My testimonials are personal and cherished. 

This is probably more information than you'll find on other review or testimonial pages, but with me, it's personal. I can't condense someone's words of thanks. Here are some of my cherished AptStar reviews.

Justin and Dahlia Constantine (with Michelle and President Barack Obama)

"To say that Kirby Sommers has impeccable customer service is an understatement. We had numerous phone calls every step of the way. Kirby truly cares about finding you a home and not just an apartment." 

Ross Fine

"Kirby's knowledge of the NYC real estate market helped us avoid the hefty broker fees that everyone dreads. We found a nice apartment in the perfect location and were prepared for the entire process thanks to Kirby's coaching along the way." 

Shane Jarman

"After spending weeks sifting through listings on StreetEasy, reaching out to brokers, and trying to figure out the New York City rental market on our own (with no success), my girlfriend and I finally decided try Kirby's AptStar service. It was best decision we made in entire rental process!

We contacted Kirby one week before visiting the city, and 3 weeks before our required move in date (so we were working in a short time frame!). Kirby listened to our unique credit situation and had us prepared with all of the documents our future landlord required. She created a personalized list of apartments for us and walked us through the process of getting in the door, scheduling viewings, and then actually applying for the apartment.

I had originally planned to be in the city for a week to find an apartment on my own, but with Kirby's help we found the perfect apartment, applied for it, got approved, and signed the lease on our first day in the city!

I highly recommend Kirby and the AptStar service to anyone looking to find a great apartment in New York City." 
 

David and Jennifer McCurrach

"Kirby Sommers AptStar Program deserves a 5-Star rating! Kirby was a tremendous blessing to my family in our recent move to NYC and saved our family a total of $10,237.50 with the attention to detail she provided in preparing our financials and walking us through the rental process.

The very first apartment Kirby sent us turned out to be perfect. Within a couple of hours were approved and found our new home. We would recommend Kirby's AptStar services to anyone looking for an apartment in New York City." 

Kate Vargas

"I can say for certain that I would have been completely lost without Kirby. A self-employed musician searching for the 1st NYC apartment that I could call my own, I was totally overwhelmed by the rental requirements. Upon first speaking with Kirby by phone, I was put at ease and reassured. I found not one, but three apartments that I liked! I will be moving into my very own apartment in a couple weeks and I am thrilled. It's a big, wonderful step for me and I couldn't have done it without Kirby." 

Ajay Lakshmanan

"Kirby Sommers' AptStar Program helped me understand the very complicated rental market in New York City. Further she was able to find not one, but two apartments that I liked very much and in a very timly manner as I just moved from London and needed to find an apartment asap. Her advice was invaluable and I would recommend her service to both my friends and colleagues." 

Lucy Wang and husband Terrence Trevais

"Working with you has been great! I want to really thank you for your help throughout all the steps necessary before we even looked at apartments. You made the process much less stressful than it would have been if we were on my own. In such a competitive renter market in NYC, we can't believe you found us an awesome apartment in one day! I know I asked a lot of questions, but you were really patient with me. I just want to thank you again for taking us as your clients!" 

Dan Siegel

"I was fortunate to have been referred to Kirby's unique AptStar Program through a friend. She found me a hidden gem of an apartment. Kirby is thorough and very adept at listening. None of the brokers I spoke with prior to finding Kirby came close to having her knowledge and her top tier professionalism. Once you have Kirby help you find an apartment, you're hooked! She is much more than an apartment guru - she is a life saver." 

Bradley & Lexy Neill

"We were referred Kirby's details for AptStar from a friend after finding out we had to relocate to NY from overseas. We found Kirby to be extremely thorough and very organized. She ensured we had all the required documentation which in Manhattan is quite extensive. We have rented many times before, but the Manhattan market was new to us so it was very helpful utilizing Kirby's experience and guidance." 

Cindy Louis

"Kirby, you don't charge enough. You put your heart and soul into helping me. Your knowledge is worth more than money. When I go to a doctor I am not paying for the 3 or 5 minutes he sees me. I am paying for the many years of experience that doctor has. I apply that to what you do. Charge more. You're worth it." 

Calvin Roach

"Kirby, thank you for kicking my ass as I needed and hired you for. You got me to move ... And with a tender ear at that...I did not move with the grace and stealth of a ballerina as I once could or as quickly as I once was on the squash court. But you got me to move and for that I am eternally grateful. Thanks for making this New Year the best! And, with one month's free rent at that!" 

Thomas Broome

"Like other New York first time apartment hunters, I was shocked with the broker fee that I was likely to pay. I had heard about Kirby's service from a friend and decided to take the leap of faith and ignore the brokers. I did this even with one broker saying not using a traditional broker was a 'terrible mistake'. I'm glad to say that by sticking with Kirby she found me a great apartment with all the quality and location aspects we wanted. I'll be giving Kirby a call if there's a next move! Thank you Kirby!" 

Brittany Mattis

"Thank goodness Kirby was willing to take me on as a client! I had been searching for weeks hoping to find something online as I have in the past, but I just wasn't having any luck! I kept hitting a lot of dead-ends with people not getting back to me and apartments conveniently being rented before I could see them. I even had a few brokers harassing me to try and convince me to work with them and pay their fees (which was not happening!). So I happened to stumble upon Kirby's Landlord Links website. I called her about her AptStar program. She found me a great apartment and also really helped me out with the paperwork and getting approved because apparently my previous landlord was not as particular and so I didn't even know how tough that part of the process could be in NYC. I saw the apartment on Thursday and signed a lease on Friday. Thanks Kirby!"

Alysia Caparros

"Kirby, thank you for finding me the apartment. And thank you for all the wonderful help you have provided me, saving me money on broker fees, and helping me move to NYC from Canada. I'm just finally starting settle in and relax. The 1 bedroom is perfect. The building is very nice, well kept, clean and the neighborhood is very quiet. The super is great. So far so good. Thanks again!" 

Anna Kulik

"My experience with Kirby was nothing but spectacular. I am new to New York and received a lot of misleading information from brokers making me believe that I could find an apartment at the last minute. When I realized they were wrong and began to stress out I called Kirby for help. Although she doesn't usually accept clients on such short notice, I am so grateful to her for agreeing to see me through the process. She immediately came to my rescue and I will always remember her for finding me my NYC apartment for me!" 

Justin Polselli

"Kirby Sommers truly lives up to her reputation as an expert and has something to offer anyone who is looking for a cost and time efficient manner to search for an apartment. Her insights into the entire process from searching, calling, viewing, negotiating, to signing a lease, are the keys for a successful process and are a value add. Kirby not only helps you find the right apartment, she is responsive to answer any questions/concerns you have during the process. She has critical insight built over two decades of experience that will help you find the right building with the right landlord that is right for you. I would be hard pressed to believe that anyone else can match the expertise and level of service that Kirby provides for a small but well worth it investment." 

Larry Zigerelli, Chairman and CEO Levitz Furniture

"For a person who has moved 20 or more times this is the best service I have ever received. Kirby, you found me a great apartment in one day, got me a great landlord, and saved me thousands of dollars in broker fees. Thank you." 

Bobbi Owens

"I am self-employed and I do not work in Finance so showing 40Xs the rent is impossible for me right now. A friend of a friend recommended Kirby. Thankfully, she took me on into her AptStar Program. Without her guiding me through the packet of documents I would need to secure an apartment in New York City as a freelancer, I would not have found an apartment that is better, bigger and cheaper than the rent stabilized apartment I am in now. If you're looking for an apartment, two words: call Kirby." 

Luke McFarlane

"By using Kirby Sommers' AptStar service I saved a grand total of $8,050! ($5,400 on broker fees and the negotiation skills that she talked to me about saved me an additional $1,200 on annual rent, plus an extra ½ month free WOW! She was a pleasure to work with, talking my through the entire process and my apartment search took only one day of my time. I saw four apartments, submitted an application on the first one, and signed a lease all in one day. I highly recommend working with Kirby and encourage those hesitant to take a leap of faith here - you will be posting your own glowing review in no time." 

Cameron Goldberg

"This was great! I loved working with Kirby Sommers in my apartment search. It's like we saw the apartments together even though I was seeing them on my own. More importantly, Kirby cares, and that came through loud and clear. Thank you for my beautiful apartment and for saving me on broker fees." 

Susan Dumais

"Hi Kirby, I just wanted to say thank you for all the help and support your provided during my apartment search. Your AptStar service is amazing. With a limited time frame and an even more limited budget, I was surely a difficult case, but you succeeded in finding several apartments that met all my criteria. More importantly, you provided much needed advice and support, along with "pep talks" to get me motivated." 

Shashank Melkote

"A friend who had used Kirby Sommers' AptStar Program referred me to Kirby. As I had a very busy schedule and was short on time to find a nice place I decided to ask her for help. Kirby was very detail oriented and understood what I was looking for in an apartment. She found exactly what I was searching for and I was able to close the deal very quickly. Kirby helped me save money on broker fees as well as time in terms for looking for the perfect apartment. I highly recommend her!" 

Ian Fogarty 

"5 words I would use to describe Kirby Sommers: A Woman of Her Word! I have recently moved over from Ireland and was quite panicked about the idea of finding an apartment inside the first five days. I accidentally stumbled across Kirby's AptStar Program. From the moment I first spoke with her she ensured me up front that I had nothing to worry about. She guaranteed that if we worked together I would find a nice place within a matter of days. I am pleased (and relieved) to say that Kirby was right and within three days of arriving I had the lease signed for my new apartment!" 

Dan Zambrano

"Hi, my name is Dan Zambrano, and today I signed my FIRST New York apartment lease, only ONE day after apartment hunting with Kirby Sommers' unconditional commitment via her AptStar Handholding Service. Kirby prepares you for the extremely competitive New York market, and was always one phone call away when uncertainty arose. Without Kirby, I am 100% sure I would not have the amazing place I can call HOME; (and her expertise got me UNDER budget!) I am forever grateful and will continue to rant and rave my review to anyone looking for a apartment." 

Fayez Mohamood

"I reached out to Kirby Sommers with an out the way request for some research about the Tri-State area to assist a new employee find a new home for his family. Kirby came through for me with better than anticipated results. She was very professional, very knowledgeable and delivered the information in an expeditious manner. Would highly recommend Kirby and her company to anyone looking for alternative ways to save on broker fees." 

Chris Lautenslager

"For anyone who has to go through the process of renting an apt in NYC, I would like to give you the best piece of advice possible. Hire Kirby Sommers for her AptStar Service!! I assume if you are on this site you have the same revulsion of paying a 15% brokers fee simply because someone opened a door for you. Based on NYC rents, this can be an awful lot of money!! Therefore, I decided that I would dedicate myself to the search process and felt quite confident that I would be able to find a good no fee apt in a brief period of time. Simply put...I was wrong. After spending numerous weeks of wasting my time with bait and switch broker tactics, no show meetings and discovering that certain landlords have notoriously bad reputations it became obvious that I needed help. I reached out to Kirby and am so grateful that I did. She was professional, knowledgeable and focused on finding the right space for me. As promised, Kirby identified an apt for me that was literally perfect!! Seriously. This took only 1 day to view listings as opposed to a constant scramble of phone calls, texts, e-mails and meetings. The time that I saved was in itself worth her fee. But the fact that I now have a beautiful, no fee apt from a solid landlord confirmed that hiring Kirby was one of the best investments I could make. Thanks Kirby!" 

Mia Chen

"Kirby, the apartment has a concierge, security, a nice location, 2 blocks from the 1 train, a 24 hour gym, elevator, laundry in the building and a cute courtyard. So basically it has EVEYTHING I want except size. I can resolve the closet issue with a large wardrobe stand from Ikea. Thank you for helping me a very affordable apartment in the city!" 

Bobby Narang

"Your finding us a place we already saw through a broker for a fee, but making it possible for us to get it no fee is awesome. Thank you for taking us on for your AptStar Program. This streamlined our search and saved us some serious change."

Vicki Kramer

"Kirby Sommers is the Queen of the Positive Apartment Search - her toolkit of what to do and say to be the winning applicant gets the job done with her AptStar Handholding Service." 

Jessica Banks

"I'm a deadly combination of picky and stingy, but Kirby Sommers' AptStar Handholding Service was the antidote. I'm now looking to move in to my new place with a private roof deck just in time for summer festivities. Thanks, Kirby!" 

Ryan O'Neill, attorney at law

"I just signed the lease, and I am ecstatic! The tips and helpful information you provided and the assistance in locating apartments helped me focus my efforts so I could get through the difficult of process of renting in New York efficiently. Having you help me was great. Thanks again Kirby!" 

Nancy Maldonado

"What can I say about Kirby Sommers' Aptstar service? I think the fact that the people at the apartment management company kept asking me how I found out about the rental when apparently it's availability had not been released to realty companies - says it all!" 

Leroy Tellez

"The service Kirby Sommers offers is a great secret weapon for anyone to have when looking for a place to rent in New York City. She's a great ally to have in a market that can be very competitive and frustrating." 

Carl Osborne

"We had a really good experience with Kirby's AptStar Program. Our time frame was very tight, so Kirby did a lot of checking in a hurry to give us a list of apartments in the area we requested. In a single day of looking we saw a number of apartments and ended the day with a confirmed rental. She was really a life-saver and gave us valuable information and advice. This was our second time using Kirby and if we need another apartment she will be our first call. RECOMMENDED! "

Eric N. Research Scientist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Columbia University, PhD

"I am happy I found Kirby who not only helped me find a Manhattan apartment within my strict budget, but also made sure that it had a good history and a stellar landlord who respects their tenants. I have not met anyone else that provides such an honest and excellent service. I have lived in NYC for 4 years, moved 3 times, and I've used most options available for an apartment-search in NYC; I've searched craigslist.org, dealt with many inefficient and greedy brokers and paid fees, & I've even used the reputable apartment-listing service at my university (Columbia University). After many disappointments, I found Kirby. Although I was skeptical at first, I gave her a try. Boy, am I glad that I did! She is the real deal. My only regret is that I did not find her sooner when I first moved to NYC because it would have saved me from all of the anxiety, wasted time, and extra fees."