Jacob Rasner – Keller Williams Realty

I was extremely fortunate to have found Ilya and Greg! As a first time buyer, the process and amount of information I was going to need to learn were pretty intimidating. I have to admit, I was also skeptical about how trustworthy my agents would be. I learned VERY quickly that this is not something I would have to worry about with Ilya and Greg. Literally within hours of our initial meeting they were sending me information about potential properties, neighborhoods, and the general buying procedure. They were extremely knowledgeable, transparent, professional, responsive, and down-​to-​earth. As long as it wasn’t at some crazy time in the middle of the night, I never had to wait more than a couple hours to get a response to an email. I do not have access to my phone where I work so this was very important to me as it helped ease any stress/​fears/​doubts that I had. They made what could have been a painful process, into an enjoyable one. Ilya and Greg were easy to talk to, funny, and in general, just really good people. They provided tons of info and things to keep in mind when looking through a home while making sure the ball was in my court for any decision making. Ilya and Greg also have great relationships with great lenders and attorneys so this was one less aspect I had to worry about and again, helped the process move quickly and smoothly. Its difficult for me to write this review because there are too many good things I have to say about Ilya and Greg all jumbled in my head. I have no desire or need to work with anyone else going forward and I will encourage anybody who has interest in buying/​selling their home to contact and them. Thank you both so much for helping me achieve this milestone in my life!

I used Jacob as my realtor to both sell my condo and buy a new 3 bedroom condo in a great neighborhood all within a 2 month period! He was recommended to me from two friends who also used him to sell their place.
He got me an incredible return on my condo and was able to get me my new place for a great price.
He works really hard to make sure you are taken care of. He will take the time to explain things in detail. He is a great strategist and has an excellent grasp of the market and psyche of people. A trustworthy person who you can work with for such an important decision in your life!
He also works with a great network of people to help you at various points in the process whether it is Julie the stager, Cindy the lawyer, Ricky the handyman or Shant the mortgage broker.
He is the best realtor in Boston. Call no one else. His great work could not have been done by anyone else!

My husband and I recently bought a house in Stoneham with the help of Jacob. Jacob was great to work with, always available to talk if we had questions (day or night and on weekends) and went out of his way to be available whenever we felt like looking at a house. He was instrumental in helping us figure out exactly what we were looking for and he was really fun to work with.
Highly recommend!!!

I started my condo hunting journey right after I relocated to MA. I found Ilya on Unilocal and talked to him about my purchasing plan. I chose to work with him because he was very detailed in the initial consultation to help me understand the local market. I was glad that I chose to work with him in this very challenging market. As the first time home buyer, I was glad to have Ilya as my agent to teach me and guide me through every step. He is patient, accessible and professional. He has a very good understanding of the local market and have very good estimation of the price. When I was making my first offer, I didn’t believe the price he suggested and bid lower than that and I didn’t get it. The final sold price was very close to his estimation. Later, I followed his suggestions and got my current condo. He is also very resourceful. He sent me recommendations of lawyers, contractors, etc. And his recommendations are all very reliable.
Overall, I love my new condo and I would highly recommend Ilya. He is top-​notch!

BEST CASE SCENARIO! 20% over asking price! Jacob walked us through fixing up the house then really guided us through all the right moves to end up with 28 offers on our home. We truly believe we had the results we had because after researching Mr Rasner we felt confident in following his advice. It was a long process fixing up the house and staging it but in the end we profited greatly financially so it was worth the time and effort. We would not have known what to do and what to leave alone without professional advice. We really felt respected and were impressed that Illia put his money where his mouth was by paying for a professional photographer and caterer for our main open house. We literally showed the house for six days and were sorting through the 28 offers seven days after it hit the MLS.
He is a strong negotiator and at all times had our best interest in mind. We were able to contact him with ease and felt throughout the process we were receiving top notch service. You would think reading all this I’m talking about a million dollar home. Our home listed at 299,900! He treats everyone respectfully and professionally not just the homes that he will make big money on. He worked both hard and smart for us so if your buying or selling a house please know you can’t do better than Mr Rasner! Also, our house was in Woburn not in the city so by all means enjoy a high end Cambridge realtor for your suburban real estate needs.
In closing, THANK YOU Illia Rasner you are the best and it was a pleasure working with you: o)

Ilya (Jacob) Rasner was absolutely great to work with amid the craziness of the Boston area market. In our first time buying a home (condo), my husband and I had not only never experienced the process before but also not being from the Boston area, were not as familiar with the different neighborhoods as we would like to be. Ilya helped us with everything we were timid about with a sense of humor and patience. After looking at different types of houses, condos, townhouses, and different areas north of Boston, we definitely put Ilya’s knowledge and professionalism to the test and he passed with flying colors.
We always felt comfortable to call up Ilya to share our concerns or ask questions and Ilya always worked with us to make sure we were getting what we wanted (even if we couldn’t articulate it.) We highly recommend Ilya and will definitely work with him whenever we decide to jump back into this crazy market.

My wife and I recently bought our first home and Ilya helped us through every step of the way. At an initial appointment in his office he took over an hour to get to know us, our desires in a home and our long term goals. After we went to a couple of open houses and solidified the neighborhood and home style we wanted, I spotted the perfect townhouse condo on Ilya’s website. I emailed Ilya to ask if he could get us in for a private showing, which he made happen the next day. On a return visit with my wife, Ilya astutely picked that the seller’s agent had no idea how to get into the basement: a subtle clue we were the only interested buyers.
After negotiating a $ 40k price reduction (!!!) in another power move Ilya penned an offer letter that gave the sellers only a few short hours to accept. Although the sellers were being tough about the closing date Ilya stuck to his guns and powered late, late into the night to seal the deal. Our final offer letter was accepted some time around 1am.
Ilya was just getting warmed up. Next, he activated his personal network of trusted home inspectors, attorneys, mortgage brokers, etc. At no point in the whirlwind process did I need to fret about tracking down for myself any of these supporting players in the home-​buying process. Ilya would simply refer me to a handful of (for example) home inspectors he had worked with and trusted. Everyone he put us in touch with was great and we really felt like we had «Team Ilya» on our side.
Ilya is a real estate Ninja. We are thrilled with our house and look forward to working with him on a future occasion.

Great experience with Ilya. Easy to work with, efficient, knows what he is doing and really good at closing. Had a very very positive experience, glad that we went with him to sell our place-​bottom line 6 offers above asking in a 4 day span.
Just like some of the other reviewers said he is well prepared and I highly recommend him if you are looking to sell based on my experience. Funny thing is I made the call after looking at his Unilocal reviews. Good luck!

We worked with Ilya (Jacob) last year to find our home, and couldn’t be happier. He started by taking the time to learn what would make us happy with a home. He then educated us on the big and little things to look for — we really had no clue!
At one point, he had to give us a difficult reality check on a home we really liked at first glance, but after home inspection it became apparant that it would have been a real money pit — the kind where you aren’t even sure they used insulation! My point is that he’s not in this business to make money, he’s there to help people.
I also can’t say enough about the great people he helped put us in touch with. We really liked our lawyer, and couldn’t have gotten the mortgage we did without his small bank contacts (big fan of Bank of Canton).
We love our new home, and definitely recommend Ilya as an agent and friend.

Ilya is absolutely the best real estate broker I have ever worked with. From the start, he came supremely prepared with the information we needed to find the correct price and listing time for our condo in Cambridge. As a fellow techie, I appreciated the fact that all of this information was delivered and accessible electronically. He employed multiple innovative methods of marketing our home, including creating a video about it (complete with an actor)! He was always accessible by phone, text, and email. He was able to obtain a selling price for our unit that was both above our expectations and above the price for recent homes sold in our building. Ilya was an absolute pleasure to work with and I would recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a home in Cambridge.

I’m jumping on the bandwagon to give Ilya 5 stars. He recently brokered the sale of my condo, at a negotiated sale price that I was more than happy with. I’ll keep it brief: Ilya is the paramount professional — intelligent, responsive, enthusiastic, but most importantly he knows how to set expectations. Throughout the entire home-​selling process, he was a true trusted adviser. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to walk away with much given the work that needed to be done on my condo, but he worked his magic and like I said, I got even more than what I wanted. Just make it easy for yourself and give him a call if you’re selling your house — you won’t be disappointed.

Ilya helped my and my fiancé work towards purchasing a condo. He was very friendly and informative on the whole process. My fiancé and I felt comfortable dealing with Ilya.
Overall we thought he did a great job helping us search and finally submitting an offer. In the end we decided that now was not the right time to purchase a home, but when that time is right we will be working with Ilya. Thanks again for all the help.
I truly believe that his dedication to service and his knowledge in real estate is what makes him such a great agent.

Ilya Jacob Rasner helped us buy our condo in Charlestown this summer. He came recommended by a friend, but we were first-​time homebuyers, and were attempting to find our place long-​distance, coming up for open houses and so forth from New York City.
Ilya really took the time to get to know us and help us clarify what we were looking for. He also understood our tight timeline and busy schedules, and made sure that the time we had to see places in Boston was well-​used. He was always easy to get in touch with, and he did a great job helping us understand our options to make a competitive bid in this market. At the same time, we never felt pressured or rushed.
The home we ultimately chose needed a little bit of work, and Ilya’s recommendations for contractors were so great that not only did we use them to get prompt bids that helped us negotiate with the seller, but we are having them back to do the actual work. Ilya was also a great advisor during the negotiation process, helping us to play out various scenarios. He recommended a lawyer, Cindy, who we found to be thorough and friendly, and affordable to boot.
I really cannot say enough about Ilya. He made what seemed like an impossibly complicated process very manageable and even fun, and we just love our new home.

When it came time to sell our condo and I needed to choose a realtor, I did what any rational person would do – I simply did a Unilocal search and contacted the realtor with the best reviews. After my first point of contact with the realtor – Jacob Rasner – I knew my search was over.
One of the first things I noticed about Jacob is that he is very tech savvy. As a former Google engineer, that is not a term I throw around lightly. Whether it was his Google Docs-​driven information gathering form, his fancy Asus laptop, or his knowledge of cutting edge online real estate tools and techniques, I immediately knew that he was not your run of the mill «stick a Century 21 signpost in the front yard and be done with it» realtor from the past.
Another quality that immediately stood out is that Jacob is very down to earth. We always felt like we were talking to a friend – not a salesman. He doesn’t care whether you call him Ilya, Jacob, or even Bob. He always made us feel like we were his only client. He was very communicative throughout the entire process and was very easy to reach whether it was through email, phone, text, or IM.
Jacob sold our home in about 9 days for the exact price we agreed would be fair before the condo hit the market. He utilized numerous best of breed associates, such as a photographer and a staging expert to make sure our condo looked as attractive as possible on the Internet and in person. His marketing expertise generated admirable turnouts at both of the open houses we held.
To be frank (no pun intended), on occasion we were somewhat of a pain in the butt as far as sellers go and Jacob handled it very well. He would often go well outside of his job description to make sure everything remained optimal. I won’t give specific examples because I don’t want to encourage future clients to fall back on him in cases where they shouldn’t, but lets just say the previous reviewer who mentioned he was allowed to eat a sloppy sandwich in Jacob’s Mercedes was not exaggerating about Jacob’s generosity.
Overall, our experience was flawless and I will definitely be giving him a call when it comes time to buy my next home.

We recently purchased a condominium in Cambridge thanks to the outstanding work of Ilya Jacob Rasner.
Jacob stands out from the pack. We had previoulsy tried to purchase a condo in Berkeley. We dealt with several agents, all of whom who seemed more interested in selling high-​end houses than helping us find a condo. They also seemed apathetic about fighting for us.
In contrast, Jacob was the one who made it happen. From the very beginning, he was responsive. When I first called on a Sunday afternoon, I was stunned when he responded by early Sunday evening, particulalry considering how busy all real estate agents are on Sunday.
This was a difficult purchase since we were located in California. He seemed to take this in stride. He has obvioulsy worked with long distance purchases before. He videod properties for us to view and handled parts of the transaction that normally someone in the area would handle themselves. Even though we asked about 150% of him, he never balked when i called one more time to ask if he would be willing to do something
As we found how competitive the market is for hot properties in Cambridge, Jacob strategized as to how to nab the property we wanted. Then he took the time to explain the nuances of the Cambridge market. I think it he hadn’t taken his patient time in educating us, we never would had closed our deal.
Aside from his skil in real estate, his personal contacts are a treasure trove. He found us a perfect inspector, the best real estate attorney in Cambridge (Cyndi Sherman), and a top performing mortage broker.
From start to finish, he was patient and positive. We closed the transaction in only a few months. However, I think if it had taken us a year to find the perfect property, he would have been fine with it. He once explained to me that he doesn’t look at it that way. if it takes a long time to find a property, that is just the way it is.
Jacob Rasner deserves 5 stars, no let’s say he deserves 6 stars. He is simply superb.

This review is too far overdue and should have been written a while ago. Jacob was more than we ever could have asked for in a realtor. He helped us get out of a difficult situation at our previous condo and find a great new spot in our perfect location. He has great contacts and did such a great job marketing our previous condo that we received an offer way sooner than we ever imagined we would. We ended up accepting that offer, but then had to scramble to find a new place. It was a definite challenge, but Jacob knocked it out of the park. Highly recommended!

My fiancé and began working with Ilya in September, 2009 with the hope that we would be homeowners by Nov. 30 to qualify for the tax credit. Ilya took the time to walk us through the buying process and showed us homes that fit our lifestyle and budget. He was wonderful about answering all of our questions, and believe me, we had a lot of them. We were very impressed by his knowledge of the different neighborhoods outside of Boston (we looked in Medford, Arlington, Somerville, and Melrose, primarily) and his strong work ethic. We’d have an appointment to look at a condo and Ilya often seemed more prepared and knowledgable about the property then the seller’s agent. He does his homework and definitely knows what questions to ask! I was very glad to have him on our side. Thanks to Ilya’s help, within a month, we had found a condo and closed in November! We love our new home!!!

Read my other posts and you will see I don’t give out 5 stars to everyone!
Ilya sold my old condo and helped me buy my new one. Selling the old condo could have been tricky — the building had low owner occupancy and at the time there were approximately 736,475 condos on the market in Allston. But everything he recommended from how to de-​clutter for showings to pricing strategy worked out and it sold relatively quickly. He also helped negotiate letting me stay in the place while I closed the new condo so I wouldn’t have to deal with putting stuff into storage. He dealt with some really crazy potential buyers. I was traveling for work while a lot of this was going on but he facilitated doing most of the paperwork electronically even if it was 10 at night. And he’s fun. You’re going to spend a lot of time with your realtor, so pick someone you’ll like!
I should also mention that my new place is in Brighton and Ilya knows both Allston and Brighton well.

Ilya helped my husband and I buy our first home in 2008. He made an overwhelming, scary process into a very rewarding experience (and often quite fun!). From the initial meeting to the final stages of signing papers, Ilya was right there with us sharing a vast amount of knowledge and expertise in the real estate business.
Ilya also recommended an amazing mortgage broker, inspection company and attorney. We learned very quickly that his recommendations are always spot-​on, whether they be about a home, a price or another player in the home-​buying process.
We have recommended Ilya to a number of friends because we truly feel that he is the best agent out there. He knows the Boston-​area real estate market and he always has his client’s best interest as his priority. If we ever move from our home we’ll work with Ilya in a heartbeat!

Thanks to Ilya Rasner, a realtor at KW Cambridge, I now live in what I believe to be the single most adorable house in Somerville. I didn’t even think I COULD buy a home at this stage in my life, but Ilya had me meet with a great mortgage advisor who showed me exactly what I can afford, and how much my monthy payments would be.
Ilya was a great realtor, really listened to what I was looking for, and was able to show me properties that really fit the bill. The great thing about Ilya too is that’s he’s a fun guy to be around, with a great personality. I cannot stress how much this matters, since you tend to spend quite a bit of time looking at homes with your realtor. I could not be happier with my experience with Ilya and would recommend my realtor to anyone and everyone.
(Look at the profile page to see pics of my swank little abode!)