Testimonials

Dear Michael,

Re: Thanks for Helping us Sell our Home at 233 Melrose Avenue

Last year, we interviewed four agents, hired one, listed our home and it didn’t sell. This year, after reading and hearing about you, we didn’t interview anyone. We just hired you, listed our home and sold it in four days for very close to our list price. In today’s market, when many other homes are not selling so quickly or for such good prices, this was quite an accomplishment. Thank you so much for everything you did to help us.

We’re extremely pleased with the results you helped us achieve and are equally pleased with how you managed the entire process. It was a pleasure working with you. When people ask us why we enjoyed working with you so much and whether or not we’d recommend you, this is what we’re going to say:

-You’re extremely honest and ethical. We trusted you at all times;

-We never got the feeling that we were just another number to you. You made yourself available to us whenever we needed you, which was a little more difficult than usual because we were both out of town in different cities when the offer came in;

-We were very cautious, partly because of our prior experience with the other agent, so we requested a lot of backup information and explanations. You were very patient and responsive to our requests and always got back to us with answers in a timely fashion;

-Your calm, even-keeled approach and demeanour helped keep us calm during this stressful and emotional process;

-We appreciated your factual approach to things. You provided us with the facts, told us the pros and cons, gave us your opinion and then let us make the decision. We never felt pressured;

-When a serious problem came up during the buyers’ home inspection, you cleared your schedule to handle it. With your experience, expertise and negotiation skills, you were able to make sure that our deal didn’t fall apart and that we were happy with the outcome;

Obviously, we wouldn’t hesitate to recommend you to anyone. If they’re smart, they’ll learn from us and won’t spend their time interviewing other agents!

Michael, thanks again for all your help. Keep up the good work, one client at a time!

Yours truly,

Paul and Laura Mably

Dear Michael,

As I was opening our mail today, and truth be told, it was all bills, I was pleasantly surprised as I opened the envelope from you, congratulating Raymond and I on our first year anniversary of our home. Moreover, the letter informed me that a cake of our choice was waiting for us at one of the best bakeries in town, PHIPPS. My initial reaction of excitement and gratitude however, was quickly overcome by my feelings of guilt and regret. I was reminded of the fact that I had yet to properly thank you for all your help with the purchase of our first home.

And so, I sit here now, 1 year too late, trying to accurately express our appreciation for all that you did for Raymond and I. If you had simply helped us purchase our first home, then this would not be so difficult. However, you were more than just a “Real Estate Agent”. You literally grabbed our naïve, virgin hands and lead us step by step through the emotionally-draining, financially-stressful, and relationship-testing process of buying our first home. I ask myself, how can any words I write do justice for the role you played in our lives. And I conclude that I could either try to eloquently bumble my way through this, or just simply say as sincere as possible: THANK YOU! I have opted for the latter.

Now having expressed our appreciation, we can truly enjoy our cake.

Best regards,

Raymond and Angelina Wu

Michael – You are simply the best.

Anne and I have never had to list and sell a house and I must admit that I was in a little over my head – Bay Street is no match for complexities of Lawrence Park.  Leaving a family home is a very emotional experience and your ability to walk us through the process, arrive at a fair price (and manage our expectations), “puff” the house up and ask all the right questions in advance truly had a calming affect.  Your professionalism and understanding of the market inspired confidence – not only in us, but in the Buyers Agents.  You clearly have the respect of the Real Estate Agent Community and we’re proud to be able to call you our Agent.

As a result of your skill, market understanding and characterization/positioning of our house, you were able to generate more interest, more visits and most importantly - more offers than either Anne or I thought possible.  Where I come from results matter, and in this case, you nailed it – job well done.

Paul Cataford

Dear Michael,

You couldn’t have chosen a better slogan: Honesty and Integrity Above All Else definitely captures the Michael Meltzer real estate experience!

For the better part of the past eight months, you went above and beyond what I would expect from a real estate agent. I have worked with two very capable agents in the past and discovered that things that I felt were too much to ask for or too demanding were simply the basics with you. You always managed to stay one step ahead, consistently providing insightful, timely and professional advice and service.

Essentially, I knew that I could trust you. This is why, while away on business, I put an offer on a home and bought it without even seeing it! I knew that when you advised me that it was a good home and that you had “no qualms” about it, that it was the right one. When I finally did go through the home that I had already purchased, I just fell in love with it! It takes a lot for me to consider something perfect and this home is just that. You really make the effort to understand your clients and what they are looking for.

You never brought me to a home that you felt would be a waste of my time. Instead, you would take the time to carefully inspect the home and the area and give me your usual balanced and honest perspective. As a busy, new single mom, your efforts simplified this very large part of my life. Thank you!

Needless to say, I am highly recommending your services to my friends and would welcome the opportunity to work with you again. You have become a trusted friend and exceed the highest of standards in the real estate field.

Many thanks,

Jennifer Gray

Dear Michael,

We are very happy to express our thanks to you for your help in the purchase of our new home and in the sale of our current home. In both transactions we felt very lucky to have you represent us. Your professionalism, your integrity and your knowledge of the market were invaluable assets. In both cases we were impressed by the time and thought you took in developing a strategy, whether it was in putting together an offer or in preparing our home to be listed for sale.

When we were searching for a home you advised us to be patient, often pointing out things about the potential homes you showed us that we didn’t always notice on our own - things that didn’t meet our desired criteria and would have been disappointing had we proceeded with a purchase. You quickly determined what we were looking for in a new home and it was clear you wanted to find the perfect home for us as much as we wanted it ourselves. We never felt pushed and we always felt well advised. In the end we bought a home that we are thrilled to own.

Again, with the sale of our home we were very well represented. We found that your reputation among the other real estate agents in the neighbourhood made the offer process go smoothly. Although you are wisely careful not to promise too much, you met all our goals with the sale – our home was only on the market for 6 days, we were able to match closing dates and we received a great price.

Overall the greatest asset you bring to your clients is your unique understanding that a purchase or sale of a house is not just a business transaction but also an emotional, often stressful process. We have been through this process several times before and this has been the easiest by far. In fact it was fun to work with you and the other professionals who work at Advocate Realty. You exceeded our expectations on every level.

If asked by friends or neighbours about your service we would without hesitation recommend your agency and tell them that Michael Meltzer is the best real estate agent in North Toronto.

Thanks again for all your hard work on our behalf.

Sincerely,

Mona & Grant Rasmussen

I’ve been promising to write a letter of recommendation/appreciation for Michael’s help ever since I moved into my home exactly three years ago today. Normally, putting things off is a bad idea, but in this case, it has allowed me to add to the long list of helpful services Michael and Sue Pink have rendered me over the years.

I’d known of Michael ever since he first began working as an agent in the Yonge-Lawrence area. I remember vividly a knock on my door one day in the mid-90’s and a tall, slim, and very articulate gentleman explained he was introducing himself to the neighborhood. I recall taking Michael’s card and an interesting discussion about why a successful lawyer would want to venture into the murky depths of residential real estate.

When I set out to purchase a home in 2001, at a very stressful time in my life, to put it mildly, I naturally thought of Michael. His help was invaluable. First of all, his calm, patient professionalism was the perfect antidote for the emotional roller-coast ride most prospective buyers experience when buying a home. Michael’s advice was clear, well-reasoned, and unobtrusive. He steered me away from making offers on homes that were listed too high, and carefully pointed out the pluses and minuses of various properties.. When I actually found “the one”, his coaching through the whole bargaining process of offer and counter-offer was priceless. I have not regretted the purchase.

Subsequently, two years ago, it fell upon me to sell the condo my parents had lived in, and of course I again turned to Michael and his partner, Sue Pink. And once again, his thorough, detailed analysis proved to be absolutely correct. Initially the condo was listed at a price higher than Michael thought was optimal (since I was not acting alone as seller, I initially bowed to the wishes of the other parties), and there were no offers. It was only when the asking price was lowered to Michael’s original suggestion that activity began. And in the end, the unit was sold for pretty much exactly the price Michael had first thought it would go for.

More recently, MPAC decided to assess my home at a value far beyond its actual worth, and I feared my property taxes would soar. I turned to Michael, who promptly supplied me with printouts of sales of similar properties in my area that sold for far less than mine was assessed at. In the end, my assessment was reduced substantially, largely thanks to the information provided me by Michael.

I could go on—the yearly contributions Michael makes in my name to Sick Kids Hospital, the complimentary cake voucher that arrives on the anniversary of my moving in (which I have yet to take advantage of), Michael’s assistance in helping my partner’s parents find a suitable agent in Etobicoke…

As I am sure any reader of this “encomium” of praise can immediately detect, I would wholeheartedly and unreservedly recommend Michael to anyone in the market for buying or selling a home.

Sincerely,

Jack Silver

Dear Michael,

The decision to buy our first home was a scary and overwhelming one.  However, after our first meeting both of us left feeling more at ease.  Your organized, methodical approach to the process of buying a home in a chaotic market gives all your clients an advantage over others. You truly listened to what it was that we were looking for in a home and the entire time we felt like you had our best interest at heart. There were times where we were ready to lower our standards but you calmly reminded us of what was important and to be patient as the right house would come along. You were right.  You had us top of mind when you found a house that was a “for sale by owner” and immediately called us. You had to put in a lot of extra effort negotiating with a vendor who was not represented by an agent and we cannot thank you enough as this house is undoubtedly the perfect one.  

Honesty and integrity are not just a catch phrase on your website – you live by these values every step of the way.  We would enthusiastically recommend your services to anyone looking to buy or sell a house.

Cara and Jason Levin

Dear Michael:

I wanted to thank you so much for working with us to sell our house. I still can’t believe we sold so quickly – less than five days! – and for more than the asking price to boot, especially considering our difficult circumstances. I shouldn’t be surprised though, since we’ve worked with you before and you’ve always done an excellent job for us. Rick recognized your ability when he first met you years ago while you were negotiating on behalf of the buyers of his home. Ever since, we’ve made sure to have you on our side of the table!

Your patience and support during the whole process was and always will be greatly appreciated. Not only are you a professional who stands above the rest, you went “above and beyond” by being kind and – poor you! – listening to some stuff that had nothing to do with real estate and that was highly confidential. When you can trust your agent like that – well, you know you have more than a good agent on your side.

Thanks for being so great to work with and for making the sale such a huge success. And please thank Daina for me, too. Whenever we spoke or saw each other, she was as pleasant and professional as you are. No wonder why the two of you make such a strong team!

You can bet that whenever anyone I know starts talking real estate, I’ll be pointing them in your direction.

Sincerely,

Linda Bellio

Dear Michael,

When we bought our new home in Caledon last spring, we needed to get our home in the Cricket Club area on the market quickly. Although we had been talking casually over the years with a number of agents who we knew both professionally and personally, when it came time to actually choose an agent to represent us and help us sell our home, the decision was clear. We chose you. We knew we made the right decision and, although they were disappointed not to get our business, the other agents we had been talking to seemed to agree with us. When we told them we had chosen you, they had nothing but nice things to say. They said that they could understand why we picked you, that you were a good agent, that you would do a great job and that you were a great guy, all of which proved to be true.

We had very high expectations when we listed our home. We wanted to get a certain price for it even though you were honest with us and told us that you thought our price was above fair market value and that it might take time and prove difficult to get this price. In the end, thanks to your experience and negotiating ability, we got what we wanted. 

Along the way, you were great to work with. There’s always stress involved in selling a home, but you minimized our stresses and made them as small as they could be. You were always available to give us straight answers and opinions.  You were gentle but direct. You never got annoyed when we asked questions or needed to be calmed down. You kept us up to date and provided us with honest feedback regarding what buyers were saying about our home. We never felt out of the loop. We felt like you were with us every step of the way. Your staff was a pleasure to work with, too. Good friends of ours had their home on the market at the same time as us with another agent. They weren’t nearly as happy with their agent as we were with you and their home never sold. We know that not all agents are created equally.

At the end of the day, we couldn’t imagine going through this with anyone else. As we tell you all the time, you’re the best! Thanks again for all your help. We look forward to keeping in touch and to recommending you to everyone we know.

Best Regards,

Wendy and Ken Sievert

Dear Michael,

Shanin and I wanted to thank you for your help and patience throughout our long house hunt. Not only was it a tough market when we began our search but it took us several months of visiting houses and neighborhoods to identify exactly what it was we were looking for. Beginning with our first visit to your offices, you helped us identify what characteristics we regarded as important in our new home. As our search continued, you remained optimistic that we would find what were looking for and helped us avoid making the wrong decision out of desperation. Throughout the process, we benefited from your thorough knowledge of the neighborhoods in which we were looking and of the Toronto housing market in general.

When we finally found our new home, we knew the wait had been worth it. We would certainly recommend you to anyone beginning their search for a new home. Thanks again for all of you help

Best regards,

Will Hutchins

Dear Michael,

Thank you so much for finding the perfect home for our fami1y. Buying a home in central Toronto can be a very stressful experience, especially while trying to do so from Richmond Hill with two young children. Your viewing the homes first and then giving us your honest opinion saved us lots of time and energy.

We felt confident that you would be able to find the right home for us even during a strong sellers’ market. By taking the time to understand our needs and wants you were able to weed through the inventory of homes and find exactly what we wanted. Your vast knowledge of the market and areas down to the very streets, blocks and corners helped us get a sense of what life would be like in a particular house!

You were very responsive to our calls, emails and endless unanswerable questions but at the same time made sure that your advice was meaningful and constructive. We felt much more at ease knowing that you had our best interests in mind.

Most importantly, during our first meeting, you told us that we should trust you because of your experience and knowledge. This really stuck with us throughout the whole buying process! You were never afraid to strongly discourage us from making bad decisions and when you said a house was worth seeing we knew it would be a great opportunity.

We look forward to referring anyone looking for a real estate agent to you. Friends and family with years of home buying experience are already impressed with your honesty, integrity and high standards.

Yours truly,

Gemma and Navin Joneja