Lois Magee - Northside Realty

I am happy to say Lois has been our go-to gal for years! She has represented us and other family members buying and selling 8 times, 4 of those times for us. She is extremely knowledgeable of the market (this crazy market!!). She not only finds out everything you need to know about a house listing (before you’re even scheduled to see it) she also research’s the neighborhood, transportation, shopping, restaurants, medical professionals, schools, etc. She will give you all the information you need to make the best choice for your situation, “the good, bad and ugly” we say! Finding a house in the perfect spot for a great price or selling your home for top dollar are what really matters and Lois has an incredible talent for this every time. She makes sure all inspections are done by qualified professionals. She can advise you on things to do to your current home to get it ready to sell. (Take her advice, she’s never wrong ;)) She is genuine, honest, smart and trustworthy. Oh and Integrity…she will only do the right thing no matter what. And she’s always available, anytime. We have a house listed in another area outside of Lois’s territory and expertise. And though we feel like Lois knows everything, she’ll be the first to tell you if she feels she can’t do you justice. But she happily gave us her advice (which we are definitely following). We also bought a house which was a private sale at the sellers request. Lois checked in with us to see if we had any questions about the process and to be sure we were being treated fairly. Once you meet her, she will always be there for you. She’s like family to us. It’s obvious we think she’s the best. I guess all I really needed to say is we’ve used her 8 times!

Full disclosure, this is my mom and we got to buy our very first home with her as our Realtor! This isn't the first time I have seen her in action of course, I grew up with this 5-star broker! My friends and our family friends have worked with her over the years and they always tell me that she took care of them like family; now I know what they mean. I have seen the effort she puts into every transaction and her commitment to her client is incredible. She continually takes classes and even took a 60 hour building codes class to have more information to help her clients! She is so patient and thorough when explaining all the nuances for first time homeowners like us and was always prepared to spend extra time reviewing documents so we could make decisions based on complete information. She knew how excited we were to buy our first home and she guided our decisions by giving us facts and observations, not her opinions, which this daughter and son-in-law really appreciated. I could not imagine any Realtor being more thorough and I'm so proud of how she treats her clients. It was a fun experience for us and for anyone buying or selling a home, just take a look at the other reviews and you'll realize that mom is the one you can trust to take care of you like family!

We can't express enough how incredible and valuable Lois is in her craft and how seamless she makes everything for her clients. We're a young couple who interviewed with Lois in seeking our first home, and we were blown away by her integrity, her honesty, and endless knowledge- needless to say, our search ended there. We signed with Lois and embarked on a journey that not only met our timeline down to a T, but taught us more about the tricks and technicalities that we wouldn't have known otherwise. Lois always brought details to light that in our experience could easily be neglected by others in her profession, and always held our best interest as the number one priority. She saved us from undesirable dealings, and led us to our first home with the most favorable options. We closed in a whopping 15 days (total of 9 business days accounting for a holiday), and all inspections done within the timeline. We are beyond thankful we crossed paths and will always turn to Lois for all things real estate as long as she will have us!

I have had the great pleasure of working with Lois as a buyer and a seller. She expertly negotiated the purchase of my first home in NC several years ago. She was able to point out potential problems that would never have occurred to me because she knows real estate and our area like the back of her hand! As like most buyers, I fell in love with the house but she kept my feet on the ground so I could make a fair offer and not over pay or over extend myself. Her help with that purchase set the stage for what was to come. Several months ago I called Lois to sell that house for me. Once again she came to my rescue! What was a buyers market when I purchased had become a sellers market and the value of my home had increased significantly. Based on other sales in my neighborhood, I would have priced the house too low. Lois knew the market and priced it above the comps. It sold in one day above asking price! Her strategies for marketing the house created a frenzy and people were lined up when it hit the market. She knows all the right people to get things done professionally. Everyone loves her and wants to do their best for her because they know, like I do, she will do her absolute best for them. I highly recommend her! If you want the best price, whether buying or selling, she is the one you should call. She is honest, forthcoming, and such a joy to be around! You will become like family to her and she will have your best interests at heart. She will tell it to you straight. I am so grateful to have her as one of my peeps!

My first contact with Lois was well over a year ago when it was decided that my family and I would be relocating to the Raleigh, NC triangle area.

Even though Lois was aware that our move would not take place until late 2013, she was still very helpful and diligent in providing house listings as well as general information regarding the various cities in the area.

When it came time to actually look at houses with the intent to purchase, Lois proved best in class service and was the consummate professional.

After living our whole lives in Michigan, we are now in the process of packing up for our move to Raleigh, NC in the next week. I can honestly say that Lois has made this experience a positive one.

So for anyone looking to move to the Raleigh, I would highly recommend that you give Lois a call.

November 11, 2013

My wife had accepted a job in Raleigh and we needed to find a house to purchase. Since we were relocating from the Philadelphia area we had a very narrow period of a few days to find a home.  In addition, we had very specific requirements for a home type that are not particularly common: downstairs master suite with additional 1st floor bedroom and bath. Lois identified several homes that fit these narrow requirements throughout the Raleigh area and arranged and drove us each home over a constrained two day visit to the area.  We were able to identify the perfect house for us during that time. Lois continued to help with the offer, contract and closing in an extremely timely and professional manner. Lois was always responsive and punctual and an absolute pleasure to work with. 

Finding a top notch mechanic or dentist that you trust 100% is almost a once in a life-time occurrence.   The same goes with finding a Real Estate Pro.   If you are lucky enough to find *that* professional that you are completely comfortable with, and who you could literally trust with your life, you should grab on for dear life.  

 When someone left a hand written letter taped to my front door saying that they would like to buy my house, I initially considered not using a realtor and handling the entire transaction myself.   I am so glad now that I didn?t, because I now know that I would have made much less money, and I would have ended up making some fairly colossal errors. For instance, the day after I spoke with the buyer, I decided to get an accurate measurement of the square footage of our home.   I carefully broke the house down into grids so that I could get individual length x width measurements, and I then added all of the totals.   Seems logical, right?   Well, it turns out that the answer I came up with was 200 square feet less than what it should have been.   I realized I had failed my first assignment miserably, and that this was the first of many potential misunderstandings that could easily have meant money out of my pocket!

 A few years earlier when I sold my previous home, my Realtor was Lois Magee of Northside Realty in Raleigh.   The market was pretty slow at the time, and it was also the middle of summer.  But with Lois? help and some very strategic advice we had our first and final offer on the home 13 days after it listed? and we got our asking price!! I remember Lois? attention to detail and the fact that she would return phone calls, texts, and emails in a matter of minutes.  Her answers, advice, and depth of knowledge were spot on at all times.

 Granted, I had known Lois since the mid 90?s when our kids went to school together, so the trust factor was already there. But when you are embarking on something that could literally ?make or break you?, trust isn?t enough on it?s own.    I ?trust? my mechanic, but I also know that he knows cars like no one else.   And I feel the same way about Lois.    She is one of *those* professionals who knows houses like no one else.   We ended up calling Lois to help us with the transaction with the second house, and also to help us find a new home.  We gave her a list of things we wanted in a new home and a time frame, and everything went so smoothly it felt like it was effortless. 

When I found *that* mechanic, I told all my friends, because a resource like that you are obliged by the laws of the universe to share with everyone.  Lois is also one of *those* professionals who I can?t recommend highly enough, especially if you value peace of mind like I do.   I  didn?t have one sleepless night through any of the three transactions that Lois Magee handled for me because I knew she had our best interests at heart.    If you are considering selling or buying your home rest assured you will be in the very best of hands if you choose Lois at Northside Realty.   .   


Éamonn and Leslie Shanahan ? Raleigh, NC