Dear Renee,
Thank you for reaching out to check in on our experience working with Elizabeth Wagner and Village Properties. Elizabeth and I have been friends for over ten years. In 2011 she helped my sister and I buy a house. Everyone involved with that purchase agreed that it was the easiest sale ever experienced.
In late 2018 my partner and I decided to buy a house in Santa Barbara and knew that Elizabeth would be the person to help us. I also knew that it wouldn’t be as easy as the first time, but I didn’t quite fathom the adventure the next 14 months would take us on.
The very first house we looked at had many features we desired; but it also had giant, leaning eucalyptus and was in the fire and flood zone. Elizabeth advised against it from the start and getting an insurance quote was a nightmare. By the time we got around to an offer, the house was taken; perhaps a blessing in disguise? Then we hit a dry spell. We were Goldilocks to the Santa Barbara housing market. Nothing seemed “just right”.
Eight months later we found what we came to call “the lobster house”. It had everything we wanted and the initial listing was in our price range. Then bidding started and we threw in everything we had (including some fresh lobster) but were eventually outbid.
Three more months and a fixer upper on the east side popped up. It had lots of problems but lots of potential. We could make this one work…
24 hours later our dream home came on the market. Knowing that we were ready to move on the fixer, Elizabeth got us in to see the dream house the next morning; a day before the realtor tour. They say when you know, you know — and we knew — this was our house. We submitted an offer that night and the seller accepted the next day (kind of, there was a power outage, a reluctant realtor (the seller’s) and a few other complications that delayed the actual acceptance).
Over the next 30 days there were a lot of bumps; no one would say that this sale was easy. Elizabeth was there through everything with a big smile, a deep breath and options. She was patient with us, the seller and the seller’s agent. She prodded the mortgage bank when necessary and smoothed over our missteps. We asked a lot of questions and if she didn’t have an answer, she connected us with someone who did. Nights, weekends and holidays she made sure things kept moving and that we were informed of the process and next steps.
This sale was unconventional and Elizabeth supported us and advocated for us throughout the process. We are extremely happy that we had her by our side and will continue to recommend her to our friends and families. Even the seller stated that he wished Elizabeth had been his agent. She has our permission to use our names and use us as a reference. We don’t plan to buy another house — this is our forever home — but if we do, she will be the first person we call.
Sincerely,
Megan Birney & Felix Rudert
