Dennis Bleak - Exit Realty Plus

At first, I was very impressed with Dennis "Denny" Bleak, broker for Exit Realty Plus. He was very personable, friendly and approachable. He was on time for appointments and was flexible in his scheduling, even meeting with me on a Saturday once. He would usually return calls the same day. Unfortunately, things fell apart later on due to Denny's apparent unfamiliarity with HUD guidelines, and a lack of attention to detail. I believe Denny is probably comopetent in traditional home sales, but he really was out of his element helping me with this special program's demands. As a result, I lost the opportunity to save $66,000 on a $132,000 home. 3% of the total purchase price would have been Denny's commision if the sale had been completed. Denny assisted me in submitting several property bids for the HUD special program, Good Neighbor Next Door (in which public servants can get 50% off the purchase price of certain foreclosed homes in revitalization areas). We submitted three bids to the HUD lottery before one bid was accepted. All bid submissions went without a hitch. When my bid was accepted on a home, I was so excited! Unfortunately, once my bid was accepted, things fell apart. Denny submitted my contract paperwork and earnest money check to HUD and there were several errors on the paperwork, which caused HUD to return the paperwork to us. HUD is VERY picky about paperwork deadlines and correct completion. Apparently Denny was not very familiar with HUD's contracts, because he made multiple simple errors such as not using blue ink, leaving a signature place blank, and failing to list the 'style' in which I would be purchasing the home. When the paperwork was returned for corrections, Dennis and I met again to correct the errors. I was confident all was well now, and began making plans to move into the home. Unfortunately, Denny did not notice the deadline for which the corrections had to be received by HUD (even though the deadline was clearly stated on the corrections checklist). He failed to 'overnight' mail the paperwork and it was received later than the deadline. Thus, my bid was rejected and the home (and huge savings) were passed to another bidder. As I spoke with the HUD representative working the case, she also pointed out that the 'corrected' paperwork STILL had several errors, which would have caused it to be rejected and the bid given to another buyer, even if the paperwork had arrived on time. HUD only gives one chance to fix your mistakes. As I pondered the situation, I remembered several other instances of lack of attention to detail, which may indicate a worrisome pattern for Mr. Bleak. First, he misspelled my name, and put dates that were two months old on the Buyer/Broker agreement. This is the document protecting HIS OWN interests-- a clue that maybe he wouldn't be so careful with my interests. Another clue is a handout booklet that he said he and his agents have given out at seminars-- each booklet has a number of places saying 'insert name of brokerage here', and things like that. Obviously, he (or whoever he has working for him) aren't paying really close attention to the documents they're giving their clients. Third, when it was time to send my earnest money to HUD, I knew more about the process than he did-- he hadn't done his homework by reading the information on the HUD website. Again, I don't know that Denny is not competent to work with regular home sales/purchases, but he really dropped the ball with my special situation with HUD. As a result of Denny's lack of attention to detail, a $66,000 savings opportunity was lost. My legal advisor said I would be within my rights to sue for negligence, but I decided my time wasn't worth it. I just needed to forgive, find peace, and move on. Denny apologized for his errors, though he still claimed the deadline was not stated on the paperwork (I had a copy sent to me by HUD, and the deadline was clearly stated). I was able to get my earnest money back, and Denny was willing to cancel my buyer/broker exclusivity agreement upon my request, so I was free to hire a different agent. After a day or two of anger and crying my eyes out, I decided to leave a negative review but wish him well. This is a long review just to say: nice guy, really liked him, but doubt his competence as a realtor for special situations.