Bernice Sim - RE/MAX Commonwealth

We met Bernice through the Filipino community and have known her for many years. She has helped many friends and has been involved in volunteering and sponsoring community events. When we decided to choose this awesome 55 plus neighborhood in a golf community in New Kent, we wanted to have representation. Most people go into new construction thinking they don't need anyone, but you don't know what you don't know. From the get-go, due to her experience, she knew what questions to ask. She knows the rights we have. She will advocate for you to get just that little bit more. Even though site agents are friendly and knowledgeable, they represent the builder so it's important to have someone on your side. From asking the right questions to picking options that give us the most bang for our buck, it's good to have someone who knows the going rate of adding another window, or getting a screened in porch versus just a deck, stair railing choices, choice of colors - especially with floors, kitchen countertops, and kitchen cabinets. It's important not just to pick what you like but also what goes together and what will be valued upon eventual resale. A good agent can give you insight into all the choices involved, especially when it comes to choosing the lot. In new construction, it's all about the numerous choices throughout and Bernice will stay involved to help with all of it. Bernice was there for our building meetings - design meeting, pre-drywall meeting, final inspection, walkthrough and our loan closing. We love Bernice how she is so hands on and involved with her clients. We're also glad we used one of the home inspectors she recommended. Most people think that since it's all new, it's not that important. But a third party home inspectors will point out roof and crawlspace flaws and so much more. In our case, ours found something that was not even visible and would have been easily overlooked! He discovered that there was a vent that had been inadvertently drywalled over!! It was definitely worth the extra peace of mind and the discovery of a few more punch list items for our builder to take care of before closing. If you want an experienced agent who truly cares and will go the distance, choose Bernice and the Happy New Beginnings team for your next transaction. 

Bernice helped me with my first home about 7 years ago - and by the way, can I tell you that I am extremely pleased and amazed at how much it has appreciated? I'm really glad I bought back then. It's certainly a different market now. I had watched Bernice grow her rental portfolio and was impressed by what she was able to achieve and wanted to get on the band wagon and start a cashflowing machine myself. Tough to find a deal these days, but there are ways to achieve success if you have the right team backing you. The HNB team is extremely proactive and constantly watching the market for their folks. I can tell you that they move fast and if you do what they say, you will prevail. It didn't take long to find my first rental and, even better, Bernice was able to negotiate successfully for $20K below list! She told me not to tell their secrets so I won't but I will say that as a bystander and someone who has watched this team grow from a team of one to what they are today, they really go all out for their clients. They really go above and beyond to advocate for their clients, and they definitely did for me; I'm just glad that I get to start earning passive income and I can't wait to watch THIS property increase in value. Do yourself a favor and at least interview Bernice and her team if you want to get top of the line service before, during, and after. They make it seem easy, but it isn't. This team works HARD so you can succeed. But this process and the cash flow results has been so positive, I'm going to be on the lookout for rental number 2 soon. I know where I'll be turning for help, This team rocks!

We are no stranger to real-estate dealings, but we were so fortunate to have worked with Bernice. She helped us buy our home in Virginia a few years ago when circumstances had us having to find a home and move-in QUICKLY. We loved our home in Chester and were so sad to have to leave, but at the same time, we were glad we chose just the right time to sell and right person/team to help us. Moving to California and having to travel CROSS country, you need someone you can trust….someone who will remain in communication and the Happy New Beginnings team were there for us every step of the way. Whether it was making sure our trash bins were put back after the last pickup, adjusting the temperatures of the house, flushing toilets, running the water, and making sure there were no leaks or burst pipes during those freezing temperature days….this team goes above and beyond the call of duty! Bernice is upfront, honest, always responsive, great with communication, and really cares. Her buyer’s agents hosted several open houses and we got the home under contract quickly and for an awesome price!! We were so happy with the results and the process and highly recommend Bernice and her team for any of your real estate needs. The entire home sale transaction was seamless, pleasant, and hassle free during a stressful and difficult time, a bright spot, for sure. We're so glad we met Bernice and team years ago and delighted that she's now a friend for life. Come visit us in California!!!

It went smoothly from beginning to end. Bernice is simply a pleasure to work with. She put our house on the market and sold it in four days. So very impressed with her.

Bernice was fantastic. She responded quickly and was very realistic about the whole process and the expected result. She did a ton of work staging, setting up pictures, and preparing a pre-listing so when the listing went up I ended up accepting an offer within 11 hours that was above asking and had a bunch of other perks that Bernice was able to negotiate for. Great work, great to work with, would highly recommend!

I started off with another realtor but felt ignored so I found Bernice - and I'm glad I switched. It was day and night difference! She was very hands on, which I needed because my house was a "work in progress." She helped me make decisions for paint, which upgrades would get me the most bang for my buck, and also helped identify some potential problem areas. She also has a great in house staging service that really brought the house to life and made it look like a home. The end product looked amazing. I was impressed by the quality of the photos and marketing. She even did a Zillow walk through tour, which is so important these days. Because of her, we were able to aim for a higher price point than I originally thought. We had so much interest and offers right away. The process wasn't easy and our first contract fell through but we regrouped and were able to get another great offer. Bernice and her team kept me up to date - this was not always easy as I am in the military and was on the field or traveling for most of the transaction. You really need someone you can trust and who will keep you updated and stay calm. Bernice and the Happy New Beginnings team is your one stop shop. It was a pleasure working with her and her team. Highly recommended!

I have bought and sold 7 homes in 4 different states. Each time I buy or sell I always interview agents to find the one with the experience level and attention to detail that would be needed for my transaction. Once I complete my interviews, I circle back with the best one and complete the paperwork process. I assumed this time would be the same. This time I interviewed Bernice Sims with Happy New Beginnings, and during the interview it became clear to me that Bernice was the person I was looking for. I made my commitment to use her during the interview and canceled my interviews with the other agents. I was pleased with my decisions as we put together a full-scale action plan within the first 24 hours. The level of communication and follow up by Bernice and her team throughout my purchase and sale of my home was outstanding! If you are looking for your own Happy New Beginning, I would highly recommend Bernice Sims.

Hiring Bernice Sim to sell our home was the best decision we could have made. Unlike other realtors who quoted us a sales price based on recent neighborhood comps which were low, Bernice looked at our home and took her time to research comparable home sales based on the upgrades and unique features of our home. We were so impressed with the preparation that Bernice brought to our first meeting we knew we wanted to list our home with her. Our house sold immediately and Bernice handled the negotiations and details with ease, getting us our asking price while making it stress free for us. Bernice helped us find our new home and here again her knowledge of the market and excellent negotiation skills made it possible for us to purchase the perfect home for us. We liked Bernice so much we recommended her to a friend whose house had been on the market and wasn't selling - with Bernice's expertise our friend's house was sold in short order. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Bernice Sim for selling or buying a home.

Bernice is a go getter. She just flat out gets it done. From the moment I listed my home, Bernice and her team took over! The sign went up- photos were scheduled- Bernice even personally came over early and helped to stage for the photo shoot. Open house was a breeze and Bernice's market expertise resulted in a flooded schedule with over 45 showings and an over asking price contract the first weekend on the market! The whole process was perfect! I would highly recommend Bernice to everyone I know!

It went exceptionally well still unreal that I am a homeowner, God just placing destiny helpers in my precense and I consider Bernice Sims, Steve Kirby and their team of Happy New Beginnings as my destiny helpers. Just went out of their way to be a blesiing and helping me achieve the goal of becoming a homeowner!!

We moved from SC to Virginia this year. Sarah helped us get our Happy New Beginning and is beyond amazing ❤️. From day one Sarah was attentive, met with us immediately to assess our needs, and worked tireless to find our house. The first two days we looked at 10 houses before having to return to SC. Sarah responded to my nervous texts and emails at all hours of the night to ease my nerves about our big move. As we came down to the wire on our desired closing date Sarah dug in to find our perfect house. We were unable to make another trip to look at homes so she rode around for days, sending videos of neighborhoods and houses. Finally she sent a video that made me fall in love and we found our dream house. Without hesitation we put in an offer without us seeing the house, but I was not worried because I completely trust Sarah. We moved in a few weeks later and I know without any question we made the right decision. I love Sarah for the toys she brought my son's during the house tours, the emails at the early hours in the morning, the gifts that were left in our home at closing and her unbelievable professionalism. Thank you Sarah, you will always have a special place in our family.

We met Bernice in a weird way - through Facebook marketplace! I saw some pretty Christmas decorations she was selling and knew that my sister would love them. My sister had lost all her belongings in a fire a few months before. When Bernice found out about this she gave her the whole lot. We were touched. When it came time to sell our home, Bernice helped us make good choices to get our home ready. She helped with paint colors and which home improvements to focus on. Then she had our home professionally staged - it looked amazing! She really goes over and beyond other realtors in her service. There was tons of communication and everything came together in a very organized and professional manner. We sold our house for 40K over what we initially thought we could sell it for! What a difference the right realtor makes. The whole thing was so smooth and we always felt taken care of. If you want a realtor who will bend over backwards for you, treat you with respect and dignity and kindness, look no further. Can't recommend her and the Happy New Beginnings team highly enough. Thank you and so glad to call you a friend now too.

We were looking for something very special and very rare to accommodate our needs and Bernice found the PERFECT MIRACLE house! Three master bedrooms, lots of land and privacy, close to the city, in excellent condition. Truly, this house felt like a gift from God and so did Bernice! She expertly navigated a VERY competitive situation to win this house. She has already made us money! She also put us in touch with a fabulous loan officer and together they were the dynamic duo. They made the process smooth and as stress free as possible. This move was very meaningful for us because it brought my family together. We are so excited and grateful to have our Happy New Beginning. Thank you, Bernice, for your excellent service and for being an easy and joyful person to work with. This has been an experience we will never forget!

My wife and I LOVE our realtor Bernice Sim. How much do we Love her? Let Me Count The Ways. My wife and I have lived in four different states from the west coast to the east coast. Throughout the years we have bought and sold many homes and move multiple times within each state. We have had the pleasure, and the misery, to hire, fire, and deal with over 20 realtors across the country. We have worked with realtors representing the buyer, seller, and we have even had experience with realtors involved in finding tenants for rental properties. In other words, my wife and I have had experience, good and bad, with realtors throughout the country. Recently we wanted to sell one of our properties in Virginia, and since we live in a state other than Virginia we turn to the internet to find a good realtor that we can trust. We looked for someone with great reviews and experience. Since we needed to sell without ever stepping foot into Virginia we needed someone we could trust to represent our interests and market our property. The excellent Google reviews that we saw for Bernice were true and accurate. When we hired Bernice all of my concerns about hiring a realtor out of state were put to rest. Bernice immediately impressed me with her kind and sincere personality, a realtor who truly cared. In the past I have interacted with realtors that have that phony, sarcastic, two-faced, annoying personality, but Bernice was just the opposite. We found Bernice to be an Angel that just happens to be a realtor too! We put our trust in Bernice and she did not fail us. I always hated dealing with realtors who were not responsive to my inquiries, and I have fired a few for that reason, but Bernice was highly responsive to all my text, phone calls, and emails. I found Bernice to be proactive with a marketing strategy, and she also had creative ideas for getting proper exposure for our property. When I had any concerns to express she was already on it solving the problem. Bernice impressed me with her knowledge, intelligence, and her diligent work ethic to get things done, and get them done right! And during escrow Bernice was proudly representing us all the way to the end! Over the years my wife and I have seen them all. We have dealt with realtors good and bad, loyal and disloyal, likeable and annoying, honest and phony, and realtors from across the country. We can truly say, without any hesitation, that Bernice Sim was the best Realtor that we have EVER worked with! Any person who hires Bernice should consider themselves lucky because they just hired the Best Realtor in the Country! We Love you Bernice!