Client Testimonials
To: takomapakk@yahoogroups.com; ssmoms_2003@yahoogroups.com; takomadc@yahoogroups.com
From: gml1969x@hotmail.com
Date: Fri, 3 May 2013 10:59:50 -0400
Subject: [ssmoms_2003] Realtor rec: Judy Kogod
I wanted to write to recommend my realtor, Judy Kogod for anyone who is thinking about moving in the Takoma/Silver Spring area.I work full time and have two small kids, so I was really apprehensive about even trying to sell my house. Choosing a good agent was, I knew, especially critical to my success.I felt really comfortable with Judy so ended up choosing her to sell my house in Takoma DC, and subsequently I chose her as my buying agent to help me purchase in Takoma Park Maryland. My old house was under contract a month after I signed on with her. And about 9 weeks after signing up to work with her, my old house had been updated, staged, and sold; and I had bought, and moved into a new house (and I only missed a few days of work in the process)!While the fact that it’s a ‘sellers market’ right now certainly helped me sell my old house, I am absolutely *certain* that Judy greatly facilitated the process, and helped me get top dollar.She suggested sensible, cost-effective upgrades that made a huge difference in the look of the house, and she oversaw that work for me. Less than two weeks after signing on with her, all of that work was done, within the budget we discussed.Then it was time for staging, which she also did an *awesome* job of. This was actually one of the key reasons I chose Judy-looking over fotos from her past sales, it was really obvious that she has a great eye, and really thinks carefully about staging, which made a huge difference in my house. I left for work one morning, and when I came home that night, the house had been transformed! She has a lot of her own items that she can use for staging, but she also worked with me to incorporate my things. And Judy was extremely sensitive to balancing the need to make the house look extra-terrific, with the fact that there are two kids under age 5 living there. She was able to give me ideas about how to improve my son’s room, for instance, that still allowed him to keep almost all his myriad toys and decorations, and thus keep him comfortable during the selling process.Judy then took time to make the fotos of the house, both inside and out, look great, and as with everything, she always consulted with me, and was willing to listen to my ideas, etc. on the marketing materials, which she puts a lot of time into (and which come out looking terrific).The house sold quickly, and Judy continued to stay in close contact throughout the post-contract period, even making sure everything was in tip-top form for the appraisal, and confirming that the appraiser recognized all the amenities of my house, and how high the houses in my neighborhood were selling for (not all appraisers do thorough research on this beforehand).Judy also helped to facilitate my purchase in Takoma Park, which went very smoothly. And to the extent that there were a few little 'bumps' judy worked with me and the sellers to reach a resolution as quickly as possible.Something that is really important--In terms of both buying and selling, Judy remained *extremely* responsive to me. She always responded within the day, and honestly, she usually responded within the hour, if not within minutes, of my contacting her; and kept me apprised of what was going on with both the buying and the selling. And even for the few questions that have come up since both sales were finalized, she has continued to get back to me immediately.Judy is also really familiar with the intricacies of the housing market around here, having lived in Takoma Park for decades.And as I already alluded to, she was always very cognizant and empathetic to the fact that I have two little ones-as far as scheduling things that worked with my limited availability, and being patient when I had two screaming kids running around, etc. As a matter of fact, she was also really good and understanding about my very energetic dog. These may seem like little things, but moving is stressful enough as it is, so it’s nice to not have to worry that the real estate agent is going to be annoyed at your kids or pets!Please contact me if you have any questions about Judy.Thanks!Gretchen on Poplar (formerly of 2nd street)
September 2012
If you live in Takoma Park, you've likely seen Judy's name and photo on
houses for sale. There is a reason so many people select her - she is
absolutely amazing. On so many fronts, she went above and beyond what,
I imagine, most real estate agents would do, and our house sold after
only 3 days on the market. I can't recommend her highly enough.
In May, just days before our second child was born, my husband received
a formal offer for a new job in Austin. We left DC when our baby was
only 10 weeks old and the house went on the market the next week.
Managing a move (and the editing of clutter after 16 years in the same
city!), home renovations, a toddler, a colicky baby with major food
sensitivities (leading me to a severely restricted diet in the middle of
the move) while freshly postpartum was pretty chaotic. Judy was the
calm and extremely reliable presence we so needed during this time.
We initially connected with her through SIRVA, the relocation company
facilitating the move on behalf of my husband's new firm. SIRVA also
takes a big chunk of Judy's commission and, because of that is,
understandably, probably not the most desirable type of sale from the
agent's perspective. However at no point did I ever feel she was less
focused on our house because she was going to make less off the sale of
our house. If anything, she worked harder.Judy truly cares, above all, about doing the very best she can for her
clients. She was also sensitive to the fact that I'd just had a baby.
We had many contractors, landscapers, etc. coming in and out doing bids
and she was e.g. the only person who seemed totally at ease with me
nursing throughout most of our meetings (which, when your baby is a week
old, you have to do!).Our house needed a lot work in order to go on the market e g our single
bathroom needed a major renovation (including working with huge gaps of
missing tile and existing tile embedded old-school style in "mud" and
wire). Because we had a newborn and a 3 year old, we were very limited
/ capable of doing the repairs we needed to do while we were all still
in the house. Judy recommended a contractor, managed his team starting
the day after the movers left and took pictures regularly, sending them
to me in Austin so I could see the progress. She even went shopping for
us at Lowes selecting and buying tile floor, sink, fixtures, etc.!She spent hours at our house (including on 100+ degree days when the AC
was off!), answered dozens of worried emails and calls from me over the
weeks and stopped me from overspending on renos! She also managed the
relocation company, offered to manage the person working on the yard,
the person cleaning the house post renos and was extremely focused on
small details. Here's an example: we decided not to stage the house
because we felt our small house seemed bigger without furniture. Also,
having put several thousand in to the house to get it ready for sale, it
also saved us some money not to stage. But to make the house feel less
sterile and more homey, she packed her Prius full of rugs, a small table
and chairs, decorative trinkets, etc., carted them into our house and
made the empty rooms looks so much better. She did ALL of this without
me even having to ask.I genuinely don't know how we would have made it through this process
without her. I mean, we moved half way across the country with none of
the work on the house completed, handed her the keys and she managed
everything from the renovations through to the successful sale - all in
less than two weeks. I am the type of person who likes to do things
myself rather than outsourcing (not always a good thing!), but this
summer, because of our circumstances, found there were things I just
couldn't do. Judy saw this - and that my plate was full to the brim and
quietly helped me find solutions and - behind the scenes, just kept
taking things off my plate. She didn't just prep and list our house,
she dove in to the process 100% . She cared about the house as if it
was her own. She is a real estate agent extraordinaire - a great
advisor - and a friend.If you are selling or buying a house - or know someone who is, you will
find no better agent / person than Judy Kogod.
Sincerely, Julie Inlow and Leo Munoz
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Michael V. Sholl
28 Hidden Valley Circle
Shepherdstown, WV 25443
September 8, 2011
Ms. Dottie Crago Faust, Manager
Long & Foster Real Estate
4732 Bethesda Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
Dear Ms. Crago Faust:
Last year when my father was placed in an assisted living facility, my brother, sister, and I decided it was time to sell my father´s home in Takoma Park, MD. This was our family´s home since 1964.
In the summer of 2010, we received a postcard from Long and Foster with Judy Kogod as a listing agent. We decided to call Judy and met her around September 2010. We were impressed with her notebook presentation, her knowledge of the neighborhood, and her experience in the housing market. Judy made excellent suggestions regarding improvements that the house needed so that we could make a quick sale.
Judy provided a list of contractors, who were professional and pleasant to work with. We were amazed by the appearance of the house after a thorough cleaning and painting. Judy also "staged" the house to show it in its best light. This past spring we signed a contract with Judy and Long and Foster. The home sold the first weekend it was listed, which is an amazing accomplishment during these economic times.
Judy did a tremendous amount of work to make this whole process flow smoothly. With her confidence and expertise, she knew what we had to do to sell the house, and we followed her advice. Settlement was an easy process as well. Judy set up settlement through Bobby Lee and the Sage Group, LLC. They, like Judy, provided us excellent service and reassurance through the settlement process.
Sadly, my dad passed away in June 2011 at the age of 90, but it was comforting for my dad to know that a young family had purchased the house. We are grateful for the real estate service Judy provided to our family.
Sincerely,
Michael V. Sholl
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January 2011
Dottie Crago, MGR
Long and Foster
Bethesda Ave Offfice
Dear Dottie,Judy,This letter is in support of manner and quantity of service provided by Ms. Judy Kogod when I purchased a house in Silver Spring in 2010.
I moved to Silver Spring in early 2010 by transfer in my government job. I have owned two other homes briefly, had solid credit, knew my upper price limit, and was motivated by the end-April 2010 tax credit . As a hobby, I also had been informing myself of some basics by watching HGTV. I´m a scientist, and I looked at this as another project! I knew finding the right agent was going to be key to the whole process.
I connected with Judy by asking my 90-day rental landlord. The Mollo´s had had an excellent experience with Judy, and still keep in touch for a future, larger home. I took the opportunity to meet Judy at one of her open houses, so that I wouldn´t waste her time if we weren´t a good fit. We talked for less than 10 minutes, I got her card, and I took to her spirited demeanor. Within 36 hours I received several emails from her pointing to solid information in my price range. I was able to print out a list and drive to see the outside of properties that were possible. This was very helpful, because I needed to figure out if I could afford good ?ole Takoma Park. That list helped me look in T Park, the edge of the District, and a few in Silver Spring. That was a fast way to think about those neighborhoods. My purchase was based on just one income, so I needed to look further.
Long story short, Judy provided me with information I could take action on. I began to narrow down my criteria, and expanded into several zip codes. I appreciated her factual, experienced answers that gave me a reality check. She knows Montgomery County laws and regulations well. She suggested an excellent, very experienced inspector who gave me a full report, and an excellent checklist to help my home maintenance in the future.
Judy was always responsive and sensitive to confidentiality. She helped me immensely when my house appraised for lower than the offered price, and we needed to work through that situation with several rounds of negotiations.
I appreciate Judy´s knowledge, skills and personableness very much, and I know I´ll ask her to help me in a decade when I hope to move to sunny climes for retirement!
Thank you for the chance to give her a vote of confidence.
Yours sincerely,
Carol Kelly
Carol A. Kelly, Ph.D.
USDC Seafood Inspection Program
14928 Hydrus Road
Silver Spring, MD 20906
240-839-0205
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I just cannot thank you enough for the amazing job you did for us selling our house. I am totally and completely impressed and realize how great a job you did securing us such an exceptional offer. You are an awesome real estate agent! We plan to fully articulate our thanks in a full fledged letter, but I really wanted to tell you how impressed we are and grateful that you were our real estate agent.
You totally graced this house and found terrific people to be the next owners.
I think I can finally fall asleep now - this is so far beyond our expectations. Thank you so much for a job done exceptionally well.
All the best and many, many thanks,
Kathy and Matt
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Dear Ms.Faust
I would like to express my family´s appreciation for the unflagging professionalism and support demonstrated by Ms. Judy Kogod in regard to the purchase of our new Washington,DC home and the sale of our Takoma Park house. In the hunt for our new home, Judy´s service went far beyond tirelessly identifying listings and showing us homes; rather, she fully served as our advocate, identifying options, conducting thorough and detailed analyses of comparable homes and neighborhoods, and carefully managing the bid process.
Judy deftly managed the sale of our prior home with an approacj that netted multiple offers following the initial open house; the interest she generated clearly reflected the care-and flair- involved in preparation of the marketing materials. Her work yielded a sales price well above asking.
Judy is a careful listener and internalized our often varying descriptions of what we were looking for out of both transactions. She coached us through the relevant processes and also provided related support through an alliance of quality support services ? from the settlement attorney to the home and termite inspectors-all of which greatly eased the facility of the purchase and sale and our stress level.
We look forward to recommending Judy highly to friends and associates and we will always remember her warmly for guiding us so smoothly through a major transition.
Melissa M
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January 13 2008
Dear Ms Faust,
My husband and I would like to take a moment to express our gratitude to one of your agents, Judy Kogod. Our relationship with Judy for both the selling of our former home in Berwyn Heights and the purchase of our new home in Chevy Chase was successful in great part due to Judy´s expertise, persistence,attention to detail and general helpfulness.
Because both my husband and I work full-time and have a child under age two, our schedules are very busy and our free time somewhat limited. Judy was always willing to work around our conflicting calendars by meeting us at our home, at her office, or even at a prospective house. She was always well-prepared for meetings so we could get right down to work , always got to the point in a professional yet direct manner that we could appreciate, and she even showed wonderful patience as we attempted to conduct business with a curious toddler in tow.
In looking for our new home Judy performed targeted searches in the areas we had identified and made helpful recommendations as to which houses we might preview and which ones we might skip. It became eminently clear after a couple of trial runs that Judy really had a pulse on the style of home and neighborhood we were seeking, and thus she cut down a lot of leg work for us by being able to hone in on the houses in which we would be most interested. She consistently offered sound advice and gave us room to deliberate when we needed it.
When we finally found a home in Rock Creek Forest that we really liked Judy worked diligently with the owners who were selling without an agent. Often she quietly performed ministerial duties on their behalves (due to their inexperience in real estate transactions) in order to facilitate a smooth sale for us.
On the other side of the move Judy worked very hard for us to get our first home in Berwyn Heights sold. First, she helped us make great improvements to the property both inside and out in order to make its "show quality" more attractive. She even brought in some of her own furniture and accessories to brighten the house and I still marvel at how well she integrated our existing items with hers to improve the look and feel of the house.
Although we put our home on the market in summer, right at the cusp of a real estate drought in the area Judy never gave up on our house. She held numerous open houses, followed up on every lead and gently advised us on how and when to make various strategic moves, such as price reductions and changes in marketing. When we finally found a buyer, Judy brokered some lengthy negotiations with finesse, particularly around issues related to a contingent purchase offer and the final post-inspection repairs. All tolled, we sold our home in sluggish Prince Georges County in 4 months, while other homes on our block remain on the market.
Finally, we have truly come to value Judy as a person. She has given our daughter a congratulatory present upon our move, and has even recommended a Christmas present for my husband to get me. Clearly her thoughtfulness ranges far beyond her real estate acumen and is a reflection of the quality of her character.
We could not be more happy with the outcome of our move. We love our new home and neighborhood and we are eternally grateful that we sold our first home to someone we believe will care for it lovingly! Judy was instrumental in making this all happen and we will not hesitate to recommend her to anyone seeking a real estate agent in this area.
Sincerely
Karen K and Dan I
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Dear Ms. Crago Faust
It has been almost a year since I moved into my lovely condo, which is located on Amherst Ave. in Wheaton, MD. I just wanted to write you a quick note to let you know how much I appreciated Judy Kogod's help and support during the past year. Without he diligent research, I wouldn't have found this place. I am also very grateful that she wrote such an amazing offer to the seller, who immediately accepted my offer. On top of that, after I moved in Judy spent three days helping me put pictures together, buying the perfect furniture, and helping me assemble them. She went out of her way like no other realtor would.
I want to thank Judy very much for her hard work in assisting me to find my very first home; I will recommend her to everyone I know.
Best Regards,
Lina G.,CFP
Director of Finance
******************************************************************************************Thank you
Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2007 21:55:03 -0400
April 25, 2007
Ms. Judy Kogod Colwell
Long & Foster
Dear Judy,
I want to thank you for your expert staging of Mr. Grossi´s home for the sale. The house has never looked as nice and inviting as it did at the opening when your work was complete.
Your expert attention to detail, your advice about moving superfluous furniture and other contents out of the way, your unrivaled eye for arranging furniture to create a spacious and comfortable look, your artistic use of pottery and other accessories, and a myriad of other carefully conceived changes brought out the best in the interior and, I have no doubt, facilitated the quick sale of the property.
Such expert staging surely must require an artist´s senses and an interior vision of what a milieu could contain. I know you have had a career in pottery and am sure that if you brought to that work anything like the skill and insight you brought to the staging of Mr. Grossi´s home that yours must have been lovely ceramics indeed.
Yours is a delicate art. Too heavy a hand would have made the ambience strained and conspicuous. But you handled it with great finesse, as one might expect of an artist of your caliber.
Thank you, once again, for all you did to bring out the best in this property.
All my best,
Jim
James D. C., Executor/Fiduciary
Estate of Henry J G.
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Dawn N.
Judy Kogod did a superb job of staging my house in Takoma DC before it
was sold. I had read about staging and didn't really believe it made
a difference but now I'm a convert. After one open house, I had 5
offers within 3 days. Buying a house is an emotional experience, and
many people feel they are buying a lifestyle as well. Judy obviously
created a lifestyle that resonated with many different people.
I had a lovely 1920's house that was in good condition but my
furnishings were kind of bland as I'm not into interior decorating.
Within a couple weeks, Judy transformed my house into a show case by
bringing in furniture, carpets, linens, and art objects to blend in
with my things. For example, she covered my ordinary wood dining
chairs with linen covers, provided a matching table cloth, and put an
oriental rug under the table. She put new matching towels, rugs, and
a shower curtain in my bathroom. She made the living room much more
visually interesting with a velvet sofa, a wall hanging and
lithograph, a comfortable easy chair and ottoman, and several ceramic
art items. She even hung some fabric over the windows that I didn't
particularly like but got many compliments. She has an artistic eye
and uses it to create a "look" that is appealing. In addition, she
made these changes with minimal disruption to my life; I was even able
to use the furniture while it was in my house. I enjoyed working
with her and it was exciting to see the way she way my house turned
out after she performed her magic.
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