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Coldwell Banker Realty

Coldwell Banker Realty review: bad service 20

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12:16 pm EST
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The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

My wife and I decided to try and sell our home and upgrade back in February of 2008. We found the Coldwell Banker office in Kendall Park NJ and decided to list with this agency. The first month went fine, but then, the real estate agent seemed to be unresponsive to our needs. The only thing of concern was selling my home without regard for me finding another home to buy. No research, no questions, no sit down with me and my wife to understand our needs. By the time we neared the end of 6 months, we never really heard from the agency. A total of 5 people came to see the home in 6 months. Now we understood the market was bad and that contributed to the lack of traffic. But then something bizarre took place. Before the end of the contract, the agency came out to the house, took down their signs and lockbox and allegedly placed the key to my home in my mailbox. Can you beleive? A voicemail message was left letting me know where to find my keys. When I went to my mailbox, no key was to be found. I called the agency and they didn't even so much as apologize. Now I had to change the locks on my home. They had jeapordized my family's safety. I sent a letter and the receipt to the agency for reimbursment only to have them send me back a letter of release of claims and, beleive it or not, a W9 form so I can claim taxes on the check (which they never sent) to replace the locks on my home that they lost the key to. The total amount requested was $55.00. I was never paid. Look, it not about the $55.00; I've spent twice that on dinner for my wife and I. It the principle of it all. So do yourself a favor and think twice before engaging this agency in any transactions. You are sure to lose in the end. Let your friends and family know!

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The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

20 comments
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Classy Person
, US
Sep 18, 2018 7:09 am EDT

I was calling because I was interested in possibly working for Coldwell Banker again, but they are BEYOND RUDE and don't care to train new agents. They are condescending, unclassy, and they do NOT care about fostering new agents. I am reporting them to the real estate board as well.

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FadyH
Culver City, US
Aug 29, 2013 1:22 pm EDT

I will try to make this short..

Kevin Booker a real estate agent played unethical games. now he owes me $550 for money that i have never received any service for.

I signed up to sell my condo with Kevin after getting a good buyer and ready to close the deal the buyer send a cancellation to kevin to be forwarded back to me. Kevin hid this information be cause he wanted me to open a escrow with a new home purchase so that way he can be in control and I can lower my price of my condo.

In fact I have opened the escrow on a Friday the same day my buyer for my own condo sent the cancellation but i didn't see it till Monday.

I have also gave Kevin $550 for an inspection for my new home. Once I found out about the c cancellation I wanted to retrieve and cancel my new home sale escrow and pull back my $550 but after 4 days Kevin was still pushing back on it. At last he said that don't worry about the money he will take care of it. for 8 weeks he came with so many excuses not to pay for the $550 for the inspection that never took place and never provided any report.

All I want now is $550 and expose Kevin about his games and unethical behavior.

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merchelele
san antonio, US
Apr 03, 2013 4:56 pm EDT

i put a bid on a condo i Cranford NJ, and was pre-aprove, two weeks before closing they ask me for $10, 000 more in downpayment. A week before closing they ask me for a $7, 000 more to my downpayment. I have no money to pay that much but now they said I have to honor my debt or otherwise I might be suit by the seller. This people supposed to be the profesionals I jus wanted to buy a condo and they are the one who should have advice me if I was able to or not. Shame on you Coldwell Banker in Westfield NJ! Stay away from this heart less people!

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merchelele
san antonio, US
Apr 03, 2013 4:35 pm EDT

Just be carefull if you are trying to buy a home in NJ. No wonder this state require to get an attorney! I just put a bid on a condo and was pre-aproval for a loan and a week before closing, two months later, the wanted more money for closing down payment. It changed three times in two weeks. From $10, 000 to $20, 000, to $27, 000. Be aware in Nj and be aware of Coldwell banker. I might be in a lawsuit for not be able to close on my purchase do to the amount of downpayment they are now demanding.

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Martin Spiegelberg
Salida, US
Jul 01, 2011 3:40 am EDT

Caldwell Banker Crimson Sky Yuma AZ Foothill Office I have an issue with the agent Michelle Evans not responding to me and not giving my $500 earnest money cashiers check back and it has been months. There is also more, she did not even fill out the form for me I had to do it online for a HUD home they are selling. The home showed sold and I called her a month later and the first thing she said, was "I was just going to call you". She did nothing and has my money tied up in a cashiers check. Here is the way to get results: File a complaint against the real estate agents license with your states Real Estate Licensing board. ALSO, file a compliant against the BROKER of the real estate office they work out of. You should get big results when the Broker gets a complaint against his license when his agent is Lazy and incompetent.
No one has to put up with unethical real estate agents, no one!

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Joe X Smith
Lake Havasu City, US
Jun 07, 2011 12:01 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Don't bother trying to find a place in Lake Havasu City, AZ through Coldwell Banker unless you want to waste a lot of time and effort! Like the guy said they are most definitely unresponsive to your needs. I am the one doing all the work here. They should be the ones contacting me and giving me updates. I wish I would've read this before i started dealing with them.

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greg g
, US
May 26, 2011 11:18 pm EDT

i agree totaly a local coldwell banker hearthside branch and there
muti broker scam artist jaime mancuso and linda emerson riped us off
on the sale of our farm that we had for 17 years, i have made it my new job to inform anyone and everyone to avoid doing business with them .
the money they cheated us out of will seem small to the business that they will loose from spreading the truth about them

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kit grimes
, US
May 01, 2011 1:22 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Live and learn, my friend. Live and learn.

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hereisgoodadvice
Minneapolis, US
May 01, 2011 1:14 am EDT

ATTENTION BUYERS AND SELLERS...look out for your own interests if you are stupid enough to deal with these sharks (as I was). In Minnesota they will charge you a "fee" on top of any commission they already get. Shame on you Coldwell Banker Burnet Realty in Minnesota!

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David Dean Smith
Boulder, US
Jul 28, 2010 1:27 pm EDT

I just finished losing a house deal due to a very poor negotiations beween my buyers agent and the Coldwell banker Agent representing the seller. I would have a very hard time recommending anyone from the Coldwell Banker group in Colorado to work with at this point in time.

David Smith
Boulder Colorado
david.smith3@hp.com

July 28th, 2010

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Naskot
, US
May 16, 2018 3:06 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Same here, we just lost house purchase due to Coldwell Banker realtor Linda Lavine. She comes out as an inexperienced rookie caused my son lot of problems by misguiding him & now he is losing Earnest money too because she wrongly advised him to transfer money in US bank. Now my son found out being a non US citizen he can not get large amount in one transaction. So he lost his chance to purchase the property and getting penalized.

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MJ Moore
Thomasville, US
Jun 02, 2010 5:41 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

Unfortunately, we too have had a bad experience with Coldwell Banker that has left us hundreds of dollars in the hole due to their negligence. We listed our home with the office in Warren Pennsylvania before winter. Living in Pennsylvania all our lives, and my husband being a contractor, we knew to winterize the pipes after the water had been shut off before moving south. We had a prospective buyer and needed to have the water turned back on as per the realator for the lines to be checked via the bank before a loan could be given. We lived 3 states away and once the inspection was complete, and everything checked out OK, had the water shut back off. My husband told the realator that the lines would then need to be drained and he said he "would take care of it". You can imagine our surprise when we went to check on the house in the spring to find ALL the water lines broke, the toilets cracked, and the hot water tank broke. We spent 3 days repairing what we could before we had to return home due to our jobs. We called the real estate agent and he remembered the incident but told us he had to talk with the broker. We finally talked to the office manager and she told us that we had not winterized the lines, I don't know how she so confidentally state this, and they were not responsible. So now here we are, 3 states away with a home that needs the lines repaired and a new hot water tank and the real estate agent not reimbursing us the the hundreds of dollars we have already spent. Luckily, my husband was able to complete some of the work, but they don't feel it was their responsibility since they know for sure that we never winterized the house. I didn't know office managers were so knowledgable on winterizing lines, especially more than a contractor, but apparently this one is.

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cp802
West Chester, US
May 17, 2010 9:55 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I've been working with Coldwell Banker since the end of March on a house I'm purchasing in Florida. Closing is supposed to be May 28, 2010. I've done and sent everything they have asked me to so they can process my loan and it still doesn't seem to be good enough. One of the conditions of getting my loan approved was to pay off a car loan I had, which I did. I sent them the Certification of Lien Satisfaction from the bank to prove it was paid off. Then they wanted to see my bank statement to show the money being debited from my account because the letter from the bank was not good enough. Well, the bank statement apparently was not good enough either because then they wanted a copy of the front and back of the cancelled check, so I sent that as well. I'm still waiting for their approval. They also took $2, 000.00 in good faith money from me which they say "cannot be verified" even though they cashed both of the checks (each for $1, 000.00). I sent them copies of the front and back of those checks as well and "Coldwell Banker for deposit only" is stamped on both, but the checks weren't good enough as proof. Now they want to see the bank statement again to "give me credit" toward the closing costs. They also cannot give me a straight answer as to exactly how much I need for my closing costs or what my monthly payments are going to be. The estimated payments keep fluctuating. I'm 25 years old and this is my first time buying a home. I may not have much experience in real estate, but I've had enough experience in life to know when I'm being pushed around.

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Realreal
Severna Park, US
Apr 26, 2010 11:14 pm EDT

They are only in it for the money. I am trying to buy a house. They keep wanting me to put in a bid for more money then the houses are worth so they can make a bigger commission. Their reasoning was, "I have been doing this for 12 years, trust me" What kind of stupid reasoning is that? Do it because I told you so, trust me, because I told you so? Do your research you lazy real estate amateur.
Show me some facts, then I will trust you. Anyway I ignored their lousy advice but because I signed a contract with them, they get their money for doing next to nothing. I put in a bid for a house at $20, 000 less than what the real estate (professional) suggested. And you know what? The seller accepted and it went to settlement. Do your research, they are glorified used car salesman who will not negotiate with your best interests in mind. Only their bottom, Tax form 1099 interests.

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NeveruseColdWell
, US
Mar 16, 2010 10:03 pm EDT

"Great Customer Service, " Only in a commercial they paid for. We are in the market to buy a home, met with a Cold Well realtor and its only been a horror. The guy has shown us about 5 properties within 1 months time. Every e-mail we've sent him with homes we are interested in goes ignored. When we tried to put an offer in on a home there was a memo about a 3.5% towards closing through homepath, he didn't even know what homepath was, nor did he try to figure it out we had to do all the homework ourselves. We were getting close to the end of our contract and to make sure we were legally able to move on to a new agent he gave my wife the biggest 2nd grader guilt trip i've ever heard. In fact, the only time we really heard from him is when he knew we were going to change agents. He tells my wife on the phone we are good to go, and ok to find a new agent, then the jerk tries to spoon in on our new agent and has the gall to ask him for a referral fee of 25% before we had even looked at any properties, what a swine. I know you can find agents like this anywhere, but your company is only as good as the employees make it. I'll never even consider ColdWell again.

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millet
Kinsman, US
Mar 06, 2010 6:45 pm EST

I would also like to express my displeasure with Coldwell Banker, especially the rental property management office in Savannah, GA. Due to military orders overseas, my husband and I had to transfer to Korea with only 45 days notice. We were renting a property in Pooler, GA and gave our property manager over 30 days notice. Although we paid a full month's rent for Jan 2010 ($1100), and we moved on 9 Jan, we did not receive any refund of rent money except our security deposit. The property manager said it was not Coldwell Banker policy to pro-rate departures from properties even with proper notice from tenants. This policy is not written anywhere in their rental agreements and in our opinion, we deserve most of our January rent back. They even compared it buying a gallon of milk and drinking half, then wanting a refund...how insulting. Rest assured, we will not do business with Coldwell Banker in the future and we want to warn our military friends and co-workers in the area about their policies. Coldwell Banker advertises great services to the military community, well they do not act accordingly.

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Peter T. DeRosa
Huntington Station, US
Jan 20, 2010 9:40 am EST

I agree with these people totally. I had put an offer on a piece of property in Florida and the agent responded after about 7 days with email. She wrote. Sorry, we (the Seller and I ) thought your offer was a joke. You have my cell number, why didn't you call. We thought maybe you had been drinking or something else. We are not interested in working with you and currently working with another buyer who is very interested in the property.
I feel all She had to say is we do not except your offer. I find her answer to be unprofessional and deeming.

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coastguardwife
New Port Richey, US
Aug 13, 2009 2:01 pm EDT

I too have had a bad experience so I understand your views of the matter.
Our home is being managed by them and I have come to understand quite a few things down the road that they never informed me of to begin with.
I have never had them check my property although thats what they are paid for. I have never received information without having to contact them SEVERAL times first and now a month before our lease with them as managers and also the lease with our current tenants is to renew, they notify they are dropping out of contract. This has been a horrible considering my husband serves our contry and we are not in the same state our house is. But as you have experienced they dont regard that and dont return calls. Not only did our office not return calls however but they also have secretaries that hang up on us. I have called other offices to be further informed than an office I paid to do the job has done and just feel totally abused as a consumer.
I wish anyone good luck wlith Coldwell Banker and would think twice before calling them to represent you first.

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ron b
Elk River, US
May 20, 2009 4:32 pm EDT

I agree with Mike on the fact you ended up dealing with a "fool"...Yes, every company has the unfortunate opportunity to have a fool in their midst. During the real estate "upswing" it seems that a lot of "fools" went and got a real esate license, thinking it was a simple process and an easy way to make some money. Hopefully a lot of these people are disappearing as they are often not able to pay necessary dues and fees required to remain in the business. Before employing any agent, is a good idea to find out how long he/she has been in the business and even ask for some references from people they have dealt wih in the past ( recent past)...Our Coldwell Banker office in Elk River, MN. strives to get "thank yous" and "commendation letters" from clients --- believe me, it is a lot of work and time involved especially with the market in it's present turmoil. Hopefully you will have better luck in the future when dealing with real estate matters! Ron B. Coldwell Banker Vision Elk River, MN.

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eastofohio2
Marshfield, US
May 14, 2009 8:56 pm EDT

I've read your complaint about your experience with your local Coldwell Banker office with much embarrassment. I am truly sorry that you went through this. Every good agent knows that the listing agent's responsibility does not end when the sign is placed in the yard. Every good agent with bills to pay also knows that a client looking to sell a current home and upgrade to another one is GOLD. You dealt with a fool. Each of our offices is independently owned and operated, but it only takes one who fails to do the job to give the rest of us a bad name. I apologize on behalf of those of us who are doing our job, and I sincerely hope you find what you're looking for with the upgrade.

Mike Skinner
Coldwell Banker Brenizer
201 W Upham St
Marshfield, WI 54449
[protected]
mike@northwoodcounty.com

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