TopAgentGuide™ | Independent reviews of top real estate agents.

Video profile

Agent's personal statement

Growing up in Stockholm and working in the Swedish film and television business, I never imagined myself working as a Manhattan real estate broker—or that my production background would prove so useful. But successful film production, like residential real estate transactions, requires long–range planning, meticulous organization, knowing locations, working well with people, being creative, adhering to a budget, and always keeping in mind that the ultimate goal is to produce something special. I love being a real estate broker because I get to utilize all of these skills to help people realize their vision to acquire and create a home.

I relocated to Manhattan in 1997 with my husband and two small children. The move and the adjustment process that followed were as difficult and frustrating as they were exciting and full of promise. It took me nearly five years of looking, making mistakes, learning and looking some more before we ended up buying our apartment, a fixer-upper in the Carnegie Hill section of the Upper East Side, which has been our home ever since. During this process, I learned about various neighborhoods, co-ops and condos, board packages, school districts, financial requirements, negotiating with counter-parties, and which real estate lawyers are problem solvers and can get transactions closed. Somewhere along the way, I met Barbara Corcoran and she convinced me that I should share my knowledge and become a real estate broker at the Corcoran Group.

In addition to assisting my clients buy and sell, I also get involved with their decorating and renovation projects. I renovated my own apartment and weekend house, and I have served as a virtual contractor in the renovations of several other apartments and townhouses in Manhattan and in other cities. My experiences with film production have honed my creative eye such that I am able to help buyers see the possibilities in ‘fixer-upper’ apartments and help sellers realize more value by making careful and cost efficient improvements before showings. In fact, my work has been featured in various international print and national television media including a segment on the Today Show.

I became a US citizen four years ago, but my Swedish accent and European background tend to attract more than a few non-American clients. This generally means more work for me, as these clients often have very little knowledge of the apartment buying and selling process. But this is an ongoing advantage to the majority of my other clients, who are New Yorkers (who understand the City and generally know what they want). Dealing with foreigners has given me broad experience in all sorts of problems and questions. As a result, I have already tackled most, if not all, of the issues that typically arise during the course of a transaction. I work throughout Manhattan but I specialize in the pre-war buildings on the Upper East Side. My typical transaction can range from $500k to $4 million, but no matter the size, I treat each client with care and respect because I still remember what it was like for me many years ago, when I was still unsure of what I wanted and how to get it. For me, it’s not simply buying or selling an apartment. I am always cognizant that I am dealing with someone’s home.

Recently sold

Verified reviews (9)

“Maria is blessed with infinite patience. She also has a clear-headed view of the market.”

Anonymous

Posted July 21, 2009. Verified July 21, 2009.

I have worked with Maria on an ongoing basis since 1997 in various capacities. She helped me as a first-time homebuyer in the city. With Maria's help, I arranged to purchase a home in the Sutton Place neighborhood and to sell one in the Lenox Hill neighborhood of Manhattan. Maria is great to work with. She has infinite patience and a wonderful professional disposition. Each time I have worked with her, I have felt that she has had a very clear-headed view of the market. In addition, Maria has a terrific sense of design and construction and a keen sense of taste and practicality. If you’re looking to transform a space, she can help you understand what it should cost, what’s required, and how to achieve the end result most efficiently.

“I worked with Maria on a very difficult transaction because the seller was in another country. Maria pushed the deal through in an efficient and comforting way.”

Ric C.

Posted July 21, 2009. Verified September 23, 2009.

Throughout the entire buying process, Maria was thorough in her work, conscientious of my wishes, cordial, and efficient. Maria’s strengths really showed in our deal because the sellers of the condo that I was interested in buying were in another country, so communication through their broker was at times very difficult. Details and timing are very important in a real estate transaction, so this lack of communication became problematic. On top of that, purchasing real estate is an inherently emotionally-charged process, and whenever there were emotional moments due to the fact that we weren’t getting the information we needed, Maria took control and was very persistent with the sellers’ broker. She was able to get all the information we needed to make the right decision while remaining cordial at the same time, and I think that’s where she really excelled. Because of how well Maria handled my situation, I would absolutely recommend her to others. In addition to everything else, she’s a great person to work with.

“Maria is persistent yet patient. Highly cooperative and collaborative agent.”

Marco A.

Posted July 22, 2009. Verified July 23, 2009.

We worked with Maria in March 2008 to find my daughter an apartment as she had moved to New York City. Ultimately, with Maria's guidance, we purchased a condominium in the West Village. Our experience working with Maria was excellent. She was extremely professional and was persistent in finding us the home that we were looking for. Just as importantly, Maria was a pleasure to work with. She was cooperative and collaborative. She took the time to truly understand our needs and was patient with us during our search. I would recommend Maria to anyone considering buying or selling a home in Manhattan. If you are considering using Maria as your agent, don't hesitate.

“Great listener. I know she is my advocate and that she only wants what's best for me.”

Emre B.

Posted July 23, 2009. Verified July 23, 2009.

Working with Maria is a great pleasure. I worked with Maria to purchase my first home in NYC. Before showing me apartments, Maria took the time to listen to me and truly understand what it was that I wanted. Once we started looking at apartments, she showed me only those apartments that would be potentially good matches. She does not waste my time and is very generous with her time. Now that I am looking to buy again, I have been looking at apartments with her for roughly the last year, and at no point not only did she not give up, but also never pressured me to getting something. Maria is always willing to make time to show me places, even when she has been on vacation. Knowing that she is on my side and only wants my best interest is such a relief in such an important decision of my life. I would recommend Maria to all my friends without any reservations. In fact, I have already recommended her to several friends, and she is currently working on selling one of my friends’ apartment in Upper East Side.

“Maria was extremely professional and well prepared.”

Mats L.

Posted August 17, 2009. Verified August 17, 2009.

Maria was extremely professional throughout the whole buying process. She was very well prepared when we met after having asked us some key questions. In a couple of days we looked at around 10 different suitable condos on the Upper East Side and when we found what we liked and wanted we immediately went into a bidding process, which after some smart moves, we won. Maria also immediately had us lined up with professional legal and financial advisers for the deal. I would recommend Maria to anyone on the market for buying or selling a home in NYC.

“I had a remarkable experience working with Maria. She is a true problem-solver.”

Anonymous

Posted July 21, 2009. Verified October 2, 2009.

My experience with Maria was remarkable. Her ability to work through problems and close the deal was astounding, and I believe she’s worth every penny of her broker’s fee. The situation that I brought Maria into was heinous. I was trying to leave a co-op on the Upper East Side, and the Board had rejected my preferred buyer twice. Maria persevered and showed a sincere sensitivity to the Board’s issues, which eventually led to their acceptance of my buyer. Once the negotiations and discussions were finished, the problems continued. My lawyer almost ruined the deal, and again, Maria made a tremendous effort and fought through that hurdle, successfully closing the deal and selling my apartment. I have recommended Maria to others and would continue to do so. She understands the specific issues and complications with real estate in the city, and she works endlessly to make sure her client is satisfied.

“Maria helped me out of a tricky situation, and she kept my interests as her top priority throughout the process.”

Anonymous

Posted October 7, 2009. Verified October 7, 2009.

I first worked with Maria after I had been renting for a few months in the city and decided to stay in Manhattan. She helped me to find a great apartment and I appreciated her matter-of-fact approach to real estate. I never found her to be overly aggressive to me as a client, and she always gave me her honest opinion of the marketplace. When I later had to sell my apartment, the situation in which I was selling was very complicated. I was trying to sell the property and purchase another one without my partner finding out, and Maria handled the process very skillfully. She kept my best interests in mind and never tipped off my partner. She was able to get us both through the Board process at the new property, and I was able to purchase the apartment because of that. I would absolutely recommend Maria to others. She did exactly what I think someone in her position is supposed to, and that was keeping my interests as her top priority. She never once tried to capitalize on the situation for her own gains.

“Great listener. She will do all the hard work for you.”

Julia S.

Posted July 21, 2009. Verified July 21, 2009.

I would highly recommend Maria. She is professional, smart, incredibly hard-working, and really listens to what her clients are looking for. She never wasted our time with apartments that wouldn’t suit our style or budget. She was available anytime we wanted to set up an appointment to see a place, and often she’d go for us to check something out to see if it was worth our time. But she never pushed us to buy anything, and would offer her frank opinion on places if we asked for it. Once we narrowed down our search, as first-time buyers, we didn’t always know the important questions to ask when considering a place (about maintenance increases, co-op board rules, nearby construction, you name it), but Maria asked those questions for us and guided us through the process. You can’t go wrong with Maria. If you are considering using Maria as your agent, just give her the parameters for what you are looking for (neighborhood, price range, style) and she will do the hard work for you. I never felt like she was trying to “sell me” on something. She is a genuinely nice, thoughtful person whom I now consider a friend as well as my broker.

“I've worked with Marie personally and professionally. Each experience has been outstanding.”

Anonymous

Posted July 21, 2009. Verified November 9, 2011.

I first met Maria through the company I work for. I’m involved in a real estate investment fund, and we hired Maria to evaluate a number of apartment buildings that we were considering purchasing to convert into condominiums. Because of the outstanding experience we had the first time we worked with her, we’ve subsequently hired her again to evaluate a number of additional prospective projects. When I started looking for an apartment myself, I remembered Maria and contacted her personally. We’re currently working together to find a property. What I find impressive about Maria is that she really knows the secrets and details of each building we look at. She knows the co-op Boards and how they work, and she’s been able to tell me the selling points and any potential problems I may come across with a given building. I’ve recommended Maria to a number of personal friends, and I would gladly do so once again. She’s been a pleasure to work with in both commercial and personal deals.