You ever put an offer on a property without ever seeing the property in-person, where you pay a non-refundable 'due-diligence' fee just for the right to inspect the property (that's how it's done in North Carolina)? Well, that gives you and idea of how much trust we put into Joel. Our daughter is moving across the country from California to Winston Salem for college. We had been looking at properties for over 2 months and whenever something came up, we just didn't have the time to fly across the country and look at the property prior to it going 'pending'. So we identified a property during the 'coming soon' phase and contacted Joel. Joel made us feel like a priority, scheduling a video viewing during the first hour of the home coming live. After video-viewing the property and speaking with him about comparative homes, we made an offer and negotiated a price that was ultimately accepted. The next few stages are where Joel truly sets himself apart from your 'average' agent. You know what I am talking about, the agent that doesn't know what else to do for a career and decides, "hey, I'll get my real estate license and give that a shot." Joel made all the appropriate recommendations regarding inspections; home inspection, radon inspection and sewer inspection. To our surprise, there were some issues and Joel negotiated further to have a complete premium radon mitigation system installed and a new sewer line at the owners expense. These tasks were completed with us literally being across the coast. Now that we were in contract with an agreeable reduction in price to pay for aforementioned "big-ticket" items, we flew from California to Winston Salem to finally view the home. We were a bit apprehensive after seeing the property in-person as the home was not quite what we envisioned. At this point you would think a realtor would be frustrated, and he could have been but it certainly didn't show. Prior to closing, we were considering walking away and viewed three additional properties. After viewing these properties, we realized the property was fairly priced and the rooms were a bit larger than anything else we looked at. Ultimately we closed on the home and Joel made recommendations for some of the cosmetic work to be done (paint, ceiling lights, kitchen floor). Joel again stepped up, after closing with nothing to further gain, and met with multiple trades for us as we were back in California. He made multiple visits to the home and forwarding us the progress with pictures and videos. I realize this is a long review, probably more detail than needed, and still fails to encapsulate Joel's level of service and professionalism. read more

My partner and I could not have asked for a better realtor than Joel to guide us through buying our first home. He was enjoyable to work with, flexible with our schedules, very knowledgeable, and available via text or email. At our first meeting he explained every step of the process in easily comprehensible detail without being condescending, provided additional helpful resources, and was available whenever we had any further questions. We knew pretty much immediately that we wanted to work with Joel, which was a good sign as my partner and I can be indecisive at times. Our homebuying process took longer than we expected but we never felt pressured to move forward on a property we weren't excited about and we really appreciated Joel's respectful realism at times - when we were caught up in the charming character of an older home we definitely needed someone else to point out the uneven floors and the probable foundation problems and dollar signs that come with that. One of the things that made Joel's help unique for was his insight into the less exciting but very important considerations when looking at a house, like the quality of the water heater, what those strange marks in the basement could mean, the age of the electric/plumbing system in the home, or the importance of a radon test. No matter how well informed we were about the process itself, we couldn't have studied enough to match Joel's experience with judging the condition of a possible house. We found a house perfect for us just as the coronavirus pandemic was beginning to ramp up. Despite the changes/craziness that came with businesses shutting down and professionals working from home, the entire process went so smoothly that I still can't believe it, and we credit that entirely to Joel. He recommended helpful, pleasant, and adaptable industry people to work with and was able to coordinate everything remotely. This took a lot of worry off of my partner and I who were experiencing a big increase in our working hours at that time. Even now that we are moved in and (somewhat) unpacked we've still been in contact with Joel with some questions and recommendations for services. When we end up buying or selling again we will definitely be reaching out to Joel and will be recommending him to friends. read more

My Wife and I were recommended to work with Joel by a friend. We were buying our first house and knew nothing about the process. Joel was an absolute pleasure to work with. He was upfront with everything and made it easy to trust him. He helped fill in the gaps of our education on the process and provided lots of useful insight that made the home buying process virtually stress free. He gave us his honest assessment on the properties we were looking at. He's got extensive experience and contacts with all sorts of service providers and contractors that make it easy to understand the true cost of buying and owning any property. He used these contacts to help get us a great deal on our first house. The house needed some work for sure, but he used that in the negotiations to get us a great deal. We've been in the house for a month and all the work that needed to get done is completed using his recommended contractors. They all did great work and had good pricing. Joel got everything done in a timely manner, but the more impressive part was the level of research and detail he put into his work in that timeline. He was friendly, communicated clearly and timely, and was a great negotiator. He did all of this for us while we were working on an aggressive timeline. His main concern in all of this was not making sure we got into a house on our timeline (though he certainly worked very hard to make that happen), but to protect us from a poor purchase. He diligently researched each house we were interested in and what maintenance it would need. He made sure it was going to meet our needs and asked detailed questions upfront to make sure he understood our needs. He had recommendations for everything we needed, from lenders and lawyers to contractors and handymen. We ended up using his recommendations for everything because they were so easy to work with and had the same high standards for excellence that Joel does. The process couldn't have gone smoother and we have Joel to thank for that. I will be recommending him to anyone in the market for a realtor. There isn't anyone in the business better than Joel! read more

Where to begin... We couldn't have gotten any luckier to work with Joel Sandman. I don't think we could have found such a hard working, down to earth, honest, knowledgeable, friendly real estate agent if we had made a wish for the ideal real estate agent. Joel broke every preconceived notion we had about agents, from his willingness to just listen to what we were looking for and pay attention to that, to his commitment to getting us a house that would meet his own standards for what a house should provide. He was quick to point out any flaws he found in any house, consistently made excellent points about this feature or that, and his background in contracting and construction really shines through in a humble confidence that comes off as both sensible and reassuring. Throughout the process, Joel was unexpectedly quick to respond, sharp with details, fast on his feet, clear in his intentions, transparent with the nitty gritty minutiae, and genuinely wonderful to be around. He doesn't talk too much, isn't overbearing, and he doesn't hover. Beyond that, his recommendations were impossible to beat. I did my own independent research for every step of the process (dozens of hours of research) and 4/5 times, we went with Joel's recommendation. We were particularly impressed with the loan agency he recommended, no one else came close to the quality or the numbers. The whole process was better for him being there. On the whole, to give Joel Sandman anything less than 5 stars would be a lie. The peace of mind he brings you is worth every penny. Thanks Joel read more

This is now our second transaction with Joel, and we would never do business with anyone else! Since we bought our first house with him 5 years ago, Joel has stayed in touch and has always been my "go-to" with any homeowner questions. This time around we decided to build a new home and Joel has been there every step of the way from helping us pick out the lot and sign the contract in June to selling our house in October where he got us under contract over the asking price, all cash, an extended closing period since our new build wasn't going to be ready until mid-December, and an included lease back so we would have cash available for our closing, but still have time to actually make the move. He was there with us all the way to when we closed on our brand-new house in mid-December. He was impressively involved with every aspect; attending our meetings with the builder, helping us negotiate with the HOA, and helping us get our keys as quickly as possible so we could get contractors in the new house the day we closed. He even helped us wrap up our move with trash and junk disposal! You won't find a better combination of someone who will be invested in your transaction, who has a supreme work ethic and will be honest in his opinion and tell you exactly what he thinks. I would recommend Joel to family, friends, and strangers alike, this is your guy. read more

We are not from the area and bought a townhome to help our adult son during graduate studies at Wake Forest University and to serve as an investment/rental property. I researched realtors throughout the Piedmont Triangle and reached out to several. Joel was the first to get back to us and remained incredibly responsive throughout the process. He met with us virtually and in person for introductory visits. He communicated frequently throughout the entire process even when we were just exploring the possibility and had not yet committed to buy. He had great local knowledge and provided sound advice on locations, neighborhoods, and the pros/cons of various properties. On several occasions, he went above and beyond our expectations, including helping us with referrals for a painter and handyman (including meeting them at the property to arrange estimates)., and sending us a smartlock when the previous owner unexpectedly removed one from the home. Despite being on vacation during our closing, Joel set us up with a colleague to help us for the walk-through and closing process and was in contact with us on closing day even though he was on vacation. If you need a realtor to help with buying a property, we highly recommend Joel Sandman. When we are ready to sell, Joel has our business. First class experience all the way around. read more

Joel was fantastic!  As a first time homebuyer, he took the time to go over the entire homebuying process and made sure we understood all of the documents and procedures.  Any time we had questions (even dumb ones), he was patient and was able to explain the answers in a manner that my wife and I could understand.    Joel got us scheduled to see houses that we saw online and wanted to see in person.  After only a handful of showings, he had our wants/needs dialed in and was recommending houses for us which took a lot of the hard work out of our hands.    Even with our limited budget and large list of requirements we were looking for in a house, Joel was able to find us the perfect house.  He knew the house was going on the market before it was listed online and made sure we were the first showing the day it was on the market.  Joel is definitely on top of his game and in today's fast moving market, he's exactly what you need in a realtor.  He will do everything in his power to make you feel happy - even if it's going above and beyond what a normal agent would do.  I couldn't be happier with my experience with Joel! read more

In Joel's title he is described as a Real Estate Professional. Never have truer words being used. My wife and I have been in the real estate business for almost 12 years now and this is the first review that we are leaving. We met Joel through a Meadowlands Golf advertisement page on Facebook and he reached out asking if we may be interested in buying property. From that moment, everything has been amazing. Joel was very patient through the process; he showed us many a house and despite having done this on numerous occasions, he read us as buyers. Joel was not in the business for a quick commission in this real estate market, he was here to establish a relationship and friendship. He is incredibly knowledgeable from house structure to identifying property that might be aesthetically pleasing for the buyer. He negotiated very well and is even sending out a handyman, at his own expense, to address any minor problems that we have in the new house. All in all, if you want a genuine realtor, one that knows the process and one that is in it for the long haul, Joel Sandman is one of the best in the business! read more

Joel was a stellar agent and made finding and buying a home a breeze for us. Moving to a new area while still living out-of-state, we were not sure who to use as our local agent. We interviewed several agents as we can be quite picky, but Joel immediately stuck out as knowledgeable, genuine, and someone who was truly going to work for us to find the right home for our family. Joel showed us a number of great options and did a great job keeping things organized as we looked at 20+ homes in a few days. Joel was always well prepared for showings, knew specific market information for every home, had a plethora of connections for any harder to answer questions, and thoroughly communicated throughout the process. Despite Joel having many other clients and listings, we always felt like we were a top priority for him. After finding a home we loved, Joel continued his great communication and follow-thru all the way through the closing process. We will 100% be using Joel in the future and recommending him to anyone looking for an agent in the area. read more

"Working with Sandman Realty was an outstanding experience from start to finish. They were incredibly generous with their time, never making us feel rushed and always taking the time to answer every question we had throughout the process. Communication was excellent--they always returned calls promptly and made themselves available whenever we needed guidance or reassurance. Their professionalism really stood out. From the first meeting to closing, everything was handled with care, knowledge, and integrity. It's rare to find a real estate company that combines expertise with such genuine customer service. What makes Sandman Realty even more special is their commitment to giving back. They donate a percentage of each closing to Hopefuls, Incorporated, a charity dedicated to feeding hungry children in the community. Knowing our home purchase also supported a meaningful cause made the experience even more rewarding. Highly recommend Sandman Realty to anyone looking for a professional, responsive, and community-minded real estate company." read more

Joel is personable and unassuming, in addition to highly knowledgeable and service oriented. He has established an extensive network of skillful service providers who can assist a homeowner across the sales process. Joel introduced me to (and coordinated the work with) a staging company (which handled the organization and presentation of my entire 4,000 square feet home), a locally-based moving and storage company, a multi-talented handyman for a wide range of touch ups, and others who were indispensable to this 66 year old single man's ability to ready his 15 year old house for sale. And, he was always just a text or phone call away when I had a question about anything, and always polite, even when my questions were about things most homeowners would know on their own. Beyond all of that, Joel is a remarkable human being -- thoughtful, empathetic and generous. He inspires respect and confidence, which breeds comfort across a complex process. I enjoyed working with him, and I could not be more pleased with the job he did for me. read more

If you are looking for a world class real estate agent, Joel Sandman is the answer. Our family was relocating across the country during the COVID-19 global pandemic and were in need of someone who could help us find our ideal home. We knew nothing of the area and Joel took the time to teach and coach us through the various neighborhoods, builders, and specifics of each area, school, and home. He did virtual tours for us knowing we were not able to visit homes being out of state and because of the pandemic. Joel was extraordinarily patience as we brought our kids through multiple showing and he tailored the showings to our style as he got to know us and what we really wanted. He coached us through the process and went out of his way to accommodate special requests. Joel is truly a master of his craft and above all else, he is sincere and trustworthy. He is a joy to work with and I cannot imagine a better experience than working with Joel. read more

This review is about Joel Sandman: Joel has been exceptionally professional and enjoyable to work with on the several properties that my husband and I purchased in the last year, all in the Winston Salem Triad area. Joel listened carefully to us about what kind of properties we wanted to view and ultimately purchased. Every time we had our many and varied questions, he promptly got back to us and found out the answers for us. We experienced Joel to be scrupulously honest, knowledgeable, and quite detail oriented - all traits that are very important in the real estate industry. We have been thoroughly pleased with Joel's work ethic and pleasant personality. We can state definitively that our experiences with Joel have been, without question, our best real estate buying experiences in our lives in the last 50 years! If we could have given him more stars, we would have gladly done so!!! Thank you for everything Joel!!! read more

About 9 months ago, I started the home buying process as a first time home buyer. I knew absolutely nothing about the process other than what I'd grasped from friends and YouTube videos. From the minute I reached out to him, Joel was patient, attentive and excited about getting me on the path to choosing my perfect home. No matter how basic my question or how many times I needed clarification, Joel was right there EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. for me. To add to the excitement of being a first time homeowner, I also chose a new construction home. This could have been overwhelming but Joel kept me in the loop, giving me multiple weekly updates as construction progressed. I can't speak more highly of him and his professionalism. Save yourself headache during the home buying process and reach out to Joel! You won't be disappointed.. you will probably gain a really cool friend too. read more

Joel is the ultimate professional. He helped sell my home and helped me purchase a new home. We all hear the phrase "communication is key" and Joel embodies this. He is always on top of anything and everything during the transaction. He lets you know what to expect, what is coming down the pipeline and any issues he thinks may come up. And he is spot on with all of it. Not only is he great at what he does on the business side of things, but he actually looks out for his clients' best interests, and not just his own paycheck. Joel wants the right house for you, not the house that can get him a few extra dollars on his commission. Throughout this whole process, we have become more than just realtor and client, but also good friends. If you're looking for a realtor who is altruistic, will fight for you, and look out for you, Joel is the realtor you need to use. read more

Joel Sandman is an exceptional realtor with deep knowledge of Davidson County and all of North Carolina. He worked with us for nearly 10 months to help us find the perfect property, showing incredible patience and dedication throughout the entire process. Joel took us to countless showings, was present for inspections, walkthroughs, and even our closing--always making sure we felt supported and informed. When it came time to sell our home, Joel went above and beyond with professional marketing strategies and a top-notch photographer to showcase our property beautifully. His tireless work ethic and commitment to our goals made all the difference. If you're looking for a realtor who truly cares and knows the market inside and out, Joel Sandman is the one to call. We couldn't be happier with our experience! read more

Joel was a great asset to us when selling our dad's home. He guided us through a very emotional time with kindness and patience. His knowledge of all aspects of the process from what repairs to make to maximize our sales, to having great suggestions on who to reach out to for the things we needed was invaluable. He did a great job with advertising the home with his photos and videos, and had great advice on pricing the home fairly and competitively. He is honest and fair. Did i mention patient? He was able to juggle multiple opinions and personalities in a complicated family situation with grace. And his patience with our seemingly endless questions on every aspect of the process from beginning to end.... I highly recommend Joel enough for a Realtor and just an all around great guy. Jeana M. read more

My brother and I were recently tasked with selling our late Mother's home. We were fortunate in stumbling upon Joel Sandman (actually he came highly recommended from our late Mother's attorney). Joel's personality/approach is an easy going but confident balance of knowledge, insight, compassion, professionalism, urgency and open honesty. We live about 2 hours from Lexington, so Joel made a point of going by Mom's routinely to check on things and kept us informed. His communications via email or text were clear, concise, informative and appropriate frequency. Joel even showed up to help me with a couple last minute requests from the buyer. We have nothing but good things to say about Joel's performance as our realtor and would recommend him without a moment's hesitation. Butch read more

I can't give any higher of a recommendation than I can for Joel. I had never gone through the process of selling a home before and not only did he provide ample knowledge, but he was amazing with communication, was hands-on throughout the entire process, and allowed me to relax in such a tumultuous time knowing that he had everything under control. It was all incredibly smooth, planned out, and he lets you know what to expect every step of the way. In a world of dwindling customer service, Joel is a shining light and a true example of how business should be done. I'm sincere when I say it was a true pleasure and I feel lucky to have had him. read more