Knowing the market as he did, and knowing that our price, although high, was in line with the market, Michael suggested to the buyer’s agent that they contest the appraisal and request another. But instead, they wanted us to lower the price in keeping with the low appraisal. Michael was confident and felt we should hold our ground and so we said “Sorry…no thank you” and put the house back on the market. The sad thing is that this family really loved this home, and they could have had it if were not for the bad advice or just the laziness of their agent. In no time Michael had a new buyer to take their place. Leaving nothing to chance, Michael prepared his own market report that he presented to the next appraiser, who immediately said there would be no problem with valuation. Wow! Going forward it gets even better. Not satisfied with the termite inspection report and costs for treatment, Michael sought out additional termite companies who were more honest and reduced the amount of work to be done, which saved us a lot of repairs and costs. The lifestyles team arranged for multiple inspections and bids from pool companies and eventually saved us over 3K on replastering our pool. We had inspectors say we had a bad wood shake roof and roofing companies that told us we needed to spend $35 K on a new roof. Michael knew better and that we were being scammed. They had multiple inspections to determine the true condition…which found that although our roof was old it was extra thick and solid. The water stains in the attic were just old…there were no leaks. That saved us headaches and bunches and bunches of money. We also had some sewage pipes leaking under the house. After receiving some very high initial estimates Michael worked with new vendors in order to save us thousands more in expense. And the hits kept coming. Knowing that our appliances were old, Michael put us into a new type of home warranty insurance policy that covers sellers during escrow. When our stove/oven went out during escrow, the insurance policy covered the expense. Michael’s foresight saved us headaches and thousands of dollars as these appliances could not be repaired and had to be completely replaced requiring cabinet reconstruction. Everything had to be new and custom fit and the insurance company dealt directly with the new homeowners without our involvement. This could have been a big bone of contention for everyone, perhaps causing the buyers to back out. But instead, the buyers were happy to get new appliances despite the inconvenience. And we were relieved that we did not have to deal with the headache or the buyers on this issue, not to mention the money we saved.

Every step of the way Michael and his team were truly our advocates looking out for our best interests. Although indicative of challenges a homeowner can face, we experienced an unusual and extraordinary sequence of issues rarely encountered in a single transaction. It’s how these issues were handled for us that is nothing short of amazing. I do not believe there are many people in this industry like Michael and his team, who possess a vast bank of knowledge accumulated from decades in the industry, both as agents and investors in their own properties. Few can claim that kind of experience. The Lifestyles group at Your Home Sold Guaranteed Realty truly exemplifies what it means to be experts. Add up the money they saved us, and their expertise and guidance paid for their services many times over.

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