BuyOwner.com This company is a lying deceptive bunch of unethical robbers. Ripoff Deerfield Beach Florida

Having just relocated to South Florida less than a year ago we bought a condo (was cheaper than renting for us) and had planned on staying for many years. As the world turns, we realized after being here for a few months that we were going to have to move again this summer. Well, we decided to try to sell our condo ourselves because in order to get enough for a downpayment on another house and pay real estate commission, we would have been way overpriced.

Now, we are NOT wealthy at all. The home we are planning to buy is 80 thousand so we figure we need to walk with at least 20 thousand on the condo. We put 38 down on it last year and remodeled it. So we are looking at a 35 thousand dollar loss. We are realistic though and given the state of the real estate market in South Florida, we understand that this is necessary. We have NO other savings and our equity is literally ALL we have aside from our 13 year old car.

We also knew that we would have to move by August this year. No later. We explained the situation in detail to the BuyOwner salesman. He assured us that this would be NO problem, that our condo would sell in 30-90 days so long as we priced it under $200,000. So we did. The last place to sell in our complex had sold at $230,000 at the time. Well, that was months ago now. Right after a few others sold for between $215 and $230. No one even came to look at ours. No one. If we had been in the MLS, at such a better price, we would have sold by now. This guy really hurt us. We are even afraid at this time that we will end up homeless and we have two kids!!!

In addition to this, he did not show us all of the options that were avaliable. He only showed us the highest priced top three. How could he look at us and do this? He knew our situation. He knew that if our home did not sell we were going to be in BIG trouble. Our one year old was even here, he helped put that child out of a home as far as I am concerned.

He did not go over all the information in a honest way with us. We heard nothing about a no refund policy. He was very high pressure sales and very positive that we would sell before summer. We were relieved to hear this. Then as the weeks went on and on...we became terrified.

We fianlly got our home listed on the MLS for a mere $185.00 and have had several people come and look at it (With their real estate agents). I am afraid it may be too late now though. The market has crashed even more than when we first listed with BuyOwner and we have much less time.

So where are we now?

Well, we can't afford to move our things out of state. We are too broke to pay for a U-Haul that far. We are borrowing a pick up truck and putting things in local storage until we can afford to move them to our new place. (About 700 miles away). We also still have to pay the mortgage on the condo so we can't even afford to rent a place in our new home.

Through the kindness of strangers, we have been offered a temporary one bedroom basement apartment in exchange for cleaning and painting it as well as helping with the carpool for their kids to get them to school and back. This is only good for 2-3 months however and then I have NO idea what we will do. We are also going to be a family of 4 living in a one bedroom basement apt that is about 500 sq. feet. Still, we feel gratefull.

Now, I can't say that our home would have sold even if we had listed it on the MLS months ago when we opted for BuyOwner instead. I CAN say that we would be $3000.00 richer, which would pay for a moving truck and about two months rent. I can also say that the $3000.00 we DID pay BuyOwner was worth nothing. Nothing at all. Might as well have flushed it down the toilet. We did not get a single showing as a result of that $3000 BuyOwner ad.

How can they do this to people? There are better companies, that help you sell buy owner and do not take any money until/unless your property sells. This seems to make much more sense because real estate agents do not get paid if they do not sell your home and they do REAL work. All BuyOwner does is pay some dude min. wage to sell you an ad on their site and some kid a few bucks to take a few photos and a video. Total "cost" to them? I am guessing $100 at most. That means they walk with the rest.

I have contacted them asking for a refund, I will update if I ever hear anything.

By the way, I will give you the cost breakdawn.
BuyOwner cost us $3000.
To list on the MLS $185.00
if we ever sell, we will pay $6000 in commission for a total cost of $6185.00 and $3185 more than BuyOwner. This would be worth EVERY penny for what we are going to pay having a unoccupied unit until it sells at a monthly cost of $1500.00.

I wish you all the best and wise choices. I hope this helps someone. If so, please let me know, it may make my heart a little lighter as I sit in the soup kitchen at the local salvation army with my kids.

Lynn
Oakland Park, Florida
U.S.A.