My wife and I recently moved to the RTP area. She was born and raised in the Chicago area, and we had spent 8 years there together prior to a 1 year pitstop in Milwaukee. When we were both fortunate enough to find jobs in the RTP area at the same time, the housing search began. We wanted to rent a house (not an apartment or condo or townhome), and we didn't want to live in one of the new cookie cutter neighborhoods. Oh, and we couldn't do the viewings ourselves, but instead we had to delegate to my brother in law to help out. And did I mention, we wanted to find housing for August 1 by mid June?
Yikes. We had a few leads here and there, but most of the properties that interested us in Durham had move in dates of July 1, and we couldn't swing that type of finances to basically pay double the rent in July for two properties, one of which would just sit empty. So after doing some searches on MLS, I came across Wayne and Dream Services Realty (which I *think* he operates with his wife). Here are some initial experiences working with him to find a rental home:
Responsiveness: 5 out of 5
The guy answers his phone, and if he doesn't, he'll call you back immediately. He's also really responsive to text messages, which is great for us with office jobs where we can't be too loud. He answers e-mail too, but mainly late at night so if you need him right away, call or text.
Communication: 4 out of 5
I was not born in this country, but for all intents and purposes, I do not speak with any type of accent, be it "Asian" or "Southern" (I grew up in east TN). Wayne was not born in this country either, and while he speaks with a very distinct Asian accent, he does not think with one. If we talk on the phone, I may have to repeat myself if I go too quickly. Or for example I was describing in writing how I made a high loop profile for the dishwasher discharge hose with parts I got from the improvement store, he didn't quite understand at first, but immediately realized what I was talking about when I showed it to him in person. This is the thing - if you speak Mandarin and are most comfortable working with someone who also speaks Mandarin - you and Wayne will not have any issues at all from a business perspective. If you expect a real estate agent to speak crisply with perfect southern or midwest accented English, Wayne will not be that person for you, at the expense of your bias. However, if you are flexible and understand that we truly do live in a global ecosystem in RTP, I think that you'll find that the listings that he has are well worth the occasional hiccup in spoken dialogue.
The "getting stuff done" factor: 4 out of 5
I'm partly to blame for this, because I've come from rental markets where when you move in, the walls are repainted and for the most part, things are good to go. When we moved into our rental home, there were a few things that were slightly aesthetically not pleasing. I noted them on the inspection sheet as "Hey, consider having this fixed but charge the previous tenant" but not things I would consider to be an emergency. Part of it was my paranoia that we'd be charged for the damages, and part of it was just an FYI. (Yes, I realize that in NC, you take the house cosmetically "as is" unless something is REALLY bad). Wayne wasn't slow to respond, but I believe he just didn't realize that I was waiting for a response on the small items. Doesn't matter anyway because since that time, I've made all the small repairs myself in addition to a few other upgrades. I should caveat this by saying that I'm comfortable working on the house myself, but for electrical systems.
When the ancient dishwasher that came with the house died after a month, Wayne AND the owner were onsite to inspect it the next day, and it's been completely replaced within one week, which I would consider to meet the definition of "promptly repair" in the NC statute as well as our rental agreement.
Quality of MLS listings: 4.5 out of 5
I think because Wayne only takes on certain types of rental listings, his are probably higher in quality than a company with a larger client base who has to take on almost everything and anything. Most of his listings are in Apex/Cary/Morrisville, and they're mostly single family homes that have been built in the last 20 years. I get that in today's world, you can go out to any agent and have them get you any home (for a fee), but still, it's at least somewhat clear that Wayne's client base is small and dedicated to the upkeep of their own homes (see my dishwasher example above).
Overall: 4 out of 5
I'll adjust if necessary, but no complaints thus far. read more