After five years in our three-bedroom Maplewood home my wife and I decided that our growing family needed more space. When we happened to meet Simon Westfall-Kwong at a Montrose open-house, we knew we had found our match. He promised to be available to us throughout the stressful selling and buying process and he won us over with his personality and sincerity. After giving our house a reality show makeover (including loaning us furniture and accessories of his own) Simon managed to price and sell our house quickly despite the sagging real-estate market. He found us a good buyer, walked us through each step of the selling process and always represented our best interests. Once our house sold and closing was set for two months later the hunt was on for the "perfect" house for a family with a variety of needs and desires. I wanted a large private yard, central air conditioning and a nice basement for my toys; My wife wanted that ever-elusive combination of refinement and character; my son wanted a room large enough for his burgeoning collections, and my daughter wanted her own "princess" room . Our soon-to-be born son was most flexible. Of course this "perfect" house must have at least five bedrooms, have a new kitchen, be in the heart of Maplewood or South Orange and be offered at a heftily discounted price. Was this a challenge to Simon? Not at all. He tirelessly went to work, showing us more than 70 houses throughout Essex County. There was the Tudor without central air, the contemporary without charm and the colonial without a soccer field for a yard. Dragging my kids and I around from house to house during the day and showing the best to my wife at night Simon made us feel as if we were his most important clients. We made bids on two houses, withdrawing them because neither house gave us all that we wanted. When Simon showed us a large five bedroom colonial on a very private road in South Orange, before going in we figured that either we couldn't of afford the house or there must be serious flaws. Both of those proved completely unfounded as we found that the house really had it all. There was a brand new kitchen, an enormous private yard, a new high-velocity air conditioning system, rooms for each child and charm. Buying this house proved far more difficult than selling ours. The owners who didn't want to address inspection issues almost scared us away, but Simon kept us in the deal. He was there throughout very tense negotiations and got us a great price. Two months later we moved into the "perfect" house, thanks in no small part to the efforts of Simon. A year after first meeting Simon our baby-to-be is now six months old, our older children love their large private rooms, my wife is still wowed by the charm and character house and I putter around in my backyard almost daily. Simon is no longer our realtor, he is our friend. He knows our children and we know his. We heartily recommend Simon Westfall-Kwong as a realtor, either if you are buying, selling, upsizing or downsizing. He will work as tirelessly to ensure your happiness as he did to ensure ours.
Steve, Brenda, Satch, Sara and Otis Berger
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Selling Your Home >Reviving the Listing
In every town there are homes that sell rather quickly, while others linger on the market. Real estate professionals suggest numerous approaches to maximizing a home's curb appeal -- everything from fresh paint to new landscaping. But if the "For Sale" sign in front of your house has become a neighborhood fixture, it is important to work with your real estate agent to keep your listing fresh.
Whenever your house is shown, the real estate agent will get feedback from the buyers or other agents about what they liked about your house and what did not work for them. Allow your agent to be completely frank with you about any feedback he or she receives. Listen with an open mind and with the understanding that there is nothing personal about these comments. Don't delay in implementing any of the ideas that make sense to you.
Your real estate agent's job is to come up with new ideas for marketing your home in order to get buyers inside. Your job is to ensure that your house looks its best.
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| Q |
What is the world's longest frontier?
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| A |
At 3,987 kilometers (3,987 miles), the border between Canada and the U.S. is the longest in the world. |
 See More Real Estate Trivia > |
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