Ken Altes brokered my condo purchase as buyer's agent. Working with him was a positive experience since Ken knows Austin neighborhoods. And he was proactive: after we met at an ecologically-considerate house I asked him to show, Ken emailed me additional listings of a similar style and price that I might want to consider. He did not wait for me to contact him, as my previous realtor had.
During the buying process, Ken was a strong advocate for my interests, especially when it came to my problematic relationship with the one of the community's preferred mortgage lenders, United Lending. I had an inflexible date to vacate my apartment and the lender kept advising that my loan might not be ready in time. Ken kept their feet to the flame, especially as their timelines kept shifting. I got into my condo on schedule as a result.
And as a former property inspector, Ken brings a vision for potential future issues to the buying process. This was beneficial as he pointed out potential problems that could develop over time: he expressed concerns about the lack of flashing above a doorway; the proximity of electrical and water delivery at a sink; and we discussed an issue on an exterior tile deck where rainwater could pool and redirect into the condo's walls (and it later did, even after we called out this issue to the builder). read more