March 2017
My December 2014 calendar page has a note on Monday, the 29th: “Closing; 1 PM” That event came and went, a check was deposited in our bank account— and my husband and I woke up the following day with a huge sense of peace and the delightful feeling that our retirement had truly begun. Behind those short words on the calendar lies a much longer story; the principal characters in that story are Meg Percecepe and Alison Shutt. Over a year ago we asked a good friend to visit our home (where he had played as a boy!) and to help us decide its relative worth. His experience as a property assessor as well as his knowledge of the area gave us confidence that he would be able to help us begin the daunting process of selling our home. We agreed with him that the property at 14820 Kelley Farm Drive, with a 250 year old house, aging pool, rental house, large work shop, barn and pastures, was not going to be easy to sell. It simply isn’t every home buyer’s “cup of tea”. He suggested a price range that would be reasonable in the current market and then immediately suggested that we ask Washington Fine Properties to represent us. He was very clear that we should ask Meg Percecepe and Alison Shutt to handle the sale. He knew of their success in the sale of a home on Esworthy Road, in Darnestown which was somewhat comparable as well as knowing their reputation from many previous sales. Soon we met with Alison and Meg and began the very successful adventure of marketing and selling our home of 21 years. Both of my brothers and my father were in sales and so I know what having the right people for the job can mean. What constantly impressed us about Meg and Alison was that they were extremely professional while at the same time were personal, caring and thoughtful of us, our family and our needs. Their enthusiasm for our home and its unique qualities came through consistently. There was never a single occasion when anyone came to view the property when either one of them or both were not present. They were with us when Tim Dillingham (also a superb addition to the team that made this sale happen) came to stage the home, they took excellent care of every Open House event and simply made us feel that they were entirely on our side in preparing this home for the market and making it shine. When we sat down (in shock I might add!) to review not one but three offers, their guidance and advice were invaluable. In the ensuing days we were constantly thankful that we had experienced professionals to walk us through all the paperwork, the responses to various requests and the many issues that selling such a complicated property involves. We owe the fact that our home sold after only seven short months on the market, exactly at our asking price, to these two amazing Realtors. I had originally anticipated two long years or more on the market and that we would eventually sell well below our original asking price. Their response to that expectation was: “If that happens, we aren’t doing our job.” And— they proved their remark to be the absolute truth. They know how to sell a home— and do what it takes to make that happen. I have already recommended Meg and Alison to two acquaintances who have asked me about them and will continue to do so in the future. As an additional blessing in all of this, both my husband and I feel that we have gained two very good friends.SELLER, GERMANTOWN, MD
