Complaint Review: Adam Taha - Brooklyn New York

Adam Taha of A.M. Residential Marketing (his one man-himself owner/operator company), listed at 68 Jay St, suite 201 (meaning a private house, 2nd floor), Brooklyn, NY, 11201, posts ads for apartments. Don’t be fooled by that smile and young innocent boy look - he’s far from that.  Under that terrific smile is a real con artist. They usually are. He never replies with his phone number. He hides it for as long as he can get away with it.  If he was not hiding something, why is he hiding his phone number?

This is how he operates.

He shows you an apartment. When you ask him questions about things that don't look right in the apartment, he makes up any story he can, just to solve the objection as opposed to try to give you an honest answer because he's only concerned about one thing, in my opinion, - his commission. Example:

question:  Why are there outlets here in this part of the kitchen and no counter space there?  It looks like they ripped off an old one and never bothered to spend the money to replace it. His answer: the law requires outlets to be placed all around the kitchen at 6 inch intervals all around the kitchen. Dah..... lots of double talk nonsense that no one understand or will bother to confirm.

Why do these walls look cracked and bulging? Answer: it’s been double plastered? Dah......(parts of the walls look like they could  collapse) It’s really a cheap and improper job on the walls.

Then okay, he, says, you like the apartment, give me $500 deposit, plus $40 application fee, and I'll put in your application. Dah.....  No real estate would ever require anyone to give a $500 deposit to process an application. He’s a crook, that’s why.   When asked: will you take a credit card? Answer: no just certified checks. (So once he has your money, you can’t get it back).  When asked why? Answer: Just in case you change your mind after I did all this work. (He’s intending to keep it).  I have a right to change my mind if I find something wrong with the dea. When told no other Real Estate Company ever asks for 500+40 to process and application for an apartment. Answer: I’ve been in business for 16 years and everybody does it - (lier, lier, pants on fire). Even his ad on zumper.com says he has 8 years of experience

When asked: why don’t you take a credit card: answer: because people can ask their bank to take back the money he says. Yes, they will if there is fraud and misrepresentation. And if not, he has nothing to worry about. And he wants you to pay him this money before you read the terms or/ and sign the lease. And then when you get the lease, if it says anything like this: “can’t sue the landlord no matter what, but he can sue you.”   “have to put carpeting down on your floors.”  “Have to occupy the apartment within 15 days or your lease is terminated.”  “Lease not valid unless countersigned by owner.” (And the owner is not sending you the lease for  2 or 3 months) and you can move in and technically be thrown out because your lease is not yet valid even though you payed them all the fees that you are not going to get back as: one months rent, one months security and the real estate fee.   When you read these things in the lease or similar, and then you ask Adam to cancel the application, there goes your $500 down the drain and into his pocket. “Sorry, I did all this work. You signed the deposit was non refundalbe. It would have been applied to the apartment if you did not cancel.”

Here’s another example of his unethical sales strategies. We asked the super why does the side of the house (right below the apartment that we were interested in renting), smell like exterminator chemicals or pesticides (toxic). And as the super was explaining the answer to me and getting to the the truth, Adam cuts him off, gives him a dirty look and says we have to leave now, sorry. It was obviously something bad, like mice, rats, rodents or other problems that he thought if the super told us could cause a no sale.  He’s simply not honest. Don’t trust him. He’s like a fast talking, evasive, double talking used car salesman. (Not all used car salesman are like that), but many are.

When asked if he were legit, why does not he tell you all of this up front, by posting his fees in his ads upfront instead of trying to zing you with them after he thinks you are enamored with the apartment? Most real estate companies post in the ad: fees: $40 credit check fee, etc.  He does not answer or have an answer. But the answer is: if he told you upfront that you had to stick your hand in your pocket and pull out $500 dollars, , no one would even go to look at his apartments. He operates in a sneaky way - “I’ll sneak the fees in on them at the end, he thinking.” 

Oh, by the way as to the $500 deposit, we told him, not a chance, no, no, no and goodbye and good riddens.    And to make matters worse for him, we took an apartment right across the street from the building that he showed us, from a reputable large real estaste company with real employees,  and they charged us zero for the application fee. We were approved with no cons and have a good apartment and they got their real estate fee with no quarrel. Shows you what a dope Adam is to think he has to operate a con to make any money in the business!

People, if I were you, I would not do business with this person. Do business with a reputable real, real estate firm and not a one man fraud, lier, con artist, thief, and miserable.