Hildebrandts- Buyers and Sellers on Queen Anne
Maria Elguezabal provided our family of four with all of the necessary support in helping to find our "forever home." We wanted to look, but not too aggressively as we have two elementary age children and didn’t need to move by a deadline. We needed someone knowledgeable who was in for a long-term search for our dream home.
She helped us keep a balance between house hunting and the rest of life by being organized, flexible, incredibly responsive, and communicated with ease in a variety of ways. She would preview homes for us and let us know when something was worth another look. As the market heated up, she would jump to see properties that fit our priorities and get us in during times that fit our schedule. Communication was great not only between us, but also with listing agents, inspectors, and our lender regarding questions or clarifications. Ultimately we found a home we loved and even though we weren’t the only offer, with Maria’s representation we won on terms and didn’t have to get into some of the crazy bidding wars we experienced from the sidelines over the months. This was the first and only offer we wrote. We came close to writing on several others, and Maria was always honest with us about any pitfalls and advised us if a home didn’t feel just right, we shouldn’t write an offer. From beginning to end Maria is a true professional who puts herself completely into the job each and every step of the way.
From helping us set up a homebuyer’s checklist during our search to providing expert guidance and project management when it came time to sell our home, she seamlessly helped us find a home and sell ours at the same time. Her ability to providing and manage a list of painters, handy people, stagers, yard maintenance, cleaners, inspectors, mortgage agents and more was amazing. She understood our home and all the details that mattered. She knew what the buyer profile would be, and how to perfectly prepare and price our home for the exact market we were listing in. A true perfectionist, she even supplemented the staging to create a feeling closer to what we envisioned. We got a strong early offer and had a smooth closing with our home.
She ultimately became our friend throughout the whole home searching, buying and selling experience. Who ever she works with will be in for a treat. Maria isn't just an ultimate professional real estate agent who knows the market and advises well, but also is a genuine person who enjoys the act of being helpful and practices generosity. We can't say enough about her!
Jake Laban- Seller in Ravenna
Honesty, Integrity, and Hard-working are three adjectives that come to mind when I think about Maria.
We were lucky enough to become connected with Maria to help my mother in law sell her home. After we had been misguided by some rather unscrupulous real estate "professionals", it was refreshing to get Maria's perspective and plans, which were solidly based in best practices and market data.
The tools she used for pricing our property were outstanding, the best I'd seen in my dozen-or-so real estate transactions. Also, her ability to stage and prepare the space created a feeding frenzy over the property and allowed prospective buyers to develop an emotional relationship with the space by helping them envision themselves there.
Happy ending to the story was that my mother in law was able to get a multiple offer situation with the winning bid being all cash and 24% OVER list price, and negotiated with this buyer to agree to all of my mother in laws terms.
If you are looking for a hard working real estate broker with strong ethics and a deep knowledge of the residential real estate process, then you need to call Maria!
Nathan Gibbs- First Time Home Buyers in Olympic Hills
I highly recommend Maria. She is the agent you want on your side. By every measure she is excellent at what she does. We bought a home in Seattle at the most competitive time in city history with her help. We worked with her for about a year. She was responsive, thorough, explained things we didn't understand, and was patient. Her knowledge of the real estate industry, and the respect and connections she has within it, were evident and a great asset during our search. In short, she was there for us in every way throughout the entire stress filled process. We are in our home because of Maria and cannot thank her enough for that.
Amarise and Torin- First Time Home Buyers in West Seattle
As first time homebuyers (in an incredibly hot market, at that) we knew almost nothing about purchasing real estate. Maria went above and beyond in meeting our needs. She took time to gauge what we wanted, assess the market with us in mind, and delivered in getting us into our first home under budget! Maria was always responsive and communicative, she took us to see all of the houses we wanted to see in a timely manner, and continued to teach us the process, all while being very realistic and frank about what we could and could not do in the hot Seattle real estate market. You can tell she cares for the people she works for; she still keeps in touch months after closing to make sure things are going well! Could not recommend enough.
Faye & Dave- Bought Contingent in Mt Baker, Sold over asking price in Phinney Ridge
Thank goodness for Maria! We had a high stress transaction dependent on many factors and thanks to smart strategy and attention to detail, everything worked out perfectly. We could not have done it without Maria and cannot recommend her highly enough!
Felicity- Seller in Ravenna
Having had many agents who had made themselves available to me with everyone offering “endless” possibilities, I ended up choosing Maria from my eldest daughter's suggestion, and I am so glad for this choice. Too tired after packing up 30 years of accumulation, I was so happy that Maria took care of all of the details that a real estate transaction requires.
Maria has a very caring personality and remained calm throughout all of my misgivings. I was very happy with how the house was prepared to sell well. Between painting, staging, window washing, carpet cleaning, outdoor improvements and re-flooring a bathroom, I definitely felt that buyers would be very satisfied and want the house. All of the modifications created by Maria helped to significantly improve the value of the sale. All of the care and attention that was given to prepare the house paid off along with diligent record keeping for the new buyer.
The pre-inspection strategy from Maria is very helpful and is an extra step that most realtors do not always consider, which adds a measure of confidence for the new owners. Having a contractor for a husband is also another asset Maria provides, one who can fix many of the minor irritations that can turn off new buyers. When light fixtures and door closures are working properly a buyer feels more at ease and is more likely to make a strong offer.
Overall I am very satisfied with Maria as my agent and know she will perform excellently for anyone buying or selling a home.
Heather Martin- First time home buyer in Broadview
Maria was very thoughtful, organized, knowledgeable, and intuitive about meeting our needs. Even in a hot real estate market, our search was short and she led us to the perfect house that met all of our needs, and then some. I couldn't be happier with our purchase, and will definitely use Maria in future transactions. The whole experience was filled with warmth, and her heart-filled advice, that was right on the mark. She knows how and when to take immediate action, when the situation calls for it, and negotiate the deal that benefits her clients the most.
Giving Israel- First time home buyer on Queen Anne
Maria was so easy to work with and incredibly professional. I knew I could trust her 100% and that she always had my best interests in mind. She went above and beyond and researched every detail of the new property so I felt at ease with the purchase. She guided me to make the very best decisions for my future. I highly recommend Maria and continue to give her references to friends who are looking to purchase properties. I am forever grateful that she assisted me in purchasing my first investment!
Wiles Family- Bothell
When considering who I would choose as my agent, I chose Maria because I knew her personally. She has always been professional and a well spoken communicator outside of real estate, so I knew that is exactly how she would be inside of it. She asked questions that I would have never thought of and offered ideas that were “outside the box”. She always had my best interests in mind. I’ve heard of other agents who have made their clients feel alone in the process, Maria made me feel like a priority. She has a calm way of dealing with an otherwise stressful time, and in a competitive market, you must have a competitive agent. Maria was just that for me.
Denise- Estate Listing in Ballard
Maria was fantastic with a very difficult, sensitive, and emotional transaction. She did everything she could to make the experience an easy and smooth as possible. Maria is efficient and has excellent style and taste. The end result was a beautifully staged unit that was on the market quickly, and a profitable sale. I am grateful for her help.