Thank God it was Daniela who my friend (an elderly lady with dementia, and a number of house…read morealterations outside of code) happened to contact when she decided to sell; I think there could've been an outright disaster otherwise. While I hold my friend's power of attorney, I'm a 71-year-old retiree in Maryland, never sold a house before, and am NOT 'handy'. But Daniela DID accept the challenges of the situation, and as a direct result the house sold nearly 20% above the already-high starting market price, and the proceeds will sustain my friend in senior care for the rest of her life.
Daniela was patient and respectful of us throughout our slow process of preparing for sale (removing a tenant, finding senior care in Maryland, selecting what my friend would take there and moving her, emptying everything ELSE in the house, and getting repairs done that were needed to be ready for inspection), but everything she touched moved like lightning. We needed more communication and guidance than most, and she was flawless in this, and in everything from beginning to end, explaining at each stage what was coming, what needed to be done, and what our options were. She pointed out the benefit of an expediter -I'd never heard of 'em - to deal with the town about code violations, and recommended one rather than leaving it on me to find one. And that was the pattern throughout: she recommended good people for every task that came up, but accepted and worked hand-in-glove with whoever we chose.
When needed, she was our advocate with each of the folks we worked with, helping ensure things were done as we wanted. I couldn't even be present to admit workmen or to check their work, living so far away, and she took this on for us - though it DID help that the house is about 5 minutes from her office. As a novice, I tended toward going overboard on discretionary improvements, but she restrained me to ones that would count bottom-line, and they returned about 5 times what we spent.
Tradespeople may speak of 'being a partner' with their customer; the reality often falls short - but not with Daniela. After the house sold, she said: "I just take each project on as my responsibility, until it's completed." She is not only the most trustworthy businessperson I've met in my life, but also one of the finest human beings.
Finally: Daniela did all this for us while helping other people buy and sell THEIR houses - and managing the realty office where she works. So if you work with one of 'her' realtors, I expect you'd be in great hands, too.
