Sold a Multi Family - Original 6 Unit Apt Bldg in 1999 in Pittsburgh, PA. 01/09/2020 - rpearsall1
Highly likely to recommend | 5.0
5 Star: Local knowledge
5 Star: Process expertise
5 Star: Responsiveness
5 Star: Negotiation skills
A conversation in passing revealed that they were not only my neighbors, but realtors. It took Mark and Evan 13 days to have my building under contract, and it is taking me forever to write this review because I have not been able to settle on a starting point. But the only way to finish is to start. They were, are incredible. I liked them as neighbors, I love them as realtors! It exhausts me to think about the work that went into the sale of my property, and that they actually had other clients. It started as a thought. I was busy taking on other projects and my building needed attention that I no longer had the luxury of handling. I posed the question to Mark as to whether or not and when to sell the building. He asked if he and Evan could submit a proposal. What? A proposal? A realtor who had been asking about listing my property came with a contract in hand and zero information. But this review isn't about that person. I only mention it to draw the contrast. Everything that Mark and Evan did was beyond my expectations from the moment I mentioned capital gains tax to purchasing another property in another state. What wasn't a part of their proposal became a part of their work, simply because it came into being. They did extensive research to determine an appropriate sales price independent of comparable properties on the market, sent me information about 1031 tax exchange so that I would be prepared as I looked for a qualifying intermediary, presented an offer the first day on the market, worked with my tenants to ensure minimum disruption to their lives, brought 7 written offers and worked with me to put the property under contract by the eve of the 13th day on the market! That was the beginning. Because they understand 100 year old buildings and what goes into renovating, restoring, maintaining, fixing, and putting out fires where necessary, they were able to have conversations with prospective buyers without consulting me on every little thing. And because of our many conversations in determining a listing price, they had a really good idea of what would be acceptable versus what wouldn't. Even though they made decisions, they kept wonderful records of conversations and briefed me on what had been discussed, decided or needed my approval for push back or go ahead. Because I decided to inform all of my tenants of the listing, there were understandable concerns about the contract. Mark and Evan worked with me, and agreed that we would be able to find a buyer who appreciated or at least would accept my need to protect the tenants' home for set amounts of time: some finishing graduate school, getting married, and life that a 60 day notice to move or have rents raised would be unsettling at best. They also worked with me to list and show an apartment that became vacant because of the impending sale. That was insane, but it was doable because they kept me grounded and physically helped. Lastly, can you imaging expecting to close within days, being out of town, there being a cold snap and a thermocouple needs to be replaced because a unit has lost heat? Whether you know what a thermocouple is or not, you know what it means to need an HVAC person to handle acquiring heat on a day when many others are making the same type service call. I made 2 calls/texts. One to my HVAC person, whom I've worked with for over 25 years, and one to Evan. Before my HVAC person was able to return my call, Evan text me to say my tenant should now have heat! That was within an hour!!! The remarkableness of that was equaled by what the two men did for me daily. As they escorted prospective buyer, appraisers, and contractors through the property they identified the good as others wanted to point out the bad. They negotiated before the official negotiations began. Once the final report came, Mark only sent it once he condensed a 68 page document down to 4, clearly delineating what the buyers were accepting and what the buyers were asking me to contribute to repairs within said report. We agreed on final steps in the contract. They handled it, and still the process was not done. Because it was a 1031 exchange with multiple workers on the other end: an out-of-state realtor, attorney (as opposed to a closing company), qualifying intermediary (QI), loan officer, and insurance broker, I ran everything by Mark and Evan that needed to happen. They intern made sure that the closing company did everything necessary for the side to go correctly. A 1031 tax exchange is a federal program, and messing up there would be a costly mistake that wouldn't be undone. They did not receive additional money for anything that they did, but they did it all...and thanked me to boot. What a pair. If you have anything to buy or sell and have the opportunity to work with Mark and Evan, DO IT! You will laugh, maybe cry, but have the best possible experience during one of the most important exchanges in your life. They will alleviate fears and make it seem easy.