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May 6, 2009
Aguayo & Huebener broker?
I seems Aguayo & Huebener gets some mixed reviews, to put it politely, here on Brownstoner and in offline world. For better or worse I want to look at a couple of properties for which they are the exclusive agent. Can anyone recommend a particular broker there with whom they've had a good experience as a buyer? Much appreciated.
Comments
People don't like the fact that they don't share listings as with MLS. I like Roz on a personal level, but she's the broker, so I don't know how involved she gets in the transactions.
Posted by: rh at May 6, 2009 2:01 PM
Approach the seller (in writing) directly and tell them you are interested in their property, but do not want to deal with their broker (they certainly have a horrible reputation, and you may have specific reasons too). Ask them if they would deal with you directly, or if you have a broker you trust, see if they'd speak with him/her. This is not exactly a good time to be selling, I bet they will try to accommodate you. Also note most contracts include an exclusivity agreement only for some time - you may want to ask about that too, A&H won't tell you but the sellers may say when their contract (or at least that clause) expires.
Good luck.
Posted by: Ray at May 6, 2009 2:21 PM
Ask for Peggy's dog. That's the only way to play it safe.
Posted by: No one at May 6, 2009 2:22 PM
Thanks very much for your sugggestion, Ray. Unfortunately the properties I'm interested in are new condo developments whose sponsors will only go through A&H.
Posted by: anyhoo at May 6, 2009 2:37 PM
They were decent when they sold my place oh so many years ago. They are just brokers, not scary monsters. Go look, bid what you want. Who cares who the seller's broker is?
Posted by: Putnamdenizen at May 6, 2009 2:52 PM
We bought from them- did not have a good experience- but you're not buying them-- you're buying the property, and they go away once the property is yours.
Treat them like someone who you need to stay on top of, and expect the worst, and go to the top of the firm if you are not getting responses or action from the listed broker. They want to get paid, so even if they aren't the most honest or competent, they have plenty of incentive to sell you the property as quickly as possible.
Posted by: Park Place at May 6, 2009 3:30 PM
I'm curious about what's wrong with them. Is it a company policy to bully buyers or is it the individual brokers that have the reputations?
Posted by: mksk at May 6, 2009 3:39 PM
They are just a listing broker. You can retain your own buyer's broker who will nagotiate with the listing broker on your behalf. The comission is split bet the listing agent and the buyers broker, so this does not cost you a dime, and you never have to deal with them directly. This is the standard co-broke procedure as governed by REBNY.
However if you already saw the unit on your own and they have your classified as a direct, it's too late, you have to deal with them.
Posted by: kdabrowski at May 6, 2009 4:46 PM
They are just a listing broker. You can retain your own buyer's broker who will nagotiate with the listing broker on your behalf. The comission is split bet the listing agent and the buyers broker, so this does not cost you a dime, and you never have to deal with them directly. This is the standard co-broke procedure as governed by REBNY.
However if you already saw the unit on your own and they have your classified as a direct, it's too late, you have to deal with them.
Posted by: kdabrowski at May 6, 2009 4:46 PM
Here is a link from a thread about A & H from 18 months or so ago. I added my 14 cents.
http://www.brownstoner.com/forum/archives/2007/10/roslyn_huebener.php
Posted by: nyflicka at May 6, 2009 4:53 PM
We sold through A&H and it was a good experience. However, based on how much above market they got for our coop, I would hesitate to be on the other end of one of their transactions. They used a sealed bid system.
Posted by: cornetor at May 6, 2009 5:50 PM
kdabrowski is only partially correct. Some of A&H's listings are open to being split with the buyer's broker; some are not. If the properties you're interested in are the latter type, you have to deal with A&H unless you have a buyer's broker willing to work for nothing. The house I bought ~2 years ago was listed with A&H and they were indeed extremely unprofessional, weaselly, duplicitous, and generally despicable. That said - the transction will only take a few months, and you'll live in your new home for years. So if you love the property, just put up with their crap until it's over and then come back and post about how awful they are on the forum. :-)
Posted by: geekspice at May 6, 2009 8:17 PM
I purchased a property thru AH, and used Erin Mc Donnell
as our broker. She is fine. However, since the listing was about to expire and the seller would not have renewed it how many games COULD they play? The seller also loved me, my family, and my offer. We had a deal. Some angst; but since the seller chose me, what could Roz H say about it?
The property, the seller, and Erin made it worthwhile to complete the deal. In that order.
However, 'geekspice' is correct; if they are the exclusive broker they can not be forced to co-broke. It's not a marraige, after all. Know your limits, and take it from there. Worse case, walk away.
Try Erin first, tho'.
Posted by: Brooklander at May 6, 2009 10:01 PM
A&H does NOT co-broke and is NOT a member of REBNY.
Posted by: PHfamily at May 7, 2009 10:11 AM
Any time I walked into an A&H repped house while shopping for one, literally the first words out of the broker's mouth was they don't co-broke. Kdabrowski is incorrect, PHfamily is right. Even if I weren't using a broker to buy I'd be annoyed at their practices because I'd be thinking, why doesn't this firm want the buyers to have any help negotiating with them? It's just shady to me. We did use a broker as buyers as we used the broker who was selling our apt. I totally understand why people don't often use a broker to buy but I happen to like having a representative while buying and I don't like being told I can't have somebody in my corner to help me. So if a house was repped by A&H unless it was the most perfect house ever and a total bargain (how often do you find those?) I wouldn't even consider it.
Posted by: traditionalmod at May 7, 2009 10:31 AM
They are pretty shady, no need to elaborate!
Posted by: Misty B at May 7, 2009 11:27 AM
Thanks, everyone, for the really helpful comments.
Posted by: anyhoo at May 7, 2009 12:17 PM
not the best. in terms of brooklyn brokers, i would rank them lower 2nd tier or third tier. not very professional. as in most cases, there are a few brokers who will outright lie to you, so caveat emptor.
one of their brokers is also prone to utilizing blogs to fight back at and slander certain people. i know from experience.
Posted by: ltjbukem73 at May 7, 2009 3:21 PM
A&H does co-broke on some listings. Here's a current example.
http://www.ahrlty.com/H-59-O/H-59-O.html
Posted by: geekspice at May 7, 2009 4:56 PM
A&H has been in the neighborhood for years, they have serviced the residents of Brooklyn when most major Brokerages didn't think Brooklyn was worth their spit. Saying that, my experiences with them were less than stellar - THEY DID NOT CO-BROKE on their exclusives, and if they did, it was done kicking and screaming when their listings started to get stale. That's their right of course but it's not in your interests as a seller to hire a broker that restricts the access of potential clients.
Posted by: Crownlfc at May 23, 2009 10:31 PM
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