I had a truly magical experience working with Mark and Michele of Roots Realty. They are delightful, genuine people with an informal, unpretentious manner that put me at ease immediately. Right from the get-go, I felt like I was connecting with old friends who knew me well and cared about my life, though I'd never met either of them before. I had never bought a home before either, and in their sweet humor-infused way they seemed to anticipate and understand all my emotional convolutions.
Throughout my home-searching and buying process, I was blown away by their responsiveness. Rarely did I leave a voice mail or send an email without receiving a reply within ten to fifteen minutes. Their attitude with me was always generous and thorough. I never had the sense they were in a hurry or had other clients to attend to, though of course they did. But they were there for me always, even on evenings and weekends. I was sometimes shocked at the times of evening one of them would respond practically instantly to me, and always with good-humored grace.
When I did find the house of my dreams through the daily listings they sent me, it was a Saturday. I called Mark immediately and he came right over in less than an hour to see the place! He agreed it was a great house for me and my needs. He coached me beautifully on how much to bid, explaining that if I really wanted the house I should bid no more than I could afford, but that I should avoid making a bid that was too low such that I might kick myself for it later and think, "If I'd only bid a little more, then maybe ..." He had a way of articulating this much more precisely, in a way that clarified my process and made it easier for me to access my truth and my heart, and that's no joke. He also suggested I include a personal letter with my bid, which I did. Then I showed him the letter first before submitting it to the sellers, and he took the time to give detailed feedback, on the basis of which I wrote a second draft, which he also reviewed and okayed.
Ultimately, despite the fact that two other prospective buyers submitted bids significantly higher (as in $15K and $18k higher!) than my own, the sellers accepted my bid! I still don't know entirely why, and Mark and Michele say they don't either, but I know at least part of the credit goes to the professionalism and persuasiveness and reputation of Mark and Michele, as well my stellar mortgage broker, Anette Sieversen, who often works in tandem with Roots Realty. I felt like I had the superhero team on my side!
Another feature of working with Mark and Michele was that, often, I'd email them a question and they'd both respond within minutes of each other, sometimes saying more or less the same thing, but also perhaps offering slightly different perspectives which came together with a sort of stereo effect to fully clarify whatever the issue was. A lot of details came up both before and after I found my house of course. After the sellers accepted my bid, I had questions about inspections, repairs, all kinds of stuff. M & M are wonderfully knowledgeable and experienced with everything; they know houses, they know all the issues. Mark even met with me for two and a half hours on a Friday afternoon just to go over with me all the elements of the inspection report, and help me organize and determine the repairs I should do sooner than later, and whose services I might engage to get them done, and how much my approximate costs might be.
I've enjoyed spending time with Mark and Michele. My only regret now that the sale on my new house is about to close tomorrow is that I won't get to touch base with them as often. I recommend their services most highly! read more
