Maren Johnson
1/5
Not reliable - Agency is really hit or miss, depending on which agent you work with. Some were incredible, others not so much. (There aren't many negative reviews because they call and ask you to change or remove it)
Courtney: First agent I worked with, Courtney (Morgan?) was AMAZING! When I expressed interest in learning more about a home/property, she would send me more info/associated documents within 24 hours, usually less. She checked in regularly. After working with her for about 2 months, she contacted me to tell me she was leaving the group for personal reasons, informed me that my account would be transferred to a new agent, Estella, who would take good care of me.
Estella Cotter: Estella sent me an email introducing herself. Soon afterward, my literal dream property came on the market. I contacted Estella, who casually sent me associated documents after a few days. I told her I wanted to place an offer on the place..... crickets. I tried emailing, calling her phone, calling the Walden Home Group office, etc. was totally unable to reach her or get any information from the receptionist. Shortly afterward, the property was purchased by someone else and no longer on the market (I now realize I should have gone to someone else right away or acted independently). I was very disappointed and felt "ghosted" by my agent. Since I couldn't get anyone on the phone or to reply via email, I left a 1-star Google review expressing my disappointment.
Mason: Shortly after leaving a review about Estella, Mason contacted me concerned about the 1-star rating on Google. He was kind and apologetic and explained that Estella had been let go because of issues. He asked what could be done to improve the review. I told him that I was still in the market for a new realtor and would be happy to give them a second chance. I removed the 1-star review and Mason took over my contract and was super helpful. He went over the home buying process with me again to make sure everything was understood. Asked me to sign a contract with him, which I did. Mason checked in on me regularly throughout the winter to maintain the working relationship and make sure we were on the same page, even though there weren't really any new listings. He responded quickly to any inquiries I had and sent me information within 24 hours. Really appreciated and liked him. Right when summer started and things started to pick up, I contacted Mason about a few properties I had interest in, and... nothing. "Ghosted" again! Continued to try calling. Emailed the Walden Home Group general email address for information, called the main phone line. When on the phone with the receptionist, I asked if Mason was still with the group. She told me she wasn't authorized to say anything about Mason and only Gary could give me that information. But he wasn't available to talk to me right then.
Gary Gallemore: I continued to follow up with Gary regarding Mason's status. Eventually he called me. Didn't provide many details, but stated that Mason was going a different direction. After some discussion, Gary agreed to take over my contract that had been signed with Mason. We had a good phone conversation where we went over my budget and what I was looking for in a property. After that call, communication started to decline. I would express interest in getting more information on a property and it would often take a week or longer before Gary would reply. Gary did schedule 3 showings with me. Every time I met with him in person, he was very helpful and had a lot of good information and advice to share. Between showings, I wasn't able to get much info from him. I suspect that he may have had too many clients to manage, that I probably fell in the lower budget category, and as a result I was not a priority.
I decided to terminate my contract with the Walden Home Group because I felt that I missed out on the opportunity to throw my hat in the ring for one too many properties because we were slow to act and it was off the market before my interest in it was even acknowledged by my agents.
