We were the sellers of our California home, and Penny Hildebrand represented the buyers. This was…read moreby far the most stressful, poorly managed transaction we've ever been through and the most exhausting and emotionally draining time of our lives other than when our kids were in the hospital. So many tears were shed, and we were pushed to our absolute breaking point, wondering if this deal would ever go through.
We finally closed almost 2.5 weeks late, after their team missed deadline after deadline and operated with zero urgency or accountability. The entire process was a nightmare and caused a ripple effect of chaos and frustration for everyone involved.
Why this transaction was a complete disaster:
Missed multiple deadlines repeatedly, then only requested extensions after those deadlines had already passed.
Failed to remove contingencies on time, despite our realtor telling Penny multiple times we needed them lifted by 5 PM on Friday to keep our Colorado purchase alive. Instead, she ignored the urgency and scheduled an in-person signing days later, causing unnecessary delays.
Inspections and appraisal were not ordered on time: inspections were initiated roughly a week before closing, and the appraisal wasn't completed until just days before, steps that should be done early in escrow.
Refused to adapt to time-sensitive solutions, even when offered help with DocuSign, choosing instead to drag things out with in-person signings.
Closed almost 2.5 weeks late, throwing every related timeline into chaos and causing massive stress for us and the sellers of our next home.
Their lender created even more delays and stress, a whole separate nightmare we won't even get into here.
Created a huge ripple effect of anger and frustration. Our realtors, escrow officers, lenders, repair companies, the trust we were buying from, and the sellers of our Colorado home were all shocked. Everyone agreed: nothing about their process made sense, and it should never have been handled this way.
Completely disregarded our family's hardship, even after our realtor explained multiple times how dire things were for us with three young children and another home purchase in jeopardy.
Presented as the "strongest, most secure" offer when we had multiple offers, yet proved the exact opposite.
We even let them raise their offer price so they could pull extra cash out for themselves, something that could have caused the home to appraise below the purchase price and put the entire deal at risk. Even with that huge concession, they still failed to close on time.
And here's what we did for them, on our dime:
Paid for a full professional move-in clean.
Left TVs and a washer/dryer we had no obligation to leave.
Turned utilities back on multiple times, even though the delays were entirely their fault.
Paid for an AC unit replacement we had already negotiated before acceptance, then met their demand to replace every AC unit, even though two were fully functional (and we had just serviced them and purchased a one-year service plan).
Everyone on our side, our realtors, escrow officers, lenders, contractors, and even the trust we were buying from, was shocked at the level of incompetence and lack of urgency. The stress, financial burden, and ripple effect they caused were completely avoidable and absolutely unacceptable. We were supposed to close on August 8th and did not close until August 26th (and that is with our team pushing Penny, their lenders, etc. every step of the way). I can't imagine what would have happened if we had waited around to see what happened.
And the fact that they knew our situation was dire, with three small kids and another home purchase at risk, and didn't care? That's cold-hearted.
This was the most unprofessional real estate experience we've ever had, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. If you value communication, deadlines, and basic accountability...run.
