This was the worst experience I have ever had with a real estate professional…read more
I hired Kelly Hurst to sell an inherited Las Vegas condo under extremely difficult circumstances. I live out of state and was very clear from the beginning that, because of my health, work, and the circumstances surrounding the property, I needed to be as hands-off as possible. A major reason I agreed to work with Kelly was his representation that his property-management experience made him capable of handling the eviction, the property, and the practical complications of the sale.
What I received did not reflect the level of competence, support, or professionalism I was led to expect.
Although Kelly handled the eviction, he did not provide identifying information I requested concerning the former occupants in case I decided to pursue a civil claim related to the significant financial damage they caused. He sent me a video of the condo's contents, but his commentary was unprofessional and conveyed that he resented being asked to deal with the property.
My most important personal objective was preserving some of my deceased brother's belongings, consistent with my deceased mother's wishes. Because I could not travel to Las Vegas, I asked Kelly to coordinate access for a basic third-party packing service such as TaskRabbit. I was not asking him to personally pack anything or pay for the service. I needed someone local to facilitate access so that a service I paid for could retrieve and ship a limited number of items.
He refused. Even after my financial advisor tried to help facilitate a solution, he remained unwilling to assist. Without anyone in Las Vegas to coordinate entry, I was effectively backed into a corner and ultimately had to authorize donation or disposal of the contents so the sale could proceed. To my knowledge, he did not arrange for the contents to be donated or disposed of either, despite my written instructions.
His communication with me was repeatedly rude, dismissive, and defensive. When I expressed that the situation had not been resolved for me, he responded with comments such as, "I thought we were past this." Eventually, the working relationship became so stressful that I stopped communicating with him directly and had my financial advisor serve as a buffer.
The closing process created another unnecessary crisis. I realized at the last minute that nothing had been arranged for the notarized documents required from me as an out-of-state seller. I contacted the title company myself. When the need for notarization was confirmed, Kelly pushed back and stated that he had not heard of this and believed the documents could be completed electronically. The title company then had to explain to him that documents being recorded required notarization. This delay created avoidable last-minute stress during an already overwhelming week.
Kelly did not have to conduct a substantial marketing effort to locate a buyer. He knocked on a neighbor's door, and that neighbor happened to want the property. I still received an extremely poor financial outcome, lost the opportunity to preserve my brother's belongings, and had to personally intervene to make sure essential closing requirements were completed.
I completed this sale despite the representation I received, not because I felt competently supported by it. In my opinion, the service provided did not come close to justifying the commission charged.
I would not recommend Kelly Hurst or Havenhurst Realty & Property Management. If you need an agent who can manage a complicated or emotionally sensitive transaction with professionalism, initiative, accurate information, and compassion, my experience strongly suggests looking elsewhere.
