When I met "Nico" Lawrence in late 2010, I was impressed that such a young guy had it together and was both a mortgage broker and real estate broker. He was sharp, driven and had great energy. I thought we'd work great together.....and we did for the first 3.5 to 4 years. In mid 2014, Patrick Nicholas Lawrence started suffering financial hardship because he invested most of his time, money (his & others) on a restaurant project that failed miserably. Through this financial failure, he continued to pay me my commissions as agreed.
As time progressed, his failures took their toll on his marriage. His wife left. For about a year, I was not able to work my full capacity as a real estate agent because my multiple listing service (MLS) would continuously get shut off because if the broker doesn't pay his bill, all the agents in the office get shut off even if we've paid. Sometimes I'd pay his bill just so I could continue working.
I would ask him to pay and he'd give excuses like "My water got shut off" I just got my car out of the tow yard" or "I can pay as soon as I sell my car" or " My bank has charged me so many overdraft charges, I can't get caught up". It was just one excuse after another.
Not long after those incidences, he was evicted from his house and was living in a motel. I'd get paid all the time but the checks would be made out to the company, CalChoice Real Estate. I'd meet him somewhere to give him the broker check and get paid and he started giving me the runaround because he no longer had a broker account. He would tell me to get the check reissued to his name "Patrick Lawrence". By the time the checks were reissued, they'd be sent to his former house only to be returned to their maker. The result is I was not paid as the checks remain in limbo.
The real kicker goes as follows. I showed homes to a client for 4 years hoping she'd buy something spectacular. I would venture to estimate showing her over 100 homes. Lo and behold in March of 2015 she made an offer on a house for $1,300,000. She bought it. It closed. The total commission was to be $32,500 of which I would receive $29,250. Not bad for 4 years of persistence and hard work. (Facetious). That commission never came to me. Nico was living in a motel, without a computer, without a car and without a home. He behaved as a desperate dog and kept the money. He didn't care if he lost the livelihood he worked so hard for. He just wanted the money I made.
I don't foresee Nico Lawrence paying me or continuing in Real Estate. He has been exploring the marijuana industry. I'm sure by now, he's fully invested as he stole the funds to explore that business. I'm hoping this report will help avert someone else experiencing the heartache I have.
Patrick Reviews
When I met "Nico" Lawrence in late 2010, I was impressed that such a young guy had it together and was both a mortgage broker and real estate broker. He was sharp, driven and had great energy. I thought we'd work great together.....and we did for the first 3.5 to 4 years. In mid 2014, Patrick Nicholas Lawrence started suffering financial hardship because he invested most of his time, money (his & others) on a restaurant project that failed miserably. Through this financial failure, he continued to pay me my commissions as agreed.
As time progressed, his failures took their toll on his marriage. His wife left. For about a year, I was not able to work my full capacity as a real estate agent because my multiple listing service (MLS) would continuously get shut off because if the broker doesn't pay his bill, all the agents in the office get shut off even if we've paid. Sometimes I'd pay his bill just so I could continue working.
I would ask him to pay and he'd give excuses like "My water got shut off" I just got my car out of the tow yard" or "I can pay as soon as I sell my car" or " My bank has charged me so many overdraft charges, I can't get caught up". It was just one excuse after another.
Not long after those incidences, he was evicted from his house and was living in a motel. I'd get paid all the time but the checks would be made out to the company, CalChoice Real Estate. I'd meet him somewhere to give him the broker check and get paid and he started giving me the runaround because he no longer had a broker account. He would tell me to get the check reissued to his name "Patrick Lawrence". By the time the checks were reissued, they'd be sent to his former house only to be returned to their maker. The result is I was not paid as the checks remain in limbo.
The real kicker goes as follows. I showed homes to a client for 4 years hoping she'd buy something spectacular. I would venture to estimate showing her over 100 homes. Lo and behold in March of 2015 she made an offer on a house for $1,300,000. She bought it. It closed. The total commission was to be $32,500 of which I would receive $29,250. Not bad for 4 years of persistence and hard work. (Facetious). That commission never came to me. Nico was living in a motel, without a computer, without a car and without a home. He behaved as a desperate dog and kept the money. He didn't care if he lost the livelihood he worked so hard for. He just wanted the money I made.
I don't foresee Nico Lawrence paying me or continuing in Real Estate. He has been exploring the marijuana industry. I'm sure by now, he's fully invested as he stole the funds to explore that business. I'm hoping this report will help avert someone else experiencing the heartache I have.