Merit Group & Associates

[Also posted on Google + Reviews]
I was so fortunate to find Paul and Linda after dealing with the typical slimy NYC firms. You know the ones– the places that look more like the floor of the NYSE than a room of people who want to help you find your home. The places that make you sign an agreement pledging 15% commission before ever stepping foot in an apartment. The places that blatantly show you the wrong apartment, or that pull the «Sorry, that was just rented, let me show you some similar places [that are further away and dirtier and shittier].» And of course, all of this is when those firms bother getting back to you at all.
That is NOT what I found at Merit. From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is warm and familial. Throughout the search and application process (including when the first place I applied to fell through, and I wasn’t charged the application fee), Paul and Linda really listened to my concerns. They took their time with me; for example, I wanted to see a place that already had an application pending, just in case, and Paul took me. We both knew it was a waste of time, but it was still helpful for me to go. They were honest and upfront with me, knowledgeable about the neighborhoods in which I looked, and – perhaps most importantly – Paul convinced me to expand my search. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t be writing this from the new apartment I love in Jackson Heights.
Like many non-​native Manhattan dwellers, my experience with Queens was limited to a few basic landmarks (a bar or two in Astoria, Citifield, LGA… yeah that’s it). So when Paul first suggested Jackson Heights, I told him it was too far. Case closed. Look at a map. Still, the pickings in Sunnyside at my budget were slim, so eventually I relented and agreed to just look at a couple of places in Jackson Heights. As we drove over, Paul pointed out restaurants I might like and told me about the neighborhood.
I ended up in a studio with a brand new kitchen and bathroom, courtyard space, a few blocks from the trains. It’s not «too far»; my commute to Midtown is exactly the same as it was when I lived in the East Village.
And to boot, my broker’s fee was less than those aforementioned sleazy Manhattan firms.
Paul and Linda were great to work with and I am very grateful to have found them!

I found my apartment in Sunnyside through Linda. I will caveat my review by saying that none of the 5 agents that I’ve interacted with in this area are what I would regard as high quality people. Here are the problems with this agent:
1. She overpromises to get you to sign the lease. We got about half of the renovations that she promised done.
2. She’s either over-​stretched or unfocused, either way, it took us a few tries to move in. — way after our contract move-​in date. IMO because she waits til the last minute to do pre-​movein inspections.
3. There’s a significant change in attitude before we handed over her the agent fee and after — I was not fond of this.
If you are careful about these things and make sure to have her write down her promises, you will be okay. Some of the people in her office are really dumb, but I guess that’s expected of sales people at this level.

Needed a broker fast and walked into Merit Group in a frenzy to find something for my cousin. Could not have been a more pleasant experience. Linda was knowledgeable, friendly and determined to find me what I was looking for. She spent time with me listening to all my demands and questions and never left my side. She got back to me as soon as I called or text her. Her whole office was professional and made me feel relaxed and not like I was being roped into something just so they could cash in.
I was difficult and neurotic at times and Linda made me feel at ease and never pushed me into something or gave up on me. She really had my best interests at heart. Truly recommend Merit Group as they made me a truly satisfied customer.

I half halfheartedly scoped out Sunnyside on my own for two weekends in a row and I could tell I was in for a real challenge. While the location is super convenient and the neighborhood itself pretty amazing, the inventory didn’t seem like much to me as most buildings are older. I’m moving from a new construction luxury bldg with parking so I’m a little biased.
Step in Linda Santini-​Tripodis and Merit Realty Group. I literally made a phone call last Monday morning (²⁄₂₄) and said I could be there by 1PM and wanted to know if they had 1 BRs in the area to show me. She confirmed she did and off we went. She said she had a few places to show me and wanted to start off nearby to give me the scope of size available in the area. Again, I had very low expectations. Apartments 1 & 2 met those expectations — I wanted to run. I hung in there because Linda is a charmer and kept telling me there are others that are bigger and nicer. Apartment #3 was a larger place — the kitchen was lacking but finally I have a contender. The next apartment was even larger and had a great layout and covered by trees — also makes the list. We’re on a roll now. She now takes me to an apartment on the south side of Queens Blvd — I don’t even walk in — there was construction going on right outside the window. At this point I’ve almost decided on apartment #3 and we go to the last place. She indicates she thinks I’ll love it. Door opens, I get a waft of freshly dried varnish as I take sight of the sheer size of the place. Before I actually walk in I exclaim, «I’ll take it». Completely renovated 933Sq ft 1BR — all brand new doors, electrical devices, skim coated walls and what a kitchen. The kitchen has real tile floor and all brand new cabinets, real marble counter-​top and stainless steel appliances: range, fridge, microwave and dishwasher. All this on the first floor facing the front which I prefer and 1.5 blocks to 7 train. Where do I sign?
I got all my documents to Linda that same night and was approved in 48 hours. Not sure why all the negative reviews for the agency but I’ll just say this about my interaction with Linda and her team — they were fantastic! Consummate professionals who know their product and neighborhood. I was fully expecting to deal with sleazeballs (sorry — it’s a stereotype, I know) but instead, I found a great group of people who made my life infinitely easier and literally won me over very early on. Not once did she try up-​selling me or showing me stuff without explaining why she wanted to show me certain features (or lack of).
Anyway, I thank these people for their work and highly recommend them.

This agent is extremely unhelpful and dishonest. I asked several questions about the apartment t and she didn’t answer any of my questions or address my concerns. All they want you to do is to sign the papers as soon as possible so they can get their commission. Avoid these slime-​balls at all costs. It is sad that a nice community like Sunnyside would have this terrible company.

The Better Business Bureau found Merit Group & Associates so grossly negligent, Merit had to give us back our $ 260 deposit.
Win!

Merit solidified my decision to leave NYC altogether. My partner and I have been wanting to move in together for quite a while, and when we decided to pull the trigger, we wanted to move to Sunnyside. Why? I can’t get on the L train in the morning, and the G train (from Greenpoint) is an exercise in patience. The 7 train seemed like a good way for me to get to work.
We were so very excited to move in together and start our new life. We both are gardeners, so we were looking for a place with some sort of outside space, even if just for a few plants. We contacted several real estate agents with the following request:
–1 bedroom
–Cats OK
–Outside space (even if apt. is small because of this)
-$ 1,600
That’s it. Not too complicated, right?
We met with Anne, a nice lady who showed us around Sunnyside. However, of the 5 places we saw, only 2 had what we wanted. The others didn’t even have an outdoor space. Hello? Were we not specific enough?
Anyway, we were willing to overlook this waste of time because we saw an apartment we really liked, and after meeting with a few other worthless realtors, we decided to return to apply for this apartment that we liked so much.
I had all of my fiscal documents in on July 22^nd; my partner had hers in early the following week. We had a few questions, though. What utilities are covered? Will my cat be OK since the ad says no pets. «Oh, heat and hot water are covered,» Anne says. You know, standard Queens apartment stuff. Only this turned out to be completely false. We would pay for all utilities.
We quadruple-​checked that cats are OK. Linda, the scatter-​brained and immature owner, says, «cats aren’t even considered pets in Sunnyside. You’ll be fine.»
Both bits of info regarding utilities and pets were completely fabricated; these facts had not been checked with the apartment owner at all.
After being told everything was fine, we decided to apply. It cost us $ 230 just to apply.
It took us from July 22^nd to August 16^th to actually get approved and get a lease prepared. We went in with $ 8,000 up front to plonk down on this place.
As many other unsatisfied customers have mentioned, Linda tried to rush us through the lease. Having worked for a company that creates multi-​million dollar leases between banks, I will NOT be rushed over the lease. Of course, I found huge discrepancies. The lease says no cats. I mention this, and Linda’s suggestion is to not mention that I have a cat and to move in. Of course, I could sign this lease, which would make my and my partner liable for the ENTIRE YEAR’S rent if we get kicked out, and having an «illegal» cat would certainly qualify. Obviously, Merit did not do ANY due diligence in responding to our questions and concerns asked WEEKS earlier.
We were also going to make the building’s weed-​strewn back yard into a wonderful, lush garden. Now, that the condo owners are hearing about my cat for THE FIRST TIME, they want to see evidence of our gardening handiwork. The audacity! We had sent the photos to Merit to send to the owners the previous week. They never made it.
Merit was so dishonest, scatter-​brained and deceitful that we canceled the contract on the spot and left. We had even designed the apartment and garden using 3D software, and were so excited to move it. We left in tears.
We are pursuing legal options to recoup the $ 230 as we were lied to in regards to the cat. If we had known that having a cat was not 100% OK, we would not have applied.
Linda at Merit embodies the worst in real estate: greed above all else.

I had a great experience with Merit Realty Group. after going through many sketchy brokers, various misleading craigslist ads and viewing numerous mediocre apartments. I wanted to give up and felt like I would never find a great apt in my price range in the area I wanted. until I fell upon Merit Realty Group in Sunnyside and met with Crystal Hayes who was very down-​to-​earth, honest and understood what I was looking for. and I finally found it! I couldn’t be happier!

I had a good experience with one of the low-​level brokers from this agency, but when I returned to the office to start putting in an application, I dealt with Linda Santini-​Tripodis and it became clear that she was incredibly dishonest. She wanted to lie to the building owner about the size of my pet, and gave the impression that her staff would negotiate a lower rent due to my excellent credit. Once I was filling out papers, the lower rent went up in smoke, and she flew into a rage when I started having second thoughts. She’ll literally SAY ANYTHING to get you to sign on the dotted line. Sadly typical of the sleazy NYC real estate scene. Avoid if at all possible.

Very hard working, and know their business. If you want someone who will work their feet off for you, ask for Crystal! She ‘got’ us and what we were looking for! Would definitely use them in the future.
Brokerages in Sunnyside, seem to work within a 10 block radius so if you’re looking near certain streets, it might help to go to the brokerage there.

Great service! Great attitudes down to earth and HONEST!!!
Honesty is the Key with Merit No Lies No BS.
Will tell you the Honest Truth Linda Is Great she is The Broker.

Slimy. My roommate and I stumbled in here looking for a 2 bedroom. Immediately strange vibe — too much we’re friends-​let-​me-​tell-​you-​my-​life-​story-​so-​you-​trust-​me.
We were shown to an apt building and liked it. The super wanted our papers on the spot, much to the broker’s silent horror.
The two seemed to have a lot of tension — super said don’t worry «you’ll get your cut,» but looked pissed about that, as though they hadn’t listed the apt with the agency at all.
As we were heading back to the office, the super mouthed «come back!!» to us.
We went back to the office with the broker and asked if it’s common to put in an application while continuing to «shop around.»
Rather than answering our question, they tried to get our paper work in on the spot, then when we said we hadn’t decided yet, smirked at our maximum monthly rent that we wanted to pay. «Well, ahem, we have some 2 bedrooms for $xxxx,» snarky broker said. (well out of our range)
We left and later discovered that the listing they showed us they had found from a craigslist ‘no brokers’ ad.
Yuck yuck yuck

My partner and I needed to find an apartment quickly. Linda — one of the Merit brokers — came in on a Saturday (during a BLIZZARD) and helped us secure an amazing apartment for $ 125 under the original value within 24hrs, working from dusk till dawn.
point is, I highly highly recommend using Merit!
(fyi I posted this same review on Google Maps. it’s not spam, I just wanted to make sure people found this review since there are 0 online reviews about them so far!)