Testimonials
|
A few of our recent raves... |
|
We want to thank you for the tremendous job you did selling our small farm. Your professional marketing of our home was the key to success in this difficult economic time. We would like to extend my thanks to Natalie for the specialized treatment we received staging our home for the pamphlet and web tour. We were so happy with the way she made use of our belongings that we kept the furnishings exactly as they were placed. Gary was an absolute lifesaver! Throughout the home-buying process, we hit quite a few speed bumps due to issues unrelated to Gary or Long & Foster. At every single point in the process, Gary was directly available to not only advise on every issue but often alleviate the stress to me as well as address and correct the problem (meanwhile keeping me fully informed, as I preferred). He worked diligently with every detail by returning calls immediately, communicating with other parties to resolve crises, answering all questions to the best of his knowledge and even researching questions in depth if necessary to provide the best answer/service. There were many times that his knowledge of the processing of my home loan surpassed that of my mortgage company! We have been involved in numerous real estate transactions, and Gary Gestson is the best real estate agent with whom we have ever worked. Even though the house he helped us sell was nowhere near the high dollar amount of most of his transactions, he treated us as if it were at the top of the list. To make his work with us even more exemplary, we had a difficult house to sell in a difficult location at a difficult time. Gary worked the sale from inception to conclusion, devoting his time and energy to all the tasks involved in getting this house onto and off the market. We would rate the entire process as highly as possible; in addition, Gary is a person of kindness, integrity, patience and persistence. I know this sounds as if it were written by his mother, his sister, or his wife, but no - we are just out-of-state owners who met Gary only once. He could not have treated his family or his best friend better than he treated us. Gary Gestson recently acted as our agent in purchasing a property in Washington County. Gary gave us excellent advice and always acted in our best interest. He organized all aspects of the house inspections and - most importantly - guided us through the complicated loan process. We are very happy with Gary's performance as our agent and highly recommend him to others seeking a superb agent. Frederick W. & Sabine Fisher, Rohrersville Maryland Dear Gary, I will always be grateful that you took on the sale of my historic property, well aware of its faults and shortcomings, while assuring me that it was extraordinary and remarkable and superb ! Your positive attitude was one of the many qualtities I came to admire, along with your professional expertise, knowledge and expert advice. You always gave me the impression that the sale of my property was the foremost thing on your mind, and you always returned my calls and emails, no matter the hour of the day or night. I felt extremely comfortable about the guidance you gave me as we negotiated the many pitfalls that could occur during the process, and your advice was always sound and direct. I decided your middle name should be “patience”, because nothing that came up ever seemed to be a burden, nor did the amount of time you spent seem to be a problem. Thank you again for your professional abilities, and for the time and interest you took in the sale of Elmhurst. You did a superb job from start to finish ! Gratefully, Pat Lansdale, Sandy Spring MD I recently purchased a beautiful historic home in Southern Maryland. Gary Gestson was the seller's agent whom I met on the first day of inquiry and I feel very fortunate to have met him. Right away I felt I could work directly with Gary, without an agent of my own and my instincts were correct. His keen sense of aesthetics and appreciation for the uniqueness of old homes made him a pleasure to interact with. Gary could not have been more accomodating, not only in the beginning but throughout the process. This is the 4th historic property I have acquired and numerous experiences with many realtors have given me great appreciation for Gary's unique blend of professionalism, kindness, and understanding of human nature in these often complicated transactions. Gary saw the seller and myself as a good match with much in common, & with skill and patience brought us together. I knew I could count on him to thoughfully & accurately communicate what I needed to convey to the seller, and vice-versa. So often realtors fail to do this, and the deal fails. From my experienced perspective, this successful transaction likely would not have occurred if it weren't for Gary's efforts and skills. At some point soon, I will likely sell one of my other historic properties & my first call will be to Gary Gestson. Gary had an article placed in a local commuter newspaper, the national old house magazines and a specialty Extraordinary Properties glossy magazine that drew a lot of attention. Gary also managed the sales process for us in a way that removed much of our work load. The showings were timely and convenient, he was engaging with the prospective buyers and useful in guiding us as sellers and the prospects, as buyers. He was able to expedite the actual sale by showing both us and the buyer where our mutual benefit existed, so that we felt we achieved a fair exchange with the buyer. The mechanics of the sale and paperwork went off without a hitch. Gary diligently handled most of the logistics, removing work and worry from us. We can only give the highest praise to Gary’s work and any seller would be fortunate to have him as their agent. David S. Stern & Marcia Nicklin, Brandywine MD Thanks so much for everything. You are the consummate professional. It will be my pleasure to recommend Team Gestson to those interested in enjoying a hassle-free, fun, educational, and relaxed real estate experience. Actually, more my duty, as I can not now imagine anything less!! Should we ever consider moving from our new home, it would be without hesitation to once again ask you to represent us. Unlike so many people these days, you actually answer and return your phone calls and emails. You do your homework and educate along the way. Your primary concern is not necessarily closing *any* deal, but the *best* one for your clients. As for Natalie - her intuition and designer’s eye turned our home into a page from House Beautiful. I can not tell you the comments we received about how lovely our home was staged. Her insight and special touches were worth their weight –– literally –– in gold. Again, I want to share with you how grateful we are. What could have been the most stressful time in our lives was tempered by your common sense, sense of calm, sense of humor, and dollars and cents sensibilities. Thank you for allowing us to be partners on your team. Frank & Amy Johnson, Gaithersburg MD Buying and selling a property is a complicated business at best. Successfully doing so from a distance of 3000 miles is a feat - one that I owe to Gary Gestson. I feel enormous gratitude to Gary at the end of a three month period that led to the acquisition of a historic house and equestrian center 35 minutes from downtown D.C. This is our dream place - the place where we will settle when we come home this summer, after a near twenty year absence while serving at our Embassies overseas as a Foreign Service family. We have sold and bought houses before, and this was our ninth and hopefully final real estate transaction. It was also the biggest and most significant, as it involved all our savings, our life after retirement from the Foreign Service, and our daughter’s life as an equestrian and young professional working in D.C. Gary took the time to fully understand our situation, aspirations, and practical parameters. He was always mindful of his commitment to the Sellers and made that clear from the very beginning, but was also very sensitive and attentive to us. There was never a question or concern that he did not address promptly and in detail. Exceeding his obligations as a Realtor, he extended thoughtful advice, objective information, and guidance that helped us greatly in our decisions. Gary is the ultimate professional and the most caring person anyone could deal with. He has a vast knowledge of historic homes and of the regions in which he specializes. He knows his trade inside out and brings to it honesty, integrity, and a strong sense of fairness - qualities not often associated with financial negotiations and transactions. I feel grateful and privileged to have had him as our Realtor. Gary truly is a class act. Helen Margiou, Foreign Service Officer, Upper Marlboro MD Thank you so much for all you did to make the sale of our “old house” as painless and smooth an experience as possible. Your understanding of the elements that make a historic home special, your expert advice in how to stage the house for showing, and most importantly, your clear-sightedness, understanding and patience through the entire process were invaluable to us. All of the marketing materials, from the beautiful “Wow!” color brochure, to print ads—and especially, the fabulous virtual tour—were so well done, and conveyed an accurate image of our home to prospective buyers. Professionalism and thorough attention to detail were evident in every aspect of the listing, marketing and sales process. On a personal level, Roy & I were very comfortable discussing all facets of the sales process with you. Your level of knowledge and expertise inspired our immediate confidence, which proved to be well-placed. We especially appreciated your almost instant responsiveness to calls or emails, no matter how small the question or concern we had. When we received an offer on the house, you took the time to send us articles and other reference information, as well as your thoughts and professional insight, to consider in making our decision on the offer. You managed to be concise and straightforward in a tactful and sensitive manner—no easy feat! Without hesitation, we will wholeheartedly recommend you and your Historic Home Team (indeed, have already done so) to everyone we know. At the risk of being redundant, we can’t thank you enough for all you did to make the transfer to our new home so seamless. Much success in the future! Roy & Andrea Struble, Waynesboro PA As I was considering selling my home (built in 1860) I was concerned that homes in my neighborhood would, literally, stay on the market for months and still not sell. When I met with Gary he walked me through his very specific marketing techniques to attract buyers interested in a Historic Home. He also walked through and made very positive suggestions as to how we could make my house more attractive to prospective buyers. We soon had many showings and then had 3 offers come in, one at the full listing price. Gary was very pleasant to work with and was very responsive to my concerns and questions. He also assured me that we would find someone who appreciated my home as much as I did! I would highly recommend his services to anyone who is considering the sale of an Historic Home. Again, thanks Gary, and prosperous house selling to you and your team! Sally Barnhart, Frederick MD In selling my historic home I found it to be essential to have an agent who is sensitive and knwledgeable about the unique qualities of an historic home. Gary and Natalie have that sensitivity and knowledge. Without their expertise, I would not have had the success I had in selling my home. My sale was a positive experience because of their efforts, which were above and beyond the call of duty. I can not thank them enough nor speak their praises highly enough. Anyone contemplating the sale of their historic home should consider the Historic Home Team of Gary and Natalie first - and last. They are the best agents for the job!! Kim Tucker, Laytonsville MD Firstly, many thanks for all your help above and beyond your normal duties. I understand that you may put this in the"friend" and not the"professional"basket, however I imagine that from the way we were treated by you throughout the process of selling and buying, all of your clients would end up becoming good friends with you anyway. |
