Centre Realty Group

An agent (Marybeth) with CRG brokered a lease for me on an apartment in a two-family house. Several things should have raised red flags: first, she mentioned several times the landlord's ethnicity which was completely irrelevant. She didn't say it in a perjorative way but why is it important to know? Second, she agreed to a number of requests I had made that she claimed to have run by the landlord but which she was reluctant to put in writing. When I arrived to sign the lease, I noticed that one item we had agreed on was missing entirely. When I insisted she add it, she became visibly uncomfortable. I was about to walk out when she finally agreed to write it in. As she did, she smiled nervously and said, "Well, it will be interesting to see what the landlord says when he sees this." Clearly, she had not told him about this and undoubtedly any number of other items we had agreed upon. Several times, the agreed upon moving date shifted and Marybeth asked for more time "so we can make it perfect for you." I was finally allowed to move my furniture in but 48 hours before I was to have moved in, I got an email from the landlord that said he needed to do construction that would mean major dust and debris. I was told my things had to be moved out immediately and that I would not be able to occupy the apartment despite my signed lease. When I brought this to Marybeth's attention, she initially agreed to help me find an alternative at no cost and said she would get to work on it immediately. That night, I contacted her as she requested but she did not respond. I tried a second time, then a third. Finally, two days later, I got an email from her to say the only way she would help me was for a full realtor's fee. I originally thought this might be one agent acting unprofessionally and when I brought the situation to the attention of the sales manager, he agreed that it was mishandled. But when I asked him if the company was going to make it right, he said it was between me and the landlord. Even though all of the business had been conducted with the agency, he took no responsiiblity. Despite a signed lease, I was left with no place to go and just two days to find an alternative. As I searched on my own, I came across another listing and did not realize that the agent worked for the same company. When I emailed him about the property, here is how he responded: "Well, most realtors are poor, uneducated, losers. The top 10% conduct 90% of the business. I don't have the time to hold hands and send out hope emails that someone may like a listing. I am constantly transacting real estate and don't have time to waste. If I have to spend more than a few hours with someone, my business is losing money." Clearly, the unethical and unprofessional treatment I received is not confined to a single agent but is embedded in all agents at CRG by the company.