I was initially cautious when a previously unknown broker, Irina Balueva, contacted me—an independent, absentee landlord, seeking to find new tenants for a Manhattan condo—and offered to help me rent out the apartment I'd advertised, the only property I own. Having leased out the unit from a distance for almost three decades, I had seldom worked with brokers, and most of my limited experience with them had not been good. Whereas I'd seen other brokers cut corners in ways that approached malpractice, Irina proved herself a consummately responsible professional. Invariably both competent and cheerful, she turned what can be an agonizing ordeal into a manageable (and sometimes pleasurable) experience. Within a very limited timeframe, Irina located interested candidates and navigated them through what is often a daunting condominium management approval process. After securing approval for the lease, my new tenants remarked to me that her kindness, responsiveness, and directness contributed to their decision to rent my unit. We all appreciated her readiness to set up a videoconference among us, so that the tenants and I could get introduced to one another in a way that will likely establish the foundation for a successful tenancy. (And after my new tenants moved in, I was stunned to learn that she'd left a cake for them on their moving day.) Irina worked diligently for the fee that I paid her, and I would strongly recommend her services to anyone, whether an owner, a would-be tenant, or a buyer. She brings a rare commodity that money cannot buy in real estate dealings: consistent honesty.