bobbyconner0

I did not know Dale Brandon from Adam. I signed up on Dale Brandon’s webpage after reading good reviews online, and I then proceeded to search freely for houses on his site for approximately nine months. All the while, I ignored Dale’s emails, text messages, and phone calls for additional information and notices of open houses, etc. Thankfully, Dale never gave up and was quite persistent in offering his help and services.

Over the course of nine months, I found only two houses that interested me. You see, I had a very particular aesthetic in mind and was seeking a property in Virginia horse and wine country that was still fairly commutable to the District of Columbia. About five months into my search, the first house that I liked sold while I was out of town for an extended period of time due to the death of my father. Finally, after nine months of ignoring Dale, I texted him one night after hours about a second house that I wanted to see in person. I really expected him not to respond at all—I mean, reader, I had ignored every single message from him to that date. Much to my surprise, he responded immediately that night stating we should see the property the very next day. I had to work the next day, but he agreed to meet me after working hours at 8 p.m.

When I saw the property, I knew immediately that it was “my” house. After searching and searching, I had a good idea of what I wanted but, as a first time buyer, I really had no clue on how to buy a home or deciding whether that particular property was even a good fit for me. I could tell right away that Dale had my best interests at heart.

Dale explained the home buying process clearly and pointed out things in the home that were good and bad. He was overly detailed in everything, which made me feel at ease being a first time buyer. As an attorney, I asked lots of questions and, some times, I would ask the same question multiple times in different ways. Dale was always patient, and he gave concise, consistent answers. The breadth of Dale’s knowledge of the Virginia real estate market is clear. Dale is not some rookie agent that sells real estate as a side job—Dale is the real deal, and I feel very fortunate to have crossed paths with him. I tend to believe that Dale represents the good part of the homebuyer experience that is rarely heard in today’s real estate market. I almost felt bad that Dale spent so much time on my first home when I am sure other purchases/sales would have provided a much larger commission. Regardless, he treated me as if I was his only client and his most important client.

I ultimately put in an offer on the house the day after our walkthrough. Although the purchase did not go as smoothly as we had both hoped (none of which was Dale’s fault), Dale was there each step of the way. Dale even admitted that we were facing very unique issues with the purchase. I really believe other realtors would have just given up when things got rough or said let’s find another house. Dale was always reassuring and helpful but also very cautious about the things that we could not control. Dale did not rest though until every single issue was taken care of to his liking.

Importantly, Dale was always available for my questions (and paranoia). He would let me know when he was going to be unreachable and always still found a way to communicate with me. I was most impressed at how Dale often worked on my purchase late at night—he would email me at midnight, and even offered to drive multiple towns over to pick up the signed contract from the other realtor, who was having technology problems. I believe the other realtor even had Dale speak directly with her client about something. In this transaction, Dale really did all the work for both sides, but I knew he always had my back. Since I couldn’t sleep through the process anyway, he would often provide me with an update late at night either by email or phone, which I greatly appreciated. Long story short, I got my dream home, but it was not easy. Dale fought like crazy to make it happen and I am eternally grateful.

Incidentally, Dale’s charming wife was with him during my first walkthrough. I felt instantly connected to them both. You can just tell they are good people. Dale’s wife, having worked in banking for many years, even helped me understand various loan documents and the nuances of my various loan offers. This is/was clearly above and beyond Dale’s call of duty as my realtor. She helped me because she is a kind person and could see that her knowledge would be useful. I lost my father during my nine month home search; my mom had passed away four years before that. In a lot of ways, Dale and his wife unwittingly were my parental figures during this process. Now, even eight months after my home purchase, Dale still calls and texts periodically to see how everything is going . I highly recommend Dale for your real estate needs.