Hello. I'm a landlord who is no longer with ERA Anchor. The long and short of this is that they…read moreshould be avoided like the plague, at least by landlords and probably by possible tenants. Something strange is happening over there, and I suspect they'll be closing up shop soon, if they haven't already. (tl;dr - ERA Anchor has major issues paying landlords and should be avoided at all costs.) I started using ERA Anchor in 2008, when I left the area and couldn't sell my house. I was never thrilled with the arrangement but it was amicable enough. They paid me my rent money on time, they left me alone for the most part, they let me know if there were problems that required attention, etc. Their web portal has always been garbage but I managed. I was never in a hurry to find a better option. About a year or two ago, something changed. Payments started taking longer to arrive, and I found myself being forced to interact with the staff more often. Then, last July, they hit a point of no return. The tenant supposedly was quite late on the rent. Fine, I can't control that (assuming it's true), but it took ERA Anchor something like two weeks before they sent me my money. I kept calling and trying to get a straight answer regarding the payment situation. All I got were mealy-mouthed apologies and claims that they're upgrading their computer systems. Getting a straight answer regarding when I was going to be paid just wasn't possible. The episode left me shaken enough to call around and try to find a new management firm. I found somebody but didn't follow up. My mistake, as you're about to see. Starting around July 2019, they had major issues paying me. Any time I called, it was somebody else's fault, or they tried to razzle-dazzle me with a description of their super-duper-secure computer system that required all these delays. (For the record, I work with and design financial computer systems every day. I know exactly how they work and should work, and have co-workers who can break down why their payment excuses were false.) Being a nice guy, I kept giving them the benefit of the doubt, until the September payment was a month late. I called and had a meltdown. They ended up going to my bank branch and making a payment on the spot for both months (Sep/Oct). The November payment? Late. I'd had enough. I called and demanded to break our agreement. The apathy I normally got from Melissa suddenly turned into pleas for me to stick around. I was a "long-time valued customer," I was offered some partial refunds, and all the other retention agent BS. I held and demanded a break. She finally agreed and said December would be the last month. It took another week or so but the November payment finally came in. Long story short, I made some mistakes and didn't retain a new manager until the very end of December. In the meantime, the December payment never came. When the new manager finally showed up at the ERA office to make arrangements for a handoff, I'm told Leigha (or whoever was in the office that day) expressed surprise that I was leaving. She claimed this was the first the office was hearing of me leaving, but that it was okay and January would be the last month. (Lesson learned: Always get these things in writing.) While all this was happening, I got a letter stating that the December payment was made on Jan. 2. It never arrived. I called and emailed Leigha & Melissa constantly, demanding to know what was going on. Two weeks after the supposed payment, and only once I threatened to get a lawyer involved, Melissa finally deemed me worthy of a reply. Their fancy new computer system somehow didn't send out my payment, and she'd try again on Tuesday, Jan. 21. (Jan. 20 was a bank holiday.) When the payment didn't arrive within two days (the standard time for ACH payments to clear), I demanded more answers. Melissa said she'd get me an ACH trace number. Of course, she never did, and more calls & emails were ignored. Thankfully, the December rent finally came, along with the January rent, which was pretty late but not quite as bad. I'm with a much better management company now. I can only assume ERA Anchor will be closing soon, if they haven't already. There's no excuse for the terrible customer service and perpetual delays. I'd say something about what I think is going on behind-the-scenes with money. I'll leave it to you to guess. (Hint: It's not good.) Thanks for reading all that. :) EDIT: The review was deleted by Yelp at my request - although I saved a screencap and may post it one day - but, for awhile, there was a phony five star review posted by a staff member. It was posted by "Errleigha B.", who was almost certainly Leigha B., an office worker I mentioned earlier. It's obvious to me that they're desperate and trying to save their sinking ship. I'm glad I got out. I hope you can too.

I posted a review previously but it has been removed. Melissa handled the rental of my house and…read morebecause of her mismanagement, and keeping not only rents, but security deposits, now holds thousands of dollars of my money. I was forced to sell the house because She held rents for months and I could not afford to keep the house. I was forced to sell it at tax value minus $18,000.00 estimated damage to the house by the tenant under her management. She would not allow an appraiser, or possible buyer to view the house. She still holds several thousand dollars security deposits and six months rents at almost $2,000.00 a month. I have contacted the Attorney General's Office as well as the Real Estate Licensing Board. I am not the only one that she has done this to. Stay as far away from her as you can!

Working with Chris was one of the best decisions we made throughout our entire home search process…read more From day one, he carried himself with the utmost professionalism .... never pushy, never rushed ...always making us feel like our goals were his top priority. We originally came to Chris looking for land, and he proved immediately that he truly knows the Fredericksburg area and surrounding region inside and out. His depth of knowledge gave us real confidence that we were in the right hands. What happened next was something we didn't expect: on a whim, we decided to take a look at a few resales just to see what was out there .... and we found our next home. Without missing a beat, Chris pivoted seamlessly and guided us all the way to closing. That kind of flexibility and attentiveness to what his clients actually need is rare. Throughout the entire process, which spanned a few months, Chris was consistently responsive, resourceful, and creative. When challenges came up, he found solutions by thinking outside the box rather than hitting a wall. And through it all, it was genuinely painless. If you're looking for an agent who is knowledgeable, patient, and truly invested in your best interest, look no further. We cannot recommend Chris highly enough!

Chris and his team are awesome! Very efficient, very knowledgeable, and they think like investors…read morewhich I love. Chris has helped me purchase and sell homes in the Fredericksburg, VA area, but he also helped me look around Richmond, VA for investment properties. He was always on time and had great behind-the-scenes information on the investment. I've leaned on him for real estate and financial advice several times. If you're moving to the area and you need local expertise with genuinely deep business knowledge, Chris and his team are the way to go!

Jacob was extremely helpful with the purchase of our new home. He was available whenever we needed…read morehim and went above and beyond to communicate throughout the entire process. We definitely recommend him for your housing needs!

Jacob helped me find a home when I was in a very stressful rush with limited time, he is very…read moreknowledgable and professional. He took every ounce of his time to help me and find a home that I love. When I was searching for realtors and doing some comparing, I was looking for someone who was a shark, but also someone who was very positive and had a good personality. Jacob told me to give him a shot, and he definitely proved himself with his work. Everything went very smooth and I truly believe I couldn't have done it without him!

Bruce Mork was our realtor for buying our first home, selling it, and building/buying our second…read more(and final) home. Both homes are in Spotsylvania. We were very happy with every deal he worked with us on. Bruce is personable, honest, and client-oriented. My husband and I highly recommend using Bruce Mork as your realtor!

If I could give a "zero" star review I would! DO NOT hire Tom Smith to represent you. As the seller…read morewho hired him, I literally thought he was representing the buyer, certainly not us. All he was worried about was "closing a deal", because he told me right out of his mouth. He definitely doesn't look out for what is in your best interests. He offered no advice, guidance, assistance, NOTHING! Do yourself a favor, find an agent who will look out for you, if one exists. Do extensive research on an agent before hiring one.

I was the executor of an estate, and had to sell the house, but I live several hours away. And…read moreknowing the area or any real estate agents I called Tom Smith on a recommendation. The first time I met Tom I knew he would get the job done. He is knowledgeable about the market, extremely personable and enthusiastic about real estate, endlessly patient and incredibly generous with his time. Tom had a contract on the house in a week. We ran into some unforeseen issues, that Tom handle with absolute professionalism. Tom kept me informed and up-to-date on every aspect of the transaction he goes the extra mile to make a sometimes difficult and confusing process easy and understandable. It was truly a pleasure to work with Tom Smith, I feel like I not only found a fantastic real estate agent but also a friend. I highly highly recommend Tom Smith.

I've known Tom for a few years. He knows real estate in Fredericksburg and has the honesty and…read moreintegrity we all admire in hardworking professionals. Tom handles buyers and sellers of residential homes in the Fredericksburg area.