Letters of Reference
What do Seth's clients say about him?
Letter from Mr. Roger R. Bond
Letter From Tom McConathy
To: Prospective Clients of Seth Koppel-TexHomes Realty
About a little over a year ago I started searching the Internet looking at prospective new homes. I wasn’t really serious until April 2010 when I had a minor heart attack and decided the one acre place I had was just too much to take care of.
We looked around a little and being my 5th house I knew I needed a Realtor. I had friends and people I knew of in the business but wasn’t really sure that they fit me. Seth had stayed in touch by e-mail and had been sending me listings, but we had never talked. So one day I called him just to get a feel of who he really was. I didn’t want to go through a big agency, I wanted to be able to reach my agent, I wanted one who knew the business and neighborhoods, tax’s schools, etc. and I wanted one that was full time not a part time house wife or retired person working a few hours a week.
To my surprise he answered his own phone! And when he did he was in a conference in San Antonio but still took time to talk to me. So he came to my house and we had a chance to discuss all the things important to me, and it all seemed to fit.
So after this I went out driving in one of the neighborhoods I thought I wanted and came across a person putting a sign in the yard for sale. It turned out to be an ex-model house that had been taken back by the bank. I new I like it but called Seth and he came out to check it out, tell me if the pricing was in line and what we needed to do. Being a bank sale the bids were due the next evening (only 1 day on the market).
We set our strategy and made a bid, we didn’t get it, but were told there were multiple bids and to put in our “best and final”. We did and got the house!! Seth showed up that evening to sign the papers but I still hadn’t sold my current house so we worked up the listing, his stager was there with him and she gave the recommended arrangements and a list of “to do’s” We did those in just a few days and put it on the market.
We got a showing and a contract the very first day! That offer backed out after a week and we put it back on the market and got 2 more offers in less that a week. They didn’t close out so we invited the most prospective buyer to a meeting on the house and hammered out a deal we could both live with. Seth hosted that meeting and made the buyer feel right at home.
The point of all of this is that I had a quick turn around on a purchase, some negotiating with a buyer, staging, pictures, listing and a host of things to get done between the two houses. Seth helped me close on all of these. We discussed (argued) about the sales price of my house and we agreed on a compromise between what I wanted and Seth proposed. In the end Seth was right on the price within 2%, he was right on the price to win the bid on the one I was buying. And he was right on all the steps in between to get us to our end goal.
Seth is knowledgeable, personable, available, experienced, creative, and well connected in the industry. He doesn’t have a huge staff but he has a huge network of associates to speed up the process along the way. And being my 5th Realtor, he has been by far the best to work with.
I highly recommend that if you are considering buying or selling a home that you give Seth the opportunity to impress you and get you the results he got me.
Tom McConathy
3803 Sebastian Cove
Round Rock, Texas
Phone Number Available Upon Request
Letter From Doug & Elaine Smith:
We have known Seth Koppel for over two and a half years--from the time we began our search for a new home in the Austin area. With Seth's guidance, support and representation we made our home purchase in March, 2006 in the Falconhead Golf Course development in the Lakeway/Bee Cave area. We could not be happier with our purchase and with the outstanding service we received from Seth.
We found Seth to be highly effective and extremely responsive to our needs and requirements. During our search Seth presented us with only properties that clearly met our criteria. Since we were from out of state, his knowledge of the Austin area was very helpful to us in navigating the local real estate market and making a comfortable, confident and well-reasoned decision.
Although we ended up purchasing a lot and building our new home, Seth was nevertheless instrumental in guiding us through the process and helping us strike the best deal with the builder. Even more impressive was that Seth went the extra mile in representing our interests well after the sale, during construction. He went so far as to actively participate in key walkthroughs while the house was being built and even personally lobbied the builder to correct errors and misunderstandings in change orders during the final phases of construction.
We cannot say enough about the job that Seth did for us. His follow up and follow through on every detail of our purchase, including his post-sale support was far beyond the call of duty. In our dealings with Seth he demonstrated himself to be a person of high integrity--clearly a dedicated professional. His knowledge, skills and experience were superior and were key factors in providing us with excellent service. But equally important was that while extremely effective, he was also easy to work with--very personable--and he listens. Above all, Seth was hard working, motivated and clearly committed to meeting our needs and getting the job done for us.
Doug & Elaine Smith
Letter From Sharon & David Sybrandt:
It would seem that something as simple as sending you listings that actually meet your criteria is something that every realtor would do. As we’ve learned, that’s not true! When I bought my last home in TN, the realtor that I was working with kept trying to show me homes that did not meet my criteria. Fortunately, after looking at dozens of homes, I was finally able to find what I was looking for.
When we moved to TX and started searching for homes, we were contacted by many realtors trying to get our business. We told each one what we were looking for. Day after day we would receive listings that didn’t even meet the very basics of what we were looking for. We were dumbfounded. Then, along came Seth. From the very start, he sent us listings that were relevant. We actually drove around and looked at over 90% of the listings he sent us. With previous realtors, we never looked at a single one because it was obvious from the start that it wasn’t what we wanted. In no time at all, we had found the perfect house for us with Seth’s help!
Being new to TX, we trusted Seth’s knowledge and expertise of the Austin area to negotiate a fair price. We were very happy with the price and terms that Seth negotiated on our behalf. He went out of his way to meet with us wherever and whenever it was convenient for us and the whole process went smoothly up through our closing.
His service did not stop there though. The next year, we received an email reminding us to file our homestead exemption along with links to accomplish it. And, when we received notification that our property value had been re-assessed, he provided additional help in ensuring that we were armed with the best information in fighting the new assessment.
In addition to his outstanding service, we really appreciated Seth as a person. He is not the pushy salesman that we all loathe. He listened to what we wanted and did not try to steer us in another direction. He is warm and personable and someone that you will think of as a friend and not just your realtor. We have and will continue to recommend Seth!
Sharon & David Sybrandt
Letter From Kenneth Poe:
I just wanted to drop you a letter to share how pleased my wife and I were with the level of service you provided in selling our home. Your attention to detail, your creativity and your pleasant manner are qualities I wish every realtor had. You made what can be a trying time, rather pleasant. I also wanted to offer myself as a reference to any future clients.
Sincerely
Kenneth Poe
Letter From Rob Wooten:
My name is Rob Wooten, and I am pleased to provide my recommendation of Seth to you on both a business and personal level. I first met Seth as a Realtor while searching for a home in the Georgetown area. Our acquaintence did not end; however, at the closing of my home purchase. We remained in contact, expanding our business relationship into other areas while developing a personal friendship.
When I think of Seth, three words come to mind: friendliness, intelligence, and persistence. I'm always delighted to spend time speaking with Seth. He greets everyone with a warm welcome, and he's always interested in how I and my family are. Seth has a gained wonderful breadth and depth of knowledge in a variety of subjects from his formal education as well as his time in the financial and Real Estate industries. He is also able and willing to share his knowledge with others - on many occassions I've been the beneficiary of his benevolence. Seth is also quite persistant in meeting his goals. Our initial meeting was due to his persistence to have me as a customer, and his persistence paid off for me personally during my wonderful home buying experience. He made sure all of my needs were met and my concerns were covered. He took care of it all.
I'm confident that you will have a wonderful experience knowing and working with Seth. My best wishes are always with him.
Sincerely,
Rob Wooten
Letter From Anita Marcos, REALTOR & Broker With Keller Williams Realty
Dear Seth,
I want to begin by thanking you for all the time and help you so graciously gave my husband and me. As you know, I am a Real Estate Broker with 30 years of experience in the field, and when you first approached my husband Roger, also a Realtor, about representing us in the sale of our Condominium in Lakeway, I thought that you were crazy. But your professionalism, dedication, care and attention to detail made us reconsider your request, and I am so glad we did!
Our Condominium sold as you predicted and it closed without any problems. I realize, once again, that no matter how much I know the Real Estate business, I need expert representation just like everybody else. I am sure we could never have done such a good job for ourselves as you did for us. I will be sure to recommend you to anyone that is thinking of buying or selling property in the Austin area.
Thank you again for helping us in this transaction and please feel free to give my name to anyone that wants to know more about you as an agent. Keep up the good work!
Best regards,
Anita Marcos
An excerpt from a letter by Michael & Kristen Tomczyczyn:
...We were referred to Seth by our mortgage lender who had only great things to say about him. Four months, 80 some-odd house walk-through's later, after hundreds of phone calls and even more email's and g-chat's, we had a home we could call ours. And what a home it is, having everything we could have asked for and then some!
All the aspects of a really great real estate experience were there, professionalism, honest communication with our best interests at heart and several years of combined local Austin knowledge and real estate experience. We found Seth to be a very pleasant, patient and helpful person to work with. He did everything possible in order to accommodate our needs, no matter how long of a drive to the prospective property was or whatever hour of the day/night it may have been. He was not pushy and was consistently patient with me and my wife's contrasting personalities. His attention to all the details, responding to phone calls and keeping us abreast of everything that was happening certainly took a lot of the pressure off of us. He was careful to explain our options and educate us on aspects that were completely foreign to us.
I would highly recommend Seth to anyone who is in search of a kind, considerate, and professional realtor.
Sincerely,
Michael & Kristen Tomczyszyn
Letter From Gerardo Piñeiro and Jayne Banks:
We met Seth in early 2008 during our first house hunting trip to the Austin area. This came after several months of communication via email from out of state during which time Seth was very professional and responsive to our enquiries.
The challenges of house hunting from several states away were eased by the efforts and guidance of Seth who went out of his way to assist us. He took the time to get to know us and to establish what we wanted in a new home and from the area. On our visit to Austin he had lined up for us an efficient schedule to maximize the short time at our disposal. This resulted in us exploring an area beyond our original parameters and ultimately building a beautiful home.
Buying and building from such a distance is not easy but Seth was a great ambassador. He is professional, knowledgeable, personable and honest. Our move was made easier in so many ways because of Seth and we have kept in touch with him since.
We would have no hesitation in recommending Seth to anyone in search of an excellent realtor.
Jayne and Gerardo
Letter From Frank and Lisa Arienzo:
Seth,
We would like to Thank You for all the help you gave us in the search of our new home. It’s pretty scary when you have to move to a whole new city but you made the transition easier than we could have imagined. You never pressured us into a sale and accommodated all of our needs. When my family came in from FL they were impressed by your patience and professionalism. Thanks for all your help!
Regards,
Lisa & Frank
Letter From Kerim & Kristen Kalafala:
Hi Seth,Thanks so much for the services you have provided Kristen and myself. While our stay in the Austin area was a short one, we both sincerely appreciate all your efforts, including time spent on two separate house-hunting trips to the Austin area as well as follow-up visits to meet with local builders. Having a local real estate expert at our finger-tips was invaluable, especially given our situation where we were new to the area and had to coordinate much of our process from over 1500 miles away ! You really took the time to get to know my family's needs and then applied local knowledge to help narrow down our search. Given the vastness of Austin and surrounding communities, I know this must have been no easy task, but we always felt that you took our interests to heart and were willing to spend as much time as needed to make sure we were happy.
Kind Regards,
Kerim & Kristen
Letter From Beau and Marla Schmitz:
My wife and I purchased our first home from Seth. We couldn't be happier with our new home and the process of buying a house went incredibly smoothly. Seth is a highly knowledgeable and professional realtor, and he's also a genuinely friendly, caring person. House-shopping with him was a pleasure. We wouldn't dream of leaving our house now, but when the time comes we will not think twice before utilizing Seth's services again.
Best wishes to you and the family,
Beau & Marla
Letter From Neeha Bollepalli & Gopi Manapragada:
We purchased our first home in Austin and Seth helped us through out the process, from selecting the location, decoration choices to closing the house. He showed us lots of houses in various locations through out the city. He has always been very punctual and courteous. When we had a change of mind at the very last moment, he was very helpful in finding a house in an entirely different location. He is very knowledgeable and gives good guidance regarding the selection of houses. Overall, it has been a positive experience
Best wishes to you and your family.
Letter From Ian & Wendy Latham:
Seth,
I want to thank you for professional and compassionate assistance that you provided as we sold our house. Not only did our house in less than a week, but as my father had recently died your compassionate assistance was as appreciated as your professional expertise. Thank you again for all of your help and warm wishes for your future.
Regards,Wendy and Ian Latham
Letter From Paul Hughes & Barbara Lloyd
My wife and I wanted to move from Houston to the Lake Travis area, and had spoken to several local Austin realtors. However, we were unimpressed with their service and responsiveness to our needs, so had not engaged with anyone. We reverted to searching for houses on realtors web sites. Seth's web site was by far the easiest to configure to our needs, and when he made contact to follow-up, we realized that he was someone we could work with. Seth was willing to go the extra mile during the course of the purchase, and saved us countless trips from Houston to Austin by coordinating with utility providers, insurance agents, mortgage valuators etc on access to the property. He did a really professional job, showing genuine concern for our requirements, and always gave timely attention to any issues that arose due the logistical issues of buying remotely. In additional to his professional attributes, Seth is also a genuinely nice person. Always calm and thoughtful, he took the stress out of the whole process.
I would certainly use Seth for any future home moves in the area, and would have no hesitation in recommending Seth to my friends.
Thanks for all your help, and our best wishes to you and the family,
Paul & Barbara
Testimonials about Seth Koppel, Realtor and Loan Officer:
- “Punctual, Organized and Knowledgeable.”
- “Absolutely positively a wonderful person.”
- “Never pushed us to do anything we did not feel comfortable with.”
- "I have recommended him to several friends and family.”
- "Excellent. Highly professional. Great service, follow-up and follow through. Went the extra mile in helping resolve issues with the builder during construction."
- “Seth was very professional at all times. Willing to go out of his way to get information for me, and very accommodating.”
- “Seth is a very patient man.”
- “Highly knowledgeable of food in the Austin area.”
- “Keep up the good work.”
- “You're the best. They are so happy in their new home and [she] loves the school and her new friends. It's so nice for her to be able to walk to school and ride her bike in the safety of a cul de sac. She loves the playground and neighborhood pool too, and we spend many of our after school hours there. If we have any real estate needs in the future, you're the man to call.”
- “It has been a very pleasant experience. Seth has been very honest and helpful.”
- “During closing, he went above and beyond the call of duty.”
