Marfa Realty

Melissa Bent helped us find the most perfect place for our retirement. After looking at many properties we found a beautiful acre of land to build on. It was a fun and friendly journey.
Melissa was super helpful and she did extensive research for us. Everything went smoothly and we are thrilled to be there.

We have bought two properties with Melissa Bent at Marfa Realty. We are very happy with both! Melissa is gracious and knowledgeable. The whole team is great!

I've had a fantastic experience working with Kathleen and Pat. They are honest, patient and incredibly knowledgeable. Highly recommend.

My experience with Melissa Bent was nothing short of terrible. While my partner and I thought she was representing us as *our* realtor for a long-term rental, we found out the day we moved in she was actually the agent of the property owner. Prior to our move-in day Melissa was warm and answered our many questions. She was quick to execute a contract and accept deposit money. We were excited when she mentioned she lived "only a block away" (not true) and that the house had a water-filtration system installed (also not true.) Unfortunately, upon move in day she quickly became unresponsive, lacked communication and the very little she did do was sloppy. The house was filthy upon move in and our kitchen sink and washer/dryer were not hooked up. We also had frozen pipes and electrical outlets that did not work. When we inquired about getting these sorted we were directed to manage the construction crew that was finishing the incomplete fence. Eventually she became completely inattentive to our concerns and request which resulted in a significant loss of use of the features we were promised in our lease during our year stay. The year plagued us with hassle and frustration because of Melissa Bent. Do not use Marfa Realty or Bent if you value your time and sanity.

Look elsewhere...

*Updated with outcomes (see photos for documents) from Texas REALTORs and the Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC), as obtained following a request in accordance with the Texas Public Information Act.*

Beware - another group trying to capitalize on the Marfa / Out West fantasy but without any sense of responsibility, ethics, and resolution. People need to hear this story. My experience with this agency and realtor Melissa Bent was wrought with unprofessional and illegal practices. We were looking for a property to buy or lease and ultimately settled for a lease of a single-family home. I’m glad we just leased; I would have never tried to buy property from this agency or anyone associated with it.

Here’s a basic summary of what happened from Day 1 to the End with this property:

* Conflict of Interest: turns out Melissa was also the property manager, which we found out on the day of move-in (the property is owned by Shawn Cirkiel, an Austin-based restauranteur). We had no idea until she started telling us all the things that weren’t done yet through a text, as we were about an hour away from Marfa with our belongings. She also just left a key by the door for access instead of meeting us there as planned.

* Bad Conditions at Move-In: When we arrived to move in (Month 1), we immediately noticed extreme dirt and debris, an uninstalled washer and dryer, frozen pipes (no running water), a very dusty A/C filter, unfinished perimeter fence not safe for our dog as promised, and detached plumbing in sink. We brought this to Melissa’s attention and were met with “it’s Marfa” and other hostilities and avoidances such as asking us to try to manage the schedule and work of the contractors who were assigned or fixing ourself (Months 1 - 3).

* Security Issues: The fence was finished around Month 3, but incorrectly. We had to deal with asking them to close all the large 1-3 ft gaps in the width and height so our dog could be safe from intruding animals. Melissa said we should get 20-25 railroad ties (these are huge and heavy), and so after we rebutted, days later they finally closed the gaps with cattle panel parts.

* Loss of Heat (Winter): In our final two months (Month 11 and 12), the HVAC system suddenly stopped working, which means we had no heat in winter during subfreezing temperatures. We brought this to Melissa’s attention 3 times, right away. She never responded. By Month 11, we had to relocate anyway for my work, so I also gave a 45-day notice to vacate, and we engaged local friends to check on the house (especially for plumbing purposes; dripping and streaming water). We never heard from Melissa if this were fixed.

* lllegal and Invalid Lease: We also found out that the lease was illegal since it wasn’t split for address and utility purposes from the casita in the back of the property. The lease also had an invalid termination date that Melissa kept finding ways avoid dealing with despite our best efforts (we emailed many times, let her view the property, and even offered to correct ourselves). The property owner Shawn Cirkiel and broker agency owner Kathleen Walstrom were cc’d on all emails, they never spoke up. After we concluded the lease and relocated stemming from my 45-day notice to vacate, then they all started finally saying something: that we “broke” the lease by moving. Should have maybe just corrected all these issues from the get-go when we asked over and over if you had a differing opinion all that time…

The facts speak for themselves; don’t use this agency.