I'd like to share with you my experience with a referral here on Active Rain.  I was one of the "first original rainers" and living in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle area) I was honored to meet many of the staffers of AR on many occasions.

A year ago I received a referral from Sarah Nopp, a RE/MAX Agent in Olympia, WA which is about 50 miles from my home town of Everett. Sarah had been following me on Active Rain and we chatted a few times on line. Sarah had a client, relocating from Hawaii, that wanted to be near the Naval base in Everett, WA. This client found Sarah on her web site.  Sarah remembered me from AR and knew that I worked that area.  Sarah referred the client to me. I worked with Theresa about two months to find her dream home.  And we did. Theresa walked into this home and exclaimed "oh my, this is the one." And the rest is history. That was last March.

About two months ago, Theresa called me saying her family was being transferred with the military again and she needed to sell her home.  I did a market analysis and realized that with the declining market here we had to list it at the price she bought it at eight months ago. Not to mention that she added $10,000 of upgrades to the home. Theresa listened to my advice and we priced the home agressively. Now she is located in an area that is North of the Naval Base and has a general market time of 275+ days.  We were on the market just 37 days when her first offer came in.  It was within 2% of her list price.  The transaction moved into a pending sale today, considering we got the offer on December 19!

Theresa and her family will be renting a home just North of Stanwood in the Anacortes area until her Hawaii property sells.  Yes, she referred her Hawaii listing to me to help her find a qualified agent in Maui. After one phone call and interview I found the perfect agent for them.

Theresa informed me that when their Hawaii property sells, she and her husband (who still resides in Hawaii) will be buying their "destination waterfront" property here in the Pacific NW; and guess what, she said she will be working with me.

This is what a positive attitude is about. Serving a client with a smile on your face and trust in your heart that you will do the best for them.

This is just a simple story of not just selling a home, but creating a client for life.

For all your real estate needs in the Everett, WA area, contact: http://wwwa.karensvillas.com

Karen Villa Schweinfurth, ABR, CRS, SRES, e-PRO, RE/MAX Northwest Realtors, RE/MAX Hall of Fame Member - 425-308-3669 - karen@karensvillas.com