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July 16, 2009

Arlene Waye Responds to 180 Adelphi Fiasco

For those of you who followed the listing-poaching story last week, the founder of the brokerage firm involved has responded and we've updated the original post with her email. You decide for yourself if you believe her.

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Comments

We want EdNorton at the next brownstoner party.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 16, 2009 3:33 PM

"Our Sales Manager solicited a FSBO listing, exchanged several emails with the seller (regarding things like commission and access to show the property) and put the listing into inventory."

I remember specifically that the listing agent was Arlene Waye.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 16, 2009 3:35 PM

[Buzzer] Next contestant, please. Call me cynical, but I just don't buy Awaye's explanation. Conversely, the owner of 180 Adelphi seemed very credible when he said he'd never even heard of Awaye. And Awaye's listing was hardly something to brag about. Rather, I'd venture to say the owner reaped quite a bit of added exposure as a result of Brownstoner's post.

Posted by: CarrollGardened at July 16, 2009 3:39 PM

I don't believe her. I'd guess that her Sales Manager is claiming to have "solicited a FSBO listing,[and] exchanged several emails with the seller" to save his a**. It's interesting that Waye claims that "an error was made in-house, and the listing was advertised well enough to get listed as 'Home of the Day' on Brownstoner.com." In other words, it'so only because of an error that the house was effectively advertised. LOL--she said it,not me; that's some damning assessment of her firm's ability :-)

Posted by: Bob Marvin at July 16, 2009 3:39 PM

so several emails were exchanged in which the seller said "no way" and they did it anyway!

Posted by: BH76 at July 16, 2009 3:42 PM

100% not buying it, but I think it would be impossible for her to come clean. Wouldn't her license be at stake?

Posted by: boroughbred at July 16, 2009 3:43 PM

I dont even understand the explanation.

Posted by: Ringo at July 16, 2009 3:44 PM

"Unfortunately, an error was made in-house"
I think getting caught was the error.

Why would the seller have asked them to pull the listing once he saw it posted here if he had a legitimate agreement with Awaye?

"It does not serve our company to spend time and money to advertise a listing without the owner’s permission."
Apparently not. The only thing frittering away is any positive goodwill Awaye might have had.

I think she's full of it.

Posted by: Biff Champion at July 16, 2009 3:46 PM

The listing was active at least 12 hours after the owner first contacted her. I was watching it.

Posted by: diego at July 16, 2009 3:48 PM

You're not supposed to understand it Ringo-that's the point of obfuscation :-)

Bob Marvin
Bureau of Disinformation
Obfuscation Office
:-)

Posted by: Bob Marvin at July 16, 2009 3:48 PM

Even if Waye's firm did advertise the listing intentionally what's the harm? Can someone please 'splain. The seller doesn't have to let the real estate broker show the place if they don't want to (although, again, I don't see why not). And if the seller doesn't allow the broker to show the place, the broker's client is free to contact the seller directly, no?

Posted by: MacD at July 16, 2009 3:48 PM

Her explanation makes no sense. She avoids the issue and blasts Brownstoner for posting this information. She goes from she made contact with him, to an error in something, to blasting public forums. Maybe she can provide a copy of those emails.

Brownstoner- how can we get in contact with her to post those emails?

Posted by: guikazoid at July 16, 2009 3:50 PM

MacD....one of the issues was that the pics on Awaye's site were really crappy reproductions and the listing itself was awful. it actually did a disservice to the seller it was so bad. the seller's original FSBO listing was quite well done as compared to the Awaye crap.

MacD...I also learned last night that there was some speculation that the What was Mr. A, the real estate broker who lives in the big house on your street. i quickly dispelled that rumor.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 16, 2009 3:53 PM

100% Agree with everyone. She is totally BSing. It's beyond obvious.

What a slimy real estate firm.

It's times like these that I truly love Brownstoner and this community of posters.

Posted by: Kensingtonian at July 16, 2009 3:53 PM

Exactly MacD--I don't think Wayne's firm thought through the consequences of their scheme. While it may be frustrating and infuriating for the seller it ends up being high comedy where only the RE firm is harmed (by exposing their own incompetence).

Posted by: Bob Marvin at July 16, 2009 3:54 PM

MacD, without knowing a lot about the business, I personally think it's unethical for a firm to give the impression they are representing a client without that client's permission. I'm just not convinced the owner gave that permission, especially in light of all the other posters who expressed their own horror stories relating to this firm. Further, potential buyers looking at the Awaye site are given a false impression that this firm has a number of listings and a much bigger foothold in the market than they do. There were other reasons provided in the initial thread regarding why this isn't kosher.

Posted by: Biff Champion at July 16, 2009 3:54 PM

What I do know in all of this is that the Adelphi House has gotten a lot of attention because of this whole bru-haha

Posted by: gemini10 at July 16, 2009 3:55 PM

The realtor's explanation does not make sense. In order to list the property, Awaye had to copy the photos from the FSBO Webpage. I did not compare the property description to see if that was copied as well. Seems to be evidence of an intention to list it, not just "put the listing into inventory", whatever that means...

In any event, at least they took it down relatively promptly.

Posted by: 1842 at July 16, 2009 3:57 PM

Awaye's back is against the wall. The riflemen got her in their sights so heck, nothing to lose with trying a weak ass explanation.

regarding the house, attention wont get that house sold, but rather a big price cut.

Posted by: more4less at July 16, 2009 3:59 PM

Good point, 1842, those pics were copied. They were in no way the quality of the seller's originals.

The bullshit here is so deep you can hardly wade through it.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 16, 2009 4:01 PM

We sold our place FSBO. They contacted us and we discussed the possibility of them getting 3% if they brought in a buyer. We never confirmed anything, and next thing I knew, they had posted our place everywhere online for about 5% higher than our asking price. Dishonest, IMO.

Posted by: josefsz at July 16, 2009 4:04 PM

The main consequence of this is that the forth item that comes up when you Google Awaye Realty is the homeowner's accusation that they're "fraudulently holding itself out as representing us". THAT can't be very good for business. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot....

Posted by: Bob Marvin at July 16, 2009 4:04 PM

I guess we should ask the agent to STEP FORWARD with aforementioned exchanged emails!

Posted by: big swinging nick at July 16, 2009 4:06 PM

Awaye is just digging themelsves a bigger hole with such a lame 'explanation'.

Posted by: etson at July 16, 2009 4:07 PM

I just txted my broker and asked if he knew them and he said they had a bad rep. he had a story about them showing up 3 days after a woman died trying to get a listing out of the daughter.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 16, 2009 4:11 PM

Show of hands. Does anyone buy Awaye's explanation?

Posted by: CarrollGardened at July 16, 2009 4:12 PM

Ha she is so full of shit she makes corcoran agents look honest.

Posted by: Xander Crews at July 16, 2009 4:12 PM

But they did bring flowers.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 16, 2009 4:12 PM

"the forth item that comes up when you Google Awaye Realty is the homeowner's accusation that they're "fraudulently holding itself out as representing us"."

The best part will be when the name of the firm actually begins to be used as a verb, like Google.

Potential Seller: I think I'll save some money and try to sell my place myself via a FSBO.

Potential Seller's buddy: Just be sure to indicate "NO BROKERS" in your FSBO so you don't get Awayed.

Posted by: Biff Champion at July 16, 2009 4:14 PM

CGar I don't know how long you been Lurking but The What seemed to be on the Awaye's side for all of this. He was kicking and screaming how there is two sides to this story (refer to original post).

Posted by: Kensingtonian at July 16, 2009 4:15 PM

And don't forget, Mr.B tried to get an answer out of them from the very start to no avail so the "poor little me" stance is utter rubbish.

Posted by: Arkady at July 16, 2009 4:20 PM

Kens, I've been lurking since I discovered my house was HOTD in 2006. (And, can I say, I'm relieved you all weren't posting as prolifically back then!) I posted sporadically, and for some reason I just recently discovered the OT, where I was happy to be initiated yesterday. I saw the What's defense of Awaye in the original post. I'm just wondering if anyone buys Arlene Waye's explanation now.

Posted by: CarrollGardened at July 16, 2009 4:22 PM

Most of the posters that took Awaye's side in the initial thread said that there must have been an agreement between the seller and Awaye at some point. Even is you believe Awaye's explanation that theory has now been discounted.

Actually I can only remember The What and jwlprincess (the ringer exposed by EdNorton) taking this line. Clearly it took a while for Awaye / jwlprincess to get their story straight.

Posted by: etson at July 16, 2009 4:25 PM

here's where it's appropriate for Awaye to "sacrifice" 1 of the agents on her crew and make that person the scape goat. So she can come with another explanation of "upon further in-depth investigation, we found so & so blah blah to be responsible this misunderstanding and we've taken the step to terminate so & so's employment with this firm blah blah"

Posted by: more4less at July 16, 2009 4:27 PM

MacD...brokers sue all the time. They will claim anything they want. You really don't want them holding up a sale of filing a lis pendens... By not doing anything when you saw it it can be a sh**load of trouble.
nothing like a lawsuit to hold up a closing for money...

Posted by: smeyer418 at July 16, 2009 4:29 PM

CGar....my house was HOTD back in early 2007....i thought many of the comments were really funny. The original What was there too of course.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 16, 2009 4:30 PM

"Clearly it took a while for Awaye / jwlprincess to get their story straight."

jwlprincess is now princessofdenial

Posted by: Biff Champion at July 16, 2009 4:31 PM

this lady's doing herself no favors even if, by some incredible stretch of the imagination, they did send the owner some emails (which i highly doubt).

she manages to be: 1) ridiculously self-congratulatory ("the house was advertised well enough...," "reaped the benefit"), 2) threatening to both brownstoner and the owner ("defame", "smearing"), and 3) delusional and self-pitying ("for no good reason"). all the while, she admits to making "an error" but makes zero apology for it. incredible.

Posted by: i disagree at July 16, 2009 4:31 PM

That's funny, DIBS. There were actually not a lot of comments back then, and all but a couple were "Anonymous" posters. The comments were all positive, and the thread devolved into a general discussion of house width (my house was only 18 feet wide) and stairway location. Here's the link:

http://www.brownstoner.com/brownstoner/archives/2006/06/house_of_the_da_164.php

Posted by: CarrollGardened at July 16, 2009 4:38 PM

Is she telling us with a straight face that all listings were taken down within 5 minutes of the owner's call? The owner called her firm on July 9th and the listing wasn't taken down until July 10th. THE NEXT DAY. And it was only taken down after she got a huge amount of bad press in B'stoner.

So her response includes one blatant and verifiable lie. Does she really expect us to believe the rest?

Posted by: lechacal at July 16, 2009 4:39 PM

NIce place, CGer.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 16, 2009 4:43 PM

CGar, can you tinyurl the link?

Posted by: Biff Champion at July 16, 2009 4:44 PM

MacD - to respond to your question, the potential harm to the FSBO owner is a realtor claiming some sort of relationship with the owner (or maybe even an a buyer) and seeking some form of commission and delaying or derailing a sale. Not likely, but a risk. Plus, sounds like they advertized for more than what the FSBO did. Just generally creates confusion with potential buyers, and could in a worse case, create a problem with a sale.

Posted by: 1842 at July 16, 2009 4:45 PM

This woman is carrying quite a set in her pants! That explanation was lame and confusing at best. I don't buy it for one second. Quit being an idiot!!!

Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at July 16, 2009 4:51 PM

Biff, I'm technically challenged, but I'll be happy to tinyurl the link if you tell me how.

Thanks very much, DIBS. It's a great house (and Carroll, between Henry and Clinton is a fantastic block), and I miss the Parlor Floor and especially the garden. I can't say I miss most of the tenants I had over the years and especially the constant work required (and the attendant cost). That said, I am looking at houses again (as well as apartments) and considering taking the plunge again for the right house at the right price.

Posted by: CarrollGardened at July 16, 2009 4:53 PM

CGar, gorgeous house. One day I'll get my hands on one of 'em!

Posted by: Kensingtonian at July 16, 2009 4:56 PM

I say remove her from the list of Brokers you have on your site.

Posted by: diego at July 16, 2009 4:57 PM

Can you use a RatZapper to rid yourself of brokers like this??

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 16, 2009 5:01 PM

Suddenly having trouble posting, so apologies if this posts twice.

Biff, I'm technically challenged, but I'll be happy to tinyurl if you tell me how.

DIBS, thanks very much. It was a great house (on a fantastic block - Carroll, between Clinton and Henry), and I miss the Parlor Floor and the garden especially. Not so much many of the tenants I had over the years and the constant work required (and attendant cost). That said, I'm looking at houses again and considering taking the plunge for the right house at the right price.

Posted by: CarrollGardened at July 16, 2009 5:02 PM

I'm suddenly having trouble posting, so I apologize if my recent posts repeat.

Posted by: CarrollGardened at July 16, 2009 5:06 PM

Kens or DIBS, can one of you tinyurl CGar's link above? It doesn't work for me as is.

Posted by: Biff Champion at July 16, 2009 5:07 PM

Just a thought...Awaye would have done better to simply not respond and hope this dies. Now the topic is alive again and we all get to laugh at them a bit longer.

Posted by: InsertSnappyNameHere at July 16, 2009 5:08 PM

Here's the link to CGer's house....

http://tinyurl.com/ly6j6k

BTW, I thought you bought this house and were living there now. Now I understand that you were the seller, correct??? Yes, it was nice, I'm sure you miss it.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 16, 2009 5:10 PM

Mr. B is kindly helping with my posting difficulties.

Posted by: CarrollGardened at July 16, 2009 5:11 PM

I sold in June 2006. I had to move "abroad" (i.e., Boston) for a year, and I've been renting since I got back. As I said, there are many aspects of the house I miss, but many more not so much. But I learned so much in the 10 years I owned that it would (will?) be much easier next time around.

Posted by: CarrollGardened at July 16, 2009 5:15 PM

Ace is having a sale on pitch forks and torches. Who's down?

What's the big deal Geeze? A serious buyer would hit the streets and would never rely on a web sites to spoon feed them any way. Give it some rest and let's discuss moldings and mantles.

I understand the broker's reply and I'm ok with it. And I'm sure I'm not the only one.. there's scores of readers out there lurking about.

The bottom line is most of you posters are no longer in the market and just ranting for shits and giggles.

Back in the day we would say "you all in the sauce but cant ketchup"!

Posted by: jack slade at July 16, 2009 5:21 PM

Thanks DIBS.

CGar, your old home looked beautiful. You're in a great position now to buy a new place. Good luck!

Posted by: Biff Champion at July 16, 2009 5:23 PM

jack is a critical thinker.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 16, 2009 5:23 PM

er thanks.?! :-) :-( :-P :-/

3 threads about em is overkill to me. someone will lose thier job. what goes around comes around.

Posted by: jack slade at July 16, 2009 5:56 PM

Curious about her defamation claim. She admits the agency had no permission to post the listing. She doesn't explain where the photos or the listing info came from or on what basis the "listing agent" put the house into Awaye's inventory. It's a total "mistakes were made" cop out. So where's the defamation? What part of Brownstoner's post or the owner's post wasn't true?

Posted by: slopefarm at July 16, 2009 6:22 PM

perhaps with Awaye being so good at digging a hole they could help out the guy on the forum thread wanting his cellar dug out

Posted by: dittoburg at July 16, 2009 6:32 PM

Okay, I understand your points -- espcially the one about holding up a closing due to unfounded legal B.S. Also, if they are advertising the place for more than the FSBO, well ... that's just unethical. But you know, what goes around comes around, as we see happening here.

DIBS as for Mr.A being the What - no way. I can see him being Amzi Hill (I probably just botched that s/n, but you know who I mean). Mr.'s A -- both of them are too refined to speak the kind of trash that comes from the What. With all due respect, however, I can see you having a lot of fun having the What be one of your alter ego's, but I've never heard you fess up to such a thing and don't see you doing so in the near future. Hummmmm, could it be?

Posted by: MacD at July 16, 2009 6:44 PM

Meanwhile while the bloggers are gathering the tar and plucking chickens for feathers... In a galaxy close not far far Awaye this conversation should of happened.

Buyer: I really,really,really want your house and your broker at Awaye is not answering my calls.

Seller: Who's Awaye?

Buyer: Fantastic news. Here's a copy of my approval letter, my lawyer can send you my offer (minus the broker fee) tonight.

Seller: Would you like to come in and check it out?

Buyer: Kool aid smile Ohhhhh Yeahhhh!

Posted by: jack slade at July 16, 2009 7:01 PM

McD...we've met Amzi...he lives near you but is not the real estate agent.

Posted by: daveinbedstuy at July 16, 2009 7:13 PM

Anyone who saw that Awaye's site and also saw the FSBO website at www.180Adelphi.com knows that her poor advertising did not do the owner any favors. The owner's website displays decent photos of a very attractive brownstone. Awaye Realty's website, included only very low-rez copies of a few of the many photos on the FSBO website. As anyone with a basic understanding of marketing knows, blurry dark photos make a home look bad.

Posted by: Jumbo at July 16, 2009 9:25 PM

How do I make this realtor GO AWAYE?

Posted by: BrooklynLove at July 16, 2009 9:45 PM

Consider the following:

1. Potential buyer contacts Awaye.

2. Potential buyer learns about listing through Awaye.

3. Potential buyer finds out that this is really an FSBO.

4. Potential buyer tries to buy directly from owner.

5. Awaye claims to be entitled to commission because potential buyer found out about listing through Awaye, and sues the buyer.

Now do you get why Awaye is stealing value from owners by engaging in these shady practices? They are trying to lock in potential buyers by being the first to show them the listing.

Posted by: lechacal at July 16, 2009 10:06 PM

CarrollGardened,
Small world, I own a building a block down from you.

Posted by: christopher at July 16, 2009 11:12 PM

So I did some digging and was able to find the original Awaye photos (still on the server). They seem to be very poor copies of the originals:

http://www.awayerealty.com/thumbnail.aspx?img=photos/180adelphilive.jpg

http://www.awayerealty.com/thumbnail.aspx?img=photos/180adelphikitch.jpg

http://www.awayerealty.com/thumbnail.aspx?img=photos/180adelphiyard.jpg

ENJOY!

Posted by: heck_of_a_job_brownie at July 17, 2009 12:37 PM

I personally met Arlene Awaye at an open house almost 4 yrs ago in prospect heights. She told me that I had to use her mortgage broker ( which is a lie ), that I needed this and that , and stated that she believed I was just some cocky yuppie who was full of shit. She is total trash. I am so glad this is out there.

Posted by: Springs at July 18, 2009 12:39 AM

Arlene Waye loves to blame her employees.
She takes responsibility for NOTHING.

Posted by: MoneyMarkets300 at July 23, 2009 5:42 PM