Inbound Real Estate

An agent from Inbound Real Estate showed my apartment today. When I arrived home, I found that the agent had not only moved things around, but had *tucked random items into my bedsheets* — all while I was not home. I feel incredibly violated and honestly do not even want to sleep in my own bed, as a stranger has apparently made himself quite comfortable with it. I am furious and cannot fathom the thought process someone would need to think this is even remotely acceptable.

Horrible experience with this company. They are dishonest and I will never work with them again. I would avoid this company and their rental agents at all costs!

This post is for one of Inbound’s agents, Tanner Payne, to let others know about his demeanor, unprofessionalism, and unethical methods in the real estate business. I was looking to move to a top-​floor unit and found one on Craigslist that Tanner had listed. Even better, this unit was in my building, which would make the move all the more easier. I contact Tanner to look at the unit and filled out the necessary forms while also giving him a first-month’s rent check. Everything seemed fine.
I woke up to three text messages (all sent around midnight, which was just the start of Tanner’s unprofessionalism) which said that the «deal» might not work out since the current tenant was not officially breaking his lease and moving out. In fact, the tenant in the top floor apartment was not even listed on the lease. I then contacted my building manager to give him a heads up about the situation and he had zero idea of what was going on and had no knowledge of the tenant moving out. This is when red flags started to go off. It was a lot of back and forth with Tanner and because I became so uncomfortable with his demeanor and trying to do things «under the table,» I decided it was best to stay in contact with the property manager and the company who owned the building, who were beyond helpful with the situation. This apparently did not bode well with Tanner, who proceeded to send me text after text that said I should not have told anyone and that I got too many individuals involved and that he demanded the broker’s fee before any lease was in place (he later blamed his demeanor on being sick. Sure, everyone has their off day, but this guy just came off as nuts). Worst, he was giving out my number to the two other tenants in the apartment I was moving into without my permission. Tanner had told the tenant that I would pay him half a month’s rent since I was moving in the middle of the month. Upon telling management about this, my property manager said «I would recommend doing everything through us now. You owe no one else any money and you should not be told that by a real estate agent.“A few days later Tanner said «Hey I am going to show a unit to a few people today.» Needless to say, politely told him «not a chance.»
Did I get the apartment in the end? Yes. But this came solely from the help and advisement of the management company and my current property manager, who ensured that everything would be set; they were truly great. Of course I know that many real estate agents in Boston can be pushy and possess a level of unprofessionalism but Tanner is a whole other story. I am surprised that Inbound would want a real estate agent who does things «under the table» (I have texts to prove those are his words). When I called Inbound to let them know that Tanner was freely giving my number away, they were apologetic and helpful. This post is written solely so individuals do not experience what I did with Tanner Payne. There are so many other real estate agents in the area who, although might be pushy, will not be sneaky, abrasive, and dishonest. Moving, though stressful, should be exciting and Tanner took away all enjoyment from that.

I have always used Unilocal through the years and this is the only other time I have truly had reason to write a review.
Working with Inbound was an immense pleasure. The team was dedicated and considerate to all the rental conditions I threw at them, I highly disagree with the other reviewers. I am a picky person and went on about 20 different site visits over a 6 week period to get it just right. Throughout the whole experience the Inbound team was fully supportive and understanding of my desires. I never felt hassled to rent a place and there were many times when my Inbound agent would stave off some of the more hounding apartment managers when they were pushing to be signed, a fact that I was very grateful for.
In the end, a listing popped up and that very day my agent swooped in to get an appointment knowing this was the spot for me. Sure enough, that night I was signing the paper work (most of which was taken care of already, excellent service!!) and learning the ins and outs of my new apartment.
I have never been happier in the last 5 years of living in Boston and I constantly recommend my friends or those new to the city to use Inbound when looking for a new apartment.
In short, the team is professional, courteous, and was always timely in responding to any questions I had. I highly recommend these guys!

Inexperienced and unprofessional. No follow up email after our first showing. The guy didn’t even bother to introduce himself to my boyfriend who is also the client. Seriously? That’s just basic manners. Clearly used to working with students who don’t expect or care about professionalism. Will not be giving my money to this company.

Do you feel safe where you live? Are you happy where you live? Do you know who has been in your apartment when you’re not there?
After renting with Inbound I can no longer answer yes to a single one of these questions. I have voiced these issues to them repeatedly only for them be disregarded and instead they remind me that I must continue to pay them rent. I am so disappointed in the continuous «miscommunications» with this company that left me feeling taken advantage of. I paid them approximately $ 10,000 for an apartment and parking that I couldn’t even live in because it had a fire 6 days after I moved in. This whole experience was stressful and traumatizing, I have wanted nothing more than to break my lease with them and move on with my life. Inbound demonstrated a complete lack of compassion for my situation, only telling me I couldn’t get out of my lease and they wanted me to continue paying them more money for the rest of the year. They have failed to make a single honest statement to me and their actions have taken an emotional toll on me. There are so many real estate agencies in Boston, and I have used other agencies in the past without any issues, I strongly encourage anyone considering conducting business with them to go elsewhere.
I paid $ 500 for a parking spot that they promised me with my apartment starting September 1^st. On September 1^st, when I went to get the pass to park they told me they didn’t have it and I would have to park elsewhere. When a staff me member did eventually bring me a pass, they instructed me where to park but apparently they were wrong because my car was towed and I had to pay $ 200 to get in back. In one month I spent $ 700 for parking and they refused to compensate me for the fees that I had to pay due to their mistakes.
They failed to repair my bathroom prior to my move in despite promising me that they would. I had to live with a dysfunctional toilet, a bathroom floor with missing tiles and a shower with a rotted wood window sill.
The electrical in my apartment was severely under code and a fire hazard. Inbound denied that it was not up to code and had me live in my apartment with this danger present.
My oven caught fire the first time I tried to turn it on and my entire apartment was damaged from this event. I was forced to relocate for a month while Inbound made repairs. They returned my apartment to me in an while it was still in an unlivable condition and in their process of repairs they tossed all of my belongings in garbage bags and piled them up in my bedroom. When I returned to my apartment there wasn’t even a clear path for me to walk to my bed. Also the toilet was still not functioning and there was no smoke detector. Inbound handed my apartment back to me after 29 days because if their repairs exceeded 30 days then I would break my lease and no longer pay them rent. They did not care that my apartment was unlivable as well as unsafe, they did not care that I could burn alive without smoke detectors, they only cared about making sure they would be able to receive rent money from me. I can no longer feel safe in my apartment and the stress from this situation makes it a struggle for me to fall asleep at night, I told Inbound of this and they replied «well you can move out whenever you want but you still need to pay us rent!», they feel so sense of remorse for leaving their customers dissatisfied or even infuriated. My experience with Inbound reveals just what kind of people are running this company, they will take no risks when trying to make a dollar off someone.
Please note: Inbound tried to bargain with me to get me to take down my negative review, only further demonstrating this company’s complete lack of a moral compass.

I had a terrible experience with Inbound, do not take your business here! Initially, things were fine. I walked in with my boyfriend, we were both excited and the receptionist was friendly. We gave our information and were told that we’d get an email from one of their Realtors. We were matched up to Vivian, who emailed us a list of questions in order to figure out what we were looking for. Then we set up an appointment. I guess the first red flag was that she was late; however, when she showed up (although she looked disheveled and like any student on BU’s campus) she was actually very sweet. But, she did not have one of the keys to a place she was going to show us. After a few frantic calls and about 15 – 20 mins of waiting, we finally got the keys from one of the other realtors and set off on foot to the showings. Initially she was going to show us up to 6 places, but we were notified that at least 2 had already been rented out. Of the other 4 places, she couldn’t get the door open to two of them! And this was with the keys we were waiting for! It seemed like she just did not know what she was doing. That first meeting was a complete mess, but we decided to give her another try and set up another meeting later in the week to see some more places. A day before the meeting, she cancelled on us and asked us to postpone to the weekend, so we set up a meeting for Sunday at noon. However, at breakfast, 30 minutes before we were supposed to meet her again, she decided to text me and tell me she couldn’t make it! This was so unprofessional! Not only did she cancel 2 meetings, but she also just gave me a 30 minute warning! It’s completely unacceptable. I had a very busy schedule and I completely planned around these showings. We decided to take our business to Harvard Ave Realty where we had a much better experience. Anyone who decides to rent from Inbound, be extremely wary of their unprofessional Realtors.

A business run by a bunch of unknowledgeable ass clowns. My roommates and I managed to find a pretty decent place through this agency, but under false pretense.
Every time I called my real estate agent about a concern, he didn’t call me back to put my mind at ease but NO, he called my other roommates instead. And did the same to them… as though to avoid the major issue?
His name is Matt Liddell. Genuine clown. If any of you Unilocalers decide to go through this agency, DON’T go through him. As with most real estate agents in a college-​city, they just want your money, but it would be nice to at least exemplify some semblance of customer appreciation.
I even filed a complaint againt Matt to his broker and the broker vouched for the asshole, saying that his work was excellent… then why was I calling?!
This business is nothing but a clear demonstration of poor work ethic. Doesn’t help that it is run by snide, money-​hungry real estate brokers.

Initially I was excited when I walk in. The receptionist was helpful and friendly. The broker who spoke with me seemed ready to find me an apartment. He asked me lots of questions about what I absolutely must have and my price range. We schedule to meet a couple of days later to view apartments.
When I returned, the same guy was jumpy. He hadn’t setup the appointments yet and when he searched, he blew off all the information I’d previously given him. I reiterated my must haves and he said he would do a search and set up a couple of places for later in the day. When I called to confirm the appointment, I double-​checked that the apartment did have what I needed. It didn’t.
I realize these companies are made up of many different brokers, and it’s difficult to rate a company based on one of their agents, but based on the experience with just this one broker, I wouldn’t recommend them at all. It was just too off.

This is probably the most underrated realty in Boston I have ever worked with. Not only are the realtors wonderful and nice but they are incredibly patient by dealing with many student issues all while making the process easy and affordable.
Katie has been my realtor for as long as she began working there and she has always been 100% honest and has given me a wide range of options. Unlike some realtors, Katie ALWAYS stuck to my maximum rent allotment and did not try to push more expensive ones. My roommates and I were given a schedule of our fees once we found a place and Katie made sure that all 4 of us kept up on them. The office even loaned two of my roommates their deposit money because they did not have their checkbooks in hand which insured us we had the apartment.
They have a brand new office in St. Marys which is always clean and the woman at the front desk is extremely helpful. They also have amazing hours for dropping off checks/​forms/​applications which I am always given a receipt for. (This is not always done at other places).
I can’t say enough. Check them out!

INBOUND REALTY IS WILDY UNPROFESSIONAL, rude and disrespectful. I would avoid them at all costs. They enter apartments without warning and are extremely unethical. AVOID THIS TERRIBLE OFFICE.

This was the most wildly unprofessional, rude, disrespectful and dishonest real estate company and experience I have ever had. DO NOT GIVE THESE PEOPLE YOUR MONEY!
My roommate and I saw an ad for apartment in Cleveland Circle on craigslist with Jeff’s name and number. Called him, saw the apartment, loved it. Now we’re ready to fill out an application and lease. Here’s where it first got weird…
Jeff told us he’d rather we meet him at his apartment to hand him the application than his office at Inbound. Being a young female professional was one reason I felt uncomfortable with this, not to mention the absurd unprofessionalism of that scenario. He claimed he «tore his Achilles heal and couldn’t walk.» I called the office and they said he got into a car accident. I decided to google the guy and found out he recently had a DUI a month or two ago. Wonderful. I now have no idea what the truth is.
Jeff proceeds to hash out all kinds of other crazy schemes to meet him outside the office, when I didn’t see why it should be a problem to drop it off there in the first place – this is a business transaction after all.
After a while, it became clear to me that he listed the apartment behind the company’s back to gain a full commission. At this point we just want the apartment and don’t want any drama. I printed out all of the insane texts Jeff sent me, his craigslist listing, and went to the owner of the company Mike Clark. He said he’d handle the situation and get us the apartment no problem. Also claimed he fired Jeff, which I would hope so after that.
We come back a few days later sign the lease for March 1^st, give first month’s rent and then got into a bit of an argument about the realtor’s fee. After the horrible experience we had I didn’t think we should have to pay the company a fee. They should do the right thing, be professional, and fix the situation. Mike insisted that he still be paid even though all he did was print out a lease and call the landlord to make sure it was still available. In my opinion paying a realtor fee should warrant seeing more than one apartment but at the very least you should have an honest and professional experience.
Finally, we painfully negotiated a quarter fee. Mike gave us copies of the checks and told us that once the landlord signed the lease he would give us a copy.
It’s February 22^nd. 2 WEEKS have gone by and we didn’t hear anything. All the landlord had to do was sign our lease copies. Mike has already cashed one of our checks. My roommate called to check in on things and he said «if you want full service you have to pay full price» ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Who says that? What kind of business is this?
AND THEN he called us yesterday to say «woops I made a mistake the apartment isn’t available until April 1^st, can you wait?» Is hat a joke? We signed a lease for March 1^st, did you even call the landlord before you drafted a lease. It’s one week away and I will be homeless because of this awful company.
In reality I think Mike is just angry that we didn’t pay a full fee and wants to find some poor sucker that will. Yesterday I even checked and saw our apartment listed on their site for March 1^st. I have no idea how long it was posted, but we signed a lease… this listing shouldn’t be posted. It should be over.
I will never ever deal with these people again and I’m writing this review so no one else will either. Go somewhere else, anywhere else.

I feel bad for anyone who had a bad experience with Inbound; I really do. having worked with their main guy (Mike Clark) for nearly 6 months along with his other agents, I honestly have never had a more pleasurable experience finding a place to rent.
I cannot speak for everyone at the company, but I will say that the general overview is that these guys do work their hardest to get you a place you actually want to live in and will love. Considering the other companies I’ve tried (theirs a list to be sure), these guys simply worked harder and longer to help us find a place.
Onto specifics. Mike, our agent, was simply the man; we literally had to go through so many places due to places being taken before I could sign the paper, or because my roommate situation changed.
Didn’t matter. Mike went right back to the listings, and I can say we finally got the ideal place to live!
If you are a student, working professional, family… Anyone looking in the Boston area to live, you really don’t need to look very far at all for one of the best real estate companies within the city. Especially from a student/​young professional stand-​point, I can personally say the people here know what they are doing, and do it considerably well.

Unlike the other posters, I’ve had a fantastic experience with Inbound. I contacted them to view several apartments last summer and was really happy with the agent (Mike Clark) and the apartments. Unfortunately for them, I happened to find the apartment I thought I wanted through a private agent by fluke (although unfortunately for me, Mike (who lived/​went to school around the same location) turned out to be right about where I would ultimately prefer to live).
So when I knew I wanted to move and find a different place, I called Mike to see if he’d help out. He was more than willing to accommodate, even though I had to change the criteria for apartments given the different priorities among the roommate (I valued price over location, they valued location over price). Not only did Mike work to find apartments that fit both criteria, he bent over backwards to help accommodate us during finals with a short tour of places (no more than 1.5 hr-​2 hrs) and late appointment time (late afternoon). He was honest about landlords, neighborhood personalities, and any potential problems for our particular group.
In the end, even though we were looking for a 4 bedroom, he called and got info on a beautiful 6 bedroom that was both within our price range and walking distance of school — making everyone happy. He also was really flexible and understanding with deposits and lease signing.
I’d highly recommend using this company and in particular, working with Mike. I’ve posted on here about other companies I used last year and was really unhappy with my experience, but Mike turned out to save the day.

I had an experience similar to what the first reviewer had. The guy I met with (his name was Jeff, don’t remember his last name) was 1. late; 2. totally disinterested in telling me about the place; 3. totally disinterested in answering my questions about the place, and 4. said he would email me more places and never followed up.
Will definitely avoid any listings with this company. Had much better experience with other agents around town, and I’ll be going back to them!