My Dog Tess/Barry Slobin & Carol Land

It went great. Barry was very helpful during all stages of the sale. The house was sold in a reasonable amount of time for a reasonable price and we paid a reasonable commission. Who could ask for anything more?

Words cannot remotely do justice to the stellar services Carol and Barry provided in helping us find our new home. Their knowledge of the area (we searched in Chapel Hill and Durham) is tremendous. Their patience with our fairly extensive, sometimes conflicting and often changing list of requirements was saintly. In a market where listings were being snapped up within a day or two, their responsiveness in setting up showings was superhuman: We would express interest in a property and Carol or Barry would often have us inside the place that same day, sometimes within hours. They worked well into the night—and during their own vacation—to write up offer and contract paperwork. Their guidance in assessing properties—in general and for our particular needs—was invaluable: They identified features and potential trouble spots we might never have noticed and provided helpful suggestions for how to address any areas of concern. From contract negotiations through to closing, they truly “represented” us—not only in the sense that they always had our interests foremost in mind, but also in the kind of professionalism, courtesy and respect they exhibited for the sellers and their agent. That made for a smooth, quick transaction. The process was also helped along by the other outstanding professionals they referred us to: the home inspector and mortgage broker were equally diligent and knowledgeable. As a result, we got the perfect home for us, in great condition, at a more than fair price and amazingly low interest rate. Plus we got the My Dog Tess commission rebate for buyers, which is a huge bonus. We couldn’t be happier! The only downside is that we don’t get to see Carol or Barry anymore—have I mentioned that they’re also just generally fun to be around?

Carol did an excellent job in helping us purchase our home - we really lucked out in finding her. She was very responsive to all of our emails, calls and requests for meetings (even meeting with us on a holiday), and she made sure our needs were met throughout the whole process. We ended up finding a great house, in a great  neighborhood, at a great price. I definitely recommend working with Carol and Barry!

Carol was friendly and helpful, and a great help overall. She picked up on early cues and let us guide our home purchase process independently, but was always available to clarify things and schedule home visits and meetings. She was patient and helpful over a long period of time, from when we were first testing the waters of the market through closing on a great home that met our unique mixed bag of home needs and desires.

At a few points in the process her husband Barry (who is primarily a seller's agent, I believe) also assisted in the services. He was attentive, knowledgeable, and helpful as well.

The relationship got to a point where she seemed to follow our lead rather than suggested or pushed in other directions. This was good for us - we were figuring out what we wanted and knew the market well - but this also presented a bit of a downside, where she may have not felt empowered to be as aggressive as needed in certain home bidding/buying situations.

Overall, the process went well, we're really happy, and we're glad we found Carol and Barry. And we're definitely pleased with working with My Dog Tess overall!

A consummate professional, Barry thoroughly explained all parts of the sale process thoroughly. The first meeting with him took over 3 hours - but we felt incredibly well informed and prepared for what would happen from there. After that point, our contact was as needed. Barry is not the realtor who calls you every other day just to update you. The model of My Dog Tess costs sellers only 1% of the sale of their house as opposed to the typical 3% of other realtors. The reason: they don't do open houses, nor newspaper advertising - only online advertising (where the vast majority of house sales stem from anyway). Also, they have a higher client load because of the reduced cost - so if you want someone at your beck and call, My Dog Tess probably isn't the company for you. For example, every once in awhile when I would call, he would say, and quot;I'll call you back in a half hour if that's ok. If you don't hear from me - call me backand quot; - but that's part of working with someone who has more clients than just you.
However, if you want to work with one of the most seasoned professionals who knows all the best ways to get a house to sell - Barry's your guy. He knows the best people for every job, and is incredibly helpful with setting the price for your house as well as working with negotiations for the sale. I was consistently impressed with his knowledge of the market, other realtors, buyer and seller tendencies and strategy, as well as ease of online communication.
I truly enjoyed working with Barry and would recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell in the area.