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About us
See my Straight-A "Super-Service" reviews from both SELLERS and BUYERS. When I represent SELLERS, I get them OVER-market prices with NO Buyer Back-Outs. When I represent BUYERS, I get them UNDER-market deals PLUS 1% Buyer Cash-Back to them! Find out how YOU can WIN, too!
Business highlights
47 years of experience
Services we offer
350... NO LIMIT! See my reviews to see how my programs have helped other SELLERS and BUYERS and how they could help YOU, For SELLERS: I NEGOTIATE the HIGHEST possible price for you. NO Buyer Back-Out because my Sure-Close system KEEPS your home sold. For BUYERS: I NEGOTIATE the LOWEST possible price for you. You pay me NOTHING because the Seller pays both agents. However, I pay YOU my 1% Buyer Cash-Back. So you SAVE THOUSANDS! The highest Buyer Cash-Back I have paid so far is $24, TOO!
Amenities
Free Estimates
Yes
Reviews
5.055 Reviews
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Showing 26-50 of 55 reviews
Andre C.
May 2014
I read Terry?s write-ups in AngiesList, and decided that he was the one to sell my home! After my first meeting, I understood why the other AngiesList members were so complimentary.
He has a totally different approach to the whole process, starting with excellent glamour-style photography that gracefully emphasized my home?s best features. His wide-angle photos were so good, I almost want to re-buy the home myself!
The rest of his program followed at the same high level. The main problem I was facing was the length of time it had been taking to sell homes in my complex. The typical time for recent sales was 150 days or more from the time of putting the home on the market until close of escrow and sale completion. One home had been on the market for 160+ days without even selling. This was not going to work for me, because I had to leave in about 45 days for my new home in Maine.
Terry?s combination of programs was perfect for my situation.
First, he prepared my home for sale according to his Certified Pre-Owned Home program, which he obviously adapted from the car business. Same idea, complete with extra inspections and extended warranties to set the buyer?s mind at ease? When we went on the market, my home had a clear termite report and a final Home Inspection report, done after we had completed the repairs we decided to do from the first Home Inspection. We also had a title report and all the HOA docs? we were ready to close escrow from the very first day we went on the market.
Next, the first few days on the market were devoted to preparing for an auction. I was a little concerned about this, but Terry explained that we would have an unpublished minimum bid, and I would not have to sell if the bidding didn?t reach this minimum price. He said the auction was to identify the very best buyer, create buyer competition, and to establish a deadline to get the buyers to commit. Although we had traditional offers, and ultimately sold traditionally, rather than at the auction, the auction promotion certainly caused a lot of stir because of the low starting bid and the auction deadline, and it certainly brought attention to my sale. Incredibly, in addition to 3 weekends of newspaper advertising and the two online virtual tours and other online promotion, Terry spent the money to send out 2400 of the beautiful, professionally-done 4 page brochures of my home to the most likely buyers!
Outside of one evening showing, all the prospective buyers viewed my home (and viewed competing buyers, too, just as Terry planned for it to happen) during the weekend open houses. This was convenient for me, but the real reason behind it, Terry told me, was to compress the showings so buyers would see their competition.
Each showing and each entry into my home for inspections and repairs was managed and attended by Lauren, the company?s Client Experience Manager. She was delightful, managing the inspections, the repair, the pre-marketing staging by the interior designer paid for by Hunter-Broker, and then getting the movers necessary to implement the staging ideas, again paid for by Hunter-Broker. Talk about turn-key? this was beyond that? it was total ?remote control?!
All of Terry?s efforts paid off! With 3 offers, we were in escrow in only 21 days, closing escrow only 24 days later, for a total of 45 days. This compares with over 150 days for the other sales, AND our price was $24,000 more than the last sale in our complex! What a combination? less than 1/3 the time, and a higher price, too!
But that?s not all! Not only did Terry get my home into escrow quickly, he also made sure up-front that the escrow would actually close, providing me peace-of-mind during the whole process. Instead of relying on the typical real estate agreement, where I would be obligated to sell to the buyer, but the buyer could walk away any time, Terry got all of the contingencies removed that could kill my sale.
First, he got buyer agreement on his 95% appraisal agreement, which says an appraisal value of 95% of the contract price satisfies the appraisal requirement. Since we knew that that appraisal wouldn?t come in less than 95%, I didn?t have to worry about a low appraisal killing my sale.
Next, Terry explained that the other thing that kills sales is the totally open-ended, 17day home inspection period in the standard sales agreement. He said buyers just sometimes ?fall out of love? with a home, and then use the inspection provisions as an excuse to cancel out after a couple of weeks (even if nothing is actually wrong with the home), totally destroying marketing momentum and dramatically extending the time on the market. Since we already provided the buyer with a Home Inspection and clear termite report up-front, Terry negotiated with the buyer to limit the reasons the buyer could cancel to serious home defects. So, again, I didn?t have to worry about my sale failing at the last minute, because we already knew that there were no serious home defects.
I am so delighted! I had horrible visions of leaving my empty home behind, and then hassling with it for months, trying to sell an empty, unfurnished home, and paying the mortgage on it for months and months. Instead, it closed 12 days after I left, just as planned.
I read the write-ups on other agents, and they really didn?t say much except that the agent was nice and the agent answered the sellers? emails. In my view, what that gets you is the 150+ day hassle that the other sellers in my complex obviously went through to sell.
I have never seen anything like Terry?s totally proprietary end-to-end approach. His expertise got me the results I wanted in less than 1/3 the time and also gave me peace-of-mind and no showing hassles during the entire process. Terry went all out to get me a higher price than I expected, rather than taking the easier way of just meeting my expectations. He watched over my transaction like it was his own money on the table. Without a doubt, this is by far the best real estate experience I have ever had. I commend, with my very highest recommendation, Terry, Lauren and Hunter-Broker to anyone contemplating a move.
On to Maine with a calm and peaceful mind!
He has a totally different approach to the whole process, starting with excellent glamour-style photography that gracefully emphasized my home?s best features. His wide-angle photos were so good, I almost want to re-buy the home myself!
The rest of his program followed at the same high level. The main problem I was facing was the length of time it had been taking to sell homes in my complex. The typical time for recent sales was 150 days or more from the time of putting the home on the market until close of escrow and sale completion. One home had been on the market for 160+ days without even selling. This was not going to work for me, because I had to leave in about 45 days for my new home in Maine.
Terry?s combination of programs was perfect for my situation.
First, he prepared my home for sale according to his Certified Pre-Owned Home program, which he obviously adapted from the car business. Same idea, complete with extra inspections and extended warranties to set the buyer?s mind at ease? When we went on the market, my home had a clear termite report and a final Home Inspection report, done after we had completed the repairs we decided to do from the first Home Inspection. We also had a title report and all the HOA docs? we were ready to close escrow from the very first day we went on the market.
Next, the first few days on the market were devoted to preparing for an auction. I was a little concerned about this, but Terry explained that we would have an unpublished minimum bid, and I would not have to sell if the bidding didn?t reach this minimum price. He said the auction was to identify the very best buyer, create buyer competition, and to establish a deadline to get the buyers to commit. Although we had traditional offers, and ultimately sold traditionally, rather than at the auction, the auction promotion certainly caused a lot of stir because of the low starting bid and the auction deadline, and it certainly brought attention to my sale. Incredibly, in addition to 3 weekends of newspaper advertising and the two online virtual tours and other online promotion, Terry spent the money to send out 2400 of the beautiful, professionally-done 4 page brochures of my home to the most likely buyers!
Outside of one evening showing, all the prospective buyers viewed my home (and viewed competing buyers, too, just as Terry planned for it to happen) during the weekend open houses. This was convenient for me, but the real reason behind it, Terry told me, was to compress the showings so buyers would see their competition.
Each showing and each entry into my home for inspections and repairs was managed and attended by Lauren, the company?s Client Experience Manager. She was delightful, managing the inspections, the repair, the pre-marketing staging by the interior designer paid for by Hunter-Broker, and then getting the movers necessary to implement the staging ideas, again paid for by Hunter-Broker. Talk about turn-key? this was beyond that? it was total ?remote control?!
All of Terry?s efforts paid off! With 3 offers, we were in escrow in only 21 days, closing escrow only 24 days later, for a total of 45 days. This compares with over 150 days for the other sales, AND our price was $24,000 more than the last sale in our complex! What a combination? less than 1/3 the time, and a higher price, too!
But that?s not all! Not only did Terry get my home into escrow quickly, he also made sure up-front that the escrow would actually close, providing me peace-of-mind during the whole process. Instead of relying on the typical real estate agreement, where I would be obligated to sell to the buyer, but the buyer could walk away any time, Terry got all of the contingencies removed that could kill my sale.
First, he got buyer agreement on his 95% appraisal agreement, which says an appraisal value of 95% of the contract price satisfies the appraisal requirement. Since we knew that that appraisal wouldn?t come in less than 95%, I didn?t have to worry about a low appraisal killing my sale.
Next, Terry explained that the other thing that kills sales is the totally open-ended, 17day home inspection period in the standard sales agreement. He said buyers just sometimes ?fall out of love? with a home, and then use the inspection provisions as an excuse to cancel out after a couple of weeks (even if nothing is actually wrong with the home), totally destroying marketing momentum and dramatically extending the time on the market. Since we already provided the buyer with a Home Inspection and clear termite report up-front, Terry negotiated with the buyer to limit the reasons the buyer could cancel to serious home defects. So, again, I didn?t have to worry about my sale failing at the last minute, because we already knew that there were no serious home defects.
I am so delighted! I had horrible visions of leaving my empty home behind, and then hassling with it for months, trying to sell an empty, unfurnished home, and paying the mortgage on it for months and months. Instead, it closed 12 days after I left, just as planned.
I read the write-ups on other agents, and they really didn?t say much except that the agent was nice and the agent answered the sellers? emails. In my view, what that gets you is the 150+ day hassle that the other sellers in my complex obviously went through to sell.
I have never seen anything like Terry?s totally proprietary end-to-end approach. His expertise got me the results I wanted in less than 1/3 the time and also gave me peace-of-mind and no showing hassles during the entire process. Terry went all out to get me a higher price than I expected, rather than taking the easier way of just meeting my expectations. He watched over my transaction like it was his own money on the table. Without a doubt, this is by far the best real estate experience I have ever had. I commend, with my very highest recommendation, Terry, Lauren and Hunter-Broker to anyone contemplating a move.
On to Maine with a calm and peaceful mind!
Alan T.
May 2014
We really trusted our lender, Debbie, so when she told us she trusted Terry we knew he would be the right person to guide us in buying our first home. We were in!
Terry contacted us right away; he was personable, patient, and thorough. We felt we were in safe hands, so we set up a face-to-face meeting. From the beginning, it was clear that he was going to look out for our best interests, and that's exactly what he did!
Throughout our search, Terry was as quick to caution us when we viewed homes that weren't, for one reason or another, a good buy, as he was to praise homes that he thought were of good value. Terry was working hard, but it seemed that what we wanted was nowhere to be found. In fact, we actually got to the point where the traditional homes we were seeing (in our price range) held no appeal for us. Not that there was much to see; pretty slim pickins, after all.
However, Terry searched tirelessly for our vision. Once we decided that we really didn't want a home with a living room and dining room, but an open concept home instead, Terry called us about a new home in Brea, saying that he knew that Brea was not in our original search map (the one we set up together when we first met Terry in Irvine), but he thought it would be useful for us to see this particular home.
He said he didn't know if this area was interesting to us (because we had already rejected other homes in Brea), but that the house he had found was exactly as we described (small yard, no living room and no dining room). He told us he wanted us to see it in the flesh," so to speak, to find out if after seeing it we really still wanted one like it.
We LOVED it! We had never imagined that we could buy a new home! Then the magic happened all our friends told us that it was impossible to negotiate prices with big builders, because they just wouldn't negotiate their prices. However, Terry DID negotiate a substantially lower price for us! This was on top of the credits the builder provided and in addition to Terry's own Buyer Cash-Back as he calls it. Futhermore, Terry's experience as a custom homebuilder was a great help in understanding the ins & outs of buying a brand new home.
All the pieces came together for our beautiful brand new home, a home in a neighborhood with far more expensive homes, and close to one of the schools where we teach. It took us a while to find the less common modern home that we wanted, but with Terry's help, we did and we got a great deal on it too.
PS: An unusual thing happened after we opened escrow on the new home, while we were still able to make a cancellation, Terry contacted us with another option. Earlier, because we were having problems finding the kind of home that we wanted, Terry began to contact owners in one of the areas we liked. One of the owners liked the idea of selling to us (partly because Terry had written a glowing introductory letter about us), and contacted Terry. Terry apologized to us for stressing us out, but he said that as our agent it was his duty to let us know. Ultimately we decided that the right home for us was the new home we already had in escrow.
We certainly appreciate Terry's faithful, creative approach. He clearly had our best interests in mind the whole time, as shown by his willingness to let us know about other opportunities (rather than just keep mum, and not rock the boat). We are pleased he was willing to put in the extra work and inventiveness to make sure we found what we wanted.
All in all, we are thrilled with our new home, and equally thrilled about working with Terry to make it happen GREAT agent (a broker, actually).
If you're looking in Orange County for a home, then Terry's the one!
Terry contacted us right away; he was personable, patient, and thorough. We felt we were in safe hands, so we set up a face-to-face meeting. From the beginning, it was clear that he was going to look out for our best interests, and that's exactly what he did!
Throughout our search, Terry was as quick to caution us when we viewed homes that weren't, for one reason or another, a good buy, as he was to praise homes that he thought were of good value. Terry was working hard, but it seemed that what we wanted was nowhere to be found. In fact, we actually got to the point where the traditional homes we were seeing (in our price range) held no appeal for us. Not that there was much to see; pretty slim pickins, after all.
However, Terry searched tirelessly for our vision. Once we decided that we really didn't want a home with a living room and dining room, but an open concept home instead, Terry called us about a new home in Brea, saying that he knew that Brea was not in our original search map (the one we set up together when we first met Terry in Irvine), but he thought it would be useful for us to see this particular home.
He said he didn't know if this area was interesting to us (because we had already rejected other homes in Brea), but that the house he had found was exactly as we described (small yard, no living room and no dining room). He told us he wanted us to see it in the flesh," so to speak, to find out if after seeing it we really still wanted one like it.
We LOVED it! We had never imagined that we could buy a new home! Then the magic happened all our friends told us that it was impossible to negotiate prices with big builders, because they just wouldn't negotiate their prices. However, Terry DID negotiate a substantially lower price for us! This was on top of the credits the builder provided and in addition to Terry's own Buyer Cash-Back as he calls it. Futhermore, Terry's experience as a custom homebuilder was a great help in understanding the ins & outs of buying a brand new home.
All the pieces came together for our beautiful brand new home, a home in a neighborhood with far more expensive homes, and close to one of the schools where we teach. It took us a while to find the less common modern home that we wanted, but with Terry's help, we did and we got a great deal on it too.
PS: An unusual thing happened after we opened escrow on the new home, while we were still able to make a cancellation, Terry contacted us with another option. Earlier, because we were having problems finding the kind of home that we wanted, Terry began to contact owners in one of the areas we liked. One of the owners liked the idea of selling to us (partly because Terry had written a glowing introductory letter about us), and contacted Terry. Terry apologized to us for stressing us out, but he said that as our agent it was his duty to let us know. Ultimately we decided that the right home for us was the new home we already had in escrow.
We certainly appreciate Terry's faithful, creative approach. He clearly had our best interests in mind the whole time, as shown by his willingness to let us know about other opportunities (rather than just keep mum, and not rock the boat). We are pleased he was willing to put in the extra work and inventiveness to make sure we found what we wanted.
All in all, we are thrilled with our new home, and equally thrilled about working with Terry to make it happen GREAT agent (a broker, actually).
If you're looking in Orange County for a home, then Terry's the one!
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"What a joy this couple was to work with! Soooo considerate of each other, especially considering the stress that most people feel when trying to buy a home in a difficult market. What they wanted could not be found in the resale market, but Standard Pacific was building homes of this nature. Fortunately, there was one left that was near move-in ready. We got a very good price, especially after the builder credits and the price reduction I was able to negotiate in return for a quick close. Although what the members wanted was hard to find, once we did find it they were decisive and willing to offer a quick close in order to help me negotiate a lower price for them. Most people say that the big builders won't negotiate price, but sometimes the corporate complexities involved with timing can make it possible to negotiate a lower price. That was the case here, to my buyers' benefit. I am thrilled to be able to get the members exactly what they wanted, at the price they wanted. What a wonderful feeling for me to succeed with such a pleasant and appreciative couple!"
Randy J.
Mar 2014
My good friends, who are getting married soon, told me about a terrific new house that was open right next to theirs. They had just recently moved and mentioned that it went extremely well with the agent they selected. I decided I wanted to have my first home too and figured I might as well live close to them! After all, I am going to be in the wedding party anyway!
The home seemed perfect for me through what I could see on the internet, so naturally I called the agent that had helped them! The speedy response was astonishing- in a couple hours we were already at the property. Actually, it wasn?t that astonishing because they had already told me about how quick to respond Terry was! We looked at the place and WOW! It was in perfect condition and ready for me to move in! After telling Terry that this was exactly what I wanted, I was surprised that he did not suggest that I make a full-price offer. Even though I know that this is an extreme seller?s market that would have multiple offers already! In fact, he suggested an offer that I had thought was way too low, but he explained that since we were moving so quickly, that even if the Seller?s were offended by our offer, we could probably come back with a higher offer to fix it! I really wanted the place though so I was a little afraid to make such a low offer. Even though I had my doubts Terry assured me that we could patch it back up one way or another. So, he made the way-under-asking-price offer, and got an almost immediate response where the Seller dropped the price to the halfway point between what they were asking and we were offering- YES!!! Talk about thousands of dollars of easy money! After the Seller Agent?s response, Terry told me okay.. well this isn?t necessarily the end of the trail. We have a choice now- but I had to make the choice myself! Terry told me that the other agent had said that this was as low as the seller could go, and still have enough money to close escrow without having to write a check himself to sell his own house! Terry also mentioned that we couldn?t be sure whether that was really true or not.. But we looked at the loan that was on the property, and certainly could be true. Terry told me that it was up to me- either accept this and nail down my new home or try to play mind games to save a thousand dollars or two. I thought about it and realized I just want the place. This is a good enough price and right in line with the price that my friends paid for their house! I wanted this! I wanted to get my new home and go back to my job. So I decided to just accept their counter-offer.
However, one thing was a little troubling- part of the counter back of the low price was that they wanted us to remove contingencies in 7 days. I don?t know much about buying houses, because this was my first time, so 7 days seemed like a very short time period. Terry assured me that his lender Debbie really could move that quickly and get us an appraisal FAST, which was my major concern because I didn?t understand how we would get the appraisal in time to meet the 7 day dead line! Sure enough, it was one day later that the appraiser had already called the other agent asking for an appointment to see the property! At this point, Terry explained that we ?had the deal? and that it was totally up to us to close or not close, so we decided to get aggressive and pick up any more loose change that may be lying on the table. We then put together a request for repairs and sent it over with a big list of little minor things that showed up on the home inspection- which by the way I didn?t even have to attend! Terry?s Client Experience Manager Lauren planned the entire thing out for me with the agent and other inspectors so that we could make this process as speedy as possible! Terry had prepared the other agent for the repair request that we were sending over and suggested that they could give us money rather than do the repairs that we asked for?so that?s what they did, and we accepted it. Terry told me that the Seller?s were not obligated to do anything. In fact, they weren?t even obligated to answer our request. But because of the way that Terry negotiated, they gave us TWICE as much as what they originally offered us! ?? It is amazing to me that this whole process took two days to get the property in escrow- and was going to close escrow in 20 days! That?s only 22 days to buy a house. I had no idea that the process could be made this easy, just by choosing the right agent. Throughout the whole process Terry Hunter?s Client Experience manager kept me and my father up to date and always in the loop. Terry also checked every critical document before it was sent over to me for my electronic signature. Basically I had no idea it was going to go this well. I thought this would be a drawn out process with many set backs but instead, I told him what house I wanted, and we got it! I went from being a renter to a homeowner faster than I ever imagined. Nothing like any horror stories you hear about buying houses..I guess it really does matter who you work with. My friends were right, and suggested Terry Hunter- which was the right way to go! Even after negotiating this low price and big credit for repairs, I got thousands of dollars in buyer?s cash back! It is totally unbelievable and mind-blowing, and now I am a homeowner. I am 24 years old and I own my first home! I am so excited!
The home seemed perfect for me through what I could see on the internet, so naturally I called the agent that had helped them! The speedy response was astonishing- in a couple hours we were already at the property. Actually, it wasn?t that astonishing because they had already told me about how quick to respond Terry was! We looked at the place and WOW! It was in perfect condition and ready for me to move in! After telling Terry that this was exactly what I wanted, I was surprised that he did not suggest that I make a full-price offer. Even though I know that this is an extreme seller?s market that would have multiple offers already! In fact, he suggested an offer that I had thought was way too low, but he explained that since we were moving so quickly, that even if the Seller?s were offended by our offer, we could probably come back with a higher offer to fix it! I really wanted the place though so I was a little afraid to make such a low offer. Even though I had my doubts Terry assured me that we could patch it back up one way or another. So, he made the way-under-asking-price offer, and got an almost immediate response where the Seller dropped the price to the halfway point between what they were asking and we were offering- YES!!! Talk about thousands of dollars of easy money! After the Seller Agent?s response, Terry told me okay.. well this isn?t necessarily the end of the trail. We have a choice now- but I had to make the choice myself! Terry told me that the other agent had said that this was as low as the seller could go, and still have enough money to close escrow without having to write a check himself to sell his own house! Terry also mentioned that we couldn?t be sure whether that was really true or not.. But we looked at the loan that was on the property, and certainly could be true. Terry told me that it was up to me- either accept this and nail down my new home or try to play mind games to save a thousand dollars or two. I thought about it and realized I just want the place. This is a good enough price and right in line with the price that my friends paid for their house! I wanted this! I wanted to get my new home and go back to my job. So I decided to just accept their counter-offer.
However, one thing was a little troubling- part of the counter back of the low price was that they wanted us to remove contingencies in 7 days. I don?t know much about buying houses, because this was my first time, so 7 days seemed like a very short time period. Terry assured me that his lender Debbie really could move that quickly and get us an appraisal FAST, which was my major concern because I didn?t understand how we would get the appraisal in time to meet the 7 day dead line! Sure enough, it was one day later that the appraiser had already called the other agent asking for an appointment to see the property! At this point, Terry explained that we ?had the deal? and that it was totally up to us to close or not close, so we decided to get aggressive and pick up any more loose change that may be lying on the table. We then put together a request for repairs and sent it over with a big list of little minor things that showed up on the home inspection- which by the way I didn?t even have to attend! Terry?s Client Experience Manager Lauren planned the entire thing out for me with the agent and other inspectors so that we could make this process as speedy as possible! Terry had prepared the other agent for the repair request that we were sending over and suggested that they could give us money rather than do the repairs that we asked for?so that?s what they did, and we accepted it. Terry told me that the Seller?s were not obligated to do anything. In fact, they weren?t even obligated to answer our request. But because of the way that Terry negotiated, they gave us TWICE as much as what they originally offered us! ?? It is amazing to me that this whole process took two days to get the property in escrow- and was going to close escrow in 20 days! That?s only 22 days to buy a house. I had no idea that the process could be made this easy, just by choosing the right agent. Throughout the whole process Terry Hunter?s Client Experience manager kept me and my father up to date and always in the loop. Terry also checked every critical document before it was sent over to me for my electronic signature. Basically I had no idea it was going to go this well. I thought this would be a drawn out process with many set backs but instead, I told him what house I wanted, and we got it! I went from being a renter to a homeowner faster than I ever imagined. Nothing like any horror stories you hear about buying houses..I guess it really does matter who you work with. My friends were right, and suggested Terry Hunter- which was the right way to go! Even after negotiating this low price and big credit for repairs, I got thousands of dollars in buyer?s cash back! It is totally unbelievable and mind-blowing, and now I am a homeowner. I am 24 years old and I own my first home! I am so excited!
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"As our buyer said, 22 days from renter to homeowner with no "speed-bumps" at all! And, his quick reaction to all our requests was a big part of his success in becoming a homeowner so quickly and smoothly. Our trusted lender is an amazing part of our team, too. She works tirelessly on weekends and evenings to make sure the lending side matches our internal speed and efficiency. She is one of the very best lenders I have had in my entire 30+ year career. A major reason for our efficiency is our promise to all our clients to make every transaction with us the best real estate experience they have ever had, every time they work with us. (This gets challenging by the 3rd or 4th repeat transaction, but we also know more and more about what each client wants with each additional transaction, so we can STILL make each one better than the last.) We gain more than just "efficiency" by the way we are organized... we gain effectiveness, which we measure by how good we do for our clients in price, as well as in safety and convenience. Most real estate companies employ a number of NON-employee (i.e. independent contractor) agents with varying skill and experience, providing then with what I call "thin support". For example a single transaction coordinator may handle the files for 50-75 agents. And, the annual agent turnover in the real estate business is nearly 30%. This can be a challenging environment for a typical real estate company to provide superior service to their clients. However, my Transaction Control Auditor (doing a high-level version of the same tasks that a standard transaction coordinator does) supports only ME. This allows me to personally handle each client's negotiations and review all their critical documents before they sign them. As you can imagine, this is a major advantage for our clients, especially since I am also a Certified Real Negotiator. I also employ a Client Experience Management staff (think Executive Assistants) to coordinate inspections, showing appointments and other tasks that I don't need to personally attend to. This "thick" organization allows me to concentrate on my clients' critical negotiating and document review tasks, but still have expertly trained employees handling all the hundreds of important other details in a timely and expert way, too. Our approach is different than most. It limits the number of transactions we can do, because of my personal involvement in each transaction. However, being organized this way also allows us to focus intently on our clients, and that is the way we want it. In the end, it is not "how well we do", but rather "how good we do for our clients"."
Casey S.
Mar 2014
YAYYY!! The day has finally come!!
We found a home that we are lucky enough to call OURS :]
We are so thankful for the people who helped us make our beautiful purchase, and we are so excited about transforming our new home to be more ?us?. The house is exactly what we have been looking for? just perfect for the fix-up and remodeling both of our families will help us with, that will turn it into a showplace! The neighborhood is GREAT. Terry knew instantly when he saw it that it was the ONE!
Our new home also comes well-equipped with GREAT neighbors :] In fact, one of the reasons we beat-out the other buyers was the help we got from our new next-door neighbor. Terry introduced us to him, and we talked for 15 minutes or so, really getting to know each other. As we were leaving, Terry asked him to call the out-of-town owner as soon as the neighbor went back inside. He asked him to tell the seller, a friend of his, that WE were the neighbors that he wanted next door. It turns out that many of the neighbors have lived there for years and years, and the seller was sensitive to what his friends and former neighbors wanted. Terry figured this out by getting there a little early and talking to other neighbors on the street before we even saw the home for the first time. He KNEW what the neighbors said to the seller would make a big difference for us. Wow? talk about ?going the extra mile??
Looking for the right home is fun, but definitely emotionally draining, too (especially when other buyers keep getting the homes we are making offers on). After a while, it seems as though your energy level, positive attitude, determination, and persistence could go completely down the drain? but we didn?t go down that path! Terry (along with Lauren, his friendly Client Experience Manager), kept us on the right track, and assured us that there was a perfect home somewhere out there, just waiting for us :]
They knew how to make our first home buying experience fun and exciting by constantly keeping in touch, pin-pointing the best house on the market for us and doing it FAST, too! Because we both work tough hours, and are on opposite day and night shifts, it was difficult for us to come up with good times to see homes. We thought this would be an issue, but to our surprise, it was totally a non-issue. Because of Terry?s flexibility, we were able to see homes on short notice and on our own schedule.
Terry?s negotiating expertise was masterful! Instead of focusing directly on our small down payment (which might have allowed other buyers with a bigger down to win-out over us), and the fact we needed to use FHA financing (which sellers and listing agents don?t like at all), he came up with a totally different angle, one that he said he had never used before, and never even heard of in all his 30 years in the business. He put the pieces of our situation puzzle together to make a unique presentation to the seller that won for US, despite our low down payment and our FHA financing.
How he put this together was amazing? Terry knew that we didn?t need an appraiser to tell us the home was a good buy (by this time we REALLY knew the market). With the FHA financing, Terry reasoned that we only needed 3.5% down, and we were putting down about triple that anyway, trying to get the best loan rates and to keep our payment down. Most agents would have told the listing agent that, yes we were (unfortunately) using FHA financing, but we had a bigger down payment than usual for a FHA loan.
The predictable listing agent/seller response to such a weak presentation would have been, as Terry described it to us??Well, yippee for you ? wonder if there are any other non-FHA buyers out there??? not a very powerful response from, while meanwhile, other buyers were breathing down our neck, struggling to get the home for themselves
So Terry told the listing agent that we would accept an appraisal up to $40,000 LESS than our purchase price just like it was a full-price appraisal (and not $40,000 less than full price)! And, in this market, that was POWERFUL, because sellers and listing agents worry big-time about low appraisals (and Terry knew this, of course).
It?s kind of complicated to explain, but the bottom line is that, because of our bigger-than-normal down payment for our FHA loan, we would get our loan even if the appraisal did come in that much lower, and getting the loan was our only concern with the appraisal. Complicated or not, though, it got the seller?s attention. He told us that if we put that in writing, we would have the home!
All right! That rocks! We did put it in writing, and we got our dream home because of Terry?s inventive way of describing what was just an FHA loan with a bigger down payment than usual.
Wow, ?it?s all in the telling?, for SURE! It really DOES make a difference who represents you when you?re buying a home!
We couldn?t even imagine what it would be like working with an agent other than Terry, which would also mean an agent with no Lauren! We literally felt as though Terry was our genius telepathic agent, and Lauren was our ?fire-cracker?, long-time best friend! It is amazing the connections and friendships you can make with people who really empower you to settle for NOTHING less than what you really want, and what you deserve.
The last thing I want to cover before finishing up is the buyer cash back. Who would have thought that, after everything Terry did for us, that he would also provide us with cash through escrow to pay for our escrow costs, title fee, and all the other small (and not so small) annoying fees that you didn?t even know you had?
We are so excited about beginning the transformation on our new home, and are proud to say that we got to work with Terry and Lauren. No one we know who is buying, selling, or THINKING of buying or selling, will get past us without going through Hunter-Broker! Seriously, people, come check them out yourself and you?ll see exactly what I mean.
Casey & Courtney
We found a home that we are lucky enough to call OURS :]
We are so thankful for the people who helped us make our beautiful purchase, and we are so excited about transforming our new home to be more ?us?. The house is exactly what we have been looking for? just perfect for the fix-up and remodeling both of our families will help us with, that will turn it into a showplace! The neighborhood is GREAT. Terry knew instantly when he saw it that it was the ONE!
Our new home also comes well-equipped with GREAT neighbors :] In fact, one of the reasons we beat-out the other buyers was the help we got from our new next-door neighbor. Terry introduced us to him, and we talked for 15 minutes or so, really getting to know each other. As we were leaving, Terry asked him to call the out-of-town owner as soon as the neighbor went back inside. He asked him to tell the seller, a friend of his, that WE were the neighbors that he wanted next door. It turns out that many of the neighbors have lived there for years and years, and the seller was sensitive to what his friends and former neighbors wanted. Terry figured this out by getting there a little early and talking to other neighbors on the street before we even saw the home for the first time. He KNEW what the neighbors said to the seller would make a big difference for us. Wow? talk about ?going the extra mile??
Looking for the right home is fun, but definitely emotionally draining, too (especially when other buyers keep getting the homes we are making offers on). After a while, it seems as though your energy level, positive attitude, determination, and persistence could go completely down the drain? but we didn?t go down that path! Terry (along with Lauren, his friendly Client Experience Manager), kept us on the right track, and assured us that there was a perfect home somewhere out there, just waiting for us :]
They knew how to make our first home buying experience fun and exciting by constantly keeping in touch, pin-pointing the best house on the market for us and doing it FAST, too! Because we both work tough hours, and are on opposite day and night shifts, it was difficult for us to come up with good times to see homes. We thought this would be an issue, but to our surprise, it was totally a non-issue. Because of Terry?s flexibility, we were able to see homes on short notice and on our own schedule.
Terry?s negotiating expertise was masterful! Instead of focusing directly on our small down payment (which might have allowed other buyers with a bigger down to win-out over us), and the fact we needed to use FHA financing (which sellers and listing agents don?t like at all), he came up with a totally different angle, one that he said he had never used before, and never even heard of in all his 30 years in the business. He put the pieces of our situation puzzle together to make a unique presentation to the seller that won for US, despite our low down payment and our FHA financing.
How he put this together was amazing? Terry knew that we didn?t need an appraiser to tell us the home was a good buy (by this time we REALLY knew the market). With the FHA financing, Terry reasoned that we only needed 3.5% down, and we were putting down about triple that anyway, trying to get the best loan rates and to keep our payment down. Most agents would have told the listing agent that, yes we were (unfortunately) using FHA financing, but we had a bigger down payment than usual for a FHA loan.
The predictable listing agent/seller response to such a weak presentation would have been, as Terry described it to us??Well, yippee for you ? wonder if there are any other non-FHA buyers out there??? not a very powerful response from, while meanwhile, other buyers were breathing down our neck, struggling to get the home for themselves
So Terry told the listing agent that we would accept an appraisal up to $40,000 LESS than our purchase price just like it was a full-price appraisal (and not $40,000 less than full price)! And, in this market, that was POWERFUL, because sellers and listing agents worry big-time about low appraisals (and Terry knew this, of course).
It?s kind of complicated to explain, but the bottom line is that, because of our bigger-than-normal down payment for our FHA loan, we would get our loan even if the appraisal did come in that much lower, and getting the loan was our only concern with the appraisal. Complicated or not, though, it got the seller?s attention. He told us that if we put that in writing, we would have the home!
All right! That rocks! We did put it in writing, and we got our dream home because of Terry?s inventive way of describing what was just an FHA loan with a bigger down payment than usual.
Wow, ?it?s all in the telling?, for SURE! It really DOES make a difference who represents you when you?re buying a home!
We couldn?t even imagine what it would be like working with an agent other than Terry, which would also mean an agent with no Lauren! We literally felt as though Terry was our genius telepathic agent, and Lauren was our ?fire-cracker?, long-time best friend! It is amazing the connections and friendships you can make with people who really empower you to settle for NOTHING less than what you really want, and what you deserve.
The last thing I want to cover before finishing up is the buyer cash back. Who would have thought that, after everything Terry did for us, that he would also provide us with cash through escrow to pay for our escrow costs, title fee, and all the other small (and not so small) annoying fees that you didn?t even know you had?
We are so excited about beginning the transformation on our new home, and are proud to say that we got to work with Terry and Lauren. No one we know who is buying, selling, or THINKING of buying or selling, will get past us without going through Hunter-Broker! Seriously, people, come check them out yourself and you?ll see exactly what I mean.
Casey & Courtney
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"What a great write-up! Thanks, guys! These buyers found us on AngiesList, and decided to contact us after reading our other AngiesList reviews. They seem like old friends now, because they are so approachable and friendly. When I saw the outside of their new home, I knew the neighborhood was a "cut above" the other homes we had been viewing. When I saw the interior, I realized that this was the perfect home for them. We viewed it within hours of it coming on the market, and I stopped off at a nearby El Pollo Loco to write the offer & Docusign it to the buyers to get our offer in quickly, knowing that other buyers would like it, too. In fact, there were 4 other offers, but WE won! Talking to the seller later, I learned that he liked our intro letter with its photo of the young couple, and he really liked our offer to accept an appraisal up to $40,000 less than the purchase price. I was able to do this because the buyers understood it, and knew the market well enough to know that the home was a great buy (no matter what the appraiser might report). So, we could "spice-up" our offer to give appraisal peace-of-mind to the seller. Although I have never used such a radical version of this approach before, I HAD to do whatever I could to get my buyers the home. Otherwise, every home after than one would have been "... yes, this one is nice, but NOT as good as the one on Noble Street that we lost...". Fortunately, it all came together, and my buyers DID get the home, even though they were competing against 4 other buyers, one of whom was all-cash. I am elated, and fortunate to work with such great buyers!"
Andrew R.
Jan 2014
Woohooo? SO exciting!! We have our very first home and we are still so young? just starting out after college! The home is terrific, with a very private back yard, the interest rate we got (just before interest rates went up) is unbelievable, and we got thousands of dollars in what Terry calls ?buyer cash back? to help cover our closing costs. OUR money went into our downpayment and equity, rather than being wasted paying escrow and other fees.
The whole process was a very exciting ?cliff-hanger?, and we almost didn?t get our new home at all. Another buyer with twice as much down payment as us (and without all the complications of our job changes) was making very aggressive offers on OUR home. Fortunately, Terry had very good instant likeability with the seller?s agent, and we met her at an open house, and we hit it off, too. Then we found out that the seller was a detective, and my dad is a police officer, too. So, the other agent (who was from out-of-area, and appreciated Terry?s help in saving her back & forth trips to Huntington Beach) and Terry made SURE between that our offer was as good as the other one (without spending more than we had to). This way, the seller could pick us without losing money. And they DID pick us! Yippee!
Terry was wonderful through the whole process! He was always available day & night it seemed ? by phone, email, and text. His emails are long, but they covered everything we needed to know to really understand what was going on, rather than just creating questions in our minds. He kept my dad in the loop, too, so my dad was comfortable with the whole process, and was able to help us make decisions.
Because of our job changes and other complications plus some late documents from the sellers, and because our signed escrow instructions were returned to us by the crazy post office, plus some sloppy documents from the HOA, we were running late in getting our loan approval so we couldn?t remove our contingencies on time. We got one time extension from the seller, but then we still needed more time. Despite liking us and liking Terry, the other agent and the seller started to talk about canceling our house purchase. I guess the other, higher down payment buyer (whose offer we had only matched, and not exceeded, to be the winning buyer) began to look better and better to them. The wanted us to have the home, but they didn?t want us to not buy it, and then lose the other good buyer, too.
Things were getting pretty tense, with the other agent talking about ?complying with the contract?, and talking about how her broker was a ?real stickler for doing what the contract said? and so on. Fortunately, Terry has a cool head and is very persuasive. He and our lender got together and came up with the idea of removing all the other contingencies except the loan, and then even made that contingency just about the 3 or 4 things the person approving the loan was working on getting approved. Terry convinced the other agent that there was nothing magical about the contract? we and the seller had agreed to it, and it was a simple matter of agreeing to something different. So, Terry was able to get off the idea that we somehow had to ?do what the contract originally said?. Then, with the 3 or 4 items needed to get the loan being the only contingencies that we didn?t remove, everyone was happy again for the few more days it took us to get loan approval. Terry protected us by not having us remove the loan contingency before we actually had approval. However, removing every other contingency gave the seller agent something to go back to the seller with to show that we were paddling hard to get it done, and not just stalling. This was all it took to take us to the goal and make our winning move of getting our very first home so early in our life!
Terry watched out for us all the way, even getting our own termite inspector to inspect to protect us. Since the other agent was from out of area and our termite guy ended up actually doing the termite work, we didn?t even have to pay for this extra inspection (which Terry advises all his buyers to get, no matter what the seller?s termite report says). He also saved us $500 on the appraisal.
I think Terry is as excited about us getting our first home as we are. It is not a big purchase transaction for him, but it is HUGE for us, and he treated it like he was getting the very first home for his own daughter. He is such a great agent to work with? very protective, experienced, and clear in what he wanted done to get us to the place where we could score our winning goal and get our first home.
We know how close we came to losing our home (and the great interest rate, too, because now they?re higher, and we couldn?t have gotten our loan with the higher rates that came just a couple of weeks later).
Everything worked out perfectly, and we are SO stoked and happy? we want everyone to have the same exciting but safe experience that we had. Please have Terry work with you if you need a trustworthy and experienced negotiator. He is great, and we will recommend him forever to everybody we meet who needs a great real estate agent.
The whole process was a very exciting ?cliff-hanger?, and we almost didn?t get our new home at all. Another buyer with twice as much down payment as us (and without all the complications of our job changes) was making very aggressive offers on OUR home. Fortunately, Terry had very good instant likeability with the seller?s agent, and we met her at an open house, and we hit it off, too. Then we found out that the seller was a detective, and my dad is a police officer, too. So, the other agent (who was from out-of-area, and appreciated Terry?s help in saving her back & forth trips to Huntington Beach) and Terry made SURE between that our offer was as good as the other one (without spending more than we had to). This way, the seller could pick us without losing money. And they DID pick us! Yippee!
Terry was wonderful through the whole process! He was always available day & night it seemed ? by phone, email, and text. His emails are long, but they covered everything we needed to know to really understand what was going on, rather than just creating questions in our minds. He kept my dad in the loop, too, so my dad was comfortable with the whole process, and was able to help us make decisions.
Because of our job changes and other complications plus some late documents from the sellers, and because our signed escrow instructions were returned to us by the crazy post office, plus some sloppy documents from the HOA, we were running late in getting our loan approval so we couldn?t remove our contingencies on time. We got one time extension from the seller, but then we still needed more time. Despite liking us and liking Terry, the other agent and the seller started to talk about canceling our house purchase. I guess the other, higher down payment buyer (whose offer we had only matched, and not exceeded, to be the winning buyer) began to look better and better to them. The wanted us to have the home, but they didn?t want us to not buy it, and then lose the other good buyer, too.
Things were getting pretty tense, with the other agent talking about ?complying with the contract?, and talking about how her broker was a ?real stickler for doing what the contract said? and so on. Fortunately, Terry has a cool head and is very persuasive. He and our lender got together and came up with the idea of removing all the other contingencies except the loan, and then even made that contingency just about the 3 or 4 things the person approving the loan was working on getting approved. Terry convinced the other agent that there was nothing magical about the contract? we and the seller had agreed to it, and it was a simple matter of agreeing to something different. So, Terry was able to get off the idea that we somehow had to ?do what the contract originally said?. Then, with the 3 or 4 items needed to get the loan being the only contingencies that we didn?t remove, everyone was happy again for the few more days it took us to get loan approval. Terry protected us by not having us remove the loan contingency before we actually had approval. However, removing every other contingency gave the seller agent something to go back to the seller with to show that we were paddling hard to get it done, and not just stalling. This was all it took to take us to the goal and make our winning move of getting our very first home so early in our life!
Terry watched out for us all the way, even getting our own termite inspector to inspect to protect us. Since the other agent was from out of area and our termite guy ended up actually doing the termite work, we didn?t even have to pay for this extra inspection (which Terry advises all his buyers to get, no matter what the seller?s termite report says). He also saved us $500 on the appraisal.
I think Terry is as excited about us getting our first home as we are. It is not a big purchase transaction for him, but it is HUGE for us, and he treated it like he was getting the very first home for his own daughter. He is such a great agent to work with? very protective, experienced, and clear in what he wanted done to get us to the place where we could score our winning goal and get our first home.
We know how close we came to losing our home (and the great interest rate, too, because now they?re higher, and we couldn?t have gotten our loan with the higher rates that came just a couple of weeks later).
Everything worked out perfectly, and we are SO stoked and happy? we want everyone to have the same exciting but safe experience that we had. Please have Terry work with you if you need a trustworthy and experienced negotiator. He is great, and we will recommend him forever to everybody we meet who needs a great real estate agent.
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"It was great working with such a young and energetic couple! They’re young, but they were decisive, knew exactly what they wanted and were quick to support me in my negotiations for them. The negotiation was almost a textbook example of everything falling into place. I established good rapport with the seller’s agent immediately, and maintained it throughout the transaction, to ultimately win against a stronger buyer, one with double the down payment. Our successful outcome proves two things: 1) It’s not just about the numbers… emotions play a BIG part in deciding which buyer will win, and what the price will be, and 2) Good negotiation skills, starting with the “homework”, and continuing through all the challenges, determines the emotions of all the players. It is those emotions that really determine the outcome. In this case we effectively recruited the seller agent as our own “internal champion” , and she made sure WE won! I am as excited for this young couple as I would be for my own daughter’s success. This is a great start to what I am sure will be a great life for these two! Happy to be a part of it!"
Polly M.
Nov 2013
I bought my current home on Balboa Peninsula from Terry, and the process was smooth and extremely well organized. Terry also represented the seller in my transaction, so he had already made sure the home was fully prepared before he even put it on the market. The home inspection was done, he already had a clear termite report, and Terry even had a roofer inspect and make the necessary repairs to the roof (doubly unusual, since the property was an attached townhome, and not a detached single family home).
Terry also had a title report showing clear title and the HOA paperwork was immediately available because he arranged to get that up-front, too. I LIKE this kind of attention to detail!
I ALSO like Terry?s Buyer Cash-Back, as he calls it... it saved me thousands of dollars by more than covering my closing costs and part of my purchase. The money didn?t affect my purchase price because it was from Terry, and not the seller.
Terry is unflappable and very easy to work with, and helped facilitate the transaction, rather than complicate it. Even small things, like having a laser measuring device on hand so we could measure the space when we were at the open house, rather than having to come back and do it later help remove the hassle of getting a new home. He also seemed to be constantly available, no matter when I called.
Terry is very protective of his reputation, and went out of his way to make sure that everyone was ?in the loop?. It was clear from the start that Terry was a person we could all rely on, and that was confirmed again and again throughout the transaction.
In the end, we got a very good buy, and the seller was able to move on with his life too. The whole process was comfortable and low-stress, and I will definitely recommend Terry to all my friends wanting to buy or sell.
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"I am gratified that the member recognized early on that I had done my homework, and we were ready to close escrow before we even we went on the market. This knowledge really worked in her favor because more than one buyer wanted the property. She was able to win that buyer-buyer competition because she understood up-front that we had already completed a home inspection... the repairs from that inspection... and done a final inspection, along with a roof inspection and a clear termite report. She was therefore comfortable with safely removing most contingencies quickly, thus locking-out the other buyer. It is great working with smart people who "get it"! I would do another transaction with her in a heartbeat... great client!"
Valerie L.
Oct 2013
For the first time ever, I bought a real estate property by auction... and it worked out great! I wanted this particular property because it was in a community that I desired and was close to the beach. Being close to my home was an advantage as well.
I had purchased many homes in the past and was initially unsure about buying a property at auction. However, I met with Terry several times before the auction and ended up feeling more comfortable with this unusual (to me, at least) way of buying real estate. The main reason I decided it was safe to go ahead with the purchase was Terry's well-organized approach. He had everything prepared in advance... a home inspection, a clear termite report, HOA documents, a title report, and every other document I needed to review before I committed myself to the purchase. He also made it easy for me to bring in my own contractor and advisors, partly to check out the property, and partly to pre-plan the renovation I wanted to do if I were the winning bidder. In short, Terry's organization, complete paperwork, and ability to clearly explain the process turned me from my initial "I don't think so" to a "Yes, let's go for it" attitude by the time the auction day rolled around.
There were two other bidders at the auction besides me. All of us were all-cash investors, but I was the only one actually present at the bidding. One of the absent investors had his agent bidding for him, and the other out-of-towner was represented by the investor's girlfriend, who was coordinating with the actual investor by phone.
The auction went down just as Terry had described it, and I was the winning bidder. I signed my deposit check over to the escrow, and then closed a normal escrow... the only thing really different was determining the buyer (me! yippee) and the price by auction. There were none of the usual inspection and similar contingencies after the bidding, but that was OK, because I had already thoroughly inspected the property and read all of the inspection, title, HOA and other documents before the bidding. I paid all-cash, so there was no appraisal involved at all.
I was happy with the process and the outcome, and would certainly do it again, assuming that everything was as well-organized as it was with Terry's auction. Auctions are not for everyone, but my experience with this one is that a well-run auction is a fair and transparent way to buy property for people who can keep their emotions and target sales purchase price in check (because it would be easy to get carried away by "auction fever").
As a postscript, I found that Terry's handling of the transaction was as good after the escrow was closed as it was before the auction. One of the inspection reports was a clear termite report on the property from Terry's trusted termite inspector. I found out later that Terry uses the same, very picky, inspector whether he is representing buyers in a purchase or sellers (as in the case with my auction purchase), because he wants to be sure that there are no after-the-sale problems. In my case, one of the first things I did was have my contractor demolish the breakfast bar surrounding the sink. When we opened up the structure, we found a previous hidden beetle infestation. I called the termite company, and they treated the infestation, and presented me a bill for $300, on the premise that this infestation could not have been detected, except for my demolition of the infested structure. Terry's reaction to this was to say that he could see how I would think that it should be taken care of, and also how the seller would feel that it should be handled by me, as the buyer. So, Terry's approach was to simply take care of it himself, avoiding any hassle for me and for the seller. This seems to me to be just good business on Terry's part to avoid letting $300 negatively color the otherwise superb transaction. I like the way Terry thinks, and I hope to have the opportunity to do another transaction with him, auction or not. I will certainly introduce him to any of my friends or family who need a good agent.
I had purchased many homes in the past and was initially unsure about buying a property at auction. However, I met with Terry several times before the auction and ended up feeling more comfortable with this unusual (to me, at least) way of buying real estate. The main reason I decided it was safe to go ahead with the purchase was Terry's well-organized approach. He had everything prepared in advance... a home inspection, a clear termite report, HOA documents, a title report, and every other document I needed to review before I committed myself to the purchase. He also made it easy for me to bring in my own contractor and advisors, partly to check out the property, and partly to pre-plan the renovation I wanted to do if I were the winning bidder. In short, Terry's organization, complete paperwork, and ability to clearly explain the process turned me from my initial "I don't think so" to a "Yes, let's go for it" attitude by the time the auction day rolled around.
There were two other bidders at the auction besides me. All of us were all-cash investors, but I was the only one actually present at the bidding. One of the absent investors had his agent bidding for him, and the other out-of-towner was represented by the investor's girlfriend, who was coordinating with the actual investor by phone.
The auction went down just as Terry had described it, and I was the winning bidder. I signed my deposit check over to the escrow, and then closed a normal escrow... the only thing really different was determining the buyer (me! yippee) and the price by auction. There were none of the usual inspection and similar contingencies after the bidding, but that was OK, because I had already thoroughly inspected the property and read all of the inspection, title, HOA and other documents before the bidding. I paid all-cash, so there was no appraisal involved at all.
I was happy with the process and the outcome, and would certainly do it again, assuming that everything was as well-organized as it was with Terry's auction. Auctions are not for everyone, but my experience with this one is that a well-run auction is a fair and transparent way to buy property for people who can keep their emotions and target sales purchase price in check (because it would be easy to get carried away by "auction fever").
As a postscript, I found that Terry's handling of the transaction was as good after the escrow was closed as it was before the auction. One of the inspection reports was a clear termite report on the property from Terry's trusted termite inspector. I found out later that Terry uses the same, very picky, inspector whether he is representing buyers in a purchase or sellers (as in the case with my auction purchase), because he wants to be sure that there are no after-the-sale problems. In my case, one of the first things I did was have my contractor demolish the breakfast bar surrounding the sink. When we opened up the structure, we found a previous hidden beetle infestation. I called the termite company, and they treated the infestation, and presented me a bill for $300, on the premise that this infestation could not have been detected, except for my demolition of the infested structure. Terry's reaction to this was to say that he could see how I would think that it should be taken care of, and also how the seller would feel that it should be handled by me, as the buyer. So, Terry's approach was to simply take care of it himself, avoiding any hassle for me and for the seller. This seems to me to be just good business on Terry's part to avoid letting $300 negatively color the otherwise superb transaction. I like the way Terry thinks, and I hope to have the opportunity to do another transaction with him, auction or not. I will certainly introduce him to any of my friends or family who need a good agent.
Darin G.
Sep 2013
Terry is a joy to work with, being personally available virtually every time we called, whether weekday or weekend, day or night. He is inventive, too. Based on Terry's inspection and input, we needed a couple of weeks to get some handyman spiffing-up done before putting our home on the market. However, the local MLS counts every day after the marketing agreement is signed as "days on the market". In our case, this would have meant that our home would show about 2 weeks on the market on the very first day of market exposure in the MLS, which Terry said would be to our disadvantage. To avoid this, Terry waited on the final paperwork until the day we put our home in the MLS to "cash-in" on the excitement of a newly available home. And "cash-in" we did! We just sold the home that Terry helped us buy only 2 years ago for $130,000 more than our combined purchase price & kitchen remodel! He did a great job on our purchase (protecting us from $10,000 in hidden termite problems in the process), and he just helped us make a significant profit on the way out. Wow, are we pleased! And it's not just the price... the entire experience was totally designed from the beginning to produce top dollar, without hassle for us. An entire month of Sat/Sun open houses was planned, with showings limited to the open houses. This way, we would not have to put up with people wanting to see our home at random times. As it turned out, despite our very aggressive pricing, we had an offer during the 2nd open house, while we were in Hawaii. This was quickly followed by an offer from another interested party. Terry was able to use the first offer to encourage the second buyers to quickly make their offer and to negotiate a new price with them for $10,000 more than the previous one (well over our asking price and the market). They closed about 2 weeks ago, and we are renting back, getting ready to make our move out of state. He kept us up-to-the-minute throughout the entire transaction, BCC'ing us on all of his emails, and briefing us on his phone calls. Although we were completely confident in Terry's handling of the transaction (having worked with him before), we appreciated being included in the process. The process was dramatically simplified by Terry's arranging to have everything needed to close BEFORE we went on the market. Incredibly, he said that most agents wait until a buyer appears to get the termite report, HOA docs, etc. Terry's approach is being ready to close before the MLS. We like his approach, especially given the higher price he got for us, partly because the buyers already knew the condition of the roof, the home in general, and termite work to be done. Since we were buyers ourselves just 2 years ago, we knew what Terry was talking about when he said that it is buyers, and not agents, who determine which homes buyers will see. Terry's photography is outstanding, and the 4 page brochure he prepared really showed the home's main characteristics (1-story on a large, elevated lot). Likewise, the two! virtual tours he put on line showed our home in its best light, while maximizing the on line visibility of our home. So there you have it! Proper preparation, good marketing, and great negotiation... the special ingredients that got us an over-the-top price for our home. Who could ask for anything more? We tell all our friends to work with Terry, and you should, too!
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"I am so fortunate to be able to choose who I work with, because I then get to choose clients like these. They are wonderful to work for, and they are also perfectionists themselves, so they KNOW the difference between mediocre service and over-the-top service. Winning for my clients is great fun for me. Having them know "what went down" to get their results, realizing that this is not the standard experience, is priceless to me! Thank you Darin & Jamie for letting me serve you and for your kind words."
Joe V.
Aug 2013
I handled the sale of my grandmother's home when she moved into her Atria retirement home. Naturally, I turned to Terry, who
handled the purchase of our home, and to whom I had already referred half a dozen or more of our friends because of his honesty, capability and real estate acumen.
True to form, Terry did absolutely massive promotion of the property via direct mail and 7 separate open houses, along with his superlative on-line marketing (including dual virtual tours). What made it different this time was Terry's
handling of the sale as a full-blown public auction, held at the premises. Terry is a Certified Real Estate Auctioneer,
fully licensed and bonded. And my grandmother's property, close to the ocean in Laguna Niguel was perfect for
investors. The stage was set!
On Auction Day, the field had been winnowed down to 3 pre-approved bidders, each an all-cash investor. One of the
investors was out of the area, conducting his bidding through a phone connection with his girlfriend, who was present. Another investor was bidding through his agent, having given him a maximum bid amount, and letting the agent handle the
bidding in his absence. The third was a owner of a home nearby, bidding on her own account. The good thing about the way Terry runs his auctions is that the seller can't be hurt by low-ball bids, because the seller
sets a minimum reserve price... if the bids don't reach this level, then the seller is not obligated to sell. And, when the bidding is done, the usual seller uncertainty doesn't exist... unless the property is found to have fatal problems, the bidding is final, not a
"maybe buy" that the buyer could back out. In this case there would be no financing, so there wasn't even the usual 95% appraisal contingency. In other words, when the bidding was done, the home would really be sold. This was great for limiting the stress on my grandmother. And, since the buyers had the benefit of a home inspection, a termite clearance, and the opportunity to inspect the property before the bidding, they were well-protected, too.
The winning bidder was the local homeowner (who ended up bidding more than she had agreed to with her husband, but was happy with her purchase). The bidding rose to an acceptable level, and the home was sold without any real contingencies, right then and there. The rest of the sale was a normal escrow. My grandmother and I were pleased with the outcome, and Terry tells me that the bidders were pleased as well. In fact, one of the bidders (the real estate agent) signed up for Terry's next auction, based on his satisfaction with the first one. Terry is judicious and non-dogmatic in his choice of selling tools.
In selling the home of another of my friends shortly after my grandmother's sale, he counseled that seller that an auction was not the best approach for their property & market combination, and sold their property in a single weekend for over asking price, because he was able to get an informal bidding-war going on it without an auction.
I have recommended Terry to all my friends and family, and am happy to continue doing
so. In every case, each outcome has been terrific, and everyone who I have introduced Terry to has been very pleased
with his hard work, great marketing, constant contact, and his negotiating skill. Most of all, they have been thrilled with the outcome.
If you know someone who needs a thoughtful, honest and hard-working real estate broker, Terry is the one!
Joe
handled the purchase of our home, and to whom I had already referred half a dozen or more of our friends because of his honesty, capability and real estate acumen.
True to form, Terry did absolutely massive promotion of the property via direct mail and 7 separate open houses, along with his superlative on-line marketing (including dual virtual tours). What made it different this time was Terry's
handling of the sale as a full-blown public auction, held at the premises. Terry is a Certified Real Estate Auctioneer,
fully licensed and bonded. And my grandmother's property, close to the ocean in Laguna Niguel was perfect for
investors. The stage was set!
On Auction Day, the field had been winnowed down to 3 pre-approved bidders, each an all-cash investor. One of the
investors was out of the area, conducting his bidding through a phone connection with his girlfriend, who was present. Another investor was bidding through his agent, having given him a maximum bid amount, and letting the agent handle the
bidding in his absence. The third was a owner of a home nearby, bidding on her own account. The good thing about the way Terry runs his auctions is that the seller can't be hurt by low-ball bids, because the seller
sets a minimum reserve price... if the bids don't reach this level, then the seller is not obligated to sell. And, when the bidding is done, the usual seller uncertainty doesn't exist... unless the property is found to have fatal problems, the bidding is final, not a
"maybe buy" that the buyer could back out. In this case there would be no financing, so there wasn't even the usual 95% appraisal contingency. In other words, when the bidding was done, the home would really be sold. This was great for limiting the stress on my grandmother. And, since the buyers had the benefit of a home inspection, a termite clearance, and the opportunity to inspect the property before the bidding, they were well-protected, too.
The winning bidder was the local homeowner (who ended up bidding more than she had agreed to with her husband, but was happy with her purchase). The bidding rose to an acceptable level, and the home was sold without any real contingencies, right then and there. The rest of the sale was a normal escrow. My grandmother and I were pleased with the outcome, and Terry tells me that the bidders were pleased as well. In fact, one of the bidders (the real estate agent) signed up for Terry's next auction, based on his satisfaction with the first one. Terry is judicious and non-dogmatic in his choice of selling tools.
In selling the home of another of my friends shortly after my grandmother's sale, he counseled that seller that an auction was not the best approach for their property & market combination, and sold their property in a single weekend for over asking price, because he was able to get an informal bidding-war going on it without an auction.
I have recommended Terry to all my friends and family, and am happy to continue doing
so. In every case, each outcome has been terrific, and everyone who I have introduced Terry to has been very pleased
with his hard work, great marketing, constant contact, and his negotiating skill. Most of all, they have been thrilled with the outcome.
If you know someone who needs a thoughtful, honest and hard-working real estate broker, Terry is the one!
Joe
Kevin S.
Aug 2013
Well, we have come full-circle. 3 years ago Terry helped us buy our home and he just sold it for us. All together, we made about $120,000
in profit.
We bought in a challenging purchasing environment and we selected Terry as our buying agent because we knew that he had the tenacity and negotiation ability to help us out-compete the other buyers in the market. How did we know this? We spoke with probably 10 other agents and we could just tell that Terry was more sophisticated. It was clear that he was already anticipating problems and how to mitigate them. That?s what we were looking for: a proactive agent, not a reactive one.
Terry helped us to make 20 offers on various short-sale properties and we ended up getting a fantastic deal on a great house because Terry went the extra mile to sell our strengths as buyers to the seller and the seller?s agent. As we found out, this really goes a long way. Not only that, but he helped us time the transaction to qualify for the California and Federal housing tax credits, and we got several thousand dollars back in Terry?s Buyer Cash-Back program. Because of this, and the great price that Terry negotiated, we were able to buy the house for below market value.
We were considering selling our home in the next year or so but Terry contacted us about taking advantage of the recent market upturn. Terry got together with us and after discussing our goals and desires we decided that now was the best time to sell in order to benefit from the current market. Sure enough, we just closed escrow and we got way more money for the house than
we had initially expected.
First off, when selling our house, Terry got people in the door. His photography made the house look amazing and it put photos from our competing houses to shame. Additionally, he used 2 virtual tours, a new ?talking house? technology that buyers can hear on their cell phone, and a text messaging system that sends buyers photos as they drove by. Most brokers don?t do any of these things, but we got them all. Searching the MLS, our home really stood out as something special because of all of these added features. With so many other competing homes on the market, these features were crucial to getting the attention of buyers.
Another selling point for using Terry is that he kept us up to the minute throughout the entire selling process. It was not unusual to see a message from him at 10 o?clock at night with a ?mini-update? to let us know the latest status of our sale. As soon as Terry knew something, so did we.
Bottom line: use this guy. He has been in the business for years and he knows how to help you avoid headaches. There are so many pitfalls when buying and selling and Terry helped us navigate around some pretty big problems and we watched as other agents lead their clients right into them. He also negotiated prices and terms for us that seemed unattainable. If you want to buy or sell a house the right way, don?t mess around, use Terry.
in profit.
We bought in a challenging purchasing environment and we selected Terry as our buying agent because we knew that he had the tenacity and negotiation ability to help us out-compete the other buyers in the market. How did we know this? We spoke with probably 10 other agents and we could just tell that Terry was more sophisticated. It was clear that he was already anticipating problems and how to mitigate them. That?s what we were looking for: a proactive agent, not a reactive one.
Terry helped us to make 20 offers on various short-sale properties and we ended up getting a fantastic deal on a great house because Terry went the extra mile to sell our strengths as buyers to the seller and the seller?s agent. As we found out, this really goes a long way. Not only that, but he helped us time the transaction to qualify for the California and Federal housing tax credits, and we got several thousand dollars back in Terry?s Buyer Cash-Back program. Because of this, and the great price that Terry negotiated, we were able to buy the house for below market value.
We were considering selling our home in the next year or so but Terry contacted us about taking advantage of the recent market upturn. Terry got together with us and after discussing our goals and desires we decided that now was the best time to sell in order to benefit from the current market. Sure enough, we just closed escrow and we got way more money for the house than
we had initially expected.
First off, when selling our house, Terry got people in the door. His photography made the house look amazing and it put photos from our competing houses to shame. Additionally, he used 2 virtual tours, a new ?talking house? technology that buyers can hear on their cell phone, and a text messaging system that sends buyers photos as they drove by. Most brokers don?t do any of these things, but we got them all. Searching the MLS, our home really stood out as something special because of all of these added features. With so many other competing homes on the market, these features were crucial to getting the attention of buyers.
Another selling point for using Terry is that he kept us up to the minute throughout the entire selling process. It was not unusual to see a message from him at 10 o?clock at night with a ?mini-update? to let us know the latest status of our sale. As soon as Terry knew something, so did we.
Bottom line: use this guy. He has been in the business for years and he knows how to help you avoid headaches. There are so many pitfalls when buying and selling and Terry helped us navigate around some pretty big problems and we watched as other agents lead their clients right into them. He also negotiated prices and terms for us that seemed unattainable. If you want to buy or sell a house the right way, don?t mess around, use Terry.
Kathleen B.
Apr 2013
We did the "shotgun wedding" version of a real estate purchase. Usually you select a real estate agent, figure out your price range and the type of house you are looking for, look at houses, and make some offers. But I literally walked into an open house, fell in love with it, and went looking for an agent. At that point, I thought there was little chance of being able to able to buy the house. We just weren't prepared, and I know that in a tight housing market you have to be ready to jump on an opportunity. But I found Terry on Angie's List, and based on the great reviews I sent him an email. "Little chance" became "no chance" in my mind when I saw the MLS list Terry sent for houses in our price and size range: A total of one (1) house. It was the one I had fallen in love with.
I expressed my thoughts to Terry, and he replied, "Let me think about it." The next day he sent me another email: He'd thought about it, and he took on the challenge.
Despite being in the middle of setting up a public auction for another client, Terry went into overdrive getting us set up to see the house (my husband hadn't seen it yet), and getting us set up with a prequalification and an offer. My husband loved the house as much as I did, and based on Terry's advice, and seeing what the market was like, we gave an over-price offer. When the sellers still seemed to be playing for time (there were 3 other offers), and expressed concern about the appraisal coming in under our offer, Terry made the suggestion that we offer to sign an addendum to buy the house even if the appraisal came in as much as 30k under the contract price. The sellers countered, asking for the price we offered PLUS an OK for the appraisal to come in as much as $40k under the contract price. We were barely comfortable with the $30k difference; we were definitely NOT comfortable with the $40k difference.
After talking to the selling agent, Terry realized that their fear of a failed escrow due to a low appraisal was more of a driver than price. So, on his advice we countered back with the appraisal value they had specified, but we reduced our offer price by $10k. They took it!
Terry advised us to use 2 lenders, saying that the additional cost was only about $500, but with the current appraisal situation (rising market, and appraisers basing values on older prices) it was entirely possible for the appraisal to come in low. Having two lenders compete could not only help ensure that at least one appraisal would come in close to value, but also get us a better deal on our loan. As it turned out, both appraisals came in at value, BUT it turned out to be a good thing we had a backup lender.
First, our lender (a major national bank, with whom we have established accounts) reduced their closing costs tremendously when they realized we were leaning toward going with the better deal that Terry's suggested credit union offered. Then, when our lender delayed closing several times until we were past the contracted closing date, we were beginning to worry about the sellers backing out, and losing our house and our considerable deposit in the process. At that point, the bank informed us that they were missing a critical document (theirs, not ours) needed to close the loan. Fortunately, the credit union that Terry suggested had kept our loan open. We met Debbie, the loan officer, in her office, signed a few documents, and in less than 24 hours we had a public notary at our kitchen table with loan docs for us to sign. The next day was Friday, and by close of the business day the loan was funded, the purchase closed, and we had keys in hand.
Bottom line: Terry salvaged an impossible situation TWICE, gave us good advice throughout the offer/escrow/closing process, and got us into our house.
I expressed my thoughts to Terry, and he replied, "Let me think about it." The next day he sent me another email: He'd thought about it, and he took on the challenge.
Despite being in the middle of setting up a public auction for another client, Terry went into overdrive getting us set up to see the house (my husband hadn't seen it yet), and getting us set up with a prequalification and an offer. My husband loved the house as much as I did, and based on Terry's advice, and seeing what the market was like, we gave an over-price offer. When the sellers still seemed to be playing for time (there were 3 other offers), and expressed concern about the appraisal coming in under our offer, Terry made the suggestion that we offer to sign an addendum to buy the house even if the appraisal came in as much as 30k under the contract price. The sellers countered, asking for the price we offered PLUS an OK for the appraisal to come in as much as $40k under the contract price. We were barely comfortable with the $30k difference; we were definitely NOT comfortable with the $40k difference.
After talking to the selling agent, Terry realized that their fear of a failed escrow due to a low appraisal was more of a driver than price. So, on his advice we countered back with the appraisal value they had specified, but we reduced our offer price by $10k. They took it!
Terry advised us to use 2 lenders, saying that the additional cost was only about $500, but with the current appraisal situation (rising market, and appraisers basing values on older prices) it was entirely possible for the appraisal to come in low. Having two lenders compete could not only help ensure that at least one appraisal would come in close to value, but also get us a better deal on our loan. As it turned out, both appraisals came in at value, BUT it turned out to be a good thing we had a backup lender.
First, our lender (a major national bank, with whom we have established accounts) reduced their closing costs tremendously when they realized we were leaning toward going with the better deal that Terry's suggested credit union offered. Then, when our lender delayed closing several times until we were past the contracted closing date, we were beginning to worry about the sellers backing out, and losing our house and our considerable deposit in the process. At that point, the bank informed us that they were missing a critical document (theirs, not ours) needed to close the loan. Fortunately, the credit union that Terry suggested had kept our loan open. We met Debbie, the loan officer, in her office, signed a few documents, and in less than 24 hours we had a public notary at our kitchen table with loan docs for us to sign. The next day was Friday, and by close of the business day the loan was funded, the purchase closed, and we had keys in hand.
Bottom line: Terry salvaged an impossible situation TWICE, gave us good advice throughout the offer/escrow/closing process, and got us into our house.
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"It is definitely my good fortune to be able to work with such personable and easy-to-serve clients (especially for my first "shotgun wedding", too!;+)) My second blessing is my superb team, which served this client (and all my clients) well. And my third blessing is being able to work with clients appreciate my non-stop effort on their behalf. I LOVE what I do!"
Phyllis F.
Mar 2013
Terry's system really made sense to me. In essence, he said that in our market, just putting a home on the market is likely to generate 3 or more offers, which then results in a ?bidding-war?, but really more like a ?bidding-battle? than a ?bidding-war?, because it happens only between a few prospective buyers, and even then, only if they just happen to make their offers around the same time. Terry's take on all of this is that, if we?re going to have a sort of auction anyway, let?s have a REAL auction! Not an e-Bay type of boring auction, but a rollicking, old-time cry-out auction with a crowd. Terry said his program puts all the interested buyers in one place at one time, and then lets them compete with each other to ?win? our home! What a concept - letting them compete with each other for our home in the highly-charged, emotional atmosphere of a high class auction! No haggling with
the buyers at all for us - just accepting the highest bid. Terry told us we would never have to accept a low-ball bid, because we would set a secret ?minimum reserve price?. If the bids didn?t equal or blow by this minimum, then we didn?t? have to sell. The worst that could happen was to go back to doing the sale the old, traditional way. How can it be that he would sell our home for no commission, I asked, when everybody else wants tens of thousands of dollars to do it? Terry had that figured-out, too. It was not that there was no commission - it was that WE wouldn?t pay any commission. The BUYERS would pay the commission. Likely story, I thought, they would just deduct it from the price that they bid, and we would end up paying it in the end. Terry agreed that this would likely be the usual buyer plan? just back off on what they would bid by the amount of the commission. However, he said, It is one thing to coolly decide before the auction on the maximum price maximum that a buyer is willing to pay. It is quite another, in the heat of the auction atmosphere, with all eyes upon you, to let another bidder ?take away? the home you already own in your mind. And, if a spouse sweetly says, ??honey, I REALLY, REALLY want this home for our family??, and then, if the SAME sweet conversation is happening on the other side of the room? well, you get the picture! I could just SEE in my mind the situation he was talking about, and it made sense to me! Our biggest problem was time! Fortunately, he explained that he only needed 3 weekends (a total of slightly over two weeks in the MLS) to get our home sold. But, he said, he needed another 3 weeks to take the right panoramic photos, preparing a full-color 4 page brochure, doing two virtual tours, doing the text messaging promotion that let buyers get photos as they drove by our home, and a lot more. If the auction was successful, then we had time. It had to work the first time, though! I know that most agents don?t insist that you be ready to close escrow at the time you put your home up for sale, he said. The customary way is to wait until you find a buyer, and then wait until she puts HER money into escrow, and then, after her check clears, use HER money to get the HOA docs, and start THEN to find out how bad the termite problem is, and so forth. By this time, the buyer may have ?fallen out of love? with the home, and may be totally turned-off by the termite and other problems that seem to constantly pop-up as inspections are done. This is backwards he said? you need to have all this done before you find a buyer, and then you need to present them with a problem-free place for their family to live joyously, not present them with a ?bucket of problems? plus none of the paperwork necessary for them to actually own the home. He said that it is his practice to be ready to sell when the home formally goes on the market, whether the sale will be at
auction or not. He even has a ?Certified Pre-Owned Home? program (think ?Certified Pre-Owned Lexus? for a comparison). I won?t go into the details, but it entails inspection and correction and then a 3-year warranty on the whole home, with a certificate to the buyer. It?s optional, and he says that it is not available to every home, either. Wow, I said, it costs money to pay for inspections, and repairs, and HOA docs, and so forth. Yep, he agreed, but in the end, it?s money in your pocket. Changing the price (or starting out with a lower price) by the amount of money it takes to convert a qualifying home into a Certified Pre-Owned Home would not even be noticed by a buyer, but having a truly ?turn-key? home (especially when ?turn-key? takes on a whole new meaning when applied to a Certified Pre-Owned Home with 3-year warranty) WILL be noticed by buyers! We?ve had 5 homes built for us, and have bought a number of used ones, and I have to agree that the service of taking care of every little defect like the new home builders do is pure pleasure, while the usual used home purchase is a real hassle. All that made sense to us, but it still didn?t answer our main problem, that problem being that we had less than 3 months to sell and close escrow to meet our obligations on our new home, and we just couldn?t miss the deadline. And we had been hearing stories about cancelled escrows. Then Terry pointed out the other main difference in his program. Usually, here in California, he said, the buyer writes up an offer to buy a home. Unlike Texas and other places, California seems determined that the buyers won?t have to do as they say. In fact, a buyer can take a property off the market for up to 17 days with no cost. Then, on the 17th day, the buyer can decide not to buy, and get her money back. The seller, on the other hand, is totally bound to sell to the buyer, and can?t effectively even show the home while it is in escrow with a buyer. After all, why would a real estate agent take her buyers out to see a home that she likely can?t deliver to her buyer, a home that is already in escrow with another buyer? If the escrow cancels, Terry told us, then the home looks ?shopworn? and perhaps defective because it has been on the market for a much longer time than other homes. Buyers wonder why it hasn?t sold and may think there is something wrong with it. Even if the buyers want to buy, appraisals are not keeping up with prices in our current market, and appraisers no longer have to have a relationship with lenders. Appraisers are assigned randomly by an Appraisal Management Company, Terry told us. So, if they bring in a low value, that?s just ?tough rocks?. ?Good luck appealing any appraisal?, Terry told us. By this time, I had ceased to be surprised that Terry had an answer for this,too! He has two programs: one is a sale with NO contingencies at all (just like our sale) and the second one is no contingencies at all except that the appraisal has to be not less than 95% of the purchase price. If it comes in lower, it doesn?t necessarily kill the sale, because the seller can choose to reduce the price to 95% of the appraisal, or let the sale cancel to sell it to bidder #2 or bidder #3. The buyers know this, and so they are likely to just put in more downpayment and close escrow anyway. Well, that settled it for us, and we signed up with Terry to sell our home at auction. He did a massive and masterful job of promoting the home, and we succeeded. On Auction Day, the home sold for more than our reserve price with NO CONTINGENCIES AT ALL? no appraisal contingency, no loan contingency, no repair
the buyers at all for us - just accepting the highest bid. Terry told us we would never have to accept a low-ball bid, because we would set a secret ?minimum reserve price?. If the bids didn?t equal or blow by this minimum, then we didn?t? have to sell. The worst that could happen was to go back to doing the sale the old, traditional way. How can it be that he would sell our home for no commission, I asked, when everybody else wants tens of thousands of dollars to do it? Terry had that figured-out, too. It was not that there was no commission - it was that WE wouldn?t pay any commission. The BUYERS would pay the commission. Likely story, I thought, they would just deduct it from the price that they bid, and we would end up paying it in the end. Terry agreed that this would likely be the usual buyer plan? just back off on what they would bid by the amount of the commission. However, he said, It is one thing to coolly decide before the auction on the maximum price maximum that a buyer is willing to pay. It is quite another, in the heat of the auction atmosphere, with all eyes upon you, to let another bidder ?take away? the home you already own in your mind. And, if a spouse sweetly says, ??honey, I REALLY, REALLY want this home for our family??, and then, if the SAME sweet conversation is happening on the other side of the room? well, you get the picture! I could just SEE in my mind the situation he was talking about, and it made sense to me! Our biggest problem was time! Fortunately, he explained that he only needed 3 weekends (a total of slightly over two weeks in the MLS) to get our home sold. But, he said, he needed another 3 weeks to take the right panoramic photos, preparing a full-color 4 page brochure, doing two virtual tours, doing the text messaging promotion that let buyers get photos as they drove by our home, and a lot more. If the auction was successful, then we had time. It had to work the first time, though! I know that most agents don?t insist that you be ready to close escrow at the time you put your home up for sale, he said. The customary way is to wait until you find a buyer, and then wait until she puts HER money into escrow, and then, after her check clears, use HER money to get the HOA docs, and start THEN to find out how bad the termite problem is, and so forth. By this time, the buyer may have ?fallen out of love? with the home, and may be totally turned-off by the termite and other problems that seem to constantly pop-up as inspections are done. This is backwards he said? you need to have all this done before you find a buyer, and then you need to present them with a problem-free place for their family to live joyously, not present them with a ?bucket of problems? plus none of the paperwork necessary for them to actually own the home. He said that it is his practice to be ready to sell when the home formally goes on the market, whether the sale will be at
auction or not. He even has a ?Certified Pre-Owned Home? program (think ?Certified Pre-Owned Lexus? for a comparison). I won?t go into the details, but it entails inspection and correction and then a 3-year warranty on the whole home, with a certificate to the buyer. It?s optional, and he says that it is not available to every home, either. Wow, I said, it costs money to pay for inspections, and repairs, and HOA docs, and so forth. Yep, he agreed, but in the end, it?s money in your pocket. Changing the price (or starting out with a lower price) by the amount of money it takes to convert a qualifying home into a Certified Pre-Owned Home would not even be noticed by a buyer, but having a truly ?turn-key? home (especially when ?turn-key? takes on a whole new meaning when applied to a Certified Pre-Owned Home with 3-year warranty) WILL be noticed by buyers! We?ve had 5 homes built for us, and have bought a number of used ones, and I have to agree that the service of taking care of every little defect like the new home builders do is pure pleasure, while the usual used home purchase is a real hassle. All that made sense to us, but it still didn?t answer our main problem, that problem being that we had less than 3 months to sell and close escrow to meet our obligations on our new home, and we just couldn?t miss the deadline. And we had been hearing stories about cancelled escrows. Then Terry pointed out the other main difference in his program. Usually, here in California, he said, the buyer writes up an offer to buy a home. Unlike Texas and other places, California seems determined that the buyers won?t have to do as they say. In fact, a buyer can take a property off the market for up to 17 days with no cost. Then, on the 17th day, the buyer can decide not to buy, and get her money back. The seller, on the other hand, is totally bound to sell to the buyer, and can?t effectively even show the home while it is in escrow with a buyer. After all, why would a real estate agent take her buyers out to see a home that she likely can?t deliver to her buyer, a home that is already in escrow with another buyer? If the escrow cancels, Terry told us, then the home looks ?shopworn? and perhaps defective because it has been on the market for a much longer time than other homes. Buyers wonder why it hasn?t sold and may think there is something wrong with it. Even if the buyers want to buy, appraisals are not keeping up with prices in our current market, and appraisers no longer have to have a relationship with lenders. Appraisers are assigned randomly by an Appraisal Management Company, Terry told us. So, if they bring in a low value, that?s just ?tough rocks?. ?Good luck appealing any appraisal?, Terry told us. By this time, I had ceased to be surprised that Terry had an answer for this,too! He has two programs: one is a sale with NO contingencies at all (just like our sale) and the second one is no contingencies at all except that the appraisal has to be not less than 95% of the purchase price. If it comes in lower, it doesn?t necessarily kill the sale, because the seller can choose to reduce the price to 95% of the appraisal, or let the sale cancel to sell it to bidder #2 or bidder #3. The buyers know this, and so they are likely to just put in more downpayment and close escrow anyway. Well, that settled it for us, and we signed up with Terry to sell our home at auction. He did a massive and masterful job of promoting the home, and we succeeded. On Auction Day, the home sold for more than our reserve price with NO CONTINGENCIES AT ALL? no appraisal contingency, no loan contingency, no repair
Ross S.
Feb 2013
I found Terry on Angieslist, and was intrigued by his glowing write-ups by other Angieslist members, his ?super service? award, and his cash back payments to buyers. It seemed too good to be true, but it turned out in our first conversation that it was totally true, after all. Shortly thereafter, I signed up with Terry to find a home or an investment.
It didn?t take long for Terry to send me info on a probate sale that was listed by an out-of-area agent for under market value. I made an offer based on beating the other offers that the seller had received. Fortunately, it turned out that the agent was absolutely paranoid about getting into a transaction that might not close. One by one she drove off the other buyers, it
seemed. At this point, since our offer had not been accepted, we made a lower offer, knowing that she had few remaining options because of her concerns about the quality and subsequent rejection of the other buyers. Weeks passed over the Christmas holidays where Terry?s phone calls and emails to her went totally unanswered. Terry had established good rapport with the agent on their first meeting, and he just calmly and persistently kept following-up with her, until she exhausted all her other options again, and then she finally answered his call, saying that they might accept our lower offer. After some more back & forth, they finally did accept our offer. They left open the multiple offer aspect of their counter, but Terry insisted that they sign off on that, too.
Good thing Terry had all the paperwork air-tight, because it was only 2 days after they accepted our offer that one of the buyers that the listing agent hadn?t gotten back in contact with made an all-cash offer on the property at a higher price than our offer. Furthermore, since the buyer had come directly to the listing agent without another agent involved, the listing agent would make more than 2 times as much as she would make from our offer on this higher offer. She actually asked Terry to cancel so that she could accept the higher offer and double her commission! Unbelievable! From that time forward, she flatly stated
that she was looking for ways to prevent our purchase from closing.
The agent had also pressured Terry to use her lender. Finally, to get the sale together, Terry agreed to pay for a second appraisal for me so that we could apply to the lender favored by the listing agent as well as Terry?s suggested lender. He told us that we needed to ?shop? for the best lender costs and interest rate, and also that we should not be dependent on just one lender. He was concerned that if there was only one lender that could close our purchase on time, then that lender could price-gouge us because we would have no alternative to closing with them.
Well, that?s exactly what the listing agent?s favorite lender tried to do. Their costs were $4,000 more for the exact same interest rate as Terry?s lender. If we hadn?t had 2 lenders, we surely would have had to pay their demands to close our bargain purchase. However, we had negotiating power because our second lender (Terry?s lender) could also close our purchase. Even after extensive negotiations, Terry?s lender was still cheaper by over $1,000 for the same interest rate. So, we decided to keep them as primary, with the other lender as a backup. This didn?t sit well with the other lender, who promptly stopped processing our
loan. We don?t know if this was also part of the plan to prevent us from closing on our purchase, but it might have been, since the agent trying to kill our purchase presumably sends a lot of business to this lender. On the other hand, perhaps they were just displeased because we put them in a secondary position, because of their higher costs. Whatever the motivation, it would have been a total disaster if we had not followed Terry?s advice to ?double-apply? with 2 separate lenders.
Suddenly stopping the processing of our loan made it impossible for the other lender to close our sale. The listing agent was threatening to cancel the purchase if we were even slightly late. They didn?t think that our other lender could close the purchase because we ordered the appraisal after all the other contingencies were satisfied. What they didn?t count on, however, was that
Terry?s lender was a direct lender, and actually could close on time. The listing agent even tried to make it difficult
for us to do our final walk-thru.
So, starting with the lender stopping their processing of our loan, Terry began to issue ?Memos For Record? through Docusign (an electronic signing program that allows the electronic equivalent of certified letters). Although he didn?t threaten anything, it was pretty clear to the listing agent, I?m sure, what he was saying with these ?Memos for Record?. Terry was certain that they could not cancel us out for a minor closing delay, but wanted to close our purchase, not fight about it. After the 3rd Memo for Record, the listing agent finally ?got it?, and started being more reasonable.
In the end, it didn?t matter much, because Terry?s lender put a rush on our loan docs, and we actually closed escrow early! So, there was no opportunity for the listing agent to cancel us out and accept the other all-cash buyer?s offer (thereby doubling her
commission). Thank goodness we double-tracked the loan applications! I am positive the outcome would have been dismal, indeed, if we had been totally dependent on the listing agent?s lender.
In addition to adroitly handling negotiations with a very unhappy listing agent who wanted a double commission,
Terry?s past subdividing/development experience and his experience as a custom home builder was helpful, too. There was
a parcel map filed long ago to do a lot line adjustment for our new home. This process/paperwork was no mystery to
Terry, as he told us he had filed his own parcel maps to support his custom home building. He was able to get all the data from the title company and establish that the parcel map had been properly recorded. He had title verify the lot line location,
and calculate the dimensions and square footage of the irregular new lot created by the lot line adjustment, so we have an authoritative source for our lot size and dimensions when we decide to sell.
All in all, the purchase quickly became non-routine, and we were very glad to have Terry?s negotiating skill and past building experience on our side. The other side quickly got the picture of who they were dealing with, and backed-off on trying to kill our purchase when Terry made it clear that their intimidation tactics were not going to work.
And then we got thousands of dollars to pay our costs with what Terry calls Buyer Cash-Back. This is money directly from Terry, and not the seller. The seller didn?t even know about it until we opened escrow. So, it didn?t affect our price. It let all of our money go to our equity, and not be frittered away in escrow, title, and other costs.
What had seemed ?too go to be true? was actually even better than advertised. I am impressed, and VERY glad that Terry was on our side all the way to the successful close of my new home. Working with Terry is just simply a better real estate experience. Give him a try, and you?ll see what I mean!
It didn?t take long for Terry to send me info on a probate sale that was listed by an out-of-area agent for under market value. I made an offer based on beating the other offers that the seller had received. Fortunately, it turned out that the agent was absolutely paranoid about getting into a transaction that might not close. One by one she drove off the other buyers, it
seemed. At this point, since our offer had not been accepted, we made a lower offer, knowing that she had few remaining options because of her concerns about the quality and subsequent rejection of the other buyers. Weeks passed over the Christmas holidays where Terry?s phone calls and emails to her went totally unanswered. Terry had established good rapport with the agent on their first meeting, and he just calmly and persistently kept following-up with her, until she exhausted all her other options again, and then she finally answered his call, saying that they might accept our lower offer. After some more back & forth, they finally did accept our offer. They left open the multiple offer aspect of their counter, but Terry insisted that they sign off on that, too.
Good thing Terry had all the paperwork air-tight, because it was only 2 days after they accepted our offer that one of the buyers that the listing agent hadn?t gotten back in contact with made an all-cash offer on the property at a higher price than our offer. Furthermore, since the buyer had come directly to the listing agent without another agent involved, the listing agent would make more than 2 times as much as she would make from our offer on this higher offer. She actually asked Terry to cancel so that she could accept the higher offer and double her commission! Unbelievable! From that time forward, she flatly stated
that she was looking for ways to prevent our purchase from closing.
The agent had also pressured Terry to use her lender. Finally, to get the sale together, Terry agreed to pay for a second appraisal for me so that we could apply to the lender favored by the listing agent as well as Terry?s suggested lender. He told us that we needed to ?shop? for the best lender costs and interest rate, and also that we should not be dependent on just one lender. He was concerned that if there was only one lender that could close our purchase on time, then that lender could price-gouge us because we would have no alternative to closing with them.
Well, that?s exactly what the listing agent?s favorite lender tried to do. Their costs were $4,000 more for the exact same interest rate as Terry?s lender. If we hadn?t had 2 lenders, we surely would have had to pay their demands to close our bargain purchase. However, we had negotiating power because our second lender (Terry?s lender) could also close our purchase. Even after extensive negotiations, Terry?s lender was still cheaper by over $1,000 for the same interest rate. So, we decided to keep them as primary, with the other lender as a backup. This didn?t sit well with the other lender, who promptly stopped processing our
loan. We don?t know if this was also part of the plan to prevent us from closing on our purchase, but it might have been, since the agent trying to kill our purchase presumably sends a lot of business to this lender. On the other hand, perhaps they were just displeased because we put them in a secondary position, because of their higher costs. Whatever the motivation, it would have been a total disaster if we had not followed Terry?s advice to ?double-apply? with 2 separate lenders.
Suddenly stopping the processing of our loan made it impossible for the other lender to close our sale. The listing agent was threatening to cancel the purchase if we were even slightly late. They didn?t think that our other lender could close the purchase because we ordered the appraisal after all the other contingencies were satisfied. What they didn?t count on, however, was that
Terry?s lender was a direct lender, and actually could close on time. The listing agent even tried to make it difficult
for us to do our final walk-thru.
So, starting with the lender stopping their processing of our loan, Terry began to issue ?Memos For Record? through Docusign (an electronic signing program that allows the electronic equivalent of certified letters). Although he didn?t threaten anything, it was pretty clear to the listing agent, I?m sure, what he was saying with these ?Memos for Record?. Terry was certain that they could not cancel us out for a minor closing delay, but wanted to close our purchase, not fight about it. After the 3rd Memo for Record, the listing agent finally ?got it?, and started being more reasonable.
In the end, it didn?t matter much, because Terry?s lender put a rush on our loan docs, and we actually closed escrow early! So, there was no opportunity for the listing agent to cancel us out and accept the other all-cash buyer?s offer (thereby doubling her
commission). Thank goodness we double-tracked the loan applications! I am positive the outcome would have been dismal, indeed, if we had been totally dependent on the listing agent?s lender.
In addition to adroitly handling negotiations with a very unhappy listing agent who wanted a double commission,
Terry?s past subdividing/development experience and his experience as a custom home builder was helpful, too. There was
a parcel map filed long ago to do a lot line adjustment for our new home. This process/paperwork was no mystery to
Terry, as he told us he had filed his own parcel maps to support his custom home building. He was able to get all the data from the title company and establish that the parcel map had been properly recorded. He had title verify the lot line location,
and calculate the dimensions and square footage of the irregular new lot created by the lot line adjustment, so we have an authoritative source for our lot size and dimensions when we decide to sell.
All in all, the purchase quickly became non-routine, and we were very glad to have Terry?s negotiating skill and past building experience on our side. The other side quickly got the picture of who they were dealing with, and backed-off on trying to kill our purchase when Terry made it clear that their intimidation tactics were not going to work.
And then we got thousands of dollars to pay our costs with what Terry calls Buyer Cash-Back. This is money directly from Terry, and not the seller. The seller didn?t even know about it until we opened escrow. So, it didn?t affect our price. It let all of our money go to our equity, and not be frittered away in escrow, title, and other costs.
What had seemed ?too go to be true? was actually even better than advertised. I am impressed, and VERY glad that Terry was on our side all the way to the successful close of my new home. Working with Terry is just simply a better real estate experience. Give him a try, and you?ll see what I mean!
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"The listing agent was very aggressive (and, I suppose, intimidating to some agents). I established good rapport early on, and this was a major reason my buyer got the purchase... the agent had confidence that I knew what I was doing, and that the transaction would close. Well, she was right, it was "not my first rodeo". It was also true, however, when she tried to intimidate us that "this was not my first rodeo!;-). In the end, we closed early, to her surprise, because she apparently is used to working with less capable team members than my team members, and didn't even think we could close on time, much less early! My client was great work with, and I am very pleased we succeeded for him."
Bill V.
Dec 2012
I found Terry in Angie's List, because his high ratings caught my attention. As I learned, there are a number of good reasons why Terry earns high marks. Let me tell you our story?
We had been married with kids and just sitting on the sidelines of the crazy home-buying game for over 10 years as the real estate market went up like a rocket and came down like a rock. We thought we'd buy a few years after we got married--but in order to avoid the stupid real estate bubble, we decided to rent and wait it out.
After waiting so long, we wanted to get a great house at an even better price. Our expectations were very high.
We had been seriously looking for about a year, and had tried several agents. They were all good. However, there was something that didn't "click" with each one. If you've been home-shopping before, you know what I mean. You may get someone who is good at closing deals, but isn't willing to take the time to understand what you really want. Those folks just take your money and move on. Or you get someone who listens really well but just can't close the deal. Agents can be very frustrating!
After telling our last agent that it just wasn't working out, we decided to check Angie's List to see if we were missing something. I saw Terry's listing as the highest-rated agent in our section of Orange County, and then followed up by checking out his website. I was really impressed with his extensive experience, plus his website was about 10,000% more useful than any other real estate website I'd seen. So we set up a meeting.
You simply must meet Terry before you decide to hire an agent! He's very sharp. He knows the real estate business forwards and backwards because he has a ton of experience. He is also very excited about getting you a good deal. It's obvious that he loves his work. Plus, he's a very pleasant person to deal with. He sets expectations and lays the groundwork for a successful relationship right up front.
Once we met Terry, he totally won us over. He explained his whole system to us. It was clear to me Terry was a real winner. FINALLY we had found the agent we always wanted!
As I learned, everything Terry does is designed to help you WIN. There is no B.S. or "fluff" in his program. He is efficient with your time, and can quickly explain why he does things a certain way. It's exciting to work with someone like Terry, who clearly knows what he's doing. He's very smart--and he's thoughtful. He has considered all the angles, so that he can anticipate possible opportunities and pitfalls in each deal way ahead of time.
For example, Terry will set you up to use certain online tools that can save time when you need it the most--right in the heat of a deal. This gives you an edge over all the other buyers with run-of-the-mill agents who are too lazy to take this extra step. Terry's foresight in setting us up this way was critical to getting our dream house (see below).
There are many other little things Terry does that give you an edge, save you money, and help you get the best home and the best deal. Each step doesn't seem like a big deal--until the plan comes together at the very end because of Terry's careful strategy. It's really amazing. I love it when a great plan comes together!
Terry also let us know he was once a custom homebuilder here in Southern California. This background came in very handy as we were considering a couple of homes. Terry could give us a shortcut to a decision by pointing out fatal flaws in a home, OR by showing us how a potential deal-killer could easily be rectified.
Our process with Terry was so much more fruitful than our other experiences, right from the beginning. He "gets it" when you tell him what you want. Then he tests your parameters a bit, to make sure you aren't overlooking something. Very quickly, he gets dialed in and understands exactly what you want. You can then trust him to watch the market for you. This saves time. He's willing to show you dozens of houses if that's what you want--but frankly you won't need to do that once Terry is dialed in.
We made a few offers, including a couple "low ball" offers that I wanted to do. Terry told me what was likely happening on the seller side, and advised me that the houses would go for a higher number--yet he didn't argue when I said I wanted to do each low ball. In the end, his advice was right on.
Finally, we found the house that was perfect for us. It had all the elements we had been looking for: a nice open floor plan with a beautiful yard designed perfectly for our needs in a well-known and highly desirable upscale community. When we saw it, we were happy we hadn't bought a house yet. After 10 years, we'd found our home!
Unfortunately, it couldn't have come up at a worse time! We were out of town right when the seller put it on the market at an aggressively low price with an open house. There were multiple bidders, and a bidding war ensued. By the time we returned from our trip, the house was GONE! The seller blew off our requests to see the house. (Later, we learned that they had already accepted another offer.) So we were left out in the cold?
THIS is when you really need TERRY HUNTER!
Terry advised a highly aggressive strategy, but one that would put us at no risk whatsoever. He gave us his best guess as to what the other offers were, and what our offer should be if we wanted to get the house. He suggested we make the offer in such a way that once we saw the house we could back out if it wasn't what we'd expected. Essentially, we were just telling the seller "We're serious--now show us the darn house already!"
Lo and behold, the seller accepted our offer. What we found out later is that the seller had already accepted another offer in principle and had verbally notified another buyer! Then our offer came in to the seller before the exchange of paperwork with the other buyer made their deal official. We literally got our offer in to the seller in the nick of time!
Then, Terry made sure WE got the paperwork from the seller quickly, so we wouldn't lose the deal to a higher offer from the competing buyers.
Once we saw the house, there were some interesting details that required more expertise than the average agent possesses. Let's just say that we needed some specific advice to make a good decision--and we got it.
Finally, there was a very discouraging issue with the lenders. Please note that Terry knows good lenders and loan brokers: you should talk with them. I had my own loan broker, but Terry convinced me to talk with his as well. I'm sure glad I did! My broker ended up getting the business, but by having more than one horse in the race, Terry was able to put his negotiating skills to maximum use. Terry is a Certified Real Estate Negotiator, and we really needed some help with negotiating! Terry was very effective. He literally saved us thousands of dollars in cash at closing.
The closing process can get tricky. Terry really stays on the escrow company and lenders like a hawk. Unless you've purchased a home before, you wouldn't believe the number of ways an escrow could potentially get fouled up. Plenty of homes fall out of escrow, for a variety of reasons. Terry anticipates all of this, so if anything looks like it's going off track, he gets right on it and makes sure the people involved snap to attention and get the deal done on time. This was a huge relief to me, because I simply didn't have time to answer the different calls and e-mails I would get from escrow, lender, ins
We had been married with kids and just sitting on the sidelines of the crazy home-buying game for over 10 years as the real estate market went up like a rocket and came down like a rock. We thought we'd buy a few years after we got married--but in order to avoid the stupid real estate bubble, we decided to rent and wait it out.
After waiting so long, we wanted to get a great house at an even better price. Our expectations were very high.
We had been seriously looking for about a year, and had tried several agents. They were all good. However, there was something that didn't "click" with each one. If you've been home-shopping before, you know what I mean. You may get someone who is good at closing deals, but isn't willing to take the time to understand what you really want. Those folks just take your money and move on. Or you get someone who listens really well but just can't close the deal. Agents can be very frustrating!
After telling our last agent that it just wasn't working out, we decided to check Angie's List to see if we were missing something. I saw Terry's listing as the highest-rated agent in our section of Orange County, and then followed up by checking out his website. I was really impressed with his extensive experience, plus his website was about 10,000% more useful than any other real estate website I'd seen. So we set up a meeting.
You simply must meet Terry before you decide to hire an agent! He's very sharp. He knows the real estate business forwards and backwards because he has a ton of experience. He is also very excited about getting you a good deal. It's obvious that he loves his work. Plus, he's a very pleasant person to deal with. He sets expectations and lays the groundwork for a successful relationship right up front.
Once we met Terry, he totally won us over. He explained his whole system to us. It was clear to me Terry was a real winner. FINALLY we had found the agent we always wanted!
As I learned, everything Terry does is designed to help you WIN. There is no B.S. or "fluff" in his program. He is efficient with your time, and can quickly explain why he does things a certain way. It's exciting to work with someone like Terry, who clearly knows what he's doing. He's very smart--and he's thoughtful. He has considered all the angles, so that he can anticipate possible opportunities and pitfalls in each deal way ahead of time.
For example, Terry will set you up to use certain online tools that can save time when you need it the most--right in the heat of a deal. This gives you an edge over all the other buyers with run-of-the-mill agents who are too lazy to take this extra step. Terry's foresight in setting us up this way was critical to getting our dream house (see below).
There are many other little things Terry does that give you an edge, save you money, and help you get the best home and the best deal. Each step doesn't seem like a big deal--until the plan comes together at the very end because of Terry's careful strategy. It's really amazing. I love it when a great plan comes together!
Terry also let us know he was once a custom homebuilder here in Southern California. This background came in very handy as we were considering a couple of homes. Terry could give us a shortcut to a decision by pointing out fatal flaws in a home, OR by showing us how a potential deal-killer could easily be rectified.
Our process with Terry was so much more fruitful than our other experiences, right from the beginning. He "gets it" when you tell him what you want. Then he tests your parameters a bit, to make sure you aren't overlooking something. Very quickly, he gets dialed in and understands exactly what you want. You can then trust him to watch the market for you. This saves time. He's willing to show you dozens of houses if that's what you want--but frankly you won't need to do that once Terry is dialed in.
We made a few offers, including a couple "low ball" offers that I wanted to do. Terry told me what was likely happening on the seller side, and advised me that the houses would go for a higher number--yet he didn't argue when I said I wanted to do each low ball. In the end, his advice was right on.
Finally, we found the house that was perfect for us. It had all the elements we had been looking for: a nice open floor plan with a beautiful yard designed perfectly for our needs in a well-known and highly desirable upscale community. When we saw it, we were happy we hadn't bought a house yet. After 10 years, we'd found our home!
Unfortunately, it couldn't have come up at a worse time! We were out of town right when the seller put it on the market at an aggressively low price with an open house. There were multiple bidders, and a bidding war ensued. By the time we returned from our trip, the house was GONE! The seller blew off our requests to see the house. (Later, we learned that they had already accepted another offer.) So we were left out in the cold?
THIS is when you really need TERRY HUNTER!
Terry advised a highly aggressive strategy, but one that would put us at no risk whatsoever. He gave us his best guess as to what the other offers were, and what our offer should be if we wanted to get the house. He suggested we make the offer in such a way that once we saw the house we could back out if it wasn't what we'd expected. Essentially, we were just telling the seller "We're serious--now show us the darn house already!"
Lo and behold, the seller accepted our offer. What we found out later is that the seller had already accepted another offer in principle and had verbally notified another buyer! Then our offer came in to the seller before the exchange of paperwork with the other buyer made their deal official. We literally got our offer in to the seller in the nick of time!
Then, Terry made sure WE got the paperwork from the seller quickly, so we wouldn't lose the deal to a higher offer from the competing buyers.
Once we saw the house, there were some interesting details that required more expertise than the average agent possesses. Let's just say that we needed some specific advice to make a good decision--and we got it.
Finally, there was a very discouraging issue with the lenders. Please note that Terry knows good lenders and loan brokers: you should talk with them. I had my own loan broker, but Terry convinced me to talk with his as well. I'm sure glad I did! My broker ended up getting the business, but by having more than one horse in the race, Terry was able to put his negotiating skills to maximum use. Terry is a Certified Real Estate Negotiator, and we really needed some help with negotiating! Terry was very effective. He literally saved us thousands of dollars in cash at closing.
The closing process can get tricky. Terry really stays on the escrow company and lenders like a hawk. Unless you've purchased a home before, you wouldn't believe the number of ways an escrow could potentially get fouled up. Plenty of homes fall out of escrow, for a variety of reasons. Terry anticipates all of this, so if anything looks like it's going off track, he gets right on it and makes sure the people involved snap to attention and get the deal done on time. This was a huge relief to me, because I simply didn't have time to answer the different calls and e-mails I would get from escrow, lender, ins
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"Clients like this family are the reason that being a real estate broker still excites me after all these years! I LOVE winning for my clients when the obstacles are daunting and when my clients are sophisticated enough to recognize really good work! As a Certified Real Estate Negotiator, I know that 90% of negotiating is "doing the homework", and only 10% actually "bargaining". By the crucial time when we made our offer, I had done my homework. I already knew roughly what the first round of offers was, and I consequently knew the most likely counter-offer amount that the seller/listing agent would counter-offer with and get from their current crop of 3 other buyers. I also knew that most transactions go together in a pretty relaxed way with most agents, and that often the details are not fully handled. And, I had established excellent rapport with the listing agent. Even though the listing agent told me the home was already sold (kind of a "don't call us... we'll call you if our current deal falls apart" dismissal of any offer from us), we nevertheless made our offer at the amount I suggested, just $5,000 over my estimate of the price that the seller likely received in response to her counter offer (turned out my estimate of how the other offers had gone was dead on accurate, BTW... the other agent later confirmed that this mere $5,000 was all that determined the winning buyer in the end). Our offer (and all my activity around it) was also designed to avoid having the listing agent re-open bidding with the buyer/agent who had been told that THEY were the winning bidder. We succeeded, and in the end, we got the home for our offer amount. The "other buyer" and his agent were pretty unhappy about the outcome. After all, their "winning / then non-winning" offer was all-cash, and I imagine they certainly wouldn't have let a mere $5,000 stand in their way if they had had control of the situation. There is a saying that "little hinges swing big doors". This transaction was proof of that, starting with a heart-warming intro letter to the seller with a photograph of the buyer's family and ending with just the right amount of gentle "push", applied at the right time and place. The buyer's 10-year old daughter was so delighted with the home that she said she didn't even care which bedroom she got, as long as they got the home! I agree with this, and I am ELATED that we were able to finally get this deserving family the right home at the right price in time for all the kids to enjoy the perfect home for their childhood."
Aaron K.
Nov 2012
We originally contacted Terry (out of a virtual ?sea of real estate agents?) because of his Buyer Cash-Back.
After working with him, though, we now know why he is so highly rated in Angie?s List, because we received the same direct honesty and expertise that his other clients have commented on in his Angie?s List reviews? the same client reviews that made him the Super Service winner for 2011.
We looked at what was available in the used home market and we decided that we wanted to ?go for the gold?, and bought a new home in the Woodbury neighborhood of Irvine, in the new home neighborhood of San Marino. Terry was a custom home builder
for several years, and his advice on which upgrades and modifications made sense from the builder and which were better done after close of escrow was valuable to us. His current knowledge of what other buyers expect in today?s & tomorrow?s luxury homes suggested some other upgrades that would both serve our family, and also be major elements of value upon resale, even
though the cost to do the upgrades during construction was modest. Very worthwhile input to our decision-making!
Deciding to buy a new home that would take months to build before we could move in, and buying at the higher price range that this entailed were not easy decisions. Terry made it easier for us, though, with his straightforward and honest assessment of homes we viewed. In one case, after we were already in escrow for the new home, we were having second thoughts about buying
it, and we saw a resale home in an area of interest to us that appeared to be well-priced. Terry immediately got us in to view the resale home, and there were several aspects of it that we liked. Even though he would have made nearly 40% more if we had purchased that home instead of the new one (and we would have closed in weeks, rather than waiting months for our new home to be built), he advised us against the purchase. He explained why he thought the new home was better for us, even though his commission on it was significantly less.. What a breath of fresh air it was to be working with someone who was looking out for
OUR benefit, rather than his own!
Months passed, and our new home was finally finished. We have moved in, and we are ELATED.
Despite the stress of all the decision-making, Terry made the whole process fun for us.
We refer him to EVERYBODY!
After working with him, though, we now know why he is so highly rated in Angie?s List, because we received the same direct honesty and expertise that his other clients have commented on in his Angie?s List reviews? the same client reviews that made him the Super Service winner for 2011.
We looked at what was available in the used home market and we decided that we wanted to ?go for the gold?, and bought a new home in the Woodbury neighborhood of Irvine, in the new home neighborhood of San Marino. Terry was a custom home builder
for several years, and his advice on which upgrades and modifications made sense from the builder and which were better done after close of escrow was valuable to us. His current knowledge of what other buyers expect in today?s & tomorrow?s luxury homes suggested some other upgrades that would both serve our family, and also be major elements of value upon resale, even
though the cost to do the upgrades during construction was modest. Very worthwhile input to our decision-making!
Deciding to buy a new home that would take months to build before we could move in, and buying at the higher price range that this entailed were not easy decisions. Terry made it easier for us, though, with his straightforward and honest assessment of homes we viewed. In one case, after we were already in escrow for the new home, we were having second thoughts about buying
it, and we saw a resale home in an area of interest to us that appeared to be well-priced. Terry immediately got us in to view the resale home, and there were several aspects of it that we liked. Even though he would have made nearly 40% more if we had purchased that home instead of the new one (and we would have closed in weeks, rather than waiting months for our new home to be built), he advised us against the purchase. He explained why he thought the new home was better for us, even though his commission on it was significantly less.. What a breath of fresh air it was to be working with someone who was looking out for
OUR benefit, rather than his own!
Months passed, and our new home was finally finished. We have moved in, and we are ELATED.
Despite the stress of all the decision-making, Terry made the whole process fun for us.
We refer him to EVERYBODY!
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"I was able to provide additional help for these buyers because of my past experience with new construction. I have been both a custom home builder myself, and have also acted as a broker for other custom home builders. So, I have seen the process from all angles. Consequently, during this high-stress time for my clients, I could objectively help them because I had the new home past experience that most brokers don't have. They made all the right decisions, and their outcome is a beautiful home that fully fits their needs, both today and in the future. Congrats to them!"
Vito B.
Sep 2012
Terry successfully closed our short sale with $10,000 cash to us from the lender, even though we were not really eligible for any money at all under any lender guidelines. As a General Contractor for many years, I know how much effort goes into getting short sale approval, so I can only imagine what it took to get the extra $10,000 for us in our case! I realized that we did not fall under any programs that provided money to the seller at closing, because our first loan was being paid off, and only our second loan was short. So, I am grateful and ASTONISHED that he pulled it off and got us nearly 30% of the net proceeds. The second lender really got only a pittance toward the money they were owed. Don?t know how he persuaded them to allow us so much, but I am certainly glad he did!
I remember our first meeting with Terry, my wife, and my wife?s parents at our kitchen table, and the tears in Terry's eyes as the entire family discussed what had to be done. When my construction company ?hit the wall? in the housing market crash, there came a time when we simply ran out of money. This was all very h****** my wife, and when it all came crashing down, it took our long marriage with it. Then came the bankruptcy, and then her finally having to leave her home of many years to go into a rental. It has been just too much for her to bear, and I appreciate Terry?s patience and professionalism as he steered us through all of this.
Terry?s dedication to us was what delayed the bank?s start of the foreclosure and also got us the $10,000. My wife didn?t have a job at the time, and so it was absolutely critical that we were able to keep her in the home for as long as possible, while I tried to rescue my company and she tried to get a job. When the sale finally closed, she fortunately had found a job, and we also had the $10,000 Terry got for us from the bank. The extra time in the home and the $10,000 cash was what made the move-out possible for her. How different Terry was from the agents he replaced! All they wanted to do was to badger us into selling to their own investors right away, while Terry worked with us for months & months to delay a sale. He said during the bankruptcy that we were going to ?aggressively do absolutely nothing? until the bank woke up and came after us. That approach bought us the extra time we so desperately needed.
The main thing Terry did for us, though, was to actually CLOSE our sale. If that had not happened, we would have had a foreclosure on our credit and we wouldn?t have gotten a single penny when my wife was forced out of the house. I know that most short sales do NOT close, but Terry made sure that ours did close! Terry said up-front that ours WOULD close if there was any possible way. I have seen a lot of real estate contracts, and I read the one he wrote up for us carefully before I signed it. It was AMAZING? don?t know how Terry ever convinced the buyer agent and her buyer to sign it. For sure, I wouldn?t have signed it if I had been the buyer (and I don?t know anyone besides these buyers who would have signed it, either).
First off, they clearly paid a premium price for our home. Then they agreed they would still buy, even if the appraisal for their loan came in as much as $30,000 lower than our contract price (Terry didn't want an appraisal lower than our high contract price to "crash" the deal). Then they agreed to pay up to $20,000 more than our contract price if the short sale bank?s appraisal came in higher than our contract price. So, the buyers might have had to make up an extra $50,000 in cash, plus their normal downpayment. Wow! They also agreed to the provision for us to get cash (which turned out to be the $10,000 that we actually did get), even though their agent knew that getting us any money at all was probably next to impossible. To top it all off, Terry had them open escrow right away and put in their $20,000 deposit right then, and not when the short selling bank gave its approval. The buyers also agreed to remove ALL of the contingencies, except the appraisal contingency, at the same time they signed the contract, and not days later (doing it later being the usual approach). They agreed to remove the appraisal contingency in 17 days. When they delayed in removing the appraisal contingency on the 17th day, Terry got their compliance by putting our home back in the MLS, saying that the buyer was in default, and that we could sell to anyone else without any prior notice to the buyer. When the buyer agent saw that, the buyer quickly removed the last contingency the next morning after our home went back into the MLS.
So, with the removal of the appraisal contingency that Terry forced by putting our house back on the market, all of the contingencies were totally removed within about 20 days after we signed the agreement. As Terry pointed out, most agents handling short sales don?t do any of these things until AFTER short sale approval, which usually takes at least 30-45 days. By then, the buyers are irritated with the delay and often cancel out about the same time the lender makes its first offer. I guess this is why so many short sales fail? they?re just not put together right in the first place, and they don?t provide enough time to get lender approval.
Terry was watching out for us, though, and negotiated an astounding 120 days for him to get lender approval, instead of the usual 30 to 45 days. Good thing, too! On the 47th day, the buyers tried to cancel, saying that we would NEVER get the lender to give us any money, and so there could never be any lender approval of our short sale. They asked for their $20,000 back, of course. With most short sales, this would have been the end of the story (and the end of US getting any money, too? the foreclosure sale was scheduled for only 6 days after we finally closed escrow). If this sale had cancelled, we would have been toast!
Because the contract Terry wrote up on our behalf was air-tight, with all contingencies already removed, he calmly told the buyers that we still had 73 days to get lender approval and that if they cancelled, they would leave their deposit behind. They decided to stick with it, thankfully, and ultimately they did close, and we got our $10,000 ?moving money?. I don?t know another real estate agent on the planet who would even dream of writing up a contract that favored sellers as much as the contract Terry wrote for us did. And getting it signed by the buyer?? Forget it!
It was Terry?s unbelievable contract that took care of us, but I also appreciate his calm and professional approach to my wife?s reaction to the extreme stress she has been under. For myself, I wouldn?t want to go through something like this ever again, but if I ever did have to, I would make sure that Terry was on my side. I recommend Terry to EVERYBODY!
I remember our first meeting with Terry, my wife, and my wife?s parents at our kitchen table, and the tears in Terry's eyes as the entire family discussed what had to be done. When my construction company ?hit the wall? in the housing market crash, there came a time when we simply ran out of money. This was all very h****** my wife, and when it all came crashing down, it took our long marriage with it. Then came the bankruptcy, and then her finally having to leave her home of many years to go into a rental. It has been just too much for her to bear, and I appreciate Terry?s patience and professionalism as he steered us through all of this.
Terry?s dedication to us was what delayed the bank?s start of the foreclosure and also got us the $10,000. My wife didn?t have a job at the time, and so it was absolutely critical that we were able to keep her in the home for as long as possible, while I tried to rescue my company and she tried to get a job. When the sale finally closed, she fortunately had found a job, and we also had the $10,000 Terry got for us from the bank. The extra time in the home and the $10,000 cash was what made the move-out possible for her. How different Terry was from the agents he replaced! All they wanted to do was to badger us into selling to their own investors right away, while Terry worked with us for months & months to delay a sale. He said during the bankruptcy that we were going to ?aggressively do absolutely nothing? until the bank woke up and came after us. That approach bought us the extra time we so desperately needed.
The main thing Terry did for us, though, was to actually CLOSE our sale. If that had not happened, we would have had a foreclosure on our credit and we wouldn?t have gotten a single penny when my wife was forced out of the house. I know that most short sales do NOT close, but Terry made sure that ours did close! Terry said up-front that ours WOULD close if there was any possible way. I have seen a lot of real estate contracts, and I read the one he wrote up for us carefully before I signed it. It was AMAZING? don?t know how Terry ever convinced the buyer agent and her buyer to sign it. For sure, I wouldn?t have signed it if I had been the buyer (and I don?t know anyone besides these buyers who would have signed it, either).
First off, they clearly paid a premium price for our home. Then they agreed they would still buy, even if the appraisal for their loan came in as much as $30,000 lower than our contract price (Terry didn't want an appraisal lower than our high contract price to "crash" the deal). Then they agreed to pay up to $20,000 more than our contract price if the short sale bank?s appraisal came in higher than our contract price. So, the buyers might have had to make up an extra $50,000 in cash, plus their normal downpayment. Wow! They also agreed to the provision for us to get cash (which turned out to be the $10,000 that we actually did get), even though their agent knew that getting us any money at all was probably next to impossible. To top it all off, Terry had them open escrow right away and put in their $20,000 deposit right then, and not when the short selling bank gave its approval. The buyers also agreed to remove ALL of the contingencies, except the appraisal contingency, at the same time they signed the contract, and not days later (doing it later being the usual approach). They agreed to remove the appraisal contingency in 17 days. When they delayed in removing the appraisal contingency on the 17th day, Terry got their compliance by putting our home back in the MLS, saying that the buyer was in default, and that we could sell to anyone else without any prior notice to the buyer. When the buyer agent saw that, the buyer quickly removed the last contingency the next morning after our home went back into the MLS.
So, with the removal of the appraisal contingency that Terry forced by putting our house back on the market, all of the contingencies were totally removed within about 20 days after we signed the agreement. As Terry pointed out, most agents handling short sales don?t do any of these things until AFTER short sale approval, which usually takes at least 30-45 days. By then, the buyers are irritated with the delay and often cancel out about the same time the lender makes its first offer. I guess this is why so many short sales fail? they?re just not put together right in the first place, and they don?t provide enough time to get lender approval.
Terry was watching out for us, though, and negotiated an astounding 120 days for him to get lender approval, instead of the usual 30 to 45 days. Good thing, too! On the 47th day, the buyers tried to cancel, saying that we would NEVER get the lender to give us any money, and so there could never be any lender approval of our short sale. They asked for their $20,000 back, of course. With most short sales, this would have been the end of the story (and the end of US getting any money, too? the foreclosure sale was scheduled for only 6 days after we finally closed escrow). If this sale had cancelled, we would have been toast!
Because the contract Terry wrote up on our behalf was air-tight, with all contingencies already removed, he calmly told the buyers that we still had 73 days to get lender approval and that if they cancelled, they would leave their deposit behind. They decided to stick with it, thankfully, and ultimately they did close, and we got our $10,000 ?moving money?. I don?t know another real estate agent on the planet who would even dream of writing up a contract that favored sellers as much as the contract Terry wrote for us did. And getting it signed by the buyer?? Forget it!
It was Terry?s unbelievable contract that took care of us, but I also appreciate his calm and professional approach to my wife?s reaction to the extreme stress she has been under. For myself, I wouldn?t want to go through something like this ever again, but if I ever did have to, I would make sure that Terry was on my side. I recommend Terry to EVERYBODY!
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"Thanks a million for being willing to share a very hard time in your life with others who might need the same kind of help! I know you will turn things around (especially now that the market is improving somewhat), and I look forward to helping you get your new home when you're ready. You're easy to work with, and I will, of course, take great care of you when the time comes."
Terri B.
Aug 2012
I signed a contract to have Terry Hunter represent me in the sale of my sister's house in Aliso Viejo. As she had passed very recently, and I was not familiar with any real estate agents in the area, I interviewed agents from three different companies. I selected Terry Hunter based on his marketing presentation and in-depth knowledge of the south Orange County area; I also appreciated his 'out of the box' thinking in the different ways he thought of marketing and selling the home, and negotiating with the buyer's agent. Terry is a master negotiator and read the situation very well as the sale progressed. Every little bump (and there were only a few) along the way he predicted with 100% accuracy as to how it would be resolved; because of his knowledge and experience he saved me a lot of money. I would definitely want him on my side as a negotiator, and cannot recommend him highly enough. He definitely met and exceeded my expectations in acting as my agent in this real estate transaction. I have bought and sold a few properties over the years, so I have a benchmark to which I can compare his performance.
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"I don't want this to sound like a "mutual admiration society", but I have to say that the customer is one of the easiest sellers I've worked with. She definitely has a mind of her own, but she also listened carefully to my input, and the transaction thus had the benefit of input from both of us. We sold above appraised value, and closed in 30 days. Who could ask for anything more?"
Joseph V.
Sep 2011
This was no easy task (we are a handful to deal with!) and took us over 18 months. Terry was patient and helpful along the way, educating us and always looking out for our best interests. He ended getting us a deal that was a good 10% under market in our dream neighborhood. I cannot express how truly great an agent/broker Terry is. We will always use and recommend him for real estate transactions of any kind! Terry is the best!
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"Actually, the members are GREAT to deal with. We all wanted the exact same thing... a terrific buy on the right home. We got it through a bank-owned sale, and we are all thrilled! The members have already referred me to 2 of their friends. Both of them succeeded in getting a great buy, too! What a joy the whole thing has been. Terry"
Daniel B.
May 2011
See Description above.
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"Member was great to work with, staying calm despite low offers and a low appraisal on the full price offer we did close ecrow on. They were referred to me by a neighbor who was very pleased with the outcome of her sale, and so they had confidence that I could do what I said I could do... and so we succeeded. In fact, I was able to point to the neighbor's high sale to justify our asking price to the buyer's agent. It also didn't hurt that my program paid the buyer's agent 50% more than she could make by selling her buyer any competing property. :-) In the end we had to sell the buyer some of the seller's used furniture ... he used up all his cash to make up the difference caused by the low appraisal! Our marketing, some of which member mentioned above, does find the best buyers for our clients' properties, so we run into low appraisals from time to time. Naturally, when we represent buyers, we are usually able to negotiate low bargain prices, and our buyer a get a Buyer Cash-Back, too! Most of our business is by referral, so we make sure that our sellers, our buyers, and everyone who entrusts their friends and family to us are pleased with our outcomes. Many of our clients tell us that the experience of a transaction with us is FUN, despite the inevitable stress that comes with buying or selling a home. We feel the same way!"
Matthew W.
May 2011
OVERALL, IT WAS PERFECT. TERRY IS CLEARLY A MAN OF INTEGRITY WHO GETS GENUINE PLEASURE IN HELPING HIS CLIENTS GET EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT. HE IS ALSO VERY WELL EDUCATED AND KNOWLEDGEABLE. HE DOES HIS HOMEWORK AND DOES NOT ATTEMPT TO ACT AS THOUGH HE HAS EXPERTISE IN A SUBJECT WHEN HE DOES NOT. HE TRULY PUTS THE INTERESTS OF HIS CLIENTS FIRST, AND WILL INVEST WHATEVER TIME IS NECESSARY.
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"This was more of an adoption than a sale! Often, it is NOT a good idea to have buyers and sellers meet during negotiations. In this case, however, Member is extremely personable, and his 16 year-old daughter was totally excited about her very own special new bedroom. The sellers were the heirs of a beloved mother who had passed away, and they had grown up in the home. They actually passed on higher offers so that their birth-home could be "adopted" by this charming father and daughter, after I arranged for them to all meet. Makes my day...!"
Kevin S.
May 2011
See above
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"What a delightful couple, and how exciting it is for me to be the one to help them get their first home together! Makes my day! I just LOVE it when my clients are as careful and well-informed as this couple. It's not surprising that they are careful and prudent, as Member is an appraiser for commercial property, and takes the time and care to use his professional training make an optimal decision for themselves, too. A terrific outcome for them, and very fulfilling for me, too! I look forward to working with them again, and with their friends and family in the interim."
John A.
May 2011
My home just closed. It is the perfect home for me, and I got it for a great price. I also received thousands of dollars through Terry’s Buyer Cash-Back program, so all my money went into my equity/downpayment. There is ABSOLUTELY no way I would have gotten this home (or any other) without Terry’s assistance, and it has changed my life to move out of the apartment that I had begun to call “the cave”. After a “War of the Roses” style divorce, I had been “4 years buying a home” when I met Terry. I had worked with a number of agents, but they didn’t seem to “get it” on what I was looking for. In fact, I felt a bit like a sacrificial lamb, existing primarily to earn them a commission. I half-heartedly tried to buy a couple of the homes, but they weren’t what I wanted, and I just couldn’t go through with it. It was in this period of frustration, where I had despaired of ever finding the right home for me, that I first met Terry in one of the classes I was teaching. I mentioned that I was looking for a home, and Terry immediately set me up with my own Personal HomeSearch website to collect homes that met my criteria. He also had his lender call me. The next class, he asked if I had connected with the lender, and I told him that we were playing telephone tag. He dialed his lender, then gave me the phone to talk to him directly. And that’s the kind of efficiency with which the whole process was carried out! Terry loaned me a scanner, because he planned to email me paperwork, then have me scan it and email it back to him (his loaner faxes wouldn’t have worked for me, because all my phone service is mobile). However, that’s not my style, so the Denny’s next to my apartment became our “office away from the office” for in-person meetings for all the offers. I never even hooked up the scanner, because Terry accommodated me with personal meetings for all our business. Terry has a very efficient way of handling our current turbulent market. He convinced me that there was no point wasting my scarce time looking at properties in person until a seller said “yes” (or at least “maybe”). This made sense to me, since I had the MLS data, photos, and occasionally a virtual tour. Terry has over 10,000 floorplans on file, so I often had the floorplan to review, too. Since I could cancel after seeing the inside, this worked for my busy schedule, too. We made over 30 offers. Finally, we got a reasonable response on the perfect home for me, and Terry handled the negotiation to get me a great price, and then monitored the escrow to close it, despite on-going lender errors and escrow errors. Terry has a procedure where EVERYTHING I needed to sign was sent to him first, and I got it only after he had reviewed it and stamped it “approved” (in some cases, after he had the escrow correct errors that he found). This is a GREAT way to do an escrow! Terry even made 3 trips to the LA Superior Court personally to get divorce docs when the title company and lender dropped the ball on getting the docs. Terry is in a class by himself I imagine that there are other competent agents, but I would wager NONE like him. It is clear that he found me a home that he, himself, would buy to live in, and he is as excited about getting just the right home for me as I am. He is a GREAT agent, and has become a friend in the process, too. I recommend him to the EXCLUSION of any other agent or broker. I will have him handle the real estate buying and selling for ALL my friends! Buying a home in this market is an exhausting, but worthwhile process. You need a pro to do it right, though, and Terry is that pro! John Accomando, PhD, Professor of Romance Languages
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"Despite having earned his doctorate, Member is a down-to-earth guy who is very easy to work with. We made a lot of offers, but when I saw this home, I knew it was "the one". He agreed right away when he saw it for the first time. As always, I had my own trusted termite guy inspect for him, even though the seller already had a report... this saved Member a few hundred (a typical outcome for my clients) because the seller had to correct the problems we found. We worked hard to make it happen, but it was worth it. I look forward to working with him again, whenever he needs me!"
Atif A.
Apr 2011
It took us more then a year of consistently searching for the right house for us, at the right price. We were picky. Not once, did Terry show any sign of frustration or tried to pressure us into anything. Terry helped our brother’s family get their (nearby ) home, too. And, we refer Terry to all our friends and family. This is probably the last time that we need Terry to help us move, as our new home is just PERFECT for us! If we ever do need to move again, though, Terry is our guy, and we make sure all of our friends have the chance to work with him, too. Hopefully, you may have a chance to work with him. However, he handles each client personally, and when he has as many transactions as he can handle, he simply doesn’t take on any more business until he has closed some of his open transactions. And, he gives preference to past clients and referrals. If you do have the opportunity, though, check him out… you’ll be glad you did!
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"Member is an electrical engineer, and his wife is a pharmacist (although her title for the last few years has been "Mom") ... both smart as a whip and highly educated. They are the perfect clients, expecting top-notch service, AND able to know it when they get it! It is exhilarating just to work with them. More than exhilarating, though, it is fulfilling to me to be able to help such a tight-knit, loving family get what they want. They are genuinely some of the nicest people I have ever met, and I am as excited about sharing their triumphs (and their kids' excitement over their own special rooms) as they are about succeeding in their quest. They DESERVE their beautiful new home, and I am grateful to have been a part of this success!"
Gary S.
Apr 2011
We have gotten an excellent service and are very happy with Terry Hunter’s performance. We would definitely use his services in a future and are recommending him to our friends.
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"Member is a VP of Quality Control in a publicly-traded company. He is everything that implies...smart, alert, willing to accept and evaluate my input, along with what he knows already. More than all that, though, he and his wife both are two of the most polite, thoughtful, and pleasant people I have ever worked with, and I look forward to working with them again, and to taking great care of the friends they entrust to me."
JAMIE G.
Apr 2011
We learned, to our delight, that it REALLY DOES make a difference who your agent is! Although there are over 30,000 agents here in South Orange County, Terry is about the only one who REALLY looks out for his clients obsessively (and obsession is what we like when it’s OUR money on the line! ) One of our best friends referred Terry to us over a year ago. We looked at a couple of homes, but we weren’t very motivated to move. We have busy lives, with both of us working, a two year old son, and going to school for advanced degrees. So this is NOT a good time personally for us to move, but the market is TERRIFIC for moving up. So, we kept looking at the daily updates Terry sent us, and then it happened! We found it.. the PERFECT home for us! One story, great neighborhood, and a great price, with a terrific back yard for our new son to play in. Needless to say, the interest rates, being under 5%, are terrific, too! What a combination! Terry negotiated a great price for us. He KNOWS how to do this, and take time to do it right! His packages are neat and professional, including a cover letter to explain to sellers about us, and why they should pick our offer over others. After seeing his submission package to the seller’s agent, we are sure he is right when he says his offer presentations make the other agent comfortable that a transaction with him will be smooth and no-hassle. Since agents are busy, this gave us an advantage over other buyers whose agents are not as careful. And, in fact, there WERE higher offers than ours, but the seller felt more comfortable with us because Terry made sure that they knew we were strong and qualified buyers, represented by a careful and professional agent. Preparing multiple offers and counter offers were not a problem for us, either, because Terry uses electronic signatures. This means that all we had to do was to click on a PDF to “sign” an offer electronically… less than 3 minutes to do it! A lot of agents treat things like termite reports as administrative nuisances, but not Terry. He even has his own trusted termite inspector to be sure that we are fully protected. In this case, that saved us almost $10,000, and NOBODY else that we or our friends know of does this for their buyers! As usual, the seller already had a termite report, and it showed the property clear of termites and other pest problems. However, OUR inspector found the BIG THREE… drywood termites, subterranean termites, and dryrot! Terry had prepared our contract with the right extra pages to make SURE the seller had to give us the property clear of all these problems, so it was THEIR problem to treat the property and make the repairs (and Terry’s informed handling of the other agent quickly dispelled any notion that they might not take care of it). Not only did this save us a LOT of money… it also kept our purchase a fun experience and not a hassle getting a defective property that WE would have to fix. It goes without saying that Terry is an expert in every aspect of buying a home… paperwork, negotiations, systems to make it quick and easy, and most important, he is always available! Morning, noon and night, when we wanted to talk, there he was, and he always had the answer for us. He is the only agent I have ever seen as detail-oriented and careful as my dad, a retired tech CEO. In fact, HE will likely be working with Terry, too, just like all our friends who we will tell about Terry. Terry was referred to us by a friend, and we are going to pass him on to OUR friends and family, too. He is just too good to be kept a secret. We are STOKED about our new home!
Response from Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker
"Helping a deserving young family like Members make their very first move from a condo to a single family home is one of the joys of my profession! This is too important a move to be left to chance, so I don't leave anything about it to chance. Sellers agents think it is peculiar that I use my own trusted termite inspector, even though the seller usually provides a report (non-short sales). Some agents even get "testy" about it. However, even though the missed items in the seller reports are not usually as breathtaking as in this case, I routinely DO find missed problems that I insist the seller correct. Being careful for my clients pays them big dividends, so you can be sure I will continue to do so, even though it sometimes "miffs" cooperating agents!"
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FAQ
Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker is currently rated 5.0 overall out of 5.
Yes, Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker offers free project estimates.
No, Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker does not offer eco-friendly accreditations.
No, Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker does not offer a senior discount.
No, Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker does not offer emergency services.
No, Terry Hunter Hunter-Broker does not offer warranties.