A great source of Charleston info! (Goose Creek, Summerville: sale, real estate, apartment complex)

[vamtncat]

Hi to all those in the process of relocating!

If you have not already been there, City-Data has a WONDERFUL page of almost everything you need to know about Charleston. Go to the City-Data Forum main page and then click on the City-Data homepage and type in Charleston, SC or Summerville, Mt. P, Goose Creek, or any of the nearby towns. These pages give you any statistic you want including weather (luv that one!), education stats, incomes, government, population and a great breakdown of crime statistics. I found the last one particularly interesting considering the recent threads regarding crime.

Question????
Is there a DVD or video available on the Lowcountry area? Possible geared towards us wannabes?

[imperieux]

Originally Posted by vamtncat

Hi to all those in the process of relocating!

If you have not already been there, City-Data has a WONDERFUL page of almost everything you need to know about Charleston. Go to the City-Data Forum main page and then click on the City-Data homepage and type in Charleston, SC or Summerville, Mt. P, Goose Creek, or any of the nearby towns. These pages give you any statistic you want including weather (luv that one!), education stats, incomes, government, population and a great breakdown of crime statistics. I found the last one particularly interesting considering the recent threads regarding crime.

Question????
Is there a DVD or video available on the Lowcountry area? Possible geared towards us wannabes?

Prudential Carolina has a good DVD on the Charleston area which we took a look at before visiting.

It doesn't have too much detailed information but it does show the beauty of the area and shows different locations geared to homebuyers.

We received it along with a ton of other information from a relocation specialist in their office.

[DJShymansky]

I'd be happy to forward along a Prudential Carolina Relocation Kit for you.

[vamtncat]

Thanks so much to the both of you for the info! I get more excited about this everyday especially on days like this one where it is 29 degrees and the wind is blowing!

[Concerned for our "rights]

If you move to the area please just be aware of businesses that use unethical practices to steal your money and the system here that protects them. The following story is a true, sad and common one for this area.

Once again in this country of “rights” of the average person and the “system” that is in place to protect our rights and help us fight against “Big Business” has proven to be a sad and disgusting concept.
I would like to know if I am crazy or is this just wrong.

Dec, 2006 - My daughter (Alicia) signed a 6 month lease with Agent Owned Reality in Goose Creek, SC. During her initial walk through she brought to their attention problems from leaking water to roaches. She had made several attempts to get them to fix these problems to NO avail.
My daughter who is a 20 y/o shy meek girl out on her own for the first time continued to pay her rent on time NEVER being late and took care of the property in spite of Agent Owned’s refusal to respond to the concerns of the water, roaches, phone jacks protruding from the wall, broken locks, etc…,
She was the tenant most landlord get on their knees and pray for.

Sept 7th, 2007 - When she was to move out of state, again, she followed all the rules going to Agent Owned and giving her 30 day notice. She was told by their agent that to make a full 30 days she would have to pay the first week in Oct. taking it to Oct. 7th, 2007.
My daughter had no problem doing this and a verbal agreement was made.

Oct 1st, 2007 - My daughter went in to pay the AGREED first weeks rent for Oct. and was addressed by a very rude intimidating “Property Manager” (Terry) shaking her lease at her and informing her that a “clause” in the lease stated that her 30 days notice was not valid. That a 30 day notice was to end at the END of a month and not the first week. Terry then stated that Alicia not only forfeited her $695 deposit she also owed them $740 for the whole month of Oct. a balance of $1,435 .Alicia tried to explain to this woman her previous agreement with THEIR Agent and that if she had known she would have made the notice for the end of Oct. and not forfeited her deposit.
(WHY WOULD A PERSON PAY $1,435 WHEN SHE COULD HAVE PAID $740?????)
Alicia, in tears not sure what was going on, (This was her first experience out on her own) called me and I instructed her just to leave and I would try to contact Agent Owned and find out what was going on.

Nov. 2nd, 2007 - Agent Owned had mailed Alicia a refund check for her deposit minus the usual cleaning cost. We were happy that Agent Owned was going to stand behind the agent that made the verbal agreement with Alicia.

Nov.13th, 2007 - Alicia took the check to the bank to find out that Agent Owned had STOPPED PAYMENT on that check without notifying her of their actions.

Nov.14th, 2007 - I called and spoke with Terry. After trying to explain to her that Alicia did exactly what Agent Owned had asked of her and why is that lease now held up like the bible when the entire time Alicia lived in their property they ignored the “clause” that stated they were to make repairs and take care of roaches? Those STILL had NEVER been addressed by Agent Owned.
She informed me that writing “Roaches with stars beside it on her walk through, discussing it with the “Property Manager’ (that handled her lease) and making several request by phone was “NOT A PROPER REQUEST” for pest control…..LMAO!!!!!! I could not believe that such an uneducated, ignorant woman was controlling other people’s property! When she stated “You just have your lawyer call me” I realized I was dealing with a company that was used to using intimidation as a means of stealing from only God knows how many people. (They know the average person can not afford a lawyer to sue them for a deposit) I knew then that I was wasting good breath on an idiot.

Nov.14th, 2007 - My daughter and I went in and met with the Broker (Ralph), hoping that someone in that agency would be able to sit down as adults trying to solve a problem. Ralph was very nice and could not believe the situation that Alicia was going through. He informed us that the agent that initially made the agreement with Alicia to pay the first weeks rent was new and did not know better. I informed him that his personnel issues and their lack of training is not Alicia’s responsibility, he agreed. He also expressed his disbelief that Terry would stop payment on a check and not inform Alicia.
What do you know MYSTERIOUSLY, a notice appeared in Alicia’s file…Alicia had never seen this notice before this day…..Hummmm….is someone trying to cover their ass?????

Nov 15th, 2007 - Ralph contacted me and explained that after speaking with the agent that made the oral agreement with Alicia and accepted her 30 day notice as valid and Terry, he knew that it was them who “Dropped the ball” and it was their mistake but they had to pay the owner due to an agreement between them. I asked a simple question----Why should my daughter pay for your mistake?

Trying to teach my daughter that if you do what your supposed to do and if someone wants to take advantage of you, there is a system in place to protect her…she filed a small claims suit. In the suit all she asked for was her deposit $695 minus the cleaning (that she felt was fair) and the agreed upon 1st weeks rent for a total of $482. She was not looking to get out of paying for any of her responsibilities she was looking to NOT pay for Agent Owned’s responsibilities.
I was sure my daughter was going to learn that America is based on fair equal justice.
WHAT A FOOL WAS I??????

Jan 16th, 2007 - Court…… All Alicia wanted to do was tell all of this to someone unbiased and fair. Unfortunately all she got was a judge that was obliviously for the “Bigger Man”. She asked Alicia what date she gave her notice and then not even a full minute into this she very rudely told my daughter that she owed this money. Alicia tried to ask her about the verbal agreement made by Agent Owned when giving the notice and the fact that they accepted her notice as a valid one….Alicia was not even able to get that full question out until she was informed “We go by the law”….I always thought the “Law” was the chance to tell your side fully and completely and not to be cut off and the case decided within a minute. Knowing my daughter is timid and quiet I tried to speak up for her but the judge made it quite clear that she was not interested in hearing it. Alicia tried to ask her about the “Lease and the Law” when she tried to get them to take care of roaches etc…. The judge was simply not interested….Then the real insult….. The “Law” states that they needed to notify Alicia within 30 days about the money they were asking her for (which by this time did not equal the $1,435 but $905 (her deposit plus $213) This is when Terry held up the previously mentioned Mysterious Statement. Keep in mind this statement had dates crossed out and “revised” and was dated Nov, 2nd, 2007...hummmm why would they send her a statement of money owed the same date they sent her a check????? Then when the judge asked why she did not notify Alicia that they were stopping payment on the check….she told the judge that she did not have an address or phone number to contact her…WAIT A MINUTE….even I (an average person) knew that this was a direct contradiction of her previous statement….HOW CAN YOU SEND SOMEONE A NOTICE THAT THEY OWED YOU MONEY..BUT NOT BE ABLE TO NOTIFY THEM THAT YOU ARE STOPPING PAYMENT???????? I thought for sure the judge would catch this direct contradiction…..She did not or did not care! The judge did however tell Agent Owned to train their employees a little better and told Alicia “Consider this a lesson…an expensive one”
My heart broke….. My daughter did learn a lesson today. However it is not the lesson I was hoping for. You see, she did not learn that if you are responsible for your actions and do what you are supposed to do, pay your rent on time, be a good tenant, be honest and true the system will protect you against those who are not so moral or ethical. She learned the cold hard lesson that the system is not there to protect the “small guy” and businesses like Agent Owned Reality knows this and uses it to take advantage of people all over.

Just a side note…the case before us was a landlord, who in my opinion, was unfortunate to have a tenant from hell….Owing tons of back rent damaging the property just a mess…. I wonder how many of these “nightmare” tenants” started out as good ones but then after being raped by the unethical practices of businesses like Agent Owned have developed the mentality “I’m going to get screwed no matter what type of renter I am”. Maybe the good, caring, upstanding landlords out there should thank Agent Owned for the monster tenants I am sure they have had a hand in creating.

I appreciate you reading this and thank sites like these that allow someone to tell the WHOLE STORY no matter how “big” you are.

[emilybh]

Some states landlord tenant laws, I think, err on the side of giving the tenant too much of the benefit of the doubt and don't protect the landlord and others like SC do just the opposite.

I think what your daughter needs to learn is to do a little on-line homework and check out the states general landlord tenant laws along with looking at several places and asking to speak directly with the landlord. She needs to remember that the agent always works for the landlord. She's learned the lesson that contracts are made to be broken. Perhaps even in the future it would pay to have an attorney look at the rental agreement before she signs it.

I learned at a young age that most real estate agents really don't know nearly enough about real estate law as they should and that purchase and sale agreements that say you are protected (and deposits will be returned etc etc) based on contingincies not being met... doesnt' happen when you are doing business with unethical people. Whoever holds the money is the one in control. Whoever is naive enough to pay the money or put the money down without full assurance the contract will be performed -- no matter what "protections" might be there, is the one at risk.

Unfortunately the lesson you wanted to teach your daughter doesn't exist. The good honest guys rarely win. It pays to try to take advantage these days.

You daughter is lucky this was only a small amount of money she was screwed out of. 20 years ago I was nearly screwed out of a $7500 real estate deposit because I, like your daughter, TRUSTED the contract and TRUSTED the real estate agent ....only to find out that Purchase & Sale Agreements weren't worth the paper that they were written on and that other state regulations (never disclosed) trumped what the contract said. Those state regulations said "notwithstanding one of more of the contingencies of the agreement not being met, the listing agency decides ultimately when or if the deposit should be returned to the buyer."

Because RI is such a backwards state, they didn't start using mediators to handle these kinds of disputes until 7 years after this happened and the court system was backlogged with people waiting for their day in court. Eventually, 7 years later a mediator did decide in my favor but I STILL had to give the very weak attorney 1/3 of the deposit and the interest it had earned in the court registry surpising ly enough was given to the SELLER --of all people-- (as some sort of incentive not to contest the decision). Can you IMAGINE??? ONly in Rhode Island would the bad guy be rewarded like this even after the legal system decided they actually WERE the bad guy. This seller suffered NO damages whatsoever and was able to sell the property to someone else the next year for more money than I was going to pay for it.

So the moral of the story is get a GOOD ATTORNEY to read through any real estate agreements or research the state laws or both and talk DIRECTLY to the landlord or seller if you can to make sure you understand and the other parter you are doing business with understands what is being agreed to. Unfortunately many real estate agents will say ANYTHING --even to the point of misrepresenting the property -- to get a sale and get paid their commission. Many of them aren't smart enough to realize it could backfire.
Lastly don't put any more money down than you can afford to lose until you are CERTAIN the contract will be performed as written.

[vamtncat]

Concerned about our rights

I'm so sorry that you and your daughter had such a horrible experience. It is unfortunate in this day and time that a handshake and verbal carry no weight. There was a time that a man's (or woman's) word was their bond. Oh for the good old days!! I think we have the people who threaten to sue at the drop of a hat over the smallest infractions and the lawyers who represent them to thank for the ways our laws are enforced and for the ways we are forced to do business today.

It only takes an individual or business getting "burned" once for them to protect themselves from similar future incidents. Business and the laws that pertain to them are not personal.

As emilybh stated, it pays to do your homework before making a move. Many of us currently participating in this forum are doing just that. I've found it helpful to jot down situations that I deal with on a regular basis and find out how it might be different once we move. We think about things like will my auto insurance go up? What are the state and local tax requirements.

It also greatly helps to monitor forums like this one and learn first hand from those that have already been through the "bumps".

Just remember......there is no perfect place to live. That's what God made heaven for!

[imperieux]

I'm also sorry that your daughter learned such a hard and unfair lesson. And I too had an eye opening experience when I was in my early 20's. I was living in NJ in a large apartment complex when I tried to get out of a lease for an uninhabitable apartment. When I tried to play fair and by the rules, the property manager did not and he tried to intimidate me.

In the end, the only reason I succeeded was because I dropped off my last rent check (along with my 30 day notice to leave) and handed it to the "naive" young man in the office of the property management company as I flirted with him. He failed to notice the written Payment In Full at the memo portion of the check and had it cashed along with the rest of the residents' checks. What worked against me (my own business inexperience) also worked against them.

I was able to move out and even received my security deposit refund within 30 days but I got lucky. I outwitted the big bad corporation that time but it's not often that they drop the ball like that. I don't even know if you can use that check tactic anymore!

I learned a hard lesson myself that year. Unfortunately, I also lost a lot of my idealism and trust along with it.

[DJShymansky]

You can still use that tactic, but various laws allow them 90 days to "decide" if they'll accept it after cashing it, or return it.

[Jim3310]

Interesting.

Any number of people have learned the hard way not to trust other people.
Find me the corporation/govenment agency/private practice/etc. where that does not hold true.

It's been the same since you were a kid. What did Regan say? Trust, but verify?
these are all good lessons yet...

I just put a young lady into a condo because I trusted her. No lease, no security deposit. I talked to her, then I insisted on talking with her mom.

Vamtncat: handshake agreements still work. Perhaps one needs to learn "Concerned" & "Emily's" lessons to know whose hand you're shaking...
jim