My former client Robin graciously wrote this lengthy testimonial:
In May of 2006, my husband and I had, yet another, frustratingly bad experience with, yet another, realtor. After telling off a very aggressive realtor and resigning myself to waiting out the 90 day standard leasing agreement we signed, I started searching for other solutions. After calling several real estate attorneys, all of whom advised me to simply wait out the contract, I called Craig Blackmon. With a simple letter from Craig to the listing broker, we were released from our listing contract. After that, we retained him for his flat rate service for sellers.
We have bought and sold 4 times now and I have had one positive experience with a realtor, but that left several bad ones. I finally told myself, "ok, I've given these people enough of our money now. There has to be a better way sell my house." I estimate with the sale of 4 homes in the last 10 years, giving each sell 6% commission to the realtors (brokers) involved, we have given over $73,000 to brokers and realtors. Of course, that is only on the sell. I can't even begin to estimate how much money I lost by paying inflated prices to cover realtor and broker commissions when I was the buyer. By taking advantage of Craig's flat rate representation fee, we kept approximately $30,000 from the sell of our last home that would have gone to brokers. This estimate does not include money that would have been lost by being pressured to drop my listing price so the brokers and realtors could make their commissions faster.
Working with Craig Blackmon would have been rewarding enough for only financial reasons. However, I have to say that he is very pleasant and very patient as well. He knows that his clients do not fully understand real estate law and the in's and out's of buying and selling. He always took the time to answer my questions fully and inform me of issues I hadn't yet considered. He was always available we needed him. He patiently and willingly wrote addendums reflecting several price changes, possession before sell, as well as the standard disclosures and contracts. I would happily refer him our friends and family and encourage all to not be afraid of those four little words: "For Sale by Owner"
Robin - Edmonds, 10/18/06