Brooke O'Malley Foreclosure CLUB REALTY

"Sarasota, Florida Real Estate; check out this Broker; We closed on a house in Sarasota this year in May that is exactly the kind of vacation home we have always dreamed of but assumed we would never be able to afford. Brooke’s work for us was nothing less than amazing from start to finish. My wife kept saying to me during the closing process that (based on our experience in buying homes in two other states), “I never realized real estate agents did this,” meaning such things as finding and setting up our best home insurance option, overseeing all the inspections and advising us on any number of issues such as problem areas, tenant possibilities and the list goes on. After closing, Brooke caught a duplicated inspection charge in the myriad closing costs that we didn’t notice, which resulted in a $300 refund to us. It is hard to overstate Brooke’s abilities and work ethic, and if this type of recommendation sounds like hyperbole or exaggeration, that simply can’t be helped because it still understates what Brooke managed for us. We contacted Brooke in mid-March through her website as it seemed to have the clearest presentation and broadest selection of foreclosed and short sale properties in Sarasota on the web. In two months time we were closing on our dream house, a short sale deal for just under $100,000—a property that had sold for $228,000 the last time it was up for sale. The fact is I’ve never even met Brooke in person and yet I trust her more than any other business acquaintance I’ve worked with. I can’t begin to count the properties Brooke visited for us, sending us pictures and rundowns (we live in the Midwest) any time we were interested. From the start, we could tell we were in good hands because Brooke’s pictures and descriptions were thorough and always focused on problem areas that she wanted us to see up-front in properties that we liked. She ran all over the city of Sarasota for us, looking at any property we showed interest in, and this was in working for us in a price range that one must admit did not promise substantial commission for an agent of Brooke’s caliber. Yet she never showed signs of losing faith in our search, never rushed us, and always put our interests before all else. I told my friend in Sarasota that it is a bit hard to believe in this day and age, but our experience has been that Brooke actually cares more about the long-term interests of her clients, their final situation and ultimate happiness than the money she will earn. Again, hard to believe, especially in a real estate market like Sarasota’s. Once we found the house, a short sale with multiple obstacles, Brooke worked tirelessly to get the deal through while we barely had to do any work on our end. She was gracious and kind in showing my wife the home and area when she visited, and we could not have felt more comfortable with her handling all the final details of closing the deal, some of which were not minor. It is hard to believe, and if it weren’t for Brooke, we would not own our dream vacation home. Her savvy and know-how is only matched by her genuine kindness, humility and cheerful work ethic. She is a joy to work with and correspond with on a daily basis and quite simply knows how to navigate her way through foreclosures and short sales with true mastery and expertise so vital to buyers like us who really knew very little about what we were getting into. She made the process painless. She is, in our minds, the best there is, and if you are lucky enough and smart enough to put your trust in her, you will most certainly never regret that decision. Danny and Terrie Campbell, Columbia, Mo. (& now Sarasota, Fla.!)"
Danny and Terrie Campbell, Sat Jul 18

"Comments Sat, 2008-04-12 04:30 — Visitor (not verified) so glad we found this realtor! When we sold our house, we thought the hard part was over. Our house was pristine and unique, and we sold it under value to do so fast, as I had to move for work. We indeed sold it fast, and thought we would be in good shape, the market supposedly being a perfect market for buyers. Boy, were we wrong. We began diving into listings near SR 70 and found that almost every listing we liked was a short sale (often undisclosed in the ad) with more than one loanholder and a listing price neither bank had authorized (way way less then what they were owed or likely to accept). It was a nightmare, and we knew we were not experienced enough to work through the complications on our own. Still, the realtors we contacted were hesitant to work with short sales- which meant ignoring most of the listings in our price range. Maybe they weren't that interested in working with people in the under 300,000 range at all. Either way, we were anxious and very surprised. We are buyers with stellar credit, a great debt to income ratio, and a good down payment, but we didn't feel prioritized at all- to put it mildly. Meanwhile, the listings of foreclosures piled up in our inbox. Then, I did a keyword search on short sale specialists in the area and happened to find a realtor named Brooke O'Malley, who works with her father in a small agency, and we're both so happy I did. I sent her my usual lengthy missive, and she answered every question I had with notable professionalism and detail, way way beyond the time other realtors has spent on my many questions (I'm type A in big way). She didn't insist we sign on with her exclusively, but we soon lfelt we would be fools to navigate this market with anyone else. Brooke gave us honest informed advice designed to get us the best deal but based on reasonable expectations- knowing how every step of the short sale and foreclosure process may play out. We're cautious with our money; that's why we're not in trouble like so many people, and we're very very happy we found someone who would really listen to our needs and honestly evaluate our expectations. I know our expectations of the short sale process were a bit skewed by the media, but I also know I didn't want to be pushed into properties beyong our comfort zone just because we had good credit. This realtor paid close attention to what our exact needs are, helping us focus our search, with our expectations focused on likely scenarios. We wrote our first offer with her tonight, and we know the ups and downs of how it may turn out. Most important, when we wrote this offer, she made sure our interests would be protected no matter what, given the two banks we would be negotiating with. Talking to her, it was clear she deals with buyers and sellers alike- honestly and with integrity. She spent SIX hours with us tonight- looking at two listings right near one another, then painstakingly discussing our options and risks. If you're surprised as how the so called "buyer's market" is playing out and want someone informed who will be honest with you and is truly kind, you should look her up. Her web page is MyClubRealty.com. Just in case you're wondering, we had no connection to this realtor before my keyword search, and neither my husband nor I work in a field in any way connected to real estate or any kind of sales. I am sharing this information to help people like us, because I know how surprised I was when I found out selling wasn't the only problem in this market. We do not want to be contacted with messages from realtors or mortgage brokers, a we are very very happy and confident putting our future in Brooke's hands. Joe Moraca Popular content"
Prose Hound Sat Apr 12, 2008