I wish that I had thought to ask here before buying a home through Ready REI (aka Millen Connects LLC). I purchased a duplex in Saginaw from them in late 2023 and should have seen the red flags from the start.
An early red flag was when my contact Katee was doing a video walk-through of the property that I ultimately purchased. When I asked what repairs to expect on the property, she was outside and turned toward the driveway, pointing to the cracks in the asphalt, and indicated that the driveway would be repaired. Later I asked for a list of repairs for clarification and she didn't recall anything about the driveway at all and said "Oh I was probably talking about the road work that was going on". I should have listened to my gut at that point telling me that I was being told what they thought I wanted to hear to make the sale. As a side note, this call to make the sale was probably the last time she willingly used the phone to communicate with me.
Per our contract, one of the units came occupied with a tenant. I was not allowed to do a walkthrough or given photos of this unit due to it being occupied. 2 day prior to closing, I was told that the tenant was moving out. Given that the lease agreement had a 30 day notice period clause, I asked when the tenant was going to move out. It wasn’t until AFTER closing that I was told that the tenant had already vacated! Later I spoke with the homeowner and learned that the tenant moved out abruptly. Either Ready REI knew that the tenant had moved out and waited until closing to tell me, or they were not diligent in asking the fundamental question of when the tenant is moving out. If they were looking out for my best interest and knew that they tenant was moving out, they could have taken that opportunity to show me the unit.
I had been told that Ready REI's "contractors" had gone through the duplex including the occupied unit and deemed it move in ready, however the home had MANY issues, and the unit that the tenant moved out of was a complete dump that required a ton of work – much more work than Ready REI let on. I believe that they did not tell me that the tenant moved out before closing because they were concerned that I would now want to see the unit before closing – and would realize what a mess it was. I've posted some pictures of how I inherited the home. Since I bought the duplex, I have noticed that ReadyREI tries to limit property viewing as much as possible, and I believe that the reason for this is clear - it is to hide issues and the condition of the property as much as possible.
When I first spoke with Ready REI, I was told that they provide a "turnkey" house, that nothing needed to be done to get it ready for occupancy. There were a few small items we identified during the video walkthrough of the unoccupied unit that they agreed to address, but I found out after closing – by way of their "preferred" property manger - that a ton of work was needed. Ready REI insisted that these repairs were unnecessary however 1) there is no way that we could get the rent that Ready REI advertised without repairs and 2) without repairs, the house was not just dangerous, but also uninsurable. Mind you, I was clear with Katee that I'm not a slum lord. Ready REI later clarified that "turnkey" means that the minimum has been met in order for a tenant to live inside the unit; it does not mean that the outside of the unit is in good condition (eg the roof or porch). Total bait and switch. Here is what they consider "turnkey":
- The stairs to the basement and front porch were deteriorating and hazardous.-
- The carpet was nasty and walls unpainted and chipping.
- The bathroom flooring was covered in mold and needed to be replaced.
- The kitchen sink was unsecured and fell into the kitchen cabinet.
- My insurance was cancelled until I fixed roof issues.
- Debris littered the recently occupied unit, the basement, and all over the back yard.
As mentioned, we had an initial video walk through before the contract to purchase. The unoccupied unit was advertised as a 2 bedroom but as it turns out, it is actually a 1 bedroom (or a 2 bedroom without a living room). There is no shower and the appliances were trash. Sure, buyer beware (I'll never buy a home sight unseen again), but terrible deceptive business practices and I can’t get the rent they estimated for this unit with it being only a 1 bedroom without a shower.
After the sale, Ready REI was very slow on getting quotes and the few minor repairs done that we had agreed to. They would say that their contractors would be there on x day and then I would never hear from them. Later they stated that they purposefully did not include timing in our contract so they could take as much time as they needed. Later when speaking with ReadyREI about these issues they indicated that if I don't hear back when they said a contractor was going to show up, that simply means that they weren't able to make it and I should not need any communication (they just wanted me to go away and do things when they wanted).
One day several weeks after close, they sent me an "invoice" via email with no body, just an attachment with a jumble of line items - It included one of the two items they were getting a quote for me on (new flooring), some but not all of the items they were supposed to fix as part of the contract (with prices even though they were paying), and a few other items I was not familiar with. At that point, I was fed up and consulting a lawyer and was waiting to respond to Katee until I had legal advice. Well, now all of a sudden getting back to her was urgent, she needed to know asap what I wanted to do about the "invoice", and she refused to talk on the phone. She could go back and forth all day via text, but told me repeatedly that she did not have the time to talk on the phone. I eventually got her and her "boss" on the phone after my lawyer sent them a letter, and rather than address any issues, they became defensive and accepted no responsibility. They tried to gaslight me rather than committing to doing better. All they cared about was why it took me over a week to respond to their "invoice" (it turns out that it was quote but they don't seem to know the difference between an invoice and a quote or pay any attention to detail).
Ironically, my current tenant was one found by ReadyREI for another client of theirs. They moved into to my duplex after ReadyREI placed them at another home and failed to make repairs. They were vetted by ReadyREI and have been behind in rent multiple times. The other unit that turned out to be one bedroom is still vacant and now needs significant repairs and I barely see any revenue because of all of the ongoing repairs that are needed (eg the kitchen tile has come apart). Their "preferred" management company as it turns out isn't so great and has told me that wholesalers such as ReadyREI call them "preferred" to make it seem like there is more of a relationship than there really is.
I would never work with this deceptive and unprofessional company again. I don't understand why they operate this way. Had they been honest and done a great job I would continue buying through them but I am one and done. Whether you are thinking of buying a "turnkey" or "rehab included" home from them, be sure to get 100% clarification on what they mean by "turnkey" or rehab and further to that, insist on seeing the home in person.
Some pictures of my "turnkey" duplex when I first bought it:
