Joan Farabaugh

What an absolute joke of a businesswoman. I have never encountered a realtor so excruciatingly unprofessional, and this was far from my first rodeo. I contacted her because I was moving to New Orleans from out of state and leasing remotely, and the place she listed online looked perfect. When I called her the first time, she told me the total deposit amount (which was within my budget), asked if I had pets (I have two felines which she said was fine, no extra pet rent or deposit) and seemed agreeable, but then a few days later said it wasn't available any longer. Fine, that's what happens when you're in the market. Then a week later, she says it's suddenly available again, but was worried that because I hadn't seen the space in person, I wouldn't like it when it came time to move in. The last time I looked, a tenant had to agree to pay when a lease is signed regardless of whether they like it or not. That's the whole point of a lease (which should be obvious to a realtor, no?), and I explained for now what was the third time that I have moved across the country (not to mention internationally) before without viewing a space in person, why should this disqualify me? I ended up starting work a week earlier than expected, and so I WAS able to see the place in person, and I wrote her a check for the deposit that day. I also paid a fee for a background check the same day. When it came back approved, she sent the lease over, and as I was reviewing it, I suddenly see an extra deposit fee for having pets. I texted her and reminded her that the first time we spoke she said there was no extra deposit/pet rent, not to mention that I had already cut her a check earlier that week for what she said, verbatim, was the "total deposit". She immediately denied this, and when I said I would review the rest of the lease for any other unexpected fees and get back to her, she fires back with "I think we should go our separate ways". After she had taken my deposit money. This was understandably infuriating to me, seeing as I had started the costly process of making all the other arrangements necessary to move 500 miles into this space, not to mention I PAID THE DEPOSIT and background check fees. I asked why I was being denied this space when I was clearly qualified, and she responded with "you accused me of lying to you". It is unbelievable how immature her responses were, especially since I said the extra money wasn't a deal breaker, I just needed to review the rest of the lease for any other unexpected costs (something completely within my rights as a tenant). Like I said before, I have never encountered a realtor, or really any other licensed professional (even ones half her age), so ridiculous and combative. If renting a space through her is such a nightmare, I couldn't IMAGINE what buying a house would be like. She doesn't seem to understand the process at all. Avoid at all costs.