We hired DiAnne Spain at ReMax Tiffany to sell my Mother's Buena Park, Ca. home in January 2019…read more BEST DECISION EVER!
I consider myself to be a smart, well educated, DIY kind of guy. So why hire an Agent when you can do it yourself with the help of all of the internet services available today? I'll tell you why: Because buying/selling real property never goes smoothly and it isn't cookie cutter. Every property needs one thing or another (or a bunch more) to present it at its best, pass inspection, and ensure the maximum price can be generated. This means managing contractors and staging, selecting the right bidder/offer that takes time honed experience, dealing with the opposing agent, and there are also always problems that need to be rectified along the way through to escrow closure. This is where an experienced realtor comes in, and DiAnne Spain is the best agent I have had in my experience in buying, selling and refinancing multiple real estate properties over several decades.
My experience with DiAnne went as follows: We met for 1-2 hours and walked through my Mother's 1956 home. She had several home improvement suggestions to enhance the homes sale valuation without doing extensive renovation or remodeling (read: without pouring in more $$$ than necessary). She called it "rehab", and the room-by-room, interior and exterior plan she devised was meant to bring the home out of the 1950's and 1970's, and into a more contemporary design that would appeal more to today's buyers.
It became quickly apparent that we were not just dealing with a real estate professional that only had a keen sense for the market in our area and what Buyer's wanted, but we were also hiring an interior/exterior designer, a contract manager, and an on-site coordinator all in one - and for the price of just the realtor.
There was never any pressure to implement the plan, and she accepted our guidance freely. She was willing to work with us in a way that made us comfortable. At the end of that first meeting, we had an improvement plan in hand with a draft budget for labor and material expenses...and we knew we had the right agent!
DiAnne's connections are vast. We were able to bring in handyman professionals that cost less than contractors but were able to get the job done equally well. The house was soon ready and up on the market within the proposed timeframe, at a price that was significantly higher than we had originally expected prior to meeting DiAnne. There was some plumbing, termite, electrical and other issues that DiAnne also dealt with along the way to ensure the house would meet code and be a safe environment for a new buyer. She coordinated it all!
Then the marketing began. You know the "Energizer Bunny?" DiAnne is like that: She just keeps going and going and going. DiAnne had every base covered: MLS and web presence on every search engine with professional photos, she even went door-to-door throughout the neighborhood handing out flyers to ensure everyone knew the home was now on the market. She staged the house herself and it looked great, costing us $0! We had three open houses in the first two weeks and several offers as a result to choose from.
In the end, we had a 100% positive experience. DiAnne's communication skills are excellent, and she will keep you abreast of everything at every step of the way. Not to say that everything went perfectly. Remember that it is never a smooth/cookie cutter process. Our first buyer had complications on their end necessitating that they back out of the deal, but DiAnne was in close contact with the Buyer's agent and knew of the potential issue as it materialized. She had continued marketing the home, and after the deal went south, we had two other offers on the table within 24 hours - and at a higher sales price than the original offer.
Had it not been for DiAnne, we would have made significantly less on the home's sale, and it would have taken significantly longer to close. Now we feel smart, happy, and know that our buyers have a terrific new home - and our old neighbors are very pleased too at the sale price we received!
Hire DiAnne without hesitation.
