ZillowVERIFIEDSo you're looking for an agent, huh? Whether you are a home seller, buyer or a real estate investor, I would highly recommend interviewing Lorraine for the job! I first met Lorraine when looking at a potential real estate investment. I was pleasantly surprised at her willingness to openly discuss her thoughts about the property as we walked it together despite the fact we were "competitors" in that scenario and had just met. She provided her expertise in real estate, I provided my expertise in construction and together decided that the particular subject property would not be a good investment for either of us. As a former practicing agent myself and a current investor, I've had years of experience with numerous agents and real estate investors and as a result am able to identify qualified professionals and potential teammates relatively quickly. Contrary to popular belief, they are NOT a dime a dozen. Being a Realtor involves much more than just sticking a sign in the yard and a listing on the MLS, taking phone calls and meeting folks for showings. Yes, those things are important but it's the situations that arise in transactions once you get past those things that really separate the good, the bad and the downright awful agents! This is where Lorraine separates herself from the pack. Her mastery of contracts is refreshing, her ability to nail a value on a property is more rare than the industry would have you believe. I'm guessing her experience as an appraiser gives her an edge over many, many other agents. I've been with her in earshot as she has conducted business on the behalf of both her buyers and sellers and she gets it done folks! While your average agents only see simple paths from A to B, Lorraine has an amazing ability to creatively negotiate, structure and close transactions that most agents would just let die and fall to the wayside. Not Lorraine! She digs in, starts blowing up the phone and finds or makes a way for the transaction to close, ethically, if it's able to be salvaged. If you have a willing seller and a willing buyer, Lorraine will exhaust all avenues before she ever admits defeat. That's the kind of agent you want in your corner when transacting this type of business. Another trait Lorraine has DEMONSTRATED to me personally was her willingness to not only advise but DO what was in the best interest of her client, me, without bias. Many agents hear investor and they run in the other direction and admittedly, we are not the easiest breed to work with. Having met Lorraine at a property she was looking at to buy for herself, I decided to ask her to represent me in a potential real estate investment. She cheerfully submitted my low offer, actually got it accepted and I went to work on the due diligence. During that time my team and I discovered the renovation numbers would not support our offer price so we would need an additional reduction or terminate. The sellers weren't interested, Lorraine had to take some flak from the other agent on my behalf and this is where the AVERAGE agent bails on you, the investor, as a client. Not Lorraine! Her attitude was, NEXT! She understands that for investors, it's math, not emotion.Let me sum this up. In real estate, whether a buyer or seller for personal or investment purposes, if you're not a real estate expert, you need one! Even if you are an expert, you may need to scale or outsource services to an expert. If you need a real estate expert, you'll interview a lot of agents before you find one with the skills and traits Lorraine possesses, has mastered, demonstrated and can professionally deliver on your behalf. This expertise only happens after years and years of dealing with psycho sellers, idiot investors like me (wink) and lying buyers! I would strongly and confidently recommend you give Lorraine a try. You won't be disappointed!
