IF you are seeking a REAL estate agent who will be brutally honest WITH you, you should definitely consider Karen LONG; ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE LOOKING OR SELLING IN SKOKIE OR EVANSTON! I have used Karen AS BOTH a seller's agent and as a buyer's agent; so here goes her review AS EACH: AS a seller's agent: Succinct and to the point: If you choose Karen Long to be your seller's agent, you will NOT have TO CHANGE agents; she will sell your home! AND here's why... When I say, "brutally honest, "what I am trying to say is that Karen will not value your home higher than the next agent just to get the listing! Again, this seems worth repeating and vetting out.... ALMOST EVERY REAL ESTATE AGENT, (EXCEPT KAREN LONG), OUT THERE WILL VALUE YOUR HOME WAY TOO HIGH, JUST TO GET THE LISTING AND THEN YOUR HOUSE WILL BE ON THE MARKET FOREVER AND WILL BE FACED WITH LOW BALL OFFERS THAT YOU CANNOT ACCEPT! In other words, Karen Long will put you on the market at the right price and you will get showings without an open house or some sort of party! Karen is a realist! In addition, Karen does a wonderful job of: -Eliminating or beating down "the emotions" that arise when in negotiations -Distilling information down to "the facts that are going to affect your sale" -Turning a complicated decision process into a very simple 2 or 3 choices, so you can move forward -Keeping all the players; including, buyers, buyer's agent AND lawyers civil AND productive... -Helping you find someone TO get the smaller jobs done...to make your closing.... I could say more, but let's look at Karen Long as a buyer's agent: AS a buyer's agent: Once again....to the point: If you are a first time home buyer; Karen Long will educate you. But, if you are a seasoned home buyer; Karen will not waste your time! And here's why... Once Karen LONG acknowledged what I was seeking, unlike my former buyer's agent (who will remain nameless and, no, I did not buy with them; engaged Karen Long 2 years later), Karen showed me "a limited amount of listings" and did not waste my time by showing me every single house that qualified or I wanted to see... When I started getting desperate and demanded seeing some others; Karen complied and, "in every single case" Karen was right, I was wasting my time! Bottom-line; it took longer to find "the perfect house"; but I did! Again, in other words, Karen is very aware of all the houses on the market...she has seen them too! After she speaks with you and shows you a few houses, she will not waste your time! Though I am confident that, should you need a home fast; Karen can oblige... But, if you want to buy the perfect home; Karen will be patient with you and; when she raises her hand to take a look at a new listing; she will prove to be on-target! In addition, Karen does a wonderful job as a buyer's agent IN regard TO: -Making sure that you are pre-qualified so seller's agents take you seriously -Pointing out when you are making a ridiculous offer when you really want the home -Pointing out when the seller makes a ridiculous counter AND having it updated by seller! -Finding an inspector and evaluating the inspector's report LAST words regarding Karen LONG: READ my reviews, I only rate winners ON Yelp!; I DO NOT waste TIME ON mediocre OR losers; so it IS obvious that I highly recommend Karen AS a personal REAL estate agent... Another thing you should know, OR take note of, IS that Karen IS a "very social" person. But what IS soooooo notable about Karen, IS that, "when it comes to the real estate deal itself;" Karen LONG IS far FROM talkative OR chatty. IN fact, "when it comes to the deal," Karen IS very deliberate IN what she says; so you can make a sound objective unemotional AND logical decision WHEN it comes TO WHERE you live; OR what you are selling. Trust me, you can trust Karen LONG TO HELP you make ONE of the most important purchase OR selling decision IN your life!
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