The Real Deal-Best Real Estate Agent in WS

[Lumen]

Ken Arkills/Prudential Northwest Realty is the real deal. Having experienced the worst in the Real Estate industry to the best and still closing on my home in less than 60 days returns my faith to why we even need real estate agents! Redfin is great but Ken listens to the buyer and delivers every detail of service you would expect from an agent. If you are considering buying or selling contact Ken.

http://www.seattlehomedepot.com/

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[Trisket]

Ken Arkills is the best real estate agent around. He’s not only a great buyer’s agent, but a fantastic seller’s agent. He really understands the West Seattle real estate market and customer service is his top priority.

You cannot go wrong with Mr. Arkills.

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[dhg]

Well actually, I’d disagree with the statement that Redfin is great. I hold them responsible in part for losing out on a great home. Their advice was bad, they remained completely uninvolved and watched the deal unravel from a distance. Important events often happen over the weekends. My agent would let me know Monday. I think he was a kinda 9-5 sorta agent.

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[Mater]

Redfin rocks!! If you want to save money and have a great experience I’d highly recommend them. We used them to buy our home and it couldn’t have gone more smoothly. We joked that it was so simple we didn’t even feel like we bought a house! And the money we got back was enough to pay for new carpet in our basement, refinish our hardwood floors and buy our livingroom furniture!

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[Tish]

I’m sorry but I have to disagree as well. The amount of money you save through Redfin can’t make up for the service you can get from a quality realtor. In this case, the ol’ adage is true — you get what you pay for.

While it’s true that Redfin agents don’t work on commission and thus, won’t feel compelled to push or sell you properties just to make a few bucks — it’s also stands to reason that they may not feel compelled to work as hard for you (or as dhg notes, answer your calls on weekends!) and it’s certainly true that the best agents are not going to work for Redfin because they can make more at traditional real estate companies.

Several months ago I was shopping for my first house. While I considered going with Redfin, I ultimately decided to go with a traditional real estate agent. My choice, based on strong word of mouth and lots of positive reviews on this forum was Scott Monroe from Windermere (206-406-9388 or 206-937-7600). In short, he was AMAZING.

What I loved about working with Scott is that he–more often than not–would steer me away from houses I was thinking about buying by pointing out things that most agents (who lack Scott’s construction background) would likely miss. He pointed out foundation/structural problems, piping issues, walls that leaned, and he could spot the subtle differences that distinguished a well-done professional remodeling job from a quick homeowner one. In short, he helped me look past the fresh coat of paint, staged furniture, and obvious pros/cons to determine if a house had “good bones” and was a good buy.

Due to his experience working with architects, he could also point out plusses and minuses about the space layout of each house and was great about helping me see how the space might (or might not) function if I had kids, threw large parties, etc. He was also great about helping me see the potential of a property by pointing out how certain spaces might work better if a wall was removed or X or Y was accomplished.

Beyond his construction expertise and architectural knowlege, I also appreciated his knowledge of the West Seattle area. Since he lives here and has sold and helped people buy a number of houses in this area, he not only helped me avoid large high crime areas, but equally important, high crime streets. As a single female, that was important to me. (note: he knows other areas equally well–I just was more interested in purchasing a home around here).

And finally, it has been almost two months since I purchased my home and Scott STILL calls or drops by the house to check in. Since I opted to purchase a house that was not finished (the owner died about 90% into a remodel so I was able to purchase a huge house at a GREAT price–even when you factor in the cost of the remaining repairs) Scott not only helped me figure out the cost of repairs (and his estimate was scarily accurate) but he gave me wonderful recommendations for plumbing, tile work, drywall finishing, and a general handymen as well (note: while I got other bids to be safe, his recommendations turned out to be affordable and each had a reputation for doing quality work). It should be noted that Scott’s not getting any money for this. Based on my chats with other clients of his, it’s pretty clear that this is just something he likes to do.

So call me crazy, but I don’t think the paltry hundreds you save with a Redfin agent is worth it. They just can’t match the expertise and assistance that a quality agent like Scott can provide. More often than not, Scott steered me away from properties; he helped ensure that I didn’t get suckered into a house that I wouldn’t absolutely love. In the end, I was able to purchase a beautiful home at an amazing price. And the fact that Scott still keeps in touch and still assists me (long after the house was purchased) speaks volumes about him as both an agent and human being.

So my advice to anyone looking for a house is to avoid services like Redfin. While they seem like a good idea on paper, they can’t match the service or knowledge that a quality real estate agent can provide.

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[sasquatch]

West Seattle native Jamee Rakus is a seasoned real estate professional who sold my condo on Beacon Hill in one week in 2009! We bought a house at the same time in West Seattle and Jamee was our buyer’s agent and knew how to navigate the sometimes rough waters for FHA loans on fixers. She can be reached at 206-949-8487.

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[funkietoo]

Don Pennell, of Prudential Northwest Realty, excellent too. He is honest, straight forward, always looks out for your best interests and anyone I have sent his way have been very happy.

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[Tish]

@funkietoo — Don Pennel was actually my #2 pick. What I liked about Don was that he was personable, knew the West Seattle area well, and he made you feel like you were chatting with a long-lost friend. I got the impression that if I worked with Don, I would be cared for during the house hunting expedition and that he would make the process of buying one’s first home a little less scary.

Ultimately I chose Scott Monroe over Don and the other realtors I interviewed because of Scott’s construction foreman experience (which I felt would prove especially useful when walking through properties), the thoughtful nature of the questions he asked me about my home purchase wants/needs, and because his answer to my negotiating question was better than Don’s (or any realtor I interviewed, actually).

When interviewing realtors, I asked each of them to describe their negotiating style. My rationale for asking this question was simple — in most home purchases, there comes a time when you want your agent to negotiate for a better price or to have the home seller fix certain items in advance of you moving in. Since tens of thousands of dollars are potentially at stake during this process, it makes sense to pick a realtor who is skilled in this area.

Most of the realtors I interviewed answered this question by saying that they liked ask for, say, $20,000 less than the asking price on any property and then “meet in the middle” if the other side counters. Their rationale for doing so rested on the fact that 1) this method has worked well for them in the past 2) they didn’t think it was effective to be aggressive during the negotiating process and 3) because they felt that such compromising tactics works better for both buyers and sellers alike.

Scott’s answer was much better. Using a Greenlake home he just helped a client purchase as an example, he walked me through how he negotiated for a lower selling price as well as got the homeowner to complete some costly repairs beforehand. What became clear as he walked me through this example is that he often thought five steps ahead during the negotiating process and that he had contingency plans in place in case one tactic or approach fell through. Interestingly, his answer (as well as the discussion we had on this topic afterwards) revealed that, like Don and others, he believes in being honest and ethical and he doesn’t think it’s wise to be overly aggressive (though his rationale was much more thoughtful). But unlike the other realtors I interviewed, it became clear that Scott wasn’t a one-trick pony — he had an arsenal of tactics and approaches he could employ during this important step in the home buying process.

I have a feeling the other realtors I interviewed aren’t one trick ponies — but since I couldn’t follow them around on the job, I only had their answers to go by. In the end, I think it’s a good idea to meet with at least a couple realtors before picking one that you want to work with. A home is one of the most expensive and important purchases you’re likely going to make — so pick someone who is knowledgeable, who will work hard on your behalf, and who you’ll feel comfortable working with. Ask questions and compare answers. Doing so enabled me to find an amazing realtor and I have a feeling the same will be true for others looking to buy or sell a home as well.

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[Trisket]

Forget the rest and go with the best– Ken Arkills.

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[lindaz]

After searching on both Yelp and the West Seattle Blog for recommendations on a local real estate agent to help us buy our first home, my husband and I decided to go with Scott Monroe, who is spoken of very highly by a number of folks on both these sites.

From the first time I talked with him on the phone, the feeling I got from Scott was that he was a stand up guy. And during our initial meeting as well as later on when we subsequently began working with him, those first impressions really held up.

We found him to be sharp minded, honest, exceptionally thorough, and truly dedicated to helping people find the right house for them. He’s honest, patient, sincere and really willing to go the extra mile for his clients. And the icing on the cake is that he’s super available and responsive, almost always answering phone calls himself, returning messages quickly if he’s unable to take a call, and replying asap to emails.

Scott’s extensive knowledge of construction, along with his keen eye for detail and decades of experience as a real estate agent, all combine to make him an extremely valuable ally for anyone looking to buy a solid, sound and well built home. His ability to look beyond the obvious and assess the true pros and cons of a property clearly goes beyond that of the average real estate agent. This was really evident every time we walked through a house with him and he proceeded to point out all sorts of things in terms of the way the house was originally built or remodeled that we ourselves never would have noticed.

I think because he’s walked through so many houses during his career, Scott also has almost a kind of sixth sense about them. He often offered his intuitive hit about the vibe of a place, which I found to be a really helpful adjunct to the more brass tacks technical information he provided construction-wise.

Although he’s no doubt a very busy man, there was always a sense with Scott – either on the phone or during walk-throughs of prospective properties – that he had all the time in the world for us. We never felt rushed or as if he had to move on to his next appointment before we had asked (and gotten answers to) all our questions, and taken all the time we felt we needed to look over a house. As we went through the searching process we came to really trust his guidance, opinions and insight, and with his help ended up buying a really lovely home.

Bottom line is that Scott is a class act. He’s smart, dedicated, hard working, knows his stuff, and is a genuinely nice guy with conscience and scruples whose professional prime directive is happy and satisfied customers. I would recommend him without reservation to anyone who’s looking to either buy or sell a home in the greater Seattle area.

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[coleros]

http://scottdmonroe.com/index.cfm/page/1101/About_Scott.html

Honest, Trustworthy, Available, Down-to-Earth, Hard-working, Caring, Thoughtful, Insightful, non-Pushy, Innovative, and a Builder! Those are just a few of the words to describe Scott! We heart Scott Monroe! We moved cross country (RELO), and he was there with us every step of the way. We called him while interviewing for a job in Seattle, and he was eager to take us on. Even though it might not of even turned into anything. He was patient with our wish list, and in fact found us a house that has exceeded our expectations!

This is the sixth house we have bought, and have done several remodels, so we weren’t new to the buying process, just new to Seattle. He sat with us and gave us the positives and negatives of every property we looked at. Had has the insight to see if there are major structural issues, or a diamond in the rough… He goes the extra mile on everything – from contracting referrals, to the best restaurants in the area and even working to find you the best rates.

We know the difference between the realtor who just wants to make a sale vs. a realtor who wants to make a life for you. Scott Monroe is the real deal. If you are in the mode for a buyers or sellers agent, in my opinion he is the best in the area.

And no, I am not related to him!

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