Brown Harris Stevens

Master Certified Negotiation Expert
Licensed Real Estate Salesperson

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS

Tammy Caress lives and works by the motto, "Love where you live." She believes a home should be a tranquil retreat away from the demands of the real world, where one can unwind with family and friends. As a hard-working and trustworthy Representative, Tammy works hard to find her clients just this type of sanctuary. Prior to her real estate career, Tammy found success in the financial services industry, where she honed her ability to both dissect numbers and data while also communicating effectively with a broad range of people.

As a top Wall Street financial advisor, Tammy began investing in property throughout the city where she became enamored with the real estate market. She has owned multiple apartments in New York City, two homes in the Hamptons as well as investment property in Florida, so she knows firsthand that real estate is the best investment a person can make. Tammy’s experience in sales and finances translate seamlessly into her career in real estate. Her facility with numbers enables a deep understanding of the mortgage market, and her keen attention to detail allows her to spot the best deals. "I am a people person who is also great with numbers," she explains. "I was a top salesperson in a profession very similar to real estate. The product may be different, but the techniques to market and sell are alike." Tammy is a hardworking, punctual and persistent agent that loves to facilitate the search for your dream home. She is also a former mortgage originator well-versed on the latest regulations in the mortgage industry and how to qualify potential borrowers.

Tammy holds a master's degree in finance from Fordham University, a bachelor's in finance from the University of Florida, and was educated in the Lehman Brothers Sales and Trading Training Program. Originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she’s called the Upper East Side home for nearly 30 years. When not busy selling real estate or spending time with her husband, twins and Shih Tzus, you can find Tammy on the tennis court. She runs her own tennis league, Tennis in the City, and is the Captain of three USTA tennis teams.

"In the spring of 2019, my husband and I decided to buy our first apartment in New York City. Having been renters in New York City our entire lives, we were picky buyers that were not going to settle. We chose Tammy Caress of Halstead Manhattan to help us out because I became friendly with her through playing tennis in the Hamptons and found her to be one of the smartest people that I know. Going through the process with Tammy was amazing. Each of the 7-8 times that we went to look at apartments, she was detailed, thorough, and all about my comfort level, not only with the careful choice of apartments to view but with the viewing schedule.

Our first search was in early June of 2019, where we first saw the apartment that we ended up buying. At the time, the home was listed at more than a million dollars over what we finally ended up closing on several months later in January of 2020. Even though we loved the condo immediately, my husband did not think it was a good idea to buy the first one that we saw, so we took the rest of the summer off and recommenced our search in September of 2019. Tammy showed us 60-70 apartments that were in our budget and our desired location. She listened carefully to our wish list, and in the end, we came back to that first apartment and had a signed contract at the end of October 2019.

Tammy's expertise was then on full display as her understanding of mortgages saved us $40,000 in closing costs as she ensured that we could do a Purchase CEMA to help save on mortgage recording costs. She was also very knowledgeable about the mansion tax and extremely helpful in negotiating the right and fair price for the apartment. She was also able to negotiate and get us reasonable terms that were important to us, including some closing conditions that caused my lawyer to remark, ‘How did she get them to agree to that? Nobody in New York City gives that closing condition to the buyer.’ We had a very cordial relationship with both the buyer and the buyer's broker, and the process was very enjoyable. We highly recommend Tammy Caress if you are looking to buy or sell an apartment in New York City." - Kim & Kevin J.

I have worked closely with Tammy Caress and can tell you from firsthand experience that I would not hesitate to recommend her to all my friends, family and clients. She is extremely personable, diligent and easy to work with. Moreover, she is honest and works very hard to achieve her clients’ goals. Tammy’s work style is flexible, and I found her to be extremely knowledgeable about the market. She is a great negotiator and highly accommodating. I recommend her to help with any of your Real estate needs, relocating, buying or selling." - David G.

“Tammy was an amazing realtor to work with. I'm so lucky we found each other at the beginning of my home-hunting. She was exceedingly professional, prompt, and really helped tailor my search towards exactly what I was looking for in an apartment. She would prepare afternoons of extensive viewings complete with information packets I could take home and review. I was picky, and Tammy would not give up the search for my perfect home. In the end, we found the most amazing place—my dream apartment—which I could not have secured without her professionalism, knowledge, and superbly helpful guidance and expertise. I am endlessly grateful for her personalized and attentive approach to working with me. Without doubt I will be coming back to her in my next home search, and would with confidence send everyone I know to Tammy.” - Anne W.

“Tammy found me the perfect home and for that I will be forever grateful. She was very available, responsive and kind and took time to really get to know me and understand what home would be the best fit. She was able to get me a fantastic deal that I didn’t even know was possible in this market and she used her expert negotiating skills and closed the deal quickly.” - Dan K.

"Tammy helped us find the perfect apartment within our price range and she had lot of patience dealing with my husband and I!! Tammy set up 8 appointments in one day three separate times before we found our perfect home! We love Tammy and highly recommend her." - Betty and Tom M.

"I have known Tammy for many years. She is honest, smart and reliable. She really listened to our needs. I enjoyed working with her. She helped me find the home of my dreams. I would highly recommend her." - Melodee L.

"We were selling our UWS 3-bedroom apartment last year in a tight market. We chose to use Tammy as we have known her for many years and knew she knew the market in our area, and we liked her confidence. She worked relentlessly to show our apartment. She had open houses every weekend and worked hard to market our home in many ways, using both print and digital marketing. We were updated regularly, and Tammy was aware of market trends and how to get our apartment out into the public eye.

She recommended a staging company, which did a beautiful job at a reasonable price. Tammy also came up with an alternate floorplan. These both helped cinch the deal. She was able to complete the sale in a timely fashion and we were able to sell our apartment at almost asking price! We highly recommend Tammy as she is sure to work hard to get the job done." - Jenny and Gary M.