My husband and I worked with Kym Fleming at Atlanta Communities when purchasing our first home…read more Although we successfully closed in April, the experience left us feeling unsupported and inadequately guided during several important parts of the transaction.
Our concerns were not simply that every request was not accepted by the sellers. We understand that negotiations do not always go a buyer's way. Our concerns were about the quality of the advice, communication, advocacy, and transaction oversight we received.
The most financially significant issue involved the sellers remaining in the home after closing. Before agreeing to the arrangement, we did not feel adequately advised that rent, compensation, or other terms could potentially be negotiated for post-closing occupancy. We only learned about those options later through our own online research rather than from the agent we trusted to educate and guide us as first-time buyers.
Once we understood the financial impact, we asked for the refrigerator to be included in exchange for allowing the sellers to remain without paying rent, but it was not formally negotiated or secured. We ultimately continued paying approximately $2,400 in apartment rent while owning a home we could not yet occupy.
While Kym did obtain a seller contribution toward our closing costs, that does not change the fact that we did not feel fully informed about our options or strategically advised regarding what to offer for the home or the occupancy arrangement. We knew every request might not be accepted, but we still expected our agent to clearly explain the available options, potential financial consequences, and possible negotiation strategies so that we could make an informed decision. Instead, I was left to conduct my own research and seek guidance from family members who had not purchased a home in decades.
There were also communication and transaction-management issues. Two days before closing, I identified incorrect numbers in the closing documentation and learned that updated information had not reached our lender. At several points, I felt I was personally monitoring and correcting matters that I expected our agent to manage.
I later submitted a detailed complaint to the managing broker and received a relatively quick reply from Sandee Burnham. Her initial response attributed some communication problems to my having "unsubscribed" from Kym's emails, even though I did not unsubscribe until well after closing and moving in. The broker later acknowledged that this was not an accurate characterization but maintained the same overall conclusion which was that Kym's lack of knowledge, guidance and support did not fall " below Atlanta Communities' professional standards" which says a lot about their business.
I recognize that the brokerage reviewed the file and determined that none of its professional standards or ethics rules were violated. However, determining that conduct did not rise to the level of a formal violation is not the same as providing an informed, supportive, and well-managed client experience.
The lack of follow-through continued through the end of the transaction. At our final walk-through, Kym told us she had forgotten the closing gift she intended to give us and would stop by with it the following week after returning from a trip. We never heard from her or saw her again.
As first-time homebuyers, we expected stronger guidance, communication, advocacy, and follow-through from both our agent and the brokerage. I would tell people to RUN from this company and find another option that will give you the proper home buying experience.
Edit: I moved on... until Kym replied to my Zillow review with a version of events that contains multiple inaccuracies & only reinforces my original concerns. Negotiating closing costs doesn't erase the lack of guidance/oversight or the fact that I caught the closing error two days, not weeks, before closing. If Kym advocated for us during the transaction as much as she is advocating for herself now, perhaps this review would not exist.
