Rachel Sarfati, founder and president of Urban Living was born in what was then the Belgian Congo. Educated in France, Ms. Sarfati began her real estate career in 1973 in southern Spain where she was specialized in the sale of vacation homes and villas to an international clientele.

In 1983, after a strong career sales in Europe, Ms. Sarfati moved to the United States where she represented a major international cosmetics firm.

Sarfati's fluency in languages, inter-personal skills, excellent sales experience, and expertise in dealing with international clientele, prepared her well for working in New York City's residential real estate market. She joined a New York agency in 1996 and within a year was the top grossing agent in that company.

In 1999 Ms. Sarfati opened Urban Living, a full service real estate agency specialized in furnished rentals. She created the company specifically to follow the trend of web related searches, but with the added benefit and support of a multi-lingual, international team of real estate agents.

There was an increased demand for furnished apartments in New York: On the one hand from global clients traveling to the city but also from local employers  seeking to stay within their budget while securing suitable accommodations for their employees. Urban Living now proudly holds an inventory of 6000 listings with 1500 available at any time on their web site. The inventory includes an extensive range of furnished and unfurnished apartments as well as hosted rooms.

The rapid success of the formula combined with the rising demand called for an expansion of the team members as well as for the working space. The company relocated to a spacious lofty office on 5th avenue where clients' needs are met in a friendly and professional atmosphere. For now, Urban Living calls home to a quiet, spacious lofted floor among the hustle and bustle of Broadway and the center of midtown.

In September 2006, Urban Living opened a new company in Park Slope, Brooklyn offering complete services from rentals to sales. The sister company Urban Living International is another response to the fast-paced real estate market which expanded tremendously in a few years.

The strength of both companies lies in their combination of American business acumen coupled with an international sensibility and outlook.