December 11, 2006

D’Lani
5130 S. Garden Loop RD
Seattle, WA 98118


Irene Rel and Re/Max Associates
RE/MAX Metro Associates
(206) 367-0888
13500 Lake City Way NE # 100
Seattle, WA 98125


RE: Testimonial for Irene Rel

To all:

In the spirit of the holiday season, I wanted to take a moment to send my praises of Ms. Irene Rel. I am so grateful for her help this year in finding the perfect property in Seattle, and ensuring that I was taken care of and settled. Irene is a true asset to the Re/Max family. I have seen nothing less than perfection in her work.

I contacted Irene because she came highly recommended to me by a close friend of mine in the real estate world of New Mexico. I moved to Seattle from New Mexico in January, and was in desperate need of an agent to do all the leg work of physically viewing properties in my absence. I had only two months to find the perfect home. Of course, not knowing the Seattle area or even being present to physically view the properties put me at a great disadvantage.

I worked with four agents in Seattle before I found Irene, and unfortunately had to let each one go, as they were not dedicated to helping me. They were not listening to me, and would provide me with the bare minimum of what I needed. When I heard about Irene, I immediately emailed her asking for some info on what she has accomplished in real estate, etc. Irene responded within just a couple of hours. Her energy was perfect, and she had the sense of urgency, drive and dedication that I was looking for.

I sent Irene my requirements, and of course, being from New Mexico, had a very low price in mind. This did not scare Irene, in fact she stated that she would help to find me EXACTLY what I needed, and told me that no matter what, I should not give up. This was quite a breath of fresh air, considering the previous agents that I had tried working with, who all basically told me that what I wanted was impossible.

Within days, Irene and I found a number of properties that fell within my requirements. Irene researched each property and got me more than enough information within only hours of my asking. She did all the leg work of talking to the seller’s agents, driving and viewing the properties and reporting all of her findings to me. She got me set up on a website where I could fill out all of my requirements, and have any matching listings sent to me right as they hit the market. Irene also set me up with an amazing home loan consultant by the name of Karina Velez with Countrywide. These two work extremely well together, and are quite efficient in closing the deal!

After researching properties for a couple of weeks, Irene and I stumbled across the “diamond”. This property exceeded all of my requirements while still falling within my financial comfort zone. Of course, I was quite enthusiastic about getting info and putting in an offer as my relocation date was approaching. This property was well represented on the MLS sites, and I was extremely interested in finding out if the property was in good condition and matched its representation. The day that I asked Irene to view the property, she drove out with another agent (for a second opinion). They called me within just a couple of hours, and gave me the entire breakdown. They both felt confident that this was the property for me. I trusted Irene’s opinion, and without even personally viewing the property, I took a great risk and placed an extremely low offer on the property; Irene did not even hesitate or wince. The owner countered at about $15K higher than my original offer, and I again countered. We finally settled at $15k less than what the owner was asking. The property had a much higher value than where we settled, considering the 30 acre Japanese Zen Garden backing my property…wow!

I did fly up for the inspection, and we found that there was a leak in the basement that was partially below grade. This is where the complications began. Irene impressed me with her amazing professionalism and knowledge. She did not back down, and would not allow me to become discouraged. I had to fly back home to New Mexico, but Irene continued to work with the seller’s agent until we all came to a suitable compromise. Turns out, the homeowner’s association is taking care of repairing the leak, and all related damages.

When I moved up, Irene attended the closing for support and helped to answer all of my other questions. Once the deal was closed, Irene helped me settle in to my new home. She contacted the closing agents at one point to ensure that I was not responsible for a random bill I got in the mail, and even purchased a year home-owner’s warranty for me to cover any unforeseen repairs (luckily I have not had to use this). Irene continues to call and check up on me, and even dropped by to give me a wonderful house warming gift. I now not only consider Irene to be the very best real estate agent, but a very good friend.

Please take the time to acknowledge Irene for her contributions to your company.

Thank you all and Happy Holidays!


D’Lani