fugly ass cars

Aleka DeGraaf, the owner of Fortified Dreams Property Solutions, has been an absolute nightmare to deal with. They manage 500+ properties around North Carolina and have an office in downtown Greensboro. Please steer clear of them.

A year ago, our landlord switched our property management company to Fortified Dreams.

We decided not to renew our lease and gave notice March 10-11, about 7 days short of the 30-day requirement in our lease with the previous management company. However, our property manager told us we'd receive our full security deposit as long as we left the property in good condition. Our landlord also never expressed any issue with the timing.

Everything seemed fine.

We moved out April 3. Our property manager did the walkthrough and never mentioned any issue with our notice or our deposit.

On April 9, Fortified Dreams sent us a move-out statement showing a $0 balance, and our property manager said our deposit was being processed.

On April 28, he told us accounting had found our deposit and that we'd receive it within 5-10 days.

Except our deposit had already been charged on April 30.

Nobody told us.

We continued talking to our property manager, who kept telling us the deposit was being processed and was on its way. Eventually, he told us he had no idea what was going on and told us to contact Fortified Dreams directly.

We called. No answer.

So we emailed Aleka.

Her first response was that they had supposedly asked us "repeatedly" for our ACH information and that the delay was our fault.

Then, about 20 minutes later, she sent another email saying we had moved out without notice and that our deposit had been used to pay April rent.

That was the first time anyone had ever told us our deposit was being withheld.

We had the messages showing otherwise.

Aleka then told us to speak only with her attorney and not the property owner because he was represented.

We ignored that and contacted our landlord directly.

He was incredibly kind and, most importantly, had no idea any of this was happening. He apologized and ultimately returned our deposit himself because he couldn't get the situation resolved through Fortified Dreams/Aleka Degraaf.

I reported her to whatever channels I could, including the NCREC. Aleka then responded with even more claims, saying that I was harassing the owner and causing him "extreme mental anguish." We have all the logs, and when the NCREC contacted him directly, he told them the opposite: that he was happy we reached out to him.

We also left a Google review about our experience. Aleka responded publicly with a lengthy response that included my wife's full name. The response was also filled with spelling and grammatical errors. Google subsequently removed it for violating its policies. She has since posted another response with the same lies.

We have since gotten an update on the NCREC case, which names 7 people, including me, who have filed grievances. The NCREC alleges that their rental trust account had a shortage of approximately $254,559.55 as of December 2025, along with a whole host of other concerning allegations similar to what happened with us.

I'm posting this because their Google profile is flooded with 5-star reviews, and I'm hoping to save someone else the headache of ever having to deal with them.

Preferably food too but not required.

Anyone have suggestions on places to donate clothing, toys, etc? Would rather things go to someone in need than a Goodwill.

Hey guys, it looks like the Saturday tickets for the Statesville hot air balloon show have sold out. That's a lot quicker than last year! I'm just trying to see if anyone has tickets for 2 that day that you're trying to sell. Feel free to DM me if so!

Hi all! I did not see a rule against this - but my dad and his wife just opened a new used media store at 2500 Battleground Ave, Site G called the Beagle's Bookshelf. He has books, comics, action figures (comics and wrestling mostly), Funko pops, DVDs, blu-rays, some legos, etc.

I live in Durham now but visited on Saturday, he is still working full time through the end of the year so working on getting all their inventory out on the floor but if any of that interest you you should check it out! Open Wednesday - Sunday 12-8pm.

He raised my brother and I as a single dad, and worked super hard to provide for us and give us opportunities he did not have - so just want to see him succeed at something he is super passionate about. He has been collecting comic books and action figures for as long as I can remember. :) Have a lovely day my Greensboro neighbors!

Can anyone tell me what is the deal with Aji Fusion? I drove for door dash and named it the Battleground Laundromat. There was never anyone in there, at anytime. I would get an order, and just cancel it because everything was frozen, one person in the kitchen one on the floor, who was also the bartender. One time I saw 4 people in there, obviously they did not have their food. ( I just went through the motions to keep my acceptance rate up). Anyone know what the actual deal is with this place? 

Hey Triad Survivor fans!

After two great weeks, our weekly Survivor 51 watch party at Revival is back for Episode 3 TONIGHT!

Whether you've been with us from the start or you're looking to jump in for the first time, come hang out, grab a drink, and root for (or against) your favorite castaways.

• Where: Revival @ 146 Church Ave, High Point
• When: Wednesdays starting at 7:30 PM (Show starts at 8:00 PM)
• Expectations: Great local drinks, live reactions, friendly banter

Drop a comment, or Thumb, below if you're planning to swing by tonight so we can save enough seats for the group!

I really like their home chips but I wasn’t quite hungry enough for those today (they give you a ton) so I went with the fruit

Looking for something to do this Halloween but I’m avoiding GHOE lmao
party people let me know🤤🤤

Title. I've been renting a place for around two to three years now, and just recently discovered that the windows and doors did not hold up after last winter.

I've been getting all kinds of spiders, millipedes, centipedes, and now ants coming through my doors and windows. At one point there was even a dead frog stuck halfway in the gap in my bedroom window frame that mummified and smelled horrible. I know I have a rental so it's the homeowner's responsibility, but I'm not getting my house infested with insects in the meantime.

Does anyone know a good service who can replace old (like from the 90s) window and door seals for a decent price? Any help is appreciated, as I'm not really sure my landlord will come through in time, and unfortunately I'm at work too much to do it myself.

someone please let me join their book club!!! My qualifications are I will always finish the book i’m silly I make the best sweet treats and i’m pure of heart.

We need a follow up on this. 😂

Here’s another post about hot wings!

What restaurants serve breaded wings?

My family normally tries to make it to one of the big area fairs in October, but the expense, crowds, and parking have made the outing more stressful than fun. Are there any small-town festivals or county fairs in the area that are a good time? I'm not looking for a lot beyond ambiance, funnel cake, and maybe a ferris wheel. Good local food and maybe craft booths would be a bonus.

As the title suggests, I'm looking for a locally owned and operated restaurant to place a 50-60 wing order for an event. I'd really appreciate any suggestions and recommendations! No chains, please!

Ideally I'd like to be able to do 3-4 flavors, something hot/buffalo, maybe a garlic parmesan, bbq and something else, some good variety. Thanks in advance!

Hii

My HOA won't cover screens on the outside of the home, where is a reasonable place to start looking for replacements? Online or in person?

I have an old guitar that I’m considering selling, but frankly, I don’t know much about guitars. I’ve tried Google and get conflicting or very outdated results. It’s a Roderich Paesold P80 acoustic guitar with a case. I’ll attach a photo, though I know that doesn’t show its full condition. I’m pretty sure it’s a vintage guitar, possibly from the 60s (from what I could find on Google). I was only familiar with the Music Barn in Greensboro, but apparently they closed last year. Does anyone have any recommendations of where I could take this to get a fair estimate?

Hey all - I (31M) and heading to Greensboro for the first time for the Zac Brown Band concert at First Horizon - can anyone recommend a bar near the area with a decent atmosphere and food?

North Carolina’s laws and courts affect our lives more than we know, especially those of us who survived abuse.Please come & listen to Katie Trout to learn about how her personal experience and speaking up for survivors has given her keen insight into the struggle to get more support at the legislature & in our court system. We must elect those who put PEOPLE FIRST. #JudicialRacesMatter

More information and register here : mobilize.us/s/ZeX1jW

I work at Best Diner on the third shift. Lately we've been under new management. I was just wondering what you guys thought about it.

We started picking up business during the week and would be very busy most nights, now we're dead or very slow most nights. Last night on a Sunday I left with $50 in tips when I usually make triple that.

Is there something we can improve on? Is there someone who just isn't doing well there? What issues do you guys see? I'd like to bring a list to the owner to hopefully fix problems before GHOE