My family started our relocation process in early 2014, and my company assigned us a realtor, Carol Casas. Our experience was fantastic.
Knowledge of the Area
We quickly realized the area was not like the real estate market we were coming from. We needed an education on the market, location, schools, processes, and timelines. Carol is an expert in this space, quickly giving us the information we needed. She didn’t overwhelm us with direction, but slowly revealed the facts to help us draw our own conclusions. She provided all the typical information about commute time, school quality, recent appreciation, but she also was able to show us some of the subtle benefits of being close to downtown and living in various neighborhoods. Carol got to know us and tailored information to our needs. She grew up and lived in the area, so she had the local knowledge to help us.
Moving to a new area made us realize we were highly dependent on Carol to help us with decisions. The relocation process moves so quickly, yet the home-buying process is so vital, we found that Carol’s expertise was vital to success. We are very happy with the house and location we purchased, and I know we would not have made that decision without Carol’s guidance.
Availability
Carol was available nearly every time we wanted to see a house. She blocked off several weekends for viewing houses when we were flying into the area on the weekends. We were very impressed they were able to spend so much time with us.
Offers
During the offer phase, it is vital to have a team as experienced as Carol’s. Many houses are closed bids above asking price, and that is intimidating, so getting advanced information is imperative. Carol knows many of the local real estate agents and was able to glean tidbits of information that were gold. Carol told us that she rarely loses an offer, and that proved to be true for our situation. Prior to the offer, she’d test our conviction. She’d ask, “Did we want to try to steal the place or did we want to make sure we became the owners?” We’d discuss the likelihood of success with various offers and then make a decision. If we did lose a house, she had a strategy to get us back in if we wanted to push it. We put a lot of trust in Carol and she didn’t let us down.
Connections with Contractors
One thing we didn’t consider, but has proven to be extremely valuable, is Carol’s connections with local contractors. Many of the houses we looked at needed a surprising amount of renovation. The house we ended up purchasing was liveable but needed paint, floors, and some electrical changes. Carol shared her contractor list with us. Contractors are busy and it took Carol’s name to get them to call back. Carol is a big customer, so they get attention. Each contractor was excellent and wanted to make sure Carol’s people were given top-notch service. This didn’t have anything to do with purchasing a house, but it certainly was an “extra” that was greatly appreciated.
We were very impressed with the Casas Team. They had the right level of touch with us and that is what makes them successful.