ZillowVERIFIEDI recently purchased my first home (a one-bedroom unit in northwest D.C.) with Nya Alemayhus assistance, and I could not have asked for a better guide to D.C. real estate. Two of my friends had purchased homes with Nya and strongly recommended her, so when I decided to buy after more than a decade in the city as a renter, it was an easy decision to reach out to her. We began with a discussion of my requirements and preferences by e-mail and phone, setting up proprietary database searches for listings, and then refining those searches through discussions following showings. Nya was always able to offer clear advice to inform my own decisions, but never pressured me to bid on something, or let her own views crowd out mine. Working with Nya over time, I became more confident in my own preferences. This proved to be very important given the state of the market during my home searchaEUR"desirable properties in my target neighborhoods would generally go under contract within a few days or go to competitive bidding. Finding ways to maximize the amount of time for a decision was critical. Nya made sure that I had the chance to view listings very soon after they went on the market, despite my work schedule, and was also able to pull together offers quickly. When the first offer we submitted went to competitive bidding, Nya was an effective and cool-headed advocateaEUR"able to give sound advice about how and when to escalate. Just as importantly, she was unafraid to recommend walking away when the price of a property had gotten ahead of its value. Mercifully, we were able to avoid a bidding war on the property I ultimately purchased, and Nya negotiated effectively with the seller. She protected the inspection clause in my contract, got the seller to address the inspection issues, and negotiated an appraisal clause to further protect my interests. The financing and closing were complex because I was buying in a co-op building, but she guided me through it with aplomb. Purchasing a home requires the help of a lot of different people, and as a first-time buyer, I particularly appreciated Nyas excellent recommendations of other service providersaEUR"particularly my mortgage broker, who I worked with over an extended period of time. Even after my closing, Nya has made clear that she is willing to continue to be a resource as I adjust to being a homeowner. In one of our early conversations, I recall Nya saying something along the lines of: aEURoeThe hardest part of looking for a home is finding the right place, the rest is just paperwork.aEUR? Looking back, I think that did describe my experienceaEUR"not because homebuying is a simple process, but rather because I knew I could trust her to manage and explain the details as they came together, letting me focus on whether a home was right for me. I'm very happy with where I ended up, and without Nya I believe I would not have achieved as good of a result, had as smooth of an experience, or learned as much along the way.
