After finally settling into the home I purchased in December, it seems appropriate to take the time to acknowledge the wonderful job Dee Vogel did for me as my agent. She far outdid any expectations I had. I found the perfect spot for me in this over priced, seller’s market real estate climate. I was quite negative when I went to her.

I thought there was a definite possibility that I could not afford to purchase a home in Santa Cruz. She sort of took me under her wing and led me by the hand. I have an aversion to having someone “sell me” something and expected this process to be painful. I was definitely mistaken.

Dee showed me places, asked me questions, did not try to sell the homes, but tried to clarify in her mind what I wanted. I was a bit discouraged when Dee told me about the house I finally bought. I almost didn’t go to see it, but I knew Dee felt it really might be something I would like, so I looked at it, fell in love and made an offer.

How I made the offer is another story. Although I am a novice at this (first home purchase), she respected my way of doing things. She researched the neighborhood, saw what comparable houses were selling for and told me what she thought the seller would accept. We discussed trade off’s to make it easy for the seller and I decided on a price I thought was “fair” and told Dee the actual price I would pay, which was higher than the “fair” price, but still lower than the asking price. Dee informed me of the risk I was taking and I was firm on my top price, she accepted my decision without judgment. Dee negotiated the price I thought was fair, even though it would have been to her benefit to go higher. Much to both of our surprise the seller took my offer, which is, I am sure because of the way Dee presented it. She understood my concerns and also was sensitive to the seller’s concerns. I got a lower price and took some risks with the house, the seller got a fair price and was able to sell the house quickly. Dee really is a great negotiator.

Last, but not least, Dee introduced me to her incredible network of colleagues. She took me step by step through the loan process, inspection, title company. I discussed with her my difficulty with acquiring possessions and she was sensitive to those feelings and made this process painless. I feel I would have never gone through with buying a home unless I found someone like her.

Bottom line, I am happy as a clam in my little home and feel like I got the best deal possible and have dealt with the best people possible because of Dee. Here’s to integrity and general kindness.

By the way, you can bet anyone I know looking to buy a house will hear about Dee. She has definitely changed my view on what Real Estate Agent means.

Everyone in the office was encouraging - you are a great team.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Coulter