In June 2008, my wife, Ann and I bought a new home in Castle Rock, CO with the intent of selling our mountain home in Summit County and moving back down to the Front Range. Unfortunately, the economy, and specifically the housing market, made a timely sale of our mountain home impossible. Consequently, we made a decision to rent our new Castle Rock home until we could sell our Summit County house.
Based on that decision, I interviewed numerous rental agencies, real estate brokers and individuals providing rental marketing and listing services. I received a wide range of "offers" and information, few of which inspired much confidence or show a tremendous amount of professionalism. One standout exception was Barry Wolf. He spent the time to answer all of my questions and work with me and our particular situation. I ended up choosing Barry over all of the others for the following reasons:
Responsiveness, attention to detail, follow-through to requests, and knowledge of the rental market and competition
Willingness to tailor his marketing and advertising to my specific needs and property (We were NOT just another number in a "canned" rental marketing package.)
Comprehensive service offerings - listing services, renter background checks and qualifications, lease agreements, general oversight, property management, etc.
Very competitive fee structure and willingness to work non-exclusively
Willingness to share helpful information and documentation (e.g., sample leases, rental applications, move-in/move-out check lists, etc.)
Willingness to provide guidance and advice which were in my best interest (and not necessarily his) - Great customer focus
Good, effective and rapid marketing of client homes: multiple web sites, great pictures, good advertising verbiage and other marketing materials
From the time Barry and I reached agreement, Barry was able to bring multiple potential renters to the table. In each case he personally showed my home, pointed out the unique features and kept me informed of every step along the way. It took him less than 30 days to find me a highly qualified tenant that met all of my requirements and we rented the home for the initially agreed rental amount. He supported me in every step and represented my best interests including attending the move-in walk-through with the tenant even though our agreement was only for marketing and listing services. Throughout the entire process, Barry confirmed and re-enforced the reasons why we hired him in the first place.
To put all of the above in proper perspective, I have owned, rented, and managed several properties myself and have a very good understanding of what is required to provide the range of services necessary to produce the quality and satisfaction that Barry does for his clients. Bottom line: I would place Barry Wolf in the top 1% of all rental agents and related service providers with whom I have had contact. We would definitely use Barry's services the next time the need arises and would not hesitate to recommend him to any prospective landlord or renter. read more