Client
Testimonials
Bay Area Home Buyer Agent - Ron Porter
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March
26, 2003
Dear Ron,
Three months have passed since we closed escrow on our new home
here in Hayward. Christine and I are happy indeed with our purchase.
As we reflect on our project of first preparing and selling our
home in Southern California – doing our best to do everything
right – then buying a home here in Northern California,
your professional contribution stands out.
We educated ourselves about the process of selling and marketed
our home successfully.
Continuing our education when time came to buy, we found your
website and digested the book you recommend: Bought, Not Sold:
Single Agency, Buyers’ Brokers, Flat Fees and the Consumer
Revolution in Real Estate. This was an eye-opener. The book spelled
out how the code of ethics real estate professionals advertise
is designed to favor sellers and the agents themselves. We understood
that when you contact agents to show you homes, they will “work
with you” but won’t mention that they have a clear
legal duty to represent the seller’s best interest when
they show you their own listings or those of another agent.
There was no doubt in our minds that we should commit to and work
with an Exclusive Buyer Agent (EBA), who would work with and truly
represent us – legally and emotionally.
It has been a pleasure to work with you and your associate Keli
Thompson.
We wanted to explore three counties here in the San Francisco
Bay area. You provided outstanding visibility of everything that
was available, fit our needs in terms of size and location, and
was within our reach. As we entered serious negotiations for a
home, you represented us and saw to it that the property was thoroughly
inspected. I appreciate that throughout this process you were
very sensitive to our desires, provided good advice, and allowed
us to learn from the market by showing us what was available.
As we enjoy our new home, we have complete peace of mind knowing
that we made what for us was the best possible purchase.
Thanks!!!!!
Dag and Christine
P.S.
You provided a referral on behalf of our friends Tina and Drew
who are moving to Atlanta. They never read the book, but are super
pleased with EBA Cathy Wilson, Jennifer Penso, and the entire
experience. They located a home, bid and negotiated well, only
to reject the home at the last moment due to moisture problems
uncovered by the “pit bull inspector.” With a laugh,
Jennifer said this trusted inspector had ruined many deals for
her. Subsequently, she found Tina and Drew a similar house in
better condition at an even lower price. They are now in escrow.
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I
wanted to take the time to thank you for all of the time and effort
you have spent with us. The stress alone has been a nightmare.
This being our first home purchase, we could not imagine dealing
with any other agent then yourself. As mentioned, when we first
started to look no agent wanted to spend the time with us.
Thank you again.
RT& JT
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Ron
and I worked together to find a home during one of the most competitive
housing markets in recent memory.Without failure, he has provided
good advice on the quality of a house and its neighborhood, and
if a house was a good deal for the area and had good resale, raised
the point in conversation. Similarly, if a house was overpriced
or would not be an attractive resale candidate, he also raised
those points.
Me and Ron ended up placing winning bids on 2 properties. The
first property had defects that required repair that the sellers
had not disclosed. Due to Ron's foresight in writing contingencies
in the contract, I was able to cancel the contract and ended up
saving about $20,000 in repair costs.
Between the first contract and the seconds, we placed bids on
several other properties but lost out. In the last contract, Ron
and I were able to close escrow within 3 1/2 weeks. Ron also,
out of hisown pocket, paid for a termite inspection on the property
that I bought and moved into, because the termite inspection was
needed to verify what work had already been done and I was getting
stretched financially.
Aside from the house search itself, Ron accomodated my work schedule,
and agreed to view houses with me at off hours during the week
and on weekends. Ron also provided me with lots of e-mail updates
on MLS listings, so I could look through the house listings, and
decide which I wanted to see.
Ron is a buyers advocate, and really allows you, as the consumer,
to call the shots and make your own decisions. He does not attempt
to "control" you, nor does he attempt to push you into
buying a house. So all and all, I recommend Ron whole heartedly
and would sign him up as my agent if I were still looking for
a house. I've recommended Ron to my co-workers and friends. I
was a first time buyer, and he helped me out considerably.
Sincerely,
M.R., Proud Homeowner in San Mateo, CA
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Ron
found us a special property to fit our unique needs for a first
home. As first time buyers, price was a major consideration for
us. However, we also wanted a solid home in a fairly quiet location
that we could improve with "sweat equity". Ron found
us a real "fixer-upper" located on the shores of Anderson
Lake. It showed badly and needed about $15,000 worth of major
work to be liveable. But it was built on bedrock in an area of
higher priced homes, and with imagination and hard work we've
been able to renovate and expand into our version of our dream
house. Because Ron took the time to really listen and understand
our needs, we got exactly what we wanted!
DM & GM
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Ron
understood that to us, buying a home was not just an investment
decision. We wanted a quiet, serene and healthy environment; a
place to relax and recharge our emotional energy after working
hard all day. With Ron we found a wonderful condominium in Saratoga,
surrounded by redwood trees. As soon as we saw it, we knew it
was the one. Ron was sensitive to our needs, and helped us find
our perfect home.
AD & SD
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When
Ron said he would write any offer, he wasn't just kidding! We
wanted a big home in a good Sunnyvale neighborhood, but every
house we saw was way above our price range. Ron explained that
we were in a buyers market and if we kept trying, we would eventually
the right house. He was right. We made a low offer and spent nearly
a month negotiating with the sellers before reaching a compromise
we all could live with. Ron showed us how we could save a lot
of money by purchasing the house as-is and doing most of the work
ourselves. We're happy we found such a knowledgeable and professional
agent to help us buy our first home.
JH
& JH
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After
looking at condos with other agents, we had almost given up on
finding a three bedroom in a good area. You surpassed all our
expectations by finding us a nice 3 bedroom single family home
in a great Cambrian neighborhood, and we didn't need a condo after
all. Thanks too for the superb job in helping us negotiate price
and terms.
PR
& ER
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Hi Vern, I would like to confirm receipt of information from a
member of your service. I was extremely impressed with the speed
of response, I received an e-mail from Ron Porter same day along
with a questionaire, this I duly filled in and returned, the next
day I received a list of properties by e-mail along with further
information regarding his services. This has since been followed
upon by an information pack fully outlining all his services along
with guides to the area and maps etc by mail within a week of
applying. I would like to thank all concerned for the excellent
service and won't hesitate to recommend other people to use the
service.
Thanks
again.
Regards,
P.A.
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