Review for member: john kazemka
Listed and sold a home • 2026
Eleven years ago, when I was 25, my mortgage lender assigned John Kazemka as my realtor for my first home purchase. At the time, I thought he did a good job because he was friendly and easy to work with.Eleven years later, I hired him again to sell that same home. At 36, I've learned that being nice isn't enough—I want a realtor who communicates well, stays organized, and actively represents their clients. Unfortunately, this experience was extremely disappointing.John is still a pleasant person, but throughout this transaction it seemed like real estate was no longer his main priority. He often over-explained simple questions, used unnecessary analogies, and made straightforward conversations confusing.The listing photos were taken with a cell phone and edited with dark filters. Several buyers commented that the floors looked much better in person than online. John also told us he would have drone photos taken, but that never happened. We never saw him market the listing beyond the MLS, he never personally showed the home, and after putting the sign in the yard, he never returned.Communication was by far the biggest issue.Throughout the process, John frequently blamed other realtors and attorneys for delays. However, it eventually became clear that much of the delay stemmed from his own lack of communication and follow-through.We were moving over 700 miles to Georgia, and our purchase there depended on selling our West Virginia home. Our Georgia realtor and attorney consistently had to reach out because they couldn't get the information they needed from John.A week before closing, we still didn't know whether we had a clear-to-close. Every update was simply, "He's going to call," or "There's no update." Eventually, our Georgia attorney contacted the West Virginia attorney directly and learned they were simply waiting on information from John to prepare the closing documents. The missing information? Our middle initials.When I called the buyers' realtor myself, she was surprised I was calling because she already had the closing date and time. She told me, "Because he didn't call and ask."When my husband addressed the communication issues, John made excuses and even suggested I wasn't relaying information correctly. Later, he told me he would immediately email the closing documents for review, but two hours later admitted he hadn't because he was "confused" by the numbers—even though they matched what he'd been telling us all along. He also repeatedly talked about paying off our mortgage despite us reminding him several times that the house had been paid off for years.The day before closing, John mistakenly called to say he was on his way and might be late, even though closing wasn't until the following day. On the actual closing day, he called again saying he was running late because he had forgotten the buyers' earnest money check. We never actually saw him at closing, and afterward he never followed up, thanked us for our business, or congratulated us.Ironically, we received far more support from our buyers' realtor than our own. Our Georgia realtor—someone we had never even met in person—went so far as stocking our refrigerator before we arrived after our 700-mile move.Looking back, it felt like the only services provided were putting the home on the MLS and taking cell phone photos. We expected much more from someone representing us during one of the biggest financial transactions of our lives.This review isn't personal. John is genuinely a nice person. However, kindness alone isn't enough when clients are relying on their realtor to communicate, stay organized, and manage a transaction professionally. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend John Kazemka as a listing agent. If this reflects the level of service at Harvey Goodman Realtor, I would encourage future sellers to carefully consider their options.
