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Katie and Jeff Hermann's Success Story
Why did you decide to buy and sell?
The first time we worked with Robyn was 2009 to buy our first house. We really decided to purchase at the time because with the economic downturn we figured we would get a good deal. A friend recommended Robyn to us because she had been a 1st-time buyer as well and had a really good experience.
We eventually sold the house because it was becoming a bit small for us and we wanted a different layout. We didn't want to move far from where we were already living but a house went up for sale in our neighborhood and we loved it. Robyn helped us see it right away and of course, we were like, "by the way, I guess we need to sell our now"!
How did Robyn prepare your home to sell and how did you feel she marketed your home?
She staged it for us using our furniture and also supplemented with a few of her own items. The photography looked great - She must know some great photographers!
She did all the digital stuff Zillow, Facebook marketing, mailers around the area and set up yard signs in neighborhoods and main streets. She also did some strategic MLS marketing to make sure our home showed up in the right jurisdiction since the town of Fairfax is about a 6-mile radius. Needless to say, she covered all the bases. We listed on a Wednesday or Thursday and we had 1 open house weekend and had an offer within a week.
Why Robyn?
The most vetting we did was in 2009. We met with her at her office and talked about her philosophy about 1st-time home buyers and we spoke about where the market was and what it meant for us. You know, buying in the post-financial decline... it was an interesting time to buy. There were lots of short sales and foreclosures, especially in Northern VA.
With it being such a weird time economically, a lot of agents and buyers were unsure about the market in general. Robyn talked to us about what we would run across and she knew latest financial requirements for buyers after the crisis.
Her personality is exactly what we needed. We needed someone direct, honest, and truthful who understood what we wanted. She really had the patience and intuition to anticipate our needs.
All of the financial lenders she works with are top-notch they are super responsive - even on a Friday night, very much like how Robyn operates.
Best part of your experience?
When we bought in 2009, Robyn really just had our back during the chaos of the financial crisis. We ran across a few appraisal issues and immediately she knew something wasn't right. She had a lot of questions for the appraiser and immediately was proactive and went to bat for us. She advocated for us when we didn't even know we needed an advocate.
When we sold in 2016, she was a really great support to us since we had never sold before. Naturally, we weren't sure what needed to be done to sell. She guided us through those steps and told us what would REALLY move the needle for positive buyer feedback and what was just fluff.
Were there stressful moments or things you were concerned about?
During the selling process, our buyer had concerns about the basement after the inspection came back. Robyn worked with the buyer's agent and explained that the issues were cosmetic and that there's nothing foundationally wrong with the basement. We volunteered to fix a few small things but she negotiated and brought us all together to a solution we could agree on instead of a constant back and forth. That was really stressful because we didn't know if the contract was going to fall through or not. Luckily it didn't and I really feel like Robyn was responsible for holding the contract together.
The Hermann's Advice to You
If you are in Northern VA, call Robyn she's worked with many clients over decades and she knows the market extremely well. She has great connections with lenders and other agents to make sure everything goes smoothly. She knows jurisdiction and knows tax rates better than anyone so she knows what you can truly afford.
I think if you are buying in Northern VA, one of the most important things is knowing the type of community you want to move into. What kind of neighbors do you want to have? Also, inventory can be low at certain times of the year. So stay open-minded! You can always improve and update a home but you can't change its location. Be intentional about choosing a home in a close-knit community if you have children or if that's something you value.
