We bought our first home with the help of Brian O at Fulcrum. From the start, Brian and the Fulcrum team were incredible to work with. Quick takeaways: Brian was highly available at odd hours, including nights and weekends, to accompany us to view properties, put in an offer, communicate with the sellers, etc. He had a strong understanding of how quickly buyers need to move in the hot DC market. The Fulcrum team assisted us through the actual mortgage process and answered all of our questions as well as coordinated our closing. They additionally made themselves available after closing when they technically no longer had an obligation to us! When we were ready to begin our search, Brian sat down with us for over an hour at the Fulcrum office to get to know us and talk about what kinds of properties we were interested in. We didn't want to seem naiive with our aspirations and price range, but Brian heard us out and responded enthusiastically to our preferences and interests. He set up a search in the MRIS system that would allow us to tag properties we were interested in visiting together, so that we could spend a day hitting up several properties in a row all over DC. A day after meeting Brian for the first time, we found a property through Zillow that we wanted to visit immediately. We were impressed that Brian made himself available to meet us the very next day to go see it. He walked us through the home, giving us his honest thoughts. Days later, after we had reviewed the results of the MRIS search and tagged a few properties online, Brian met up with us to see all of the properties we had flagged. He had already reviewed our list of flagged properties online (very proactive!) and had mapped out a course through the city. Again, Brian gave us his honest opinion of all of the homes. He did not hesitate to indicate which ones might not be the best fit for our lifestyle preferences due to area, style of home, etc. Also, we never felt pushed towards the more expensive homes; instead, Brian's focus was on those properties which would appreciate the most and fit our style the best. When it came time to put in an offer, Brian dropped everything to put in the offer immediately after we told him to go ahead. He spent the rest of the day fielding negotiations between the seller and ourselves late into the night (on a weekend). Once our offer was accepted, Brian and the Fulcrum team kicked into high gear arranging all of the pre-closing tasks: scheduling the home inspection immediately, communicating with our lender, negotiating on our behalf with the seller to get our inspection items taken care of before closing. As before, Brian was responsive and available for our smallest requests. The closing process went smoothly as Liz from Fulcrum had communicated clearly what we needed to do to prepare. After closing Brian continued to check in with us. On one occasion, when he was stopping by later to drop off papers, we mentioned that we were having gutter problems and he showed up armed with a tool to try to clear it! This saved us from having to hire a service to figure out the issue. Overall, we can't have been more happy with our experience. I would highly recommend Brian if you are looking to buy a home as a first time or experienced buyer, or Fulcrum Property Group in general. read more

You truly do not know the meaning of "above and beyond" until you work with Yo-G and Fulcrum. We were first-time homebuyers, navigating the competitive and fast-moving D.C. market, and we are not millionaires (sadly). Yo-G sat down with us to talk about our requirements and deal-breakers, he drove us through neighborhoods, recommended and pointed out great restaurants and coffee shops, took us through properties at all hours of the day and night, found homes that were not even on the market yet so we had first dibs, set us up with a custom online search, and is super knowledgable about houses in general. He pointed out and discussed the pros and cons of different building materials, different heating and cooling systems, roofs, architecture, etc. He told us honestly if he noticed cheaper materials were used, and was sure to point out the positive AND negative aspects of a house, which we really appreciated. Yo-G is probably psychic, because he has some uncanny ability to know EXACTLY what a house will sell for. And he tells you, flat out, if a house is underpriced for a bidding war or if it is over priced and you can bargain. I can not tell you the number of times he said, "this house should sell for ___" and when we checked back later on the sale price, he was dead-on. His response was always something like, "Oh I got lucky." No. Magic. Once we found our house and ratified the contract, my husband (in the military) got deployed! So that is when things got interesting. I was alone to navigate the crazy closing process, except I wasn't alone, because Yo-G was there for me every step of the way until closing. He worked with our loan company, appraiser, sellers agent, he called contractors and handymen for me (there was some work we needed done before closing) and poor Yo-G put up with my ridiculous questions and cluelessness. We closed on the house several weeks ago, and he is STILL answering texts and calls from me about how to turn on our heat and prevent pipes from freezing, since my husband is still gone. Yo-G is not just a great relator, he's a genuine and good person. The whole Fulcrum team are professionals, and they know their shit. This is not just a hobby or something they do on the side for extra money, and in D.C. you really need an agent that does this all day, every day. Hurry up and hire Yo-G before he finds your perfect home for someone else! read more

Despite our admittedly high expectations, pickiness, ever-changing timeline, and constantly morphing priorities including, size, price, and geography, our agent, George Lima, and the other members of the Fulcrum team with whom we worked, including Jim Lisowski and Liz Gowins, delivered at every juncture of our home buying journey. We could not possibly say enough about Fulcrum's team of full-time, committed agents, knowledge of the various markets (we looked in DC, MD, and VA), professionalism, and unrivaled patience. Honestly, at various points over the years (yes, years) that we were looking for a home, we interacted with pretty much every member of the Fulcrum team, and each time, we felt even more fortunate to have found them. During the search phase, we were able to look at houses in MD, VA, and DC at a moment's notice, and we went into each home with all the important details, issues, and analysis that one might wish for. Notably, the Fulcrum agents are not part-timers, and they understand the competitiveness of the market, the need to put in offers quickly (even same-day), and the need to be able to view houses during very limited time windows. We were able to use these obstacles to our advantage - because we had Fulcrum while other buyers did not. During the offer phase, we discussed offers on several homes, and each time George was spot on as far as what it would take to make a successful offer on a competitive home - all of which received many offers and went above asking. Ultimately, due to our pickiness, we only put one offer on one home - after looking at countless homes. Our offer was accepted, and we moved in two weeks ago. During the contract phase, Fulcrum was no less impressive, negotiating the details, and ensuring that all of the contract provisions were fulfilled. George also referred us to a lender at Wells Fargo who gave us an unbeatable rate, excellent service, and closed in 30 days without a hitch. I can't imagine what the home buying process would have been like here in the jungle that is DC, MD, VA without Fulcrum. Having the best in the business to rely on and guide us through this with confidence, patience, and trust was the best decision we could have made. read more

Everyone warned me that buying a home would be one of the most stressful experiences of my life, so you can imagine how relieved, surprised, and impressed I was that thanks to the amazing efforts of Julie Wannamaker and her team the hardest part ended up being deciding on paint colors! This was my first home purchase and thus my first time using a buyer's agent, but I did do a lot of research about what to look for in a good agent. Julie checked all of those boxes and I am still thanking my lucky stars that I met her at an open house and had her support during my purchase. She was first and foremost an advocate for my interests: I was looking at property in multi-family complexes, which means condo associations, bylaws, and lots and lots of building rules. She was my liaison with the building and made sure I got all of the information I needed to make a fully informed decision about whether or not to purchase. She made sure to keep things in writing, and when the building balked at a repair request as being outside of their responsibilities despite a prior commitment, she knew who to reach out to and how to diplomatically ensure that the information I was given was adhered to. Julie obviously knows her stuff, and she was always glad to answer my questions (and fortunately could explain the more unfamilar terminology and procedures in a way that made sense to a first-time home buyer.) When there was something she didn't know (such a question about a particular characteristic of the building), she would always, always find me the answer. Julie and I communicated by both email and text, and I am immensely grateful to her responsiveness. I usually work 9-5, so being able to text her quickly during the day or get in touch in the evening meant that there were no unnecessary delays due to me being uncertain about next steps or the sellers waiting on an answer from me. Her colleague, Farah Oster, was also super helpful and responsive which I particularly appreciated as we got closer and closer to closing and she had valuable information and answers to my last-minute questions. I will without a doubt be recommending Julie and Fulcrum in the future. read more

We just purchased our first home in Hill East DC with George Lima, and I couldn't recommend George or Fulcrum PG more highly. As first time home buyers, we were probably not the easiest clients for George. Our search took a while, we asked a lot of questions, and we were pretty specific in what we were looking for. I can't remember how many houses/condos George checked out with me, but it was a lot! And he never gave the impression that he was impatient or had somewhere else to be. Walking through different properties with George really helped us figure out what our priorities were and clarify exactly what we were looking for, particularly given that George has lived in the greater Capitol Hill neighborhood for a long time and knows the area extremely well. George in particular and Fulcrum in general have great reputations in the area and a lot of respect and goodwill built up with other agents, lenders, contractors, etc., which also made the whole process easier from our end. In addition, Fulcrum's support staff was extremely helpful from the time our offer was accepted to closing. They really stayed on top of the paperwork and logistics, which has made the home buying process much more enjoyable and much less stressful. Last thing worth mentioning: George helped us put together a smart, competitive offer, but we still ended up having to go back and forth a bit with the seller. He (the seller) was not the easiest person to deal with, and the home inspection turned up some things that we wanted him to contribute to. The whole home inspection and negotiation process could have been much more fraught than it was, because George was great at listening to our concerns, giving good advice, and negotiating with the other agent. Ultimately we were extremely happy with how everything was resolved, and were successful in getting additional credits from the seller. In sum -- George was exceptionally patient, responsive, knowledgeable and also a complete a pleasure to work with. Fulcrum PG provided great support throughout the process, and we truly can't say enough good things about our experience. read more

It's been a week since closing and the statement "man, I'm glad we found Brian" has left my mouth at least 10 times and I just don't see that pace slowing down anytime soon. I did a LOT of research when we entered the house market. Excessive, stressful research. We were looking for a fixer upper so I wanted an experienced agent that would be open to showing us ugly homes, patient because we weren't a hurry to buy and knowledgeable once we found a house since we heard about bidding wars. We got that a lot more with Brian. Brian is not only a buyer's agent but he also has a lot of experience in renovations so his input throughout our process has been invaluable. He can tell you what is and isn't a big deal in a house and you can trust his judgement because on a couple of occasions he pointed out the BIG problems about a house we might have not seen or understood. He definitely saved us from a couple of houses that would have been money pits in the long run. He understood our comfort level right away when it came to a fixer upper or "Granny House" as he calls it, and was determined to find the right home for us. He has a very positive and calm attitude but is VERY proactive. He replied to emails and texts right away. Would preview houses in advance to let us know his thoughts on a property we might be interested in. Always kept us in the loop and following through with the things he said he was going to do. I never felt I needed to be on top of him or felt like he forgot about us. Once we found a house, the seller's agent was difficult to communicate with and Brian did a wonderful job staying on top of her and making things go as smooth as possible for us. Even after closing, he came to help my husband with some floor removals and has given us some amazing contacts to help us get started on the renovations. He has definitely gone above and beyond the call of duty for us and we feel very lucky to have found Fulcrum & Brian. read more

I cannot recommend Maria Fernandez more highly. From the beginning to the end of our home buying and selling transactions, she was the consummate professional and trusted adviser. She has helped us buy two homes now, and each time, she has the detailed knowledge needed to put together a strong, aggressive offer that will win in this competitive market. In addition to helping us nail a price point, she guided us through the additional terms that would make our offer stand out in competitive bidding situations. Both times, the "whole package" she advised us to put together won the day. During the inspection process, she knew how to expertly negotiate to ensure we were well protected long after the sale closed. She worked with us throughout the entire process to answer all of questions, and point us in the right direction whenever we needed outside guidance. On the selling side, she is an expert in bringing a home to market with a bang. She timed our entry into the market perfectly, and was steadfast and confident when discussing pricing strategies. She hand selected a staging company that truly highlighted our home's natural aesthetic, and pulled together a team who managed pre-market prep efficiently to maximize our value. Her team engaged in active pre-market advertisement, and had the home in prime condition on the day our listing went live. By the time we went to market, our home was perfectly positioned to get top price. As a result of the whole package she put together for us, we received multiple offers, and were under contract at the end of our first weekend on the market. She was invested, attentive, and responsive throughout the entire process! I always felt like we were her only clients, even though I know this was not the case! We are grateful for her expertise and kindness. We plan to stay in this home forever, but if circumstances change, there's no question we'd call Maria immediately. read more

Brian O Hora was amazing to work with and he was key to helping us find our perfect home. He was referred to us by a friend who had recently worked with him to purchase a beautiful townhouse on Capitol Hill, and we couldn't be happier that she did. He is incredibly experienced, responsive, flexible, and generous with his time. At the start of the process, we discussed our budget, location preferences, must-haves, and deal breakers. and he helped us pinpoint the neighborhood in which we would eventually buy a home. He has expert knowledge of the DMV area, and exposed us to an amazing neighborhood that we never otherwise would have explored. He was always available by text or phone, clued us in the latest home sales and open houses, and went above and beyond to make sure we were as informed as possible every step of the way. If on a Thursday morning we spotted a property we wanted to see, just a quick text to Brian and we were seeing it that night. It is an understatement to say that the home buying process can be stressful, but with Brian it was very simple and straightforward. He was there to offer wisdom and to be a level-headed third-party presence when we needed him to be. He was appropriately critical of properties that we toured and helped us notice flaws or shoddy renovations that we had missed. When he thought a house was not worth it, he was frank with us, but always stressed that the choice was always ours. He was equally as honest when the houses were clearly very good properties. It always felt like he was in our corner, and he was a calming voice when we lost bids or were signing the closing documents. When it came time to close, Virginia and the rest of the team at Fulcrum were very detailed, professional, and responsive. They provided us clear instructions and next steps and the closing process went as smoothly as it could. read more

I cannot say enough about Yo-G and his team at Fulcrum. We were first time home buyers and brand new to the overwhelming process involved in buying a house in DC on a limited budget. Having Yo-G's help made all the difference. He sat down with us to explain the process at every step of the way, drove us around to check out houses anytime we asked, set up an online search that would notify us of new homes every morning, and even connected us with a few good and reasonably priced contractors after we bought our house. I seriously could not imagine doing this without him. Yo-G is also very knowledgeable about the DC area and what to look for in a home. Not only did he point out good restaurants and coffee shops we might like, he also knew about the status of all the new development projects and the state of the housing market in every neighborhood we visited. He pointed out things to us that we never would have thought to look for in a house. Yo-G even cautioned us against making too large an offer for certain places if we would be overpaying; he easily could have kept his mouth shut and collected the commission. He puts you first and we can't thank him enough for that. Yo-G is a real professional. Most importantly, Yo-G was incredibly patient and worked so hard for us during this process. We had a lot of specific requirements in what we were looking for, and on a modest budget, which made the search difficult. It took some time and a few rejected offers before we bought our house. Yo-G never once showed the slightest sign of frustration or lost any of his enthusiasm for making sure we landed in a home that we were 100% happy with. The folks at Fulcrum are great. We are so happy we got connected with them, I recommend Yo-G to anyone I know thinking about buying in this area. read more

My husband and I highly recommend the Fulcrum Property Group. Not only are they a "one stop shop" but their availability before and after home purchasing is superb. We feel like WE (as in The Hunts and FPG) entered into this home purchase together from the beginning to the end.....and then some :) We worked specifically with George Lima and Tom to buy our new home and lease our current condo. They were extremely thorough and made us feel like we were there top priority. George must have showed us a million homes.....and never gave up. He was super personable, patient and made house hunting really fun. We really respected his honesty and he learned our esthetic. In total it took them 2 months to find us our dream home and 2 weeks to rent out our condo. Not to mention, the detail they put into renting out our condo and vetting candidates. In addition to the aforementioned, they provided the finishing touches to my "nit-picking" (employed their in-house contractor to seed our grass, small touch ups around the house and sent their cleaning service) once we closed. Tom kept saying "we want you guys to be happy." We believed him and it showed. Not to sound corny, but they treated us like we were a family member buying a home. You would think that would be the end of their services....however, its been almost 5 months since purchasing our home and any concerns we have had both George and Tom have been just as attentive as they were in the beginning of our journey together. Be prepared. George WILL call you after 9PM or as early as 730AM if you need him to. Tom WILL call you while walking his dog or pop over in-between his son's soccer tournament. read more

My husband and I just bought our first home and Brian was our realtor and we can honestly say we would have not gotten our dream home without the help of Brian and Fulcrum. To say that my husband and I were novices on the home buying process would be an understatement and Brian and the whole Fulcrum team were patient and extremely communicative throughout the process. Brian sat down with us after some stalling on our end due to prior commitments and walked through the home buying process, what we were looking for and helped understand our timeline. He then set up a listing for us based on our parameters and would set up one on one time to review houses. We found our dream home on Trulia and Brian initially didn't show us this home as it was a bit over what we originally wanted to pay. After crunching the numbers, we decided that the home was worth it and put in an offer a little lower than asking due to their not being any bids. As luck would have it, the day we put in an offer 3 other bids came in and with the help of Brian and the team from Fulcrum, the were able to get our offer to standout and the house was ours. At closing, my husband was on a work trip and the Fulcrum team made sure we had everything ready to go to prepare for closing. I felt in great hands during this stressful time and prepared to do closing on my own. Once we closed and moved in, there were a few issues related to plumbing and electricity. Brian worked with the developer, got everything taken care of and followed up a few days later to make sure everything was ok. I cannot say enough good things about Fulcrum, they are the best! read more

Yo-G was my realtor for a property I purchased in NE DC last month. I had already been working with another real estate agent over at Compass Realty, but did not have a great experience, and ended up switching over to Fulcrum based on a recommendation from a friend who had purchased multiple properties through them.I only submitted one offer with Fulcrum (although I submitted 5 in total), which I think goes to show that they knew exactly what it would take to get the house I ultimately ended up purchasing, and were obviously better at gauging sellers and the market than my previous agent. Yo-G was available every step of the way, and is super honest, trustworthy and easy to get along with. I know he was acting in my best interest because he advised me against a few decisions that may have actually benefited him (i.e. "this house is completely overpriced and you shouldn't buy it"). He spent a lot of time making sure he understood my needs/wish list, talked me through what I could realistically expect to find and what neighborhoods would give me the biggest return, and went above and beyond to help me find properties that were not even on the market. Yo-G answered phone calls and random questions at all hours of the day and night, and continued to check in with me even after his part of the job was over. It may not matter to everyone, but Yo-G also just has a great personality and is so fun to be around. He maintains a professional attitude, but is hilarious, humble, and takes everything in stride. He is great to work with, and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another property with him again. read more

I was referred to Fulcrum after my realtor friend completely bungled a potential transaction. When I first spoke to Ty, he listened patiently while I ranted about how this girl didn't know what she was doing, and one should never mix friends with money. But after selling and buying properties with Fulcrum (at the same time, no less!), Paul and Maria, the agents I worked with, have become my friends, and I would absolutely do business with them again. Let's be honest, realtors are a dime a dozen; I know multiple people, some for over a decade, who are in the business. I'm sure most of them would do a satisfactory job, but Fulcrum truly excels at real estate and stands out significantly above the rest. However, even the best make an occasional misstep. A minor mistake was made during my sale, but Fulcrum acknowledged it and made it right- to the tune of several thousand dollars. I was blown away by their integrity and professionalism. Professional, knowledgeable about the market (you will be paired with an agent who focuses on a specific geographic area), available 24/7 (I'm sure they have tons of clients at any given time, but I always felt like I was the only one), caring, gentle and patient (making the biggest purchase/sale of your life can be stressful), there is really no other choice besides Fulcrum, especially in this super competitive climate. They also host amazing events throughout the year for their clients, such as wine tastings, ball games, parties, etc.! Their entire team is a pleasure to work with, and I look forward to doing business with them again in the future. read more

I recently sold and bought homes with Fulcrum. On the sell side, I worked with Ty and we sold my house quickly and at a great price. He was responsive, creative, and very professional through the entire process. He was also exceedingly patient with many questions and "what if" scenarios that we presented to him. On they buying side, I worked with Yo-Gi primarily - but also had the support of Mike and Ty. One of the really nice aspects of working with Fulcrum is that you have an entire team supporting you in your decisions and transactions (agents, transaction coordinators, etc). They work well together, trust each other, and are not shy about asking for their colleagues input. I felt like I had the entire company working with me on my transactions. Yo-Gi was just about the most enthusiastic and energetic real estate agent you can imagine. He scrambled to get me showings the day houses were listed (and sometime even before they were listed). He worked every angle he could think of when crafting offers and developing a strong relationship with the sellers agent. And as a matter of fact - I am convinced that one of the major factors in having an offer accepted on a house was that Yo-Gi was diligent in working with the sellers agent and presenting my offer in the best possible way. At the end of the day (and having worked with agents at other companies that I was less than satisfied with) - I can without hesitation recommend Fulcrum - Ty, Yo-Gi and Mike. They are professionals that also provide a personal touch that gets the job done! read more

Two words you need to remember. Colin Storm. During the initial search for an agent, he came highly recommended by a few of our close friends. Fast forward to today, my wife and I are now happily living in our first home in Falls Church, Virginia. From beginning to end, Colin was an absolute asset and exceeded expectations throughout the entire home buying process. As we started to view homes, he struck a perfect balance of allowing us the time to discover what would best suit our needs, while at the same time providing deep insight drawn from his extensive local knowledge and 17+ years of diverse experiences. This knowledge gave us comfort knowing that even when we act quickly, we were making informed decisions that would lead to the best outcome. As we got deeper into the process of getting to closing, we realized we were also benefitting from the brilliant relationships that Fulcrum has with other key parties such as the lender and title agencies. The synergy of those relationships brought top-shelf value. After we went under contract, it became clear to us that Colin also had a rockstar team behind him within Fulcrum. Hayley Dashiell was responsive, clear, and made communicating with all the stakeholders that much easier. In conclusion, I will do for you what our close friends did for us. Reach out to Colin with the Fulcrum Properties Group, and get him on your team. Collectively what he and his team will bring to the table for you is invaluable, and would be a no-brainer decision for us to work with them again. read more

My wife and I did a lot of research before choosing a realtor to help us purchase our first home, looking up places and interviewing multiple realtors in person, and we couldn't be happier we chose Fulcrum and Sara Harr. Sara was simply splendid. She was responsive, knowledgeable, and confident. She knew the markets were we looking at down to the block and always gave us clear advice and her opinions, laying out the pluses and minuses of any given place or strategy without putting her thumb on the scales. We ended up having one of the smoothest buying processes imaginable as she set us up with just the right offer for the place we ended up in and handled every single possible snag along the way. And whenever we had odd questions like how much of the property we could build on or what a possible development would be near a house we liked, she found us the answer fast. Sara gave us all the information we needed and then some. When we finally put an offer down on a house, we did so with extreme confidence. A couple weeks before closing, things were going so well we hadn't had a reason to reach out to Sara for over a week. My wife and I were actually sad we hadn't spoken to her because we got so used to chatting about ideas, checking out houses, and discussing all that we liked and didn't like. Honestly, you can't go wrong choosing Fulcrum and Sara. There's a reason this place has five stars. If you go with them, you'll be here on yelp a couple months down the line sitting in your new home and giving them five stars yourself! read more

In my opinion, Brian O Hora at Fulcrum Properties Group is the BEST agent you can find if you're looking to purchase a home in the greater Washington, D.C. area. He went above and beyond to ensure that my home buying experience was stress-free, easy, and most importantly painless in a competitive market that can at first seem completely overwhelming. From the first meeting he took my admittedly long wish list and over the next few weeks found many potential homes that fit my needs. He knew the market in DC very well and was able to give great advice in regards to current inventory, recent sales history, etc. When I finally found "the one" he walked me through every step of the offer/purchase process, thoroughly explaining every minute detail and answering any questions I had. Liz, the Transaction Coordinator at Fulcrum was also absolutely fabulous during this process in preparing the contract and being on call to make any needed changes. Even after the purchase was complete and I was moved into my new home, Brian continued to go above and beyond by helping me decide on contractors for renovations that I wanted to do. The team at Fulcrum were brilliant from the start to finish of my home buying experience. If anyone is considering purchasing a home in Washington, D.C. I would enthusiastically recommend they make an appointment with Brian to discuss their home buying wishes, he will walk you through the process step by step, explain all of your options, and show you how to make your home ownership dreams a reality. read more

Fulcrum Properties Group is the best real estate company to utilize within the Washington D.C. Metro Area. From the first day of signing onboard with Fulcrum to the last day of settlement was the finest real estate representation experienced in over 25 years. Having owned three single family homes (two in Virginia and one in Arizona) and being involved in the sale of my mother's condominium in Alexandria, VA in 2003. There were many opportunities to work with other real estate companies but none compare to Fulcrum Properties Group. Never witnessed success as quickly as the completed sale of my home in Lorton, VA. The property received three offers in only two and one-half weeks and sold at the highest price for this particular model/square footage in my neighborhood. Many other realtors thought the house should sell at a much lower price and was not worth the price we were asking, I stuck to the specific upgrades required to make this a model home. The house appraised and sold at the exact price agreed upon by both parties. My realtor Nikki Johnson's 30 years of experience definitely stood out amongst the rest. Bravo Zulu to Nikki Johnson and her entire Fulcrum Properties Group Staff for the quick sale of my home and making the relocations to Georgia and Florida for my Mother (91 years old) and I a seamless transition. Thank you so much Nikki for the custom illustration of my house in Lorton, VA. Will always cherish all of the fond memories at my previous address! read more

Brian O'Hora was an incredible buying side agent. We spoke a great deal about the things we were interested in, we drove all over the place together, he got us into houses before they were opened up, he knew practically everybody, including developers, the sellers, and their agents. Most importantly, Brian has a lot of experience buying, fixing up properties, renting, and living in DC. He understands the processes for upgrades and also can give good estimates of what certain things might cost. That means we could go into a house and say "oh, well this is a good house but why don't they have central air", and Brian could give estimates based on his own experience and the size of the house, age, etc. -- which gave a much clearer picture to us regarding what the real costs of a given house might be. He was also not afraid of pointing out things that we thought we might want but in reality could be a pain down the road. Further, since he's been watching the market for about 15 years, he can give pretty good estimates on the historical arc of property values, and where neighborhoods are more established versus high growth areas. Lastly, we ended up buying something towards the lower end of our range. We relied on Brian through the bidding strategy and negotiations. Of course, the agent makes less when the price tag is lower, yet he fought hard with us every step of the way for the cheaper house we ended up going with. Brian is fantastic, you should trust him. read more