Buyer beware! I signed a contract to purchase property last week (full price cash offer) the seller accepted my offer and my earnest money was already deposited. Yesterday I got a phone call and was told if I didn't come up with an extra $6000 the seller's attorney was just going to simply "disapprove" my contract at the last minute so the seller could get out of the deal. This sequence of events raises serious concerns about the integrity of the transaction process and the conduct of the real estate agent (Amanda) and this brokerage. Specifically, the acceptance of my offer, followed by the solicitation or encouragement over the weekend of someone else to hurry up and make a higher offer at the 11th hour, and then the intimidation / "shake down" of an ultimatum. My attorney was flabbergasted and said she had never seen someone do this before. While Amanda's actions may have technically fallen within "legal bounds", they were completely underhanded and contrary to the standards of good faith and fair dealings expected in real estate transactions. This agent was highly unethical and I cannot believe this is how they are conducting business. I would never use this company again or recommend them to anyone. These tactics are very cut throat and the reason why real estate agents have a bad reputation of being shady. I have contacted the broker / owner of this company with my concerns and have yet to receive a response. I guess this is just normal practices business for this company. read more

Put in a serious offer on a property listed through this company. The showing was a joke. The owners hadn't even been told to clean up their personal belongings; hygiene products were all over the bathroom; the refrigerator was full of food that was starting to rot. There was a leak in the basement that wasn't disclosed upfront, and I found it in the inspection report later. I was initially told my offer would probably be accepted; less than 12 hours later, the owners changed their mind and demanded more money, and their agent never once spoke to me about trying to reach a negotiation. In fact, the agent, Hickory Lee, never spoke to me at all, despite me trying to contact her at least twice, and having made an offer. Extremely unprofessional and unethical. Would not suggest anyone wanting to buy or sell real estate approach this place. Go to Howard Hanna instead; I've never heard of one of their agents pulling this kind of behavior. read more

I called Christina a few times prior to putting in an offer with zero response to me and very little response to my agent. We were told incorrect information which didn't get my offer even reviewed. Because of this misinformation my deposit (which after speaking with the law firm they work with; I was told should not have been required) has still not been returned after five months! Their contract required cash, money order, or cashiers check for the deposit instead of personal check. I would never recommend this agency to anyone. I have called many times and spoke with the receptionist who only said they will try to reach Christina and have her call me back. So after five months I have still not received a call. My agent I worked with only received one call back and a few email responses. Horrible. read more

Linda Santos is an extremely rude and condescending person that seems entitled and dismissive. I called her inquiring about an addendum that her (sellers) attorney was supposed to send to my daughters (buyers)attorney regarding a failed septic. This was Thursday evening and my daughter is supposed to close this Tuesday without seeing the addendum or informed on when the septic was going to be replaced . I received an extremely rude message the next day from Linda. I was kind when I left a message only asking to please send the addendum, asking when the septic was going to be installed and who the contractor was since she was not sharing that information with the buyers (my daughter's ) realtor and buyers attorney. My daughter was agreeing to close on the home with a failed septic that was going to be replaced by the seller. The only person who knew when the septic was going to be replaced and who was doing the work was the SELLER and my daughter's realtor was getting nowhere with Linda who should have reached out to her seller for the information, and sending the addendum, so I called and left a voicemail, simply asking these questions. My daughter had to pay for a bank extension because of this being dragged along. It's interesting that we had an answer to my questions once I left a voicemail for Linda, the very next day. So it may be "unusual" for me to have reached out to Linda but obviously since I did, I got the ball rolling and I wish I had done it last week because Linda wasn't doing her job and it cost my daughter hundreds of dollars to pay for a bank extension. This is the text she sent me on Friday. She accused me of being inappropriate and anxious for simply reaching out. Also, I know that Karen is a very good agent, she was reaching out to Linda, obviously. "I received your message. Thank you. I am not the person that you should be calling. This is a bit unusual, and not really the most appropriate route for you to take at this time. Your agent Karen is a very good agent and she just doesn't have all of the information you want right now. I myself am waiting for additional details to send to her. Please try to keep your anxiety under control. We are going to close soon and the septic system will go in as planned. I will not contact you again. I will notify Karen that you have contacted me, and that I have asked you not to do so in the future. Thank you for understanding. Speak to Karen about all of your questions." Her response could have been "Good morning. I apologize that there has been a delay in the closing. I will be sure to do my best to get your questions answered today and will relay them to your realtor. Please reach out to her in the future. Thank you and have a great day!" This is how I respond to my tenants (I'm a property manager) even if I am annoyed with them. read more

I cannot say enough about Havana. She helped my sister and I get the perfect home for our family. Dealing with us couldn't have been easy between all the questions and not knowing what we were doing (pretty much all the time). She walked us through the whole process from start to finish and now we're getting the perfect forever home. I will absolutely be recommending Havana and Warren to anyone looking to find their perfect home. read more

Theodore dropped the ball and we missed an offer he is not a very good agent and shouldn't be in this business.

Although her agency gets the stars, our agent, Kate Dubin was the star. That's a big understatement! We had a lot of "musts", internet, natural gas, ranch, close but not too close. Conflicting needs didn't phase Kate at all; she seems to thrive on the challenges we put before her. She actually sold us two houses, the first fell through (inspection issue), but her response was simply encouragement to press on. When at last we found "the" house and the prior owners were doing the final cleanup, she was there to help and make sure all was well. In short, she never waited for problems but always headed them off. The only time we saw her frown was in response to someones laziness; lazy is a four letter word in her book. We highly recommend Kate Dubin. read more

Used Warren for the purchase of an Estate Sale in April - May 2012. Melissa and Mark Skodzinsky did me NO service except execute paperwork for their commission. Basics: was not advised there would be no home disclosure based on the estate sale. Requested items in the house - was never conveyed to the seller's agent. Was advised to go through with the sale when asbestos was discovered throughout the house. Agent did not show up for my closing (email stating, "Can't make it.") and sent her husband instead, who had not been involved with my case at all. Was advised to close with a minimum escrow amount vs. getting estimates. (Although this was Mark and my lawyer, so not entirely his disservice to own.) Bryan Warren was brought into a lawsuit issue after the sale and was unhelpful as well. It's tough to find a realtor who does not have a conflict of interest. The actions, and inactions, of Melissa and Mark are highly suspect, possibly illegal, but it is not worth any more of my time. I'm hoping that if you are buying or selling a home in Ithaca, go with individuals who are on the up and up/honest, individuals you know and trust or go with an independent agency. read more

I hired Mark Skodzinsky of Warren Real Estate to sell my home recently and would not encourage anyone to work with him. He made my first home selling experience horrible and very stressful! Before I signed the listing contract with Warren Real Estate, he was very friendly and helpful, but after I signed it, he became very unfriendly, rude and arrogant. He wouldn't even say hello when entering my home for a meeting after I signed the listing contract. When I tried to talk to him, he would not listen and would interrupt me. He never asked for my input or opinion on anything including what I thought my house should sell for, the photographs he posted on line, the inspection, etc. He would get very defensive if I had any questions (this was my first time selling a house) and even accused me of not trusting him when I did. He initially told me via text message that his commission rate was 6% but later changed it on the contract to 7%. Also, he never kept me informed about what sales proceeds I could expect to receive until much later in the process. I always had to remind him to get me copies of the paperwork I had signed, and after the inspection, he acted like he was more on the side of the buyer than on my side. I countered many of the items on the inspector's list of items to repair with contractors opinions who disagreed, but he did not attempt to negotiate any of the items with the inspector or buyer's agent on my behalf. In fact, he didn't go to my house on the day of the inspection when the buyer's agent did. Additionally, he bragged that he sold my house for the list price, but he didn't since the buyer wanted to include several pieces of furniture, air conditioners, freezer and many other items totaling over $2000 as a condition of her purchase offer. And then because he didn't argue on my behalf, I had to credit the buyer for another $2000 due to the inspection. So he didn't sell my house for the list price. I also had to make several trips to the attorney's office to deliver paperwork and make sure they had the correct numbers since he made several mistakes with the math and with the facts. He should have taken care of these kinds of things as part of his commission. Mark Skodzinsky is not a desirable agent to work with and I sincerely believe he did not earn his commission from the sale of my home! read more

Because of Elvina Amati, our move was as easy and good as it gets. Elivna helped us with every problem we faced along the way, was always available, and was always on our side. Thanks, Elvina! read more