I have had some really bad interactions with James Wise over the years, but I always have pointed out that he is a reputable agent and he has built a good business. However, there have been enough red flags to make me wonder what is really happening. Recently I reached out to another reputable, well-respected agent in the Cleveland market and when talking about a property that was listed by James Wise, the agent informed me that he "won't deal with the company that has listed". This is another red flag, but I am wondering what would cause one agent to refuse to make an offer on a property based on the listing agent?
Why don’t you just ask this top agent about it instead of making a stink about it in the open forums ???? I know if somebody rubs me the wrong way I talk with them personally to resolve it or just agree to disagree but I don’t drag my dirty laundry in public
Why don’t you just ask this top agent about it instead of making a stink about it in the open forums ???? I know if somebody rubs me the wrong way I talk with them personally to resolve it or just agree to disagree but I don’t drag my dirty laundry in public
Have to agree with @Dennis M. Why not just ask the “reputable well-respected” agent you were talking to why they won’t work with this other agent/office instead of coming here to post it publicly and ask a bunch of people who will have no idea? (Unless it’s just an indirect way to make a negative comment about a particular agent you obviously don’t care much for.) After all, if you were truly just “wondering what would cause one agent to refuse to make an offer on a property based on the listing agent”, you could have just asked that question without mentioning any names.
Have to agree with @Dennis M. Why not just ask the “reputable well-respected” agent you were talking to why they won’t work with this other agent/office instead of coming here to post it publicly and ask a bunch of people who will have no idea? (Unless it’s just an indirect way to make a negative comment about a particular agent you obviously don’t care much for.)
Lol because Ken is a nothing more than a troll and I have told him as much on multiple occasions. What Ken is doing right now is his normal operating procedure. He trolls me then asks me if I'll work with him. I tell him no as he's a troll and then he comes back for more a couple months or weeks later lol. Weird dude.
I'm currently working with James and his team. They have been straight-forward and honest. It seems to me that @James Wise brand is all about being pretty brash and blunt about this business. But I think that's probably why people want to work with him. Direct, blunt etc is kind of refreshing in a realtor.
Have to agree with @Dennis M. Why not just ask the “reputable well-respected” agent you were talking to why they won’t work with this other agent/office instead of coming here to post it publicly and ask a bunch of people who will have no idea? (Unless it’s just an indirect way to make a negative comment about a particular agent you obviously don’t care much for.)
Lol because Ken is a nothing more than a troll and I have told him as much on multiple occasions. What Ken is doing right now is his normal operating procedure. He trolls me then asks me if I'll work with him. I tell him no as he's a troll and then he comes back for more a couple months or weeks later lol. Weird dude.
For those interested here is the last time I've told Ken to take a hike as he's simply a troll. I believe this is the 3rd or 4th BP thread he's started about me. Last one he started he actually reneged on his comments as he was begging me to work with him and he thought that'd help. I'll grab some screen shots here momentarily if I can find it.

Have to agree with @Dennis M. Why not just ask the “reputable well-respected” agent you were talking to why they won’t work with this other agent/office instead of coming here to post it publicly and ask a bunch of people who will have no idea? (Unless it’s just an indirect way to make a negative comment about a particular agent you obviously don’t care much for.)
Lol because Ken is a nothing more than a troll and I have told him as much on multiple occasions. What Ken is doing right now is his normal operating procedure. He trolls me then asks me if I'll work with him. I tell him no as he's a troll and then he comes back for more a couple months or weeks later lol. Weird dude.
For those interested here is the last time I've told Ken to take a hike as he's simply a troll. I believe this is the 3rd or 4th BP thread he's started about me. Last one he started he actually reneged on his comments as he was begging me to work with him and he thought that'd help. I'll grab some screen shots here momentarily if I can find it.

Below we've got another thread Ken made about my company back in 2018. In a nutshell Ken made a thread about some random BP member contacting him and Ken created a thread accusing me of paying this person to trick investors into working with Holton-Wise or something insane like that. Title of Ken's thread with fabricated accusations again Holton-Wise is Potential Red Flag and protecting the site from wolves if anyone is interested in taking a deeper look at Ken's history of trolling me.
Have to agree with @Dennis M. Why not just ask the “reputable well-respected” agent you were talking to why they won’t work with this other agent/office instead of coming here to post it publicly and ask a bunch of people who will have no idea? (Unless it’s just an indirect way to make a negative comment about a particular agent you obviously don’t care much for.)
Lol because Ken is a nothing more than a troll and I have told him as much on multiple occasions. What Ken is doing right now is his normal operating procedure. He trolls me then asks me if I'll work with him. I tell him no as he's a troll and then he comes back for more a couple months or weeks later lol. Weird dude.
For those interested here is the last time I've told Ken to take a hike as he's simply a troll. I believe this is the 3rd or 4th BP thread he's started about me. Last one he started he actually reneged on his comments as he was begging me to work with him and he thought that'd help. I'll grab some screen shots here momentarily if I can find it.

Jim one of the very best things about being a Broker is that your an independent contractor.. you make the rules.. you don't like someone just tell them go find someone else.. I have done that many times over the years.. you simply don't click with everyone and for those you don't you just tell them to find another agent.. Like for me when I had appointments ( when I sold at the street level) I had rules and we went over the rules up front.. one of the rules was if they are married wife must accompany them.. Every hubby on the planet will boast they make the decisions come and waste your time go home only to have the wife tell them they are not doing that.. so that happens a few times when your a young agent like I was you soon learn its a waste of time to show one leg of a two legged deal property..
Now wifes on a very rare occasion that came without hubby I would work with as they are 90% of the time the ultimate decision maker.. Not the other way around.. Anyway folks would drive 2 hours one way to see my properties and if they showed up without the wife I just told them I am not going to show them the property here is the address do a drive by and come back with the wife.. and BOY did I piss of a number of people.. but that's OK I am allowed I work for myself not for them..
But instead of agency disclosure on the first meeting I had Jays RULES LOL ..
@Jay Hinrichs Kind of off topic here but I got a good laugh at your post (and I don't mean in a bad way) I definitely would have been one of those pissed off guys if I drove 2 hours without the wife to be turned around and sent home LOL. My wife does not pay any attention at all to our real estate deals. The extent of her involvement in our deals is a text from me " Hey babe I sent you a docusign need signature ASAP." 1 minute later okay I signed it.
I have on good authority LeBron left Cleveland due to Mr. Wise being mean to him.
@Jay Hinrichs Kind of off topic here but I got a good laugh at your post (and I don't mean in a bad way) I definitely would have been one of those pissed off guys if I drove 2 hours without the wife to be turned around and sent home LOL. My wife does not pay any attention at all to our real estate deals. The extent of her involvement in our deals is a text from me " Hey babe I sent you a docusign need signature ASAP." 1 minute later okay I signed it.
WEll to be fair I was not selling rentals I was selling land for people to retire on or use on the weekends etc..
@Dennis M.
Dennis it is the same reason why my 20 year old son has never experienced being in a head up scrap or called a girls home phone and have to get through a grilling of her dad before passing the phone off to her. This younger generation is used to fighting virtually over the internet or by text message.
Person to person confrontation is very scary for them.
Being a keyboard warrior is not.
Just my observation of interpersonal skills in today’s younger generation.
James Wise has posted lies about me, now he is posting screenshots, this last red flag is just a warning to others. When I asked questions and he did not answer, I simply tried to give him feedback on how he could have responded better by actually answering the questions, he called me a troll for pointing out he never answered my questions. The ad hominem attacks have flowed at every turn with him and yet I have not done that to him. It is very unprofessional. He is a big fish and obviously will do what he needs to squash anyone in his way. This is why those who have bad experiences do not post here, this is why the other agent was so vague. My point is if this community was more open less people would get taken advantage of. Fewer people would need to go through the things others have found difficult. I have only shared my experience and it is a sincere question since I have never had an agent refuse to work with another agent. That was the final straw and I decided to let people know that there are some red flags here. I have not said he is a crook, I have not told anyone to stay away, I simply am saying there are some red flags. The fact that this thread shows the lack of care about red flags is part of why some use BP to prey on those they can take advantage of.
@Ken Virzi
I think people care about honesty and integrity the most. If you had examples of that being in question people would care. Saying he’s rude to you isn’t a shock. As others said he has always had a blunt straightforwardness to him in the forums for years. It’s well known here in BP. He doesn’t seem to care. And likely neither to his clients. Everyone can’t be best friends.
But putting him on blast has sure backfired. Lol
@James Wise
@Ken Virzi
I think people care about honesty and integrity the most. If you had examples of that being in question people would care. Saying he’s rude to you isn’t a shock. As others said he has always had a blunt straightforwardness to him in the forums for years. It’s well known here in BP. He doesn’t seem to care. And likely neither to his clients. Everyone can’t be best friends.
But putting him on blast has sure backfired. Lol
@James Wise
Look at the screenshot he posted publicly of our private emails. First of that is not integrity at all, I would never post private conversations. The irony is that the screenshot he posted shows his avoiding my questions. Also dishonest about where my money was and how he originally dealt with me and put me on blast with false accusations on BP and never apologized or recanted even though his office did privately to me.
@Ken Virzi
If this post was ANYTHING other than a blatant and transparent attempt to damage Mr Wise’s reputation, you would’ve posted it in a market-specific forum (ie something related to Cleveland) instead of here in the General Real Estate > Buying & Selling Real Estate Discussion forum for the whole of BP to see.
@Ken Virzi
If this post was ANYTHING other than a blatant and transparent attempt to damage Mr Wise’s reputation, you would’ve posted it in a market-specific forum (ie something related to Cleveland) instead of here in the General Real Estate > Buying & Selling Real Estate Discussion forum for the whole of BP to see.
He is a moderator of BP. I want to point out the red flags. If whistleblowers or red flag warnings are treated as this, then BP will never protect newbies. I have sent private messages trying to get a known scammer off this sight. I got nowhere. When I mentioned it to James personally he demanded evidence of how he would financially benefit by helping me with this scammer who he was aware of and who was operating in Cleveland. Now I am seeing James Wise sell the houses that this scammer sold to those he took advantage of. To me, one of the best things we can do is protect each other and point out the red flags we see. There is a reason groups off of BP on social media have formed because the pointing out bad experiences with any big fish on here is quickly squashed. What I find interesting is that many have had no problem calling me out on this thread, but no one has called out James on posting private email communications. This is part of my concern in regards to the danger of BP.
@Ken Virzi
If this post was ANYTHING other than a blatant and transparent attempt to damage Mr Wise’s reputation, you would’ve posted it in a market-specific forum (ie something related to Cleveland) instead of here in the General Real Estate > Buying & Selling Real Estate Discussion forum for the whole of BP to see.
Plus when posting it gives me several options to choose where to put it and this was the only option that seemed to fit. I did not intentionally avoid a specific forum but did not realize they existed.
@Ken Virzi - You found a RE agent that has an issue with the same person you do....Yeah and? Two choices, either ask your agent why? or leave it alone and just move forward.
In business and in life not everyone gets along with each other for whatever reason but everyone moves on.
There is a reason Amazon, Yelp, Thumbtack, etc have reviews and comments. You guys can hate my comment if you want, that is fine with me, but I am going to share any red flags I find since there are many in this business. I have met too many people that were taken advantage of and after the fact people were not surprised for they knew, but never said anything.
@Ken Virzi
If this post was ANYTHING other than a blatant and transparent attempt to damage Mr Wise’s reputation, you would’ve posted it in a market-specific forum (ie something related to Cleveland) instead of here in the General Real Estate > Buying & Selling Real Estate Discussion forum for the whole of BP to see.
He is a moderator of BP. I want to point out the red flags. If whistleblowers or red flag warnings are treated as this, then BP will never protect newbies. I have sent private messages trying to get a known scammer off this sight. I got nowhere. When I mentioned it to James personally he demanded evidence of how he would financially benefit by helping me with this scammer who he was aware of and who was operating in Cleveland. Now I am seeing James Wise sell the houses that this scammer sold to those he took advantage of. To me, one of the best things we can do is protect each other and point out the red flags we see. There is a reason groups off of BP on social media have formed because the pointing out bad experiences with any big fish on here is quickly squashed. What I find interesting is that many have had no problem calling me out on this thread, but no one has called out James on posting private email communications. This is part of my concern in regards to the danger of BP.
Ken, buddy you're just digging deeper and deeper here. You think that after being black balled by me you'd have learned how to conduct yourself. Guess you won't be happy until you're blackballed by many more lol.
Let's just go over some facts, for the record.
He is a moderator of BP. I want to point out the red flags. If whistleblowers or red flag warnings are treated as this, then BP will never protect newbies. I have sent private messages trying to get a known scammer off this sight. I got nowhere. When I mentioned it to James personally he demanded evidence of how he would financially benefit by helping me with this scammer who he was aware of and who was operating in Cleveland. Now I am seeing James Wise sell the houses that this scammer sold to those he took advantage of.
I am not a moderator on Bigger Pockets. You reached out to me on YouTube several times trying to get my company to make a video about this person. I have posted those conversations below as I am not going to allow you to attempt to drag my name in the mud without putting actual facts on the record. Not now, not ever.
You are trying to insinuate that I am involved with a possible scam that this person may or may not have worked over on you by stating Now I am seeing James Wise sell the houses that this scammer sold to those he took advantage of. Get a grip. I broker real estate in an honest way, everyone knows I am as transparent as they come, I've got no reason to lie. Anyone who watches my content knows this as I put it all out there, good, bad and ugly. I believe the property you are speaking about is a property I am selling for someone who purchased it from this individual. What does that fact that this same individual who sold properties to you have to do with my client, his property and me selling it for him? Nothing. If this individual lied to you about the condition of the home when he sold it to you tough man, nothing to do with me. When I sell a property I lay out everything I know about it and have the buyer's get inspection reports and appraisals on this. In fact those comments you posted above were on a video about a similar situation lol, that's why you posted them. Now you're trying to muddy my reputation with lies and insinuations. This is why I post screenshots. Screenshots contain facts, something that your ramblings do not. Good lord, the irreparable damage you're doing to your credibility is astounding. Lol at this point I don't even think Clayton Morris would sell you a property.
@Ken Virzi
If this post was ANYTHING other than a blatant and transparent attempt to damage Mr Wise’s reputation, you would’ve posted it in a market-specific forum (ie something related to Cleveland) instead of here in the General Real Estate > Buying & Selling Real Estate Discussion forum for the whole of BP to see.
He is a moderator of BP. I want to point out the red flags. If whistleblowers or red flag warnings are treated as this, then BP will never protect newbies. I have sent private messages trying to get a known scammer off this sight. I got nowhere. When I mentioned it to James personally he demanded evidence of how he would financially benefit by helping me with this scammer who he was aware of and who was operating in Cleveland. Now I am seeing James Wise sell the houses that this scammer sold to those he took advantage of. To me, one of the best things we can do is protect each other and point out the red flags we see. There is a reason groups off of BP on social media have formed because the pointing out bad experiences with any big fish on here is quickly squashed. What I find interesting is that many have had no problem calling me out on this thread, but no one has called out James on posting private email communications. This is part of my concern in regards to the danger of BP.
No James Wise is not a moderator.
The "well respected reputable agent" actually potentially acted illegally and unethically by choosing not to cooperate with anothet specific agent. If the property is MLS listed, broker cooperation is required. By disparaging his competition to a member of the general public, they violated the NAR code of ethics.
So perhaps well well respected and reputable are not perhaps the best terms to describe the unnamed agent if in fact the story is true.
@Ken Virzi
If this post was ANYTHING other than a blatant and transparent attempt to damage Mr Wise’s reputation, you would’ve posted it in a market-specific forum (ie something related to Cleveland) instead of here in the General Real Estate > Buying & Selling Real Estate Discussion forum for the whole of BP to see.
He is a moderator of BP. I want to point out the red flags. If whistleblowers or red flag warnings are treated as this, then BP will never protect newbies. I have sent private messages trying to get a known scammer off this sight. I got nowhere. When I mentioned it to James personally he demanded evidence of how he would financially benefit by helping me with this scammer who he was aware of and who was operating in Cleveland. Now I am seeing James Wise sell the houses that this scammer sold to those he took advantage of. To me, one of the best things we can do is protect each other and point out the red flags we see. There is a reason groups off of BP on social media have formed because the pointing out bad experiences with any big fish on here is quickly squashed. What I find interesting is that many have had no problem calling me out on this thread, but no one has called out James on posting private email communications. This is part of my concern in regards to the danger of BP.
Ken, buddy you're just digging deeper and deeper here. You think that after being black balled by me you'd have learned how to conduct yourself. Guess you won't be happy until you're blackballed by many more lol.
Let's just go over some facts, for the record.
He is a moderator of BP. I want to point out the red flags. If whistleblowers or red flag warnings are treated as this, then BP will never protect newbies. I have sent private messages trying to get a known scammer off this sight. I got nowhere. When I mentioned it to James personally he demanded evidence of how he would financially benefit by helping me with this scammer who he was aware of and who was operating in Cleveland. Now I am seeing James Wise sell the houses that this scammer sold to those he took advantage of.
I am not a moderator on Bigger Pockets. You reached out to me on YouTube several times trying to get my company to make a video about this person. I have posted those conversations below as I am not going to allow you to attempt to drag my name in the mud without putting actual facts on the record. Not now, not ever.
You are trying to insinuate that I am involved with a possible scam that this person may or may not have worked over on you by stating Now I am seeing James Wise sell the houses that this scammer sold to those he took advantage of. Get a grip. I broker real estate in an honest way, everyone knows I am as transparent as they come, I've got no reason to lie. Anyone who watches my content knows this as I put it all out there, good, bad and ugly. I believe the property you are speaking about is a property I am selling for someone who purchased it from this individual. What does that fact that this same individual who sold properties to you have to do with my client, his property and me selling it for him? Nothing. If this individual lied to you about the condition of the home when he sold it to you tough man, nothing to do with me. When I sell a property I lay out everything I know about it and have the buyer's get inspection reports and appraisals on this. In fact those comments you posted above were on a video about a similar situation lol, that's why you posted them. Now you're trying to muddy my reputation with lies and insinuations. This is why I post screenshots. Screenshots contain facts, something that your ramblings do not. Good lord, the irreparable damage you're doing to your credibility is astounding. Lol at this point I don't even think Clayton Morris would sell you a property.
This is part of the red flag. This is a mischaracterization of the facts. This screenshot was recent, the guy we are talking about is no longer in Cleveland, and one of the reasons he is no longer there, because of me. I had to get legal action against him, and it cost me, but if I keep others from getting screwed by him, that made it worth it. So after many got screwed after I tried to get him off BP, after I asked James to help me, I finally got legal help and took action, then months and months later I posted on James' youtube channel offering to help if he wanted. He also only wanted the info on the youtube comments to help with the youtube algorithms. In other words, this was not about helping investors it was about financially benefitting, I do begrudge not helping, I do not begrudge trying to make a buck off youtube, I do think using this post to present false facts though is showing one of the red flags I am worried about.
Have to agree with @Dennis M. Why not just ask the “reputable well-respected” agent you were talking to why they won’t work with this other agent/office instead of coming here to post it publicly and ask a bunch of people who will have no idea? (Unless it’s just an indirect way to make a negative comment about a particular agent you obviously don’t care much for.)
Lol because Ken is a nothing more than a troll and I have told him as much on multiple occasions. What Ken is doing right now is his normal operating procedure. He trolls me then asks me if I'll work with him. I tell him no as he's a troll and then he comes back for more a couple months or weeks later lol. Weird dude.
For those interested here is the last time I've told Ken to take a hike as he's simply a troll. I believe this is the 3rd or 4th BP thread he's started about me. Last one he started he actually reneged on his comments as he was begging me to work with him and he thought that'd help. I'll grab some screen shots here momentarily if I can find it.

Jim one of the very best things about being a Broker is that your an independent contractor.. you make the rules.. you don't like someone just tell them go find someone else.. I have done that many times over the years.. you simply don't click with everyone and for those you don't you just tell them to find another agent.. Like for me when I had appointments ( when I sold at the street level) I had rules and we went over the rules up front.. one of the rules was if they are married wife must accompany them.. Every hubby on the planet will boast they make the decisions come and waste your time go home only to have the wife tell them they are not doing that.. so that happens a few times when your a young agent like I was you soon learn its a waste of time to show one leg of a two legged deal property..
Now wifes on a very rare occasion that came without hubby I would work with as they are 90% of the time the ultimate decision maker.. Not the other way around.. Anyway folks would drive 2 hours one way to see my properties and if they showed up without the wife I just told them I am not going to show them the property here is the address do a drive by and come back with the wife.. and BOY did I piss of a number of people.. but that's OK I am allowed I work for myself not for them..
But instead of agency disclosure on the first meeting I had Jays RULES LOL ..
Ya know, as business owners we work hard for what we do and the businesses we've built. Myself I've poured millions into the infrastructure of Holton-Wise and have carved out a robust part of market share for us in our niche. Naturally when someone starts trolling you it irks you a bit. However I've got to say I am happy Ken created this thread. It's a fairly educational thread for other newbies out there who can watch how his behavior can and will get them black balled by industry professionals if they behaved this way themselves.
Below is a quick screen shot of my email inbox. This doesn't include company emails, staff emails, emails deleted through regular company data management, private BP messages, YouTube comments or the other various ways Ken has attempted communicating with me and my firm. As you'll see no less than 59 new email threads created by Ken attempting to work with me.
All you folks out there trying to get into this business, Ken's obvious mistakes are a great learning experience. Ya see, no matter how big of a jerk you are to the cashier at Walmart, Walmart is still going to sell you things. Real Estate is a TOTALLY different ballgame. As you see from the above Ken's behavior is unacceptable and no matter how many threads he creates view email or on this website, on YouTube or elsewhere he will remain black balled by me, and I'd imagine any other industry professional who ends up coming across this forum.