I was matched with Paul Hostman from ERA Legacy in Pensacola through the Navy Federal Realty Plus referral program to purchase a home. Initially, Paul was responsive, promptly arranging viewings for homes we selected online. However, his service declined significantly after we submitted an offer.
Paul failed to explain critical Florida-specific regulations regarding post-inspection repairs, particularly the dollar amount limitations for repair requests. Had we been informed, we would have structured our offer differently. We provided Paul with a prioritized list of repairs, but he included non-essential items and was vague in describing the repair expectations. Throughout the process, we received unclear responses about the status of repairs and no documentation, such as receipts or invoices, to confirm completion.
Despite assurances that all repairs were done, our final walkthrough revealed that key issues, including an unsafe exterior deck and missing window caulking, were not addressed. The opposing agent pushed for an early closing, which we agreed to, trusting Paul's assurances. However, the promised caulking was never completed, and Paul stopped responding to our follow-ups. Regarding the deck, I offered to handle the labor if costs were covered, and Paul agreed, stating that if he couldn't get the other agent to cover the costs his brokerage would (ERA Legacy Realty). After submitting receipts for the work I completed, he never responded or followed through on reimbursement. Once the home closed, I was completely ghosted.
Paul's lack of transparency, poor communication, and unfulfilled promises--seemingly to rush the closing--left us feeling misled and unsupported. I cannot recommend his services based on this experience.
Two stars only because he did an ok job getting us access to homes we wanted to look at. read more