Steven Goff was our realtor, and as first time home buyers we could not have asked for better!…read more
Low pressure and I mean low. You will NEVER get the hard sell routine from this guy. There's no rush or impatience, and he strongly discourages you from even making an offer until you've seen a double digit number of houses. Steven really wants you to see what's out there, and find the perfect spot, but he is also ready to move fast when you find what you want. Steven is keenly aware of how quick things move in the Austin market and he springs into action when the time comes.
Steven is 150% honest and straight forward, you don't have to even think about, thinking about whether or not he's really on your side in a negotiation. In fact, Steven was ready to fight for the best deal even more than we were. As first time home buyers, we were really overly worried about losing a house we wanted in this competitive Austin market, but several times Steven saved us from making a huge mistake by overpaying or falling victim to the shady business practices of the sellers agent.
When you are looking at homes he is ready to answer your questions, if you have them, and had great vision for the potential each home had to offer. More importantly to me though, was that he was really great about stepping back, so we could look over the place on our own and express our opinions to each-other with feeling watched/judged by our agent. He was also really funny during the tours, in a comforting stress relieving kind of way, not in that horrible sleazy used car salesman way.
The thing that most set Steven apart for me, is that he knows Austin like the back of his hand, and had awesome "insider" tidbits to share about places we looked at. Like, "This is right be Evangeline Café...it's an Austin legend...If you haven't been there you have to try it, and get the Pecan Praline Pistolette for desert." OR "The guys that is selling this place you to be in the band Fastball (then plays us a song because we don't remember them...and I love that band can't believe I forgot them), but now he is into urban farming." I could go on for ages, but you get the idea, if you want a local agent who's going to help you find a home that suits your unique Austin dream, Steven's got the hook up. With Steven you aren't just buying a house you get a sense of what the entire area is like, and in Austin there's so much amazing stuff hidden around every corner, so it's a real bonus to have someone who can help point out all the little gems in your area.
Finally, I just wanted to mention Alan Holt the Broker/Owner of Holt Residential. Stephen was free to admit that he was still "new" to the business (though you'd never know it if he didn't tell you), and occasionally when Stephen didn't have the answer or we came across something odd, Alan was always just a phone call away to help figure it out. Now granted we are first time home buyers, but I get the feeling that this was really something special. I don't think the Broker/Owner of some of the larger firms is just available for consult at any random moment for any minor detail. It really makes you feel like the entire Holt Residential team is there for you, and when you are combining Stephens knowledge of Austin with Alan's knowledge of real estate, you feel very secure that your finding your perfect dream home at the perfect price.