Why Work with The Grubb Company?
Here's what our satisfied customers are saying about us:
There were some very positive aspects of my dealings with Regina:
* References to an outstanding mover (Integrity Moving Solutions), a very good tree guy (Michael Finnerman), and a painter (Jose Lujan) who did good work and proved to be exceptionally helpful.
* Sound guidance on negotiations during the process of reviewing and finalizing offers.
* Good advice about some details for marketing the house such as light fixtures and garden plant selection.
* Ultimately, we got a good price for the property and Regina's contractors (especially Bill, the mover, and Jose, the painter) were very sensitive to our tight timeline.
* Regina's husband, Tom, is very easy to work with. However, he keeps a very low profile once the listing agreement has been signed.
That was the good news. I am writing this review because selling one's home is a very stressful experience, and Regina's work style made the process much harder than it needed to be. In short, I do not feel that she earned a commission of $38,925. I hope that sharing my experience will help others choose the right Realtor. To be specific:
* Regina was unfamiliar with my neighborhood and did not do the work necessary to become knowledgeable. Most importantly, her estimate of the value of the house was uninformed. Her asking price was 48% ($500,000+) under the eventual sales price. We got 16 offers, but only a handful were within an acceptable range.
* She was unresponsive to requests for a preview of advertising copy (I am a veteran of 30 years working with blue chip marketers and could have helped her fine-tune the copy.) Requests were met with excuses such as, "No one reads copy; they just look at pictures."
* Regina failed to represent me in dealings with the stager, even though it was obvious that Marlene Wharmby had done a poor job (see separate review). This only changed when I threatened to yank the listing.
* She was not available on a timely basis. Phone calls usually bounced to voicemail, and she returned calls to my land line even though calls had originated from my cell and my landline has an outgoing message instructing people to call my cell. She always arrived at the last minute and was back out the door moments later. Many details were not attended to until the 11th hour, greatly increasing my stress level.
* Communications with vendors were very poorly managed. The stager was unaware that I had opted to use my own cleaners. Regina instructed the painter to leave the premises without ever consulting me about her decision, then had the nerve to accuse the painter of having poor communication skills.
* She did not advertise the open house in the Hills Newspapers -- a prime outlet for notices in our neighborhood.
* My request for an update on staging while I was out of town was met with a condescending, "I don't micro-manage my stagers."
Finally, Mark Attarha, the managing broker of Sotheby's Montclair, demonstrated an appalling attitude toward customer satisfaction. I phoned him when my patience with Regina and her stager ran out. He began by proposing an acceptable solution, but reneged on his offer. Banalities like "this isn't about money" and "we just want what is best for you" only stopped when I YELLED into the phone and threatened to hang up. Had I known about his "special" skill with client relations, no one in that brokerage would have gotten my business, much less a commission of $38,925.
Getting top dollar for your home is a collaborative effort and demands an agent who can truly be the seller's partner. I wish I had chosen a different Realtor for my home.
Martha B.
27 August 2013, 02:48 AM
Regina and Tom helped us sell our Oakland home two years ago when we found out we had to move across the country within two months. They did it all as we were on the road to the East. The house was sold in two weeks in the slowest market in years! Amazing.
Two years later, we decided to sell our smaller home that we had been renting. Again, we had to do everything from across the country. Regina and Tom were yet again, amazing! They swept in immediately, pulled in their troops and calmed us when we got nervous about budget. Although, because of our previoius experience, we were confident we would get every dollar back and then some. They focus on details that few others do. The house looked terrific within 6 weeks and we had 22 offers after the two open houses and the house sold for WAY over asking.
I have never worked with any other professionals (in any field!) who were as warm, professional, efficient, honest and diligent. They get the work done and make things happen. Although our family was sad to cut the Oakland strings officially (for now!), we are forever grateful to Regina and Tom for selling our very first home to another wonderful young family who hopefully love it as much as we did.
We will never use another agent when/if we return to the Bay!
Wendy W.
22 May 2013, 06:35 AM
Regina and Tom have the ability to get things done and they can really execute to sell your home, or be your best advocate and advisor when buying a house.
After a failed realtor experience some months before, my wife and I called Regina, who brought her husband and business partner, Tom. We chose Regina because we saw her make a concerted effort in our neighborhood several years prior, including knocking on our door and introducing herself, and subsequently watched as she proceeded to get listing after listing nearby.
We had our guard up after the last agents fizzled on us, but Regina and Tom presented a well-articulated plan with facts and market data. It was clear they knew the area and had their finger on the pulse on the current state of the market.
After we discussed timing, it became clear my wife and I had procrastinated too long, so Regina and Tom laid out a clear plan of what needed to happen and when. Regina and Tom bring the necessary resources - from contractors and landscapers, to stagers and window cleaners - all at a reasonable rate. The best part? She said she would take care of it all - well, almost all.
In the middle of everything and to complicate things, we found a house we wanted to buy, and they were able to handle it all gracefully - negotiating with a less-than-accommodating seller's agent to get them to accept a contingent bid and wait for us to sell our house. Generally, in our neighborhood, getting a seller to accept a contingent bid (on the sale of a house) does not happen. Regina somehow made it happen.
Our house looked great when it was open and it sold fast. What's more, we got the house we were trying to buy. In the end, we pushed Regina & Tom to get it done, and they diplomatically pushed back - told us what's realistic and how to accomplish what we needed.
Selling a house is always a headache, and sure, I felt at times I was spending a lot of money and questioned the ROI of additional dollars spent. But, when the bids started rolling in, I knew following Regina and Tom's suggestions was worthwhile.
It is often said, "Oh, I could not have done it without you," but in this case, there is absolutely no way we could have done it without Regina and Tom. The sheer quantity of work they got done was amazing.
Mike B.
8 February 2013, 07:08 AM
We had Regina Jacobs come by our house and introduce herself some years ago when we she was first starting out in Oakmore.
Over the years we saw many homes successfully sold by her, so when we decided to move and put ours on the market we reached out to her.
A couple of years earlier she had helped with an appraisal when we were refinancing.
Regina and Tom came by and met with us at our home. They were professional, courteous and friendly from day one and presented their proven formula for success.
We had several discussions and pretty much followed their advice to the letter. Regina coordinated the staging and overall preparation for the market. Tom did an excellent job on marketing and the photography and web site for our house was beautiful. Working with the two of them and their team resulted in a very focused time on the market and quick sale. The results were outstanding!
After only one week online and two weekends on the market, we had eight highly competitive offers from qualified buyers and our house sold for well over the asking price. We are very happy with the results and the whole process.
Regina and Tom are the dream team! We have already recommended them to friends who are considering selling.
We would highly recommend them to help you buy or sell a home.
Thank you so very much Regina and Tom.
Sincerely,
Mike & Jan
Mike K.
6 October 2012, 13:28 PM
