Michael Littleford – RE/MAX Paradigm Realty Group

Listing Agent and (co)owner of RE/​MAX Paradigm Realty Group in Fair Haven, New Jersey DISAPPEARED on August 26… the day he learned that he leased a condo to a tenant from someone who is NOT the owner. He took on a listing from a man, did not confirm ownership, completed a lease with this man’s information, acquired my signature, collected my money, and DISAPPEARED.
What’s worse is that he knew the information on the tax record (which indicates the actual owner) was INCONSISTENT with the information he put on the lease and he did not disclose this. I research ALL landlords — anyone — whom I’m about to enter into a binding contract. I researched the name on the lease and the company name on the lease… no red flags. I moved forward.
HAD I KNOWN THE ACTUAL OWNER’S NAME… AND DONE THE RESEARCH I ALWAYS DO BEFORE ENTERING INTO A LEASE… I WOULD HAVE RUN TOP SPEED IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION!
I WAS DENIED THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO PROPER RESEARCH.
AND THIS LISTING AGENT HAD PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES TO DO HIS JOB PROPERLY beyond the above negligence…
— The MLS listing stated the property was ready for occupancy ⁷⁄₂. He is in charge of writing that description.
— There was no C.O. on ⁷⁄₂ and there was no C.O. the date I was GIVEN posession ⁸⁄₁₅.
— There is no C.O. to this day due to code violations that this Listing Agent could have clearly seen if he had even one eye open.
— There is also no C.O. because neither the landlord on the lease (who was NOT the owner) nor the actual owner OR their respective companies were registered landlords in the town, which is required to rent a property.
— The Listing Agent failed to disclose the fact that the information on the tax record (the owner) and the information on the Lease he presented me was INCONSISTENT. This could have meant the person on the tax record had NO authority to rent… which is, INDEED, the case I later learned as a result of my own discovery.
See… this has consumed my every day since August 26… every day all day.
The «real owner» has broken in and threatened me. I had to call the police for my own safety. After that is when the harassing emails started. 90 pages worth of threats, false accusations, promises of lawsuits, expletives and gender discrimination. And he promises to come back, and break in again, despite being told by the Captain of the Police Department to leave me alone. He states it will happen sometime within the next 7 days. Since I do not know when, I sit up all day and night, puppy in lap, with a camera and a phone ready to call 911.
I would have known ALL ABOUT THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR IF HIS IDENTITY WAS DISCLOSED PRIOR TO LEASE SIGNING… IT IS EASILY ACCESSIBLE ON THE WEB.
The negligence and lack of ethics on the part of this Listing Agent is beyond reproach.
AND DON’T THINK THIS CAN’T HAPPEN TO YOU… RE/​MAX IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST BROKERAGE COMPANIES IN THE WORLD.
«Dream with your eyes open» they state in their commercials?
‘Cuz If you close them it can be a nightmare!