JANE SCHMALZ

First of all, let me just say that I am very, very picky. I critique almost every service - from bag-boys to accountants - I am not an easy man to please. It is with that preamble that I can confidently say that Jane Schmalz surpassed all expectations I ever had in a real estate agent. We chose Jane because we knew of her extensive experience in the Birmingham market and her respected reputation in the community. From the very first phone call, she helped us from start to finish to make the process as easy as possible. Before listing our house, Jane met with us and gave us advice on staging the house and making repairs. She advised us on a price point and told us what we could expect as far as offers in this volatile market we are in. When we were ready, she listed the house and was showing it the next day. She created a buzz in the market and enticed the first offer on the house within one week! After counter-offers, we agreed to a price that was only $2,000 under our listing price, with little to no concessions on repairs. To us, this was a truly amazing feat in the difficult market that we are in currently (2008-2009 sub-prime mortgage meltdown). Jane then helped us find our new house and also helped us negotiate a great deal on it. Best of all, Jane was always available - whether by phone, email, or even text message. She went out of her way to make sure we got what we wanted and treated us like her only client - even when she was negotiating a separate deal for one of her other clients that was selling a house valued ten times more than ours. She was even there for us on the weekend of our move after closing when the sump pump of our new house decided to quit working on moving day. She was able to convince the home warranty company to repair the sump pump within hours after they had told me that it could not be done until Monday - turning a moving day nightmare into an unavoidable, but manageable set-back. Bottom line is that Jane Schmalz has the wisdom and experience that one would expect from a seasoned professional of her caliber, yet still has the drive, determination and technical edge of a young agent trying to make their first commission. The absolute best of both worlds. My wife and I are keeping our fingers crossed that Jane will still be selling homes when we decide on our next move. If not, you can bet that I will try to convince her to do some private consulting.