I am not one to leave negative reviews, but I feel it is necessary to warn other families visiting the 30A area for their own health and safety. If I could leave zero stars, I would. This was the worst property I have ever encountered. Our experience with Benchmark Management at Sand Cliff Condos (Unit 214) was unacceptable. Upon arrival, the smell of mold was so overpowering that we could not remain in the room. We discovered visible black mold on the furniture and inside all the vents. Further inspection revealed a kitchen in poor condition, including filthy cookware. The unit was extremely dated and bore no resemblance to the quality or cleanliness advertised in the listing. It is clear these issues were known, yet the unit was still permitted to be booked. Because of these severe hygiene and health concerns, we left immediately to find alternative accommodations. The experience was incredibly stressful and entirely avoidable. Please look elsewhere and do not book here. read more

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Reserved with them in February for end of July. Completed payment in advance. They called me one week before arrival and cancelled my reservation! Of course nothing comparable at that late date. They ruined our perfectly planned family vacation. Even my refund was short $115. Never trust them again! read more

Everything was going great..... until they cancelled our trip 3 days before we leave. Literally nothing available within hours thats somewhat close to the beach and not $1000 a night. Complete bullshit. Now my wife and I get to tell our two little girls that there probably won't be a beach trip. NEVER WILL I BOOK THROUGH THEM AGAIN! Here was there message that they sent through text message. read more

Benchmark 30A - Real Estate Services Near Me - Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

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If I could rate this a zero or below I would! we stayed at the Mistral 1 in Seacrest Beach. The entire complex is rotted wood exposed, the balcony is slanted and feels like you will fall off, the #10 unit is absolutely FILTHY, the kitchen cabinets are about to fall, there is PAINT cans under the kids bunk beds as well as trash boxes, the refrigerator rocks back and forth, it smells very old and musty, the balcony door won't open, they have wood holding it. I could go on and on read more

these people do not deserve anyone's money, if your looks at booking a vacation with them don't because they more then likely will cancel your reservation. we had recently booked with them through Airbnb and i had gotten a call a month later stating they need to cancel due to construction i called them back and the girl stated it was for incorrect pricing they wanted to charge 3000 more on top of the 4500$ we were giving them. if this rental asked you to cancel for there mistake don't they need to cancel themselves to get penalized. read more

Benchmark 30A - Real Estate Services Near Me - Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

This company canceled our reservation via email the night before we fly out for a week's trip. After calling and emailing in response for hours, we never got a response to lock in a backup reservation before the morning's flight. Would recommend anyone to stay away unless you're open to canceling your trip last minute or paying thousands more for another option as it seems like we aren't the only ones with this problem.. read more

I've been going to the emerald coast area for years and this was my first time dealing with Benchmark. I booked a condo and it later was cancelled by Benchmark due to "building reconstruction". I specifically requested the name and address to send refund check to. They put the wrong name on the check and also the wrong state for return address. I specifically said AR and it was sent to Arizona (AZ). After 6 weeks of being lost in the mail, they refused to just credit my card and said they would contact accounting to reissue another check but specifically said "they would not credit my card and there's no timeline on accounting's response". This was unacceptable. I had to contact my credit card company to resolve this mess. Unprofessional and unreasonable company. Stay away. read more

Do not risk your time and money!! This management company is classless and greedy. On March 31, 2024, I made a reservation for June 15-19th, 2024 for 4 nights. On May 18, 2024 I received an email notifying me they made a mistake in my reservation. The condo I booked requires a 7 night minimum stay, and we booked for only four nights. I had two options. Either pay an additional 3 nights or they would cancel our reservation! Ridiculous!! I explained how we budgeted for this trip, and we would not find a similar property (location, size, cost) with such short notice. They did not even apologize only stating "this is the property managements policy". I explained that it is not stated anywhere in the contract I signed and their response "there was an error, it should have been stated." I asked if it was more important to them to acquire 3 nights of pay rather than honoring a customer's contract.... I will never book again with benchmark. read more

Our stay in EASTERN SHORES 207 595 Eastern Lake Rd Santa Rosa Beach, FL This particular unit deserves a review, something I seldom do. On the plus, positive side, the patio & view is very good, your sight is not obstructed and the shoreline is beautiful. Getting to the beach from this unit is convenient and quite easy to do. On the negative side, the patio furniture is extremely uncomfortable, metal stools around a metal table. Inside this unit, nothing is appealing. The furniture is "garage sale type", nothing attractive, matching or comfortable and cheap. We would never expect this junk-style decor from wall to floors and everything in between. Even though it is touted as pet-free, most wall hangings are about dogs suggesting to us the owner has dogs with full run. Most other hangings are homemade. There are handles, racks, holder in varying conditions on need of repair. As far as cleanliness goes-a thorough cleaning is required. Don't expect the Benchmark Management renting group to offer any meaningful respect for your disappointment, they are in this for the money. read more

the cleaning are spectacular the set up's are perfect customer service is great I would highly recommend going there

We stayed at Beach Crest 506. If you want AC, stay somewhere else. When we asked why it would not go below 70 the response was the AC would freeze. When I pushed a second time they did come and unlocked it and set it on 67. Asked why the master was still so much hotter we were told the master bedroom is too far from unit, that is why it is hot. This condo is may be 700 sq ft. They know this is a problem because there were fans in a closet. If you like to sleep in a cool room this condo will not work for you. There was no trash can in the kitchen. Put in a maintenance request but never got one. Also there is not pantry read more

Unit 201 needs renovation! Eastern Shores Unit 201 is bad. Bedding is grandma style, wood style old planks bed. Dirty unit. Sand etc. Holes in bathroom door. Garrett Realty mentions soap in the App they use yet doesn't provide it. Tracey Philpot (talked with her) rude on the phone and was told to "enjoy my vacation" in a very condenscending way. This was after I asked them to bring me soap as the app states. They refused and stated "our cleaners no longer do that". GRS made it my problem instead of helping out a guest. Bad decision. I am an owner and a guest. Second time renting with them and not very happy. This was bad experience as a guest and a look into how they would treat mine. They lost a potential owner of property and Guest. This is a view as to how they would treat a guest of mine. read more

If I could give zero stars I would. I do not recommend Garrett Realty, Lori Lundgren, or Craig Lundgren. Absolutely the worst buyers realtors. We had to let ourselves into someone's home for an inspection and then when they finally showed up they left early. They are horrible at communicating and they may have you as a buyer but they are representing the homeowner, not you. If you want a smooth transaction with little stress caused by the realtor, this is not the company/realtors. read more

Great service. Have rented properties with these folks several times in Rosemary. Beach and they've been great. Will see them again in September r! read more

Once again Garrett Realty Services picks and chooses what reviews about them stay on their review boards. I posted several reviews both on their website and on yelp only to see them taken down. All were professional and straightforward. We rented a property they manage for two weeks in July 2020 in Seagrove Fl. We showed up and there was a house being built next door the entire stay. All the photos of the property showed a wooded lot next door. We got to hear air hammers and compressors all day and watch workers take breaks and have lunch in our front yard. We expect managers of multiple listings to be forthright in these situations and either help minimize the issue or come up with alternatives. They didnt do anything except give us the HOA's phone number and tell us that they werent responsible per the rental contract. They knew there was construction going on and chose not to tell us. They also chose not to tell the people arriving after us. Run! read more

The house in Santa Rosa Beach was great for the family vacay this past July. Before we arrived Garrett Realty notified us of additional cleaning that took place after prior tenants left and what to expect upon arrival. The home was in a residential area and we had many complaints during the week long visit, but Garrett was very friendly and expressed apologies for any inconvenience. The home was in a perfect location in proximity to the beach and local events that we don't normally partake in at the tourist geared properties. The app detailed available amenities, what to expect upon arrival and departure, and how to notify company with emergencies. We will definitely keep Garrett Realty at the top of our list for future vacays! read more

All of these bad reviews are so strange. So many people apparently need their hands held while vacationing. Look, you can look at the pictures of whatever you are renting and tell what you are getting. They don't hide anything. I personally would rather not talk to anyone ever while I'm on vacation so their app is efficient and really easy to use. I have stayed at the Inn at Seagrove multiple times and have a trip coming up in November. Prices are great and the room, which I've stayed in before, is exactly as pictured. Do your due diligence and plan your trip like an adult and you will have a great time. :) read more

Sept 2019, Unit 9 at Seagrove Beachside, infested with roaches and needs renovation. We stayed 4 days with roaches and all they did was send over an exterminator. Disgusting! Charged over $1000 to stay at a beachside roach motel. Will never deal with Garrett Realty Services or ever stay at any of their properties. Mad as hell! read more

This the second time we have used Garrett Realty. The reason I'm giving them a 3 star is because we weren't able to get in the first time we used them. This second stay we were locked out a full day before we were to check out. So they had to issue a new code and on the third new code we were able to get in. The whole issue was around us extending our stay an additional day two weeks prior. Even though our paper work had staying the additional day. Just glad this didn't happen outside their business hours. The rates are reasonable and so that is the only reason for 3 stars. read more

Rude call center when called to ask what happened to the beach. Actually hung up on me! Beach completely gone in front of beachside condos, not one call to let us know prior to arrival. Unit 1 filthy upon arrival, blood stains on couches, bedding, beer cans on patio, rugs filthy. DO NOT rent from Garret, we learned the hard way. read more

Awesome condos. Very helpful reservation staff. I come down at least once a year and love it. This time I forgot my password. But they got me back in my unit. No problem!! read more

They DO NOT care about the customer! We arrived at our destination in Seacrest Beach to find a very strong smell of paint in our condo. It concerned me because we would have two infants in there. Then after letting our 10 month old daughter play and crawl around, her knees and feet were covered in black dust (which they tried to tell us was soap). We also discovered the condo had been renovated and they'd removed a bathtub we were expecting to have to bathe our kids in. We had to reach out multiple times because no one would help us. The place was filthy. The air conditioner didn't work well and was extremely loud. The management refused to offer us any discount even though all of this took a day away from our vacation. We had to leave the condo while a company came in to clean it. This was the worst customer service I've ever experienced. read more

Rude, uneducated, horrendous customer service. Female manager( Kathleen?) hung up on me when I was asking for help with code to gate. Horrible staff. I loved our condo I rented through them, just lovely, but they had me in tears. Avoid garrett realty if you can. read more

Vacation ruined by Kathleen, mgr of Garrett Realty at Seaside and Santa Rosa Beach properties! Put us into Beachside Condos with LOUD demolition and construction right above our heads for days. Then ignored our requests to salvage the visit with some discount. Bad source for service. read more

Love this place! Everyone that works there is warm and knowledgeable about the area. They take great care of our beach home.

I honestly don't understand the negative reviews about the property being misrepresented. Unless discrepancies are reported to them they won't know. They manage the properties. They don't own them. If you don't like the bed, lack of hooks to hank things in the bathroom, lack of drawer or closet space, etc. call and let them know... nicely. They can relay your feedback to the OWNER. The owner is who is responsible for furnishings and decor. They never intentionally misrepresent a property and there was only 1 time in the 15+ years we've booked through them that there was a slight difference in the photos versus the actual property. We did stay in a unit that the bedding in the guest room was bunk beds instead of a queen as shown in the photos. This was the fault of the owner, not Garrett Realty. The owner had changed furniture without making them aware of the changes. I called them to let them know and they were unaware. I knew that was probably the case when I called. They were extremely apologetic and made it right. We have used Garrett Realty for over 15 years and this was the only 'minor' issue that we have ever had. Our experience with Garrett Realty has always been wonderful. We will continue to use them for all of our vacation plans. read more

This was our second year at Emerald Hill. The first year we stayed in Unit 11 which exceeded all expections. This year we stayed in Unit 27 which was completely the opposite. It hasn't been updated which it desparetly is in need of. The couch was dilapidated and stained. The other two chairs were not comfortable. Old and very small TVs. There was mold in the bathroom. There were no hooks in bathroom or behind doors to hang pajamas or clothes or dob kit. One small towel rack. One tiny bathroom mirror which was the only mirror in the whole unit. No clock in bedroom. Seven hangers in the closet. Broken light dimmer switch. Outdated and raggedy comforter and just nasty looking. Horrible bed. No dresser in bedroom, so nowhere to put items such as jewelry or bottles or anything. Phone didn't work. No night light. Overall just a miserable unit. There should be some kind of general updating that is required. Would never stay there again. read more

RENTER BEWARE: Pics Attached Pics of Green pool available, but can't post any on here. Comment on post if you want me to send them to you! I don't like reporting bad news unless it's warranted. My family recently visited the Driftaway 30A rental property in Seagrove (May 12-19). The rental company is Garrett Realty and it warrants a warning to all renters. We decided to pay good money to rent a house close to the beach as we were six adults with two kids ages three and under. We didn't want to have to walk or drive to the beach for access and were willing to spend more for ease of mind, as well as a heated pool for night swimming. The rental property looked fantastic online (anyone can post good looking pictures). We arrived and found the pool to be green, full of algae, and debris from the nearby trees in the pool and all around the pool deck. This coupled with the patio furniture that was old, worn down and a grill on its last legs, gave the impression that the renal/management/owners had not taken care of the place for months. Also, the umbrella over the patio table was broken, some chairs rusted and many covers stained. Trash was left, thankfully in the cans, but none the less, the property clearly wasn't cleaned. Once we entered the house we found some food left on the carpets, notating that it wasn't swept, some beds were very uncomfortable, mattresses very thin with no padding, kids futon mattress very thin as well and the upstairs toilet wouldn't flush and had a leak. Clearly this management company wasn't managing this property for weeks if not longer. We immediately called their maintenance line to get the issues address when we arrived, and it took a little while for them to respond. Once they finally did (the pool company, not Garrett Realty) were very quick to get the pool cleaned as they probably wanted to keep their contract with Garrett. My concern is that no one from Garrett (the property management company) even looked at this issue before it got to this state. A pool doesn't turn green overnight! The issue was we couldn't get into the pool for 2 and a half days due to them cleaning it, chlorine levels and the pool heat not working once the water was safe to swim. We asked to have the debris blown off the pool deck (which was not done) so we took time from our vacation to do this ourselves to keep the pool area clean while we were renting. The kids didn't understand we couldn't use the pool and it created even more stress on us all. There goes our relaxing vacation right from the start! Only one other issue (the leaking toilet) we asked Garett Realty to take care of was fixed, nothing else was corrected or addressed. No one from Garrett seemed to really care about us while we were there. We paid very good money for this to be a relaxing week and we didn't get to very much due to the issues of poor property maintenance. We asked for at least a refund of the extra money we put for heating the pool, let alone the uncleanliness of the property and they said they would refund only 5%!! We literally were shocked that's all they would do. We asked again a day or so later for them to fairly compensate us, but they continued to push back. After reminding Garrett Realty that the pool heat was not working, after the pool was cleaned, we directly communicated with the pool company to get the issues addressed (instead of dealing with Garrett), they increased our refund to 8% and a $20 gift card to the local Publix. If these issues had been addressed and fixed promptly, or truly before we arrived as it should have been, we would be writing a very different review, the house has many features that are nice, and the location is great for our size family. Please be aware of this property, their management and issues at hand. They clearly are not caring for their customers and shouldn't have others renting from them without being forewarned. We could have saved over significant money by renting elsewhere and wish we would have now. We hope you can enjoy a relaxing vacation without stress and issues! read more

I went on the Garrett reality website to write a review. Every single review on their website is five stars, and I think it is a pretty good assumption that they are not being transparent and only allowing five star reviews to post. My family stayed at the beachside villas in SeaGrove, and the condo was a dump. My whole family will need chiropractic care after sleeping on the beds provided. When we arrived the dishes were dirty and grimy. The cook ware that was provided was overused and when we tried to cook on them everything stuck to the bottom. We had to buy our own cookware!!! A lot of the electrical outlets did not work and maintenance had to come to fix them. We got locked out of one of the bedroom doors by accident and there were no keys to be found to open the door. After scavenging for contact information to find out from Garrett Reality what to do they told us we would need to pay to have a lock smith come to open the bedroom door. There is not one positive thing I can reflect on that stood out about my experience staying in this condo. Definitely not worth the money. It feels like because they claim to be family affordable they feel no obligation to keep up with the condos. read more

They canceled our vacation 4 days before our arrival time! this vacation was booked in January for a vacation in July and it was completely paid for!..... they offered no help in getting us another place,They are a rental company how can they not have another place?. ..... they said our condo needed emergency repairs,Because there was a problem with the condo above it....We drove by the condo we were supposed to stay in and it didn't appear to have any construction going on at place we were supposed to stay in was going on... I'm pretty sure it was double booked!... I do not recommend this company . read more

The truth defies all possible belief and reality. My sweet teenager found this condo for fall break and without doing research myself, I let him book the place on my card. My two teenage sons and their friends came for fall break. We arrived on Weds and on Thursday afternoon I received a call from Erin that I needed to open the door immediately and that I was facing eviction. Not knowing what was going on, I told her I wasn't presently there and I was on my way. She had also called my 15 year old son and told him the same. I picked him up and returned to find Gestapo Erin, one of her buddies and a maintenance man all waiting to get into the unit. I was told there had been numerous complaints and they needed to walk the unit. Erin accused me of not staying on the property and renting it for teenagers. I opened the door and all three entered to a clean unit, fully stocked with food. I had to prove that my bags and personal pillows were in the master bedroom and that I was staying there. When Erin saw my 17 year old son she started screaming at him in the unit and turned to me and said he wasn't supposed to be there without an adult present. I was stunned. Her coworker turned to me and said- you are being EVICTED! You need to pack up and leave. I told them I wasn't leaving and they said they were calling the Walton County SHERIFF. So, I told her to go ahead and call the Sheriff and to get out of my unit while they did it. So Erin tells her buddies that I threatened her. Sigh. Erin's coworker decided to call the owner instead and after reviewing the facts - that they found a living breathing teenager in a clean unit- they decided to let me stay! Oh how gracious. My sons their friends and I were no longer comfortable staying there. In the AM when I was asked to go Publix to buy syrup and I wondered if SWAT was going to be surrounding the place when I returned and I'd be doing a few years in Walton County for breaking Garrett Realty's lease agreement by leaving perfectly capable young men alone with dry pancakes while I went to the store. I felt uncomfortable walking on the beach alone as planned for fear that they were stalking me and I wasn't with my teenagers 24/7 and helicoptering them like their lease agreement stipulates less you be put to death. My oldest son couldn't take Erin any longer after he went outside and she looked right at him and got on the phone and he came back to me and told me he was leaving to go home. I went to talk to Erin and she said he was parked in the wrong place. Ughhhh. He was in the Subway lot where they had been they night before across the street. I told Erin we were leaving early because of the threats of eviction and threats to call the Sheriff- and here is where the twilight zone happened- Erin looked right at me and said- that never happened. I have witnesses. We never ever told you that you were evicted or that we were calling the Sheriff. I. Just. Can't. My son looked at her and said - you know you said and did those things to us and she didn't respond to him. She just got on her Iphone to call who knows who. I cleaned out the unit and threw out so much food for having to leave early. I went to the leasing office to complain before I left and to say I wanted to speak to the owner and they wanted to keep me quiet in front of their other guests. Of course they did. Garrett Realty ruined our family vacation. I spent $900. And it was ruined. Don't make the same mistake I did. Go elsewhere. Beautiful Beaches. Awful realty company. read more

We had a great time in Seagrove Beach. Garrett was easy to work with and the staff was friendly. The property was clean and updated. We will be back! read more

We recently stayed at All's Well at Seagrove Beach. Great location, easy to access, although construction going on and trucks on roads pretty much entire visit. Not a big problem. Garrett Realty easy to deal with, however, the house is in need of some repairs. The light over the stove is out and hard to see while cooking. The dryer downstairs either needs to be repaired or replaced. Washed towels twice and it took over two hours to get them dry and I cleaned the vent. Washed other clothes and still same problem with dryer on high heat and cotton. Not a huge problem, but sliding glass doors do not lock. Sticks were used on rails as locks. Would not rent again. read more

Great condo in Seagrove. Easy access in property.

Rented a condo at Beachwood Villas (12A) from Garrett Realty last week (May12-19) in Seagrove Beach, Florida. The carpet in the bedrooms of the condo was dirty, the ceiling fan in the master bedroom was dirty and the cover for the light bulb fell off when I tried to turn on the ceiling fan; nearly missing my head. In addition, the place had not been dusted especially the top of the refrigerator. There were stains and caked on food on the walls and door frames. I had to clean the bath tub in the master bedroom and there was water in the tub as well. When I tried to use the vacuum cleaner, it started spitting out dirt from the canister. I notified Garrett of the problems and although they were polite about my concerns, I will not rent from them in the future. read more

Unfriendly and unwelcoming customer service. Would it be too much to ask a family checking in how their drive was, or offer recommendations for the area, or just be welcoming in general? The woman at the desk only seemed impatient. Maybe they think their app is all they need now. There is way too much competition for condo rentals in the area to treat customers coldly. We will not be back. read more

Crappy customer service! Washing machine broken-I have a feeling they have known. They should get a new unit to us asap!! Offered to bring us towels! Ha! What a crock- I've got 6 people in our high-dollar condo unit who needs clothes washed! Very disappointing. Also, if they had told me there was major construction directly Next door to our condo I may have booked elsewhere. read more

I am thankful that this company was willing to work with us regarding the hurricane situation!

VERY DISAPPOINTED. We were not happy with our rental of Sublime house in Seagrove Beach, FL.The place was not clean and was very uncomfortable to shower in the bathrooms. The shower walled appeared not to have been scrubbed well in some time. The floors were dirty. The air vents were horribly dirty. The upstairs smelled like pipe smoke. The wifi didn't work.The sheets were too small for the bed.The wash cloths and towels were coarse. The pool was dirty.The house sits on a 'deadman's curve' and it was very dangerous to pull in and out. If I owned the property, I would be upset at how this property is being maintained. We have tried to reach Garrett Realty twice to complain about the house and have not been able to speak to the person we were directed to. For the price we paid, we were expecting much better. We chose this home for relatives who had never stayed in this area and they were not happy. We love 30A and the beach, but we will not use Garrett in the future. read more

BEWARE: I'm not one to leave bad reviews. In fact, I don't think I have ever left a negative review, but I have also never received such poor customer service and unethical practices from any company, let alone a Real Estate Company! I have one uncle who is an attorney and another who is a Real Estate broker and after speaking with the two of them, the Better Business Bureau, and other rental companies in the Santa Rosa Beach area, they were ALL on my side. My husband and I booked a trip with this company for the end of June, but had to cancel due to the fact that we simply could not afford it any longer. We purchased the insurance policy, which based on the company's cancellation policy, inferred that we were to receive a full refund, less a $75 cancellation fee, as long as we purchased this insurance policy. Now the company refuses to give us our money back and the chances of my husband and I being able to take a well-deserved anniversary trip are ruined. Mind you, we canceled nearly 3 MONTHS prior to our vacation date. This Real Estate company has stolen from us and have completely gone against their OWN contract and cancellation policy. I never would have booked with this company if I knew how shady they were. When I emailed to cancel my vacation, they sent me a very brief email back stating that it would be canceled. When I asked how I would be receiving by refund(since we did exactly what their cancellation policy stated), they ignored my emails. It wasn't until I let them know that my mother worked for the company I booked through, that they finally responded only to tell me that my money would be refunded ONLY if someone else were to book the same days at the same rate. Are you kidding me? They are going against a legally binding contract. Before taking legal action on them, I decided to report them to the Better Business Bureau(which they have a month to respond to). That month is almost up and they STILL have not responded to the BBB complaint. We have been fooled and stolen from by this unethical company. I have never been one to complain about anything or leave a bad review because I know reviews can really hurt a company, but I have been forced to contact a legal aid in hopes of gaining our refund. I can't believe a company would be so corrupt. Please BE AWARE before you book anything with this company! read more