It's been a nightmare COVID 19 era. The blame falls squarely with Equity Resources for rail roading…read moremy mortgage account to force a foreclosure. I am a disabled vet, housebound, immunocompromised and after being late one payment, immediately received an accelerated payment demand from Equity. I received the letter before I missed my second payment. I was given six weeks to pay the two payments and no ability to respond. I receive emails that say my payments have processed when they haven't. I tried to sell because the letters frightened me. I am swirling in a morass of threatening letters and phone calls as well as credit report hits. Shame on you Equity.

I got off to a bad start with another mortgage person and because of that, I found Equity…read moreRescources and John Garafalo. He got us a significantly lower rate on our condo in Maryland. We live in California and were not even going to see the condo until a couple weeks after closing escrow. John and his associate Alison Rota took care of making everything happen on time. They are really professional and knowledgeable about their business. Use them with confidence.

i am very happy with DCA realtors and their professionalism. Charisse and her staff have been the…read moreutmost supportive during my search for a lovely place i can call home. Thank you DCA Realtors

My advice to anyone wanting to sell their home is, "PLEASE, SELECT ANOTHER REALTOR!" This…read moreexperience caused me soooo much stress! Right from the beginning of the process when I told Charisse that I'd added my daughter's name on the house title several years back, and she insisted that my daughter DID NOT have to sign the paperwork, my gut told me to select another realtor. I didn't, because I really wanted to give my business to someone who looked like me. Let me say this, "Do not let this be your reason for selecting a realtor." I learned the hard way. She placed my house on the web on a Wednesday and advertised an Open House on the upcoming Saturday. Saturday evening after the Open House, she closed down the webpage to accepting offers after just a few hours and four offers. I wanted to know why and was told that "four offers was enough." She went over the offers with me and I was guided to one of her fellow realtors, which I agreed to, thinking that the process would flow smoothly with a realtor as the buyer... My mistake. From this point forward everything went south! From my daughter's signature NOT BEING INCLUDED on the documents and me being told that I WOULD pay for this correction at closing, to the realtor/buyer lowering her offer by $18,000, to being notified two days before closing that the realtor/buyer would not be able to close on the DAY THAT SHE SELECTED, etc... I could go on, but I think you get the point. I should inform you that during the entire process, the lack of communication as to keeping me informed what was going on, was atrocious! The 'strange' thing to me was the several calls I'd receive after maybe a week or so of hearing nothing from Charisse, she'd call and recite a lengthy dialogue on how she prides herself on being attentive to her customers. What? I don't know if she'd be punking, me or actually being serious. I suppose "I was not to believe my lying eyes?" Anyway, after a month-and-a-half of, the agreed on price being lowered by $18,000, added closing cost (no fault of mine), long periods of non-communication, closing date being changed twice with no definitive date ever being given, etc... "I called it quits!" This was a horrible experience! Then...I went through weeks of more non-responsiveness trying to get Charisse to VIOD the contract I signed with her. I never expected to have this type of experience in what was being called "a seller's market." To this day I suspect that I was in the midst of a scam. I say that because the buyer/realtor made her offer WITHOUT NEVER SEEING THE HOUSE! I mentioned this to Charisse and she 'assured' me that the "buyer/realtor was not like that"... Thoughts? Anyway, my review of this realtor is, "NO, NOT THIS ONE, KEEP LOOKING!"

In March 2024, we needed to sell my parents' house in MD in a hurry, while living in CA. The house…read moreneeded multiple renovations and repairs that we needed to be cost-effective and did not have the time or ability to manage ourselves. Melinda took care of and oversaw everything. She found the contractors, got multiple bids, supervised everything and kept it on an incredibly quick schedule that I thought was not possible, and ended up closing the sale in early June for substantially more value than seemed possible a few months earlier. I have worked with multiple real estate agents over the years. There is no comparison to the value that Melinda has brought. She took responsibility for every aspect of getting the house ready to sell and delivered on all of her promises - if not over delivered. I cannot recommend her enough!!!

Melinda provided great service throughout the process of selling my mother's property. She was very…read moreinvolved throughout the process, providing valuable guidance and hands-on oversight of the various reno and repair projects that needed to be completed before the house was put on the market. Her kind and calm demeanor was an asset during the sometimes stressful moments.

We purchased our home in Capitol Hill from sellers who used the JLC Team, and knew we wanted to…read morework with Jackie, Libby, and Crystal based on that experience. From the first time we met with them to assess our home, we were impressed with not only their knowledge of the neighborhood and market, but also their ability to assess and make recommendations about realistic improvements to maximize the sale. We relied on, and trusted, all of the recommendations they made for vendors (including for multiple moving companies for our cross country move). Jackie, Libby, Crystal, and their team made the whole process so easy and coordinated repairs, listing, and closing with ease. We accepted an offer within a week on our home, above asking. They made this a completely stress-less process and are kind, communicative, and a pleasure to work with. We are so happy we chose the JLC Team to list and sell our home and would recommend them to anyone, especially in the Capitol Hill Neighborhood!

It was a pleasure to work with the JLC Team! Jackie and Libby met me for an afternoon while I was…read morein DC for a quick trip to visit my family. They were friendly, fun, great listeners, and showed me several appealing properties in one afternoon. I was ready to put in a bid on Monday! They guided me through the process, helped explain the steps, and provided names for an inspector and an attorney. Their attention to detail and communication skills were extraordinary. I am so grateful for their time, care and attention. Jackie, Libby, Crystal and Shelly are exceptional, and I will recommend them without reservation. With my sincere appreciation, Cynthia F

Real estate agents-- what do they actually do? Show you a list of houses, fill out some boilerplate…read moreforms, and cash their commission checks. Do they provide any input a capable person could not research own their own. We purchased a investment home last year after Henry had shown it to us. We wanted to wait a year before we reviewed Henry to make sure he wasn't one of those real estate agents who disappears when the deal is done and follows up every year with a pre-printed holiday card or a refrigerator magnet with their face on it. I can say confidently that not only is Henry a great resource for information, but he also really went beyond the scope of his work many times throughout the whole home buying process. We had multiple properties in different locations throughout the Maryland area and he really did the homework and understood each property before each viewing. As we are planning to purchase our next property Henry has been fantastic throughout the year fielding our questions and even keeping us abreast on new developments. Furthermore, since he is an investor himself he knows the Maryland real estate investment market well and was able to shepherd us in the right direction with loans, housing, inspectors, etc. If plan to buy a him in the Montgomery County or surrounding area go with Henry, you won't regret it!

Henry helped my wife and I make our first home purchase. We now own a beautiful split level house…read morein northern Montgomery County, MD. Henry was attentive, quick to respond, dependable, and most importantly, he was available during weekends and late hours of the day on week days. It worked perfectly with my work schedule to tour houses. Henry did more than just help us find our home. During the purchase process he negotiated hard to get us the best price possible for the house. He even helped negotiate for a washer and dryer. I would use Henry again in the future for my real estate needs.

Real estate can be a cutthroat business and there are plenty of real estate professionals in the…read moreworld that think it is their job to be as obnoxious and adversarial as possible. John is a breed apart. He works through the challenges of the real estate transaction with humor and an even temperament. I've worked with John when he represented some buyers that wanted to purchase one of my listings in College Park. He made it known that his clients were interested in buying the house and he would make sure everyone in the process was treated fairly and with respect. As a result, the transaction went smoothly from beginning to end. The sellers (my clients) were happy with the results and it seemed the buyers were pleased to be moving into a nice home. It was great working with him.

I hate to think of what our housing situation would be had we not chosen to go with John as our…read morereal estate agent. My husband and I had a house in Maryland but were interested in moving to DC. This was back in 2008, and the market in our area had just peaked and housing prices were starting to drop. We had to sell our house for a certain amount or we wouldn't have been able to buy the new place. Fortunately for us, John understood that. He helped us price our house well and we seemed to get a lot of interest but no buyers. He told us that if we dropped the price a little more, we would probably get an offer, but we were adamant that we not take on a new mortgage for more than we budgeted. The place we were looking to buy was a new construction home, so John worked with us and the developer to renegotiate the price of the new house so the difference for us was exactly what it would have been. And sure enough, our house sold once we dropped the price, and we got our new home for a steal. I never felt rushed working with John, but more importantly I always felt like he had our backs. There's a reason John has been in business as long as he has. He's worked through almost every type of housing market and knows just about every community in DC and the MD suburbs. That's the kind of experience you want. when you're buying a new home, selling your current home, or both!

I an a REALTOR and have brokered 3 separate companies and use FGTE Lake Ridge as my go to…read moresettlement company. There is no other processor that holds a candle to Sharon Gray and the rest of the staff is top notch. Sharon and her staff have saved 3 clients the pain of settling on homes where deficiencies were missed by other companies during prior sales. Additionally, Johanne Mullarkey has conducted more settlements for me than I can count and has been professional and very plain spoken and clear for all of my clients. I have used other companies and been very pleased, but in a world of hamburgers and steaks, FGTE Lake Ridge is a filet mignon!

I buy and close houses frequently since I am an investor. This is the worst settlement company I've…read moreever used. They had very little communication with me (buyer) before closing. I was able to get closing estimates before hand when I insisted. When I arrived in their office, the front desk lady was unpleasant and was rushing to close the office. They had mistakes in the paperwork. The closing lady rushed through the paperwork very fast. They did not give me the keys for the house I bought. Just before leaving, I realized that and went back to the front desk - the front desk lady was annoyed. The closing lady handled the situation rudely. Overall, it was a very awful experience.

Herbert Riggs, many experts rolled into one…read more Herbert Riggs' unique skillset allowed us to find a great deal and enjoy the home buying process. Home buyers are nearly universally disadvantaged when buying a home; so many expertise and perspectives are needed in order to make a well informed and wise decision; you basically need a panel of experts on your side like a mortgage broker, contractor, market analyst, negotiator and area expert. When you hire Herbert Riggs as your relator, you actually get all of these experts rolled into one. Because he used to be a mortgage broker, he was able to provide extremely useful insight into the many quotes we received. We then chose our mortgage broker with confidence knowing that we were getting a fair deal. Because of his degree and passion for finance, he can put your current buying window into market context. What kind of seller attitudes and strategies can you expect? Where are interest rates headed? How does the current market compare historically? We had fascinating and informative conversations with Herb that gave us confidence in our timing and strategy. Because Herb is a Harvard-trained negotiator, we knew that we were using all possible resources to win with the lowest possible price. Many realtors just open doors, guess about the value of the property, and wait for their commission. But when you visit a property with Herb, you can rest assured that Herb's well-trained analytical eye and mind are on the task. From helping you solidify your own criteria to evaluating liabilities, visiting properties will be a substantive and educational experience. In one house that my spouse and I liked, Herb wisely pointed out hidden water damage and a lower quality flooring than what was assumed or advertised. When it came time for our home inspection, Herb even pointed out piping vulnerabilities that the inspector had missed. Some realtors only know that area because they live there; Herb performs in depth-analyses of historical data so that you can know how the current selling price compares to collocated and similar properties. Herb helped put into perspective the geographic forces that could be used to justify or change the value of the property. How does this school rank? What socioeconomic forces influence this area? This is the kind of work that many realtors simply don't want to do; for Herb it comes naturally. Of the several realtors we worked with, Herb stands out as superior thanks to his holistic approach into every part of the home buying process. From one scared homebuyer to another, let me assure you that Herb's expertise and experience will guide you to a great deal that you will be happy with, and you will enjoy the confidence of knowing that you have several experts on your side every step of the way.

Herbert Riggs was recommended to us by our attorney as we are not from the area. He was very…read moreknowledgeable of the area and prices of the properties. He recommended some upgrades and he took charge of getting them all accomplished for us. This helped us to sell the property we inherited in a much quicker timeframe. Herbert has also become a friend as he is willing to help us in many matters that are not even relate to his job. We feel comfortable calling him with any questions and he is always willing to help us out.