Kyle Richards Realty

We are out-of-state buyers, with little knowledge of the area, so we needed a very experienced realtor, someone who would communicate well by email and phone, and who would use our limited time efficiently. We are amazed with her professionalism, as she provided us with a broad variety of listings, carefully annotated to highlight distinctions. She spent hours and hours (actually several days) with us, educating us on the area, showing us the listed properties (some repeat visits too), informing us about the local legal requirements, and answering our countless questions. When we eventually narrowed our choices down, she began negotiating on our behalf and ended up saving us a substantial amount of money. She gave excellent advice through closing and provided top-notch referrals for financing and other matters related to the move. I had always heard horror stories of realtors who would take you to places that were out of one's price range or which didn't meet the requirements you'd set, but Kyle did not waste one minute of our time. Her office staff had efficiently scheduled showings so we would go from one place to the next with not a minute wasted, and Kyle's reputation as a top realtor meant that we got the royal treatment from sellers and brokers. I have since recommended Kyle to others and will continue to do so. What a pro! The new home is fantastic, could not be happier.

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1 Pricing The Market Since all realtors have ready company computer software to price your home’s value with comparables, all agents are competent. However asking a realtor to price a home five years in advance for a critical financial divorce calculation for lawyers is a heavy responsibility and not so easy to determine. Yet in 2009 Kyle Richards researched and appraised my home for 2014 and got it in the ballpark and moreover right on the nose. 2 Positioning Your Home Among Comparables There are two ways Kensington realtors approach educating their clients on the good and the bad that buyers notice when viewing your home. Since many in businesses, advertising and politics manipulate by using people’s fear to get action, so some realtors use that approach in a heavy-handed way. The justification is that defensive owners unwilling to fix things will be motivated to part with their money and do the savvy thing. The problem with that tactic is that it increases the trauma of an already difficult period of transition. There are other approaches that get the same results. Kyle’s approaches this discussion with the attitude that she is understanding about your home’s issues while infusing her self-confidence to empower you to engage in the tasks as well as developing her self-assurance that the investment is wise. 3 An Agent’s Ability to Address Issues To get your home attractive and competitive in the market real estate agents have connections in the trades to repair blemishes and make needed improvements as well as a discerning eye for what gives market appeal. Their goal is to apply effective and inexpensive solutions. When comparing brokers you will find their abilities and success vary. For an agent to keep a loyal army of talented and economical trade professionals it takes a special mix of tactical skill and an appealing personality to frame goals and shape desired outcomes. When comparing brokers you will find their abilities and success vary. The “x” factor in the improvements is the aesthetic appeal of your home. Some agents have a skilled eye. Some agents are willing to take hours to plan a budget and are exceptionally good at choosing colors for the ceilings, walls, and trim that coordinate well in your home. Without a doubt no realtor can touch Kyle’s chosen team of carpenters and painters and her ability to lead them with her vision. Kyle’s team appears to have a special trusted relationship with her. The result is refinement within a tight budget. She has a designer’s eye to fit her use of paint within an historic home’s color palette. She resolved a myriad of carpentry issues in the unfinished kitchen, stairs, main hall, and attic. The end result was she unified the home’s finished rooms and unfinished rooms. 4 Staging Your Home Any agent can hire an expert to improve your arrangement of furniture and install a chair, table or lamp to make your house more presentable. Yes, it is an extra cost to the budget. Some real agents have little training or natural aptitude for staging a home. When comparing brokers you will find their abilities and success vary. If your agent happens to have the vision of a designer there are flexible ways to make beautiful settings. Kyle’s earlier decisions on the paint and repair choices were integrated with later staging decisions. Using ingenuity and her extensive stylish furnishings she improved the appearance of the entire property and made it visually breathtaking. The end result was a transformed wrap around porch, entry hall, stairway, kitchen and two bedrooms. 5. Understanding Your Home Agents make a decision on the hours they put in selling your home. Some approach it in a defendable formula that compartmentalizes work and play. Other realtors see their work as homage to notions of excellence, mastery and a reflection of who they are. They do not compartmentalize work and play. They are not keen on editing out extra hours of work if there are results. An historical home will need such agents. Kyle put in much overtime reading and then writing the brochure on my home. I ambushed her with the equivalent of a research thesis of the home though images, drawings and articles on period architectural design, philosophers and design leaders of that period, concepts that built Kensington, the art of interpretive restoration and my approach to treatments and thematic ideas about the investments made in wallpapers, trim, wall & ceiling light fixtures, painted doors/crown molding /ceiling medallions. Architectural expansion approaches were sketched. I know no other realtor to come close to appreciating and absorbing this kind of information. 6 Promotional Products Real estate companies have websites posting photographs of your home. At the open house a flyer is available with the nuts and bolts of an offering. Another Kyle resource was her professional photographer shooting images for the home’s brochure. His skill level was able to achieve those superlatively composed crystal clear wide-angle images as seen in top interior design magazines. Those images went on the Coldwell Banker website. And Kyle’s talent extends to writing. The promotional handout contained her text and the photographer’s images and bound into a glossy professional brochure. The result gave an impressive promotional piece that people would be reluctant to throw away. It felt too valuable to toss. It was my ultimate keepsake to take away from the experience of saying goodbye to my Kensington home. Her skills resulted in successfully invested time to pursue other avenues of market exposure: Kyle got the house featured in The Washington Post’s HOUSE of the WEEK section. 7 The Open House Experience I find all realtors make a friendly impression at the open house and try to be available to the visitors, so what is that bit of extra talent? My friend popped by during Kyle’s first open house on a very rainy cold day. She noted that Kyle was an open and genuine person as well as clearly very intelligent. She said Kyle was able to convey in an interesting way bits about therestoration. She also seemed to know what would keep the visitors excited and interested in the house. Talking to Kyle later I made the mental note that she had the presence of mind to turn a rainy day into an advantage by having buyers check out the dry basement. 8 Accepting the Right Offer Giving insightful aspects of offers to the seller is an agent’s domain of influence. Kyle Richards made decision-making empowering for the seller. She also had great composure talking about the negotiable and non-negotiable with the offers from the buyers’agents. The final result not only made me feel smart about my decision on offers but also allowed me to feel comfortable enough to be able to be decisive and quick. 9 The Process of the Sale Contract The agent takes the active part in setting up what inspections and evaluations must be done to close an offer within a time frame. Kyle Richards is also adept in conveying information on historic homes to professional inspectors and assessors unused to historic district properties such as my home proved to be case. The results of those discussions could have impacted the success of the sale if not addressed intelligently. Kyle controlled the outcome brilliantly with information and logical approaches. Unusual properties need an agent who can think through problems and come up with answers acceptable to all. 10 Getting the Home Ready for the Buyer Some sellers require from you to give extra grace, control, coordination and actually some additional effort. If one of the two sellers is coming from out of state to move furniture while staying in the near empty home, well, it needs monitoring. Orchestrating their needs, tracking their progress, and evaluating the need to bring in specialists to get the home ready in time for the buyers could be disaster if not effective at each turn. Kyle Richards displayed grace and generosity throughout my clearing out efforts. Expecting to spend the night on the couch she brought over an air mattress, bed sheets, a comforter, pillows, pillow covers. Expecting to be constrained when my son needed the family car for work, she loaned me her van. Monitoring the progress of my cleaning out the home felt more like support, cheer, and reassurance. Kyle’s check-ins on me and my access to Kyle was not dictated by a 9-5 window but an informal 24-7 window. In my case, as the lawn grew and unwelcomed items were discovered in the shed and basement Kyle was in unflappable charge of scheduling lawn work, recommending hauling services and directing the financial responsibilities. 11 The Closing and Final Closure Agents have choices how to frame experiences. Well it was difficult for me, the seller, to let go of the home that has been a meaningful part of my life. It is way too easy to magnify small frustrations and disappointments in disposing furniture and saying goodbye to a blooming garden which can consequently color the experience selling of the house to new owners. I appreciate what Kyle did to create perspective and a positive attitude. In our final conversation Kyle chose to tell me how the buyers during their final walk through of the house talked excitedly about owning the beautiful home and putting their plates on the living room plate rails that I had made. So while Kyle performed and undertook all the tasks of a great realtor, I believe this act shows why she is second to none. She had the full acuity of my situation without anything ever being said. Kyle Richards is the best realtor in Kensington and I believe my examples demonstrate it.

She is great. I would definitely use her again. She handled the whole process, she worked nonstop for us. Incredibly diligent. She has fantastic follow through, beyond the closing.

Kyle is a very experienced, professional real estate agent whom I trust. I purchased my first condominium in Chevy Chase through Kyle, as she was recommended by a business aquaintence. I also purchased a single family home some years later, and sold the condominium. My timing for selling the condo was not the best, as the financial industry was very leary of making any loans for condos, and the appraisal came in 40k below my offer. Many real estate agents can do a great job when there are no issues that arise. It takes a great agent to work through difficulties. Kyle worked tirelessly with the buyer's agent and myself to still make the deal happen, even to her own financial detriment. Due to her efforts I was able to move into my current single family home in Potomac (which she also found for me). If I'm ever in need of an agent again, it will be Kyle. I highly recommend her.