How to Find the Best Multifamily Broker in Los Angeles to Sell Your Apartment Building
If you own an apartment building in Los Angeles and you're thinking about selling, one of the most important decisions you'll make is who to hire as your broker. The right broker can mean tens of thousands — often hundreds of thousands — of dollars more in your pocket. The wrong one can cost you buyers, time, and negotiating leverage you'll never get back
So how do you actually find the best multifamily broker in LA? And more importantly, how do you evaluate them once you're sitting across the table?
This guide will walk you through exactly what to look for, what to ask, and what separates truly great multifamily brokers from average ones. We'll also tell you how The Glaser Group stacks up against each criterion — because if you're going to use this as a checklist, you should know where we stand.
1. Specialization: Do They Live and Breathe Multifamily?
The single most important filter when searching for a broker is whether they specialize in multifamily property sales — not commercial real estate broadly, not residential, not a mix of everything. Los Angeles apartment buildings are their own world: rent control laws, RSO regulations, tenant rights, Ellis Act considerations, cap rate dynamics, and buyer pools that behave completely differently than they do in other asset classes.
A generalist broker will struggle to price your building accurately, market it to the right buyers, and navigate the complications that inevitably arise. A multifamily specialist has seen every version of your situation before.
What to ask: "What percentage of your closed transactions in the last 12 months were multifamily apartment buildings in LA County?"
The Glaser Group: 100% of our practice is focused on the sale of multifamily investment properties in Los Angeles County. Jake Glaser and his team closed 35 multifamily transactions in 2025 alone.
2. Transaction Volume: Are They Active in Today's Market?
Track record matters, but recency matters more. The Los Angeles multifamily market has shifted meaningfully over the past few years — interest rate changes, new transfer taxes, evolving rent control ordinances. A broker who was prolific five years ago but has slowed down recently may not have current market intelligence.
Look for a broker who is actively closing deals right now, in the specific price range your building falls into. Volume tells you they have an active buyer pool, real-time pricing data, and the muscle memory to push deals through escrow when things get complicated.
What to ask: "How many apartment buildings did you sell in the last 12 months, and what was the typical deal size?"
The Glaser Group: Jake Glaser closed over $65 million in multifamily transactions in 2025 across 35 deals, with a focus on properties ranging from 4 units to 50 units in the $1M–$25M range — making him one of the highest-transacting apartment brokers in LA.
3. Submarket Knowledge: Do They Know Your Neighborhood?
Los Angeles is not one market. It's dozens of distinct submarkets — Koreatown, West LA, Silver Lake, the Valley, South LA, the Westside — each with their own cap rate norms, buyer demand levels, and pricing dynamics. Your broker needs to know your specific submarket, not just LA in general.
Ask them about recent sales within a few miles of your property. They should be able to walk you through the comps without looking anything up — because they were either involved in those deals or tracking them closely.
What to ask: "What have similar buildings sold for in my neighborhood in the last six months? What's the current cap rate range?"
The Glaser Group: We cover multifamily sales across LA County with deep knowledge in West LA and surrounding submarkets. Every property evaluation we provide is built on recent, hyperlocal comparable sales — not general market averages.
4. Marketing Reach: How Many Qualified Buyers Will Actually See Your Property?
Most brokers will tell you they'll list your building on CoStar, LoopNet, and the MLS. That's table stakes. What separates strong brokers is the depth of their private buyer network and their ability to run proactive outreach — not just wait for buyers to find the listing.
Ask specifically about their email list size, their social media reach, and whether they conduct direct outreach campaigns to investors in the surrounding area. For small multifamily properties especially, the winning buyer is often a local investor who may not be actively searching platforms but responds to a direct call or targeted email.
What to ask: "Beyond listing platforms, how do you actively market my property to buyers? Can you show me an example of a recent marketing campaign?"
The Glaser Group: Our listings reach an email database of over 40,000 investors and brokers. In 2024, our social media marketing generated 35 million impressions across LinkedIn, X, and Instagram. We also run targeted cold call campaigns in the neighborhood surrounding each listing, and market internally to Lyon Stahl's team of 100+ multifamily agents.
5. Communication and Transparency: Will You Actually Know What's Happening?
Selling an apartment building is stressful. You shouldn't have to chase your broker for updates or wonder what's happening with your listing. The best brokers proactively communicate — good news and bad — and keep you informed at every stage of the process
Ask how they handle communication during the marketing period, how frequently you'll receive updates, and what their process is when an offer falls through or a buyer gets cold feet. The answer will tell you a lot about how they operate under pressure.
What to ask: "How often will I hear from you after we go live, and what does a typical update look like?"
The Glaser Group: We provide regular written updates throughout the marketing period and are reachable directly at any time of day, 7 days per week — not through an assistant or a team coordinator. When you list with us, you have Jake's direct line.
6. 1031 Exchange Expertise: What Happens After the Sale?
For many apartment building owners in LA, the sale is just the beginning of a larger financial move. A 1031 exchange allows you to defer capital gains taxes by rolling your proceeds into a like-kind property — whether that's another multifamily building, a triple-net (NNN) leased property, or a Delaware Statutory Trust (DST).
Your broker should be fluent in 1031 exchanges, connected to qualified intermediaries, and able to help you identify up-leg options that fit your goals. If they treat the exchange as someone else's problem to figure out after close, find a different broker.
What to ask: "Have you personally guided clients through 1031 exchanges? What's your success rate, and how do you help identify the replacement property?"
The Glaser Group: We have a 100% exchange success rate and work closely with qualified intermediaries and a national network of NNN and DST partners. We guide clients through the full exchange process from start to finish — not just to the close of escrow. We consider ourselves full service advisors.
7. References: Can They Connect You with Past Clients?
Any broker can make claims. The proof is in what their clients say after the deal is done. Ask for references from sellers whose properties are similar to yours — in size, neighborhood, and deal complexity. A great broker will provide them without hesitation.
What to ask: "Can you connect me with two or three clients who have sold buildings similar to mine in the last year?"
The Glaser Group: We welcome this conversation and are happy to connect prospective clients with past sellers. Our prospects can also read 100+ 5-star reviews from past clients on our Google Business page.
The Bottom Line
Finding the best multifamily broker in Los Angeles isn't about picking the biggest name or the flashiest website. It's about finding a specialist who knows your asset class deeply, is actively closing deals in today's market, has the marketing infrastructure to reach real buyers, and will communicate with you honestly throughout the process.
If you're a small multifamily property owner in LA — whether you own a 4-plex, a 12-unit building, or a mid-size apartment complex — we'd welcome the conversation. Start with a complimentary property valuation, and we'll give you a clear, honest picture of what your building is worth and what a sale process would look like.
Request a Free Property Valuation →
Jake Glaser is the founder of The Glaser Group and a multifamily real estate broker specializing in the sale of apartment buildings in Los Angeles. He is the #1 producing agent at Lyon Stahl Investment Real Estate in West LA and has closed over $250 million in multifamily and commercial volume across LA County.
Or contact:
Jake Glaser
Los Angeles Multifamily Broker
📧 jake@lyonstahl.com
📞 310-230-5157
