Fulton Realty is an untrustworthy company from the top down. They will take advantage of you as a buyer if given the opportunity.
I worked with Nicole Battle as my realtor. She showed me one house that she highly recommended as her coworker was the person who renovated it and was selling it. It turns out it was a flip, and Shelbie Walsh did the renovations herself with the help of a handyman. It must have been Shelbie Walsh's first flip because nothing was done correctly.
Throughout the buying process, Nicole Battle strongly encouraged me not to get an inspection because she was confident Shelbie Walsh did a great job rehabbing the house. I trusted Nicole Battle and Fulton Realty and felt that since they all worked together, they had my best interest in mind and understood that I was looking for an investment property to grow my portfolio. Nicole Battle and I never had a meeting to review the paperwork; I had to do this myself as an inexperienced buyer.
After I closed, I noticed countless things wrong with the house. Shelbie Walsh did not install lighting fixtures and appliances correctly. Electrical hazards were apparent throughout the house and basement. The first-floor bathroom flooded within the first week. Floorboards were missing; there were defects in the ceiling and drywall. They lied about the number of bedrooms as one area was a passthrough and should not be counted as a bedroom. I could go on ...
After living in the house for the first week, I realized I needed to get a post-sale inspection. The post-sale inspection raised additional issues that I was unaware of. The inspector raised 12 urgent issues I needed to resolve ASAP.
Shelbie Walsh lied on the documents and stated things like an air conditioner would be left in the house, but it never was. All appliances were expected to be in working order, but the drying machine never worked. I raised these concerns to Fulton Realty and its owner Eric Eickhof (I believe he and Shelbie Walsh worked together on the seller's end as he was listed as representing the seller on Zillow). Eric Eickhof and Nicole Battle came by the house to have a look, and Eric Eickhof berated me after the meeting and told me they would not help resolve any of the issues raised.
I called an appliance repair specialist. When they took apart the dryer, they were shocked to see that all of the wires were burnt and recommended that I purchase a new machine. This is just one example; I had to repair multiple appliances throughout the house.
As a buyer, I expected to receive representation, but the team at Fulton worked together to put me in the worst possible position by not disclosing important information and encouraging me not to seek an inspection. I would not have purchased the house if I had the information provided in the inspection in advance of closing.
Simply put, I overpaid for the house and had to spend tens of thousands of dollars resolving defects and buying new appliances. Besides the financial impact, my mental health plummeted while living in the house. My quality of life and outlook was bleak. Fortunately, I was able to sell the house 11 months later.
I'm not sure if it's a lack of experience, negligence, or incompetence, but Fulton Realty is not a company I recommend trusting with one of the most important decisions you'll make. read more