Sovereign Associates Inc.

I had a great experience with Greg and Kyle. Moving is stressful enough as it is let alone how stressful it is in Manhattan. My experience with Sovereign could not have been better. Sovereign definitely takes a people first approach to their real estate services. To be honest– i looked through a lot of these Unilocal ratings and thought they seemed kind of too good to be true but my interaction with Greg and Kyle was nothing short of top level service.
I highly recommend working with Sovereign if you are looking to move into the UWS area.
Keep up the great service guys!

This picture is the essence of Greg – professional but relaxed and down to earth.
He’ll listen to what you’re looking for and try his best to find it.

Greg was great. He helped both: get the apartment I wanted, and coordinated the doc signatures and checks while I was away. Highly recommend Greg and his team

Wow. What a relief — a NICE real estate broker in New York City. After a few bad experiences with the pushiest of brokers, Andrew and Greg were such a relief. Finally I had met decent human beings who weren’t above earning their broker’s fee (which i was happy to pay). The apartment I was originally interested in went off the market before I could act and they immediately had a new, better, and less expensive offer that suited my needs. I’m excited to move! They made the process easy and pleasant and I would gladly recommend their team to anyone looking for a place to call home in New York City!

Andrew and Greg are great guys, professional in their work and friendly. They have great listings and we found a fantastic apartment thanks to them. They are responsive and ensure that wishes of landlords and renters meet. Furthermore, when the only key to the apartment was lost on day 1 they ensured that a spare set was made available within the hour.

Wonderful experience and expertise. Greg Healy from Sovereign Associates Inc. was a wonderful agent. He was very attune to what we were looking for after very briefly meeting with him, so we did not end up having to spend many hours and days looking at places that weren’t a great fit — everything he showed us was wonderful and within our price range, so we felt like we definitely had some great options to consider
He helped us find a wonderful apartment and gladly advocated and negotiated on our behalf. The lease signing process was quick and thoroughly explained, and everything was done in less than a week. We appreciated his thoughtfulness and responsiveness — which you don’t get from working with larger companies where you feel like you are just one of many potential clients. Highly recommend and would definitely work with again.
Thank you!

I want to thank Jordan Romer for finding me a great apt and would recommend him to anyone searching for a great apt in Upper Manhattan — in my case that was Washington Heights. Its winter and there is always limited inventory. Jordan showed me several great apts and I ended up in a nicely renovated apt that on the UWS would likely have cost closer to $ 3000 than the 1700 I paid. Jordan has a great knowledge of the area and a great deal of patience that helped me get the best apt. I should mention that I’m also a broker but never worked rentals in this area. Nor does the company I work for to any degree. And Sovereign has a ton of exclusives. So go with Jordan and let him find you your next apt in Upper Manhattan.

Lovely team of professionals who helped me in my search for a NYC rental. Andrew and Greg were very generous with their time and advice. Highly recommended — will do business with them again someday hopefully!

We had a great experience working with Annie Hawkins, who just helped us to secure a studio in a tranquil, sought-​after location in Inwood. We have been looking for studios around this neighborhood for a month. As soon as this opportunity came up, we contacted Annie immediately. Annie responded within minutes of receiving our message and we arranged a time to view the studio the very next day. The rest of the process was smooth and Annie has been extremely communicative, reliable and dependable.
What are the factors that differentiate Annie from other brokers in the area?
1)
The quality of her listing. We checked out over 20 places in the Inwood /​Washington Heights area. Let’s be honest, here. Some of the apartments /​studios we saw were absolutely decrepit. As an advice for apartment seekers in the area, do NOT live east of Broadway in Inwood if you are looking for a quiet location! We only saw one listing by Annie simply because it’s much better than everything else we have seen. Not only was the rent reasonable, there was elevator in the building and laundry on site, both of which were very important for us.
2)
Annie is an articulate, honest and reliable professional. There is a calm measure about Annie. Throughout the process of working with Annie, she did not once try to peddle items /​services that were not necessary. We have come across an obscene amount of unscrupulous brokers in the area. Annie is a woman of character who delivered everything that we agreed on.
3)
Annie’s knowledge in the Inwood /​Marble Hill area. Since Annie has been living here for many years, she helped us out with recommendations for window blinds, coffee shops, as well as other useful things. The «intangibles» of having someone who is intimately familiar with the area have been tremendously helpful.
If you are looking to rent a place around the Inwood /​Marble Hill area, Annie Hawkins is unequivocally the go-​to person that you need to get in touch with. Sovereign really has all of the best apartments /​studios on lock in this area, so there is really no point of looking elsewhere!

Greg and his team worked extremely hard to get me into my apartment. This group are lovely people who care and it shows in their work ethic.
I would recommend them to anyone looking for an apartment.

I am a new student in New York City and had a very tight time frame to find an apartment before school started. Greg Healy led me to several amazing apartments for rent, one of which I ended up renting. He was kind, very easy to work with, and extremely efficient. His associate, Kyle, was also very accommodating, kind, and helpful. My family and I are very grateful for the opportunity to meet and work with Sovereign Associates — they helped me find the apartment of my dreams!

Before I started looking for apartments, I was surprised to find every comment toward this brokerage firm is positive without reservation. It seems too good to be true. I thought maybe this is a firm that I can trust, and might meet a broker that makes me feel it is worth to pay the brokerage fee.
Unfortunately, the broker, Andrew, that works with us is simply unprofessional. He lacks knowledge about the units or buildings he handles and says a lot more than what he actually would do. And, do not expect he would think for your interests. We have discussed with him maintenance issues, and unfortunately, I feel that he is even more defensive than the owner, or simply put, delivering (some wrongly conveyed) messages from the owner, without really communicating for us.
1. Unprofessional and lack of knowledge while boasting:
When we asked him regarding the vermin history of the apartment and building, he boasted that there were not a single roach, mouse, or bed bug in the building. The fact is, there are at least roaches crawling in some units in the building. We just saw roaches in the kitchen after we entered the apartment. Bed bugs might be an issue within the past 12 months as it is a public record on the NYC government website. He either knows nothing about it or is unwilling to disclose it. I think it is fine to say he does not know it instead of making a misleading statement.
2. Over-​promising the maintenance progress, sloppy in notifying us the apartment ready date and misrepresentation:
While the landlord insisted the lease to start on a certain date, instead of negotiating for us, Andrew just insisted together with landlord. While in fact, Andrew might have known that the previous tenants actually would appreciate time to pack. Instead of disclosing it to the landlord, he made a proposition to us that the previous tenants might need 2 more days to pack after our lease starts, and that it will take another couple more days to maintain and repaint the apartment, so he would definitely let us know when it will be ready and we will be able to prorate our rent. As we told him some parts and walls might need maintenance, he promised that he would personally walk through the apartment to ensure the apartment is maintained before giving us the keys.
Unfortunately, he did not. We followed up with him regarding the approximate, better to be exact, apartment ready date and maintenance progress when it exceeded the date he suggested, he just did not reply. After about a week, he asked us whether we have got keys because the previous tenants already moved out. We were very puzzled because he was the one that should hand us the keys. We reminded him it is his responsibility to check the apartment is maintained and then hand the keys to us as he promised. He replied that he already discussed with the landlord one day ago, and the lease would start this very same day. He did not mention whether the apartment was already maintained as he promised. He probably even put the blame on us to cover his own arrangement. His misrepresentation has led to misunderstandings among the parties involved.
He tried to apologize because he does not know if there is anything he did not do well and his firm has positive Unilocal comments. We explained that:
First, we are upset that he did not respond to us regarding the apartment ready date and maintenance progress. His response was, because he did not get our calls after he did not reply us, he thinks it is not urgent.
Second, because he said the apartment is ready, we asked him whether he has actually inspected the apartment and made sure the maintenance we requested has been done. He said, no, he did not, and will not. He said that there is no need to maintain before we move in, and the key is ready because the previous tenants already moved out, so no matter which day we move in, we just have to start paying this very same day. He also insisted that he has noted the parts to be maintained on the lease, there is no reason why it must be maintained before we move in (My thinking: why didn’t he say it until now?). Even though he actually said that they will repaint the walls (even over-​promising without discussing with the landlord), he seems to have trouble remembering that.
Third, we asked him whether the move-​in date can start the next day as he emailed us between 2:30 — 3:00 pm in the afternoon the very same day only after we asked him instead of notifying us spontaneously when he already got the deal the day before, and that the apartment was not maintained as he promised. He said, notifying us at 2:30 — 3:00 pm and having us start paying on that very same day only after we emailed him to ask for the date is reasonable because it was not 11pm that day when he told us.
From this experience, I would say he is an unreliable and untrustworthy talker, don’t expect more. A waste of broker fee.

So here we go. I contacted Stu Riley about 3 months ago after waiting last minute to find a new apartment. He was my first broker, it was a great experience, we found a place I love, but someone else was more qualified for. So I got a nice sublet for 2 months, and commitment myself to skipping out on this almost standard 15% brokers fee.
In this time, I was escorted out of Bond (literally), for refusing to sign a ludicrous agreement.(Seriously folks, read what you’re signing.) I broke a sweat chasing a crosstown bus with another broker. C’monnn. Get a cab.
After wasting $ 100’s of dollars, I found myself back in the cozy Sovereign offices going over what’s available. Stu scooped me up in his truck (a luxury in NYC) was able to get me into the building that I originally wanted, in a bigger apartment, for a cheaper rate. Talk about amazing. Called him on Monday, signing the lease on Friday.
As a company, I felt welcome. The Owner, Greg, and his two Son, plusStu all create a warm, stress-​free environment that allowed me to feel really relaxed and excited about a typically stressful time. Truly a family business, and it shows in how they talk to and treat their clientele.
Long and short, «brokers fee» suck, but dealing with Sovereign Associates, and Stu Riley made fiscal sense. I saved money in the long term. Hard to argue with those results.
Plus Stu has been in every movie you can think of, like seriously. Its a fun game looking for him on the silverscreen after dealing with him!
Thanks Sovereign Associates!
Satisfied Customer

Shortly after experiencing a rather unpleasant apartment viewing with a broker from another real estate company, discouraged and disappointed with both the apartments we were shown and the manner in which we were treated, we walked away thinking we were done for the day — fortunately for us, the apartment we had just viewed happened to be in the vicinity of Sovereign Associates’ office. It was here we grudgingly made another call expecting nothing to come out of it. Much to our surprise, there was a complete turn of events, it was here we met Stu Riley…
STU RILEY. Where to start? He was wonderful to work with, all aspects considered. We gave him a really narrow window regarding our budget and desired location — he showed us a few places that suited our needs within an hour!
Stu is a delightful and genuine person; he brings in humor to what is normally a dry and somewhat stressful environment. He didn’t appear to over-​exaggerate the highlights and was forthcoming about what could be viewed as our cons. In other words, he was honest and wasn’t pushy. I’m sure he deals with a lot of clients on a daily basis, but he certainly made sure that we felt completely taken care of every step of the way.
Based on our overall experience with Stu and a brief exchange over the phone with Andrew, we have the utmost confidence in Sovereign Associates. We couldn’t be happier with our experience.
— Nick and Bernice

Because of some serious issues at my previous residence I wasn’t able to start looking for an apartment until July 22^nd for a July 31^st move in, which made it almost impossible to find a decent place. Greg made it happen. He was very honest and worked with the landlord to make sure I was able to move in on time. He even took it upon himself to take pictures of areas of the apartment that needed repair so that it would be ready for me when I moved in. Greg was reliable and his fee was fair (lower than the other brokers I met who showed me awful apartments). I hope that I don’t have to move again for a few years, but when I do, I’ll definitely be calling Greg.

Stu and the entire team at Sovereign are wonderful. After a year of living in New York, I had heard nothing good about apartment hunting. I saw one of Stu’s listings online and gave him a call, and within fifteen minutes I was looking at apartments. Stu listened to what I liked and didn’t like and was very authentic throughout the entire process. Stu helped me find an awesome studio with a separate kitchen, and I moved in less than a week later. Stu provided and has continued to provide excellent customer service — he really gets to know his clients and treats them more than just a commission. He even rearranged his afternoon schedule to let me in and helped me measure.

Hands down the best broker I have ever dealt with in New York.
Some friends of mine recommended Gregory Healy when my husband and I began our apartment hunt. We had a few strict criteria (location, price, the usual) and Greg abided to them completely, only showing us places that fit the bill. He was very communicative and efficient – but NOT pushy. Other brokers I contacted (and whom I have dealt with for past rentals) have been pushy, overdramatic, «you must put in your application right this second or you’ll lose this place!», etc – typical for the NYC market. But Greg is extremely laid-​back and didn’t apply any pressure to make a hasty decision.
He was patient in dealing with delays on our end (getting out of a current lease) and extraordinarily helpful in negotiating the rent with building management. When he showed us the perfect place that was just out of our price range, we asked if it was possible to put in a slightly lower offer, and he helped make it happen.
I had contacted other brokers to see what kind of places they had in our price– and location-​range, and not a single one had anything as nice as the apartments Greg showed us. He told us has been working in the Washington Heights/​Hudson Heights/​Inwood area for over 20 years, and it shows – he has relationships with building owners and managers that younger, newer agents don’t. That helped with the efficiency and price negotiation, and really put my mind at ease.
He is courteous, professional, efficient and genuine: like other reviewers, I felt no sense of unease at any point and felt I could really trust him to look out for my interests. Worth every penny of the broker’s fee as far as I’m concerned!

Stu Riley is AMAZING. I was about to give up on my apartment search and settle for the next thing I saw — but I didn’t have to! Thankfully, I connected with Stu who showed me the BEST apartment, within my price range, and bigger than I was expecting.
Stu is the opposite of everyone else I worked with before him — very laid back, not pushy at all, and forthcoming with things to consider for that particular apartment/​location/​etc. He spent a significant amount of time ensuring that everything in the apartment was functioning correctly — something no one else had done at all. I just felt like he was very honest and also very approachable; I know if I had a concern, I could ask Stu and he wouldn’t try to force me into renting an apartment I didn’t like. With other brokers, I felt extremely rushed and extremely pressured. I am so, so happy that I connected with Stu — I felt like he was actually looking out for my individual, specific needs and for my best interest.
He also went out of his way on several occasions to help me. I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful it was working with Stu — he made the situation very easy and not at all stressful. He’s calm and kind, so there was never a question in my mind that I had found the right person.
If you want to find an apartment in Manhattan — don’t use anyone else! Stu goes WAY above and beyond for clients and is truly there to help. If I ever move out of this apartment (which – I may not; thanks to Stu, I have an apartment that I love!), I will absolutely go to Stu. He’s the best.

We had a great experience working with Stu Riley at Sovereign. He listened and understood our asks for an apartment and didn’t waste our time showing units out of our price range or with features we weren’t fond of. It’s amazing how many brokers annoyingly fall short of this basic concept. Stu and Sovereign shined here.
Stu also went out of his way on a number of occasions to wait for us when we were running a bit late — something that often happens during a hectic apartment search. Instead of canceling, he made arrangements and worked on his schedule to accomodate us.
There is a fee, but we worked it down a bit. I’ll be recommending Sovereign to my friends as an honest, friendly, and knowledgeable firm.

WOAH WOAH WOAH. Stop everything and make sure you brace yourself because this is about to get real. Real GOOD.
This is my second round with Sovereign. And let’s just say until Greg Healy and Sovereign came into my life, I legitimately thought I would have to live in a box on a street corner before finding a three bedroom apartment under $ 3k. Not joking, I lost hundreds (MULTIPLES of hundreds) of dollars with shitty brokers and craigs list scams (all of the horror stories about rentals in the city are True with a huge giant capital T).
But you know what? Sovereign found one for me, and you know what else? IT WAS UNDER MY EXPECTED BUDGET. WAYYY under. Oh and what else? I didn’t get fluff and rose colored glasses, and got exactly what I was looking for with exactly what I could afford! AND there was no fee!!! But did that make Greg care less? Of course not. He kept it real, and real is fine by me when in renting, because a miscommunication can lead to a $ 1500 mistake.
OH I’m not done– fast forward 2 years and Greg finds me another apartment, again UNDER budget and PERFECT. Fee this time, but the deal I got was so friggen fantastic I won’t ruin your life by sharing it. So simple, and no secrets. He worked with my schedule and was honest with me the whole time, and able to make sure I was in the best situation possible to get what I wanted.
I love my building, I love my apartment, and I love Sovereign. Yeah I said it. I hope I never have to use another realtor until the day I die (or move out of New York).
The end.