The best Midwood agent works the 11230 and 11229 streets every week and prices off recent sales a few doors down, not borough averages. That local footing is what gets a house sold for more, and it’s the first thing you should check before you sign. We’re The Behfar Team, based right here at 1524 East 23rd Street, with a 4.9 Google rating from 133 reviews and more than 20 years selling in this neighborhood. The checklist below lets you judge any agent, us included, on the same terms.
Picking an agent is the biggest decision you’ll make as a seller. Get it right and you net more with less stress. Get it wrong and a good house just sits.
Start with hyper-local know-how, then look at proof of pricing skill, fee transparency, and a real marketing plan. A generic borough-wide agent can list your home, sure, but a Midwood specialist knows which blocks, school zones, and community details actually move your price.
| What to check | Why it matters | The Behfar Team |
|---|---|---|
| Works Midwood (11230/11229) regularly | Knows real comps, not borough averages | Based in Midwood; we sell here weekly |
| Neighborhood value drivers | Eruv, yeshiva zones, parking, Sukkah space change price | See our community selling guide |
| Data-driven pricing (CMA) | Stops the overpricing that kills value | Local-comp valuations, adjusted by feature |
| Commission transparency (post-NAR) | You should see the full 4–6% in writing | Spelled out in our commission guide |
| Professional marketing | Pro photos + video, sent to the MLS, StreetEasy & Zillow | 360° tours + pro photography (how we market) |
| Negotiation & pricing accuracy | Wins you more on price and terms | 5-star reviews cite strong negotiation |
| Client ratings | Recent reviews show real performance | 4.9 / 133 Google reviews; 5-star Zillow feedback |
| Clear team structure | Know who runs your showings and negotiation | 18-member team, founders Karen & Aharon Behfar |
| Local professional network | Attorneys and CPAs to close cleanly | Vetted attorney + CPA network |
| Community & language fit | Comfort in a high-stakes sale | English, Hebrew, Spanish, French, Farsi |
Ask for specifics and proof, not slogans. A strong agent will happily show you recent Midwood activity, walk you through how they landed on your number, and put the commission in writing. Treat vague answers as a warning sign. Here are the questions worth asking everyone on your shortlist:
We answer all of that in a no-pressure listing consultation, and we price from recent same-block sales instead of a borough-wide guess. Why does the local angle matter so much? Because a Midwood house sells to a specific buyer pool, and an agent who markets straight to that pool, including quiet Hebrew-language outreach, reaches buyers a portal listing never will. You want a Midwood specialist, not a Park Slope or Prospect Heights broker passing through a neighborhood they’d price by guesswork.
Selling an investment property or a multi-family is its own game. There we bring the cap-rate read and the investor-buyer network a general agent usually can’t.
Usually, yes. The bigger net check you get from correct pricing and strong marketing tends to outweigh a small commission difference. A discount agent who underprices or under-markets a $1 million Midwood house can cost you a lot more than the fee you saved. Since the 2024 NAR settlement made commissions openly negotiable, the real question isn’t the percentage, it’s the value you get for it.
How do I compare value, not just price? Weigh local sales activity, marketing quality, communication, and reviews together. We compete on that whole package from inside the Midwood community, not on being the cheapest name in the borough.
Sources: NAR 2024 commission settlement; The Behfar Team Google and Zillow reviews, team page, home-valuation, commission, marketing, and community-selling pages.
