The east Austin property I viewed was in decent condition with new cabinets & counter tops in both the bathroom and kitchen. I was willing to overlook the tiny bedrooms and closets for the fact that it was super close to my work and the school had a decent rating. All in all I felt like I had found the perfect east Austin gem, free ranging roosters and all. That's where the one star for this rating comes from.
My realtor contacted C-Choice late on Saturday, communicating with their leasing agent Lori all weekend and several times Monday morning. He prequalified me and submitted my application Sunday evening. My bank wasn't open on Sunday and neither were they so I came by their office just before lunch on Monday since that was the soonest I was able to get away from the office [I have to open at 8 am unlike some people] to drop off the cashiers checks for the app fees and security deposit.
At no point did she inform my realtor that another applicant had submitted their application fees and deposit when they opened their office at 9 am Monday morning. She didn't say anything when he called her for the lock-box code at 10 am. She didn't say anything about the other applicant when he called to verify who to make the cashiers checks out to at 10:15 am. The MLS listing showed the property as Available when I left my office to go look at it and get the cashiers checks at 11 am.
I spent the next hour driving to the east side to view the property and all the way south to their offices to drop off those cashiers checks. All the while they were approving another applicant for the same property.
The receptionist who was there at their office couldn't answer my simple question of "Are y'all processing any other applications for this property at this time?" Of course she couldn't be bothered to call the leasing agent to get an answer to my question telling me, "Lori will be back soon" when I asked her to call. She couldn't tell me how long "soon" was. As if I had the time to hang around their office and wait, I was due back at my office 15 minutes prior. I don't know why but on my way out the door I noted their instructions for whomever is closing up the office to "arm the alarm, turn off the AC, and forward the phones"...
When I got back to my office I checked the MLS listings and saw the property was now showing as Pending. I called my realtor and asked him to verify that it was my application that had changed the MLS status, hoping they had already run my application and approved it once I paid the fees. I quickly received the news that it was not my application and that they were signing a lease on that property with another person.
When I called to express my frustration at being led on, Lori claimed she emailed my realtor as soon as the other application was approved. Which just so happened to be right around the time I left their office and that was when she changed the MLS status. I suggested that the next time she has someone calling her about a property and she is actively processing an application for it she should A ) list the property as AC [application in progress] on the MLS list, and B ) disclose that fact to anyone calling about the property so they don't lead on their client or waste their time running all over town.
I asked her to hold my cashiers checks so I could come by in a few hours to pick them up. She said that's fine, the checks will be up front. I arrived at their office at 3:15 pm to find the doors locked and the office empty. If you look above you'll see their hours say they are open until 4 pm but that is a lie. As I sat there in their parking lot fuming over a 2nd wasted trip down S. Congress, I called the office and their automated phone system doesn't even list their office hours nor could I reach anyone in sales.
I called their office at 10 am this morning and had to leave a voice mail message because no one answered the phone at that time either. When I got a call back around 11 am I was informed that their office is only staffed until 3 pm and that from 3 pm to 4 pm the leasing agents are working from their cars.
As I found out the afternoon prior they do not forward their leasing/sales line to anyone working out in the field so they are for all intents and purposes closed at 3 pm.
When I got there this morning my checks were sitting on the front desk where anyone could have picked them up and walked off with them. No envelope, no one sitting at that desk, just laying out on the table. I picked them up as the "couldn't be bothered" receptionist popped her head around the cubicle divider without saying a word.
From my limited experience with C-Choice Properties I have found them to be unprofessional and frustratingly inconsiderate of anyone else's time. read more