Gordon Munden

Gordon has been our realtor for several years now, first representing us in a property search in 2005, then another search in late 2010/early 2011 and currently as the listing agent on our condo. As a buyer's agent he is very good about understanding your budget, the features you want in a new home/neighborhood and is very patient as you work through the options. He doesn't rush you through the purchase decision. In fact, Gordon convinced us early on in the process not to make an offer on a short sale too quickly - that we had the benefit of time. Later, during the same search, he worked aggressively on our behalf as we negotiated on a home before coming back to us to say that the sellers were unlikely to move to a price point he believed was comparable to the market. He didn't want us to overpay and recommended we move on even though we loved that particular home. As we moved from the offer stage to lawyer review, loan approval and closing he is always available for questions, assistance and feedback. He doesn't see his job as done once the offer papers are signed. I think it's important to talk about Gordon's analysis of market prices. Gordon relies heavily upon sale data, list-to-sale price ratios, days on market, and side-by-side comparison of home features in working up offer and list prices. And he walks you through his recommendations in detail as well; you see the inputs into his decision-making process. As someone that incorporates comparable data in my own work, I value that quality in others. Also, he doesn't sugar coat bad news. He gives you direct feedback about home values, and with the real estate market the way it is, I believe this gives you an advantage as either a buyer or a seller. Personally, I enjoy working with Gordon. He's friendly and humorous and thoroughly enjoys his work (it's a treat to tour homes with him - he's as enthusiastic as the buyers).

Awful -- I can't think of a less helpful real estate agent. Gordon threw us under the bus in order to get a paycheck. We had sold our first home, and had money down on our new home (which Gordon helped us find) and were told five days before closing -- by our attorney, not by Gordon -- that the property was built illegally, had no C of O, and we could not purchase it. We tried to keep our first home, and Gordon told us "no way." I'm sure he didn't even try to keep our home for us. We moved in with friends and kept looking for a new home. We found one that was close. I asked Gordon what was the neighborhood was like and he told us "nice." I asked him if he would recommend buying the condo we had our eye on and he gave me an evasive answer. We made an offer -- our maximum that our budget would allow -- and within 24 hours he called and told me there was another offer. There was NO other offer -- but he took advantage of the fact that I was in a rush to buy a home. I upped my offer, something I regret. We moved in, and I discovered I was living in the middle of Section 8-land. He lied about the "nice" neighborhood. And how do I know he sold me out to get a paycheck? Once we closed, he told me I was his only client for 6 months. Also, he didn't listen to any of my wants or concerns. One of my "non-negotiables" was "I don't want to hear sirens." The place he sold me? Behind a firehouse. (I'll admit it's my fault for not walking behind the building for 2 blocks.) Oh, and within 3 months of move-in? Leak city. It's 2 years later and we are still dealing with problems from the shoddy construction, and still dealing with the crooked developer. No way will I ever use Gordon again.