Chris Stammel

I can't recommend Chris highly enough. He was extremely honest and straightforward, and he went the extra mile to find us an apartment that fit our needs, despite the fact that we didn't even really know what we wanted at the beginning. Other agents might have gotten impatient with us, but Chris cheerfully responded to our requests, even when it was to view the same apartment (that he did not have easy access to) three times.

On top of that Chris is just a nice guy, and fun to be around. All told, we probably spent 8 hours walking around Manhattan with him looking (and re-looking) at apartments. Throughout the trek, he provided great company.

After looking at a bunch of apartments, we ended up leasing the first one that he showed us. He did everything he could to help the application and lease-signing process move along smoothly.

Somebody from his agency even went back to the apartment after we signed the lease to take detailed measurements for us before we moved in so we could plan our furniture purchases.

All told, I couldn't have asked for a better experience with a rental agent.

Chris was very prompt in responding to my initial inquiry. He was very informed about the NYC housing and rental market which was excellent for me since I was making an international move and had to begin my search from a distance. Chris offered excellent guidance which, though I didn't end up renting from him, served me well in swiftly finding an apartment once I arrive in the city. I would highly recommend Chris as an attentive and well informed broker who really cares about making sure his renters find what they want. Thank you Chris!

My wife and I were in an unusual situation where we wanted to move to a larger apartment but neither of us were sure if we were even going to be in New York next year. Chris understood our situation and showed us an enormous amount of patience and courtesy as he showed us several apartments in a neighborhood where he had alot of familiarity. My wife in particular pays alot of attention to personal relationships and she trusts Chris and would like to use him as a broker in the future. I was impressed by his knowledge of the neighborhood, which was higher than the norm for brokers. He also gave us enough attention to determine what I was looking for and what my wife was looking for in an apartment, to an extent that had not been clear to us. I would recommend Chris if you are looking for an apartment in upper Manhattan.

Before I begin, I would like to add a disclaimer; the whole idea of a "review" is intrinsically biased. As readers, we can only put so much trust in a person we don't know, and of course many reviews are not only fraudulent but poorly written or fail to communicate specific examples or details that corroborate their opinion. On that note, I will try my best to be very descriptive, so as there is minimal doubt among my audience concerning the verisimilitude of my opinion.

Briefly, Chris Stammel is one of the most dedicated broker agents that I have met. I traveled to New York City on behalf of a foreign colleague and friend who sought accommodation for an upcoming postgraduate fellowship at (so and so) University. As this individual did not have a US social security number or prior credit history, you can imagine the enormity of convincing a landlord or management company to accept such a tenant, even for a short period. Together, we tried contacting multiple broker companies, private owners and even considered initiatives in NY that were designed to accommodate international students. The majority of these efforts fell short, and the obstacles preventing our success were multitudinous: 1.) rental properties in NYC are rapidly allocated to the first "eligible" buyer (application submitted, credit check passed); by rapid, I do mean within hours of a showing; 2.) international visitors, even if they posses a visa, apparently cannot be prosecuted in a civil affairs court for failing to pay their rent; in other words, their legal status abrogates responsibility for adhering to a lease agreement--at least, this was the one of the primary reasons why management companies would not agree to providing board for my colleague, as they had been "burned" by a similar situations (I have not verified the accuracy of this legal argument); 3.) finally, although the university website provided an off-campus housing service, with private owners that were amenable to visiting foreigners, these units were often single-occupancy rooms, and my friend had just been married and was very intent (rightly so) on being with his wife.

So in short, with many obstacles, I contacted Chris to help sort out what seemed an unending debacle; within a day, Chris managed to secure a newly-renovated unit near campus (in fact, it was the closest property to campus of the approximately 10 or so units I visited throughout the week). How did this happen? I initially contacted Mr. Stammel before arriving in NY to "feel out" whether a broker was such a good idea, considering the added fee for this service. Arrogant, I arrived in the city imaging that I could do the same if not a better job, knowing that essentially all I would need to find was a private owner willing to listen. My colleague eventually recognized that to secure a lease, he would need to pay at least half the year up front; this wasn't too much of a hangup, considering that his assets were enough to cover the entire year. Near the end of the week, we felt very close to success after finding a well-reviewed building in Washington Heights. The unit was not yet on the market, the owners (at first) seemed willing to accept an international scholar, and best of all--no broker fee! The next day, after waiting several hours to hear whether the application was approved, we finally got news that the owners were not willing to negotiate without a guarantor (typically, an American citizen who makes 80 times the monthly rent; that amounted to about $100,000 for an apartment in our price range). This was the final decision, DESPITE a counteroffer to provided a full year's rent UPFRONT. I want to impress upon the reader the absurdity of this logic: you have a prospective tenant that will only stay a year; this tenant has agreed to pay an entire year of rent upfront; the property company denies applications on a criterion of not paying rent; conclusion: deny the full-year-rent-paying tenant accommodation. I recommend reading Catch-22 by Joseph Heller if you have trouble understanding.

I promised specificity, so here it is; the specific qualities that Chris Stammel demonstrated as an "ideal" broker in contrast to some of the other "professionals" my colleague and I had dealt with:

1.) Timely correspondence and communication: This is big; nothing is more frustrating then playing the wait game in a city where the property market simply doesn't wait, and leases are negotiated within hours. Additionally, Chris made a sincere effort to forward pictures, preliminary lease documents and whatever else I requested via email.

2.) Transparency: This is another big, albeit habitually overlooked, quality. Citi habitats provides a pamphlet explaining all the requirements and documentation required for securing a lease contract. Chris takes this even a step further by ensuring a "conservative" stance: essentially, he informs and prepares you, as a prospective tenant, for the "worst-case scenario" come negotiation time. He will make sure that you have the best and most descriptive documentation to secure a lease contract and will follow-through on each step of the process.

3.) Professional: Chris was punctual for every rendezvous and provided plenty of notice if there were any scheduling conflicts. He also maintained timely email and text correspondence as well.

I hope this review will help other readers avoid the similar mistakes I made and trust the brokers that have a well-reviewed track record for satisfying their clients. Chris Stammel meets this criteria and is an exemplar for others in the business.

I entered the City as a cluelessly green college-grad with no idea how to find a place to live in New York -- but Chris still made my apartment-search easy. Couldn't have done it without him. He had loads of real know how, detailed knowledge of requirements and best practices, and just a really helpful personality. Weeks after I signed my lease and we still chat occasionally.

I recommend Chris to all my City-bound buddies. I will continue to do so indefinitely.

Chris really listens to what you need in terms of an apartment and makes every effort to work with you to find what you need. I did not end up renting an apartment with Chris but I had a very good experience with him and would definitely recommend him to anyone looking to work with an honest, hardworking broker.

Very Honest and helpfull

GO WITH CHRIS! He was by far the nicest, most helpful, and honest broker I've ever dealt with. His understanding of what I was looking for was right on point and he didn't waste my time. He gave me honest advise that most brokers only looking for a quick sale would never have disclosed. I didn't even end up renting an apt from him (bc I couldn't afford a fee) but he was nice enough to follow up and make sure I was happy with my final decision. He knew I was in wine sales and even offered to introduce me to a prospective customer! This guy was a dream to work with and iencourage anyone looking for a broker to please go with him. They don't get better than Chris.