MBD Properties

A big thank you to Mel & Rich at MBD for helping us find the perfect apartment for our son. They were knowledgeable about the neighborhood and the buildings. Rich was professional and thorough at the lease signing, explaining every document and providing us with all the important contact info our son might need.
Upon move in, the apartment was freshly painted and sparklingly clean.
Thank you MBD Properties!

My husband and I are BEYOND grateful that we were referred to MBD properties by a colleague from the United Nations. We had been looking for a new apartment in the city that would be a long term commitment, and we spent weeks working with multiple brokers from so many different agencies. None of them focused on our needs and were as honest with us as MBD. Rich showed us the apartment and was literally the best broker we had met; he even showed us the apartment twice in one day! Afterwards, we met with Mel who was also extremely great to work with and explained everything in the paperwork we were signing. You could tell he truly wanted us to understand what we were signing and committing to with our new home. They worked so swiftly with us in getting the paperwork processed and were extremely responsive throughout the process. It’s hard to find someone to trust with helping you find the perfect home in this city, and but 110% MBD is the most trustworthy and best company!
I have been recommending MBD to everyone looking to move to NYC or looking for a new lease in the city. I can’t think of any other way of finding your perfect home, and we are so happy they helped us find the place we are in!

Moving is the worst. Finding an apartment in Manhattan is a literal nightmare. Working with Mel and Rich made everything absolutely painless and easy! I really felt they were on my side and helped me every step of the way! They were encouraging, flexible and so knowledgeable! I could not be more thrilled with my new apartment and it’s absolutely all thanks to Mel!

I had a fantastic experience with MBD Properties. Emily was extremely helpful and made signing a fantastic place a painless process. Highly recommend

Really can’t say enough good things about all the interactions I’ve had with Mel and Emily. They are both so nice, so helpful, and very straightforward. They helped me find a place that I have stayed in for the last four years

Emily helped us find a great apartment in East Village. She was responsive, attentive, and no fuss. Very refreshing after dealing with so many brokers in the city! Emily and Mel are both great people and a delight to work with — would recommend to anyone looking in the city, especially east village!

Before Mel, apartment hunting in New York was about as miserable an experience as can be. Trying to find a good place is hard enough, so having multiple realtors not even show up for appointments made it even more challenging.
From the get go Mel was really concerned about getting to know us and answered every question we had. He even answered my girlfriends questions about the possibility of the building being haunted.
Honest broker is somewhat of an oxymoron, but with Mel that’s the perfect description.

I have nothing but positive things to say about MDB Properties. Both Mel and Emily were overwhelmingly pleasant and easy to deal with. They both made the apartment hunt and lease signing incredibly seamless and painless. This is unlike any other experience I’ve had with another broker in New York City. Usually the search and lease-​signing process is incredibly stressful and pushy. But not with Emily and Mel from MDB.
It is without any hesitations that I highly recommend them for anyone looking to live in downtown NYC.

What a pleasant surprise! Emily and Mel are a delight to deal with and made the apartment hunting process a low-​stress affair. The same can’t be said for the other brokers I dealt with. MBD is a small operation, but in turn you get a duo who gets the basics right: prompt communication, nice properties at excellent prices, and a friendly attitude. I’d recommend them in a heartbeat.

Mel from MBD made apartment hunting fast, easy, and stress free. We looked at two apartments, loved one of them and signed the lease on it a few days later. Mel advocated for us, got us a great deal, and made a kind introduction to the owner. Mel’s experience and thorough knowledge were apparent and he was very upfront and forthright during the whole process. We love our new place and we can’t wait to move in.
I highly recommend MBD. Mel and Emily are friendly, trustworthy and very savvy at negotiating for their clients. We feel very lucky to have found an apartment we’re crazy about in less than an hour.

My first contact with MBD (specifically, Emily) was in early 2012 — I was moving to the city from CT for work and Emily was the first broker to actually get back to me. I told her what my budget was and she showed me 3 different apartments in the ranges that I had given her. She was super nice, easy to work with and helpful in explaining/​navigating the insanity that is finding an apartment in the city. Unfortunately, the first round didn’t work out (I ended up with a smaller budget than anticipated and couldn’t afford anything that was currently on the market/​available) and I ended up subletting for a year. (During the year I sublet, I also interacted with a few other brokers, all of which made me fully understand why most brokers are reviled in this city; they and the apartments they brought me to were truly awful!)
I periodically kept in touch with Emily to see if there was anything new to the market or that she was expecting to come up, and she happily obliged with my random inquires. I will say that once she’s met you and you’ve gone to a couple places, she’s got a knack for finding something that you’ll like, which is pretty great.
When my sublet was almost up (June 2013), I again contacted Emily to see if she had anything available or upcoming, and she quickly responded with an apartment that actually hadn’t even been posted yet, as it was in the middle of renovations. She showed me a few pictures of another updated apt. in the same building so I could have an idea of what it would look like, and we set up an appointment so I could go and see. Emily met me at the front of the building and as soon as I went in, I knew this was the right place. We went up to check it out and it was perfect, even in it’s half put together state. I was unable to run the water my first visit, so she kindly met me again once the tub/​sink were put back together so I could do my final check :) Once I put the deposit down, then came the application task. Mel and Emily went to bat for me, as this was my first «official» rent in the city, the landlord was a little wary. They made the process as painless as possible and everything went through with no problems.
I love my apartment and could not be happier with Emily and her team and have zero hesitation in recommending them.

I met with Emily less than 24 hours after calling the office. She showed me a studio in the East Village for less than my budget. Very affordable for Manhattan! I was given a two-​year lease with the option to break the lease after one year (assuming I’m in good rental standing). I can’t imagine going through Craigslist to find a place after experiencing the ease of working with MBD. Seriously, I cannot be happier with my decision to use them. They even managed to get the rent a little lower than the advertised price without me asking! I highly recommend them.

A few years ago, I was searching for an apartment in the East Village. I had seen approximately 25 apartments, ranging from «flea bag» to «rat hole», with multiple brokers. Randomly, I came across a listing on Craiglist listing from Mel. I called the number, with little hope that the apartments would actually be as described.
In fact, the apartments were far better than described, and at prices that were at or below all the other apartments I had seen (which were of far inferior quality). The business end of things was smooth and easy (not cheap — he charges the same broker fee as everyone else in the business).
In the years since, I’ve recommended Mel to many friends. They have all had great experiences with him as well, and many have rented their apartments from him.
I absolutely recommend him if you need a place to live in the East Village.

These guys are a breath of fresh air amongst all the sheisters in the NYC real estate market. Their MO is simple — you go to their office, they show you several really well maintained/​renovated apartments, you give them a $ 500 deposit if you are interested, and they immediately stop showing the apartment to other people. Then, you can come in, do the credit check thing which takes a day, and voila — the apt is yours! This was the least stressful time I have ever had finding and apartment in the city. Plus, the apartments are all sprinkled around the east village and still seem to be priced slightly below market rate. I’ve been living in my new apt for a few months now, and I am so glad I decided to see Emily and Mel — they are the best.

In a nutshell: MBD Properties is the place to go when looking for an apartment in the East Village.
The long version: We spent about 3 weeks looking for apartments in that neighborhood. And, as usual, everything was expensive, extremely tiny and/​or required a ridiculous amount of money upfront. We had almost settled for a so-​so apartment, even paid a deposit, but we still had one more appointment with another agency, MBD Properties. We almost canceled it when we had found the other apartment, but decided to check it out anyways. This proved to be the single best decision we made in a long time.
The moment we walked into their office, we instantly knew we were in the right place. As opposed to many other Real Estate agencies in Manhattan, here you don’t feel suspicious or being preyed upon. These are honest people, who talk clearly, transparently and who truly want to find the best deal for their clients. No hidden clauses, no surprises. Mel and Emily are one of a kind. It’s impossible not to feel compelled to trust them completely. After all, the many Thank You letters, christmas cards and Unilocal reviews from their clients couldn’t be wrong. And they weren’t.
In a matter of minutes, we were walking with Mel to see a couple of apartments. The first one he showed us was great. Much better than any other apartment we had seen before and –wait for it…- cheaper! It almost seemed to good to be true. We were almost ready to sign there, in the spot. But he wanted to show us another listing. It was even better. A dream apartment. Of course, we didn’t have to think it through too much. We took it right away.
The paperwork was nice and easy. They kept constant communication and lead us through the whole process. Instead of a large sum of money upfront, Mel wanted to make sure we were trustworthy. After the Landlord agreed to take us, the deal was closed. That day, we were the happiest people in the East Village.
The Broker’s fee was a bit higher than we had originally planned to pay, but in hindsight, it’s a fair price for a company that does its job like no other.
Now, we are settled in our apartment and love every minute spent in it.
Thank you Mel and Emily!

I cannot recommend MBD Properties highly enough!!!
When we came to MBD, we had spent several long days looking at apartments that weren’t quite right for us. We’d seen sixth floor walk ups, tiny kitchens, and rundown buildings, and we were told that we weren’t going to find anything better in our price range. As roommates sharing a one bedroom, we’d resigned ourselves to sacrificing space and privacy, yet we felt there had to be something better out there…
It took a few days to get in touch with MBD, but when we did, it was such a joy. Emily was very warm on the phone and she truly took the time to understand what we were looking for. The next day, we came in and the first apartment we saw was exactly what we wanted– great location, high ceilings, and the perfect layout for two people. Best of all, it was in the final stages of renovation, with a new kitchen and freshly painted walls. And the rent was significantly lower than the other places we’d seen!
We were overjoyed. Emily and Mel helped us through the application process, thoughtfully answering all of our questions and tolerating our anxious enthusiasm, and the very next day we signed the lease.
We couldn’t be happier. Thank you so much, Emily and Mel– we will gladly recommend you to anyone who is looking for an apartment in our neighborhood!!!

I am so happy with my apartment! Yippee!!! I could seriously not be happier!
While I still can’t understand the whole NYC broker thing totally and completely, I do understand that if you want a nice apartment in the city, you’re going to need one. And the fee is going to be around 15% of your annual rent. Ouch.
That being said, you won’t find cheaper and nicer apartments in the East Village without these guys. Search all you want… but it’s just not going to happen. I am scrambling trying to get all my friends to move to my new hood (because it’s the best!). And I want them all to go through Mel and Emily.
Did I mention that they have an adorable cockerspaniel in their office? So cute!

When I moved to NYC, I used Craigslist & went the roommate route. So, the idea of using a broker was foreign to me and I was intimidated at the thought. I decided to move earlier this spring, so I contacted Emily at MBD Properties and she was immediately responsive.
I ended up pushing my move date back a month, which didn’t bother her at all, and she promised to be helpful however possible. In the meantime, I spoke with several other brokers, most of whom were pushy and showed me awful, small, overpriced apartments all over downtown Manhattan. Somehow, through all of this, I forgot to reconnect with Emily — so I did, as I was about to sign on another apartment, just in case she had anything available. She agreed to meet with me that night, showed me two apartments, and I fell in love with one of them.
I put a deposit down the next day, and Emily helped me work through all of the paperwork. I had (probably too many) questions, and she answered all of them quickly and without any inkling of annoyance (which was a nice change of pace from so many other brokers I worked with who would give me one word responses via email or text).
In short — Emily was great, my experience with MBD Properties was professional and stress free, and I absolutely love my apartment. I couldn’t recommend them more highly. Emily is knowledgeable, super helpful, and SO not pushy (which drives me nuts). They even got me my keys about a week before my move in date, so that I was able to move in progressively. If you’re looking for a place in the East Village, you have to try them. They made what could have been an anxiety-​ridden experience surprisingly pain free.

I came to MBD Properties after weeks of unrelenting horror of sifting through the Craigslist postings and trying to discern between legit listings and all those fake ones. After having 2 places rented out from under me (as I was walking to the showing… seriously…) I decided it was time to find a private, exclusive broker.
I found MBD through Unilocal and since I really wanted to live in the East Village, I knew they would be a good place to start since they are exclusive brokers to many buildings in the EV. No, they don’t have a website, but trust me these people are amazing.
I emailed Emily and she wrote me back very quickly with a long, personalized, stress-​relieving response asking about where I am in my search and what I’m looking for. These people are truly about finding a place that is right for you and don’t just care about your budget. Although, that being said, they were great in getting me a place within my budget. A studio in Tompkins Square Park for $ 1425? I’ll take it.
If you do Google MBD properties and see a really scathing review on Citysearch, feel free to ignore it. I spoke with them about this and they were very transparent and explained the whole situation to me and that quickly cleared any and all of my reservations about working with them.
If you’re looking for a place in the East Village and you’re tired of dealing with shady, sketchy brokers and landlords give MBD props a call.
The only reason they don’t get all five stars is because there is a pretty high brokers fee. But really, if you want a hassle free experience and end up in a place that you’ll love, then the fee is well worth it.

MBD properties recently helped me find a charming apartment in the East Village. Emily and Mel were both very pleasant to work with. I worked mostly with Emily, but both were friendly and helpful. They had three great apartments that I looked at, which were within my budget. Everything went well and in a timely fashion with the lease process.
I highly recommend using this broker service if you are looking for an apartment in the East Village.