Apartment hunting in Manhattan is a daunting task, even more so for someone relocating from a different state and with limited time to find a place. I started with online research, and what it yielded was nothing short of an intimidating and overwhelming set of questions. Broker or no? Roommates or can you afford rent on your own? How to avoid getting ripped off or mislead by online postings or disreputable brokers? How to avoid getting pressured into an apartment outside the price range you want? It goes on and on. Just try googling, "finding an apartment in manhattan."
All this in mind, I decided my best bet was to try to find a high quality broker. I had no referrals to go off of, and I found Dimitar Nikolov by luck through online testimonials. I emailed him and he responded within a minute. He listened to what I wanted, made sure I was prepared with all of the necessary documents, and set up some showings. He was professional and responded with impeccable timeliness. I'll be honest - he made a great impression over the phone but I didn't want to get my hopes up. I had scheduled a few other brokers later that weekend just in case.
I wanted to paint that picture because without it it's difficult to express how easy Dimitar made the actual process once I got to NYC and we started the search. He was clearly knowledgable about the market, showed me only places that fit my criteria, and within an hour I had found a place that I instantly knew I wanted. I had braced myself so much that the actual day was almost underwhelming, and I mean that in the best possible way. He even managed to work it out so that I got approved five hours after submitting the paperwork (on a Saturday in the summer). In short, if you are looking for a broker who knows the market, is timely and communicative, and most importantly of all, is someone you can trust to have your best interest in mind, go with Dimitar Nikolov!
