Fulcrum Properties Group

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The Capitol Realty Team is a group of really good folks who work their butts off to sell your home or help you move into a new one (or, in our case, both). They also know Capitol Hill VERY well and I would strongly recommend them for people looking to buy/sell on the Hill. Our buy/sell had a few "complicating" elements and Tom helped us navigate everything. A few quick examples: We were looking to buy a new house and Tom showed us about 35 or so houses on the Hill but nothing we were ecstatic about. He does some work with businesses that buy/sell houses and one day he got a lead on a house that might become available. We liked the bones - knew full well it would need a lot of work - and had a contract on it within a few days. The place never hit the market (taking away some of the stress of putting in an offer) and it had all the attributes we wanted and that Tom had worked so hard to help us find: good school boundaries, big row house, lots of light (end unit, so windows down one side), quiet street, rentable basement unit, etc. But we also didn't know exactly how much it would cost to renovate and who could do the work. So Tom helped us work out a purchase/renovation contract that met our financial requirements and got us the house we wanted. Finally, because it was a purchase/gut/renovate project, it had tricky financing that not all banks will lend on. Tom helped us find a lender that worked the situation perfectly. On the sell, we had a 990 sqft row house that was purchased at the height of the market. We were hoping to break even. Tom hooked us up with a contractor who - for a very reasonable price - repointed a bunch of the brick, painted the house (outside and in), and fixed everything that was broken and then a separate person who staged the place. We didn't like the idea of staging (it feels very artificial) but I gotta say that it's worth doing. Anyway, it listed on a thursday and by monday we had several offers that were all above the asking price and helped us turn a tidy profit. Tom played this all perfectly and that was critical because we needed the cash from the old house to finish the renovation on the new house. Like I said, Tom and his team work their butts off and they really tailor their efforts to help you get what you want. I would work with them again without any reservations.

The service and attention to detail that Jim provided far exceeded any expectations I set. His effort and diligence went above and beyond the level of service provided by other Realtors I interviewed and worked with. My first home purchase with Jim was a long road, with my search taking 7 months and veering from one end of the city to the other. I looked at condos, row homes, and free standing single family dwellings. Jim was knowledgeable in all of the neighborhoods and took the time to talk through the advantages and disadvantages of each type of ownership. His feedback and input were honest and spot on. Jim also held a great wealth of information on the inner workings of every house, and was superb at explaining the home buying process to me. As you can tell from my return business, Jim is a fantastic Realtor, and someone I would do -- and have done -- business with repeatedly.

I can't praise him enough! He really cares and understood that I needed to relocate rapidly. I talked to him on a Saturday, and by the following Saturday, we were moved in! I would recommend him to anybody!

James Lisowski is the best realtor in town. He is not at all pushy and goes out of his way to fit your schedule and needs. When you tell him what you're looking for, he listens. I looked at over a dozen houses with him and all of them fit the vast majority of my criteria. I actually ended up putting an offer on and getting the 2nd place we looked at, which was fortunately still available after I had looked around. He is extremely knowledgeable about the area since he's from here. James was also helpful throughout the negotiation and closing process. He helped me find a fantastic mortgage lender and also helped me deal with the owner of the house I was buying who happened to be a real pain in the *expletive* about every aspect of the sale. I feel like I got far more than my money's worth from James. I have referred several people to James and all of them have bought through him. If I choose to sell or buy again, James Lisowski will be my realtor.

Long story short: He was very easy to work with, very low or no pressure, very accommodating and flexible, a bit different from my previous experiences. He stuck it out with us till the end. We looked for about 6 months (not continuously though, rather on an off) with him and in the end we were successful in finding that special property that was worth buying.