My wife and I decided to sell or townhome in Bristow, VA, and upgrade to a single family- also in Bristow. Our next door neighbor had just sold her home and recommended that we talk with her realtor- Bill Denny. We actually interviewed a few local realtors, but decided to hire Bill for a few reasons. Obviously our neighbor's high marks for Bill were influential. But I valued his experience just as much. I didn't want to hire a rookie or part-timer. I also like that Bill has other folks working with him. Karyl Allen (also within Bill's group) was incredibly helpful. Between them, they had virtually unlimited availabilty to show us potetial homes to buy. We never felt like a nuisance or imposition. Every question or request was addressed quickly, if not immediately.
So how did it all work out?
My home went under contract the same day it went on the market. Bill had pre-marketed the property and had a buyer lined-up. We got our asking price and a hassle-free contract. Given that the house appraised for the sales price, I'm confident that the home was priced appropriately- per Bill's advice. The other realtors we interviewed felt the home should have been priced $5K less.
Same-day sale, at asking price, with all our conditions met? Can't get much better than that.
We also got a contract on a VERY nice home to buy. Inventory was pretty low when we were shopping, and contracts had to be timely and competitive. Bill made it happen and helped us get a home that our family loves. I was nervous that the VA product I wanted to use would make it harder for us to score a deal, but Bill assured me it wouldn't. And he was right.
And speaking of VA products. Bill came through on the loan too. He recommended I speak with Sal Rotante (sp?) at Prosperity Mortgage. That turned out to be a GREAT move. I wa originally going to use my credit union or work with Wells Fargo's phone center for my loan. Both options turned out to suck,,,a lot. Sal, on the other hand, was great. First off he works in a local office. I was able to sit down with him and discuss my needs and concerns, and he was able to go over all rates/paperwork/conditions with me, in-person, line-by-line. Try doing this over the phone and/or internet. No thanks. A loan is someting you're stuck with for 30yrs. Do yourself a favor. Work with a local agent. Sal got me a great (VA) loan, at a great rate. In fact, it was the same loan I would have got through Wells Fargo, but I recieved the additional benefit of Sal's 20+years of experience, and excellent customer service. He even showed-up at our settlement just to make sure everything went smooth. And it did.
I truly thoght that selling my home and buying a new one was going to be a royal P.I.T.A. Thanks to Bill and his associates, it was actually kind of fun. I couldn't be happier with the service and results I received. read more