I am writing to express my concern with the business practices of Renovation Realty (https://renovationrealty.com/). The business practices of Renovation Realty are preying on people in distress and function solely for the financial benefit of the company at the cost of their clients. The communication, or lack thereof, with individuals employed by Renovation Realty are unacceptable. They have left me with a financial burden, and I worry that others will end up with similar, bad experiences.
Below I have quickly detailed my main concerns in working with Renovation Realty. In the paragraphs below, I have provided more detail. I am happy to provide any additional information upon request.
Renovation Realty falsely markets that homeowners can set their own asking price.
· Renovation Realty markets that they will renovate your home at no cost to you and sell your home at your asking price and no low cash offers. I clearly stated my asking price multiple times and was willing to slightly lower my asking price upon request.
· Renovation Realty staff reassured me, multiple times, that they would not try to sell my home at a price lower than my asking price.
· Renovation Realty paid for an appraisal that confirmed my asking price was accurate.
· I declined offers that were lower than my asking price by over $600,000 USD.
· I had to take my home off the market to try to qualify for a loan modification, When I asked to put my home back on the market, Renovation Realty was pressuring me to drop my price by $390,000 below my asking price and below the appraisal price. This forced me to take my home off the market and discontinue working with Renovation Realty.
Renovation Realty has asked for commission on my home that they did not sell, at a price they did not want to sell it for.
· After taking my home off the market and decided not to place it back on the market due to Renovation Realty’s pressure tactics to get me to sell it at a much lower price than what we previously agreed upon and appraised listing amount, I agreed to pay Renovation Realty back for the $60,000 USD of renovations they had done to my home.
· I paid $35,000 USD as quickly as possible. I experience ongoing financial hardship, family death, and personal health issues that make it financially impossible for me to repay the remaining $25,000 USD in a timely manner.
· Despite facing these issues, I remained in communication with Renovation Realty and was later able to obtain funding to pay off the remaining $25,000 USD balance.
· Renovation Realty sent me a payoff amount of $98,153.49 USD. This amount included interest on the home improvement and a commission of 2.5% on my home, evaluated at $2.8 million USD.
· Renovation Reality did not sell my home and was pressuring me to drop the price to $2.5 million instead of the $2.8 million USD evaluation, making their commission amount inaccurate and unconscionable.
Background and Additional Information:
In the Summer of 2020, the industry I worked in for 34 years was shut down due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Like many others during this time, my incomes had stopped but my bills did not. I was desperate to find a solution in order to provide for my family (my wife and 8-year-old daughter). During this time, I saw a TV commercial for Renovation Realty, click this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ewB1cb7QL4 When I saw Keith and Christian Griffin on the commercial, they appeared to be humble and trustworthy people, offering to renovate your home with no up-front costs. The commercial stated that they would sell your renovated home for the price you wanted to sell it for and not for low ball offers.
In August 2020 I contacted Renovation Realty. I received a return call from their real estate agent and sales representative Mirna Orenalla. During the conversation she asked me the price I wanted for my home. I stated between $2.8 and $2.9 million USD. Ms. Orenalla wanted to know if I was flexible on the price and a firmly answered “no”. At this time, I further explained that I do not want unqualified buyers coming to view my home and that I don’t want to be forced into a situation where I would be giving away my home at a much lower cost. Ms. Orenalla explained that Renovation Realty works for their clients and that they would get me my asking price for my home. Ms. Orenalla further confirmed that they would only bring qualified buyers into my home.
In August 2020 I met with Ms. Orenalla and Griffin Christian. They came to my home and we discussed the areas of my home that needed renovation and the associated prices. Although I had already previously provided this information to Ms. Orenalla, Griffin Christian asked me the price I wanted to list my home at. I repeated my previous amount of “between $2.8 and $2.9 million USD”. He then asked if I would lower my price if an interested buyer submitted a lower offer.
I told Griffin Christian I would entertain reasonable offers and would come down to $2.795 million USD. Griffin Christian then said we would need to have my home appraised to see what it is currently worth, and that Renovation Realty would pay for the appraisal. I also asked multiple times “what if it doesn’t sell, how do I pay back the loan?”. Griffin Christian said that we won’t get that far, we have sold a lot of homes over the past year and we usually get the house sold. There was no mentioning of the fact that if I didn’t pay, they would file a Notice of Default and foreclose on my property in this conversation.
I agreed to have the appraisal completed. The appraisal came back at $2.8 million USD. This solidified my price at $2.8 - $2.9 million USD and we moved forward with the listing and renovations. The renovations ended up costing more than anticipated but appeared within reason at roughly $60,000 USD.
I signed a Promissory note in August 2021 with Griffin Christian and a Notary, Griffin Christian said he would send me a copy of the singed agreement. I did not receive a copy of this signed agreement, until continually requested on February 24th, 2022.
Renovation Realty listed my home from August 2020 through August 2021. Shortly after I listed my home, I received a call from Keith Christian (the owner). He asked if my home was in forbearance. I said yes and I explained that it was due to my industry shutting down from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Keith Christian decided to go ahead and proceed with the listing.
Over a 7-month period, there were roughly 6-8 showings of my home. Ms. Orenalla was not present for any of the showings. I never received any communication about any work Ms. Orenalla or the company was doing to market my home and/or how they were working to bring in qualified buyers. Ms. Orenalla would simply text me when someone wanted to see the property and then I would personally show the property. It was at this time I became concerned with the communication and lack of professional services. My home received 2 offers but they were both around $2.2 million USD, which was far lower than the amount my home was listed for (over a $600,000 USD difference).
In the early part of 2020 I submitted an application to my mortgage company for a loan modification. They told me that I could not receive a loan modification while my home was for sale. I promptly contacted Keith Christian to ask him to take down my listing while I was getting approved for a loan modification. He took down the listing as requested.
30-45 days later after my application I was denied the loan modification and contacted Keith Christian about putting my home back on the market. During a call with Keith Christian, Ms. Orenalla, and another gentleman working with the company, they told me that they would need to drop the listing price to $2.5 million USD. They also said that they would “do me a favor” by marketing my home in their Orange County Network. I was under the assumption that they were previously marketing my home and was disheartened that they were not. I again shared that my listing price was $2.8 million USD and that houses in my neighborhood were selling for more.
A few days later after this call I contacted Keith Christian and told home that I no longer wished to sell my home due to their requirement of dropping the listing price and we will just stay here.
After paying their commission, previous mortgage payments, and the first new mortgage payment I would not be able to afford a new home for my wife and daughter. My decision to withdrawal my listing was due to the company’s insistence that I sell my home at a lower price point than it was appraised at and in order to protect my family.
I agreed to pay the company back the $60,000 USD in renovations that were made to my home. I paid back $35,000 over several months but could not afford to continue making further payments due to ongoing financial struggles.
During this time, it became increasingly hard to communicate with Keith Christian. I left multiple voice message and sent multiple emails asking for additional time to repay the $60,000. After long delays he would reply back that they could no longer wait and stated the company would file a Notice of Default in order to get their money back. After receiving this information, I began the process of getting a high interest rate second mortgage in order to pay back the company. I also applied for another loan modification. I sent several emails requesting a final payment to complete paying back the company, and I finally got a response back from Keith Christian on October 18th that my loan pay off was $25,762.50 plus interest.
During the next 2 – 4 months, I experienced extreme personal loss and concern. My mother was placed into hospice and passed away. I was responsible for her funeral. In November of 2021, I became severely ill, undergoing countless medical test, and ultimately was diagnosed with a chronic disease. Despite these setbacks, I continued to apply for a second mortgage and was approved for a loan modification. There was a 90 day hold due to both occurring simultaneously.
On February 23rd, 2022 I emailed Keith Christian and asked him for a total payoff amount. There were multiple emails back and forth stating that the company’s accounting department was working on putting this together. I was anticipating a balance of $25,000 USD. This would be what was left from the cost of the $60,000 USE renovations, minus what I had already paid back ($35,000 USD). The amount the company sent back was the expected $25,000 USD, plus interest, and a 2.5% commission on the evaluation of my home at $2.8 million USD.
This totals a $70,000 USD commission on a home that they did not sell, show, or market. A commission on a home I decided to take off the market because they wanted list my home for $2.5 million less than the at $2.8 million USD, the amount they are asking commission for. When I expressed my dissatisfaction with the requested payoff amount, Keith Christian stated they were entitled to the commission because they brought in two buyers with offers (at $2.2 million USD) and that I declined and/or did not offer a counteroffer. I also said my house appraised for $2.8 million USD and he said appraisals don’t mean anything. This is not what was agreed to in my initial meetings with the company as detailed in paragraphs above.
Keith Christian further claimed that it was difficult to show my property. I do not understand this statement as every time I received a text to show the property, I would personally show it. A representative from the company was never present at a showing.
Due to ongoing delays on the part of Keith Christian, I have not been able to secure my second mortgage; and Keith Christian has now stated they are going to foreclose on my home. Again, I am happy to provide any additional information upon request. I am hoping that this type of fraudulent service does not happen to others in financial distress and that others aren’t forced to foreclose on their home due to the incompetency of Renovation Realty. Thank you for reviewing my letter.
Renovation Realty Reviews
I am writing to express my concern with the business practices of Renovation Realty (https://renovationrealty.com/). The business practices of Renovation Realty are preying on people in distress and function solely for the financial benefit of the company at the cost of their clients. The communication, or lack thereof, with individuals employed by Renovation Realty are unacceptable. They have left me with a financial burden, and I worry that others will end up with similar, bad experiences.
Below I have quickly detailed my main concerns in working with Renovation Realty. In the paragraphs below, I have provided more detail. I am happy to provide any additional information upon request.
Renovation Realty falsely markets that homeowners can set their own asking price.
· Renovation Realty markets that they will renovate your home at no cost to you and sell your home at your asking price and no low cash offers. I clearly stated my asking price multiple times and was willing to slightly lower my asking price upon request.
· Renovation Realty staff reassured me, multiple times, that they would not try to sell my home at a price lower than my asking price.
· Renovation Realty paid for an appraisal that confirmed my asking price was accurate.
· I declined offers that were lower than my asking price by over $600,000 USD.
· I had to take my home off the market to try to qualify for a loan modification, When I asked to put my home back on the market, Renovation Realty was pressuring me to drop my price by $390,000 below my asking price and below the appraisal price. This forced me to take my home off the market and discontinue working with Renovation Realty.
Renovation Realty has asked for commission on my home that they did not sell, at a price they did not want to sell it for.
· After taking my home off the market and decided not to place it back on the market due to Renovation Realty’s pressure tactics to get me to sell it at a much lower price than what we previously agreed upon and appraised listing amount, I agreed to pay Renovation Realty back for the $60,000 USD of renovations they had done to my home.
· I paid $35,000 USD as quickly as possible. I experience ongoing financial hardship, family death, and personal health issues that make it financially impossible for me to repay the remaining $25,000 USD in a timely manner.
· Despite facing these issues, I remained in communication with Renovation Realty and was later able to obtain funding to pay off the remaining $25,000 USD balance.
· Renovation Realty sent me a payoff amount of $98,153.49 USD. This amount included interest on the home improvement and a commission of 2.5% on my home, evaluated at $2.8 million USD.
· Renovation Reality did not sell my home and was pressuring me to drop the price to $2.5 million instead of the $2.8 million USD evaluation, making their commission amount inaccurate and unconscionable.
Background and Additional Information:
In the Summer of 2020, the industry I worked in for 34 years was shut down due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Like many others during this time, my incomes had stopped but my bills did not. I was desperate to find a solution in order to provide for my family (my wife and 8-year-old daughter). During this time, I saw a TV commercial for Renovation Realty, click this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ewB1cb7QL4 When I saw Keith and Christian Griffin on the commercial, they appeared to be humble and trustworthy people, offering to renovate your home with no up-front costs. The commercial stated that they would sell your renovated home for the price you wanted to sell it for and not for low ball offers.
In August 2020 I contacted Renovation Realty. I received a return call from their real estate agent and sales representative Mirna Orenalla. During the conversation she asked me the price I wanted for my home. I stated between $2.8 and $2.9 million USD. Ms. Orenalla wanted to know if I was flexible on the price and a firmly answered “no”. At this time, I further explained that I do not want unqualified buyers coming to view my home and that I don’t want to be forced into a situation where I would be giving away my home at a much lower cost. Ms. Orenalla explained that Renovation Realty works for their clients and that they would get me my asking price for my home. Ms. Orenalla further confirmed that they would only bring qualified buyers into my home.
In August 2020 I met with Ms. Orenalla and Griffin Christian. They came to my home and we discussed the areas of my home that needed renovation and the associated prices. Although I had already previously provided this information to Ms. Orenalla, Griffin Christian asked me the price I wanted to list my home at. I repeated my previous amount of “between $2.8 and $2.9 million USD”. He then asked if I would lower my price if an interested buyer submitted a lower offer.
I told Griffin Christian I would entertain reasonable offers and would come down to $2.795 million USD. Griffin Christian then said we would need to have my home appraised to see what it is currently worth, and that Renovation Realty would pay for the appraisal. I also asked multiple times “what if it doesn’t sell, how do I pay back the loan?”. Griffin Christian said that we won’t get that far, we have sold a lot of homes over the past year and we usually get the house sold. There was no mentioning of the fact that if I didn’t pay, they would file a Notice of Default and foreclose on my property in this conversation.
I agreed to have the appraisal completed. The appraisal came back at $2.8 million USD. This solidified my price at $2.8 - $2.9 million USD and we moved forward with the listing and renovations. The renovations ended up costing more than anticipated but appeared within reason at roughly $60,000 USD.
I signed a Promissory note in August 2021 with Griffin Christian and a Notary, Griffin Christian said he would send me a copy of the singed agreement. I did not receive a copy of this signed agreement, until continually requested on February 24th, 2022.
Renovation Realty listed my home from August 2020 through August 2021. Shortly after I listed my home, I received a call from Keith Christian (the owner). He asked if my home was in forbearance. I said yes and I explained that it was due to my industry shutting down from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Keith Christian decided to go ahead and proceed with the listing.
Over a 7-month period, there were roughly 6-8 showings of my home. Ms. Orenalla was not present for any of the showings. I never received any communication about any work Ms. Orenalla or the company was doing to market my home and/or how they were working to bring in qualified buyers. Ms. Orenalla would simply text me when someone wanted to see the property and then I would personally show the property. It was at this time I became concerned with the communication and lack of professional services. My home received 2 offers but they were both around $2.2 million USD, which was far lower than the amount my home was listed for (over a $600,000 USD difference).
In the early part of 2020 I submitted an application to my mortgage company for a loan modification. They told me that I could not receive a loan modification while my home was for sale. I promptly contacted Keith Christian to ask him to take down my listing while I was getting approved for a loan modification. He took down the listing as requested.
30-45 days later after my application I was denied the loan modification and contacted Keith Christian about putting my home back on the market. During a call with Keith Christian, Ms. Orenalla, and another gentleman working with the company, they told me that they would need to drop the listing price to $2.5 million USD. They also said that they would “do me a favor” by marketing my home in their Orange County Network. I was under the assumption that they were previously marketing my home and was disheartened that they were not. I again shared that my listing price was $2.8 million USD and that houses in my neighborhood were selling for more.
A few days later after this call I contacted Keith Christian and told home that I no longer wished to sell my home due to their requirement of dropping the listing price and we will just stay here.
After paying their commission, previous mortgage payments, and the first new mortgage payment I would not be able to afford a new home for my wife and daughter. My decision to withdrawal my listing was due to the company’s insistence that I sell my home at a lower price point than it was appraised at and in order to protect my family.
I agreed to pay the company back the $60,000 USD in renovations that were made to my home. I paid back $35,000 over several months but could not afford to continue making further payments due to ongoing financial struggles.
During this time, it became increasingly hard to communicate with Keith Christian. I left multiple voice message and sent multiple emails asking for additional time to repay the $60,000. After long delays he would reply back that they could no longer wait and stated the company would file a Notice of Default in order to get their money back. After receiving this information, I began the process of getting a high interest rate second mortgage in order to pay back the company. I also applied for another loan modification. I sent several emails requesting a final payment to complete paying back the company, and I finally got a response back from Keith Christian on October 18th that my loan pay off was $25,762.50 plus interest.
During the next 2 – 4 months, I experienced extreme personal loss and concern. My mother was placed into hospice and passed away. I was responsible for her funeral. In November of 2021, I became severely ill, undergoing countless medical test, and ultimately was diagnosed with a chronic disease. Despite these setbacks, I continued to apply for a second mortgage and was approved for a loan modification. There was a 90 day hold due to both occurring simultaneously.
On February 23rd, 2022 I emailed Keith Christian and asked him for a total payoff amount. There were multiple emails back and forth stating that the company’s accounting department was working on putting this together. I was anticipating a balance of $25,000 USD. This would be what was left from the cost of the $60,000 USE renovations, minus what I had already paid back ($35,000 USD). The amount the company sent back was the expected $25,000 USD, plus interest, and a 2.5% commission on the evaluation of my home at $2.8 million USD.
This totals a $70,000 USD commission on a home that they did not sell, show, or market. A commission on a home I decided to take off the market because they wanted list my home for $2.5 million less than the at $2.8 million USD, the amount they are asking commission for. When I expressed my dissatisfaction with the requested payoff amount, Keith Christian stated they were entitled to the commission because they brought in two buyers with offers (at $2.2 million USD) and that I declined and/or did not offer a counteroffer. I also said my house appraised for $2.8 million USD and he said appraisals don’t mean anything. This is not what was agreed to in my initial meetings with the company as detailed in paragraphs above.
Keith Christian further claimed that it was difficult to show my property. I do not understand this statement as every time I received a text to show the property, I would personally show it. A representative from the company was never present at a showing.
Due to ongoing delays on the part of Keith Christian, I have not been able to secure my second mortgage; and Keith Christian has now stated they are going to foreclose on my home. Again, I am happy to provide any additional information upon request. I am hoping that this type of fraudulent service does not happen to others in financial distress and that others aren’t forced to foreclose on their home due to the incompetency of Renovation Realty. Thank you for reviewing my letter.