Findwell Real Estate

We highly recommend Michael Schafer and the Findwell team! Michael helped us buy our first home and we could not be happier with our experience. From the very first time we contacted Michael to the day we picked up our keys, we felt confident, comfortable, and happy to be working with him. Michael was always professional and prompt to respond and he answered every question thoughtfully and thoroughly. Michael was accommodating to our schedules, flexible, and patient. What stands out most about Michael is that he genuinely cares about his clients and it shows! We were thrilled to have Michael by our side through the home-buying process as our agent and as a friend. more

We have used Michael as a buyer's agent and a seller's agent. During both processes we appreciated Michael's experience, communication skills, and professionalism. We came to rely on Michael's advice and guidance. Everything was handled promptly and handled well. We were able to relax and trust Michael completely. Highly recommended. more

We recently bought a home in Kirkland and Michael Schafer from Findwell was our agent. We were first time home buyers and had a lot of questions. He was very patient with us throughout the process and was always available to answer our questions. The times when he was out of town, he hooked us up with another agent from the agency to make sure we did not miss on any homes. During home tours he offered us unbiased insight even if that meant us not going forward on the home. So we never felt being rushed into making a decision and were very happy with his service. Home closing process was extremely smooth with him as well. Most of the documents were available for e-signature and he was availble 24x7 over email. Since both of us are working professionals, we especially appreciated this perk. We also went with the inspecter and lender suggested by him and both turned out to be great. So all in all we were super happy that we had fired our previous agent and hired Michael instead :). We would be definitely using him for all of our future real estate needs and have already recommended him to a lot of our friends. more

As a first-time home buyer we had lot of doubts/questions and we for sure didn't want our agent to be pushy. And Michael was exactly what we wanted. He made the entire process of home buying a very enjoyable and memorable experience. We can't thank Michael enough for having been so patient with us and always keeping our best interests! We had been searching for over an year and was involved in a strong multiple offer situation. Michael worked very well to create the best possible offer from our side and got us our perfect home. more

i can't imagine better people to help you find the real estate of your dreams! more

Our first time buying a house and it went so smoothly and stress free . Compared to the other real estate agent/company, Findwell staff do not work on commission so they are very neutral and gives sound advice. We had a fortune of working with Lauren GeRoy and she was fantastic! From our first meeting to our last, she was very professional yet very friendly, patient, thoughtful, and most importantly, got things done in a way that fitted our needs! Very very satisfied with the expertise and support she provided to us and would recommend her/Findwell to anyone. more

As a first time home buyer I couldn't have asked for someone better then Michael. Not only did I feel like he had my best interests in mind throughout the entire home buying process but I could trust him and I valued his opinion. I felt comfortable bouncing ideas off him and knew I would get an honest and practical answer…even when some of my ideas were not the best. In addition to his vast knowledge of the markets I was interested in, he also had multiple friendly and knowledgeable connections including but not limited to inspectors and mortgage brokers. Michael made sure I was taken care of at every step of the way. I’m 100 percent satisfied with Michael and new home. I would recommend him as anyone’s real estate in the future. more

We just bought a house with Nick's help. Nick is very helpful and dependable. Nick helped to tour about 15-20 houses. We had a targeted area in mind, and whenever we contacted Nick, he responded quickly, usually within an hour, and scheduled tours right after that, sometimes within the same day. He arrived ahead of us each time, well prepared, with the info about the house, and helps to answer our questions thoroughly. A lot of the times, the house we were looking at just came on market, and Nick managed to contact the seller / agent and got us in really quickly. He also amazingly always remembered all the houses we toured, and gave us opinions for comparison with those previous houses toured. The market we're in is crazy, with heated competition, multiple offers all the time. The whole process we've only offered twice, bought the house with the 2nd offer. Nick helped us on strategies, sometimes suggested on waiting for price to drop, sometimes checked with seller's agent. Also Nick never pushed us to push the button. He respects our opinion and preferences. For the house we bought, Nick shoot an email to the seller's agent, telling them our story, who we are, why we're interested in the house, which we believe helped a lot in the seller's decision to deal with us. Later in the process, Nick is very good at negotiation, helped to negotiate on the price, the inspection, and helped us at getting the house at a good price. He is also very knowledgeable, always there to answer questions, give opinions on price, style, market value, etc. Nick is also informative, he provided a list of information for almost everything, inspector, loan officer, handyman, etc. He accompanied us through the whole process, inspection, house walk though, closing document signing. We've now moved in, and we love the house. All this cannot happen without Nick's help. more

I hated to do it, but I 'broke up' with my old real estate agent. She was a pro, and I trusted her, but I just didn't think her services were worth the full 3%. I was ready to jump ship to Redfin, but was a little worried about how they divided responsibilities between their field and HQ employees. I learned about Findwell who handled customers 'the old fashioned way', so I decided to go with it. Look no further than Lauren. She is the ultimate pro. Accommodating, not pushy, organized, responsive. Everything. I feel that usually a sales person has a good personality but lacks in organization or vice versa. Not true with Lauren. Absolutely gained my full respect and admiration, and I'm happy to write these reviews as some form of a "Thank You" to her. I respect Findwell for their business model, and I can't say enough about how smoothly the process went. (Ask the escrow people who they prefer to work with - no one has a better view into this industry than they do. They had nothing but good things to say about Findwell when I asked). I predict the biggest issue these folks are going to have is that they can't hire fast enough. Well deserved success. more

We were very happy to work with Nick Jarman of Findwell. As first-time home buyers, Nick ensured that the entire process was relatively stress-free. Nick proved responsive and knowledgeable. Whether touring houses or discussing negotiations, Nick listened first and then offered insight. By understanding us, Nick was better able to help us buy the house we had long sought. He was excellent at making himself available - both to show homes and to answers our many questions - and was always pleasant to deal with, never appearing inconvenienced or too busy. He was always willing and able to accommodate our schedules and hustled to make things happen. For example, the house we ultimately bought came on the market less than an hour before we were scheduled to see other homes; Nick was able to quickly contact the seller and schedule a viewing, accommodating our last-minute request. When it came to making offers on houses, Nick was prompt and flexible, and let us offer what we felt was reasonable without any pressure. From negotiations to closing, Nick kept us informed and helped guide us through the entire house-buying process. He also remembered the small things, from requesting blueprints from the sellers to making time to reshow us a home. He continuously proved courteous and eager to make our purchase go smoothly and efficiently. Most importantly, we had confidence and trust in Nick. He was straightforward, candid, and always transparent in his interactions with us, as well as the selling agents. With respect to using Findwell as opposed to a traditional agent, I highly recommend Findwell. It was wonderful getting 1.5% commission back, while feeling like we didn't sacrifice anything with respect to service. While Findwell's model is similar to Redfin's - which we used before switching to Findwell - we preferred Findwell, believing it provided superior customer service. Overall, we were very pleased with our experience and would happily recommend Nick and Findwell to family and friends. more

My husband and I recently decided to own a place that we could call home. We saw lots of recommendations for Findwell on the email distribution list at our workplace. While going through Findwell's website and their agents' profiles, we liked the recommendations that Michael had and gave him a call. The first impression we got from him was that he is very professional and organized yet extremely friendly. He has pretty good knowledge about different areas in Seattle/Eastside and also about houses in general. We started working actively on our house hunt. Michael responded equally promptly and we were able to see houses without any delay. On numerous occasions, we were able to get a house tour the same day we contacted Michael. He was very responsive to phone calls and emails. While touring houses, Michael was always there before we reached and even waiting patiently when we got late a few times. He would see them very carefully and thoroughly and point out any potential problems or red flags. We kept learning more and more about houses and their characteristics after our conversations with Michael on every showing. There were a couple of houses that we liked but were unsure about and Michael really helped us evaluate the pros and cons and how it might not be a good choice. In retrospect, I am glad we did not offer on those. We loved our house from the first moment we stepped in. Michael had no issues showing us the house more than once, since it was a big decision for us. There were 5 offers in total that the seller and her agent had to choose from. We were thrilled after Michael told us that our offer got accepted even though there were two other offers slightly higher than ours. The seller really liked the whole package that we offered which Michael helped us write. The seller’s agent actually mailed us later about how clean and professional the offer was. We have already recommended Michael to one of our close friends who are going to start their house hunting soon. Michael has our highest recommendation. more

My husband and I recently purchased a house in Kirkland with the help of Michael Schafer from Findwell. We were first time home buyers and also new to the Seattle area so Michael’s knowledge of the various neighborhoods and the process were invaluable. We looked at what seemed like a million houses but Michael was always patient with us and never pressured us in to buying a house. When we finally found the house we wanted, we had to compete against six other offers and ended up getting the house even though we didn’t offer the highest amount. Michael was there for us every step of the way and essentially ‘held our hands’ through the whole process. Even after we got possession of the house and his job should have been over, he still helped us to find vendors and gave us advice on some issues we were dealing with. Overall, we found Michael to be extremely knowledgeable, incredibly thorough and very service oriented. He was extremely good about responding to emails and phone calls. Frankly, we were amazed at how much time he spent helping us through this process. Since we’re first time buyers, we can’t say what the normal amount of service to expect from your realtor is but it sure felt like he went above and beyond the requirements for us. If we were to buy or sell a house in the future, we wouldn’t hesitate to use him again. We would highly recommend him to anyone. more

I recently moved to the US and an absolute Noob when it comes to US real estate transactions. I had no clue what I was getting into. I found Findwell through yelp. It was hard to believe that they were as good as the reviewers prior to me suggested. But I went along because of the cash back. At the end of the 6 months that it took me to find the house and move in, I have nothing but praise for how well the whole thing was handled by them. When Nick Jarman (Findwell), first came to my apt, he walked me through the various steps of real estate purchase and assured me that he would help us every step of the way. And he did. It so happened that we did a pre-sale (with closing 4 months out) and that added more complication to the entire purchase. But Nick made sure that we had help every step of the way. He even called up the mortgage folks to make sure that the process went smooth for me. He took care of finding a home inspector, and was there during walkthrough and closing. I knew I could call him for every problem I had related to purchasing my home and every time I did he was there to help me. I am really glad I chose findwell and even happier that they send out Nick to help me through the process. more

We absolutely loved Findwell! We were lucky to work with Nick Jarman, who seemed to be available 24/7 to answer our every question. We always got candid information and great advice with zero pressure. As first-time buyers, Nick walked us through the entire process. Our purchase was extra complicated because it was a short sale, and Nick stayed on top of everything for us to make sure that everything was done on time. Also, the REBATE was amazing! Because Findwell's model shares the agent's commission with the buyer, we got a big 'ole check for doing absolutely nothing! We can't understand why anyone would NOT choose Findwell. We would recommend Nick and Findwell to anyone! more

We recently bought a house with Findwell. Awesome people, and much better experience that we had with big guys, like John L. Scott for example. Our agent was Michael Schafer. Michael helped us to choose and buy our new house. It took us over 1 year and many house tours to finally pick the house we liked. All this time Michael was with us, organizing house tours, providing information, negotiating with seller agents and helping us with advice. When we finally found the house that we really liked, we had to beat 10 rival offers to get it. Michael was really awesome and thanks to his recommendations we were able to make an offer nobody could beat. You probably would not believe but it is not just higher money that gets you offer selected over others. There were 3 other offers that considerably exceeded ours moneywise, but the sellers preferred us! Michael is a real professional, he has 9 years of experience in real estate business and he knows this stuff in and out. What I especially liked about him is that he will never try to push you into decision or recommend the house which he thinks to be unfitting for any reason. Michael impersonates everything that the real estate agent should be. Highly recommend him to anyone looking for a new home. more

Working with Lauren was a flawless, pleasant experience that felt like having a friend who was an insider to the real estate business. She helped us sell our house in just over 3 months... miracle! Her recommendations for expert help to stage and prepare our home for a successful open were fantastic. And when it came to negotiating, she was an excellent liason to a picky buyer. I also appreciated that she was constantly available for any question by email or text, and that we could sign all of the docs along the way electronically. Made it super easy for a busy working mom. I'd highly recommend Lauren. more

Nick is the best agent we have worked with. I have bought and sold homes before. Nick is personable. His communication skill is excellent. He is patient and flexible. We did not feel rushed. He is also very accommodating to my schedule, He sometimes came to my office to bring the documents for me to sign. He is always on time or early with appointments. He kept us updated in the process. He is very responsive to my emails and phone calls. I sometimes asked a lot of questions. He was quick in researching and providing information on houses we were interested. His excellent communication and negotiation skill helped us get the house in a multiple offer situation. He helped arrange the inspection in a very tight schedule. I will definitely recommend him to my friends and coworkers. He also provided me with extra information regarding rental market beyond his normal responsibility. I will hire him if I am in the market again. more

Nick steered us through the most difficult real estate deal we have ever been through. He is savvy, patient, and knows who to call when the wheels are about to fall off the wagon. It does not matter how you want to communicate, Nick will be there for you. We happen to be heavy email and text message users. Nick accommodated that nicely by making sure all the right people were communicating with each other and in general, drove the coordination of a very complex financing problem right through to the closing. He is very cool and collected in a crunch. Finally, Nick is very personable. He always has a smile for us and has become a good friend. What more could one ask? more

After working with Nick for the first time, I can most definitely say his 5-Star rating is 100% correct & well earned. Nick was a wonderful realtor to work with. He is knowledgeable, reliable, and understanding. If you are looking to get a great price for your home/condo or are looking at buying we highly recommend him as well as his company. A few things we LOVED about Nick and Findwell Reality: 1. Nick was always AVAILABLE or had someone we could contact. We had lots of questions, and Nick would always respond quickly and with a lot of detail. We often wrote E-Mails with lots of questions and thoughts to Nick at night or on the weekends and he always had a response to us within 24hrs. I seriously called him probably 2-3 times a day and he almost always answered his phone and if not would get back to me in a couple of hours. 2. Findwell works with you on their commission price. The company is understanding about these tough economic times and worked with us so we did not have to pay out as large as commission as we would have with your typical real estate company. 3. Nick is very knowledgeable about the Seattle market. We wanted to sell our home quickly and we had 4 offers within 5 days and ended up accepting an offer $17,000 above our list price. He knew the exact price to get buyers through our doors. We had a bidding war during a time where this is typically unheard of. We really appreciated his knowledge, especially when there was so much at stake for us. Overall, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Nick to anyone looking for a new home or selling their current one. Especially if you are unfamiliar with the process and need savvy recommendations and a little extra handholding. more

I just purchased my first home the beginning of 2012 via Michael Schafer with Findwell Real Estate. I found Michael to be very communicative and knowledgeable with the area and price range I was interested in during the search. Once my home was found and the purchase process began, his knowledge and guidance helping my first real estate transaction easy and painless. more