Letter 1
Ken Stickney testimonial
When I decided to sell my house, I thought that picking the right agent would be pretty straightforward. Ask around for recommendations, interview three candidates, and pick the one who seems most compatible. Because they all do essentially the same thing, right? How wrong I was.
I liked the first three I interviewed well enough, and decided to go with the agent who promised me that her (retired) husband would be happy to walk my two dogs during house showings. Fortunately, before I signed a listing agreement, I had the foresight to talk things over with Ken, whom I knew through a mutual friend as someone who has some helpful tips about choosing a listing agent. Did he ever! Ken explained some of his criteria for evaluating agents; his criteria made a lot of sense to me, and he offered to review the three candidates I had just considered and get right back to me, no strings attached.
Long story short, my three “recommended” candidates had relatively limited successful sales experience and mostly unfavorable metrics that, unbeknownst to me and despite their friendly outgoing personalities, would predict that my house might languish on the market overpriced and under-represented. Ken explained his approach and in no time, he arranged for me to interview three new agents, all highly experienced, successful and extremely personable. He promised that I would be impressed with all three and that we would de-brief together before reaching a selection decision.
That’s exactly what happened. Thanks to Ken’s exceptional acumen, his terrific skill at appraising not just the metrics but the people themselves, his unflagging support and thoroughly reliable dedication on behalf of his clients (me), we found the best possible agent for the job. I couldn’t have been happier, both with the process and with the result. And by the way, my house sold the same day it listed, at full price.
I’ve never had a better working relationship with a real estate agent, and that’s thanks in no small part to Ken’s adept selection process. He helped me find the best agent ever. Working with Ken was a pleasure. He’s not only extremely knowledgeable, but he’s also really good at listening and understanding his clients, their needs, values and preferences. I should add that the fact that I am more than halfway across the country from Ken (who lives in southern California) was no impediment. His selection methods work in nearly any geographic location, and they’re tailored to your own, local, residential housing community. Ken is neither dogmatic nor directive, but patient, thoughtful, open and committed to supporting his clients through the entire selection, listing and selling process. His integrity and expertise inspire confidence. It’s like having an expert consultant in your pocket, on call whenever you might need him. I highly recommend him to anyone considering selling their house, even if they think they already know who they want to hire. Believe me, it will be worth it to call Ken first!
--Dr. B.J., Chicago, IL July 1, 2017
Letter 2
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M.A. Ruston |
Sat, Apr 8, 2017 at 12:49 PM |
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To: Ken <[email protected]> |
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Dear Ken,
After living in my home for forty-two years, the last fourteen of those years as a widow, it was time for me to down size and simplify my life. I was not connected in the business world. I had the good fortune of being a “stay at home mom” and before that a first grade teacher. Neither of those occupations prepared me for the task of finding an agent to handle the sale of my home. Luckily my daughter-in-law suggested you might be able to assist me in that search.
After researching the list of hundreds of real estate agents and brokers in my area you narrowed the list to ten whom you interviewed and then narrowed the list to three for me to interview. You were present for those interviews and contributed pertinent questions during that process.
At the conclusion of those interviews I was hard pressed to select only one. They were all highly qualified, enthusiastic about the prospect of selling my home, were knowledgeable about the community, and, most important, sensitive to my attachment to the property. We decided on a pair of agents who worked together as a team and they turned out to be super.
When the first buyer misrepresented himself, you were there to support the agents in handling a very unpleasant situation.
I would be happy to recommend your service to anyone and if I were to have property to sell or purchase in the future I would engage your expertise.
Thank you for guiding me through unfamiliar territory.
Most sincerely,
Marylen
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Letter 3
Dear Ken,
Thank you for finding great real estate agents both in Hawaii and Chico, California. With hundreds to choose from, we really had no idea where to start. It was enlightening to find the agents a few friends had recommended didn't measure up to your standards. You saved us so much time. Having four kids pretty much fills my day so this was a big head start.
We appreciated you sorting through a number of agents and interviewing them on our behalf. One of the hardest decisions was choosing from the two agents you found in Hawaii. They both had excellent qualifications but were very different at the same time. Before we knew it, our house was ready to sell. Within a few months, our Hawaii house was soon sold and then we moved back to California.
The agents in Chico were just as good but we bonded with the first team you listed. They understood just what we were looking for. After showing us several homes, we had made up our minds and made an offer, opened escrow and moved into our new home to start a new life outside of the army.
Again, thank you for your help with all of our real estate decisions.
Sincerely,
Cindy and Erik
Chico, California
Letter 4
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Michele Swift Chodos <[email protected]> |
Mon, Jun 15, 2015 at 11:53 AM |
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Good morning Ken,
Here is our Testimonial. We spoke about you after working on this together with even more praise...
All our best!
Michele & Kathy
Dear Ken,
It is not very often that real estate agents write a testimonial about another agent but in this case we felt it was very warranted.
We had the priviledge of working with Ken Stickney after he did a very extensive search and identified us as the Agents who would represent the sale of his lifelong friend’s Mother’s home in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Ken was not an area Agent and so he sought the expertise of those who knew the area well and could represent all the benefits and nuances of living on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
But first we had to pass Ken's scrutiny. He had very clear expectations of the Agents he would recommend. His investigation began with a lengthy and detailed phone inquiry, which then followed up with a more lengthy face to face interview. He asked clear, probing and intelligent questions. When the decision was made to list with us, Ken did not just expect his referral fee and then disappear, as so many agent do. He was involved 100% of the time.
When it came time to discuss the multiple offers, counter offers and the pros and cons of each of the potential buyers, Ken really evaluated and analyzed with us, what was in the best interest of our mutual client. He always thought out of the box with all possible scenarios.
As it turned out, we got into the first escrow with buyers who were in breach of their contract and caused us all great concern. However, Ken calmly listened to the facts and worked with us to provide a clear, sound strategy to move forward with the back-up offers. Ken looked at each of the other offers with a magnifying glass, as we all wanted to insure the offer accepted would lead to a successful close of escrow. And it did.
Ken was a great communicator - always available at any time - and an equally great listener, which is very rare. He was, to put it simply, a pleasure to work with and very much look forward to working with Ken again.
Kathy & Michele
Realtor Associates
Vista Sotheby’s International Realty
CalBRE #01877303/#00890714
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