STRANO & ASSOCIATES REALTORS

The property was kept occupied for the full span of our absence, and the property manager called us in Germany (7 hr difference) with recommendations. Reasonable rents were recommended, and collected with dependable regularity. Strano also obtained all necessary occupancy permits. However, many of the repairs made were questionable, tenant damage went unreported, and one tenant was permitted to remain on the premises without a lease. Examples: 1. The most recent, and last was the repair of bathtub doors reported to have come off the track. Though I asked repeatedly, I was never informed how the doors had been dislodged, just that it happens sometimes. Strano sent out a repair man who placed the doors back onto the track, and billed me without ever addressing the cause. Strano did tell me that the water stains on the wall directly below this bathroom were probably caused by a broken pipe inside the wall itself and suggested Strano obtain an estimate for repairs. Concerned, I contacted a friend who is also a local handy man to appraise the situation. He reported that water had run down the bathroom floor vent to the room below, and resulting in water stains on the ceiling, wall and carpet. The tub in the bathroom itself was badly chipped, and could not be reasonably repaired. Floor tiles in the bathroom as well as the marble threshold had been shattered and would need to be replaced. I hired this friend for all subsequent repairs and as soon as Strano's contract expired, I hired him as our property manager. Both the frequency of problems and the expense of repairs subsided under his supervision. 2. Prior to the bathroom fiasco, Strano had reported that the sump pump failed and the basement flooded. As could be reasonably expected under these circumstances, I was billed for the cleanup, a new sump pump and its installation. However, when the sump pump failed less than a year later and I asked for the warranty and receipt, Strano informed me that the new sump pump was one their handy man had on hand, so there was no receipt or hard copy of any warranty. I paid to have the new sump pump replaced, but by the man I trust. I have both a receipt and warrantee. 3. I was informed the bathroom sink had pulled away from the wall. Though I questioned the cause, I was billed for repairs without any further explanation. While in town for a wedding, fearing some awful problem involving the wall and pipes, I came to look. What had been described to me as the sink pulling away from the wall, was in fact simply an expansion of the seam between the wood sink cupboard and the wood vanity it is attached to. The costly repair consisted of a wood screw crudely screwed in to close the gap. Discrepancies are not limited to these three, and the leaseless tenant, but I expect these examples sufficiently describe how it went overall.

They were very willing to help us find the perfect house. They took my list of ones and found me the house that I wanted. I wanted a finished basement and kitchen with a gas stove and those kind of things and four bedroom and they gave me a list of three, so we did not have to waste time looking at houses that did not have our wants. We started our search while we were out of the area and then moving here and the agents were really nice. They were very friendly with us. We had a dog and a child with us, so they were very patient and understanding. We have recommended them to other people already.