate agency in New York. They helped me with all my purchases in the past and I am happy to have them on my side!

RuleLocal

Ever since my days as a law student in the Village while I was at NYU, I've wanted to buy a condo in NY. With the interest rates as low as they are right now, I found it to be the perfect time to do so. Elika Real Estate was referred to me by a dear friend, who told me that I would not find a more knowledgeable broker regarding the appropriate price per square foot to pay in NY. Given the differences between condos and co-ops and the relative values of each, I definitely wanted to have professional representation. I could not have been more pleased with the outcome.

Steve da Costa

My family and I had a wonderful and very successful experience working with Gea. I started my search for a real estate broker hoping to find somebody honest, hardworking, and knowledgable. Gea was all of those things and more. As a buyer's agent, he truly cares about the buyer's specific needs. He was very patient with us and explained everything we needed to know about the New York City real estate market. Our needs were particularly unique and probably more narrow than what most agents would want to deal with. Gea really bent over backwards to help us get the perfect condo. Gea was with us every step of the way. Before we even knew the location or condo type we were looking for, Gea helped us figure out where to begin. The minute a potential match popped up on the market, Gea gave us all the information about the listing. When we were ready to visit a condo, he made it happen when it was convenient for US. Finally, when we were ready to make an offer, he stepped up to the plate and fought for us to end up on top of the bidding war. Even after the closing, he was there to offer guidance. We could not be more happy and we cannot recommend him enough. Thanks Gea!

Doug Roller

Jillian was easy to work with and helped us find the perfect place. I highly recommend her and the Elika team!

Elena Saccani

I first entered in contact with Gea when I decided to buy a property in NYC. Since the very beginning he has been extremely supportive. As I am living in Frankfurt (Germany) I was looking for someone trustworthy and able to get things done despite the distance. I spent a week in NY in order to visit some apartments and Gea organized my agenda in a very efficient way making an effective use of the little time I spent there. He has been extremely honest by presenting me only opportunities within the available budget and all worth thinking about. I was so happy with him that I also asked him to manage the property. Having Gea as my representative in NY is like having a very good friend at my side.

Nils Westerlund

As a first time renter in the US and Brooklyn, I needed a lot of help in understanding the market. Gemma was super hands on, showed us around and made the whole experience very pleasant and time efficient. From helping to narrowing down the search, to understanding and negotiating costs and setting up visits. I was initially concerned about the broker fee but the deal we got because of Gemma’s help made up for it right away. Very much recommend Elika and Gemma for anyone who is looking to get a lease in New York.

Jesse Cataldo

Buying real estate in NYC is an extremely daunting task. With Jillian Maslow and Elika's help, however, our entire process went seamlessly. Providing expert guidance in every aspect, Jillian attended a number of open houses with us, readily armed with dozens of questions that we didn't have the expertise to ask ourselves. After finding an ideal apartment for us, she helped negotiate a fair price and even connected us with an excellent lawyer to help push through the paperwork. Jillian devoted weeks to the truly staggering task of assembling our board package, her calm demeanor and helpful attitude proving essential to getting all the pieces together in a timely manner. She coached us through our board interview and finally accompanied us to closing to make sure all loose ends were tied up. She was absolutely essential and a joy to work with every step of the way - we would not have been able to do it without her!