As Tony mentions below, I got to know him and his wife Vicky by playing together on the same baseball teams over the past 20 years or so.
Unfortunately, there are times when you get a call from someone that is selling their home because his or her spouse just passed. What’s tragic is when the passing was sudden and unexpected. It can be a very emotional time for everyone, doubly so if you know them personally.
Tony and Vicky were both in the teaching field and had recently retired. In addition to baseball, they loved good food, fine wine, and travelling. Since they were retired, Tony joined a travelling baseball team that found tournaments in other countries with good weather to play in during the winter months. They had just returned from one of those tournaments when Vicky had to be rushed to hospital a few days later, where she passed. It was so unexpected, especially since Vicky was still relatively young and healthy.
Shortly after the funeral, Tony contacted me. He wanted to move closer to his family in Welland. I knew Tony leaned on Vicky a lot. She was the one paying the bills, doing all the banking, booking hotel and airfare for their trips, etc. And she was great at organizing. It’s no wonder she became a principal.
Tony, on the other hand, was a great teacher, but not so great at the day-to-day things since he deferred all that stuff to Vicky. I made sure Tony understood every step of the selling process. We sold on the offer date for 110% of the asking price ($51,500 over the list price).
Tony then surprised me by saying he had just bought a new build home in Welland. I could tell he had no idea what he should be doing and the steps he had to follow, especially since new build (or New Construction) homes have Tarion forms to complete and follow and the builder’s offers are not uniform like the forms real estate agents use (TRREB, OREA). I read through everything with Tony and kept in touch with his lawyer to make sure everything that needed to be done was done on time.
We have a complete list of contractors and professionals we refer to our clients. Tony ended up using one of our movers. We also have lawyers, a junk removal company, photographers, mortgage brokers, home stagers, painters, general contractors, organizers, packers and almost anything else you would need when buying and/or selling a home.
As you can see below, Tony was extremely happy with the service my team and I provided to him.
I have known Brian Kondo for close to two decades. I met him while playing on tournament baseball teams. He has always been a person of solid character, approachable, generous with his time and a great resource of useful information.
Brian came to know my wife Vicky, through traveling to baseball tournaments. Both Vicky and I knew that Brian was in real estate. When my wife passed away suddenly this year, I turned to Brian to help sell my home.
Brian was very sensitive to my emotional state and he was also aware that it was Vicky who took care of the day to day running of our home. I informed him that my lack of working knowledge in buying and selling would put the onus on him to help walk me through the steps in the home buying and selling process. He also helped me obtain a lawyer, suggested I call my bank and gave tips on how to be organized with the paperwork and appointments.
I did not have any conception of the value of my home real estate market. Brian brought to my home relevant and up to date charts and data with information on the sales of condos in my building and in similar buildings around the city. He also enlisted his team to assist me. The end result was that Brian listed my home on the market and within five working days he was able to sell my home at $50,000 above our asking price!
Moreover, I did not inform Brian that I did not have a realtor to help me buy my new home in another area of the province. Brian became very helpful to me when he found out that I purchased my new and home but that I was uniformed or unaware of my obligations and responsibilities that went along with that. He began to coach me on following up with the Tarion requirements, as well as to ensure that I had secured bridge financing through my mortgage lender for the brief period required, that I informed the City of Toronto of the changes to my property taxes, researched for a moving company and that had kept my lawyers informed of my business actions regarding the buying and selling of my property.
Brian phoned me two to three times in a day to make sure I met my timelines and commitments and he graciously took countless phone calls from me when I needed re-assurance and clarifications on documents the builder was sending me and that I had contacted all of the utility companies necessary. This Brian did on his own time and without financial compensation. Not once did Brian ever show any impatience or frustration with me for my lack of practicality and knowledge of the business world.
The points that I have made here only scrape the surface of letting the reader know of all the help and support that Brian Kondo and his team have provided and shown me during this process. I know that I am very fortunate to have had the services of Brian and his team. My wife would have been pleased beyond compare with Brian's professionalism and compassion - two qualities that are not always found together in business."
Brian Kondo
Sales Representative / Team Leader
The Brian Kondo Real Estate Team
Re/Max Hallmark First Group Realty Ltd.
905-683-7800 office
905-683-6025 direct
brian@briankondo.com
www.BrianKondo.com
Your Home Sold Guaranteed or I'll Buy It!* No Gimmicks! For a Free Special Report that Details my Guaranteed Sale Program, visit: www.BriansGuaranteedSaleProgram.com.
Remember, your referrals change lives! We donate a portion of our income on every home sale to a great worthy cause like SickKids Hospital. To find out more visit: www.ReferForSickKids.com.
If you or anyone you know is considering making a move in the next little while, give me a call or pass on my number ... 905-683-7800 (Office) or 905-426-7484 (Direct).
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