NAPLES REALTY SVC INC

Naples Realty agent Cynthia Casola represented us as the buyer transaction agent for a nearby property at 1983 Mission Drive, Naples Florida. I know the review is on the long side, but considering how much can be lost with buying a problem house, finding out an agent intentionally failed to disclose a major defect in the Title, and having to have lawyers attempt to fix the problem, potential buyers may find its worth a read to avoid the problems I experienced. Naples Realty's Real estate agent Cynthia Cassola of Naples Realty engaged in the worst practices I've seen in my 30 years of buying houses. Her incident with me in Naples Florida in late 2015 included cooperating with a closing agent lawyer and a title insurance salesperson to fail to disclose a serious title defect involving this property listed for $885,000. Fortunately, my wife and I got wise to the non-disclosure just before closing, and canceled the contract, but others may not be so fortunate if they are not careful in taking steps to seek independent advice, inspections and a survey. Cynthia Casola failed to disclose an encroachment prior to or at contract, after obtaining a contract from me with, at her urging, a $75,000 deposit, because another deal (she said) was just in the works. Casola represented myself and my wife as a transaction agent, but then deligated all the paperwork that she was obligated to provide from the seller, to me as the buyer - to the Akerman, LLP law firm closing agent, which billed at $600/hr. Of course I immediately objected to using $600/hr lawyers and $200/hr paralegals to coordinate routine paperwork that was part of her commission. But Cassola's lawyer pals had the audacity to try to bill me for it to the tune of over $5,000, two months later. I said no. Key among the nonsense the law firm was trying to sell me was title insurance, I said no from day one, but they billed me for their sales efforts in selling to me, and became very hostile about not having sold it. (Buy the way, if you want to know about title insurance and why its such a bad idea and so expensive, search for the New York Times revealing article: ?The Title Insurance Scam,? or Forbes Magazine?s article ?America?s richest insurance Racquet?) After the check for my deposit was cashed, and the sales contract was underway, Cynthia Casola produced a prior survey days after I specifically requested it due to finding the house had prior been a foreclosure. That survey, done two years prior when Ms. Casola was the buyers agent on that property, showed an encroachment of the screen porch onto a government easement. When questioned, Casola cut off all contact even thought she was the transaction agent. When I wrote a formal letter to her supervising broker in charge of Naples Realty and he told me that it was all just a misunderstanding. An encroachment shown on a survey, showing part of the house is off its allowed location, is not a misunderstanding, its called a title defect, and it is huge. Calls from the closing agent lawyer and his title sale assistant, including dire warnings to me about how I could loose my deposit, went on over the Thanksgiving and and Christmas season 2015. After much effort on my part, I finally got my deposit back but as I went to pick it up Casola's lawyer associates came up with a non-itemized bill to present me by email for over 18k and offered to take it out of the escrow to do me a favor. I said no thanks, but I'll be at your law office within the hour to pick up our $75,000 escrow deposit. They resisted, and squirmed. Finally my wife got the check for my money back, but the lawyer requested immediate payment of his non-itemized bill that day from my Wife. Again we said no thanks, we need an itemized bill. I also I told the lawyer to postal mail me the bill which is always key because if their bill contains false billings it's mail fraud. Two weeks later now still have not received their "legal services invoice" by mail, and am in process of holding these characters led by Cynthia Cassola?s non-disclosure, responsible by all means allowable, That includes with state regulators, the real estate board, and the media. If I can help just one other person avoid getting misled and be subject to non-disclosure from Cynthia Casola, Beverly Krepel, and George Powell, I have made up for the time they wasted of mine. Incidentally during this time Cynthia Casola kept referring to herself as a "Doctor" detailing how she and her husband were "Doctors" and left their "practice" in New Jersey for her to become a real estate agent to "help people." But Casola was a chiropractor, which may be called a doctor, but so can a English or History Ph.D. Chiros are not MDs, or even Ph.Ds so it's just misleading. The impression she wished to convey was she was credible, which was the opposite of her reality. To the owners of Naples Realty: Cynthia Casola is a liability for you, she will likely get you sued. For a person buying in Naples, and seeking an honest dealing realtor who will disclose material facts even if it threatens her commision, she is the one to avoid.