Carla is the ultimate pro!
Before we met Carla, my wife Salle and I were struggling to gain a foothold in the Wilmington real estate market. We had seen literally hundreds of houses hit the market and move to "pending" quickly in the 4 months we had been searching on our own. After purchasing multiple homes in our lifetime, and recently selling our family home of 17 years in Northern Virginia, we were sure we could successfully navigate the much smaller Wilmington market. How wrong we were.
We met Carla purely by chance. She was the listing agent on a home we wanted to see. Our first encounter was nothing more than a 5-minute phone call as I inquired about the status of her listing. She answered my questions thoughtfully and was honest about the home, the status of the listing, and the fact that after only 48 hours on the market the seller was in receipt of multiple offers. We knew by experience this flurry of activity had driven the price outside of our comfort zone and again we were to be disappointed. Such was our lack of understanding of the market. That call ended and Salle and I continued on our merry way. However, Carla impressed us so much on that call that we would remember her and she would come back into our lives very soon. After very similar experiences on the next 5 properties, my wife and I decided to call Carla and discuss the possibility of her acting as our buyer's agent. That small decision altered our home buying path. Carla agreed to come and meet with us in person for an interview. Little did we know that instead of us interviewing Carla, she was there to interview us. To find out who we were as a couple, why we were here, where we wanted to live, what neighborhoods had we seen, what did we want in a house, and what we did not want. She displayed a caring demeanor and we got to know a little more about the nature of her humanity. Carla cares about her clients. It was very apparent. We shared stories of our children and life experiences with her and found common ground that put us at ease. That meeting was the first step on the path that would end with us finding our new Wilmington home less than 1 month later. Carla was able to share her experiences with the fast-paced market and she explained to us that buying a house in the current market was less like "buying" and more like "winning". It was truly a competition that required strategy, hard work, tough decisions, and a willingness to be creative. We had to be prepared to move quickly to make a strong move if we really wanted a particular house. She explained the processes, the difference between earnest money and the due dilligence fee which was an alien concept that we had never heard of in Virginia. She coached us on how we could put our offers in a more favorable light to encourage the seller to set all other offers aside and choose ours. She paired us with a local loan officer who understood our struggles and was equipped to assist Carla in developing our strategy. When the time came, we employed many of the tactics Carla had suggested and our offer was selected from among 8 other offers. Carla worked closely with us through the contract ratification process and if we questioned an item she either had the correct answer or knew where to find it. She kept the ball rolling until we had a fully ratified contract. Even after ratification, Carla was there to bounce ideas off. Everything from the local hot spots for dining, the nearest grocery stores, and even interior design ideas and furniture layouts to take advantage of the features of the home while maintaining flow from room to room. Carla had all of the tools in her bag and the knowledge of how to use them. At closing, Carla brought a calmness to the room. She has that effect on every room she enters. Her business relationships proved extremely valuable to us on the loan, survey, pest inspection, and title insurance. When the home inspection came back with a few items that needed addressing, she worked diligently to fight for our cause. She was also able to supply us with a list of contractors who would take professional care of us if we needed any repairs or renovations. We are recent empty nesters and while this purchase may not be our forever home, the next one will certainly be. We've already joked with Carla that we will be calling upon her in a few years to list this home when the time is right and that she will again be called upon to act as our buyer's agent. I cannot imagine not having Carla by our side for the last two real estate transactions for my wife and me. The five words I started with are the same five with which I will end my testimonial. We will use those five words to thank her for doing what she originally promised not so long ago.
Carla is the ultimate pro!
