This company is definitely NOT "Prime" when it comes to their properties or agents. Prime property equates to the most desirable, but this is not reflective of their property. Like many other realtors who defraud consumers and lie about the true conditions of rentals, this was no different. On the day I moved in, I discovered there were no screens on the windows, only 1/2 screens on top. With open windows where there was a 1/2 screen, there were gaps that allowed bugs to come in and I was forced to keep them closed. I was told before signing lease that a new a/c unit would be installed that same week. I signed the lease and the unit was not installed that week. Almost a month later, after pressing the landlord, it was installed. Maintenance informed me that the a/c unit in my apt was 50-60 yrs old. It was horrible! Temperatures reached higher than 88 degrees in the apt and we had to leave during the day. I was told I had use of a washer and dryer, but that is false. Although the washer is usable, the dryer is 40 years old and does not dry. One must dry two cycles to dry one load of clothes. On the day I moved in, I also noticed there was no power to the stove. I sent an email to the landlord and mentioned the screens and the stove. I offered to "re-screen" the screens if they were available, and I would do so at my cost if they were available. I received a response from my landlord, threatening to evict me, even warning me that she still had people calling on the apartment. Although I was not "complaining", she said she hoped she wasn't going to have constant complaints from me. A few days later, she called me, yelling at me because I made a "Move-in Checklist" and provided her a copy of it. The marked the floors as "dirty" when I moved in, just as I did other areas. Although I prepaid my rent for two months, after one month the landlord sent me a text msg demanding rent. I responded and also mailed a copy to Coldwell Banker Prime Properties administration. The landlord began discussing my private business with other tenants in the building, even reading my emails to them! This is unacceptable and illegal. As a Tenant, I have a right to inform a landlord of issues needing to be addressed with the property that I am paying for. A landlord who threats tenants because they report problems is in violation. This horrible landlord told me I should have had "common sense" to know why the stove had no power. Maintenance responded to the matter, yet did not know how to resolve the issue until he pulled the entire stove out from the wall and saw that it had not been plugged in when it was installed. He had a bit of stuggle trying to pull it out. The landlord said I "should have known." Coldwell Banker Prime Properties is a horrible real estate company to do business with. They are unprofessional and breach the confidential information of tenants and this particular realtor is the absolute WORST I've ever known. She even made insulting remarks about me to other tenants. read more

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I am looking to move house in Schenectady. Coldwell Banker Prime Properties (hereinafter CBPP) has a co-op share listed that is as close to perfect as one could want, and my wife (not readily convinced) concurs. I put out the word and the first respondent was a Ms. Frith of CBPP. I had not registered the fact that CBPP was also the listing agent, possibly a mistake on my part. I arranged to see the apartment that was part of the co-op share, and it was indeed close to ideal. The price was consistent with our means and we found a compatible banker -- not a small matter in rural parts, where co-ops in particular are intellectual mysteries. We are ready to make the offer. Ms. Frith sends along a document for me to sign and return with a check for $1,000. It is a contract to purchase real estate. A contract -- not yet vetted by my lawyer. To purchase real property -- but co-op shares are personal property, a very different kind of deal. Alarms are flashing. I ask a competent attorney; he is puzzled. I tell Ms. Firth this is wrongheaded & mistaken, even sending sample co-op share sales contracts and steps that take place before that stage. Ms. Frith tells me she doesn't know, but that Patsy Whitney (who admits she's never done a co-op deal, also true for the rest of the office, per Ms. Frith) wants it done this way. I am increasingly leary of this full court press and walk away. I have since made further inquiries. This is the second time this property has been listed, and it has been on the market for about three months -- surprising given a very desirable address and some very real plusses. It appears that Patsy Whitney, the listing agent, has put too high a price on this co-op share. The median price per square foot in that area is $85 (range $70-$100); she is asking $110. Moreover, co-op shares are notoriously illiquid; this is particularly true in the Capital District, where most banks will not make a purchase loan on them, and this negatively affects the market price. Finally, market prices, particularly in that part of town, are depressed, likely to stay that way. In short, the real patsy here is the guy trying to move this property. Ms. Whitney has promised him a price he's not likely to see, and Ms. Whitney's associate, Ms. Frith, appears willing to accede to this dubious promise. In aid of this, Ms. Frith -- ostensibly representing my interests -- allowed herself to be suborned by Patsy Whitney and other senior colleagues at CBPP. These two sought to pressure me into a deal -- Ms. Frith in this instance doing so while ostensibly being my agent and supposed to be acting in my interest. Fortunately, even in my dotage, I am not quite so foolish where money is concerned. Two observations: The Coldwell Banker name was once a brand of impeccable real estate brokerage practice. I grew up on stories of deals done back when the firm was a model of how to broker commercial real estate. Clearly, CB's Prime Properties franchise in Niskayuna, fronted by the Whitney and Frith women is destructive to that once proud brand. Wisdom suggests, if CBPP is one's choice as an agent, one should hold them on a short leash, to be sure the firm's staff really does act in the patron's interest, not just that of the agent. Having good legal counsel at every step is prudent. The horrible part from my perspective: If the trustee for the owner had an adroit agent, I would gladly find the right price with him -- even perhaps a (modest) premium above market. read more

I am a real estate agent in NYC, my husband gut renovates and flips houses upstate. I know the values of the properties because I am also a Real Estate Certified Appraiser. This guy from Coldwell Banker tries to get my For Sale by Owner listing and he proceeds to tell me why I need an agent. I, myself am an agent so I know how it works I know he has a script to pitch me. I use it myself when I am selling my services. I am also very competent in what I do. To make the long story short, he starts telling me that for a measly 5-6000 in commission i would rather do the work from NYC. Yes I will do the work because I love my job. I can list my property on NYS MLS and I have people who will do the showings if I am unable to do it. My last property I sold in 6 days, and he said he sold his last in 2 days. I told him that it doesn't really matter does it 2 or 6 days as long as it gets sold. He proceeds to tell me he can jack up the price. I told him I know what I want for the property. Even if it is in line with properties that are unrenovated I want it sold and I want to make a certain amount of return on investment and I am fine if it means not making TOP DOLLAR. So he starts arguing with me, I told him you called me. And he responded that he was trying to get off the phone with me. He is crazy! I don't remember what his name is but I don't ever want to work with Coldwell banker. Professional brokers you can find at Keller Williams! This is coming from another broker in NYC. read more

My parents worked with Tom Marks to sell their house in Niskayuna in 2013 and what a waste of our time, effort, and money! He arranged to have someone clean up the yard that ended up costing 3 times more than the price he had quoted. We ended up having to submit our own photos because the ones he took were so awful that no one will want to click on the listing to see more. My parents had to leave to town after the listing went up and since then the communication had been sparse. Tom took 2-3 people to see the house total, never held an open house, never had any discussion of modifying the sales strategy despite our prompt. He took us on as clients just to boost the number of listings he has. He didn't care if the house sold or not. And of course it didn't. When we started working with another agent who called him about picking up the key, he hung up on that person mid-sentence. Throughout our experience with Tom, he has shown an utter lack of respect to others and negligence to his responsibility. Avoid this business. Selling a house is stressful enough with having to deal with a crook like Tom Marks on the side. read more