Carlton Bell - iTriumphTM Realty Solutions LLC

Unprofessional, disingenuous and did not represent my interests. I work for the State Dept and was posted at the Embassy in Cairo, Egypt until July 2010. In March 2010, I was home for vacation and decided to look for a home to purchase since I would be returning to the DC area in late July. Through my home search, I ran across short sale homes. Did some research and learned that it was best to have a certified distressed property real estate agent (CDPE) representing me. After searching online for a CDPE agent, Mr. Bell was the only one to call me in a timely fashion (I was to return to Egypt in 3 weeks). I explained my situation and gave a list of homes I wanted to view over the phone. We met the next day, signed a buyer's agreement as well as put a contract on a home on my list. Mr. Bell promised to be present for the home inspection and closing (assist my brother) since I would still be in Cairo. Unprofessional - I have many examples of unprofessional behavior but I'll limit to a few... 1) I asked Mr. Bell for the contact info for the title company as I had a question about transfer fees and such. (Per the condition of the sale, I had to use the Seller's choice for title company.) After a back and forth via email where Mr. Bell asked me who I wanted to speak with and why then told me I didn't need to speak with them, I finally told Mr. Bell that I was not asking for guidance from him nor any questions other than the name of the title company as I had questions I would like for them to answer. Mr. Bell took umbrage to the "tone" of my email and many others as I found myself having to speak in clear terms via email because Mr. Bell would either not answer my emails, not answer the questions put forth or gave wrong information. I believe the communication problems mostly laid with Mr. Bell not taking the time to comprehend what was being asked before answering as well as he simply did not know the answers. 2) I was pre-approved for a regular 30-yr mortgage through my credit union but wanted to explore other financing options that my credit union did not offer, FHA. I asked Mr. Bell if he knew of a lender to which he provided three. Only one returned my call and provided good rates for the FHA program. I decided to go with them but had not officially changed the lender in the contract from my credit union to this new lender. Even though we did not have sale approval from the seller's bank, the loan officer from the new lender requested my last two pay stubs. I expressed that I thought this was odd as we were not ready to move forward with the closing because we were still waiting for sale approval, the loan officer explained that it was required for the loan and that was all that was needed. As the time stretched on with no sale approval received from the seller's bank, the loan officer contacted me and stated that she needed my new pay stubs. I stated that I gave them to her already to which she stated that she'll need ALL of my pay stubs from here until closing (this was March, closing didn't take place until August). I absolutely did not agree with this as I had a 800 credit score and more than enough money to cover 20% and closing. I stated this to the loan officer who contacted Mr. Bell. Mr. Bell sent me an email basically stating that I was putting the deal in jeopardy and I should just give the loan officer what she's asking for because it would be easier. I kindly explained to Mr. Bell that I still had pre-approval from my credit union and I hadn't changed this in the contract, so if sale approval came the next day, I would go with the credit union. Additionally I would not just go with a lender who's practices I did not agree with simply cause it's easier. (My credit union and the lender I'm currently using wouldn't even take documents until sale approval was received from the seller's bank.) Lastly, I'm frankly annoyed I had to explain this to my realtor as the kind of guidance he provided proved he was more interested in his interests rather than mine...which I was not surprised to have evidence of but Mr. Bell had this annoying habit of constantly saying that he worked for me. Through out the relationship, it was clear that he was NOT working for me. Because I had pre-approval with my credit union and had not changed this in the contract, I firmly believe Mr. Bell's guidance was extremely unprofessional, short sighted and not good advice for a buyer who had legitimate concerns. Disingenuous - There are two clear examples of this behavior... 1) At the beginning of this relationship I asked Mr. Bell if he wanted to handle the sale of a lot in DC. I explained that I owed a certain amount on the lot and that I believed the lot probably would not sell in this economy but I wanted to give it a go for 6 months to see if there were any takers. I also explained that if it didn't sell, I would just keep it as it's in a good location. Mr. Bell readily agreed to take on the lot and provided me with a contract. Mr. Bell was asking for a year representation to which I crossed out and wrote in 6 months. Additionally, I made a few other minor changes to the contract. I sent the contract back to Mr. Bell who was annoyed with the changes and stated that the contract was designed to protect both parties. I explained that I did not feel the items I changed were in my best interest. Mr. Bell decided to move forward with the contract. I provided Mr. Bell with 6 pictures which were to be placed on the listing. Mr. Bell only put up 4 and when I inquired into the other 2, Mr. Bell said he didn't know I wanted all 6 posted. (Another example of not comprehending my emails before responding/acting as I clearly asked for all 6 to be posted.) During the 17 days the lot was listed with Mr. Bell, my relationship with Mr. Bell deteriorated due to the dealings with the short sale home and the lender he suggested. On the 17th day, Mr. Bell contacted me and stated that because he only received a few calls about the lot, he felt it was priced too high and should be lowered to an amount well below what I owed. Additionally, if I did not lower the price and therefore require a short sale of the lot, he would need to break the contract. All of this was absolute baloney. Mr. Bell did not want to work with me and felt that the return on the lot was minimal so he could break that contract, but keep the larger pay day which was the short sale home. At this point I was certainly glad to be rid of Mr. Bell with concern to the lot but the purely fictitious reasoning Mr. Bell put forth completely demonstrated his disingenuous nature. If Mr. Bell simply said that he did not believe our relationship should be drawn out after the sale of the house, I would have had more respect for Mr. Bell. But that story was just insulting to say the least. 2) The last straw that had me calling the county and state commissions in order to see what could be done about Mr. Bell...Mr. Bell was not present for the home inspection and when I asked him why he wasn't there, he asked me if it was in our contract. At the beginning of the relationship, Mr. Bell told me he had an excellent inspector. I was extremely leery of using someone connected to the agent which I expressed to Mr. Bell. After my experience with the lender and Mr. Bell speaking, I quickly decided I would find my own home inspector, someone who had no interest in the sale of the home. Mr. Bell was there for the arrival of the home inspector but did not stay for the inspection. Looking back I absolutely should have had this placed in the contract but because Mr. Bell stated he would do this and it's common practice for all realtors to be present for home inspections, I did not think to spell it out in the contract. Additionally, besides the 3% commission Mr. Bell was receiving for the sale of the home, I had to pay Mr. Bell an additional $295 for "his time and services beyond the sale of the home". So with him not being present to begin with then his answer of "was it in the contract" to my question as to why he was not there, clearly demonstrates Mr. Bell's ease with deceptive practices. Lack of representation - With me being located 6000 miles away, a lot gets lost in translation, I understand that which is why I ask questions. Long and short, most of the information that Mr. Bell passed to me during the 100+ days it took to receive short sale approval from the seller's bank did not make sense and was seriously lacking. During the second contract extension, I ended up having to call the sellers myself to find out what was going on because Mr. Bell's information was all over the place. I understood that he received his information from the sellers' agent, but my problem was that he did not take the time to ask questions and clarify the information when it simply didn't make sense. I don't know if Mr. Bell was just not well versed in my transaction so he was simply unaware that the information wasn't accurate until I asked questions or if he simply didn't care. I'm leaning towards the simply not caring as more than once he simply forwarded the emails from the sellers' agent with no comments at all. Several times I asked questions, he simply did not answer. When Mr. Bell and I first started having problems, I took a step back and solicited feedback from friends and family on the different situations. I would routinely add them to the emails and discuss the received information prior to responding. I took this extra step because early on, Mr. Bell exhibited an extremely sensitive nature when it came to business. I believe Mr. Bell fully expected me to take whatever he told me as gospel, look to him for guidance and not speak in a plain voice, ie not sugar coat the issues. As I'm highly critical of myself, I truly believe I was not high maintenance nor demanding. Bottom line - Mr. Bell is not a good agent.

Unprofessional, disingenuous and did not represent my interests. I work for the State Dept and was posted at the Embassy in Cairo, Egypt until July 2010. In March 2010, I was home for vacation and decided to look for a home to purchase since I would be returning to the DC area in late July. Through my home search, I ran across short sale homes. Did some research and learned that it was best to have a certified distressed property real estate agent (CDPE) representing me. After searching online for a CDPE agent, Mr. Bell was the only one to call me in a timely fashion (I was to return to Egypt in 3 weeks). I explained my situation and gave a list of homes I wanted to view over the phone. We met the next day, signed a buyer's agreement as well as put a contract on a home on my list. Mr. Bell promised to be present for the home inspection and closing (assist my brother) since I would still be in Cairo. Unprofessional - I have many examples of unprofessional behavior but I'll limit to a few... 1) I asked Mr. Bell for the contact info for the title company as I had a question about transfer fees and such. (Per the condition of the sale, I had to use the Seller's choice for title company.) After a back and forth via email where Mr. Bell asked me who I wanted to speak with and why then told me I didn't need to speak with them, I finally told Mr. Bell that I was not asking for guidance from him nor any questions other than the name of the title company as I had questions I would like for them to answer. Mr. Bell took umbrage to the "tone" of my email and many others as I found myself having to speak in clear terms via email because Mr. Bell would either not answer my emails, not answer the questions put forth or gave wrong information. I believe the communication problems mostly laid with Mr. Bell not taking the time to comprehend what was being asked before answering as well as he simply did not know the answer(s). 2) I was pre-approved for a regular 30-yr mortgage through my credit union but wanted to explore other financing options that my credit union did not offer, FHA. I asked Mr. Bell if he knew of a lender to which he provided three. Only one returned my call and provided good rates for the FHA program. I decided to go with them but had not officially changed the lender in the contract from my credit union to this new lender. Even though we did not have sale approval from the seller's bank, the loan officer from the new lender requested my last two pay stubs. I expressed that I thought this was odd as we were not ready to move forward with the closing because we were still waiting for sale approval, the loan officer explained that it was required for the loan and that was all that was needed. As the time stretched on with no sale approval received from the seller's bank, the loan officer contacted me and stated that she needed my new pay stub. I stated that I gave them to her already to which she stated that she'll need ALL of my pay stubs from here until closing (this was April, closing didn't take place until August). I absolutely did not agree with this as I had a 800 credit score and more than enough money to cover 20% and closing. I stated this to the loan officer who contacted Mr. Bell. Mr. Bell sent me an email basically stating that I was putting the deal in jeopardy and I should just give the loan officer what she's asking for because it would be easier. I kindly explained to Mr. Bell that I still had pre-approval from my credit union and I hadn't changed this in the contract, so if sale approval came the next day, I would go with the credit union. Additionally I would not just go with a lender who's practices I did not agree with simply cause it's easier. (My credit union and the lender I'm currently using wouldn't even take documents until sale approval was received from the seller's bank.) Lastly, I'm frankly annoyed I have to explain this to my realtor as the kind of guidance he provided proved to me he's looking out more for his interests rather than mine...which I was not surprised to have evidence of but Mr. Bell had this annoying habit of constantly saying that he worked for me. Through out the relationship, it was clear that he was NOT working for me. Because I had pre-approval with my credit union and had not changed this in the contract, I firmly believe Mr. Bell's guidance was extremely unprofessional, short sighted and not good advice for a buyer who had legitimate concerns. Disingenuous - There are two clear examples of this behavior... 1) At the beginning of this relationship I asked Mr. Bell if he wanted to handle the sale of a lot in DC. I explained that I owed a certain amount on the lot and that I believed the lot probably would not sell in this economy but I wanted to give it a go for 6 months to see if there were any takers. I also explained that if it didn't sell, I would just keep it as it's in a good location. Mr. Bell readily agreed to take on the lot and provided me with a contract. Mr. Bell was asking for a year representation to which I crossed out and wrote in 6 months. Additionally, I made a few other minor changes to the contract. I sent the contract back to Mr. Bell who was annoyed with the changes and stated that the contract was designed to protect both parties. I explained that I did not feel the items I changed were in my best interest. Mr. Bell decided to move forward with the contract. I provided Mr. Bell with 6 pictures which were to be placed on the listing. Mr. Bell only put up 4 and when I inquired into the other 2, Mr. Bell said he didn't know I wanted all 6 posted. (Another example of not comprehending my emails before responding/acting as I clearly asked for all 6 to be posted.) During the 17 days the lot was listed with Mr. Bell, my relationship with Mr. Bell deteriorated due to the dealings with the short sale home and the lender he suggested. On the 17th day, Mr. Bell contacted me and stated that because he only received a few calls about the lot, he felt it was priced too high and should be lowered to an amount well below what I owed. Additionally, if I did not lower the price and therefore require a short sale of the lot, he would need to break the contract. All of this was absolute baloney. Mr. Bell did not want to work with me and felt that the return on the lot was minimal so he could break that contract, but keep the larger pay day which was the short sale home. At this point I was certainly glad to be rid of Mr. Bell with concerns to the lot but the purely fictitious reasoning Mr. Bell put forth completely demonstrated his disingenuous nature and lack of respect for my intelligence. If Mr. Bell simply said that he did not believe our relationship should be drawn out after the sale of the house, I would have had more respect for Mr. Bell. But that story was just insulting to say the least. 2) The last straw that had me calling the county and state commissions in order to see what could be done about Mr. Bell...Mr. Bell was not present for the home inspection and when I asked him why he wasn't there, he asked me if it was in our contract. At the beginning of the relationship, Mr. Bell told me he had an excellent inspector. I was extremely leery of using someone connected to the agent so I did not respond at that time. After my experience with the lender and Mr. Bell speaking, I quickly decided I would find my own home inspector, someone who had no interest in the sale of the home. Mr. Bell was there for the arrival of the home inspector but did not stay for the inspection. Looking back I absolutely should have had this placed in the contract but because Mr. Bell stated he would do this and it's common practice for all realtors to be present for home inspections, I did not think to spell it out in the contract. Additionally, besides the 3% commission Mr. Bell was receiving for the sale of the home, I had to pay Mr. Bell an additional $295 for "his time and services beyond the sale of the home". So with him not being present to begin with then his answer of "was it in the contract" to my question as to why he was not there, clearly demonstrates Mr. Bell's ease with deceptive practices. Lack of representation - With me being located 6000 miles away, a lot gets lost in translation, I understand that which is why I ask questions. Long and short, most of the information that Mr. Bell passed to me during the 100+ days it took to receive short sale approval from the seller's bank did not make sense and was seriously lacking. During the second contract extension, I ended up having to call the seller's myself to find out what was going on because Mr. Bell's information was all over the place. I understood that he received his information from the seller's agent, but my problem was that he did not take the time to ask question and clarify the information when it simply didn't make sense. I don't know if Mr. Bell was just not well versed in my transaction so he was simply unaware that the information wasn't accurate until I asked questions or if he simply didn't care. I'm leaning towards the simply not caring as more than once he simply forwarded the emails from the seller's agent with no comments at all. Several times I asked questions, he simply did not answer. When Mr. Bell and I first started having problems, I took a step back and solicited feedback from friends and family on my take of the different situations. I would routinely add them to the emails and discuss the received information prior to responding. I took this extra step because early on, Mr. Bell exhibited an extremely sensitive nature when it came to this business deal. I believe Mr. Bell fully expected me to take whatever he told me as gospel and look to him for guidance and when this did not happen, he was not happy with me. Bottom line - Not a good agent.