REFERENCES 

Bruce Phares and Donna Bertolino

theattorney'sadvocates

"...Bruce and Donna have now helped us with three transactions. They have been terrific. Their knowledge of market conditions, of what it takes to sell a house, and of what it takes to find and get the house you want are impressive. We credit them with our success in two competitive purchases and with the sale of our first house on favorable terms. In addition to knowing the market, their skill and advice in negotiations were invaluable (my wife and I negotiate for a living and were much impressed). Their dedication and follow-through was a source of much comfort and confidence in a normally hectic and stressful time. Without question, we would go to them again, and we frequently refer our colleagues and friends to them. I doubt you'll find better." Harry Korrell, Partner/Attorney, Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP

“Bruce and his partner Donna are committed service providers who deliver superlative results for their clients and show tireless devotion to 1) educating and informing them about the buying and/or selling process on which they are embarking, 2) facilitating the decision making process for the hard choices involved in choosing a house or valuing a house for sale and 3) representing their clients in negotiations with tough and ethical tactics to get the right deal. Bruce and Donna helped us to sell our first house. They did a beautiful job of staging it (almost made us want to move back in!), generated high demand and executed a timely transaction at a great price. At the same time, they helped us to negotiate the purchase of a new house. This wasn't an ordinary transaction--we bought the house under construction and had to enter into complex and repeated negotiations about design changes, spec choices, time for completion and the like. Bruce guided us through the process, kept us sane and informed (and reasonably calm) and made sure that we got what we wanted at a fair price. Even a year after the transaction was complete, the commissions were paid and we were living in the house, Bruce went out of his way to assist us negotiating with a subcontractor for replacement of flooring in our basement that was discovered to be defective. This took repeated phone calls and persistence and Bruce stayed after it and helped us get it fixed--just out of his loyalty to us as his clients and his desire to make sure we were pleased with the house. Bruce and Donna have my highest recommendation as ethical and highly competent and effective agents who can help guide who through your real estate transactions with grace and support.”  Alan Smith, Attorney, Fenwick & West LLP

"I just wanted to thank you guys, finally, for all the hard work you put into selling ou house. As you know, I am one of those people who try to wear many different hats, and thought I could sell our house “By Owner.”  As hot as the market has been in Seattle for the last several years, I figured that we would be able to sell it easily. . . it might just take us a little longer: 2 weeks instead of 2 days.  And being an experienced real estate attorney, working at a full-service law firm (Betts, Patterson, and Mines, P.S. (cheap plug for the firm–Steve Day would appreciate it), I thought it would be no problem negotiating the transaction and managing all the paper work.  I was wrong.  After all the work and money I put into our “FSBO” marketing effort, i.e., creating a website, doing my own market analysis, making up fliers, and listing the house on the MLS through a flat fee service, it amazed me that we weren’t getting any apparent interest.

Well, all I can say is, thank goodness you kept coming in and showing our house–even though it was a FSBO.  When Mandy made me finally break down, and call a realtor to list our house, it was easy to call an agent who had shown our house three separate times.  Nevertheless, we certainly expected you to explain to us, in detail, what we were going to get for the listing commission we would be paying.  Your presentation to us that morning still stands out in my mind.  The professionalism, responsiveness, and expertise your “team” had to offer really stood out from the other agents we interviewed.  Mandy and I were especially impressed, since you had purportedly been up “working” until 1:00 a.m. the previous evening. (Wasn’t there a late Mariners game that night? (Ha, ha.))

What was most impressive, however, is all the preparation you put into getting us ready to go back on the market.  The “finishing touches” you had us perform to the house clearly made the difference.  (We were somewhat disappointed we had not consulted with you guys before we decided to sell, so that we could have enjoyed those improvements while we were still living there!)  The benefits of that work became clear when we had two offers, seven days after we went on the market, which resulted in a bidding war and a selling price higher than what I had it listed for as a FSBO!

One other side-note I want to share: A good friend of mine from my old firm had her house for sale by owner at the same time we did.  I was just a bit envious, to say the least, when she got a contract on it, after just a couple of weeks.  Unfortunately, I have since learned that the deal fell through.  I can’t help but think that had realtors been involved, the problems could have been averted or avoided altogether.

Anyway, your fee was worth every penny!  If we ever move back, we will certainly give you guys a call.  Regardless, we will never buy or sell our house without the help of a realtor again." Craig Robertson, Attorney, Robertson and Associates, P.A., formerly locally with Betts, Patterson, and Mines, P.S

“In 2008, just after the housing market had begun to falter, my wife and I were given an opportunity to move from Seattle to California, which entailed selling our home on Capitol Hill. Friends recommended Bruce and Donna to us as a remarkably honest, effective and creative real estate team and after a single interview we happily signed on to work with them. As real estate prices began to fall around us, and houses that were up for sale in our neighborhood seemed stuck in limbo, we doubted that we would get anything near what we believed the house was worth. Bruce and Donna recommended that we make some repairs and cosmetic improvements to the place and brought in a stager to put our best foot forward. There were times when we doubted that the extra investment in time and money would pay off, but with the help of some excellent contractors Bruce and Donna work with, we followed most if not all their recommendations, agreed on what seemed to us a somewhat ambitious asking price, and then watched from California to see whether it would pay off. We did not have to wait long. Within an hour of the house going on the market a young couple cruising the internet for Seattle properties was immediately taken with the superb photographs and write-up Bruce and Donna had created and posted, and paid our rather ambitious asking price in full. We were stunned but delighted, of course, and very, very grateful to Bruce and Donna for their great work on our behalf. They are a marvelously complementary team and bring to their work a lot of empathy, good humor, vigilance, and integrity. I recommend them to anyone looking to buy or sell a house in the greater Seattle area.”  Andrew Ward NPR/Author

"I am writing to heartily recommend Bruce Phares and Donna Bertolino. We found them to be incredibly diligent, knowledgeable, and resourceful. They  are master strategists, and common-sense businesspeople, and we felt very fortunate to have them on our side. In addition to their considerable real estate savvy, Bruce and Donna bring a certain human element to the business that seems rather unique to us. In other words, Bruce and Donna not only helped us think through our real estate transaction, they also helped us feel our way through it.  We have told everyone we know to use Bruce and Donna next time they are buying or selling a house, and it is certainly our intention to do the same. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can answer any questions." Rima Hartman, Attorney, Perkins Coie, LLP

“This is really a recommendation for Bruce AND Donna. They were an all star team. I was in Seattle for a little over a year, after about 6 month I decided to buy something, Donna scoured the market on and provided listings (real time during some outings) and Bruce took me around and showed me the properties. This was where Bruce shined, because he could very quickly and accurately tell me why something was a good buy or not-- I still remember him pointing out a condo in the distance and telling me why that was bad because of the siding on the house and how there would eventually be and extra charge to change that. 8 months after I bought my town home in the heart of Fremont -- the PERFECT location, I had to move. I put my house on the market with Bruce and Donna, and though I was nervous about selling it before I left, they came in staged it, marketed it -- Donna wouldn't hear of my considering the low ball offers-- and sure enough, 2 days before I was moving, they sold it. I had a 60% return on invested capital (before taxes and fees), I think I netted a 40% capital gain. Not bad for 8 months. Bruce and Donna, if only you were here in NYC guys, I'm in the market again!”  Charlotte Kim

“I highly recommend Bruce and Donna. I have worked with professionals from all walks of life, many of whom have been very good at their chosen profession. However, only on a few rare occasions have I had the opportunity to meet and work with people who simply seem to be the best at what they do. Bruce and Donna are in this rare group. We are thankful for the opportunity to have worked with people who bring such a remarkable blend of professionalism, exceptional service and integrity to their work.”   Reese Solberg

“My wife Lisa and I first became aware of Bruce and Donna when we inquired among our friends for referrals to good real estate agents. Two people, unknown to each other, recommended Bruce and Donna to us. One of them knew of B & D only as the "opposition" realtors in their recent transaction. These two factors, combined with our own first impressions, sealed the deal for us. Bruce and Donna helped us sell our house and find and buy a new one, all without needing to move to temporary accommodation. The process could hardly have been smoother. It began on the selling side, months before our intended selling date, with them recommending cost-effective projects on our home to make it more appealing to a prospective buyer. They connected us with all the vendors and tradespeople we needed, all of whom were more than satisfactory. It continued with them spending a day (maybe more) carefully staging our home, and culminated in the open house, which resulted in competing offers above the asking price at the end of the first day. On the buying side, Bruce spent the first day driving us all over town to research homes and neighbourhoods. We lost count of the number of houses we looked at. After a couple of weeks, we put in an offer on one house, only to find a number of red flags on the inspection, and they tactfully steered us towards rejection. We eventually found the house that became our current home, which we love, and in which we've started our family. I can't think of any way in which Bruce and Donna could have made the entire process less stressful. We now regard them as friends, and would recommend them to others without reservation.”  Colm Delaney

“My wife and I worked with Bruce and Donna on buying two houses and selling one. They came highly recommended from a friend of mine and they didn't let us down in any way. They know both the area and the industry extremely well, and it shows in their ability to serve their clients. They also displayed very high integrity in all our endeavors. If we weren't so happy with our current house, we would not hesitate to use them again.” Clark Olson

“Bruce is a fun and intelligent person that I know or over 20 years. He is a terrific bass player and loves good food, in my book that is very important. I have had the chance of having Bruce as my agent in real estate dealing and was extremely happy about his enthusiasm, knowledge and professionalism focusing the whole time on the client needs.”  Thierry Rautureau Owner, Rover's Restaurant

 “I can't recommend Bruce and Donna highly enough. Peerless integrity, unmatched market knowledge and an extraordinary work ethic all wrapped up in two of the most personable and caring individuals you could possibly meet. The depth and accuracy of their market analysis and insight is amazing. In two out of state transactions my wife and I were able to rely entirely on their extraordinary expertise to find us a property that matched our quirky needs perfectly (and to later position a property for sale in a way that maximized our value in a changing market). They listened and knew what we wanted before we did and as a result, found us our home quickly and efficiently. Their prudent advice literally saved us tens of thousands of dollars in potential sewer repairs that were discovered solely as a result of their advice and diligence. They routinely go WAY above and beyond the call for their clients. Absolute pros. You can't do better.”  Dennis Michaels, Attorney, Boutin

"Bruce and Donna recently helped us sell our home and we couldn't be happier with the job they did for us. In virtually every stage of the home-selling process, we were impressed with their expertise, creativity and sincere desire to understand and respond to our concerns. I would not even consider using anyone other than Bruce and Donna in the future to buy or sell a home in Seattle, unless they were unavailable.  Their assistance began by telling us how to prepare our home for sale and my one piece of unsolicited advice on this subject is LISTEN TO BRUCE AND DONNA. They have an excellent grasp of the "little things" that will make the house more appealing and will increase its value to the current crop of buyers on the market. Even if you do not have much time or resources to work on the house, Bruce and Donna are adept at evaluating priorities and facing reality as far as what can be accomplished and what cannot.  Bruce and Donna's approach to setting a sales price, evaluating the market by reviewing houses even up to the day that our house went on sale, was very effective and we believe substantially raised the amount that we were able to receive as an offer. Their hard work in constantly being aware of other properties being listed certainly paid off. Likewise, their dynamic and extensive marketing of the property was impressive.  The first thing that drew us to Bruce and Donna was the quality of the websites on which the properties were marketed, which were far superior to other websites we had seen. In addition to the website, Bruce and Donna actively promoted the house in the more traditional manner by printing flyers (with attractive color photos), having an open house, and contacts with other brokers.  During the negotiation process, their experience and savvy showed. We felt confident that nothing would get by Bruce and Donna and that we would be fully informed of the risks and benefits of various strategies. Perhaps the most important quality we found was our complete confidence that Bruce and Donna were truly representing us and ultimately wanted only that we be happy with the result. They asked questions sincerely designed to understand what our feelings and concerns were and kept those concerns in mind throughout the selling process.  They were attuned not only to the practical considerations of preparing a home for sale but also to the turmoil that the process can cause to a couple with a young child. Finally, Bruce and Donna were a pleasure to work with and be around, and made selling our house as much fun as selling a house could be. Please feel free to contact us if we can answer any additional questions you may have about Bruce and Donna!"     Peter Gonick, Attorney, McKay Chadwell  

"...I am happy to recommend Bruce and Donna (as I do, as often as possible, to people at work and to good friends -- whom I know we'll see again)...Bruce and Donna helped us purchase a home, and then, 3 years later, helped us sell it. At every point -- including dealing with our kids -- they we're terrific. When we sold our house, Bruce and Donna came through and identified the things we should do to prepare it for sale. They told us what they thought was imperative and what we could let go if we wanted. The few things they suggested as being really important seemed to pay off substantially. The house looked great when we showed it . . . better than at any point in our living there.  Once it was ready for sale, Bruce and Donna thoroughly reviewed the market and our neighborhood to help us decide the price. I thought the number they came up with was nuts, but they said otherwise. I am convinced that they picked exactly the right price; high enough to be realistic and yet low enough that our three competitive bidders had room to maneuver.  Bruce and Donna managed the process of showing and offering the house with unique tact and skill. They took us as we were (with kids, cat, backyard full of toys, etc.) and actually made an asset of the whole scene. And when it came to negotiating, let me say that I'm glad that Bruce and Donna worked for us and not on the other side. Tough when tough was appropriate, forgiving when that was the right move. We have bought and sold three houses over the past 7 years. Working with Bruce and Donna was the best real estate experience we've had by far. If we ever move back to Seattle,  my first call will be to them. I'd be pleased to sing their praises directly, so please don't hesitate to contact me." Jason Klein, Attorney, Davis Wright Tremaine, LLP