Summer of 2010 I moved into an apartment in Ithaca newly managed by James Orcutt Real Estate. I…read morewas living in New Mexico and needed trees and water, research on the internet showed me a building that just "popped" for me, so I emailed James. We set up an interview a few days later and I arranged to be in Ithaca for a look at the apartment he was kind enough to hold for me. I am still in this apartment! I consider myself an expert as I have lived in apartments all my adult life and my father owned some rentals when I was a child, Orcutt Real Estate provides the best treatment this renter has ever experienced. Plus, he always knows my name and takes time to speak and smile if he passes me in the parking lot. Rare indeed. J. D.

I needed to rent an apartment in Ithaca while living in California, relying entirely on the…read moremanager's information because I wouldn't be able to visit before moving. James was extremely helpful, and provided great photos of the place. I am super happy with my apartment for the price I'm paying, and with James' management. My only gripe is that he can be tough to get in contact with unless it's an urgent matter. But he's a busy man and he'll get back to you quickly when you need it.

As a local Realtor, I have had many clients take advantage of the great services and support at…read moreINHS. This is a very challenging time to buy a house and though the financial parameters for the IHNS program can be limiting, they are changing the lives of some people who would otherwise not be able to purchase a home without their help. In addition, the education department at INHS provides a fantastic program open to ANYONE. The class offers a solid foundation of knowledge about purchasing a first home. I've had so many buyers come to me from the INHS Homebuyer program and they are better prepared, more confident, and less intimidated by the process. I recommend it to everyone. Within the parameters of what is allowed by their funders and donors, I believe INHS does the best they can with what they have and they are an important part of increasing housing equity in our community.

As an affiliate of INHS since 1996, I have witnessed their commitment to providing quality housing…read moresolutions for decades. Despite the challenges that typically face any nonprofit, INHS consistently upholds its mission of offering safe, stable, and secure housing. Plus, its staff are some of the best people I've had the privilege to work with. Thanks for all that you do!

We had to do a long distance sale of our old family home. Luckily, we chose Hallie to be our…read morerealtor. Anytime we had a question or needed help resolving an issue, Hallie was ready with clear explanations of our options. We especially appreciated her background in construction as we figured out how to prepare an older home for sale. Although the house was listed "as is," Hallie made sure that a professional photographer captured the natural Finger Lakes beauty of the property, so buyers could see the potential of the land and outbuildings. I highly recommend Hallie as a realtor!

When working remotely became an option for us, we decided to move to Ithaca, NY to live closer to…read morefamily. We contacted Hallie based on positive reviews and we're so glad that she was the one to help us find and purchase our first home. Her knowledge and availability was essential as we were unable to fly back and forth to tour homes. She was flexible and creative in showing us properties that fit our budget and had the space and amenities we were looking for. She never pressured us and worked with us to submit offers that we felt comfortable with. We were unfamiliar with the home buying process in New York but she helped guide us through it. We would definitely recommend Hallie and work with her again in the future!

Because of Elvina Amati, our move was as easy and good as it gets. Elivna helped us with every…read moreproblem we faced along the way, was always available, and was always on our side. Thanks, Elvina!

Buyer beware! I signed a contract to purchase property last week (full price cash offer) the seller…read moreaccepted my offer and my earnest money was already deposited. Yesterday I got a phone call and was told if I didn't come up with an extra $6000 the seller's attorney was just going to simply "disapprove" my contract at the last minute so the seller could get out of the deal. This sequence of events raises serious concerns about the integrity of the transaction process and the conduct of the real estate agent (Amanda) and this brokerage. Specifically, the acceptance of my offer, followed by the solicitation or encouragement over the weekend of someone else to hurry up and make a higher offer at the 11th hour, and then the intimidation / "shake down" of an ultimatum. My attorney was flabbergasted and said she had never seen someone do this before. While Amanda's actions may have technically fallen within "legal bounds", they were completely underhanded and contrary to the standards of good faith and fair dealings expected in real estate transactions. This agent was highly unethical and I cannot believe this is how they are conducting business. I would never use this company again or recommend them to anyone. These tactics are very cut throat and the reason why real estate agents have a bad reputation of being shady. I have contacted the broker / owner of this company with my concerns and have yet to receive a response. I guess this is just normal practices business for this company.

Melissa Shames did a fantastic job in helping us find a house to live in. We met her last year and…read moreshe started to look for family houses. She suggested various types of homes. Melissa being very patient with us when a deal fell through. She explained how deals fall through due to the contracts or the deal not being well written. Yet she never lost hope and helped us look for that place. We finally did. A million thanks to Melissa. She deserves a huge pay raise.

We had the pleasure of working with Melissa Shames from Howard Hanna. She's been a great agent to…read moreus for literally for like last year. We had a sale through fall through late due to a contingency. We had a lot of offers rejected as well. I had some personal stuff in my family and had to take some breaks. But she was very good with just picking it back up and you know we ended up finding a place in May exactly what I needed as per space and conditions of the home. I really like the place I internationally got a place that needed a little work because I want to put my own personal touches on it. I didn't want to buy someone's renovation I was just going to change anyway, you know? But we got a really good place that has best schools at every level, great size and amenities, like a fireplace within my budget constraints more than enough green space. I could easily throw an Additional dwelling unit on the property (Tompkins county has a grant program too) to offset the mortgage. But Melissa is relaxed and resourceful. She'd meets us with gear with thermal heating elements because she really is familiar with the beautiful but sometime erratic weather of the fingerlakes. She really is aware of the nuances in the area. I Highly recommend her.

Broken dishwasher for over a month, unable to replace or fix- This is the management company. When…read morewe called after a month, told us to not call them back and hung up the phone rudely. Wifi is for the namesake only doesn't work. When we came in, it was super dusty and dirty. Basically, they are everything that you don't want in a management company. So stay away from them. Note to landlord: please find a better service management company for your housing needs. Thank you,

Please stay away from this company. Some of their business practices are not legal. They do not…read morecare about their tenants, they only care about being paid. They have displayed a total lack of concern for the health, safety, and well being of myself and a number of their other tenants on multiple occasions. The staff treat you not as a respected customer, but as an unwanted burden. They get away with their behavior because so many students in Ithaca do not know their rights as tenants. If you are already a tenant and you are reading this, please find a copy of the NY tenants rights guide NOW!

Mismanaged. Avoid this property management company, they are terrible, and have a bad reputation…read more The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing in this poorly run agency - they lack integrity and decency. Management companies work for the owner of the building, not the tenants, who treat tenants like second class citizens. Its the second rental I have lived in that they managed and in both cases their performance is poor and with numerous bad experiences. As a responsible, conscientious tenant, I will not tolerate being bullied, disrespected, and intimidated. Or routinely ignored with a lack of communication. Double check that they receive rent payments, insist upon a receipt, and regularly request a tenant ledger record from them to made sure that your rent payment are being recorded.

Certified Properties is the most unprofessional, scummy company I have ever witnessed. I got bit by…read morea rat in my bed while I was sleeping, and the Landlord did not reply to my emails or calls. I got bit by the rat because when we moved in the house was not even attempted to be cleaned. There was food from past tenants still in the kitchen. We lived with rats for 3 months til it was killed. We cleaned the house thoroughly before we left and the landlord took half our security deposit. When I fought with him for months, showing pictures and threatening legal action, he never contacted me when he said he would and it took me 6 months of fighting to get a refund. It is not worth living here.

Absolute worst renting experience ever! The initial property manager was arrested for stealing…read moremoney from tenants, and the new manager then told me I wouldn't have a parking spot after being guaranteed one in writing. It took two months just to get my parking pass. I was lied to about the apartment being vacant and less than 24 hours before move-in I was emailed (not even called) to advise that the previous tenant hadn't moved out! I had movers hired and everything. It was almost a week before repairs were complete. The "cleaning" staff left the apartment with black grime and mouse poop all over and I had to hire a separate cleaning team to make it habitable. There was one problem after another, including a maintenance tech breaking my stone bathmat and leaving it there in pieces, heaters not working, bathroom leaks, etc. The last straw was when they rented to a very mentally ill drug addict, and I had to arm myself to go downstairs or do laundry. I was unable to sleep as this person screamed at all hours of the night and smoked marijuana inside, also against the lease rules, and harassed myself and other tenants. They won't return my security deposit (I moved out early with 90 days notice due to uninhabitable conditions) and I have had to resort to legal action. None of my written concerns were EVER addressed or replied to. Do not rent from this company!

You'd better hope nothing bad happens to you while you're renting with them. During my two-year…read morestay at Ravenwood, I had problems with the thin walls and the leaking roof (from the toilet upstairs) multiple times. In addition, they took away over $700 of my $1000 security deposit by the end and nothing was wrong with the apartment. I would recommend you renting with someone else ethical :)

Melynda is just the best. Responsive, creative, and overall a great listener and planner for what…read moreworks for you. She sold my house for a great price, more than I envisioned, and she worked tirelessly to make it happen. I am in awe of her energy and compassion. You won't be disappointed working with Melynda.

Melynda is one of those rare agents that actually cares about her clients. She is easy to talk to,…read morereally understands the market, and most of all what it takes to purchase and sell a home in Tompkins County. We loved her work so much we hired her to do both and couldn't have been happier with her work! When we were ready to sell, Melynda took care of everything. I truly believe her eye for preparing and staging a house to sell is unparalleled. There were so many moving parts to the process of selling, which could have been overwhelming, but Melynda took care of every detail. Our house sold almost immediately after we put it on the market and went for more than we expected. Buying a house in a competitive market was also a breeze with Melynda. Once we explained what we wanted, she quickly and efficiently found a property that was a perfect fit for us. She is very well connected and respected in the city, and was able to help us navigate a bidding war and get us the home we wanted at a price we needed. We were so happy with Melynda's work. We HIGHLY recommend Melynda as an agent for any real estate need you may have.