Week 3: An Ode to Our Realtor(s)

It’s been over a month since Justin and I bought our first place and I can’t believe I haven’t given full props to Greg, Christina, and even Mina—the whole Tindale Team.  Here’s my moment to give credit where credit is due! 

Last summer, we were looking for a new realtor and Justin did a Yelp search for realtors and came across the Tindale Team of Hounshell Realty.  We met up with Greg and Christina the next day, and we were able to find many common connections (both Justin and Greg played rugby; Greg, Christina and I all went to the University of Maryland—Go Terps!).  Both Greg and Christina had that ability of making you feel comfortable at a very stressful, yet exciting time. 

The following weekend Christina and Mina took us out to check out some homes.  Christina asked us what Starbucks beverages we liked, and when we met up at the first location there were two iced café Americanos waiting for us in the back seat.  How thoughtful!

As they took us place-to-place, Christina gave us her honest opinions on each place we toured.  She pointed out smells and potential problems that we should know about.  We appreciated her honesty.  As a matter of fact, it was on that very weekend we found our home.  She thought our house had good bones and a lot of potential…and we couldn’t have agreed with her more! J

A house-hunting we will go!

Shortly thereafter, Greg started discussing the offer price with us.  We knew the house was way overpriced, but we didn’t know what to offer.  This is the part where Greg’s business savvy, and knowledge of the real estate market really shined through.    Now, I don’t know what the “standard” is in initial offers, but the offer price Greg suggested was very aggressive.  Justin and I were more than satisfied with that number, but we weren’t sure what the sellers would think.  After Greg pointed out the length of time that the house had been on the market, its current condition, and the comparables, I realized that his suggestion was more than justified. 

After Greg communicated these points to the sellers, they counter-offered with a price only slightly above what he suggested.  We gladly took it, also using the extra money we saved to renovate the kitchen.  We wouldn’t have had that extra money if it weren’t for Greg’s negotiation skills!

The home buying process was very stressful for us, and it helped that we were able to vent our frustrations to Greg and Christina, and get some reassurance that everything will work out.  Their positivity really helped us through the process, especially when our house hunt didn't look so good at the beginning.  Greg and Christina were very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions, issues, and worries.  That put us at ease because we knew we had someone there watching out after us, as wel as a resource we could turn to.  If you’re looking for a realtor, I highly recommend them!

For more info about the Tindale Team click here and here