Buying a great home within your budget and in your desired location is not an easy task. If you are looking for the best real state agent in the Seattle area, Tolin is the one. He helped us find an amazing home and his service and advice went way beyond the work of a typical real state agent. My family and I moved to the Seattle area recently. Tolin was recommended to us by a relative. We started looking for a home before our move, and Tolin accommodated very well to our schedules. He asked very good questions from the beginning and he listened carefully for location characteristics, type of neighborhoods, and home features that were very important to us. He patiently did several tours with me, and re-did tours with me and my wife when we requested it. We highly appreciate his patience and methodical approach. Because he worked in construction and remodeling earlier in his career, he was able to identify very quickly when houses we visited had any major problems (e.g. foundation, aging roofing, structural problems, outdated utilities and other). That was extremely helpful because we were able to concentrate our time on good houses only. Finally, his experience with construction and remodeling was also very helpful to draft estimates for possible remodeling upgrades. We deeply thank Tolin for that. It really helped us make the most of our budget. We will be in our great home for several years, but when we need an agent in the area, we want to work with Tolin again for sure! read more

I worked with Tolin as a first time homebuyer. He does a great job of guiding you through the home buying process and managing your expectations. Tolin listens to what you're looking for in a home and also does a great job educating you about other things you should keep in mind when house hunting as well. He partners with his clients in putting together competitive and reasonable offers which is very important given the tight Seattle housing market. I would recommend Tolin to everyone and would definitely work with him again. read more

He helped us get our dream home! Tolin is great at what he does. He knows real estate market in and out. Me and my husband had been working with Redfin. We were never satisfied by their service. Everything was online and always a different person to contact. With Tolin, we had one point of contact and he was always available for all our questions. Tolin connected us with everyone you may need in the market to buy home. And all of his referrals were spontaneous like him. It was like working with the best team in real estate start to end! We were looking for home since a year with Redfin but with him we sealed the deal in less than a month, once we knew what home we wanted. Buying a home is a very personal experience and you need somebody whom you can rely on. Tolin had all the answers, or at least he knew where to seek for correct answers. We knew we could rely on him in this crazy Seattle market. read more

Short Story - BEST AGENT IN SEATTLE and NEW LIFELONG FRIEND AND AGENT!!! Long story - I can tell you first hand Tolin Peterson is truly the best real estate agent in Seattle!!! He's not only going to get you into a house you love and want, but he is going to get you into the RIGHT HOUSE... My search began 5 months ago. Tolin and I sat down in his office and discussed my desires and expectations. Shortly after that we began looking at numerous houses. I can't explain how much I learned during the process! There were quite a few times that I saw house I "loved" and was politely explained... "Matt, If you like it we will go for it... But i think we can do better and this is why....." As the months went on I learned about rehab costs, different types of construction, foundation, siding, Electrical systems, plumbing systems.... It was an amazing and valuable learning experience. After months of searching, I happened to walk into an open house by myself (house had been on the market 3hrs!) . I was immediately impressed with what I saw. An estate sale, with a dated interior but updated electrical. Easy to access plumbing, incredibly high unfinished basement, and right smack in the middle of green lake! I had planned on calling Tolin and viewing the house with him the next day. To my surprise I received a phone call not and hour later from Tolin explaining that he had a house for me! It was quite rewarding to know that I had learned a lot and that we agreed on all the great aspects of the house. Tolin and I discussed numbers and he provided 3 values for me... A great price, a fair price, and an emotional price... He explained with the location that the house is going to have a lot of competition and great price was probably out of the question. So, we worked up an offer based on a fair price that was within my budget. Offers on the house were EXTREMELY competitive! To this day I don't know how Tolin managed to beat out 13 other offers AND stay well within my budget. What I do know is that he worked tirelessly with the listing agent, and my banker trying to get me the house I wanted and succeeded!!! To top it off, I was EXTREMELY pleased to find out that the purchase price was UNDER the appraised value! I couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome! Not only has Tolin been an amazing agent, He has also became a valuable friend. He has called and came by multiple times AFTER the sale to see how rehab is going, Provide his insight into repairs and additions that are worth the money, and provide his full list of contacts for contractors, plumber, ect... I assure you that you can not go wrong with Tolin... He won't let you! You will make a great friend, and be happy to refer him to all of your friends and family. I look forward to working with Tolin for my NEXT house purchase! read more

Tolin is very informative and really knows the market around the greater Seattle area. He has helped us with 9 buying/selling transactions and always helps us get top dollar for our listings by providing advice on making our house look great. read more

Connecting with Tolin Peterson was amazing. This was my third time going through the home buying process and Matt's first. I assumed that as a first time home buyer, Matt would be the only one learning anything but soon realized that I had a lot to learn myself! Tolin was extremely informative, patient and truly cared about us (so different then my previous experiences). We looked at several properties before finding our home. Tolin was able to meet us for a showing at a drop of the hat, often having arrived early to look over the property first. It was obvious from the beginning that he was not out to make the quick sale, pointing out faults in many of the houses we viewed. He was very knowledgeable in materials and craftsmanship and shared this with us. When it came to our myriad of questions regarding the house, land and neighborhood, if Tolin didn't know, he would shortly, and share the information immediately. In my previous experiences, I would find myself having to push the agent I was working with to get the answers that I felt I needed. Tolin was always very proactive in this and so many other ways. After our offer was accepted on our home, Tolin prompted and was available for the subsequent inspections. Again, available in person to answer any questions that we had. In the end we ended up signing on a bank owned home. This was a challenge in and of itself. Tolin was on top of everything. When the property's bank representatives were not only unresponsive after the offer acceptance, but giving us the run around, Tolin pushed to close properly in a reasonable amount of time. It was actually phenomenal if you consider the fact that we signed the day before Thanksgiving, and had the keys two days before Christmas! read more

out of the 3 real estate agents we evaluated thru phone conversations, Tolin is who we picked. 1. He answered our questions thoroughly. 2. Had been working in the real estate ecosystem in some form for many years. 3. He has extensive experience with construction and build materials. 4. He came off as genuinely interested in helping our family find the right home. after going on a couple of house hunts and seeing many places with Tolin, it was clear that we made the right decision to work with him. His knowledge of the process is quite robust and the added bonus of his construction experience goes a long way towards identifying a home that fits your comfort level of remodel or "fixing" of a potential property. he educated me on the quality differences inherent in each decades construction standards. he was also very open to hearing and identifying what my needs were for a future home. the long and short of it... do yourself a favor and work with tolin to get your real estate needs met. He always made us feel like we were his top priority (within reason :P), and promptly returned correspondence. He explained clearly parts of the process so that a 1st time homebuyer like myself could understand. He also had patience working with my wife and i as we were evaluating properties from different cities while i was the only one here in town. I will definitely go to Tolin again for any future home purchases and will continue to recommend him to anyone who asks. read more

I had worked with a few underwhelming Redfin agents before a trusted friend referred me to Tolin. We all know how hot the Seattle market is and everyone I knew warned me not to get too excited because they had to put in 5-10 offers before they found a home. Well, as a first time home buyer, I moved into my dream house this past Friday, with the very first offer I put in, within my budget and well under the appraised value, and none of it would have been possible without Tolin. If it's still unclear from the rave reviews below mine, here are the reasons why I personally loved working with Tolin: * Respectful and not pushy at all with his clients, but a shark when representing you * Goes with the timeline you're comfortable with: I was on the fence about buying a home when I first started working with Tolin, and he would always check-in to make sure I had everything I needed, but would give me space if I told him I was taking a break from looking or was tied up with work/life. * Has a long background in construction: He would walk into a house and within minutes could tell you about the quality of the build, if a furnace may need replacing, if siding would hold up, where the weight bearing walls in the house are that you may have to plan future construction around, etc. I was in the market for an older home, and Tolin's expertise was integral to helping me determine true long-term value of all the homes we viewed. * Hyper transparent: Tolin is extremely thorough and provides the full range of best case and worst case scenarios when putting together your offer. When you're spending this much money, you want to understand all potential upside and risk, and I felt informed and comfortable before submitting my bid. * Knows real estate and the Seattle neighborhoods so well and encourages you to ask any and all questions without making you feel dumb. * Has best-in-class contacts in the industry (for the loan, inspections, etc) to provide a seamless home buying process. I felt like l had a full, cohesive team behind me! * Amazing response time: Seriously. To the point that you wonder if he has a life outside of work... He shares your sense of urgency and is always on the ball. He will never be the cause of a hold up throughout the home buying process which is so critical in a competitive seller's market like Seattle. Cannot recommend him enough!! read more

My boyfriend and I were referred to Tolin very enthusiastically. We are first time home owners and weren't really sure what we were in for, but after one meeting with Tolin, we were sure he could help us step by step. We got incredibly lucky and ended up getting the first offer we put in! Tolin was with us every step of the way and was always available when we had questions (or when I had mini-freak outs!). Tolin also wants to take us out to celebrate our new home once we are all moved in. It's been so great working with Tolin and we look forward to using him for the rest of our home buying future! read more

As first time home buyers, entering the real estate market can be daunting, especially in a competitive sellers market. Working with Tolin made the whole process much easier. His understanding of the local neighborhoods, school systems and buyer trends proved invaluable. In addition, his knowledge of house construction was very useful in helping us learn what to look for and what to walk away from. Thanks to Tolin's advice and coaching, we were able to beat out multiple offers and purchase our first home! We highly recommend Tolin for a real estate agent! read more

When I began to think about buying a house in Seattle, a dear friend recommended Tolin as someone who could help me navigate the difficult Seattle real estate market. Even though I was about a year away from purchasing, Tolin offered to meet with me to discuss what I was looking for and set my expectations for what I could afford. He checked in with me over the course of the year and made sure I was up to date on what was happening in the market. When I was finally ready to start my search, he assured me that I was on my own timeline and there was never any pressure to buy. After looking at just a few homes, I found the one. It was in my target neighborhood and within my budget. He helped me navigate the purchase without an inspection; helping me look over the structure of the house and understand any risks to purchase the house (a 1940's bungalow). Not only did I get the house, but I got it under list price with the long closing that I needed. Tolin even saved me from re-piping my whole house after I bought it and helped me understand what I should do today and what I could save for. He isn't just a real estate agent when you are buying a house. He is a lifelong friend that is full of resources. I will never look for another agent again and would refer him to anyone buying a home in Seattle. read more