Don – THE man!
I cannot begin to thank you enough for being so supportive, directive, thoughtful, helpful, patient, and professional during the past FIVE years of our house-buying journey. We would never be in this beautiful, wonderful home had it not been for you – NO WAY.
It means the world to us to own our home – to feel safe – to have the freedom and peace of mind that goes along with that. And you were so right – our quality of life has improved 20-fold and we LOVE, LOVE the place.
Thank you, thank you.
You're my hero,K.M.
I never would have guessed when we first met you 5 years ago that you would have turned out to be our guide, mentor, therapist, cheerleader and sage. What an experience! THANK YOU for patience and understanding, for the "reality checks," the advice you gave us, and ultimately for steering us here … It is lovely and we are very happy!
Much appreciation,
T.
You did a fabulous job for us. Your advice was right on target – from painting to landscaping to staging. By suggesting inspections before marketing, you helped avoid problems about the two expensive issues that were discovered. Your advice on pricing got the house sold for over asking with two offers. Meanwhile, others on the street that were listed before ours are still on the market. Most of all, we appreciate that you did everything in our best interests. Thanks again for taking good care of us.
G. & J.
I am a widow and Don took care of me like family. He is kind, caring and, most important of all, a dedicated professional.
E.B.
Having Don Dunning as my Realtor® in a recent selling of a house, I can wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. After reviewing my house, Don was very careful in anticipating potential problems which might arise and to address them openly so there would be no surprises to anyone.
In the negotiation phase, when I had an acceptable offer, Don was meticulous in all the details to make sure delays were minimized and the sale went through smoothly. As I write this, I also noticed that some other similar homes which also hit the market around the same time still stand unsold.
A lot of buyers and sellers think Realtors® do "hardly anything" in a transaction but having dealt with Realtors® a number of times, I can say that usually is not the case. When you have a good surgeon, he or she makes the operation look easy and you think nothing is going on. In reality, it's because the surgeon is working behind the scenes to MAKE SURE nothing does go wrong.
Don was pro-active in a similar way and has many years of experience as well as the ethical backbone to make him an ideal choice. I'm sure anyone choosing Don Dunning as a realtor will be as happy with their choice as I was.
C.P.
My brother and I would like to express our gratitude for the fast sale of our mother's home. Don was recommended to us from a realtor friend in our area. He said Don was the best and he was right! We were guided through from start to finish with professionalism and ease. I want to thank you Don, for scheduling and handling all appointments with the necessary inspection agencies.
Don always kept us informed and up to date. This gave us peace of mind, especially since we had just lost our mother a month and a half earlier to lung cancer. Our mother's wishes were for us to sell the home immediately. The house went on the market June 2nd, 2006, a full price offer was placed on June 13th with no costs or contingences and we closed on July 10th.
I work and live out of the bay area, so having an experienced and knowledgeable realtor such as Don was very important. Your calmness and expertise was most reassuring. We can say with confidence, choosing Don Dunning as a realtor will make the sale your home a most pleasant experience.
Many Thanks,
K. & C.
Thank you for all your hard work in making us first-time home buyers!
When we started this process, we couldn't have imagined the complexities that lay ahead. For 11 months, you stuck with us, patiently helping us wade through the pros and cons of each potential property, enabling us to find the house that fit us best. Your breadth of knowledge and attention to detail made our experience much less daunting than it could have been.
We also greatly appreciated your flexibility. The fact that you were willing to work around our availability was a great stress-reducer for us.
We love the house, and couldn't be happier with it!
Best,
R & J
Thank you for assisting us in the sale of my house.
Your organization and opinions were greatly appreciated. It was a pleasure working with you. Every aspect of the sale went smoothly.
Thank you again for all your help.
Sincerely,
B & M.K.
Thanks for an outstanding performance as my Broker, in the purchase of [our home], and your contribution to the successful 1031 Exchange which resulted. I can say that, without your help, the exchange would have been far more difficult, if not impossible.
The value of your service was multiplied many times by the "extras" that you provided. These included the recommendation of an excellent Broker to handle the sale of the Santa Clara property, your influence with an uncooperative title company who almost killed the 1031 Exchange, and your ability to be there whenever we ran into a "bump in the road" that needed to be smoothed out, or roadblock that needed to be blasted out of the way.
I would also like to thank you for straight talk even when it was not always what I wanted to hear. You were also willing to listen to my wife and I. The result was team approach that worked. The result of both the sale of the Santa Clara property and the purchase of the Brickyard Landing property surpassed our expectations. We estimate that the successful completion of the 1031 Exchange has netted us a saving in excess of $100,000 in capital gains taxes.
As a Real Estate Broker myself and a Certified Property Manager, I appreciate professional work in the world of real estate.
Thank you,
A.M. & J.M., CPM
I cannot begin to thank you for all your help in finding a home, but I would like to let you know about the things I appreciated most.
As a first-time home buyer, I was feeling very overwhelmed by all the things I'd heard that I should and shouldn't be looking for in a home. You sat down with me and helped me figure out what was most important to me, and you helped me understand what things actually contribute to the value of a home and what things are relatively trivial.
You also kept me focused. After 4 months of house hunting, I was willing to buy just about anything with indoor plumbing. But you kept me focused on the things that were important to me, kept up with my changing expectations as I learned more about my own preferences (which seemed to change with each home I saw) and saved me a lot of time by helping me whittle the huge number of possible homes down to the few that were right for me.
Also, I felt lucky to have a realtor I could depend on and trust. You came highly recommended by several close friends as a responsive, trustworthy and thoroughly reliable person. I was looking for a realtor to help me find the right home at the right price, even if it took several months, and I was worried that about working with one of those agents who become mysteriously unresponsive at the first signs of wavering interest in the buyer and or one who bullies them into homes for the sake of a quick commission. I knew from our first meeting several years ago that you are the furthest from that kind of agent, and that you would not only help me find a home but that you would help me find the right home. Even though I decided not to buy a home when that first time we met, a few years ago, you were the only realtor that I wanted to work with this time around.
Most of all, I appreciated your flexibility. I'm sure that my being out of town most of the time didn't make things easy for you, and I very much appreciated all the late night conference calls and faxing that you did over the months we worked together. I thought you took that last big change very well, when we were about to write an offer on the house I finally purchased, we found out at the last minute that my brother was pulling out, and only I would be writing the offer. I am still amazed that you were able to change all the documents so quickly and still get the sellers to accept an offer that was so close to the asking price on a nice Piedmont/Montclair home.
Finally, I wanted to thank you for all the people that you mobilized for me once the offer was accepted; I found them all to be quality people. We would have missed our recording date without the relationships the closing agent you recommended had with City Hall because the Sellers were so late in getting their documents notarized from New Zealand and we were trying to record during the Thanksgiving weekend. I had my doubts about having my own home inspection done, but I quickly changed my mind when not only did the person you recommended find a $16K problem that the seller's inspector had missed, but you negotiated a creative monetary resolution that was acceptable to both the seller and me.
I've been in my new home for six months now and love it. Considering all the complications in finding and buying this house, though, I honestly do not think I would have been able to close without a realtor with your experience and expertise.
Bravo!
J.J.
Your system is just amazing!
In less than 6 hours, my aunt's funds were electronically sent to her financial adviser and the following day we moved the cash proceeds to several of her mutual funds. Don, I want all who come in contact with you to hear our story.
My 86 year old aunt lost her husband two years ago and finally agreed with the family to move to southern California last fall to be near sister and nieces. Her house of 25 years was vacant for 6 months when she decided to sell. Since no family was still in the east bay area we relied on word of mouth. You were one of two referrals and since you returned my call immediately, I gave you the listing. When the second realtor finally called, we told her that thanks but we had already selected our realtor of choice.
Although, I have never met you, throughout our two months of phone calls, emails and overnight express mail, you handled yourself as the true professional that you are. Suggesting or as I might say "requiring" pre inspections was one of your many very wise recommendations. All issues, good and bad were now on the table and you were able to sell my aunt's house for more than we thought it worth. I have bought and sold 6 houses in my adult life and can only hope and pray that someone with your qualities and knowledge comes into my life when I next need a realtor.
Thank you again for all that you have done and I will look forward to one day while in the Oakland area picking up the phone and calling you to buy you a much deserved lunch.
Best Regards,
E.S.
I wanted to write you a brief testimonial, in light of how satisfied I've been with your efforts on my behalf in the recent sale of my North Oakland home.
As you recall from when I was interviewing prospective agents, I mentioned that I felt as if I already knew quite a bit about you, from having read your periodic real estate column in the local weekly, The Montclarion, for nearly two years. Your column's title, "What You Don't Know Can Hurt You", alludes to your realistic attitude about working with a client to gain as much information about the upcoming transaction as possible, in order to minimize any disturbing surprises. I know that the condition of my nearly 90-year old Craftsman home gave tangible meaning to the phrase "disturbing surprises", but you weren't discouraged by the issues involved and suggested a logical plan of action. This led to the setting of a realistic asking price for the home and to the generation of substantial buyer interest, ending ultimately in multiple offers and achievement of our target selling price.
Realtors® are fond of the expression - "location, location, location", in description of what is important in buying and selling real estate. But, as a client, I'd suggest a second expression is equally important in selection of a suitable realtor - "experience, experience, experience". I knew little about real estate transactions and placed my trust totally in you to understand the issues involved and to advise me thereof. This you did - promptly, accurately and tactfully - and I was relieved to see how expertly you maneuvered our selling process through a few potentially awkward situations. I was especially appreciative of the network of reliable and competent service personnel whose services you availed yourself of throughout the selling process, including inspectors, contractors, title companies, and the inevitable handymen needed for basic house preparation, staging and cleanup.
You did all that you said you would do, Don, and I couldn't be more pleased with the final outcome. I've spoken highly of you to all of my neighbors and recommended you in particular to one who envisions moving in the next few years.
Thanks again, Don.
D. S.
It is with great pleasure that I offer my recommendation for your services.
I selected you over other real estate agents because your experience and knowledge of the real estate market is outstanding. Your professionalism in designing an action plan and creating a timeline which was practical and achievable met my needs. As you know, I was under time constraints with my 1031 exchange and we managed to find the perfect house, negotiate the sale (competing with other buyers), finance the property and close the sale on schedule.
Don, you did more than your share of the work on our transaction. You took the initiative to get things started and picked up the slack when things were going slowly. Calls to you by me with request for general or specific information were returned promptly and always included a thorough perspective on the situation. I appreciate the ability to go to you with such questions knowing that I will get qualified and expert advice.
You are an honest, considerate and supportive person who has the ability to see and understand things from another person's perspective. You also are a great direct communicator and know how to raise and discuss problems in a non-threatening manor. I admire that. Thank you for being so hardworking and highly committed to your clients
YOU'VE HELD UP YOUR END BEAUTIFULLY! ! ! ! !
Continued success to you,
B.D.
Thank you just doesn't seem enough for everything you've done for us. Your time, patience and understanding were much appreciated. We could not have imagined such a wonderful partnership.
[note accompanied by a fabulous, homemade pie!]
Fondly, K. & W. S.
A gift from the granddaughter of a client
I just wanted to say thank you for helping me find this house!
You were right about the neighborhood, it's great. The neighbor's I have met now are all really friendly. And it's quiet. It's funny, I had trouble sleeping when I first moved in because it was too quiet.
The extra space is so nice to have. I have room for everything I'd stored up in my apartment and will still have room for my artwork and collections when I get them from up north. And I can finally have all my tools out and easily accessible!
Some friends helped me pull up the carpets to discover that the hardwood under the carpets was in really good condition. With the light floors and open spaces, the house was the perfect setting to host my family for Thanksgiving.
I even found a table and chairs just in time to surprise my family. I kept telling them we would be eating off our laps in the great room. We had several days of comfortable relaxing while they were in town and my family is all very approving of the house.
I love being able to spend my weekends worrying about furniture yard work and football. It's a lot less stressful than worrying about the housing market.
I wouldn't have found this house without you, thanks again for all your hard work!
M.F.
Now that the music has stopped or the dust has settled or whatever metaphor is appropriate, I can finally get to my computer and compose a brief note just to say a hearty thanks for all your efforts on our behalf. To say that we couldn't have done it without you would be an understatement! I can only hope (but somehow doubt) that all agents act with same combination of integrity, meticulous care and tenacity on behalf of their clients. Beyond your obvious talents in negotiation and experience, [we] appreciate your discretion and diplomacy, qualities essential in helping us close the gap between expectation and reality! So thanks again for putting us into a house that we really love, and I hope you enjoyed dealing with us as much as we did with you. As soon as we buy a dining table you'll be getting that dinner invitation, so look out!
All the best,
M & C
Sorry I have taken so long to thank you for the great job you did for me earlier this year.
When I told you I was looking for a four-plex with a large, three bedroom, two bath owner's unit in a good area, I thought it would be a long-shot and it would take months, if not years, for you to find. Amazingly, you found the perfect property in only a few months.
You had warned me about the possibility of multiple offers and you were right. I took your advice and beat out eleven other buyers. I was even happier later, when you told me the seller's agent said we were the second highest offer, but the seller thought your presentation of my offer was the most professional.
Throughout the escrow, you took every step to protect me, especially by recommending all those inspections. Even the advice you gave me on renting the vacant unit was perfect. We rented it for much more than some people told me I would get.
It is rare to find someone who really cares about doing the best job for someone else. You did that and more. You treated me like a friend, not just a client.
I will recommend you to everyone I know and will definitely want you to represent me in any future real estate deals. People who work with you don't know how lucky they are. Thanks again for everything you did.
Sincerely,
T.C.
Don's extensive experience and knowledge became clearly evident once we decided to utilize his services. His attention to detail and thorough professionalism made the sale of our property an easy process. We highly recommend Don to anyone interested in a smooth and trouble-free real estate transaction. Thanks Don - you were great!
D. H. & C. H.
This is to let you know how much I appreciated the service you provided in selling my home in Oakland. As I reflect back on several previous transactions, and consider my current experience selling my property in San Francisco, I realize that you are the gold standard by which to judge all other realtors.
You mentioned at our original interview that you believe in providing total personal service - which I thought sounded fine, but is also a cliché. I didn't give it too much significance.
Now I do. You were always on top of every detail, every unanticipated event. You covered every base, all the time. Best of all, you kept in steady and continuous contact with me. I never had to guess what was going on, or wonder where you were, or when you would return a call or answer a question.
So that was the "personal service" part. The other part is the bottom line, where again, you personify the highest standard. You worked hard and intelligently and with convincing ideas, to get a price and a high quality offer that was better than I hoped for, even at a time when the market was cooling down.
This letter sounds like a "gusher", and it is, but it shows how I truly feel. I'm grateful to have had you as my agent, and as my continuing adviser and friend.
Sincerely,
R.H.W.
I'd like to thank you for being my real estate agent as I bought my first house. When I started, I knew almost nothing and was full of questions.
You helped me figure out what I wanted in a house. At first, I didn't have much of an idea of what I wanted. You took the time to show me several types of houses in different locations, and actually listened to my reactions after I looked at them. Through our discussions, you helped me pinpoint what was important to me in a house. Then, when you alerted me of houses for sale, you focused on houses that met my criteria, preventing me from wasting time on fruitless trips.
You were also thorough in answering my questions. You did not just tell me where I could find information, but you took me to city departments to help me get the answers I sought. I had two friends buying houses at the same time I was, and they were amazed at the help you gave me. (They then grumbled about their agents.)
I felt very comfortable working with you, and you demystified the process. Whenever I called you with a question, or wanted some handholding when Bay Area housing prices spooked me, you were either there when I called or quickly got back to me, and took the time to talk to me about what was on my mind. This greatly reduced my stress as I made the biggest purchase of my life.
Finally, you have continued to help me even though more than a month has passed since escrow closed and I took ownership of my house. You've worked with the seller's agent to ensure that they live up to their responsibilities. You've also answered my mundane questions, such as the phone number for Oakland's parking department.
Once again, I thank you for being my agent. I'm now thrilled to own a great house, and would recommend you to anyone who asks.
Sincerely,
M.P.
The sale of our house at the above address closed yesterday, Friday, September 28, 2001 In a down-turning market, and through your counseling and services, we still received twenty-one bids on our house and eventually sold for one hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars over asking.
It is testament to your ability, experience, professionalism, standards, and conscientiousness that our house sold for what it did and sold in a way which went smoothly, quickly and without incident.
You kept us informed in a way that was timely, concise, understandable and relevant. When so much was going on in our lives (relocating out of state and starting a new job), it was a deep relief to know that you were on top of things and that you would provide to us the "executive summary" of events.
Working with you has been, apart from extremely profitable, a most pleasant affair. I don't know how many other house sales proceed so stress-light! And I like to think that [we] have found a new friend.
I should like to commend you highly for the way you helped us sell our house. When there are so many Realtors® who simply go through the motions (and, at times, have difficulty even succeeding in doing that), you provide a flawless service with superlative results and a delightful personality.
Should a time arise when we might in our small way be able to help you, I trust you will not hesitate to contact us.
Yours sincerely,
P H & R H
I would like to take this opportunity in thank you for your assistance in the selling of my Aunt's home. I especially appreciate the extreme professionalism, as well as the personal attention you provided in dealing with inspections as well as other processes and procedures, including the escrow. Not being familiar with the process of selling a house, such as what to look out for, who to trust, where to go for inspections, how to go about researching liens, and setting up appointments, I was most concerned and very uncomfortable about having to deal with unforeseen problems. Don you took the worry out of selling this home. You took the time and articulated every detail along the way providing me with the knowledge I required to afford me confidence and comfort in what could have been an extremely arduous process. On top of it all, time was of the essence. I was most impressed with the turn-around-time in selling this home. Less than two weeks later, we were sitting down at settlement. I have no idea how close that came to a record in a sale of a home, but I bet it came close. I will proudly and strongly recommend you to anyone I know seeking help in the selling of their home. Your card correctly says it all - Don Dunning, ABR, CRB, CRS "Representing your best interests". Many thanks from myself and my family,
I.S.
How can we possibly thank you for all of your hard work? We have learned so much from working with you and appreciate all you've done. We will, of course, recommend you most highly to anyone we know!
Thanks again,
B. & D.
Moving from a home we had built for us 33 years ago to another country was a very unnerving experience for us. Fortunately, we had entrusted the sale of our house to you and this proved to be an excellent decision.
From your first presentation to us until the day the sale was complete, you handled everything in an efficient, professional manner. You earned our complete confidence, and we are so thankful you were our agent.
All of your recommendations regarding inspections ultimately saved us time, money, and worry. We were very impressed with the amount of time you spent with us explaining many of the fine points involved in a sale and arranging for all the things that had to be done.
We would also like to thank your wife for the terrific graphics she did of our house. You make a wonderful team!
We have already sung your praises to all our friends and neighbors in California, and we would recommend you highly to anyone contemplating the sale of a house.
Sincerely,
C. & J. N.
Over Fourth of July weekend, I sat on the deck of my friends' house and thought to myself how nice it would be to have a house of my own. Now, a little over two months later, I not only own the perfect house, but I also just sold my Condo for far more than I thought possible. Neither would have been possible without your wonderful help and guidance.
You have all the qualities that make the perfect Realtor®, for both buying and selling. You work well under pressure (meeting me for the first time about an hour before having to make an offer an my behalf for a house that you had never seen, for example). You have a shrewd sense of the market, which made it possible for me to win the house of my dreams despite competition from multiple offers, yet without bidding unnecessarily high (my instinct). You gave great advice on what changes would make my condo move attractive to buyers. In fact, I liked the way my condo looked before going on the market so much that I had a momentary pang of regret (it only lasted until I looked at the pictures of my new house).
You are a superb negotiator, both in negotiating favorable addendums for the purchase of my new house, and in negotiating counteroffers on the sale of my condo. You have a helpful, well-designed Web site that showcases your listings with abundant photographs (a must in today's digital world!). I especially enjoy reading the informative and amusing articles you have written. Finally, and most importantly, you are honest, ethical, and really care about your clients. This showed in many ways such as how you took the time to carefully explain the buying and selling process, walked me through the various contracts so I understood what I was signing, and even arranged a field trip to the city planning office to look at permits.
If any of my friends decide to buy or sell a house, I will have no hesitation in sending them your way.
Thank You!
K.H.
We worked with Don to sell our home. He really knows the market, and knows how to price and position a house to get the maximum exposure. Our house had some issues because of adjacent property, but we got multiple offers and all were over the asking price. We are glad that we listened to him and took his advice.
Don is very ethical and conscientious. He will always take the high road in dealing with clients and other agents. He is so thorough and reliable that we were able to relax and trust that he would remember to check every detail on our behalf. He also kept us well informed of everything that was happening in regard to the sale.
Don went out of his way to be helpful and was always willing to adjust the process to accommodate our schedules. He also knows capable and reliable workers who can help in preparing a house for market.
In our estimation, Don is the ideal real estate agent. He makes the whole process as painless as possible. You can be confident that you are being treated fairly and your best interests are being looked after. We recommend him without hesitation to anyone who needs a real estate agent.
Sincerely,
R.H.
Recently we sold our house in the Oakland Hills with the help of Don Dunning, real estate agent with Wells and Bennett Realty. I wanted to write a letter to note his commitment to excellent service! Half way through the process we started calling him "Mr. 24/7"; truly, that was the extent of his commitment!
Last summer, we had Don up to our house to assist in appraising the value of our house. As that time, he was honest and told us that we would not get what we wanted for the house. We trusted him and decided to wait it out. In March, 2000, we got a call from Don telling us that the time was right! Within 3 weeks of his phone call we had the house on the market. Two weeks later the house sold for more than $100,000 over our asking price.
Don has been representing buyers and sellers for over 20 years. His attention to detail and follow-through made us feel very "taken care of." Additionally, it is evident that he is a well-respected "icon" in the real estate community, which made the process very smooth.
We will recommend Don to any of our friends and family who would want to buy or sell their home.
We commend him highly!Thank you Don!!!
Sincerely,
R. & S. M.
Perhaps it is not too late to thank you for all your help in selling my mother's house last year. She was terrified about the entire process, never having sold a house before, and I know she was sometimes difficult to work with. I really appreciated your patience and the respectful way you had with her. You were willing to spend extra time with her and to explain some things several times. It made a big difference. I also was impressed with your experience and expertise in real estate and in this area especially, and really feel that she got the best offer possible in the shortest possible time.
She is settling in well in Pacific Grove and it is wonderful to have her closer.
Thank you again for caring and for all your hard work,
L.H.
I wanted to thank you for all your expert help in selling my mother's home. It was a home with charm as well as some unique problems.
Your knowledge of all the right people to sort out the varied problems was so helpful. I also appreciated how well informed you kept me through the whole process.
Thank you again for your professional service; you made a difficult transition very easy!
Sincerely,
G.S.
Just a note to express my gratitude for your help and guidance in the sale of my mother's house.
Your high ethical standards, professional competence and creative marketing skills resulted not only in a smooth sales process, but I'm sure succeeded in attaining the best offer possible.
As a result, the transaction has closed with a happy seller and a happy buyer.
Congratulations and thank you.
With Regards,
R.G.
To Whom It May Concern:
First, I applaud you for taking the extra step to complete references before either buying or selling your home - it's an important decision and you'll want to be sure to select the right person to represent you.
I whole-heartedly recommend anyone considering buying or selling real estate in the East Bay to seek out Don Dunning. In fact, I would urge you to zealously pursue his services. Don has all the qualities needed in an agent: he's extremely knowledgeable, uncannily strategic, completely unflappable, and has a high integrity, no nonsense approach to getting the job done. His attention to detail is outstanding and I found no stone was left unturned in his pursuit for the best outcome on my behalf.
The sale of my house was greatly complicated by a number of issues -- structural, cosmetic, and even personal. In addition to making the usual suggestions for getting the property up to speed, Don very wisely suggested that I take a proactive stance to fully understand the condition of the house. This approach, while initially unsettling (not to mention out-of-pocket), was by far the wisest possible course of action I could have pursued. Don was truly masterful in his handling of the entire transaction and I was very pleased with the result of adhering to his recommendations.
If you want someone to truly represent your best interests, you've found the right person. If I can answer any questions, please feel free to call me [ask Don for my number].
Best wishes,
N. K.
It's always difficult finding the right kind of professional when you need one. Doctors, lawyers, plumbers — you never really think about them until you need one and then picking one feels more like rolling dice than a sure thing. Fortunately for us, you were and ARE a "sure thing."
Knowledgeable, intelligent, professional and (yes) honest, you worked closely with Ron and I, guided us through the home buying maze and helped us survive the rough waters of a wild real estate market.
New to home buying, you educated and kept us from making mistakes both big and small; investigated, advocated and negotiated on our behalf, never holding back any information from us. You were frank with us when you needed to be, and in other instances genuinely supportive when we needed your support. You took the time to get to know us as people as well as clients, and this perhaps more than anything else, created the positive working relationship that resulted in the successful closing on our house.
Don, we are indebted to you and your gifts as a real estate professional, expert negotiator and all-around advisor. We will recommend your services highly and will gladly share our experiences with any of your perspective clients. Again, please accept our deepest thanks.
Sincerely,
B. & R.M.
Mom and I cannot thank you enough for the smooth, effortless, and professional way in which you sold our home of 27 years. I also wish to express my gratitude for literally being next to us every step of the way (meetings, inspections, and so on). Your knowledge of people, eye for detail, and the market place is invaluable.
Wishing you all the best.
Regards,
C.R.
Jan and I would like to thank you for your professionalism and diligence in marketing and selling our property [on] Randolph Avenue in Oakland's Glenview area. It certainly was exciting to receive the phone call that the sale had been completed this afternoon. We wish [the buyers] well in their new home although we certain miss it already (house hunting in San Diego has offered few properties comparable in architectural style).
Again, thank you for your efforts on our behalf.
M.A.A.
This is to express my appreciation for the very professional manner in which you handled the sale of my home for 26 years on Harbord Drive. You went way beyond the call of duty in representing me, and your expertise and efficiency resulted in escrow closing both smoothly and timely. I cannot thank you enough for going that extra mile and making the process so easy for me!
Best regards,
K.B.
As Lisa and I head up the road to our new house in Oakmore Highlands, we have you to thank for all the hard work and dedication in securing the house of our dreams! Thank you for your guidance and patience through this experience. I think we make a pretty good team!
C. & L. S.
We just wanted to write you to let you know how grateful we are with all of your assistance in our home buying process. It was very reassuring to be guided by a true expert. We were continually impressed by your extensive knowledge on all details of the entire experience. We have certainly come to value every comment and bit of advice that you had to offer. This impression was reinforced and certainly pleased us when even other real estate agents would remark on how fortunate we were to be working with such a knowledgeable agent. Your strong reputation in the real estate community was very evident in our dealings with everybody, from other agents to mortgage brokers. The advantage produced by your reputation is something that one cannot buy.
We are also grateful for your active response to every one of our queries, small or large. You were active in every phase of shopping and making an offer. We greatly appreciated, for example, your very prompt notices to us on new properties. We also appreciated the fact that you took an active interest in every detail of what we wanted in a home. Nancy and I definitely feel that that attention to detail sets you apart from most of the other real estate agents with whom we had opportunity to deal. This very high degree of professionalism was certainly above the call of duty and greatly expedited our search.
In addition, we wanted to thank you for the fact that you were willing to give us advice and to relate your opinions. Nancy and I quickly came to trust every fact (and instinct) that you revealed to us and this made us much better informed, cautious buyers. Though there is no doubt that it would be easiest for an agent to push through any offer to finish quickly, you clearly demonstrated that your top priority was our best interest and not in simply closing an offer and making a commission. This sort of concern for our best interest is entirely unexpected in the Machiavellian dealings of this house market and truly impressed us. Your caution, supported by extremely well informed comments, was just the sort of advice we needed in our first house hunting experience. There is absolutely no question that we ultimately ended up in a much nicer house because of your very learned advice. We have to say that we simply did not think that a real estate agent would act with the sort of conscience that you demonstrate every day.
Nancy and I would recommend you with great enthusiasm as a real estate agent to any of our friends. In a sellers market such as this, to have an expert real estate agent (and a friend) like you steering one through the intricacies and pitfalls of the ordeal has turned what could be a frightful experience to an immensely enjoyable one. When it comes time to sell, you can be sure that we will once again seek your services.
Sincerely
T. & N. D.
Please accept this gift as a token of our appreciation. Your professional and high standards of business were always present. You always kept our best interests in the forefront. Your integrity was unwavering!
B. & C.
We want to thank you very much for all of your help and support you gave us with the selling of our house on California St.
As you know, we had a couple of very bad experiences with other real estate agents. The last one was very devastating for us, but you happened to call just then and were very supportive and patient with us.
When we finally put the house back on the market, you asked us what we wanted. You found us the perfect buyers with an offer we couldn't refuse - all we asked for and more.
Your years of experience have provided you with much knowledge and intuition for the real estate business.
Thanks again for making this experience for us such a pleasant one!
Sincerely,
B. & J. S.
How can we possibly thank you enough?! You made the process of selling our home a pleasure. From the moment we first sat down with you to the close of escrow, you understood our anxieties, our personal needs, our goals.
Your patience, your compassion, and your commitment made what could have been a long, up-hill battle into a smooth, easy transition.
From the story you so eloquently composed for the Montclarion to your consistent and genuine understanding of our family life, you demonstrated the kind of professionalism we wish everyone in your industry possessed.
We will recommend you to everyone we know, neighbors, friends, and even the prospects you may have looking for their first home.
Thank you for going through the motions so proficiently. We are greatly indebted to you!
Sincerely,
M. & M. C.
Just a short note to let you know how impressed I was with you. I really thought selling my house was going to be a nightmare.
You really made it quite enjoyable. I was amazed at how much effort you put into your work. You were efficient, friendly and, most of all, very knowledgeable. You kept me informed on every step of the way, working on my behalf, advising me, but letting me make my own decision. I can't express how much you put my mind at ease. After living in my home for over 30 years, you made selling it seem so simple and pleasurable. Thanks again, Don, for all you did.
R.L.
Thank you for representing me in the sale of my home this year. I had put a lot of thought into my selection of you as my listing agent, and you actually exceeded my expectations. It was a tough assignment - selling a small home in a soft market, but thanks to you, we got the job done.
You have several qualities that are worth noting:
– Marketer - I was impressed by the way you viewed selling a home as like launching a new product. You recommended repairs to make and things to do in the yard to improve the house's appeal, as well as when the right timing was to list. You were also right on top of comparable listings in the area - the competition to my "product". And, I think you have a great approach to pricing - you illustrate to the seller the importance of pricing at market point, not too high, not too low, the pitfalls of being emotionally tied to selling at a high price, but ultimately, it's the seller's decision on the listing price.
– Flexible - When the house wasn't selling, you were open to trying new approaches, rather than sticking with a strategy that wasn't working. Though we never had to implement "Plan B". I was impressed that you were pursuing new ideas on how to sell my home.
– Experience/Attention to detail - It's hard to put a price tag on these qualities, but they're right up there in importance. I felt protected and well-represented throughout the entire process. I appreciated your qualities most during the sales negotiation, when major decisions must be made within a compressed time frame. You raised issues that in your experience you've seen become problems, and you covered me by putting numerous contingencies - in writing - in our counter offer. Backed by your "accountant-like" attention to detail, I felt totally confident in signing my name on the offer.
– Communicator - You were always most conscientious in providing me with timely status. Since I rarely seem to be near a phone with my lifestyle, you used whatever medium it took - memo notes, voice mail. even e-mail, to keep me abreast. On the flip side, you're easy to contact, either at home or at the office. And, ... I appreciated your having a voice mail box, so I could leave a detailed message (up to 3 minutes!), 24 hours a day, when you weren't available.
– "Spiritual advisor" - Well, let's not get out of hand here, but the point I want to make is that when the months slide by and the house isn't selling, it can become downright discouraging for a seller. You always had an encouraging word (and a believable one at that) which certainly helped keep my chin up, and kept me going.
Don, I've really enjoyed working with you, and would recommend you in a heartbeat. I've met many agents as a buyer and a seller, but you stand out amongst a crowded field. Thank you again for a job well done!
Sincerely,
B. U.
I just wanted to, once again, thank you for all of your hard work, sensitivity, patience and guidance that you gave to Alan and I over the last few months. Without your help, our dream would not have come true!
Buying a house can be such a terrifying thing, but you made the process very comfortable - even enjoyable! I felt that you understood not only our needs, but also our fears. You enabled us to get through the tricky negotiations, complicated paperwork and signing of all those official documents, with comfort and security. You stand out as not only an experienced genius, but also a good friend!
Thank you for everything,
K. E. & A. F.
Thank you very much for your expert assistance throughout the entire process. Its amazing to think that, only a few months ago, we were ready to pick up stakes and move to Hawaii!
We both feel that you have always had our best interests at heart and we appreciate all of your time and effort.
Sincerely,
S. & T. G.
Thank you so much for all the help and support you have given us in getting Maren's mom's house sold. We feel really fortunate that Elinor recommended you to us. She said you did a great job for her and predicted we would have the same experience. She was right.
It was difficult for us to handle this long distance from Virginia. We felt badly that we stuck you with a house full of furniture and "stuff" and asked you to get it ready for sale. We really appreciate not only your tireless efforts, but the cheerful way you went about things. We couldn't believe that a real estate agent would not only hire people to clean up, paint, and haul away furniture and belongings, but would actively help. We're also glad we took your advice and allowed you to rent furniture and accessories after the painting was completed. Maren was happy with how the house looked when she was in town last month.
We have told people that if we had been family, you could not have treated us any better. We have bought and sold many homes, but have never known or heard of an agent who went above and beyond in so many ways. Your constant communication was superb and your frankness was valued. Anyone lucky enough to work with you is working with the best.
Sincerely,
J.H., CEO
We just wanted to thank you for all your hard work in the sale of our family home in Oakland.
My family and I knew from the start we could depend on your advice and support. Your regular calls, keeping us all well informed, were quite reassuring. In addition, we appreciate your extra efforts to maintain contact with us while we were vacationing on the East Coast. Handling the offers by phone and fax allowed us to continue our trip knowing everything was moving along well despite our absence. Most of all, I always felt you were on our side looking out for us.
Thanks again for all your help, support, and sense of humor. It's wonderful working with a true professional! We will happily recommend you to anyone who wants to work with the best.
Sincerely,
E.B.