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October 2022 by Cristal Kirkpatrick
Always prompt and helpful
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October 2021 by Zach
The owner Karen speck really lives up to the name Karen,It’s a small island ask around and you will hear more bad than good about her and her company.Rented a house from her and her company for a little over 5 years and as it was a horrible experience. I paid my rent on time and more often than not a week or so early and was treated like scum when something went wrong with the unit and called to have it fixedUnfortunately rentals are rare on orcas so the old witch has you bent over the barrel and she doesn’t use lube.Be wary if you plan to do business with Karen or her cronies
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October 2019 by David Kirkpatrick
Can't speak for all those negative reviews, but my wife and I have been coming to Orcas for some fifteen years and Karen has been nothing but helpful and totally professional. Handling all those rentals is an enormous and difficult job, but she is up to the task. Would not consider renting from anyone else. We totally trust and appreciate the people at Cherie Lindholm Real Estate, to the point that we bought a property on the island through them. Agent John Erly was a tremendous help, and he does not abandon you once the sale is made. Can't speak highly enough of his service and character.
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October 2019 by Kay Hodnett
I don't know how say it but Karen Speck was the rudest, most unprofessional person I have ever had the misfortune to deal with. If I were you, I would stay away.
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October 2018 by Rick Kimel
The most nasty, rude, unprofessional person I have ever had to deal with. Never answers a question completely. Always snide remarks. All contacts with Karen Kay Speck were adversarial because of HER attitude. She even had the nerve to put down all the local restaurants. Stay away, she is a very unpleasant person. BTW, she is the person who did the 5 star review on this site. Her response to this should be interesting.
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October 2018 by Shannon Bickford
Incredibly rude employees. Not helpful and condescending. Will never use their business again.
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August 2018 by Andy R.
Don't EVER rent from Cherie Lindholm, or its owner Karen Speck. Over the years we had an increasingly disturbing experience. The house we rented was falling apart (dangerous broken boards on the deck, bedroom decor, etc) and despite pouring money and effort into the house we were treated with distain. It now turns out that there are multiple families on Orcas Island who have had terrible experiences with Cherie Lindholm Real Estate and Karen Speck. We were unaware when we first rented with them but the stories keep on coming. We are part of an amazing and generous island community and we will return to Orcas every summer but we have now been warned off every associating with Karen Speck or Cherie Lindholm real estate.
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July 2018 by Inge B.
We have been renting summer vacation homes on Orcas through Cherie Lindholm for 18 years and have never, ever had an issue. They communicate clearly, are professional, and yet are also truly caring about any concern (of which we've had less than a handful in all this time). We just left the island after two weeks (wah) and received exemplary care from this agency from start (reservation in January) to finish. We had one minor facilities issue while we were there and a worker arrived at our door in less than half an hour to work to resolve it. The homes are beautiful (and no, I'm not going to tell you where the best one is - it will remain my secret) and Karen and her team at Cherie Lindholm are outstanding. We are already counting the days 'til next summer.
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October 2017 by Karen K.
Unlike a big box store/franchise, Lindholm RE has brokers who've been in the business 20+ years each and treat you with their hometown approach. Much prefer their personal approach. Knowledgeable staff in both sales, rentals, and vacation rentals. Since 1968. A great independent office.
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May 2016 by Brianna R.
I am a long term renter, and Cherie Lindholm Real Estate recently took over management of the property I rent on Orcas Island. Karen and her team have been an absolute blessing to work with. Many items that were improperly handled by the former property manager were immediately addressed and resolved. Her maintenance team keeps in great contact with me as a tenant and makes scheduling repairs and service a breeze. So appreciate this property management company!
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August 2014 by Lisa J.
It was very easy to deal with this agency, but I definitely would not stay in the rental that we selected again. We stayed in rental #7, which is located near Obstruction Pass. It's not just that it was seriously out of date, I can deal with that. It's that it wasn't functional, I think, for many families. It was a four bedroom as represented, no doubt about that. However, two of the bedrooms were attic-type bedrooms which had ceilings that were approximately 5'5" tall. This really didn't work out for my husband, as he is over six feet. Also, both of the bathrooms were on the main floor, which was very inconvenient. The worst part is that the stairway to upstairs was a seventies-style (as in no risers, just treads) with no railing at all. My parents, who are both in their seventies, did not feel comfortable staying in the rooms on the upper floor because they were concerned about falling. To exit the rooms on the upper floor, you have to step up and over a wall that is approximately 9-12 inches tall, which was a particular trip hazard for one of the rooms, as it led directly to the stairway. If you were to trip when exiting this room, you would definitely fall down the stairs. I went back and looked at the photos on the website, and this feature was not clearly represented at all. I would definitely not recommend this for families with young children, primarily because of the stairs. Everything needed updated at this vacation rental, not because it was no longer stylish, but because it was worn out. The bedding at this home was very old. One bedroom had sheets that were obviously worn, and had a small hole in them. The bedspreads in the upper rooms were circa 1979. I'm not being snarky, they really did look that old and battered. Our box spring was actually two twin-size box springs pushed together under a queen size mattress. Guess what? That's not that comfortable to sleep on. Much of the furniture looked like it had been purchased from Goodwill. One chair had a broken arm, one chair had a seat that had been repaired with plywood, the couch upstairs had a tear in it, and the coffee table in the living room was actually two small end tables that were pushed together. One lamp was broken; as in, could not plug in because the plug-in portion was destroyed. We did not opt to pay the additional fee for cleaning, so on Saturday night and Sunday morning, began the work of cleaning the home. Surprise! There was not adequate cleaning supplies available. No cleanser to clean the shower with, the "scrubbing bubbles" container was empty, and the Lysol can provided was so old, it was significantly rusty. Ridiculous! This house is currently for sale, so I am guessing that the current owners don't want to invest money into making this a functional vacation rental. It seems like they are just getting what money they can out of it until it sells. BTW, they showed the home during the week that we were there, so keep that in mind if you're looking for privacy. I would give this rental a one star rating, but the view from the deck was amazing. Straight out at Obstruction Island, and the sparkling water. That, at least, worked out.
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March 2010 by sonia g.
We used this agency to book a vacation rental. We rented house # 43 for a week in March. It is a lovely house with an amazing view. It has one main big room that acts as the dining room and living room along with a huge master bedroom and two smaller bedrooms. It is a great layout if you have kids because you can see the living room from the kitchen (along with the AMAZING! view). The rental process was straightforward and went smoothly.
