When my mother passed away we had no shortage of agents wishing to sell her home on our behalf! But our family knew that it was imperative that we find the best possible realtor for the job. None of us lived nearby. Most of us lived at least an 8 hour drive away. Complicating this was the fact that my mother did not have a valid will and the property needed to go through probate! None of us had real estate experience and we desperately needed to get the best possible price for the home so as to cover her extensive debts. After an intensive process that considered several well qualified agents; and assisted by an excellent recommendation from one of my mothers neighbors who had told us in glowing terms about how he'd sold her home, we finally chose Daniel Vachon.
From the start it was evident Daniel was no ordinary realtor. Even though he was not able to list the home until I received the judges approval four months later, yet he was highly engaged with us. He assisted me with various probate questions and documents. It was obvious that he had been through this process many times before. And if he did not know the answer he would go to the right people and ask. He talked to the San Diego Assessor regarding tax obligations and with the probate office regarding other items. He would email me required documents (I didn't know they even needed to be filed!), assisted me in filling them out and at times even submitted them on my behalf.
Daniel took charge of things helping us with the process of removing items from the home, overseeing touch up, replacement / repair of flooring and fixtures, landscaping and other things that would help to increase its attractiveness to a potential buyer. It was evident that Daniel understood the market well as he pushed hard to show the house at the earliest possible opportunity before the market was flooded with other homes for sale. Yet he always allowed us to be the ones who made the decisions. He was never pushy.
When I finally got the approval from the judge to sell sell the home, we had been working with Daniel for at least four months and that without any kind of a written contract. I had been contacted by numerous real estate agents, some of whom urged me to switch to them, yet none of us had the slightest inclination to do so. Daniel was knowledgeable, savvy, personable, with excellent instincts and much experience.
It was then that Daniel went into high gear helping us to decide on the listing price and showing the home. Even though all of us lived far from the home, Daniel made it easy for us. Approvals and documents that needed our attention were able to be signed online. Daniel was an excellent communicator even though we had incessant and extensive questions that ranged from ignorant to picky! Yet Daniel took time to answer each one of them in depth. And throughout the entire process he assumed the job of heavy lifting, making sure that every document was filled out to perfection, negotiating with potential buyers and counseling with us on the activity of the market and possible steps we might need to take to ensure the sale of the home.
After two different buyers backed out of their agreements with us due to the softening market and interest in the home drying up. At this point we were willing to drop the price to a point where we might not of been able to meet expenses. But it was Daniel that advised us not to drastically lower the price advising us as to our options, recommending that we spend the money to professionally stage the home. When we allowed Daniel to do the staging, Interest immediately picked up and we soon had two buyers bidding against each other for the home. we were surprised and very grateful for the price that Daniel was able to get us. And even then Daniel worked extensively with the escrow company overseeing every detail until the new owners took possession.
Daniel was extensively knowledgeable with every phase of the process. He was extremely hard-working, acting as if it was his own home that he was selling! In addition to that he was honest, personable, conscientious and detailed. We were so blown away by the energy and expertise that he had poured into this sale even though he was more reasonably priced than anyone else; going "above and beyond what was expected and so satisfied with the results that we ended up sending him a significant cash gift as a "thankyou".
If we had another home to sell in that area there would be no one else that we would even consider to do the job. Daniel was simply the best. read more
