RIVES S BROWN REALTORS

We moved from out of state into this home in March of 2013 and there were issues right away. The gas was turned off (even though it was known our move date) and the home was filthy. It had not been empty more than a week or two, so "sitting" was not the reason it was so dirty. Prior to moving, we were told by Gina, the realtor handling this property, that a professional cleaning company would be hired to clean the home after the other tenants moved out. The hiring of the professional cleaning company was to be handled either by the previous tenant or the realtor. Gina told us that the previous tenant 'said' they hired a company, but when I asked her if she got a receipt showing that this was actually done, Gina said no she did not. So, 'verbally' they accepted that it had been cleaned (clearly it hadn't even been vacuumed), but did not bother to get proof the work had been done. Dead and live bugs were everywhere, crumbs, hair and dried food in the refrigerator, kitchen cabinets, and drawers. The bathroom was just as disgusting. Their was mold in the bathrooms, heavy dirt and stains on the carpeting, the kitchen sink needed to be replaced (which again should have been taken care of prior to us moving). Again, I am not talking just a dusty home; I'm talking scrub brush, deep cleaning top to bottom - a home that was clearly not kept up. There were no screens on the windows and they didn't even close properly (when you would open the window, the top portion would slide down too); the yard was so full of leaves, it was clear the outside upkeep was minimal to none. This is just an overview of what we walked into (remembering the best I can from almost 6 months ago). The morning after we arrived, we called and had Gina come by to point out the issues and let her know our disgust and frustration. That was when she said the last tenant had it 'professionally cleaned', but did not have any receipt to prove it (even if she had, I would have suggested she get her money back, because it was clearly not touched at all). They did hire a lawn guy to come out and take care of the build-up of leaves and cut the lawn. It took him 2 days to do all the work- 2 (8 hour) days. As for the inside of the home, she told us to make a list of what was needed and offered to pay me for having to clean the home. This was about March 11, 2013. We have YET to get a phone call, inquiry, or response from her. We have left messages, asked to see her every time the rent is paid in person (she is never in), have asked to have her get in touch with us (she has not), have left her the list of concerns (no response to that either which way) and finally today (almost 6 months later) dropped off some receipts of things we had to take care of ourselves. Initially what we walked into was the worst part. I have to say now, my largest complaint is the lack of any response at all. After seeing our reaction to what we moved into, it should NOT have taken 'us' to contact 'her'. If she were a real professional or if Rives S Brown was a top-notch realty company, someone there would have been in touch with us to fix the issues or even to say we can take care of that, but not this. Something! But zero response or contact at all in 6 months is not acceptable! We moved to Virginia from out of state and I can honestly say I will NEVER use this realtor for a home purchase nor give a good referral. We have seen a few cute homes in the area for sale, but as soon as I see the 'Rives S Brown' Realtor sign, it's an IMMEDIATE no way, I'm not making that mistake again. If you are in the market to purchase a home in Virginia, I would highly suggest you steer clear of this realtor.