E: [email protected]
O: 617.267.3485
F: 617.267.3953
MA Lic #91247
Owner of A&S Realty
Property Management
Atlantic Fish, Back Bay
Our office has always had a family atmosphere. I was born in Brookline, so I’ve always had a close connection to the city. My father started the business back in 1960. I am a Vietnam Era Veteran and served in the US Coast Guard from 1966-1970, My real estate career started right after that in February of 1970. To this day we are still family owned and operated. I am the current broker and owner of A&S Realty, as well as the property manager for most of our managed apartments.
In my free time I have been officiating soccer games, and more recently assessing other referees. I have been a State Emeritus Referee since 1996. I’ve also been a NISOA member for 15 years, officiating division 1, 2 & 3 college soccer. I’m also a lifetime member of the Eastern Mass Soccer Officials Association. On the real estate side I am a member of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board’s Rental Housing Association (RHA), the Back Bay Association, & the Newbury Street League.
I can honestly say that I love my job, and I love coming to work in the morning. Real estate is a business centered around people, and I love meeting new people every day. I am very blessed to have a great team at A&S Realty, with agents who have been with me for over 10 years, so come on in and talk to us...we’re here to help!
"Joel, Val, and the entire A&S Realty group are the standards every real estate and building management company should attempt to live up to. Val is the most genuine and kind agent I’ve ever come across in my 10 years living in Boston and Joel is truly more reliable than you could ever hope for in building management. Val helped me find such a wonderful apartment in Back Bay and her friendly and honest demeanor were such high selling points that I couldn’t help but refer as many folks as I could to her over my 4 years on Comm Ave. And if there were ever any apartment issues or problems I needed solving, it took one email to Joel and he responded back with a solution in a split second. This company is efficient, knowledgeable, professional, and beyond helpful. Thank you A&S for everything!"
"I've been working with A&S Realty for about six months now, and I continue to be very impressed with the level of service they have provided me thus far.
From the beginning, the options they showed me were of better quality and less expensive than apartments I saw from other realtors in the area. Amanda, the realtor who showed me my apartment and helped me set up my lease, has been particularly great to work with. Each apartment she showed me was exactly how she had described, and I appreciated her honesty regarding each option's strengths and weaknesses. She also dealt with my hectic schedule and made time to meet with me after giving her only a day or two's notice. Since then, she has always answered my emails in a prompt, kind, and thorough manner.
I also enjoyed meeting Joel and was impressed that he takes the time to meet with each new lessee, making sure they are aware of the expectations of living in an A&S property. You can tell that A&S takes great pride in the community they have created and places great importance on the care of their clients. I definitely recommend working with A&S."
"Couldn't ask for a better company to help us get the right apartment. Josh was honest and helpful and really went out of his way for us. When we found the almost perfect place, he managed getting us a remodel of both kitchen and bathroom, which made us feel like we really mattered to them to make it perfect.
Meeting with the manager Joel to sign the lease and get to know him (since they handle the property management, bonus!), we knew we were in good hands. They won't disappear after we move in, and I'm confident in them being there for anything we need.
Between Josh and Joel, a perfect team. I definitely recommend going through A and S."
"I can happily say that A & S Realty (Joel and Jim in particular) is a terrific management company! I've lived in 6 different buildings in NYC and Boston and A & S is hands-down the best operation. They are extremely responsive, respectful and great with follow-up. They're a breath of fresh air."
"I worked with Justin and Joel at A&S when I was looking to find a place in Boston, and they were fantastic. I definitely echo all of the positive comments that others have already made.
Justin was extremely thorough, attentive, and pleasant throughout the search process in trying to find me something that fit my ideal parameters, which I really appreciated. And when my current apartment - a great place in the Back Bay - unexpectedly became available, Justin jumped on it and made sure that I got it before someone else snapped it up! He and Joel also both worked to help me through the lease signing process. And since my building is also actually managed by A&S, Joel has been terrific about keeping me and the other tenants well informed about maintenance and other upkeep, as well as always responding quickly to any questions I've ever had.
I cannot say enough good things about this realty company. They are honest, extremely good at what they do, and actually remember and care about their clients. I highly recommend working with them if you want to have a painless (or at least, as pain free as apartment searching can ever be!) and successful apartment search in Boston."
"Joel and Justin are awesome. They set us up with 2 great apartments, and delivered excellent service once we were moved in."
"Joel is a terrific manager and was very knowledgeable of Boston. He made us very comfortable and confident in the company and the lease! I would absolutely recommend this company."
"The guys at A&S really go above and beyond, and work hard to find you exactly what you want. They're not pushy, and won't try to harangue and pressure you into apartments that are above your price range or our of your comfort zone just to clear their listings.
I've worked with Jim, Justin, and Joel for the last year, and all three are extremely friendly and very service-driven, striving to keep their clients happy. They're quick to notify you and keep you updated about any problems and work as fast as they can to solve them (e.g. - the Back Bay Power Outage in early 2012 or a building's busted water heater).
If you're looking for an apartment, A&S has a great range of exclusive properties and with their level of service, you can't go wrong!"
"This company also manages the apartment that we live in. Joel is really nice, funny, and takes care of any problems we have. I also recommend the management company."
"We had an unbeatable experience using A&S to find an apartment as well living in a building managed by A&S. Valerie was super responsive and helpful while seeing apartments and made the application process as smooth as possible. The experience continued to pleasantly surprise us when we moved in to our Back Bay apartment. The building was well maintained and Joel and team were super responsive to the few minor request we did make. I have no reservations recommending A&S and only wish all my rental experiences were as pleasant."
"I had worked with two different realtors before coming to A&S and Lucian and Joel (the manager) were above and beyond in caliber of service. Lucian followed up with me several times in the three days we worked together to make sure I understood all of the forms and was happy with my choice. If I decide not to renew my lease next year, I'll come right back to A&S, but I have a feeling I'll be pretty happy with the place I've got."
"I had the pleasure of renting through A&S Realty from 2012-2014. I have only wonderful things to say about the property, the management, and my overall experience in working with the team. I dealt with Justin for the rental process and he made everything seamless, easy, and convenient. Joel was a fantastic to work with and was always quick to respond to any issues or questions. I always felt "taken care of" while living in one of their properties and always felt like they took great pride in the work they do.
I rented an apartment on Bolyston Street, close to the Marathon finish line, and was witness to the attacks on the event in 2013. I have to commend the A&S team for their efforts in dealing with all parties involved during such a horrific time. Residents were evacuated immediately and not allowed to return for about 10 days. Even though information was limited, the A&S team did a great job maintaining constant communication. It was a challenging time for everyone, and I appreciated the team making extra efforts to keep residents and business owners a priority.
I was sad to leave my apartment, but mostly I was sad to leave such a great team. It's rare to find this kind of customer service, friendliness, honesty, and strong management. I am always quick to refer A&S to anyone interested in Boston area properties."
"Joel is very professional, nice and experienced property manager (the 271 Newbury Building, where they operate, has apartments for rent).
They excel at choosing/managing very well positioned properties. In my case, 1 minute from Trader Joe's, 2 minutes from the Prudential Center. Location, Location, Location...
They operate fast and offer competitive pricing to their catalogue. I'll happily to go to them if I move back to Boston."
"As of tomorrow, I will have been a tenant of A+S for exactly 365 days and I can say with the most absolute certainty that I love being here and plan on being here for quite some time.
To begin with how I got my beloved microapartment (I'll spare you the rather long story.) I was extremely specific about what I wanted, but that didn't phase Laurie, who was upbeat and found the perfect place for me in a snap (conveniently in the same building of which A+S is housed on Newbury Street.) She was communicative, and ever since I have given her number to just about everyone I know who is looking to move to the area. She is the sweetest, and saying hello to her when our paths cross (which is often) makes my day.
A big part of getting my micro was getting Joel's approval. I instantly liked Joel, a hearty, friendly New Englander who is extremely honest about the properties which he manages. Joel is a great property manager who responds to questions and needs in a timely manner (not common in Boston I'm told.) To be frank, Joel is a big part of why I will stay in this building for quite sometime.
THE AREA:
The Back Bay is beauitiful. If you have the chance to live here, do so. Being a stone's throw from the beautiful Storrow drive and Commonweath Avenue, is a great motivator to get outside. A huge selling point to this neighborhood and paying the rent that I do is the feeling of safety (very important to a female living on her own.)
THE BUILDING:
The building itself is extremely well-kept and clean. There is no air conditioning- I have found it's not necessary really, and that a fan does fine. There are only a handful of nights I can honestly say I've been uncomfortable in the heat. No private bathroom- This would scare away a lot of renters and I don't understnd why. The bathroom is professionally cleaned twice (possibly three times?) a week! That means it's likely cleaner than the bathroom you currently have. It's very rare that bathroom time conflicts among neighbors, but you'd have the same issue with a roommate so laa teee da! The neighbors- I adore my neighbors. They are for the most part working professionals who live quiet lives. We exchange pleasantries and if one of us needs help or someone to join them for dinner, it's easy to ask. It's also nice having familiar faces which adds to a sense of safety. Safety- Having such pleasantries with neighbors and busissness which reside in the building lead me to have a feeling of absolute safety. Joel eagerly boasts that the building has never had a robbery and I can see why.
