Coldwell Banker

I contacted Coldwell Banker to get a buyer's agent, as Coldwell is a well-known reputable company. Overall, my experience was positive, but small things would lead me to not use them again. My agent was a very nice gentleman; very polite and courteous. He was willing to meet us on weekends and evenings to shop for homes, which was great! His punctuality, although fairly good, sometimes left a bit to be desired. My largest issue when dealing with this agent was that I didn't feel he was knowledgeable about contracts and negotiating. With the internet, I can find homes I am interested in; I don't need an agent for that. What I look to an agent for is contract and negotiation expertise, and I did not find that in my agent. Yes, he was very nice and wanted to do a good job, but I feel he needs to become a little more seasoned before I would do business with him again. I will note, however, that I am a business person with a working knowledge of contract law and negotiating, which may have led to my having higher expectations than other clients, but I would argue that is not the case.

I liked everything. Everything was outstanding. Debbie Sonenshine was the agent with Coldwell Banker. She is professional, knowledgeable, well connected, and sold the house in 2 days. She's the best in Atlanta. She has a top record, is a top agent, and there's obviously a reason why.

Buying a home, even in this buyer's market, is more challenging than you might imagine. I was trying to do it long-distance, living in one city and buying in another, on a budget that put me in direct competition with investors who are buying up Atlanta properties sight-unseen. More than one agent decided my search was going to be more trouble than it would be worth for them financially. Only one of them - a gentleman I found here at Angie's list - was polite enough to tell me he couldn't help. Others promised to help and then just disappeared. One gentleman, a referral from USAA's home buying service who must have felt obligated by his company's partnership with them, did little more than provide me with the access codes to houses I found online. I was driving back and forth between Savannah and Atlanta to see houses in neighborhoods where I did not feel safe getting out of my car - in the daytime, no less. On the one occassion when this agent had to show up in person to let me into a house, he made it clear that I was wasting his time. I couldn't access the system without an agent. But I ouldn't find an agent willing to devote the necessary time and attention to what must have seemed like a minor purchase. And every trip to Atlanta was taking money from my house-buying fund. I was close to giving up. Then a friend of a friend here in Savannah recommended Cliff Grable. Cliff listened, advised and encouraged. When I offered to let myself in for a first look at vacant properties far from his office - as the previous agent had preferred - Cliff wouldn't hear of it. He climbed into hot attics and brushed away spider webs. He could not have worked harder or behaved more professionally if I had been a Trump heiress shopping for a mansion. It was a long road and not without bumps, but last week I closed on a nearly move-in-ready house in a promising location, at a great price. Thanks, Cliff. I couldn't have navigated this tricky and confusing "buyer's market" without you. And thanks to all of you at Coldwell Banker's Highland Avenue office for providing a friendly, relaxing environment complete with a comforting, tail-wagging office dog. When I was a stressed-out stranger in an unfamiliar place, you made me feel welcome. And at home.