Now that Claudia and I have finished unpacking our boxes,
I wanted to take a few minutes to thank you so much for everything you did to help us find and purchase our dream home. I've
bought (and later sold) 6 homes before our recent move to Houston, but I've never experienced such incredible service as I
did with you, Joe. From the first phone call to the last move-in details that you helped us with, you have been a dream realtor.
I'd like to tell you specifically some of the things we especially appreciated about working with you in hopes that this will
help future potential clients.
You and I first met by phone, as you were referred to me by an out-of-area realtor,
and from that first phone call I felt comfortable working with you. You asked me a lot of questions to determine what our
tastes were, but did not probe with questions about income or credit. I really appreciated your discretion and professionalism
before we had even met!
Since my partner and I lived in another state, we corresponded with you a lot by both phone
and email prior to our physical house search, and were greatly impressed by your responsiveness. You answered every email
within one day -- and sometimes hours (or less!) -- even when you were traveling out of town on a conference.
Claudia
and I had a narrow window when we needed to buy a house, plus we had to fly to Houston from Colorado to make this happen,
and we were determined to find and make an offer on a house in one weekend. Everyone told me it would never happen, since
realtors just can't devote the time and attention this would demand. Well Joe, you proved them wrong! You met us as soon as
we arrived from the airport, ready to show us several houses we had seen on the internet. None of these homes -- which you
had not recommended, by the way, although you indulged us by showing them when we asked! -- turned out to be what we were
looking for, but first thing the next morning you met us with a selection of homes in the perfect neighborhood and price range.
It
took several days of intense searching, but when we finally walked into our dream home, we were all in agreement -- this was
it, and we had found it in one weekend! I thought the tough part was over, but your real work had only begun. Joe, even with
all my previous house-buying experience, I was unprepared for the incredible amount of work and decisions that still faced
us. Fortunately, you were on top of all the details, were a master at negotiating, and handled so many arrangements in our
absence that it seemed easy by the time we moved in! We especially appreciated how well-networked you are with the best inspectors,
lenders, and other service providers who took such good care of us throughout this process.
I could add so many stories
about service people you met on our behalf, details you arranged in our absence, etc., but the bottom line is that you exceeded
our hopes and expectations in every way. We ended up with much more house at a lower price and far better mortgage terms than
we had expected, in our ideal neighborhood to boot!
Thank you so much for everything you did to help make this happen,
Joe -- you're a dream realtor and new friend, and we will wholeheartedly recommend you to everyone we know.
Warm regards, Dr.
Gale Roanoake
Dear Joe,
My wife Tabitha and I enjoyed working with you in our initial house purchase
and then when we sold it this May. Throughout both the purchase and the sale, you provided us with the relevant market data.
You went above and beyond your duties as a broker to make it easier on us, including handling matters for us when we were
out of town. You were direct and honest with your opinion as to whether offers were reasonable and whether there was room
for negotiation. In addition, you were an effective negotiator in both the purchase and the sale. With your help, we reached
our goals on both the purchase and the sale. Moreover, you made what could be a stressful situation much easier on us. Thus,
we plan to recommend you to all of our friends and colleagues that are in the market or considering getting into the market.
If someone would like to speak with us about our experiences with you, we would be happy to do so. Give us a call and we will
set up a time to talk with them. Take it easy and good luck in your future endeavors, although we all know it is your hard
work, good tastes, good communication skills, and effort above and beyond the call of duty that will continue to make you
a success.
Tabitha and Michael Stebbins
Joe, I am extremely glad that we ended up with you on our doorstep to
selling our house. You have been professional, dedicated, and thorough. The materials you assembled to describe what to expect
in the sales process and your recommendations were more than I have ever seen done before by other agents we worked with.
You handled the sales negotiation very well, giving good, solid advice that proved to be very accurate. You were dead on in
estimating the most likely sales price. I would recommend you most highly to anyone who wants to sell their house. If we ever
get back to Houston, we will be in touch with you right away for real estate assistance.
Linda Lord
In dealing with some half-dozen real estate agents over the years,
Joe Barnes has proved best. He is professional, knowledgeable, and reasonable, aggressive but not pushy, enthusiastic but
not gushy, and simply a diligent and enjoyable individual who has been a pleasure to work with. He brought prompt positive
result with our recent house sale despite a couple of problems that arose, and I recommend him without reservation.
J. K. (Ken) Hillstrom
“Joe Barnes was an absolute pleasure to work with. His marketing and
business savvy are only exceeded by his personality and excitement. We are sorry to not have the chance to work with him again
in Houston. We sold our house with Joe in less than 2 days with two competing offers and received our "target" price. Thanks,
Joe”
Cullen and Sarah Barbato
Dear Joe, Thank you for doing such a great job on selling my condo
in 2003. You helped me tremendously and overcame each hurdle with support and encouragement. It was on the market for such
a short time, and we got such a good price, thank you so much for your diligent efforts. You are the best, and I would refer
you to anyone I knew needing a Realtor.
Susie Pummill
“Our home was listed for 6 months with another realtor. He had a great
marketing presentation, yet all that we saw was his sign in our front yard. The majority of the communication that we got
from him was just to drop the price on our home. After 6 months he informed us that we had to re-sign our contracts because
they needed to be updated. We choose not to re-list with him. We began the whole interview process again, and this time considered
that we should just lease out the property. One of the agents we interviewed was Joe Barnes at Coldwell Banker United Realtors®.
We knew
right away he was different. After two months and an unprecedented amount
of showings, we had a contract. If we ever move back to Houston, you are our Realtor®!”
Mark and Miriam
“Dear Joe
I don’t know how you did it, but you were able to effectively market
my home against all of the competing townhouses in the area and got me the price I hoped for, and in the timeframe I had expected.
I look forward to working with you when I return to Houston.”
Brad Odom
Good afternoon Steve, I just wanted to take a minute to put a feather
in Joe Barnes' hat after all the hard work he did to sell my house. He was great to work with even with the difficulty in
the market and me living in Atlanta while he was marketing the house. The closing went well with only a slight delay in timing.
Make sure he keeps up the good work!
Regards, Wes Prince
Joe,
I have bought and sold three homes in the past 5 years and you were by
far the most knowledgeable, efficient and best Realtor® that I have had the fortune to work with. You made selling my home
a pleasure and a painless procedure, I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”
Ken NG
Buyers
“I found Joe through the Internet, but from the first time we spoke on
the phone, I knew we would get along. Being a first-time buyer, Joe was extremely helpful through every step of the process
-- from finding my home through closing all the way to making sure I was settled in. He let me enjoy the fun part of finding
the home while also making the harder parts (e.g. asking the right questions, negotiating, setting up inspections) easier
for me. Even though I was out of town (and even out of the country!) for most of the process, Joe was always accessible and
responsive via phone, email, and fax. It is a pleasure to work with Joe, and I would recommend him to any friend.”
Thanks, Angie Lee
“Joe, We would like to extend our gratitude for your help over the
past few months during and after the purchasing of our new home. Needless to say our apprehensions were running pretty high
being first time home buyers. No matter how much someone tells you that purchasing a home can be pretty stressful, until you
have actually gone through it do you really understand. Of course, having the right agent makes all the difference. We appreciated
your patience with us, since we know at times we were hard to deal with. We spent quite a few weekends driving around Houston
in what seemed to be an endless search but you always made yourself available. And asking questions was never a problem for
us either, you were always helpful in making sure we understood the rules and regulations that real estate entails, which
to us was a big part of the whole process. I don't think we would have made it as far as we did, or kept our sanity for that
matter, if we didn't ever feel comfortable and in control. Your amiable personality always kept us going. So here we are now,
home owners. And that feels pretty good.”
Jason & April
“Joe,
I just wanted to thank you again for all your efforts in helping me to
buy my first home. You were thoroughly professional, giving advice when asked, while allowing me free reign in my choices.
You were quite valuable in providing logistical support, even going beyond the call of duty in several key instances (such
as suggestions for decoration etc). You respected my wishes and decisions while tactfully advising me on negotiation strategies
during the closing phase of the purchase. And above all it was a downright pleasure to spend time with you. I would instantly
recommend you to any of my friends who would be interested in buying a property in the Houston area. “
David B. White, Sugarland, TX
“What impressed me the most about Joe was his dedication to us his clients.
He hung in there with us even though we were very unsure about what type of home we wanted. We toured homes from Clearlake
all the way to Conroe. Joe was patient and available throughout the whole process”
Dan and Heather Schultz
Joe,
You were the second Realtor® that we worked with. We now understand what
you mean by “Full Service”. The house is still wonderful and we are enjoying every minute of it. We are grateful for your
patience and help during the times we spent looking. We have recommended you to our friends.
