More Deceiptful Practices

In previous blog post dated 4/28/2014, we informed Cedar Run homeowners about Robert Sher's business practices and reputation in the apartment leasing business, under the 'My Place Apartments' moniker.  (Feel free to read that post HERE).  We showed you how Sher's takeover and management of Cedar Run align perfectly with his deceptive, predatory advertising & business practices.

After a few google searches and some amateur detective work, we've learned of the Sher/Shaw family's new strategy.....try and ditch the old reputation, and appear as something new.

• They've ditched the 'My Place Apartments' name and they're sticking with 'Shaw Real Estate Group Inc.'
• They've got a new, fancy website, which makes no mention of the old name and tries to spin their business in a more positive light (unlike the old website which slammed any review site that would dare post a negative review of their business)
• They ditched their previous Chicago office location on Lincoln Ave for a new one on Diversey Pkwy.....Actually they were EVICTED from their Lincoln Ave location (Click HERE to view the court records from the lawsuit that had them ousted).
• They now have a new Yelp listing (because of their 'new' name and location). They've already posted fake, glowing reviews from fake user profiles on this Yelp page. (all have been flagged and removed as of the writing of this blog....nice try, Barb)
• All of their bogus Craigslist Ads no longer mention the old business name, nor do they mention Robert Sher's name.

Why do this?  Because of one of the exact reasons mentioned in our previous post. If you google search for 'My Place Apartments SCAM', you'll get an abundance of results that warn people to stay away.  Most, if not all, of those reviews will have Robert Sher's name attached to them.  New website, new phone number, new address, no mention of the agent's (Sher's) name.....all the previous red flags may go unnoticed.

Interesting Tidbit
The most interesting fact (for those of us in Cedar Run) about this attempt to renew their reputation is the 'Condo Management' section of their website.  Click HERE and have a read.

For comparison, click HERE to see their old website's 'Property Management' section.

• Notice how they mention an abundance of services they provide, none of which we've seen in Cedar Run?
• Notice how they refer to themselves as 'Leaders' in the industry.  [Seriously.....leaders??]
• Notice the comment about a 'proven track record of customer satisfaction.'  [Really???]
• Notice how they're more than happy to also be your realtor if you decide to sell? [Can you say ' conflict of interest'?]
• Notice how they've gone from 'decades of experience' (per the old website) to five years of experience per the new website? [For the record, both Jack Shaw and Robert Sher got their Community Association Manager licenses in Oct. 2012 and Nov. 2012, respectively......how is that even five years???]

Why be concerned?
Because we, the Cedar Run Homeowners, paid for their licenses! (see check images below) We paid for multiple renewals as well.  Sher even admitted that we paid for his license, but claimed it was strictly to give him the credential required to manage Cedar Run.  Now Sher/Shaw are aggressively marketing themselves to other associations as licensed, experienced property managers. 

When Sher was soliciting votes to take over Cedar Run, he swore he had NO financial interest
 in managing Cedar Run.  Does anyone believe him???

Not only is the Sher/Shaw family on the Cedar Run Payroll for at least $60K/year, but they are using their (Cedar Run sponsored) credentials to solicit more business.  Good deal for them - bad deal for us.

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What Now?
As we wait patiently for the court system to finally deliver us an election, we urge you to think about the services you've received from Sher over the past two years:

• Have you ever seen a tree being trimmed?
• How are the street repairs holding up? (take a drive down Spruce or Locust)
• If you've had the unfortunate experience of having a sewer line backup, who did you call to fix it? (Outside sewer lines are a Master Board responsibility)
• How many times have you been required to register your car for parking privileges? (we count about five)
• How many different parking/towing/booting policies have been rolled out in the past two years, only to be scrapped and completely changed soon thereafter?  (we count about seven)
• Have you ever been able to get documents (governing docs, disclosures, paid assessment letters, etc.) from the Sher group when trying to sell or refinance?
• Are we truly 'self managed' even though we pay Sher/Shaw a hefty fee to manage our property??

Are all of the above (and the countless other examples we've cited on the past) signs of a well-managed association?  We think NOT!

Don't Give Up Hope
Though little has happened over the past few months, Cedar Run homeowners WILL have an opportunity to express their satisfaction/dissatisfaction of Sher through an election.  Next Court date is November 5th. We will provide an update as soon as we hear anything.  Hopefully something decisive will happen; hopefully not another continuance or more procedural games.

In the meantime, please don't forget to visit our ACTION page.  Feel free to call or email with any questions or concerns.

restoreCR@gmail.com
VM/Text (224) 544-9058

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