Manning Sedgwick Real Estate

Couldn't have gone better! I am a mortgage lender, so I work with a lot of real estate agents. With that said, I asked for John's help because he is one of the most professional and smart realtors I know. He's always on time, and impeccable with his word - what he says is what he means. He runs an incredibly organized business, and that comes through in the work he does. He doesn't over-promise/under-deliver - He's honest, smart, and will give you the best advice for you and your well-being.

John and Amy helped us find our “unicorn house” last summer in Ballard and we had a great experience working with them, cant recommend them highly enough! This review is woefully overdue, but I never could find enough time to write a review as detailed and as glowing as I feel they deserve. They are extremely friendly, very knowledgable, experienced and connected in the Seattle area, all of these things are KEY to getting the selling agent and the seller to sell their house to you! John and Amy helped us understand how crucial it is to deal with a finance agent that will bend over backwards in this market to speed up the process making closing as FAST and as smooth as possible and provided excellent recommendations for financing agents to contact. They helped keep our spirits up when we were starting to get a little burt out and pulled out all the stops getting 3 different types of pre-inspections done in 3 days so we could confidently and securely make the winning offer that captured our Ballard unicorn. We interview 2 other highly recommended real estate teams that were affiliated with the big name firms, we found them to be really over the top intense and super cooperate, while Amy and John were warm friendly PEOPLE, who have built their own extremely successful business over the last decade plus. One other cool thing about John and Amy is that while they are lovely people, they are by no means pushovers, they are creative and ruthless negotiators and they make things happen for you! Look no further, if you want to find and win your dream home, hire Manning and Sedgwick! I wanted to describe our experience a bit here for those who like more details. I’ll start off by saying we were not easy clients. I am originally from Seattle, but moved around a lot, first time home buyer. My husband is not from here, was a 3rd time home buyer. We were looking for our forever home to raise our family in, grow old in etc. We therefore had VERY specific criteria about location of the house that we would not compromise on (greenlake, Phinney, Whittier, Wallingford, or Ballard walkable to my husbands work shuttle stops) as well as nearly impossible to find criteria about the layout/style of the house we wanted. We were a bit nervous delving into the crazy market, but Amy and John put us at ease. They let us know this would be a really involved process and might take some time, but were very confident that we would be able to get what we were looking for. We had already sold our house and were living in an apartment, so we didn't feel any time pressure to settle for anything less than the best. The whole process for us took longer than average, but less time than we expected/planned for, around 4 months until our offer was accepted, we used their own real-estate app (along with other apps) to find properties the minute they were listed, we then texted Amy and John to set up a time to meet at the house that same day usually. They also suggested properties we might like to see, but in general we were checking the apps 900x/day so it worked well that way. Either Amy or John was available to us 7 days a week to go look at houses, many times at just 30 min notice. It helped that John lives in NW Seattle basically where we were looking. We probably went out with them about 4 days a week on average and always brought our easy going 2.5 year old son with us. Amy and John were so great with our kid, he loved them, it felt like we were all just friends going to look at houses. Every time my son saw a blue Prius, he though it was Amy and got excited! Both John and Amy were great at pointing out things we didn't notice that we needed to consider about each house and special considerations for certain micro-neighbors that we weren't very familiar with (steep slopes, sump pumps, parking, etc.). John is quite handy and has contracting/building experience, so he was able to offer helpful advise on how much repairs/upgrades could cost and what things might become concerns quickly or in the future. In fact, even after we closed the deal, moved in and his work with us was long done, John came by to help us with a little DIY project, so nice! Even as the months were passing and we had toured over 60 houses, they never pressured us or gave up on us. They did attempt to nudge us out of our desired neighborhoods as we started to get discouraged, but respected our decision to tough it out. If you want agents that are pleasant to hang out with (wow did we spend A LOT of time together), really care about your family’s needs, and see buying and selling homes as more than just a financial transaction, John and Amy are your people. I can honestly say we were a little sad that we wouldn't see them on a regular basis anymore after our offer was accepted.

Everything changed when I met John Manning. Upon our first meeting we had an in-depth discussion regarding current market conditions and challenges facing prospective homebuyers. Through the course of our conversation I quickly realized John was not at all like the robotic agents I had worked with in the past; he clearly understood the Seattle market, offered intelligent insight, and seemed genuinely interested in my goals as a homebuyer. Still put off by rising prices and insane bidding wars, I was reluctant to re-boot my home search. But, John gave me that glimmer of hope I needed to try again. A couple months later I came across a new listing for a house that was exactly what I was looking for. Amy Sedgwick showed me the house the next morning. It was perfect; a recently remodeled home that was well within my budget. I asked Amy her opinion about what I should offer. I waited for her eyes to glaze over and **** the automaton response I’d heard so many times, but that didn’t happen. Amy provided extremely helpful insight and advice, and we submitted the offer. A bidding war ensued. My offer was not what most would consider strong; the escalation clause was only slightly over list price and I was working with a very small down payment and FHA financing. But, this didn’t deter Amy. She professionally and aggressively advocated for me and my offer was accepted! Upon the home inspection, I requested the seller install a new roof. I thought for sure the request would be rejected; the seller could easily go with another, less demanding buyer. However, Amy worked her magic again and I got the new roof! The Manning-Sedgwick team continued to manage the rest of the process expertly and we closed early! I know, without a shadow of a doubt, if it weren’t for John and Amy’s extraordinary representation, I would not be the proud owner of my beautiful home. As I found out, the super-hot Seattle market, expert representation and advocacy is the key to your bid being accepted; a cut-rate order-taker isn’t going to win that house for you. If you want to realize your dreams, the Manning-Sedgwick team is who you want in your corner!

John and Amy worked great as individuals and together as a tag team. John listened to what we wanted and exposed us to a variety of different kinds of properties within our budget. He helped us to approach such a big project as a learning experience which helped us to get thru making multiple failed bids - never losing confidence in the process. Amy also brought a positive energy to viewing homes and exploring new neighborhoods with curiosity and as learning opportunities. Ultimately, John and Amy found us our first home - a place that we had visited on an open house that went past its review date, with no bids. We swooped in and paid asking price, staying within our budget. Had we waited another year to buy, it would have been impossible for us to get into a home. We will always be grateful to John and Amy.

I continue to recommend Manning Sedgwick to all my friends looking at the real estate market. Amy and John are remarkable! My husband and I were on the hunt for a new home in the Seattle area, and Amy and John were very patient, understanding and would meet us at the drop of a hat. It was very apparent they had our interests first and were doing whatever they could to find us the best home. They are a perfect duo: John has a background in construction so is able to assess the house from a few different angles, and Amy has tons of positive energy, giving us the pros, cons and creativity. They are fantastic. I'm actually sad that we don't see them every weekend on house shopping trips, but they will be our forever realtors.

It went fantastically. Manning Sedgwick helped in so many ways to get my father's condo fixed up and they staged it beautifully. I was amazed. My father was elderly and his place was a mess- they made it look brand new. We had four offers on the first day it listed. The entire experience was wonderful. I highly recommend Manning Sedgwick and I will use them again.

Manning Sedgwick went above and beyond to help me sell my father's condo, which was a mess. They assisted with everything throughout the restoration and their staging was impeccable. It looked brand new and their marketing plan worked like a charm. We had four offers the first day it listed on the market, and it went for over asking price. They are hard working, smart, reliable and very enthusiastic. I'll be using them again in the near future.

They were extremely knowledgeable, professional, supportive, and made the stressful process of buying a house seamless. They were never pushy, always seemed to have our interest at heart, and continued to offer their support and answer questions after the transaction. I highly recommend them.

The house sold in a timely manner and they made the entire experience very seamless. I would highly recommend Manning Sedgwick Real Estate for selling or buying your new property!

I have been living in my new home for about 8 months, and I have already referred John & Amy to friends who are actively working with them, and some that have already moved into their new place! They all continue to have great things to say. I found out about John & Amy when I thought about looking and a friend immediately set up an introduction because she had only good things to say. I met with John in early September with maybe an hour notice on my way to see a house - he wanted to know every detail of what I was looking for. From neighborhoods, to my must haves to even the importance of where I put my Christmas tree - he wrote it all down. We then went to se the house and John pointed out potential flaws and the good parts - I immediately felt I was in good hands, that this wasn't a real estate agent who just wanted a sale. The next house, I then met Amy. The first day, she said the best thing to me: "Your only job is to fall in love with the house, and John and I will take care of everything else". Again, I felt I was in good hands. I even brought a very opinionated trusted friend who has purchased many homes, and they said John and Amy knew what they were doing. I called them my gladiators on the field - in 3-4 weeks we looked at roughly 20 houses. John and Amy taught me a wealth of knowledge about looking for a home, and were supportive when I had been outbid on the first couple offers. Available at all times for any questions, they were so fast you would think you were their only client. In fact, I was out of town and they did the home inspection for me, and FaceTimed with the various inspectors - I've never heard of that kind of care. The day I received my keys, they were there greeting me with celebrations. It doesn't even stop there - they continue to be my sounding board for any other inquiries on the house, including meeting me to go over the inspection report, page by page, with coffee and helping me out. Two months after I closed John was helping me on how to use my thermostat! I can go on for a while - but let's just say my ears are perked for anyone looking for a home so i can immediately refer them to John and Amy - I'm almost disappointed if they go with another broker because I know they wont' have the experience I did.

I have been living in my new home for about 7-8 months, and I have already referred John & Amy to friends who are actively working with them, helping one couple close already, and continue to have great things to say. I found out about John & Amy when I thought about looking and a friend immediately set up an introduction because she had only good things to say. I met with John in early September with maybe an hour notice on my way to see a house - he wanted to know every detail of what I was looking for. From neighborhoods, to my must haves to even the importance of where I put my Christmas tree - he wrote it all down. We then went to see the house and John pointed out potential flaws and the good parts - I immediately felt I was in good hands, that this wasn't a real estate agent who just wanted a sale. The next house, I then met Amy. The first day, she said the best thing to me: "Your only job is to fall in love with the house, and John and I will take care of everything else". Again, I felt I was in good hands. I even brought a very opinionated trusted friend who has purchased many homes, and they said John and Amy knew what they were doing. I called them my gladiators on the field - in 3-4 weeks we looked at roughly 20 houses. John and Amy taught me a wealth of knowledge about looking for a home, and were supportive when I had been outbid on the first couple offers. Available at all times for any questions, they were so fast you would think you were their only client. In fact, I was out of town and they did the home inspection for me, and FaceTimed with the various inspectors - I've never heard of that kind of care. The day I received my keys, they were there greeting me with celebrations. It doesn't even stop there - they continue to be my sounding board for any other inquiries on the house, including meeting me to go over the inspection report, page by page, with coffee and helping me out. Two months after I closed John was helping me on how to use my thermostat! I can go on for a while - but let's just say my ears are perked for anyone looking for a home so i can immediately refer them to John and Amy - I'm almost disappointed if they go with another broker because I know they wont' have the experience I did.