Garden City realty was great to work with. We had issues with the property and they sent Buddy…read moreJustice to help us he was great!

*HIGHLY NOT RECOMMENDED TO CHECK-IN OR OUT ON THE WEEKENDS*…read more Unfortunately, our check-in experience with Garden City Realty was extremely frustrating and poorly communicated. Everything leading up to our arrival was fine. On the morning of check-in, I received a text around 10:00 AM stating that our rental property was ready. I followed the check-in instructions we had been provided and went to the Garden City Realty office, only to find that no one was there. I sat in the parking lot for more than 20 minutes trying to reach someone so that we could check in and get our keys. I called the emergency number, and the only extension available was for housekeeping. The woman I spoke with tried her best to help, but there was only so much she could do. Thankfully, the actual homeowner happened to be at the property and was able to change the door code for us while my in-laws were there. Otherwise, I'm not sure how long we would have been waiting to gain access to a property that we had already been told was ready. What made the situation even more concerning was what I learned afterward. After I emailed the office about our experience, I was contacted with an apology and was told that our check-in packet was not even placed in the outside lockbox. I was also told that I should have been contacted with the information needed for check-in. However, I received no phone call, text, or email providing that information. Then, the following day around 2:00 PM, I received a call from the office asking if I still needed keys. At that point, we had already been at the property since the previous day. That made me question whether there was any clear communication or tracking of whether we had even successfully checked in. I do appreciate that someone from the office contacted me after my email, apologized, and acknowledged that the check-in process was not handled correctly. However, guests should not have to track down staff, call an emergency number, rely on housekeeping, or fortunately have the homeowner on-site just to gain access to their vacation rental. Weekend check-ins are certainly not unusual for a vacation rental company, so there should be a reliable process in place when the office is not staffed. The lack of communication and preparation made the beginning of our vacation unnecessarily stressful and inconvenient. I hope Garden City Realty uses this experience to improve its weekend check-in procedures so another family does not have the same experience.

I contacted our property manager on a holiday with an issue. She wasted no time taking care of…read moregetting information out to all our residents. Service like this is more than appreciated and hard to find now days. I highly recommend FSR for any property management needs!

We've owned a home in Avalon at Carolina Forest for the past two years. Although we currently live…read morein another state and rent the property, we've stayed on top of all communications and payments -- yet dealing with FirstService Residential has been an absolute nightmare. I've submitted multiple written disputes regarding several incorrect violation notices, and no one ever responds. Instead of resolving the issues, they've repeatedly tried to charge my card on file (which I eventually canceled). I've called at least 50 times, and every time I'm told to "fill out a form on the website." No one ever calls back, and no one connects me to a manager who can actually help. The most recent example: they issued a violation for "parking on grass," but the photo they used shows the wrong house and the wrong car. I've attached screenshots of my communications proving this mistake. Despite that, they never corrected it or removed the violation -- instead, they continued adding late fees and now sent a certified notice threatening to put a lien on my property. This company shows complete disregard for homeowners, provides zero accountability, and creates stress instead of support. If you value transparency, fairness, and basic professionalism, avoid any community managed by FirstService Residential.

Customer service isn't really their strong suit…read more.. I was a tenant for a year and the entire time I felt as if the PM, Susan, didn't want me there. I paid my rent on time every time, I took great care of the place, and I barely complained about anything. You'd think that would qualify me for a little more respect. But it didn't. Instead I was rarely (maybe once/twice) greeted when being communicated with (no hello, good morning or anything...even if I said it first). Once in person by one of her partners, he walked through my front door/right past me without even acknowledging me. There was also a time where I believe she and her boyfriend/husband tried to "scam" me. I thought the garage door wasn't working and they came out and moved the sensor to fix it (while I was out). Afterwards I received a text from Susan saying I owed the "garage door company" $75 for the service. I was caught off guard because this wasn't communicated beforehand, so I asked for the company name and an invoice. I looked up the company and it appeared to be a (1-star) HVAC company owned by her bf. But I never received an invoice so I guess asking for one in the first place shut down their efforts...I could be mistaken with this assumption but this is the gut feeling I had about this situation. But the main reason I'm leaving this negative review is because the lack of communication was frustrating. I don't understand someone can run a business while ignoring their customers. I remember trying to plan for a yard sale. I asked for permission almost two months in advance and I had to keep following up with Susan for an answer. It was always an excuse until the last time I followed up, she basically said the home owner didn't care (it seemed like she had no plan on updating me). When it was time for move out, I had to initiate/coordinate a walk through/surrendering keys. The day of move out a random couple came to pick up the keys, turns out her parents were standing in for her while she was on vacation. That would've been a nice detail to know in advance. Lastly, it was an absolute nightmare getting my security deposit back. I had to chase her down. She would ignore my calls and texts, but I finally got a hold of her when I called from a blocked number. I only had to follow up a handful of times over the course of four weeks after that to obtain my deposit. So I guess that's a plus. Overall, I'm just happy I'm not a tenant of theirs anymore. Update: I spoke to Susan and decided to change my rating. I let the negative parts overshadow my entire experience. The positives were that they responded to my maintenance requests in a timely fashion, had an online portal to make things seamless, and the property was nice and in good condition. They were far from "slumlords" so I think my new rating is more representative of my overall experience.

This company has no customer service skills at all. they were very communicative at the very…read morebeginning. I spoke to Susan asked about 4 rentals they had posted on Zillow I was asked to send my ID and I did and then nothing.. I am okay that people have different perspectives but it seemed discriminatory that right after they received my ID with my very brown face communication stopped. Very unprofessional and then when I texted them this statement someone called conventionally and said all the apartments have been rented but that should have been done initially.

I have used this property management company for 2 years now and they are wonderful! Both Lori's in…read morethe office are great and Lori Orlowske is always on top of it with a great sense of humor! Chris is also quick to respond to you when it's after hours. If I could give them 6 stars I would!

From the owner: Property Management Annual and Vacation Rentals…read moreLeasing Agreements Property Location And Analysis Preventative and Corrective Maintenance

As a project manager for a large convenience store chain I have used this crew for many years for…read moresmall jobs to complete store remodeling and truly appreciate the communication, honesty and finished product. Great crew!

From the owner: Convenience store remodeling read more

Be assured that when you hire the Van Sants your home will be well taken care of. Buddy discovered…read morea plumbing issue that needed to be addressed while the house was vacant. He took care of it right away and made sure the rest of the home was safe and sound. Professional, friendly and reliable -I highly recommend Van Sant Home Watch!!

From the owner: As graduates of The Home Watch Academy and certified Home Watch Reporters, Geri-Lynn and her…read morehusband, Buddy, know how crucial it is to protect your investment. The combination of our extensive experience in the construction industry, technology expertise, and a personal family-owned touch provide Van Sant Home Watch a strong foundation to watch over your property when you are not there. As certified Home Watch Reporters are background checked, fully insured, and bonded. Serving all of Horry County.

Chrissy Weiss (and Joe) were an amazing team! They took the time to listen to what we were looking…read morefor and found us the perfect home. They were quick to respond with any questions we had and explained the process to it went smoothly. If you are in the market to buy or sell, you've come to the right place. I would highly recommend using Chrissy (and Joe), they will do all the homework for you and get you in your perfect home! You'll thank me later!

Ryan Korros and his team are amazing. They treated our little condo with the same effort and…read moreenlisted the same resources they would have for an expensive oceanfront house. I highly recommend this team.

After driving almost 9 hours, my family and I arrive to the unit, somewhat early. Wasn't a problem,…read morethe keypad code worked and we were able to get in. When we walked in it felt unusually hot, even for a unit that had been possibly vacant for a day or 2. I went to turn down the air and saw that house was 86 degrees inside and there was an error message on the screen. Upstairs it was 89 degrees and the screen said "low battery." We immediately called the property company and they sent someone out to look at the unit. He was unable to fix it and stated they would get the HVAC company out as soon as they could "it should only take an hour, 2 at the most! This happend just this last Thursday and it was the board that needed fixed." Hmmm so there have already been issues? Interesting. An hour later someone comes to the door with a window unit. We asked him how long it would be, " between 4 and 5 hours." Called company manager, Leslie, back, told her the situation, polite woman but no help at all. "According to the rental agreement, you must give us the chance to remedy the situation. We are unable to move you at this time and unable to give you any other options." She states she was the property's manager and there was no one else we could speak with. So there we sat, in an 86 degree house, with little kids, waiting for the HVAC team to get there whenever that was "may be a while since it is after hours." No "I'm truly sorry for your inconvenience, let me work on something to expedite the situation or fix the problem by moving you." Zero customer service. Zero help. Only reason I gave 2 stars was because it was clean and the house was as advertised (except the air conditioning.)

Arrived at our vacation house for the week and found dirty dishes in the cabinets, bugs in the…read morecabinets, broken glass on the floor and counters in the kitchen and blood on the bed sheets. After multiple texts and phone calls, it took about 48 hours to get a phone call back from anyone at Sea Star Realty. We had to do our own cleaning and go buy new sheets for the beds. And there are still bugs. Their suggested "remedies" were unsatisfactory -- live with the bugs but get a $350 cleaning fee refund. Won't be renting with Sea Star again.

NO STARS! The NJ office is terribly unprofessional…read more Favoritism, no discussions, no communication, rude Stay away from buying or renting in any community managed by this company. Terrible Terrible management company.