I can't say enough positive things about Ann and her team at Pro-Gulf! Her positive reviews online caught my eye as I scoured the internet in search of a realty expert/miracle worker to help me list a property in Cape Coral. It was 6:30 pm, so I picked up the phone to leave a voicemail at her office saying I would only be in town for one day the following week and it sure would be great if someone could meet with me that day. I was quite surprised at that time, but would not be now, to reach a live person when Lorrie answered and told me it was no problem, that someone would meet me at the property. The call was a harbinger of the responsiveness I received throughout the entire process.
And what a process it was! I live 1000 miles away and had not been keeping a close enough eye on the property while "renting" it to a family member. The property was in very rough shape when I retook possession, but Ann and Lorrie and Jeff came out on that first day, reassured me that it wasn't the end of the world and they had been down this road before, and talked me through the clean-up/repair options regarding which segment of the market I wanted to target (investor, FHA buyer, etc). Over the subsequent weeks and months, they leveraged an extensive portion of their local contact list putting me in touch with cleaners, repairmen, and other contractors who did good work at fair prices during the times I couldn't be there to do the work myself. A few trips to Florida and a good amount of sweat later, I was ready to list.
If the story had ended here, I would still give Ann and Pro-Gulf five stars, but it was after listing that I really learned where her expertise lies. Her pricing strategy resulted in five offers in five days, and Ann was able to sniff out the offers that looked good on paper but didn't have much substance behind them to find the best offer with the best chance of making it through to closing. Sensing that the offer we selected might be above the appraisal value, Ann pre-negotiated concessions from the buyer to offset the lowering of the price on my end should the appraisal come in lower. Lowering the sale price obviously lowered her commission, but this was never once discussed with me, and it was a great example of Ann's integrity that she was willing to put my interests ahead of hers to close the deal. In the end, we lowered the price about $7500, and it ended up affecting my bottom line by exactly twenty seven cents ($0.27)!
I can't write this review without acknowledging the talents and efforts of Ann's office manager/assistant/problem solver/possible cyborg that doesn't require sleep, Lorrie. She was my main point of contact with Pro-Gulf and if there had been a time when I had to wait more than 60 minutes for her to answer one of my emails, regardless of time of day, I might have called 911 to investigate her disappearance, because she was just that responsive. She put me in touch with many excellent professional trades people, accepted a delivery at the property on a weekend when I wasn't in town, kept me apprised of next steps throughout the process, and even helped negotiate a sticky situation the day before closing that threatened to hold up the deal.
In closing, while this review falls under Ann's profile, the Pro-Gulf team is exactly that in every sense of the word: a team. They work incredibly well together to deliver results for their clients. I barely mentioned the broker, Jeff, with whom I didn't have much contact, but he did draw the unenviable task of having the difficult conversation with me regarding how much work it would take to get the house to a move-in ready condition vs. the profits I would forego if I sold it as-is and let someone else deal with it. It was a necessary reality check and led me to the decision that I believe resulted in the best path forward, but it wasn't a fun chat for either of us. As I begin my next foray into the real estate market (this time a little closer to home for my primary residence), I am extremely hopeful that I will find a team with half the talent exhibited by Pro-Gulf to help guide my journey. They are the best! read more
