Fulton Grace Realty

Having been a client of Fulton Grace (FG) for three years, I would NOT recommend working with them for a number of reasons. PROPERTY MANAGEMENT In our three years, we had four different property managers (Kelsey, Ethan, Ashley, and Laura). Laura was the most professional and responsive by far, and I would recommend her without reservation. However, during each transition, we had to take the responsibility of re-training each manager on basic things about the boiler, a/c units, cleaning, lawn care, etc. There seemed to be little to no documentation in their system to ease these numerous transitions and instead we would get frequent emails to address these standard items. During our first tenant turnover, we discovered that the property manager (Kelsey) had given access two of the three units access to a *master key* and one of the units took it offsite during their move-in. Another property manager (Ashley) had issues paying the gas bill (one of two bills they'd manage for us) and we had a notice plastered on the door that they were going to turn the gas off. It was not until we followed up with FG that they found the gas bills and paid them with late fees. Then, during the hot days of July, a request to put in air conditioners took 18 days and it was only after we asked for follow-up that they discovered that the work order was missed by their handyman service. Furthermore, tenants reported needing to hound property managers to get work orders completed in a timely manner. What they can offer: They're generally good at collecting rent and we had no problems with that or the management of the security deposits. If timely responses to tenants, payment of bills, and fixes within the building are not a priority, then they will eventually get around to them. It seems that property managers are assigned too many properties and, therefore, are unable to provide expedient service that would ultimately reduce the amount of time and effort for each property. Overall, Laura is the best property manager to work with if you must sign with FG as her response time was much improved from the other three. Laura is a gem at FG. Unfortunately, she does not have the support and competent coworkers that would make their management shine. LEASING We worked with FG for eight lease re-signings. We discovered with the most recent batch that the amendments to the lease were not executed at all. Luckily, Laura took care of this, but it would explain why we had numerous property management issues since the residents didn't know the expectations. One time we listed with FG to find tenants and agents inaccurately listed the unit's price and location multiple times after we brought it to their attention. Market-analysis and pricing assistance were not given, even with multiple requests. Overall, the process they have in place to communicate between departments/divisions is sub-par and allows for too many mistakes and inaccuracies that cost us money on our investment due to a vacancy. ADMINISTRATION As a church, we pride ourselves in trying to work to resolve issues with open, honest communication. In two instances we worked with the VP of property management (Carley) and once with a senior manager (Jamie), each time we were engaged they ultimately asked us to find another management company and told that our expectations were too high. They repeatedly did not accept responsibility for inaccurate listings, inability to follow up on lease documents, missed work orders, and sharing a master key with tenants. Our expectations for a management company are to collect rent, pay bills, keep the tenants happy, and maintain the building with accurate and efficient communication. In fact, to help ease FG's burden, we took care of our own snow removal, cleaning of common areas, landscaping, most bill payments, boiler maintenance, and major capital improvements. We expected them to interface with clients, repair issues inside the units, and secure tenants without vacancies in a very "hot" neighborhood. However, when we listed with them we ended up losing close to a one month's rent with an unplanned vacancy. To put this in context, when we listed the units ourselves we had no unplanned vacancies. The internal functioning of FG does not allow for seamless communication and accuracy, which led to lost income. Our last straw was when the administration took 13 days to give a response and finally responded with a request for us to terminate the agreement (the second request in our three years). Our business was not welcomed or valued at FG. CONCLUSION FG over promised and under delivered at every turn. They do not respect or value their clients (both property owners and tenants). It appears that their mismanaged internal functioning and level of staff turnover is primarily responsible for these issues. FG is best suited for a single condo unit where most issues are resolved by on onsite building manager for the association along with no issues within the unit and perfect tenants. If you're looking for someone to collect the rent and take 7% to manage that process then FG is your perfect manager! To help you avoid the mistake we made with FG, I'm happy to give further information about our experience.

Great! Because I listened to my realtor's advice, I sold my home in record time. I've had bad experience with realtor's in the past, but this company was phenominal!!!

We hired Fulton Grace to rent and manage our condo in Lakeview.  So far, so good!  We initially spoke with Jessica who helped us get started with the rental process.  Within about a month, Fulton Grace located a nice couple to rent our home.  They signed the lease, moved in earlier this month and everything is going great so far.  Kelsey is my property manager and she is extremely helpful!  Looking forward to a great year with Fulton Grace!

I worked with Jessica. She was very responsive and helped me set a reasonable rent rate given the time of year and current demand in the area. She was also a good sounding board for ideas I had concern rent terms. While the new tenants have not yet signed the lease, they did locate us some potential tenants that should be a good fit for the building.

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Fulton Grace did an excellent job of representing us for the sale of our condo in Lincoln Park IL. We contacted them in February 2014 however we did not list the property until May due to several renovations that we wanted to make before we sold the property. Charlene form Fulton Grace made sure to stay in contact with us during the time before we listed the property and was very helpful in giving us advice on how to best show the unit. (Furnished/Unfurnished, Paint colors, Etc) She took excellent photos of the property and we had several viewings the first week and once we received an offer she helped us negotiate the price we wanted for the a final sale. We are very happy with the service this company did and would recommend them to anyone looking to sell property in the Lincoln Park/Chicago area.

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We have been using Fulton Grace as a management company for 2 years for our property in Chicago, IL while we live in another state. It has made being a landlord infinitely easier and less stressful. Jennifer responds to our tenants needs immediately and does all the research required when we need to replace or repair anything. She presents us with our options and carries out our wishes with as little disruption to our daily lives as possible. Their prices are fair (7%) and include two free hours of handyman work. They have kept both us and our tenants happy and we plan to continue working with them for as long as we own the property.

They were outstandingly responsive throughout this whole process. What could have been a giant headache for me is now reduced to a few phone calls. My tenant is happy, and so am I. A-plus. :-)

Staff is friendly and responsive. They specialize in managing individual condos they know the market and provide individualed responsive service. I found them to be much more responsive than the large real estate agencies and property management companies. Plus being located in Lakeview they were very knowledgeable and seemed to specialize in the Lincoln Park/Lakeview/Roscoe Village area. They truly take ownership of all Propert Management details leaving nothing to do as a property owner besides review your monthly statement.

I looked them up online and chose them. They do property management and they also helped me rent my condo. They charged me one months rent. I liked that when they sent me a tennant that they had done the work for me. They had already done the credit checks and the work checks. They were also very professional. I will use them again.

I initially emailed several real estate companies for quotes on leasing and property management. Charlene from Fulton Grace Realty was not only the first to get back to me but she was the most knowledgeable about the real estate rental market. Charlene and her colleague, Laura, met with us at our condo to explain their services. They provided us with a fair market rental value for our home and we chose a rental price based on their recommendation. Showings began pretty much right away and we had a signed lease within two weeks. The leasing process could not have gone smoother.

Once we moved, they arranged everything for the tenants arrival. It was great. The tenants have been there for a little over one month and everything is going great. There have been minor maintenance issues that have come up but Charlene, Laura and their maintenance staff have been on top of it. Thanks Fulton Grace!

My wife and I hired Fulton Grace to manage our condo, since we were moving out of state. From the initial meeting the team from Fulton Grace has impressed me by their knowledge of the rental market in my area and their professionalism in my interactions with them.

I primarily worked with Desmond who from the get go was super responsive to all of the questions that I had. He helped get our apartment ready for showing and provided ample feedback to us after each showing. Working with the rest of the Fulton Grace team, he was able to find us tenets within two weeks of having listed our property. They also managed the creating a lease based on our requirements and took care of all of the administrative stuff like running credit and verifying employment. Beyond the basic services you expect from a property manager, Desmond really went above and beyond to make sure our condo was prepared for rental. This included coordinating repairs and taking care of some rather significant last minute details to make sure the new tenets would be happy with our condo.

I’ll summarize by saying that Fulton Grace is a 5 star property management company. They may not be cheapest option in the market, but in my opinion provide their owner clients the “best value”.

Jennifer did a wonderful job marketing the condo as well as showing. She was great at providing feedback fromt he showings. She also responded quickly to any of my concerns. I was looking forward to working with them for the long-term by having them manage the property once a tenant was in place. Unfortunately, through no fault of Fulton Grace, the Condo Board started making renting the unit more difficult than what was called for in the Declarations, so ultimately, I decided to sell rather than rent. Since we had not found a tenant, I didn't pay the one-month's-rent fee.

Fulton Realty helped us post advertisements, perform showings, and finalize contracts. They were very quick and responsive via email. Things are going very well so far!

TJ was extremely responsive and professional, returning messages promptly and sending email follow-ups well into the evening sometimes. I found him extremely attentive and reliable and was very satisfied with the service he provided, particularly given the very fast turnaround (initial contact to move-in happened in about 2 weeks!). There were other cheaper property management companies I considered, but I was so impressed by TJ's professionalism that I decided to hire him even though Fulton Grace's leasing fee was a bit higher than the competition.

We've been in contacted with them for four or five months now. They take one month's rent for a new lease. They are fantastic specifically and they are on top with dealing anything that comes up with the house. They are very responsive to the tenants and also to the owners. They send beautiful financial statements every month and they are very clear about where they are sending money. They are very thorough about everything that they do. I actually hired them because they were cheaper than everyone else and they were fantastic. I would absolutely use them and recommend them.

Overall our interaction is going well so far. They are pretty responsive and seem to know what they are doing.

They were extremely attentive with updates and progress reports. It was a seamless process that took all the headaches out of my situation. Every time I called, I either got my agent or was called back promptly. In these difficult days of real estate Fulton Grace made it easy and explained things to me in terms of someone with no real estate background could. I appreciated their attentiveness and working with me through the process.

I came across Fulton Grace during our search for a leasing agent property manager a few months ago. My husband and I own a condo in Wicker Park and were transferred out of state for work. Instead of selling, we decided to rent. I contacted several companies but Fulton Grace was the first to call me back and was the most impressive during our initial meeting. They were extremely professional and knowledgeable. After our meeting, we hired them to rent and manage our place and have not regretted our decision! The found us awesome tenants in only 2 weeks, which was a HUGE relief. There have been only a few repairs needed so far but they have pretty much been on the ball with everything. We've been informed about everything going on and they have been terrific about communicating with us. Great leasing agents and property management company, friendly and responsive realtors!!!