I have been working with Erik to find my first home since October; through a twist of fate, I was paired with him by Trulia--I'm so glad we met! I had been casually working with a realtor friend who was hard to schedule showings with and generally didn't treat me as a serious buyer, and Erik's enthusiasm was a breath of fresh air. The first way Erik impressed me was by asking me to decide who I'd rather work with, because in the industry, it is unethical to poach clients from another realtor. Erik's genuine commitment to ethical business practices helped build an immediate level of trust between us.
Erik has a wealth of experience not only with realty, but also with banking, construction, and renovation. Whichever way you decide to go--buying an existing house, building a house, getting into new construction, or acquiring investment properties--Erik knows a lot about it. I loved that I could ask him about the approximate cost of certain changes to homes as we walked through, and he will sit down with you and compare mortgage rates and closing costs.
He is a great listener and came with me to see lots of houses to figure out what exactly I wanted. He is awesome about promptly making appointments and communicating--the Knoxville market turns over so quickly that having a realtor who can do same-day showings is necessary. Erik has always been available to talk during evenings and weekends--he is such a hard worker and willing to put in the time to take care of you.
On top of all that, Erik is so chill and never pressures you to pick a certain house or make an offer. He has always given me all the options and told me to make the decision that felt right to me. As an attorney, I really appreciate that approach, which is the same as I took with clients when I was out in practice.
I also had an offer accepted on a house and the inspection revealed some things I just wasn't prepared to handle, and Erik was very sweet about getting me out of that contract. I am mindful that realtors are working on commission, but Erik has never made me feel like I'm wasting his time, even though my first house is going to be relatively modest. He has been encouraging and positive during a potentially stressful process, especially during COVID. I am (finally) under contract with a new construction, and I feel really good about the decision thanks to Erik and his expertise.
P.S. Honorable mention goes to Nikki, who filled in and did some showings with me when Erik was out sick one weekend--she was so nice and helpful! read more