I received a mass mailing postcard at my apartment advertising the real estate services of Gil Martinez. The advertisement said he was working to "help my fellow hispanics realize the American dream of owning your own home" and because my first language is Spanish, I called him to set up an appointment, as I was interested in buying a home. I asked what I would need to bring for the appointment. Since there was to be a loan specialist there, I assumed that I would need proof of income, tax papers, things like these. He said I didn't need anything, which surprised me.
When I arrived, I was taken into a conference room and I met the so-called "mortgage advisor". He was a shaky character who acted like he was in need of drugs in a hurry or something of the sort. Still, no one asked for any proof of income or anything. The only thing we talked about was how much cash did I have for a down payment. I said "Don't I have to qualify to get a home loan first?" Gil told me not to worry about it. So after the roughly 15 minute conversation, Gil and the "mortgage guy" got up to leave, signifying the "meeting" was over. Then Gil blew me away by telling me he needed me to pay him $200.00 for the meeting before I could leave. I had no cash on me since there was never any mention of this fee until that very point. I wrote him a check for the $200.00 fee and he said "We should be out looking at houses by this weekend". I never heard from him.
I waited about two weeks to hear from him. I noticed that the $200.00 check had been cashed at the bank the very same day I wrote it. I called the supervising broker of RE/MAX in Nashville and he finally got Gil to call me back. The only thing he said to me was "You dont qualify to buy a house." I said, "But how do you know? We never gave any paperwork or anything to the "mortgage guy", they never checked my credit or anything. He hung up the phone on me.
Well, Gil, I coudln't get over what you did to me. I found a REAL real estate agent and a REAL mortgage professional and I am happy to report that they helped me without charging me a dime out of pocket. (REAL realtors work on commission of the homes they sell.) Guess what, Gil? I did qualify to buy not just one, but two houses that year and I still own them both.
Gil Martinez is a swindler and exploits the hispanic community because he knows the language. Do not call him and dont let him near your down payment on your house, as I am sure he probably asks for 50% of it as his "meeting fee". Then he disappears.
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