I first learned of Monticello Real Estate when their office was located in our downtown Albany neighborhood - always a good sign. I've watched the firm grow and prosper over the years, and when the time came to list our historic brownstone, I knew we would be in good hands.
I look at Real Estate listings the way some people read the sports pages, and Monticello has consistently impressed me with the use of technology in their presentation of homes.
1. In addition to standard online multiple listing services, they set up a custom website for their properties with the address of the home as the URL - in our case, 216Lancaster.com .
2. They have a team that takes outstanding listing photos - literally showing your home in the best light.
3. Beyond the photos, they develop a 3-D tour of the property, which can be viewed as a room-by-room walk through or a dollhouse view.
4. Exterior views are facilitated by drone photography, which is a highlight of the house tour video they create.
When I first met with Alex Monticello, the business owner, I honestly thought these four items would be extras, options we could elect to pay for in addition to the seller's commission. I was pleasantly surprised that these were included in his standard contract.
Alex provided valuable advice on de-cluttering our home and preparing for the photographers, and can even recommend someone to do staging if you need help.
He was flexible with the listing price, carefully weighing the comparable properties in the area and mindful of supply and demand.
Once the listing was live, Alex was respectful of our time and privacy, which was especially important as I work from home. We were delighted that Alex delivered an offer after only three showings, and at just 2% under asking price.
We accepted that first offer and Alex and his team skillfully managed every step of the closing process, from negotiations with the buyer's attorney to inspections and walk throughs.
We enthusiastically recommend Alexander Monticello. He's a true professional and a genuinely nice guy - and now we live in the same neighborhood! read more