Findwell Real Estate

I heart Findwell. It's really that simple but a review wouldn't be a review without the proper narrative... So for some context...upon commencing our hunt, my fiance and I were new to the real estate game, definitely ineperienced first time home buyers, and had narry a vision for the type of home we wanted. Not to mention, we were both extremely picky and selective, and I'm a tad high strung and demanding. Any realtor's dream clients. Fast forward four months and 100 toured homes later--we just closed on our ideal home! It wouldn't have been possible without one of Findwell's finest realtors, Michael S. He maintained his composure and professionalism despite my annoying tendencies. I would harass him at all hours of the day with the new properties I wanted to see and questions we had pertaining to ones we already had seen. He answered all my questions with the competence of a seasoned veteran and the patience of Mother Theresa. He learned our style quickly and was masterful in steering us toward homes we would like. He gave us freedom to see all the homes that matched our criteria and even some that didn't, just to give us the perspective we needed. Michael S. made this whole house purchasing process manageable and fun. He was assertive, firm with his advice and guidance, but never pushy and in-your-face. In our four month search we put in three failed offers on different houses and every time I thought we'd give upand never find a house, Michael S. tactfully pushed us to stick with it and gave us hope that we would end up with a home that truly fit us. Although there were moments in the process when I didn't wholeheartedly believe him, he was right. Today we own a home that supercedes any of the wishes we had in the beginning and all the dreams we have for our future. more

We listed our home a year ago and it sat for months...We tried another approach with a different agent that wasn't much better. I felt defeated until a friend who is in the Real Estate business recommended Findwell. From the very beginning I knew it would be different, Kevin was very professional, organized and thorough with every step of the process. I always felt at ease and trusted Kevin was looking out for my best interest. When we found a buyer, literately less than a month on the market, Kevin let his expertise shine. Closing through several obstacles and Kevin’s cool head kept the ball rolling, even when I was in doubt. In the end, we sold our home because we had a smart, hard working and trusted agent that didn’t let up and I couldn’t be happier. -Chris more

I discovered Findwell in a Seattle magazine, featuring his company and services. From my first encounter with Kevin Lisota, the Founder of Findwell, I was impressed by his thoroughness and professionalism. He really did his homework, anayzing the market as it pertained to my property. Throughout the entire process, from listing to closing, he was always there to answer questions, keeping me informed. I give Kevin and his company my highest recommendation. more

We had a great experience with Findwell! Our agent is Shannon. She is knowledgeable, organized, professional and kind. We are first-time home buyers so the house-purchasing process is totally new to us. Shannon is always patient with us. She replies our questions promptly and with all the essential details. She carefully guides us so that we could successfully get a nice house. The resource Shannon recommends is great too, such as the house appraisor, the banker, and sewer inspector. Also thanks to the team, Kevin and Michael gave us great help when Shannon was out-of-town. more

Findwell is the reason we now are living in our dream home. Finding homes online is so easy that we knew we did not want to pay full real estate commission. At first, we were planning on going with Redfin but when I found out about Findwell, we were drawn to the fact they said the service is the same if not better than typical full commission agents. Because of their expertise and knowledge we were able to get our bank-owned home for 14K under the asking price. We really knew we got a good deal when the identical home a few doors down went a week later for 30K more. The house we ended getting was at the upper limit of what we qualified for and if it weren't for the 50% commission rebate that paid for our closing costs, we would not have qualified for it. Our agent Shannon was phenomenal. She was always available and very responsive when we had questions (and I had a TON of questions). I couldn't believe she even answered my emails and calls when she was on vacation! I would say we'd use them again for our next home but thanks to them, I don't think we'll move again because we love our new house so much. more

Findwell provided an excellent experience and took the mystery out of home buying. I found the process very straightforward and appreciated my agent taking the time to explain everything to me. I recommed Findwell to everyone and can't stop saying great things about them. Now I'm saving up so I can do business with them again very soon! :) more

I am a first time home buyer and could not have asked for a better agent to lead me through the process! Michael Shafer is a great guy and worked hard to make sure I found the perfect place for me. He was not pushy at all, very patient, and gave me lots of valuable information the whole way, allowing me to make an informed decision with all the facts in line. He's very dedicated to his job and will go out of his way to meet you where ever you are, always quick to respond. I wouldn't doubt every agent at this company is the same, as they seem to work together well and help each other out as needed. I seriously doubt I would have found such an awesome place within the time frame I needed with any other agent. Findwell made it happen and I am forever greatful for their hardwork! They were also the only company I saw that not only provides a rebate on commision, but also a good discount if you are a Passport member (I put it towards my downpayment!). This is an excellent company, with awesome agents that will definitely make you feel very comfortable in your purchase. I could tell they had a lot of experience and knew everything to expect, where I was never caught off guard and everything was always in control and moved along very smoothly. They even recommended a lender that ended up working out very well! I even checked with other lenders on my own, like my bank, and they just didn't stack up. I highly recommend this company!! Michael Shafer is the man! more

Findwell was our 2nd realtor (we started w/ a well known traditional real estate company) We started looking a few years ago w/the other agency, then held off for a while & didn't want to go back to the other agent because he was very pushy & had too much to say. Additionally, we were finding our own houses online & he wasn't doing anything to help. So we thought that a new agency (enter Findwell) would be better - one where we are actually encouraged to search for our own home on their site! I started using findwell.com because I liked the way the results were displayed on the map & could easily expand out search radius & whatnot. After about a month of using the site, Kevin contacted us to see if we were interested in actually checking out some of the houses. There was no pressure, but he was just making sure that the site was providing the resources we were looking for. We decided to go out one weekend w/Kevin & that's where it all began! Kevin was so patient w/us & we saw probably 50+ houses before we found THE HOUSE. From there, a lot of back & forth happened w/our offer, & during that process Kevin was there to explain everything (as first time buyers we were almost clueless). He gave great advice when we asked but at the same time stayed very neutral - which was just what we wanted. There was no pressure to offer more than we wanted & he made sure we got everything that was important to us taken care of - even when we found out our loan was in process of being underwritten & any monetary changes to the offer would cause huge delays, Kevin was able to think outside the box to make sure there were no delays & that we still got what we wanted! Then when everything was signed & the day for closing came & alas! last minute signatures were being requested by our lender, Kevin was on top of making sure there were no delays! Kevin kept on top of everything during the whole process & we cannot say enough good things about findwell! Not to mention the 1.5% kickback was really awesome :) We highly recommend Findwell! more

We would recommend Findwell Real Estate to anyone. Great service. A pleasure to work with during the selling of our home. more

First of all, I would definitely recommend Mike W of Findwell regardless of the rebate. Mike knew the market and was able to let us know the value of the property. His knowledge also allowed us to strike out ridiculous points in ther counter offer such as free 30 day rent back. Additionally, he was able to help out with closing when our mortgage broker dropped the ball. All throughout the process I did not view Mike as a real estate agent/realtor but a partner for finding me a quality home that was within my budget. He wasn't pushy and wasn't afraid to give us both the positives and negatives of a home... even if it was something we didn't want to hear for fear of us not buying the house. There is a difference between Findwell and Windermere/JohnLScott/Reimax, etc... Findwell is flat out better plus the rebate is very helpful! more

My wife and I just bought our first home with Findwell's and the service was just awesome. We bought a new construction from a big builder and Kevin seemed to know exactly how to deal the seller, negotiate and get what we wanted. From finding comparables, through negotiations of price and upgrades, scheduling closing, dealing with escrow and up to closing, Kevin's responses and initiatives were always prompt, thorough and acurate. Plus Kevin's calm demeanor really inspired confidence, both in our purchase and that we chose the right agent. Our agreement had a complex mix buyer and seller paid upgrades, which resulted in some pretty complex accounting, and Kevin did a great job in understanding and explaining those to us. When a mistake in builder specs seemed to go against our interest, he was precise and decisive in resolving the issue quickly. So the service is awesome - no qualifications - alone more than sufficient to deserve the 5 star review. On top of that, they do it for about half the usual price, which is really incredible. In the Seattle area, I can't see why one would use anyone else. more

Our recent experience with a home purchase with findwell was simply superb. It was our first home and we had already decided on the location and house and decided to work with findwell ( Kevin) to help us through the pricing and negotiations. Kevin was extremely responsive, provided us with excellent assistance through not only with the home purchase but pointers on mortgage, minor repairs found from inspection etc. He was a pleasure to work with ,closed the deal very quickly with in the timeframe we wanted and made our home buying experience absolutely pain free ! Their service is par excellent and you get a nice rebate back in your hand ! We would strongly recommend Kevin and findwell teams services to anyone who may be looking to buy or sell their home. You would definitely want to meet with them once atleast to know it for yourself ! more

My husband and I are first time home buyers and we have been following the Seattle real estate market for a few years now. We're decisive and know what we want in terms of house/location/price point. We have been in touch with several of the main real estate firms in Seattle as well as with a real estate centered law firm, their level of service was not adequate for us and therefore our dealings with these firms ended either after touring with them or after inquiring about a property and not receiving knowledgeable/satisfactory responses. We chose to engage with findwell after contacting Kevin, who from day one has been able to answer all of our real estate questions and even questions dealing with more obscure issues such as the HUD-1 form, title insurance, septic systems, RESPA, PMI, etc. The man is a wealth of knowledge and for that reason alone, he and findwell are an excellent choice, but the reasons to go with findwell do not end here! We have used findwell's services for three different kinds of transactions: a regular sale, a bank-owned property, and two short-sales. Our short sale closed yesterday and we are now owners of a beautiful property, which at least one real estate firm and one real estate attorney told us would never close. I can certainly say that without findwell's services we would have not been able to close this transaction. There were two loan liens involved, an HOA lien, a difficult/inexperienced sellers agent, a myriad of issues with the lien-holder's requirements, and a roof issue which threatened to make the whole sale fall apart... Kevin tackled all of these issues one by one, never losing focus, offering nothing short of excellent service, and ensuring that we closed in time for the 8k government refund. Findwell's slogan is "Full service, mini commissions" -- this captures our experience -- I would say that their service was just above and beyond any expectation, and their refund so generous that it allowed us to cover our closing costs. more

A 5 star rating is meant to represent "As good as it gets", and therefore I have absolutely no hesitation in awarding 5 stars to findwell. They are quite literally, as good as it gets. If I could I would award them 100 stars! From beginning to end, findwell did everything possible to help us get the house of our dreams. They are professional, hard-working, knowledgeable, friendly and caring. We made multiple offers on different types of properties (foreclosure, short-sale, regular sale) before finding the right house for us. Kevin always stuck by us and gave us the benefit of his expertise and knowledge (without ever applying any pressure). We were always made to feel that our happiness was the most important thing to findwell, and I really believe that's true. Our purchase was far from simple and there were many hurdles along the way, but Kevin navigated us through every problem with professionalism and grace. Thanks to findwell, we now own the house of our dreams and we couldn't be happier! I would use findwell again in a heart beat, and I will certainly be recommending them to all of my friends. Thanks Kevin & co! more

I had a wonderful experience working with Shannon and Kevin at Findwell. They were patient, knowledgeable, professional, and accommodating to my schedule and (changing) interests. Shannon and Kevin answered all of my questions, provided expert advice, and never pressured me. With Findwell, the typically stressful home-buying experience was a lot easier and even a little fun. (The rebate after we closed was just icing on the cake.) I trust them and refer anyone who asks. more

People help you buy and sell homes to make a living- thats a fact. But when they do it in such a manner that you feel as if you are working with a friend and not an agent, they have been truly successful. Findwell can make that claim. Mike was wonderful. more

We bought our first home with the help of Findwell, they know a lot about real estate and suggest us lot in buying a right home for us. Our Agent (Mike Wilson) always stepped up and solve all issues related to process of buying home. Their service and knowledge is way above than our expectations. If I buy or sell any home that would be through Findwell. more

I'd highly recommend Findwell to any home hunter. Our agent, Shannon, provided rock star service, the commission rebate WE received was significant, and we found a house we love! more

The service and concept of the company is fabulous. I have worked with regular real estate agents and Findwell service is no less or different than the regular real estate service. I would say it is even better and extremely professional. There was no pressure, no policy, they were willing to spend all the time needed to find the perfect home and in the savy technology world, you can pre-select the homes you wish to tour. Rather then having the Realtor select the homes that you should look at. Worked with both Shannon and Kevin and can not thank them enough for all of their guidance and excellent service. For the exact same process you would receive from the other regular agents, the added bonus from Findwell is the rebate you receive after your purchase to assist with your closing cost or purchase of new items for your home. Why would anyone not take advantage of this offer? Will I recommend this service? I have already recommended Findwell to my friends. Wishing Findwell continued success. Thank you Shannon and Kevin. Annie more

This was our first time purchasing a home, so we were a little hesitant to go with a company like findwell over a traditional agent, but the commission rebate was enticing and we selected findwell over Redfin. Our concern quickly went away since our agent (Mike Wilson) was very responsive and took the time to explain the home buying process and scenarios along the way in great detail with us. We didn't know if this was truly part of the service coming in, but it obviously was. Our first accepted offer on a home yet to be built had issues with the builder and sellers agent. Our agent and the findwell founder stepped in throughout the way and gave us candid advice when needed. A long story short, we ended up backing out of that offer and are extremely happy we followed findwell's advice. Our second accepted offer on a home required us to move quickly with the offer and the paperwork. Findwell and our agent was there to help us do what was needed and in a timely manner. Our offer was accepted and our agent worked with the seller to address the issues that came up during the inspection and we couldn't be happier with our new home. Don't let the negative reviews about the Redfin business model steer you away from findwell. The Findwell service, attention, thoroughness, and knowledge far exceeded our expectations. On top of all this, we get half of their commission back. You can't beat this process! more