My experience with Dina at Jabour Realty is that she is a personable crook who is willing to lie to and bait and switch her clients in order to push them into buying. I'm moving from FL to NYC so I contacted a couple brokers to help me find a place to rent, then I flew up to NYC to lock a place down. Here is my encounter with Dina, summarizing her series of lies:
7-15, spoken on phone:
-Me: What is your fee
-Dina: One month's rent
-Me: Okay
7-17, txt:
-Dina: There's a place I want to show you at One 74th st. that is 1550
-Me: Yes!
[txt screenshot: imgur.com/a/6hjg1 ]
7-17, at Jabour, spoken:
-Dina: The place is at One 74 st. My fee is 1.25 months rent for this property
-Me: Okay...
7-17, driving to one 74th st., spoken:
-Me: is it a 1yr lease?
-Dina: yeah they do 1 or 2 yr [...] they only do 2yr
-Dina, when we arrive: actually it's 1575, I read it wrong
-Me: ok
[see place, like it, back to Jabour, she takes all my documentation]
7-17, at jabour, spoken:
-Me: How much is the application fee? Do you accept checks?
-Dina: You don't pay anything now, just fill out the application and I will send it in tomorrow
-[I fill out the application]
-Me: Do you know if other people have applied?
-Dina: I would have heard if there were other applicants.
7-18, spoken on phone:
-Dina: The lady (Barbara?) who sent me the listing had a typo - it's actually 1775, not 1575 (she's apologetic). Do you think you can do maybe 1700?
-Me, after thinking about it: Ok, ask 1700 as long as your fee is one month rent, not 1.25
-Dina: Okay, and I will cover the fees (unspecified fees)
-Dina, after checking 1700: They want 1775 plus 1st month and security deposit (1 month), can you do that (asking before credit check)?
-Me, after thinking for 5 minutes: Okay, 1775 as long as you get one month (not 1.25) and cover the unspecified fees.
-Me, calling back 30 seconds later before she informed them to go ahead: Would there be any issue with me not making 40x rent? (my salary/40=1625)
-Dina: No, no, that's what they do in Park Slope (expensive neighborhood), not Bay Ridge. As long as you have good credit and proof of stable employment then there is no problem. We don't do that here.
-Me: Okay, go ahead.
[Does credit check]
7-18, spoken on phone 10 mins since last phone call:
-Dina: Okay, they like you, but they are a little concerned about your salary. They want you to do 1st month, last month, and security deposit, all as certified checks (hard cash). They have another applicant, I know believe me, that has a much better income (over 100k). Let me know.
7-18, I tell her I will call her back and then write everything above down.
7-18, At 11:30am Dina txts saying that the owner needs to know by noon (in 30 minutes)
7-18, (I don't respond) At 12:10am Dina txts me saying that the landlord is willing to do 1st month rent and security deposit (no more last month rent). [This is hard proof that Dina has lied. If they have another applicant that has better income than I do, then that other applicant comes out on top. End of story. Instead, suddenly the 'landlord' is willing to give me the place for less. THIS WOULD NOT BE OFFERED IF THE OTHER BETTER APPLICANT EXISTS. DINA LIED TO ME OUTRIGHT BY STATING THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER APPLICANT IN ORDER TO PUSH ME TO RENT.]
[txt screenshot: imgur.com/a/2xRDG ]
Lies/deceptions that I initially gave Dina the benefit of the doubt on until it was clear that she had lied to me:
-1575 rent instead of 1550 rent
-1.25 month fee instead of 1 month fee
-Was 1 or 2 yr lease then suddenly only 2 yr
-1775 rent instead of 1575
-She said salary wouldn't be a problem before credit check. She was exactly wrong.
-No other applicants, suddenly there's a much better applicant.
-Soon after it was clear that the other applicant doesn't exist.
What I give her some credit for:
-Went back to 1 month fee after 1775 price 'mistake'
-Didn't ask for application fee upfront
In summary, Dina blatantly lied to me about there being another applicant in order to push me to rent, she baited and switched me twice on rent and once on her fee, and she cost me a hard credit pull by lying to me about application requirements (ie. Dina fraudulently pulled my credit).
Moral of the story: Do not deal with brokers who lie to you. Deal only with brokers who put their words into writing every step of the way. The second you sense a bait and switch or any unethical practice, leave and don't turn back because it is your money, your time, and your credit on the line. I have no idea why a broker like Dina would lie to and bait and switch a client because the broker works FOR the client, but this is NYC and you are guaranteed to come across snakes. Dina at Jabour Realty is one of those snakes. Dina should be fired and should have her real estate license revoked. Go elsewhere. read more
