“Despite all of my reservations about real estate agents, after working with Avi Urban to purchase a house in Palo Alto, I’m a believer! In Avi:) He’s a great real estate agent, and an all-around fantastic person.
When my wife and I were first looking for a realtor, we didn’t know the real estate market very well, and we were first time home buyers who needed to move relatively quickly (our landlord was selling our apartment). However, we went into the first meeting with Avi, and every one thereafter, cautiously. We had read lots of research about real estate agents not being incentivized to help buyers.
Despite our many concerns, at every turn, Avi met and exceeded our highest expectations of the relationship. He quickly told us that we were looking at houses that were more expensive than we could afford, and explained his recommended approach for prospective buyers in terms of surveying the market and fully assessing your current and future financial status, before spending too much time looking around. This upfront diligence helped significantly.
As new home buyers, we did not have any relationships with local banks, mortgage brokers, inspectors, appraisers, etc. In a market where houses sell very quickly, Avi was able to help us navigate the waters incredibly efficiently to secure a mortgage under very tough lending restrictions (my wife is self-employed which made things more difficult). He worked day and night, constantly suggesting actions and providing options, updating us on his progress, and asking how he could help us. He was also a sort of counselor throughout the process, listening to our concerns and fears and keeping us calm when we were anxious or tired.
Avi was also a fantastic negotiator. When we first put in the offer for our home, it was rejected by the seller’s agent outright. But instead of give up, Avi went back to the seller’s agent and asked him to present the offer to the seller despite it being much lower than the seller wanted and Avi told the seller’s agent that we would be willing negotiate some (which was true). If not for that extra effort, we would not be living in our new house!
Finally, even after closing, Avi has continued to help us. He introduced us to a great contractor to do a few renovations and has been readily available when we have questions about resale value. He even calls from time to time just to check in on us and make sure everything is going well in our new house.
From the beginning, Avi talked about his goal being to help his clients and exceed their expectations, and he succeeded by all measures. I highly recommend Avi to anyone looking for a house in Palo Alto or anywhere else in Silicon Valley.”