Gary is a miracle worker, simply put. I came to Gary in what we both expected was a great situation for both of us. I was a buyer with a great credit score, documented income from a small business and a spotless financial reputation. He was an experienced agent highly recommended by a friend. For good reason. Almost immediately Gary found me the exact house I had described, down to the type of flooring I'd asked for & the specific layout! Best of all, the house was just about to enter the market, & hadn't gone into listing. I was the first person to see it, it was in my price range... turnkey ... perfect. I was ecstatic. BUT...this was just the start of what would become a 10-month long, Persian-bizarre situation for myself and the seller, during which Gary never once gave up on either of us--against all odds. I'm aware that most agents would have given up in the early stages. Gary didn't, and today, he and the broker I used are the reason I'm sitting in that very house as I write this review. After you read the summary of what happened, you'll understand why I recommend him--10 stars...even tho the ratings don't go that high! Whether you're buying, selling, call him. You won't be sorry, and he'll treat you like a real human being. He'll listen and not dismiss what you tell him in favor of fast sales. He'll find you the right house, or the right buyer if you're selling, even if it takes time. He'll work with you until you get it done. He's much more educated about pricing & overall RE than any agent I've worked with. He has the best attitude on the planet--bar none!!!
Despite having previously purchased a house here, & having paid that mortgage off in good standing, my journey was one of the many horror stories that you heard about in 2009 and 2010 as banks, brokers etc. tried to make sense of bad decisions, bad loans, lack of oversight and other craziness that many of us had no part in. For me, I had the misfortune of entering the house-buying process during a time when the bailout was going through congressional vote...& banks refused loans to everyone. Despite that I could show proof of more income than was even necessary to purchase the house, the first two brokers I went to simply had no clue in the new climate. Gary is committed to real customer service and was as undaunted by all of the setbacks as I was & as the seller was! Realizing that getting a loan was going to be a longer process than we imagined after agreeing on terms, the seller needed to move out of state & the house would be empty. So I rented it while we continued the loan process with a 2nd & finally, a 3rd broker. The 3rd time is a charm & the broker couldn't believe that as a small business owner I had not been submitted for an FHA loan by anyone! As I tried not to let the previous broker's time-wasting, money-grubbing behavior get my spirits down (we were now in Month 4!) Gary hung in there with us, checking in sometimes several times/wk to make sure both parties were OK. During this time the IRS also lost my tax return after I'd paid extra for a CPA to do the return in a rush so FHA could be happy. Finally, loan approval came, but bad news...FHA has decided to invoke a rarely used rule, which my broker had never seen used by anyone in his 17 yrs of business, which claimed that the buyer must wait 6 MORE MONTHS before closing on the house because the buyer was renting from the seller and somewhere the fraudulent activity flag got ticked by the panic-stricken fed bean counters who were doing their darndest to drive the economy ever further under than it already was in January of 2009 by hurting those of us who actually could pay...all because of those who had signed loans they couldn't afford or used stated income for same. I fell into neither category & had the proof. The seller knew it. Gary knew it. My broker knew it.
We were so stunned after getting the latest news, it was like being in some live, onstage version of Pulp Fiction! But now, to decide: can we both wait another 6 months to close the deal after waiting almost 5 months already?! Meanwhile, I am paying the seller's mortgage and utilities, which amounts to much more money than my own loan will come out to monthly at the closing (this is because of the lower prices at the time of my purchase than when the seller bought the home previously). I'm now out all the cashflow & breathing room that I had hoped to use to do some landscaping in the back yard & furnish the house. The seller & I agree to hang in, Gary hangs in...& we finally close in June 2009 after 10 months of total crazy! If that doesn't tell you what kind of agent Gary is, you won't find one that makes you happy in Tucson. I bought in the NW, but Gary knows all of Tucson and Oro Valley, too. Wishing you the best in your own dream house hunt in this bizarre new world of RE & economic weirdness. You couldn't get a better guide through it all than Gary LaPrise. read more