Karen did a great job helping me to find my first home. As a first time homebuyer she helped to guide my research and efforts. helping to alleviate as much stress from the home buying process as possible. She reassured me when I was unsure and made sure that my decisions aligned with my original goals (cutting out the unnecessary noise) We talked through questions to ask professionals so that I had full clarity on certain subjects and strongly encouraged / coached me to negotiate for what I wanted I completed the home buying process feeling like the negotiations were fair and that was mainly due to Karen’s coaching and diligence. I really appreciated having her on my team as she embodies the full characteristics of a great realtor.
Karen and I were co-workers in the finance industry prior to her becoming a realtor. Choosing her as my realtor for a purchase of a condo in NYC was not a difficult decision, as I knew the quality of her work, albeit in another industry.
I was spot on! I went into the search thinking I knew exactly what I was looking for. Karen showed me numerous condos that fit my parameters but none of them “hit the spot”. However, from my comments, she was quietly taking notes on what I really wanted. One day she just took me to see a condo that wasn’t on my list, saying: I think you will like it. It hit the spot immediately and it is the one I purchased.
She is also extremely knowledgeable about the market and real estate negotiation. She is always timely, accurate in her responses, courteous and professional.
I would highly recommend her to anybody purchasing a home in NYC.
Karen was the ideal realtor for our needs. We found our beautiful apartment with incredible architectural features in Midtown East after 2.5 days of visits to numerous locations, all happening smoothly and efficiently due to Karen’s expertise. Karen listened to every detail of what we wanted, open minded and interested in us. As out of towners, we learned a lot, with Karen providing information and context on everything. Our instincts to be in a central location really paid off, and we could not be happier. Although the application and board interview took some time, we had patience with the process, due to Karen’s coaching. I cannot imagine a real estate agent who could have been more attentive and professional. As challenging as it is to buy in Manhattan, Karen made every step seem possible as we went through the purchase process.
I am delighted to be writing this testimonial on behalf of Karen Kostiw. Karen is the perfect real estate agent because of her deep real estate domain expertise, her relentless work ethic and her genuine compassion and care for her clients. As a first time home buyer, it was invaluable to have Karen to help me navigate the New York real estate market. Karen was able to guide me through every step of the process, always having answers and perspectives, no matter how niche my questions were. More impressively, Karen worked around the clock to help ensure a smooth transaction. There were many moments during the process where things went wrong, or parties were slow in responding – Karen navigated through all of these hurdles with ease, many times having late night conversations with different parties to smooth over all issues. Having Karen on your side is a real asset, especially during competitive processes. Finally, it was apparent right from the get-go that Karen genuinely cares for her clients. It was really touching how invested she was in the process, and how happy it made her to help me find my dream home. Even after the process, Karen was consistently in touch, offering to help, providing invaluable design advice, and just generally being amazing. Thank you Karen for all that you did for me! I could not be happier writing this testimonial on your behalf!
As a first time home/apartment buyer, I was nervous and insecure about jumping into the process. Karen calmed my worries, and guided me through the entire process with ease. I was able to trust her implicitly, as she was my greatest advocate – fighting for me to get to see apartments I liked, being a strong negotiator once I put down an offer, and putting together a board package that sailed through the approval process extremely quickly. She always listened to and respected my wants, and was consistently available to take my questions and to help me talk through items I wished to sort out. Additionally, she was very helpful in talking through decoration ideas, and introducing me to all the necessary contacts I needed throughout the process. She was also very helpful in getting me acclimated to the climate of the market during the pandemic, and taught me how to evaluate the landscape of the industry in New York City. Karen came as a recommendation from a friend, and I’ve already recommended her to a few friends as well. I’m hopeful we’ll work together again one day.
Karen was way beyond a professional agent who helped me not only with going through all the progress of purchasing a house, but was also a friend to me. She could always arrange all the appointments perfectly to match my limited schedule and listened to my preferences and concerns and made recommendations based on that. She was also so experienced in negotiation, which is probably the most important step in purchasing or selling. She is definitely an awesome agent that you will be really happy to work with.
Karen was a very professional, diligent, and overall reliable agent when working through the process of buying my home. As it was a first home for me, there was definitely some hand-holding along the way (which was necessary). I gave her the specs as well as the area(s) I wanted to purchase my home, and she was readily available with recommendations/opinions. Not only was she able to provide apartment advice, she had a long list of preferred attorneys/architects/contractors/banks etc. for the closing process. Without her expertise, the process would have been quite a bit more stressful. I highly recommend her for any purchases within Manhattan as it was a very seamless process.
Karen was a great agent for a first time homebuyer in NYC. She helped me go through the process (including coop board approval) extremely quickly, I was in my lovely new apartment in no time. She is very helpful and willing to take a lot of work off my shoulders. She also helped negotiate the purchase price lower which I greatly appreciated.
Karen is the best! Being new to the buying process, Karen graciously walked me through each step from the beginning to the closing. I wanted to see as many co-ops as I could to get a better understanding of what I wanted with what was available on the market. Karen’s knowledge and experience in Manhattan realty really helped me filter my list. She also made viewing appointments fast and organized them in the most efficient way so I could maximize my time. She gave me great advice throughout the process and was available 24/7 with answers to any questions I had. She was always very informative, endlessly helpful and a joy to work with throughout this process. She has great recommendations for everything from lawyers to contractors and has great intel about interior design. If you want a broker who goes above and beyond to help you purchase the perfect apartment, I would highly recommend Karen.
Selling an apartment in the highly competitive NYC market is a challenge. Karen understood our requirements and became our 24/7 person. She guided us through the process of obtaining painting, and floor contractors as well as plumbers, window washers, etc. Karen was with us from the initial showing through the recent closing. If we were to purchase again in the city, Karen is our go-to-person. Highly recommend her.
Karen was very responsive and helpful throughout the home purchase process for my wife and I. She was readily available to chat when needed, took care of answering our questions (or pointing us in the right direction to another resource where applicable), and helped to keep our best interests in mind from beginning to end.
Karen completely changed my opinion of brokers. She is incredibly professional, mentored us through the process, is formal in a pleasant but warm way, and I’m going to make all of my friends go to her. She was a project manager, negotiator, and a therapist for us every day. Midway through the process, someone casually mentioned that Karen rarely does transactions as “small” as ours – literally had no idea. I always felt like Karen’s highest priority. She immediately responded to all communication, dealt with my first time anxiety, had all of our paperwork done *early*, and never once slipped up. I never thought I would be able to own a beautiful 2 bed in the Upper East Side, and I’m frankly still surprised. There is no way we could have done this without Karen – would recommend her endlessly. I’ll certainly be calling her when it’s time to move into something larger.
Purchasing property in New York City is a tough endeavor, let alone for someone out of town. Having a real estate agent is just not enough to navigate the obstacles that seemingly arise at every corner. In today’s world you need an agent, advisor, mentor and all-around real estate guru to guide you through the process. Basically, that is Karen all wrapped-up in one. She is amazingly patient yet aggressive when needed, hands on, but not pushy, and goes above and beyond of what is expected of a traditional real estate agent. From locating the perfect apartment, to negotiating a great deal and recommending the perfect attorney, to taking care of the finishing details such as installation of custom closets and designer blinds, Karen made my arrival a seamless journey. So, if you are looking for a modern real estate agent, one that anticipates rather than reacts, then Karen should be your first call.
“Karen was absolutely the greatest. It was a difficult time for my family and I, dealing with the passing of my sister. The process of handling her estate was not an easy task especially with traveling back and forth from Atlanta to New York. We needed someone patient and understanding, someone we could trust and that’s exactly what we got from Karen. Karen was always professional and stayed diligent in her business. As we were getting the property ready, Karen was there through the entire process, from beginning to end. She was focused and aimed at getting the best price possible. After the property was listed, it wasn’t very long before we had a buyer. I have to say that we believe Karen was an angel sent from God. The process was stressful at times, but Karen kept things in perceptive for us. Always on top of things and keeping us well informed. My family and I couldn’t have done it without Karen and we can’t thank her enough, she is highly recommended. Helen, Joi & The Pitts Family”
In October of 2014, my father was diagnosed with a severe medical condition. He passed away in May 2015. I started looking for options for my mother to deal with her real estate holdings, holdings that she and my father had built up over many years through hard work and perseverance. The true American Dream for Cuban immigrants who came to this country with NOTHING. In the search for someone to help, the only person that stepped up and took a chance with the older widow and her son was Karen. She was patient, supportive, knowledgeable and compassionate at one of the worst and sensitive times of our lives. To that end, she found the perfect fit for us, and worked (and continues to do so) on every aspect of our deal through its eventual closing and rental. She was a Godsend to us. We don’t know what we would have done without her during that difficult time. She is not our realtor. She is a trusted friend. You could not go wrong with Karen on your side.
Karen’s unique background in business and liberal arts distinguishes her from other real estate professionals we have worked with in the Tri-State area in general and Manhattan in particular. In addition to doing all the preparations for the listing, Karen sourced the contractors and personally oversaw the renovations we needed to do to get the place in move-in condition. After just open house, Karen secured us an offer at our full asking price. I highly recommend Karen for her expertise and professionalism.
Karen is one of the most professional, personable and down to earth real estate agents my husband and I have ever worked with. That says a lot about someone in this cut-throat Manhattan real estate market. She is a breath of fresh air. In our quest for a first home we must have worked with at least a dozen if not more agents. She was by far the best. She is part of our extended family now. Buying our first home was never going to be an easy process however Karen made it amazing. Right from asking us how we imagined our home, to location, the baby’s room and the tiniest details of floors, lighting & utilities. She had it all perfectly planned out. We enjoyed the process of discovery rather getting overwhelmed by it. Open houses were right on target and before we knew it, in a short period of time we had our dream home. Karen was by our side from the negotiation to the walk through and the closing process. One more thing her prior experience in high finance at NY investment bank was a great asset to us. She was able to open doors that very few agents can. We have high regard for her commitment to her clients and her passion getting the right fit for them and most importantly in their budget, which was probably the most important factor for us. We highly recommend Karen for anybody who is planning on buying a property in the NY metro area. Her expertise is not only Manhattan but also Brooklyn & Northern NJ.
Karen is outstanding! She goes above and beyond the call of duty. Always seeing the big picture. If you have no idea where to start. Karen will set the path and take you carefully and clearly through it till the end. She was and still is in touch with us even after the closing. Every decision we made was carefully filtered and vetted. We chose the best neighborhood,schools,shopping and space thanks to all the advise we received. I can confidently say she is a true professional with honors. She was highly recommended by a friend and now we highly recommending her to you. As a first time home buyer I can tell you our experience was not easy. We did our due diligence. In the process we learned so much from Karen and we will always be grateful to her because of it. We got everything we wanted in the end. Whenever we have a question we turn to her still. She is selfless and resourceful. She even had great connections as far any renovations we were looking to make. Saving us thousands of dollars. In the end we feel like the process was quick, pleasant and classy. I’ve got my money on Karen Kostiw.
Karen is the ONLY realtor you should ever consider using. As a real estate developer, I have yet to meet a realtor that exhibits the enthusiasm, attention to detail and, most importantly, professionalism that Karen displays. She treats every listing like it is her own property. Unlike many realtors who are simply in the business of getting listings, Karen is in the business of selling your property for the highest price possible. She takes the time to carefully analyze the market and your property and when the time comes to negotiate, Karen is always armed with detailed knowledge of all of the comps. While almost all other realtors will simply put your property on the MLS and wait, Karen will actively market your home to the widest audience possible. Her results with my properties have been nothing short of amazing. Karen truly is the ONLY realtor you should ever consider.
