Complaint Review: Cornerstone Group

I purchased a home at The Preserve at Boynton Beach, a Cornerstone Group development.

I have complaints about their sales and contracting practices. My dealings with Cornerstone have been a classic bait and switch of misrepresentations and broken promises. These include:

Offering to pay closing costs if I used their captive lender Liberty Home Lending, then removing that concession on the day of closing;

Having Liberty give me a preliminary approval before I signed the contract, then significantly changing the terms of the real loan;

Offering a significant financial concession to facilitate the sale, then substantially reducing their concession on the day of closing;Giving me a preliminary closing statement less than 24 hours before closing, then presenting a very different (less favorable to me) closing statement at closing; and,
Threatening to keep my deposit if I did not sign.

My purchase was a model home. Cornerstone contracted to lease it back from me for one to two years. When I asked for my first month's rent, they said they wanted to renegotiate the lease. I refused. They decided to vacate the model in the second month, but still have not paid me the $3,000 rent they promised for those two months.

I still do not have possession of my home as they are completing a punch list of repairs. Meanwhile I am in a leased apartment that I leased only days before they decided to vacate the model. It will cost me at least $5,000 to break this lease.

My attempts to resolve the problem are met with stonewalling. Everyone in the organization gives me a version of Its not my decision; I'm only the messenger. Then I was told, You will get your rent, but it takes weeks to process a check. Absurd!

The decision maker seems to be Cornerstone principal Lenny Wolfe. I called Mr. Wolfe at his office in Coral Gables (305-443-8288). They told me he was unavailable. I left voicemail. I also emailed him (Lenny.Wolfe@CornerstoneGrp.com). He has not responded.

Cornerstone is not a company that keeps its word. They will say whatever serves their objectives at the time, then refuse to honor their promises later.

Joseph
Boynton Beach, Florida
U.S.A.