ZillowVERIFIEDHomeowners don't like to admit regretting something about their purchase - but I do have to admit to one. That regret being to work with Vinny and to not trust my gut early on to move on from him.The many five-star reviews baffle me. I do understand that he's a nice guy, fun to talk to, probably great to grab a drink with. But, he's the farthest from an advisor you can imagine - and I think that's what you want in someone helping you with a multi-hundred thousand dollar purchase.I'll share my honest and fair take here because I believe for such an important purchase, you deserve someone who will help you along the way and serve in your best interest. In a way, it's a civic duty for my community so others don't have the same experience as we did.Pros: - He can be funny. A peculiar guy with some interesting quirks. - He seems to have lots of friends in the industry. - I have to admit, I like the wine glasses he gave us at the closing.Cons: - Laughter helps most of the time, especially with such a serious purchase. But sometimes, jokes need to stop and real work needs to happen. When someone started talking about structural and quality issues in the home, he'd joke it off and change the subject on us. It seems he knows very little about homes, and wants to hide that. - You can't tell if he's working for you, or with his industry friends to get the deal done and move on to his commission and next clients. - He consistently "has to" leave early. He didn't even stay for the whole closing. - He's consistently late. Last There, First Out. - Regarding the buying process, hopefully you're well-versed in it. He may tell you when to do something, like provide an offer letter, but you're basically on your own to create it. You would think he at least has a template or example after decades in the business. - For what little documentation he may create for you, he leaves it riddled with embarrassing spelling errors. - He offers little-to-no negotiation advice, really. His take was essentially "just pay the asking price". When a bidding war began, he just told us to keep going higher. When the inspection returned with a bunch of issues, he offered no advice in what the sellers would be responsible for (fortunate we had a great inspector at least). Can't really tell if he's your buying agent or if he's just working with the selling agent to get the sale done. - He never sent us a single home to look at. We looked on our own. We found the home we went with on our own. He didn't even show up until the second viewing. We never were added to the MLS database to be sent home that meet our criteria. - When we asked to look at another home, he refused. He pushed back and told us to stay focused on the first one that we found. The one time we asked him to do his job and arrange a viewing for a home we were interested in, he wouldn't. We had to on our own. Is that really serving your clients?So no houses provided, no guidance given, no true assistance, no support in finding the perfect home, no negotiation, decent wine glasses.I hope I clearly illustrated what to expect. Vinny is a nice guy, so it makes sense that after people are so excited about their home purchase that they then rate him well here. But, he offers little help or guidance. When making the largest purchase of your life, establishing your own little kingdom, ask yourself if you want the king's jester or the king's advisor at your side. Choose carefully.
