About Us

Our Services & History

We started as a group of chronic renters turned homeowners. It was on this journey that the often unethical, unprofessional, and (sometimes) illegal behaviors of landlords, real estate agents, and sellers became apparent. Not that all of these professionals were dishonest, but enough to catch our collective attention. These appalling practices warranted a solution the public could trust. A site where buyers/renters could speak freely to share their real estate experiences.

We envisioned a dedicated place for buyers powered by buyers. This site, our site is that place. properT rater is made up of everyday people searching for their next home. Here buyers and renters relay their real estate buying/renting experiences. There is no right or wrong experience or way to express them. These are real people giving their own reviews on real properties and the professionals who represent them. Slum lords and unethical sellers prey on your the ignorance. We arm you with the knowledge needed not to avoid their traps.

Sandra White

Founder

Ryan Johnson

co-Founder

Jaden Smith

Architect

Jessica Kim

Photographer

People and culture

On a Personal Note

My husband and I fell in love with a beautiful looking townhouse. The landlord seemed normal, no red flags. She and her husband even took us out to dinner! A few months passed and there was nothing eventful; except she kept forgetting to give a receipt for the rent. One day our electricity went out. Everyone around us had power. We tried calling the landlord and could not reach her. The power company would not help us since the account was in the landlord's name and we were not listed on the account.

Of course, this happened the day we had family flying in for the holidays. Needless to say we had to hurry up and get an airBnB so we and our guests had somewhere to stay. A week passed and we still could not reach the landlord. Thankfully my husband had the foresight to book the airBnB for a month, just in case. Then about a week later, the landlord contacts us out of the blue. She claimed she was on vacation with terrible reception. But here is the kicker: she was calling to collect the rent! Of course we refused to pay since we could not stay in the house.

Long story short it turns out she was not the landlord, her uncle was. She had taken advantage of the fact that her uncle was a shut-in. She had pocketed the money and claimed the property was vacant to her uncle. He in turn, disconnected the utilities since he believed the place was vacant. She told the uncle we had just moved in and we had not paid. If it had not been for all of the texts back and forth with me asking for rent receipts and coordinating time to give her rent; we would have had a bigger nightmare. Thankfully, I did have the texts (even the one she sent telling me the rent was 11 days late instead of the two months she claimed). We settled out of court after her uncle's lawyers got our proof. I don't know if she's still doing business for her uncle, but we definitely would have skipped that headache if we had known in advance.

Our people are truly what make us unique. We are not real estate agents or sellers pushing our properties. We are regular every day people who have been-there-done-that and have fallen for the okie-doke. It's hard enough trying to find a decent, safe place to live; but throw in intentionally misleading "professionals" and its darn near impossible... the application fees, earnest money (deposits for renters), and various reports add up...fast. It's easy to quickly find yourself out a small fortune, and what do you have to show for it? Wasted time, money and energy and most likely a headache that won't quit.

Which is why we thought it would be awesome to have a place where people can access all the information needed to make an informed decision. I'm talking about knowing the real property condition before you contact anyone. Knowing exactly the kind of seller/landlord you will be dealing with before ever meeting them. I bet you would skip the landlord who has had six different families in the past year at the same property! I'm speaking from personal experience.