ZillowVERIFIEDI was referred to Karin by a friend who was also looking for a property (in another location and monetary value). I am a first time buyer. When she first met me, Karin probably thought I was a normal person. It soon became clear to both of us that I get extremely neurotic when put into stressful situations. Unfortunately, real estate in the Seattle/Eastside market is just that: stressful (too many buyers with too few properties at my price range). This, I would characterize her job title as "Real Estate Professional Extraordinaire/Counselor." The amazing wonderfulness that is Karin Simpson can be described in a cliff-notes version of my saga, as follows:I wanted a single-family home in the very small and surprisingly expensive neighborhood of old downtown Issaquah. When we first met, I drove her through this neighborhood and basically told her I'd take anything worth fixing there and pointed at the space on my cheek where a tiny tear would form if something sold there and I didn't get a crack at it. This neighborhood is so small, in fact, that there wasn't anything for sale in our price range!In order to ensure that we were comfortable with our choices (and because nothing was for sale), Karin brought us to different neighborhoods in other locations, including Seattle. She was extremely responsive, as one must be in the Seattle market where things sell in hours. When she was gone for a weekend or other event, she always set me up with another real estate agent in case we needed to see a property in her absence.We ended up bidding and getting into mutual acceptance on a beautiful property that was, in retrospect, not a good location for us commute-wise (not in Issaquah). When we decided we wanted to walk away and find something closer to what we needed, there was no problem, and no hassle. She always made me feel comfortable with whatever decisions we made.FINALLY something wonderful came up for sale in the exact neighborhood that I wanted in our price range. Literally I got a notification from Redfin, a text from a friend, and a call from Karin simultaneously to the property being posted. It was like in those movies where all is well and then a freaking airstrike hits and everyone jumps into action. We saw it hours later. Because of the crappy way real estate is sold here, they were taking multiple bids a few days later. Karin helped us arrange for an inspection and did anything she could to strengthen our offer. Due to some horrendously stressful series of events, we lost to an outrageously high all-cash offer, only to bid again when those buyers pulled out weeks later. I don't have millions, but what I do have is a strong desire to live in this neighborhood where I have been renting for years. I believe that Karin was able to convey this to the sellers in such a way that they chose us, knowing that our offer wouldn't fall through.Overall, it took about 6 months and a lot of looking at Redfin, hoping something in that neighborhood would come up for us to get our beautiful home. Throughout the process, Karin was my bodyguard from stress. She always answered my calls and made me feel better. At the end of the day, we got the house that we wanted in a very short time frame at the price that we wanted, despite having more than 4 other offers on the table. I truly feel that Karin wanted this house for me just as much as I wanted it for myself. I have already recommended people to use Karin as their agent. The friend who recommended me to Karin also found her dream home with Karin and has recommended her. She is an amazing person with a great sense of humor who cares about people and finding them their homes.
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