Gerry Follows
4/01/2019
To Whom it May Concern:
It is my pleasure to recommend Brian Alonge as the most skilled and dedicated Real Estate Agent I have dealt with in 35 years of buying and selling properties in Canada, St. Maartin and Australia.
We met Brian when we were selling two of our properties in Adelaide and he had listed a nearby property. I was impressed with the presentation of that property and the sales outcome.
I first got quotes from the agents that I had purchased the properties from years earlier because they were both viewed as the “domain experts” in the respective suburbs, Maslin Beach and Crafers. This served to confirm my decision to ask Brian.
For all Agents I asked the same questions; how does the property compare to others in the market; what can we do to maximize sale value; what estimate would you place on sale value.
The answers were as follows:
Maslin Beach (two furnished spa units on Oleander Drive with decks overlooking Maslin Beach, ocean and southern vineyards across street):
Agent 1
Comparison of property: “very neat, tidy units, nicely updated, excellent view from both units, good size lot, compares well with other recently sold properties (that he sold)”
How to maximize value: “get it on the market today before the market cools”
What estimate of Price: “it should do as well as the property one street behind (with no beach view) at $350k+
Agent 2 Brian Alonge:
Comparison of Property: “very clean, nicely furnished units inside, excellent views from decks, big lot but overgrown, outside of unit’s needs facelift”.
How to maximize value: “tidy up garden, consider value of updating exterior of the units to maximize street appeal”. (Brian later met with my contractor to agree rendering of select exterior walls and to choose modern colours to paint entire exterior of both units.)
What estimate of Price: “with garden pared back and exterior face lift, $600 – $625k”
Result: We chose Brian to market and sell the units at Maslin. We implemented the changes Brian suggested at a total cost of $4,000. Brian sold the property AND negotiated the sale of all furnishings for a total of $630,000. This provided us with $280,000 more than the first Agent’s expectation.
Crafers (3 bed, LR, DR, Bath upstairs with north facing glass walls to full length 5 meter deck and glass balustrade overlooking City of Adelaide and Cleland Park, downstairs bedroom, bathroom, kitchenette, living area, spa room all with glass walls overlooking gardens and City)
Agent 1
Comparison of Property: “excellent location, well kept, modern renovations, huge block, magnificent views, compares well with the many other properties they have sold in the area”.
How to maximize value: “we have a list of buyers for this area, it will sell very quickly”
What estimate of Price: “$420-$425k”
Agent 2 Brian Alonge:
Comparison of Property: “good location, good street, poor parking, great views, good condition, nice garden”.
How to maximize value: “garden needs light trimming to reveal size of block and sitting areas outdoors and to make driveway appear “friendlier” for parking cars, house needs to be “de-cluttered ” to highlight the size of the house.
What estimate of Price: ”at least $700k”
Result: We chose Brian to market and sell our home at Crafers. We implemented Brian’s suggestions and moved half of our excessive furnishings out and trimmed up the garden and driveway to make it more inviting (at total cost of much muscle strain). As you would know, there is an enormous emotional investment in a home that does not exist with rental properties. Brian recognized this immediately and his concern for how we felt about selling our much loved “home” really drove the process of selling the “house”. It was at Christmas and we had water bombers overhead on the first Open House, so the interest levels seemed very low, however as Brian always says, “you only really need one buyer”. Sure enough he identified a family that really wanted the house but a husband who wanted to buy a block in the country. Brian persuaded the husband that it was a very rural feel in the area and his wife and family needed to be closer to town amenities. To close the deal, we set up an evening viewing of the city lights from our deck. They purchased it for $720,000. This was $300,000 more than the first Agent.
P.S. We had already moved to Port Douglas by the time we closed, so Brian managed the process for us – including removing a tank water pump and replacing it with a new one so the house had water. He even removed some hard rubbish that we simply could not organize before we moved. I know he worked like a galley slave to do this himself and would not let me pay him.
In summary, I cannot recommend Brian highly enough. If you want someone that intends to go the extra mile every time – it is Brian. He is not only an exceptionally hard worker but he has the skills that combine to make the winning sale every time. Because of his obvious flare for House decor we let him make the decisions on colours and textures. It was a stunning transformation.
Without his thoughtful and respectful recommendations, I have no doubt that we would have sold both properties for close to the original agents' quotes.
I only regret that I can’t tell the whole world about the best Real Estate Agent I have ever done business with!