Barker Realty Inc. Review

Horrible experience! Calling and receiving maintenance was nightmare at best. As if that wasn't enough to complain about, Barker Reality was conceded and rude like we were in come kind of popularity contest. In the end we were refused more than half of our security deposit for damages that occurred prior to our move in. Though we documented these damages (with pictures as proof) and overall poor appearance we were denied the majority of our $1,700 deposit. The homeowner used our deposit to refurnish their hardwood floors with our hard earned money! To add insult to injury we were robbed while we lived in their house. The list of discrepancies and problems with this company is endless.

I rented a place while I was a single working mother and then I got a section 8 voucher that at the time they were accepting. So I went into the office to see if they would accept it on the rentals I was already renting from them. Got a big phat Nope, ended up looking my job due to transportation issues and getting evicted later on. Very smart company

I am very disappointed with this experience. I paid an application fee of $50. I was told that the property had been rented and I could transfer my application to a new property. In the past month, I've requested showings for 5 places. For each place the showing has been scheduled and canceled. I lost my $50 and don't trust using them for any additional services. Again, I am extremely disappointed with their system.

Same experience as many others. Poor and untimely feedback. We currently rent from American homes and will just stay with them or progressive realty. They both have fabulous follow through.

Their first year renting from Barker was not so pleasant. The second year was pleasant and Nicole Amante was the person that made sure everything was well. She is very professional ,responsive and was here for me as a tenant when I had any type of concerns this five-star rating is do to her professionalism it was appreciated.

They managed a property we rented for a year while our place was being renovated. They are awful. Poor communication. Poor customer service. Individual who managed our property specifically changed not once. Not twice. But, three times! Good luck getting who ever handles your property to return a call because they will never answer the phone!

I live in the Fuquay area and the worst thing is that I can hear EVERYTHING from all of my neighbors. I can hear what they are watching, when they open their door, walk, sneeze, anything. These walls are paper thin! However most of my experience with the people in the office have been pleasant and I really appreciate them.

We have the worst property manager. I honestly do not understand how someone can be this unresponsive to clients and still have a job. Always an excuse whehever she does finally get back to an email. Eveything is a struggle. Wish there was someone to go to for assistance but it seems there is none. Dissapointing at best.

I basically never write online reviews, but I had to write something about Barker Realty, and particularly Daniel Burbank. I was a tenant at the 2305 Stafford Ave property owned by the Walton family and managed by Barker, and had probably the best landlord-tenant experience I've had yet. You really felt like you were dealing with people, but with all the benefits of having a larger landlord. Maintenance requests were taken care of so fast it was almost funny, they were totally honest and prompt with my security deposit, and respectful and courteous to deal with from start to finish. Even though I initially freaked out over having a larger management company take over the property, I am extremely glad it was Barker. If you are considering renting from them, I would highly recommend it.

This review is for a recent maintenance request fulfillment by my Barker property manager and their maintenance team.

The request was to remove some tree limbs overhanging and in contact with the roofs of the house and an outbuilding on the property, and to remove a fair amount of organic debris from the outbuilding roof. One side of the outbuilding roof also had a large amount of moss growing on it which was accelerating the deterioration of the roof and also causing a mosquito problem due to the moisture held in the moss.

Barker's team arrived to begin work less than 24 hours after I submitted the request. They were very thorough and professional and they even took down some additional problematic limbs which I had neglected to include in the request.

I've been a Barker tenant for 3+ years. During that time, my property manager has been excellent at responding to my maintenance requests. Every member of the Barker maintenance team with whom I've interacted has been prompt, professional, and competent.

I would recommend Barker property management to anyone looking to rent a residential space in this area.

Been renting one of their properties for almost a year. Maintenance is great, they usual came within 1-2 days of the request. My agent Renee Johnson does not communicate well. My lease ends in a month and I been emailing and calling to get the terms for renewing my lease. I finally got an email stating that she is working on it back but still have no idea about renewing my lease and it ends in a month.

DO NOT RENT FROM BARKER REALTY. Terrible communication and they truly DO NOT care about there tenants. Seriously, save yourself the headache and do not rent ANY of their properties!!!

I posted a negative review due to how I felt I was treated when I went to apply. The manager called me and discussed the situation. She apologized for how I felt and even offered my deposit back. I appreciate her doing that because she didn't have to.

I d give it 0 stars if that was an option. Me
Keisha Manning does not respect the applicants. She lied stating that his company has available units all over the Raleigh area and couldn t even give me a courtesy call about a second property since I didn t make enough for the property that I applied for, even though I fell into all the necessary parameters required. If they didn t want me to have the property, they should have stated that from the beginning instead of leading me on to waste time and money on that application fee . The sad part is that I looked online for other properties and the property that I applied for is still there supposedly. I read the reviews and still was willing to give this sorry excuse of a property management company a chance. Don t waste your time here, they are con artists and don t actually care about matching applicants with an appropriate property. They will take your money and leave you high and dry. It s honestly disappointing, and sadly, not surprising.

They love to charge for everything, the mailbox key the residents have to pay $35 to get it when you are renting from them. USPS even said is ridiculous cause you not buying you renting. Every renting property have to give the residents the mailbox key. You call them to fix something and they come and don't fixed very good or they make you believe that they fixed..I moved her with my mother and there's a lot thing to be fixed here even the window screens and I took pictures of everything the same week that moved in and being 3 months and nothing yet. Paint , screens, window doors ,stains, water pressure, water key fromo outside and moch more and they haven't fixed. But of course you late one day in rent they charge you higher fees and right away. . The community is nice ,quiete and lovely. Neighbor are the very butrespectfull and nice..maintenance ois horrible. . They have to do a lot change. They need to have a rent mailbox dropped for residents that comes out of work after 5pm and drop their payment or on holidays when they are close like Thanksgiving weekend that they didn't open but we could go and drop the money orders off in that dropped box if they put it. Easy for most of us

Barker realty strung me along for over 3 weeks for a house. The house that we were interested in was taken off the market and then put back on the market and we were not notified. And when we reached out to Barker to try to re apply, we were told our application would be resubmitted and then we were screwed once again.

I wish I could give negative stars just for Barker realty.

Very unprofessional money hungry folks. A family member rented a place from them for a year and his rent was paid on time and now they want to give him the run around on his deposit. They are now saying 60 days to return because of made up excuse regarding their faulty appliances. How is it they are holding his deposit when they already have the house rented. Seems the new renters wouldn't rent a place that wasn't move in ready. They weren't to eager to help him when the front door was shattered due to their lawn care company throwing rocks at the house. Bugs and rain kept getting in the house, not to mention lost of heat. Took them months to get that fixed. They are nice when you want to rent their properties, but rude when they owe you money. BEWARE when dealing with these folks!!

Extremely dissatisfied with this company. Applied for a rental home at the beginning of March, no contact was made by the property manager past the application process. Multiple attempts were made to call their offices yet no response during any attempt. An email was politely sent by Ashley Hofer, who is an Administrative Assistant to the Property Managers saying that the application process was complete and we should hear back from the property manager, Renee, shortly. Sure enough, no response, even after emailing Renee directly requesting an update. A month later after the application was submitted, the website that I found the listing on notified me that the listing was no longer available and was taken off of the market a few days ago. There has still been no notification or follow up by the property manager notifying the applicants that the property was no longer available.

In short, TERRIBLE communication and customer service. If possible, avoid this agency at all costs. Almost feels like getting robbed of the application fee with the lack of communication and notifications as far as updates are concerned involving the application process.

Horrible with communication,and what stage your application is at..its been 2 weeks and i have yet to get a clear answer. And ive been asked the same questions 3 times different phone calls, and an email saying that it was going to the property manager and then i was called again about rental verification(not from the property manager same lady that was looking over my application that Assisi asked me for it 3 other times) and i was really hoping for the place so now i might be on the streets. Work on your communication to your customers.

Slum lords in nice clothes. I moved out a month early, found another tenant to live in my apartment, and they gave me a notice to vacate. They then made me pay rent for the two weeks between my move out and the new tenant's move in, despite the fact that they *mandated I leave the apartment*. They charged me rent for an apartment they weren't letting me live in! Then, they shorted me on my deposit because I hadn't done a deep clean of the apartment, which included an "acid wash" of the tub and a removal of a stain in the carpet that *was already there when I moved in. Speaking of when I moved in, they had done such a *terrible job* checking my apartment that they SOMEHOW overlooked a massive link in the bathroom, which caused the bathroom vanity to be destroyed by mold. Terrible, awful, incompetent, money grubbing.

If I could give a zero I would. I lived with a friend who happened to get evicted and they somehow put it on my credit? Dont do business with these sleazy scumbags, or let your friends either.

We have used Barker Realty for the past two years and it has been a great experience. We live in another country, so we needed a property management company that was responsive to our tenants' needs as well as our own. Kristie Melvin, our property manager, is a great communicator and has kept us well informed when issues did arise in our property. We were referred to the company by an old family friend and my parents who also have properties managed by Barker. We highly recommend their property management services.

I was so happy to find a home that had enough space with affordable rent for my children and I. Ms Veronica was very nice and I feel like she supported me and kept me updated throughout the application process. I was so grateful that I wanted to hug her. We've been living in the property for almost a year and can't wait to renew the lease. I am very satisfied with the property management and the courtesy that is shown by emailing updates when necessary.

I paid my 30$ fee and heard nothing from the & that was 2 months ago almost 3 they can keep that but everyone I come in contact with from now on will know not to do any real dealings them they are scam artists with there lie of we aren't first come first served we are who fits it. Never again.

I have been with Barker Realty for more than a year now and am very happy with the level of service. I recently almost questioned an expense, only to find that I was reimbursed on the very next cycle.

The phone number is a joke. Since October, I have never......never talked to a live human, the first time out, the second time out, the third time out.

Called to try and get information about an apartment I saw an add for. The girl who answered was very rude, never gave her name or the companies name. Immediately started asking for very personal information and was not friendly about any of it.

She scheduled me for an appointment to view the rental and with no heads up rented the apartment out to someone else. Was never given a chance to see the apartment.

Was all around a terrible experience, these people are not worth renting from.

If i could give 0 stars i would, these people never answer the phones and customer service is terrible. Would not recommend!!

Daniel Burbank is as first rate of a property manager as you'll find anywhere. Super responsive, and genuinely cares about what he does.

After two days of trying to get someone on the phone, I finally scheduled a viewing of a property I was interested in with "Alvin". I showed up a few minutes early and waited...and waited...and waited. No one ever showed up from Barker Realty. I took time off from work for this appointment. If this is how they treat prospective clients, I can only imagine how poorly they treat tenants. No thanks. I'll take my money elsewhere.

Worst possible experience with this company. Almost done with my second year renting from them and would only recommend to people I hate. Unending list of complaints, possibly the worst having them enter your apartment without notifying both tenants or knocking. Rent from them if you like to keep your life filled with headaches.

I have been very pleased with the excellent service Barker Realty has given me since they started to handle the rental details of my condo. They found a great tenant and have responded in a prompt and professional manner when repairs or other situations needed to be handled. Hiring Barker Realty is worth it!

My landlord is Very Unprofessional. He acted because I was renting from him he could do anything . He told me he entered my apartment without my consent I was never notified that anyone was coming or that someone had been in my place to do a inspection back in October & now it is December & I'm just being notified I feel as if my privacy was invaded & its also a bit creepy ..and very unprofessional

Well I m new to the barker family, so far they have been truly amazing. I stated out with Rhonda, as my property manager. She left and now I m under Cindy Minion, she added an extra hat after Rhonda left and to be honest I ve not notice much of a change Barker has been very help to me. As I approach the end of my first year under there management. I ve to say I hope to be a tenet at my current location for many years to come. And I hope that Cindy and the rest of the team will think that much of me to allow me to continue being a part of there family.

This company doesn't deal honestly with applicants. Do not apply for a rental with this company because you will be extremely disappointed. I would have preferred that they told me that they did not approve my application instead of giving me the run around until I ran out of time to locate another apartment. Don't waste time or money with this company. It is peculiar that the positive reviews are the exact opposite of the negative reviews. I do wonder who is writing then .......it is probably people that work for the company.

Barker Realty has managed my apartment for many years and they have always been responsive and thorough with the management. Additionally they have always shown the utmost respect for the tenants and it's been a very good relationship.
Louis Sinclair

Well, I just wanted to say thank you Mr. Bill for letting me rent your property. I enjoyed my place, no problems. Things got done and fix in a timely manner. Staff was nice, Karen and Monica was nice as well. Thanks for returning my deposit. Best wishes to all.. Nothing bad to say. I never know if i need this property again.

Very rude and unprofessional. No communication during or after application was submitted, waited a month just to find out i was denied for making to much money on the affordable property, then was to told to apply for traditional property waited another 2 weeks just to be told i was denied for another reason! Waste of money and time!!

I kinda stay away from doing reviews in full BUT as I was looking forward to see any rental opportunities with Barker as a co-worker referred me to. Based on the reviews I'm not going to now, even the last review is pretty rough to digest.

Can't say enough about the professional and personable representative I have at Barker Realty. I chose Barker Realty because I read they had a good reputation. However, you never really know how true a rating is until you experience it personally. So, I decided to give them a try and signed up with Rodna Shontz. Despite my early reservations about any person representing a company, Rodna has proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt, to be an awesome property manager! She returns calls within a reasonable amount of time if not there to answer immediately, and always manages to resolve whatever issue I have within a timely manner. I've actually developed a friendly relationship with her which is something that has never happened with me and other managers. While Rodna takes care of business she remains very friendly and straightforward. I love and respect her honesty because I know I can depend on her to do what she says!! Thanks Rodna!!

First time reviewing something, but the experience warranted the response. Waited a week for an opening that would fit both my schedule and Barker Realty's for a property on Yorktown Place. Arrived to find the appointment I had requested had been double booked. This was off-putting to say the least. The property had not been cleaned, organized, etc. It was a live in and the current tenant had a cat. The house smelled strongly of urine and due to the full trashcans, filthy tub and appliances, and general disarray, we wouldn't have rented no matter the price. Taylor, the agent who showed the property, was nice and answered all questions, but we walked away asking: Why would they even show this place? Even empty, my fiance' and I could not imagine a way to make this place work. Thank god for fresh air. is all I can say. Also, nowhere on the Trulia advertisement did it mention it would not be ready until December. Two months? BUST.

We had sold our house and moved back to Cary and were looking for a house to rent while we decided where we wanted to live. We found a house that was in very poor condition and needed a lot of updating. Upon speaking with the property manager at Barker, we were told that if we signed a lease agreement the owner was going to remodel the kitchen and replace the the old appliances. We signed the rental agreement based on this information. We documented all this as well.

Upon move in, it was evident that not only did they NOT remodel the kitchen, NONE of the appliances had been replaced and the dishwasher had old nasty smelly water sitting in it. Added to we had requested that some landscaping be done and the yard be mowed and trimmed up and the house cleaned prior to our move in. None of this was done either. The house was nasty and a wreck.

It took us almost 6 months to get Barker and the owner to finally replace the dishwasher. We were forced to wash the dishes by hand until then. The stove/oven were never replaced or cleaned and the non-functioning stove vent was covered in nasty grease and would not close meaning it was opened to outside. Barker's maintenance guy "fix" was to use a sheet-metal screw to permanently close the vent, rendering it further useless.

We noticed when it rained, water would gush out of the front yard. So much so, the property owner next door called the Town of Cary thinking there might be a ruptured pipe. The Town of Cary Utilities department came out and found that the entire underneath of the house was flooded and the water was actually being pumped out by a sump pump. They said the house had a drainage issue and they would not be surprised if there was mold growing under the house as well. We brought this to the attention of Barker. The result was some work on the pump but the contractor said he did see signs of mold. Again we brought this to the attention of Barker.

We had also warned Barker of the dead tree limbs in the large pine tree in the backyard and the danger they posed. In January a storm brought the large limbs down punching multiple holes in the roof and causing leaks on both ends of the house. One leak ruined some very expensive electronics we had stored in the utility closet. We took photos of the damage and of water running in the house. The leak in the kitchen was so bad we had to remove all our dishes from the cabinets as they would fill up with water. Again, we notified Barker in January of these leaks. The owner did not authorize the roof to be repaired until the following October. Damage to the house was well documented with photos and videos.

Our lease ran from June to June of the following year. There was a 60 day notice to be given by either party at the end of the lease. We had notified Barker of our intent to renew for one more year in April. On May the 8th, beyond the 60 day notice, Barker informed us the owner's were planning to move back in the house in August. We agreed, wanting to try and work with the owner. However one week later on May 15th we were notified by Barker they had made a mistake and the owners wished to move back the first of July. Again we agreed and went to added expense in order to work with the owner and move out in June.

We moved out on June 15th. I sent a note to Barker inquiring when my $1,200 security deposit would be returned. I did not receive a response. In July, I instead received an invoice from Barker where the owner was not only keeping my security deposit, but they were also attempting to charge me for damage and yard work they claim they had to do to move in. The damage and condition of the home were pre-existing and are documented in photos, videos, and emails we have. The yard was well kept as our neighbors have all documented in emails I requested.

I sent numerous letters, including a certified letter to Barker demanding the return of my security deposit. It is despicable for a company like Barker to attempt such outrageous behavior. I WILL get my deposit back.

I had many of my belongings ruined by the mold from the house. For over a week, I had to turn the water on/off at the street because of plumbing issues. When there was work to be done in the house that resulted in my being unable to live there, the company told me to "just find a different place to live" for an entire month. "Surely I had some friends I could go stay with.

Description of work:
Rented a house in poor condition with mold growing on the inside of walls/floors. Slow to repair basic problems, such as leaking plumbing, no working a/c or heat. Difficult to contact and work with.

Barker realty is amazing from showing us the property to taking care of anything we need.The refrigerator went out (it happens) we had a temporary next morning then a brand new one arrived the following day.
If you are looking are for a company in Raleigh area they are the one .
Phillip long and Randy Neumann

Barker Reality, please be truthful and clear in your housing ads.

Their ads are unclear and a waste of time with hidden rules, definitely too good to be true. "Mature dogs considered" then only after I go through the hassle of following up do I find out I don't qualify due to breed restrictions that were not listed in *any* of the ads for this property, on *any* platform. Very misleading considering my dogs are elderly, aka "mature", total waste of time.

Oh, and their phones lines are impossible to get through if you just want to ask a question and not schedule a tour. I got routed back to schedule a tour twice, neither time could either person answer a question about the property (deposit, application fee, pet deposit, etc). When I finally found the correct extension for simply asking a question, I was put on hold for 15 minutes and then they hung up.

Barker has been a high quality property management company during my entire rental history with them. My unit is beautiful and very affordably priced. It includes some of the most prized amenities. I love that they take time and care in screening every prospective tenant and also that they take pride in having a win/win for the owner of the unit and the tenant. The top bonus is that every maintenance request I have ever submitted was handled with care and had a great turn around time for resolution. I highly recommend Barker to any person looking to rent and/or any owner looking for a good property management company. I am a happy tenant!

Terrible place..
scheduled a viewing for today. 11 AM. i took a day off for that and got a text 9AM. Its been cancelled. Called to the office and got no good answer.

Very Unprofessional! applied in March and keep getting the run around. Don't waste your application money. I could have applied else where and gotten better responses.

There are times when the people won't empty trash. But it's still paid for monthly from the tenants. It takes them forever to fix things. Instead of fixing stuff the employees patch things up.

Horrible! I had set up an appointment with these people to view a property and usually they tell you their going to call you that morning and I never received a phone call that morning. Eventually I ended up calling them to see what was going on and the girl tells me that someone will be there if I have an appointment. I ended up calling her back to see if someone was still coming and she finally ask me which property it is I'm referring to and then she proceeds to let me know that the property has been sold! I just thought that was the most inconsiderate situation ever and so unprofessional if I'm coming to look at one of your properties and all it took was a simple phone call. Also the girl lied and said that someone had reached out to me to tell me the property was sold, which had to be so untrue, if that was the case nobody left a voicemail if they did indeed call. Horrible experience and I didn't even get to view the property, I would never give these people my money. Unprofessional.

All they want is your application fee money!!! Poor customer service!!

Realtor seemed clueless about the property, and tried to tell us there were 12 parking spots available in a complex that could barely hold 7 tops. When asked about the crime rate in the area, he responded that it s subjective and refused to give any statistics. A bit shady and uninformed.

Barker has some nice properties out there however after reading these reviews I would not even budge to waste money seems like to many schemes honesty is the best policy You will not get a free 50$ from me

I love my house, it's Barker that I can't stand. Getting maintenance is like pulling teeth. I specifically told them to call me before they come, and they showed up when I was not home. They charged me $50 since I didn't answer the door. They came once in January to change my air filter and left a message telling me my filters were "excessively dirty", and they would charge me for any repairs if the system broke. Funny, I have gas heat and I never used throughout the heating season. I used space heaters. My air filter was the SAME NEW filter that was replaced from the last time they were here!! What morons!! I have ALWAYS paid my rent on time for 3 years with Barker, and the "thank you" I get is RUDENESS! You would think with the economy this bad, customer service would be better. Not so with Barker!

My experience with Barker Realty was easy to rate at 5 stars. My property manager, Daniel B. was friendly, professional, and great to work with.

My home was flawless upon moving in and the only issue I ran into (failed water heater) was fixed within a day by the Barker team. I would definitely recommend Barker to family and friends. The online payment portal is extremely intuitive and makes paying rent a breeze (you can even place a maintenance request with just a few clicks). Without a doubt a high class real estate company from a residential tenant's point of view.

Thanks Daniel!

I noticed that the only good comments are from a "Google User", no name but the poor comments were from people with real names. I was interested in a property and had my realtor call and call and call. The "TENANT" wouldn't allow me to view the house a accept when they were gone and that was very inconvenient for me, so I took off work. Showed up with my realtor and the key fit the door lock alright but the tenant dead bolted the door so we couldn't access the property. I wasted 1-1/2 hour drive and 2 hours of work, NOT TO SEE A PROPERTY. My realtor and I stood outside the property and called and called and called the agent, no answer. I may have to bill them! I will also be notifying the Better Business Bureau and seeing what other course of action I can take about what I have read about non-refundable application fees on property that has already been rented. Thank GOD! I have a fantastic realtor that has gone above and beyond, Karen Barlow and Dana Ellington with REDFIN.

I have been with Barker Realty for 10 years, and they have been nothing but professional the entire time! Bill North is an amazing property manager, I would recommend Barker Realty to anyone! From the front desk staff to upper management they are just great caring people!

Unorganized company, Lost mailbox key took them a over a month to get to me, will give you NO time frame on a maintenance fix( I ASSUMED plumbing would get a 24 - 48 turn around and I was told that was incorrect), My house which I pay over $1400 a month for was not clean when I moved in and over all communication with this company is a joke. Use another company...homeowner or renter

Rodna has managed my properties for several years and has done an outstanding job. Great customer service, always responsive to my inquiries, managed my repairs in the most economically way and most important kept my properties rented. She has been a joy to work with over the many years i have been with Barker.

To Ms. Rodna Shontz as the property manager, thank you so much for making my day this past Wednesday afternoon (06/03/2019) during lunch break. Ever since I sent the money order for this month's rent to you in a green envelope, you were nice enough to write me a receipt for this month's rent for records. I'm not here to offend anyone, but I'm very glad that I didn't have to deal with Debbie that day. I'm also glad that you covered for her as a receptionist. I'm also very happy with the way you handled business in a professional customer service manner.
As for Ms. Debbie, she normally doesn't ask me whether I want a receipt for the rent that is delivered in person like you do. As for Ms. Debbie, she always tells us tenants to have a nice day without giving us the receipt in order to keep for our records even if we bring the rent money in person from now on and in the future. This is the best way to avoid dealing with the late fee email when the rent is brought in by the due date. We have been through the late fee incident due to the mailman having a delay delivering the money order to you last year. As for her to decide what I need or don't really need is really none of her business as far as the receipt thing for records. I'm just being fair and honest, especially when me and my mom get emails accusing us that the rent not due on time. This is why me and my mother discussed the fact that the six of the month is the last day to have the rent paid before we even get an email about some late fee notice. That's why my mom told me to ask for a receipt whenever she sends to the money order by me for rent every month.

The most unprofessional property management company I have ever dealt with. After reading the reviews, I would not have even considered applying, but the house was nice and at a reasonable rent. A friend and I applied to a property and waited THREE weeks to hear that they had leased the property to someone else. We both have perfect rental history, decent credit, and make way more than 3 times the rent. The whole process from beginning to end was unprofessional. When we showed up to tour the property, there was no one there. The Barker employee showed up 10 minutes late and he wasn't even the property manager. He didn't seem to know much about the property and mentioned that he didn't even work at the Barker Office in Raleigh. He mentioned that no one else had inquired about the property at the time we applied and that we could expect approval within 2-3 business days. Note that typically, in my past experiences with other companies/landlords, rental applications are processed within 24-48 hours. We waited three weeks. We never actually met or spoke to the actual property manager, Betsy Dilling. Every time we called the office, she was either out or "busy on a call." Emails did not work either. After 3 weeks, we heard back from the administrative assistant who stated that Betsy was still processing the applications. A day later, we get an email stating that our application was placed in "inactive" status and that someone else had leased the property and that we could transfer our application to other properties. No way! It's incredible how a company can be managed so badly. Maybe it is a blessing in disguise that we don't have to deal with Barker. Stay Away! Do not give them your $50! Now we have to find another place quickly as my lease now expires in a couple weeks.

Barker Realty makes their money scamming people with application fees. They know what the requirements are ahead of time but refuse to be transparent and upfront about it because they'd rather take that $50 (or more) from you and hit your credit report up with a hard inquiry. The administration reps will cowardly hide their rejection of you behind the company they hire to do your background/credit checks - 'Resident Research' - as if they (Barker Realty Administration) have nothing to do with the process of your application whatsoever. Other real estate companies are honest and upfront about their requirements so if you don't fit what they are looking for, it's right out there in the open, directly stated on their ads so you don't have to waste your time and money. The communication ALL around is completely horrendous and unprofessional. My administration rep, Shari A. Rice, took over a month to finally fully process my application as she took a lot of "time off" away from the office... what a hard life. This little apartment was the gem of all gems for me, fitting all my needs, I wanted/needed it so badly so I patiently waited. It was the cheapest listing I've seen in Raleigh and extremely close to my job. After being rejected by Resident Research for having an unfavorable credit score, I pleaded with her to help me or advise me on where to go from here. No answer. When she finally did answer she robotically asked if I received a copy of my report from Resident Research and if there was anything on it that I wanted to dispute, clearly she did not read any of my emails, and that she would forward my message to the property manager (surprise, surprise! Still no answer). I keep up with my credit report because I'm working diligently to bring my score back up so I'm fully aware of what's on it. I told her in three separate emails that I would be willing to do just about anything (cosigner, double security deposit) almost anything that would secure this little spot for me..I asked what my other options were because of how desperately I need a place to live but she could care less because apparently we aren't human to them... just another number... another fool to take money from. Stamp rejected right here and keep it moving. Then I find all these real reviews with this company and now I'm realizing what a blessing in disguise that this rejection is (despite being out $50, time wasted, and a hard inquiry hit on my credit report)... how they treat their tenants is absolutely atrocious. Living in my car is starting to look way more appealing than dealing with this deeply unorganized, greedy, and heartless company that is Barker Realty. My advice, if the property you are looking at is attached to this company, RUN!

I am very disappointed with Barker Realty. I dealt with this company about 4 yrs ago when I rented from them. At that time the experience was pleasant. I worked with Kristie Melvin during that time and she made it a very smooth process but a month into my move in the property had been sold. I think that, that is something that should be said to renters so that we can do research on who we are going to be renting from and working with but needless to say it was not a bad experience. I have once again reached out to Barker Realty the first time was via email on 3/8/19 followed by a phone call that following Monday 3/11/19 on a specific property. Customer Service at Barker Realty is really a waste of time for the consumer and a waste of money for the company. The same information you find on the site is the same information they give you over the phone and when you have specific questions they tell you to call back and listen to the automated system and follow the prompts. That was a nightmare. After going around in circles I got a hold of Ms. Veronica. Very nice lady, gave me lots of info but unfortunately was not the property manager for the one I was inquiring about. She took all my info down and said she forward it to the manager in charge of that particular property. Guess what? I emailed them again on 3/13/19 and have yet to hear back from anyone. This is just not how business is done.

They are a great management company they fix what ever i need

Horrible communication skills, the agency never gets back to you regarding concerns or issues. I have called the office to discuss a concern and have been told someone will call me back and they never do. I have emailed with no response. Maintenance request take forever to get handled

This realty was the 1st of 40 or more homes I ve views since January 2019 to contact me and give me the opportunity to rent from them. They advised me that I was approved today and it really made my day. I was almost ready to give up but I didn t. I had been searching for a rental close to the head start my 3 year old son will be attending August 2019. So when I recently found a home on Zillow that linked me to Barker s Realty I was expecting silence, no call backs or rejection like the other places I had applied. After a couple of days, I was meet by the agent which took me on a tour of the home. She explained the process to me and also explained to me that it s wasn t guaranteed I would be approved but encouraged me to submit an application and it would cost $50 per person which is non-refundable. She advised that I was the only person to view and it would be a good chance I would get it. She explained the long process of being approved along with what I needed to qualify. They reached out to me often to inform me of what step was next through this process. No matter how it turns out from here on out, I can say our experience can be rated at 100%.

HORRIBLE response rate, I have left several messages to the main office and submitted multiple inquiries and I have yet to hear anything back from anyone. Its going on 3 days now.

Stay far away. I read all of the negative reviews online and for some reason decided to still fill out an application for a condo with Barker Realty. It's now been over three weeks and the process is still not complete. I have a great credit score, and make more than enough to afford the place. The irony is that the monthly rent for the condo in question was just reduced! You'd think they'd be in a hurry to fill it. Nope. The problems started when first attempting to schedule a showing to see the place. I sat outside for 45 minutes because the employee showing the condo did not know which lock box was to the apartment. First red flag. I was patient and let this slide. Mistakes happen. However, since then, dealing with Barker has been a nightmare. Getting a call back or a straight answer from them is next to impossible. I finally decided to fill out the application even though I knew it probably wasn't going to be easy dealing with them. I was right. It's now been over three weeks and I still don't have an answer from them. They act like this is normal. I then decided to email and let them know I couldn't wait any longer as this is unreasonable and there is no possible explanation as to why I shouldn't have heard back yet. I told them I wanted a refund for my application as well as the contact information for a supervisor. I was refused both. I'm honestly shocked how a company so bad at what they do with such bad customer service is still in business. It's shocking. Proceed with caution. I wish I would have.

Dealing with Barker has been like dealing with family! The leasing agents work very closely with the owners to make sure the residents are well taken care of. Every maintenance is handled with care and you always know Barker is going to take care of you. They are willing to work with those of us who life has dealt some blows.

I love my realty company! Barker realty always responds quickly when I have an issue at my rental property and the staff is very friendly! Highly recommend them for anyone who is looking to rent!!

We are looking for a home in the Raleigh / Durham area, and currently live over 3 hours away, we have a 70 pound boxer. We told this to them up front and asked if the location had a weight restriction on pets, they stated no, so we scheduled a walk through of a home. After the walk through we again asked if the location had a weight limit, we were told that they didn't. We liked the house, and asked what the next step would be, we were told that we would have to put in 2 applications, one for my wife, and one for me. The first application fee was $50 and the second had an additional $35 application fees, which was acceptable; until we received an email stating that the home has a pet weight limit and were asked "Would Moe (our dog) be able to find another home or would you like me to withdraw your application." If they had been up front with us about the location we would have never wasted $85 on the application fee, nor the 7 hours of our time. I understand that rentals are on a case by case basis, but being up front with those that are looking to rent from you is better for business in the long run than conning people out of the application fees.

I would stay away from this company.

My friends have been living at an apartment owned by Barker for a couple of years now. I can say that their experience with this realty company has been so terrible that I have had to accommodate my friends due to Barker's incompetency. Do not do business with this company. You will end up regretting it.

Unacceptable communication skills, no diversity in the office team from website, rude, neglected phone calls, and no team player efforts put forth with current and future tenants. May need to report issues to a higher source after reading previous reviews and complaints.

Horrible Communication skills and terrible customer service. I applied for a property and then was told AFTER submitting the application and monies due that the property I was interested in has already been approved for another person basically forcing me to look at another property. I would not suggest this company at all. I am not one to usually do reviews but I was very displeased with the service from this company.

Barker Realty, Inc has been a nightmare to deal with from the beginning to the end. My wife and I couldn't be happier to finally be moved out of the property we were renting. Rodna Shontz is one of the most unprofessional and nasty individuals we have ever dealt with. Save yourselves the trouble and rent from a property management group who cares about their tenants. Our building was falling apart and had major cat, vulture, cockroach, and possum issues. Rodna and her team are only concerned about making as much money off of you as they can!

Always trying to nickel and dime you. They make a living taking your application deposit and not getting back to you. And the make a living on blaming you for damage that already existed. I wouldn't suggest them to any of my friends

I'm going to be honest and fair, not sensationalizing or exaggerating. The rent and deposit was paid an entire week before moving in yet the following was not fixed prior:

All 4 stove top burners were splayed out on the counter

Dirty carpet throughout

Stains on walls and chipped paint

Backed up sink with standing water

Only one key given at move in with no mailbox key

Yes, all of these issues were fixed eventually. But my point is, ALL OF THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE THE WEEK IN BETWEEN PAYING THE DEPOSIT AND MOVING. NO EXCUSES. It's really appalling to me after all of these complaints/ negative reviews that the City of Raleigh continues to allow Barker to manage its properties. A crying shame.

I'd give Zero starts if possible. Just today, they updated my lease, I signed it, and in there portal, they changed the details. I have proof they changed my lease after I signed it! They don't contact you back........ ever. These people are totally unbelievable and unethical. Cheap rent, but you will pay in other ways! They will make sure of that!

We had a great experience with Barker Realty this week. We viewed a property earlier in the week, we placed our applications in the early evening of the 19th and had an approval email before lunch on the 21st.

I had some questions before we put in the apps and I called and left a voicemail and then also emailed. I heard back from both contacts within a couple hours. I had questions about application time and the reviews I saw here. The staff member I spoke with was as candid as she could be and let me know that more complete applications get processed faster and then she referred me to the direct manager of the property we were interested in. Include all requested documents, such as pictures of pets, pet references from previous residencies, proof of income, good contact information so they can get in touch with and verify employment and former rental history, remote work agreement etc etc.

If you have good credit, proper income, good rental history, no criminal background and give them all they need to do their jobs, I would imagine you will have the same experience we just had with them.

Thank you Barker Realty for being communicative and quick with your application process.

Poor application process. Barker accepted numerous applications to the property I was interested in (each with an application fee), presented these to the owner, and the owner selected a winner. I am not sure if this is common practice, but it seems fairly inefficient to have all interested parties apply only to create numerous denied letters. I also wonder if there is a slight profit on this $50 application fee. I am giving it two stars only because when I toured the property, the rep was very informative and professional. Otherwise, I did not enjoy my interactions with this company.

P.S. Your application will be kept on file if you would like to apply for another property if you are not accepted for the first one.

We use Barker Realty, specifically Kristie Melvin to manage our investment properties. Kristie does an outstanding job managing our properties, keeping us up to date, and handling all the day to day activities. The bill payment and monthly reporting systems provided by Barker are excellent and provide concise, accurate reports for tax filing. We would highly recommend Barker Realty to manage your rental properties.
Dan and Melissa Shephard

You know i had be looking for somewhere to call home. Looking here looking there paying rent to landlords that has not keeping up the property from roof linking to bugs everywhere. But when a friend told me about Barker realty i wanted to meet the people there. The people at Barker realty were friendly understanding of different things. I have a house that i can call home a place for my grandkids to play and be kids.

Unforunately for low income families, Barker Realty holds the contract for City of Raleigh city owned homes. I applied under their affordable housing potfolio that i totally qualified for. I was rejected because i had a balance of $0 owed on my eviction record from a property i lived several years ago. According to Bill North, manager, the only way i could be considered for the city owned apartment was to have the $0 balance removed..impossible. He was very rude, disrespectful, and arrogant on the phone as if i was getting on his last nerve. He basically told me i was nobody special and he couldn't do anything special for me. With every question i asked he continued to get more agitated and continued to repeat himself saying no im not gonna do that for you. A $0 balance owed means exactly that! There was nothing to be removed. I got in touch with Mrs. Lancaster at City of Raleigh and she made them overturn the decision. I was called by Veronica, Bill's pet, the next day and told i could come in the following morning to sign my lease. She emailed me hours later, just at 5pm..knowing it was the end of the business day and i wouldn't be able to dispute that by 8am... to tell me another lady had been approved and was coming in to sign the lease. During our phone conversation she told me i had to bring in my security deposit in money order form and secure renters insurance for 300,000 listing barker realty as business of interest. That cost me an additional $40 down payment..wasted money when im already low income. I feel like this was done out of spite for going over their heads. I emailed Bill's supervisor, Minion, as well as the owner Mr Barker himself, and never received a reply. They are completely insensitive and down right discouraging people to deal with. I pray that City of Raleigh pulls their contract and finds a more credible property management company so that low income families will not be subject to such harsh treatment

Called and scheduled a visit to a home after giving them a ton of personal informaron, they texted me with another date and time, haven't hear from them. Very unprofessional, if this is without renting a property can't even imagine how the service would be if I have rented from them. Would not recommend, will never use them.

Garbage company. I called three times and online contacted four times. Barker never called back, never emailed back, never confirmed a viewing appointment. Now they list the property on some roomshare site.

I have had a few incidents with Barker Reality, but as soon as I contacted them they were addressed ASAP! I got a call maybe a year ago and Nicole Amante, introduced herself to me. She advise that she will be taking care of my property. She was very professional and made me feel very assured. Well I can truly say, her word is her bond Nicole is on top of everything right down to texting you, calling you and never hesitates to leave you a message to keep you informed and in the loop. Because of Nicole, I m still with Barker Reality. I really appreciate her honesty and professionalism. It really means a lot to me. Thank you Nicole, for what you do!

Respectfully,

Robin Churn

Please read ALL reviews from this realty company (yelp, yahoo, google, etc.)before filling out an application for rent, to buy, or sale, poor communication skills, inaccurately calling someone ms. instead of a mrs. multiple times throughout conversation very disrespectful, and called possible tenant liars. This is a forewarning from my experience unreliable and not dependable. If I could give a review with no stars, Not a recommendable company in my book.

I totally have to agree with JI Perry. Nicole Amante is the BEST!! She is very professional ,responsive and is a very pleasant person. She always make sure things get down. All it takes is one text or call and she is on it... Thanks Nicole for making sure things get done.
#FIVESTARRATING!!!

I have been a property owner since 1972 in Raleigh, NC. I have worked with several realty agents to handle my rental property. I had so so result and I wasn't happy with the handling of my property. I went with Barker Realty around 1988 and have been with them every since. In my opinion of all the rental agents out there, Barker is the only agency that works with BOTH the owner and renters to everybody satisfaction.
Richard Hewitt

The lady on the phone is very rude and their requirements are tougher than most requirements. A person with a 15 year old mortgage can not have a rental history. I get a different results from different staff. And Rodna Shonts was very rude.

Maintenance would come into our home unannounced. There was constant lack of communication from management. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND.
My sister and I decided to switch homes but our roommate renewed the lease... they put up a for rent sign even though our roommate was staying in the house. They constantly had people tour the house even though the lease was being renewed. It appears they only did this to take application fees from other people. When people showed up to tour the home, barker realty would allow them to come in earlier than the time they would communicate with us.

They will not respond to you. I did the application weeks ago call them many times left messages no response called my bank and got my 50 bucks back

So far so good, a few hiccups here and there but that s life

This is the WORST housing company EVER Their customer service is TERRIBLE and the maintenance is SLOW. This is my second year with them and my LAST, the 1st year was aite...But I realized how slow they were to get things done but i gave them the benefit of the doubt because it was my first time getting my own place. But this year they are even worst The side of the building is coming apart, the dryer that came with the apartment went out TWICE , My stove stopped working (I couldnt bake anything for about a month ) My refrigerator that came with the apartment was leaking water, didnt keep ANYTHING refrigerated and the light didnt work in it , And I had a hole in the ceiling for a MONTH and it was around the time where it was raining NON STOP, so the water from the rain was going through the hole and dripping on my couch CONTINOUSLY....So i had to get rid of my brand new couch cause it had mildew on it oh and last but not least, my wooden porch is coming a loose and I have a SON, so its really dangerous for us to walk across on, if it was to break while were walking on it...we could REALLY hurt ourself or even die from falling through cause we live on the second floor And ive been calling about this issue for MONTHS and NO ONE have came to fix it And no one has called me to give me updated information and when you try to call them NO ONE ever picks up or youre holding for HOURS. They have workers there whose attitudes are TERRIBLE, its like they dont wanna talk or something. Thats why I say there customer service is RIDICULOUS Barker Realty is SLOW, UNPROFESSIONAL and THE WORST housing company! If you are renting from them or thinking about renting from them save yourself the TIME And the MONEY because you will not be happy. I would rather have a private owner DO NOT RENT FROM BARKER

P.s My property owners name is R. Shontz
Youre Welcome

Sincerely, #OneAngryCustomer

I give barker realty 1 star.

If you work with Renee Johnson, expect one way communication. She hardly returned my calls and rarely returned my emails. I even had to call the manager to see if she still worked there because communication was so sparse. The times I heard from her were when she needed something from us. It really isn't that hard. Oh I get it, you're looking out for the best interest of the property owners and not the tenants. Don't waste my time trying to track you down. Have some decency.

The only good thing I have to say was our maintenance requests were done within a reasonable amount of time.

Upon leaving, we were hit with a $198.90 deduction from our security deposit. A small nail hole, coffee stain on wood, and a scratch on the wall. I understand a deduction... but almost $200? For 5 minutes? Hmm. Seems to be the norm with property management companies. Expect a deduction even if everything is in order.

Advice for management: Renee needs to go. You'll have a harder time filling empty properties than keeping up with the ones you already have.

My advice if you choose to work with them:

Don't.