Colton Company Reviews
18% would recommend to a friend
(19 total reviews)
Dave Colton
19% approve of CEO
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Excerpts from user reviews, not authored by Glassdoor
- "staffing that leads to too much responsibility for individual property managers and results in issues falling through the cracks" (in 2 reviews)
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Found 19 of over 24 reviews
Updated Sep 5, 2023
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- 5.0Sep 10, 2020Leasing AgentFormer Employee
Pros
Excellent owner. Great experience with the company
Cons
None. I would recommend working here.
- 1.0Sep 5, 2023Staff AccountantFormer Employee, more than 3 yearsIrvine, CA
Pros
easy interview process, due to high turnover rate
Cons
higher ups / controller created a extremely toxic work environment. he spies on his the accountants through other colleagues. he speaks to everyone in a condescending way. company is extremely cheap
- 1.0Aug 13, 2015Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee, less than 1 year
Pros
It is easy to get a job at the Colton Company, experience isn't deemed necessary as long as you are willing to work long hours with little pay and are an attractive, young female. You can also get a lot of responsibility right of the bat, which means that you learn a lot about a lot of different jobs. The job itself is interesting and would be a great career without the toxic upper management.
Cons
The employees move through a revolving door in and out of the company. No one stays because the minimal salary just doesn't cover being screamed at (and I mean literally screaming) about details out of your control, having the work of 3 people (because those people quit) and sexual harassment on a daily basis. Also, the company is extremely shady when it comes to its finances, which is shown by the number of lawsuits that have been levied against the Colton Company. The owner likes to hire from temp agencies so he can let the person go easily. The people are generally not qualified, but are the only one's available at that low level of salary. In a week's time, one can see multiple temps come and go. If you are considering working here, DON'T! It is a well-documented case of a company not having a good work environment and employment here is bound to end in a feeling of failure.
6 - 5.0May 20, 2015Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee
Pros
I worked for the Colton Company for a little over two year and it was a tremendous experience. I am saddened to see that many people here have taken shots at the owner of the business. Mr. Colton was very generous with his time and taught me many valuable lessons in regards to the real estate business. I quickly moved up the ranks based on my performance and was more than compensated for my efforts. The only reason I left the company was to start my own real estate business.
Cons
Most of the entry level employees at the company are not qualified to be there. The environment is very demanding and in this day and age the new generation of young people don't understand hard work and business. Lots of the employees come from staffing agencies and they really do not even belong there. The agencies themselves need to get better people. I feel bad that everyone has taken shots at Mr. Colton. It is probably based on their own incompetence and/or lack of work ethic.
1 - 1.0Jul 7, 2015Property ManagerFormer EmployeeSanta Ana, CA
Pros
I met a lot of good people who were just as unfortunate as I was while working for David Colton. I managed to stick it out during the down economy. Property managers get a Chevron card.
Cons
I worked for the Colton Company for 6 years. He is a crook. He is a fraud. He is extremely abusive to employees of all levels. He puts property managers in precarious situations such as CAM reconciliations that are never reconciled and then bills back tenants for improvements that are never done. They don't have budgets performed on the properties so how is he coming up with CAM estimates to bill tenants. My tenant URS challenged this and they were given a ridiculous excel spreadsheet that Jon McClintock (Dave's partner in crime or CFO) made up. Completely fraudulent. He hires young girls with no experience & makes them property managers & if they flirt back-they get promoted to Asset Manager. Extremely embarrassing to those with actual experience. David Colton also drunk dials his female employees (I was one of them) & tries to hook up. You can't embarrass him or you will lose your job. To save time from having to go to court- always have a ready made excuse. Glad those days are behind me.
10 - 5.0Apr 14, 2017Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee
Pros
I worked for The Colton Company for 3 years and it was a great learning experience. The management team is very professional and helped me learn a lot about the business. When I took the position, I was new to real estate and after three years I was able to take what I learned and got a management level position at another company. The owner of the business is a very smart man and is the reason this company has been so successful.
Cons
There is a steep learning curve in this business and it takes a few months to really understand the basics. I am really grateful that The Colton Company was able to help me get my foot in the door and now I'm an asset manager.
1 - 5.0Aug 8, 2016Anonymous EmployeeCurrent Employee
Pros
The job is always changing and fast-paced. I love it because I am able to learn many new skills and interact with tenants, brokers, vendors, etc. The owner of the company allows the employees to work very independently and will always compensate those employees that are doing a great job. The company is steady and provides newcomers to the business with an opportunity to grow. If you are interested in taking on a job where you can wear many different hats and learn many new skills then this is the place for you. It can sometimes be an intense work environment when the job isn't getting done but if you are doing your work and working hard you won't have any complaints.
Cons
It is sometimes stressful dealing with tenant or vendor calls after-hours but in any real estate position you will most likely need to deal with items after-hours.
- 1.0Sep 27, 2014Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee
Pros
Colton Co offers slightly better pay than other junior level property manager or administrative openings. Nice offices.
Cons
Dave Colton is sexist, racist, abusive, and generally believes that rules don't apply to him. When requesting temporary or temp to hire staff, he routinely asked for female candidates who were young and attractive. Required that they live in certain "desirable" areas. He would turn down a resume from a candidate in Santa Ana without reviewing it, preferring applicants live in Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Irvine... Would ask the race of the applicant before agreeing to interview... He once told me that he expects female employees to show up to work wearing a skirt and pumps. On the rare occasion I was able to place someone there, they would quit within a couple of weeks because they couldn't deal with the verbal abuse and unrealistic expectations (such as showing up an hour early for a required meeting - unpaid). All this for $15/hour
5 - 2.0Aug 15, 2013Property ManagerFormer Employee, more than 1 year
Pros
gain experience in client relations, property management, & capital improvement project management. you will meet a lot of people and hopefully find somewhere else that will appreciate your work and drive.
Cons
Horrible work environment. Owner is a sexist and racist and is completely inappropriate. He will fill you in on all his dating adventures including whether he got laid or not. He will let you know if he thinks you look sexy that day. He will ask if he can take you out on a weekday night for drinks/dinner. Completely ridiculous. He pays very little for all he expects you to do and accomplish despite promises of raises.
8 - 1.0Jul 26, 2015Anonymous EmployeeFormer Employee, less than 1 yearIrvine, CA
Pros
Some nice people working under the worst conditions. The owner is a unapologetic racist, and sexually explicit monster so they are doing the best they can.
Cons
David Colton is without doubt a terrible leader. He's a flagrant liar and is clearly mentally unstable. His fits of rage are famous in the Laguna Design Center where all the tenants despise him and no one in the corporate office or any vendor can stand him. His sexually explicit remarks towards woman are a daily occurrence and getting any work done is impossible as any direction from him is completely contradicted hours later. He's inadequate and has no idea how to manage people let alone a company which is about to be removed from under him in a receiver hearing, Colton Company runs in circles and looses countless millions to his mismanagement.
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Colton Company Reviews FAQs
Colton Company has an overall rating of 2.3 out of 5, based on over 24 reviews left anonymously by employees. 18% of employees would recommend working at Colton Company to a friend and 25% have a positive outlook for the business. This rating has decreased by -6% over the last 12 months.
18% of Colton Company employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews. Employees also rated Colton Company 2.2 out of 5 for work life balance, 1.8 for culture and values and 2.5 for career opportunities.
According to reviews on Glassdoor, employees commonly mention the pros of working at Colton Company to be culture, management, career development and the cons to be senior leadership, diversity and inclusion.
