Carolyn Papp – Coldwell Banker

Carolyn handled a difficult «short sale» for me and was absolutely professional from start to finish. Her advice was realistic and her strategy was brilliant. Her photographs showed the place very well, she worked night and day contacting the difficult lender, she was more than I’d hoped. I am very happy with the outcome and i would go back again.

I’d listed my condo with someone at Sotheby’s, and it languished for months. On her advice, I cut the price and offered credit for three months’ worth of HOA dues. I didn’t know if it was because of the market, or the building, or the unit or my agent, but I couldn’t afford to wait longer to figure out why … it’s been a money pit.
When another unit in my building got an offer the third day it was listed, I switched gears and hired the listing agent. Carolyn offered some counterintuitive advice: RAISE the price, offer the buyer’s agent a higher commission, offer a one-​time credit instead of the HOA dues credit. She assured me that she would probably sell it in a week.
I was skeptical, but I had nothing to lose. Okay, so it took maybe eight days, but Carolyn came through.
Not only is Carolyn a marketing genius, she’s efficient and highly organized. At our first meeting, she had a packet ready of forms and disclosure I signed right off the bat so I didn’t have to come back later, plus a written explanation of what all those forms meant. She also purchased a homeowner’s warranty for me, the seller.
Superlative service, very officious in that old-​school, old-​money Pasadena way — unlike my former agent, who may have scared off some potential buyers with her pushiness, now that I think about it. (Or could it have been the two dogs that were running amok during one open house … or the open house that didn’t happen b/​c the agent got stuck in her own parking garage?) The Sotheby’s agent also talked big about staging and renting furniture from a friend of hers to dress up the place. Of course, that would have cost money I didn’t have. I didn’t have to do this with Carolyn. She lent me rugs (which she also washed), runners, plants and tidied up the place every week.
BONUS: When escrow closed, I got a surprise package of beautifully-​wrapped packages from Harry & David. She said she thought my daughters would have fun unwrapping the boxes and ribbons.
In such a weak seller’s market, I wouldn’t blame anyone for going with a discount agent. But if you really need to unload something, Carolyn’s results speak for themselves.
(Send me a message if you want to know who the Sotheby’s agent was, and another dud of an agent with Prudential in Los Feliz).