| Julian T. Ross |  | To whom it may concern:
"A mutual friend introduced me to Jeff Bentley in June 2001 as a recommended realtor to assist me with the process of purchasing a million dollar home. Jeff has provided similar assistance to my friend, who ultimately built a house from thoughts and ideas to completion in the Plano area.
During the months that followed, Jeff worked with me on exploring existing homes as well as new construction options. When we commenced the process, Jeff took considerable time and effort to understand what my requirements were. Initially, I was uncertain as to the style of home I wanted, but I wanted to explore the Contemporary and Mediterranean options. Jeff then set out to preview several dozen homes and created a short list of homes for me to view. I could tell that Jeff took special care to understand the requirements we discussed, because the short list of homes we visited represented excellent matches to these requirements.
After going through this process of visiting various homes in the Plano, Frisco and surrounding areas, I finally settled on the Mediterranean style. The next step was for us to decide whether to build or purchase an existing home. We set out to interview several of the leading builders of custom homes, including the Steve Roberts and Sharif/Munir organizations. We viewed several potential home sites, and Jeff performed a large amount of research and due diligence on sites, market valuations and cost projections. Jeff, having been in the building industry himself in the past, was a tremendous source of knowledge and expertise to me. At no time did I feel rushed or pushed into any particular direction, and Jeff provided the utmost care in representing and promoting my best interests.
Jeff Bentley was very refreshing to me as a realtor and as a professional. I have tremendously enjoyed working with him throughout this process, and Jeff proved to be highly professional, ethical and an invaluable source of industry knowledge and expertise. I would highly recommend him to anyone who might be considering purchasing, selling or building a home." Sincerely, Julian T. Ross
|
| DeLinda Browning | | Whomever it may concern,
After making several attempts to find a house on my own, I became frustrated and tired of the hassle, so I approached a business associate of mine. He had just built a custom home and was very happy. He referred me to his "not your ordinary real estate agent" Jeff Bentley.
He said that Jeff had been a homebuilder in the past and knew all of the details about choosing a builder, a lot, interim financing, one-time closings, construction and everything. Never having bought a home before, I decided to take my friends advice and hire Jeff to guide me through the dreaded "building process"!
First, Jeff asked me a lot of questions about what I wanted in a home, where I wanted to live, what my budget was and how I wanted the home finished out. I then took him to see a home very similar on the inside as to what I wanted. The only problem was, it was more than I wanted to spend. By the look on Jeff's face, I got the feeling that I had given him an impossible task!
After explaining to me how the lot will dictate the total price of the home, Jeff found the best lot that would accommodate my price range. He found a way to snag a lot for me that was $30,000 less than an identical lot directly across the street! Jeff also advised me that I should build a smaller house in a neighborhood with larger houses. He said that could really maximize my resale potential. I was very excited about my new lot and really felt that we had found the best one in Dallas.
By now, Jeff was clear on the style and design that I was looking for. He researched various homebuilders and we interviewed those that he felt would meet my expectations regarding high quality, good reputation and competitive pricing. While interviewing builders, Jeff asked questions about their subcontractors, the person building the homes, specific construction details and a lot more. He also required that each builder provide us with a list of homeowner references. After checking references, I made a decision to go with the builder that I felt was best suited for the type of home I wanted.
The homebuilder that I chose was a very good designer. Jeff was also very instrumental in the design of my home. He took me to various homes to illustrate how certain parts of my house would "feel." Thanks to Jeff, I could tell what my new home was going to look like before they ever started construction.
My greatest fear was going way over my budget and not being able to afford my new home. Jeff showed me many ways to cut costs where I wouldn't notice it and also emphasized areas where I should not cut costs. He was very involved in the negotiations with the builder and he developed a strategy to get a greater discount off the price of the home.
Not only was Jeff present at every design and negotiation meeting, he was present during the entire building process. He came by regularly to monitor the progress of construction. He helped solve several construction problems that arose while my home was being framed. When it came time for the final walk-through, Jeff found countless items that needed to be fixed.
Needless to say, I could not have done this alone! Jeff's experience was extremely helpful in every aspect of building my new home. I can honestly say that Jeff saved me a lot of money and headaches. You could tell that when a crisis came up or a tough question needed to be answered during construction, Jeff knew exactly what to do. It became apparent that he had been in this situation many times before and could see the result of every issue that needed attention. I totally relied on Jeff to guide me through the home design/build process. He did an outstanding job! I had a very positive experience and it was truly worth it! I would highly recommend Jeff to anyone looking to buy, build or sell a home. As a matter of fact, I have already referred him to two of my friends. Sincerely, DeLinda Browning
|
| Al and Laura Monsalve | | “Thank you so much for EVERYTHING you did! You found our "dream home" for us. We looked patiently for years for this home. You were so diligent and patient with us. You made it a great experience and we gained a wonderful new friend in you. Thank you. We appreciate your high integrity and honesty. You definitely put your buyers first. You treated us like family.Over time, you nailed down exactly what would make us happy. You checked the housing market daily. We loved the phone call from you on that Friday. You said we have a "CODE BLUE !" You said that a house just came on the market that morning that we might want to see. It met our "picky" criteria. We were at the house in about an hour and by 5:30 it was ours! WHEW!!! Four weeks later we were in our wonderful home.
We couldn't have done this without you. You are definitely good at what you do! We appreciate you! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!” - Al and Laura Monsalve |
| Steve and Ruby Stanley | | “Jeff was a great asset to me and my family in helping us find the right match in location, pricing
and closing with our new home. Jeff's experience in home building and years in the real estate business provided invaluable insight into the present real estate market. Jeff was a professional in wading through all of the jargon of marketing to bring everyone in on the bottom line with a win-win attitude. He listened to our needs and concerns, and helped us find items on the builder's walkthrough that we would not have found. His knowledge of the area allowed him to make recommendations to us that made our home purchase a really smart investment. There's no doubt that Jeff Bentley is the agent that will guide you every step of the way in the selection of your new home.” - Steve and Ruby Stanley |
| Tom and Tracee Sisioan |  | “Jeff listed and sold our existing home in Plano. He then guided us through the process of building our custom home in Southlake. He put together a list of homebuilders that he felt like could meet our tough requirements and one by one he arranged interviews with each builder. When it came time to do the interviews, Jeff already had a long list of questions to ask each builder-questions that only a homebuilder would know to ask. We had such a great peace of mind after we chose our builder. We felt that we had asked every question and "turned over every rock" that was possible. Next, Jeff worked closely with us and our builder in selecting our lot and the design of our home. We had no idea that one lot could cost us $30,000-$50,000 more in "lot prep" than the lot next door. Jeff was able to drive by and look at the various lots and tell if substantial hidden costs were possible. He helped us chose a great lot that literally saved us about $15,000 in costs in retaining walls, tree removal, dirt excavating, etc. We believe that we picked the best lot in Southlake and it didn't cost us one extra dime! When it came time to designing our home, we were worried about being at the builder's mercy regarding design issues and how they affected the cost. Jeff took alot of time and drove us around looking at different design styles and educated us on which design features cost money and which ones did not. We felt like Jeff went above and beyond at this stage. I would have never expected this kind of help from a realtor. Jeff was right there when it came time to review the costs of all of the little "extras" and he was able to negotiate the costs down considerably. It became evident at this point and the builder realized that Jeff knew just as much about homebuilding as he did. When the builder started talking about the costs of framing changes, mortar colors and flooring options, Jeff confronted the builder when the price quotes got out of hand. We had absolutely no idea what the costs of these items were, but Jeff did. We estimated that Jeff saved us another $10,000 in the cost of changes alone! Once our home got to the finished stage, we had a walk-through with the builder. Jeff asked us to call him when the builder scheduled the walk-through because he really wanted to be there. At this point, we wanted him there as well. After going through our home almost everyday during construction, we felt the house was ready and the walk-through list would be fairly short. Jeff's experience continued to amaze us. He checked every cabinet drawer and door, looked under and over everything. He got up in the attic and even on the roof! He checked toilets, sinks, light switches, all of the countertops for scratches and every single floor tile for any chips or cracks. He found many items that Tom and I didn't catch (nor did our builder point out!). ...When it came time to make decisions about interim financing, permanent financing and one
time closings, Jeff's input allowed us to make the right decisions that kept our closing costs down.
...After living in our new home for a short while, we really love it! It is everything that we hoped for. We had friends that told us not to build a home, mainly because of the horror stories that we have all heard. Well now I have a wonderful homebuilding story to tell! We love our home, our lot, our neighborhood and our builder! Tom and I are convinced that none of them would have been possible if Jeff Bentley had not been there every step of the way! He made it fun and interesting and we learned an awful lot about homebuilding. We can't imagine the headaches and the frustration we would have had without his help! Last, and certainly not least, Jeff saved us a ton of money along the way! I highly recommend Jeff if buying or building a new home. We have recommended Jeff to several of our friends and will continue to do so in the future.” - Tom and Tracee Sisioan |
| Bobby and Theresa Brar | | “Bobby's company was moving their corporate offices to California. We were in a position where we had a very short period of time to sell our home and we needed every penny out of it. Jeff was referred to us by some friends and he came in and suggested changes that would add to our bottom line. We decided to make the changes and in less than ten days Jeff had sold our home for the top price in our neighborhood. We recouped more than twice the cost of the improvements. Jeff is a true professional and knows exactly what he is doing. ...We would definitely recommend him to anyone that is looking to sell their home.” - Bobby and Theresa Brar |
| Marvin and Janice Ball | | “This letter is to recommend Mr. Jeff Bentley to you as a real estate agent for the sale or purchase of your home. Before you read any further, you should understand that Jeff was not our real estate agent. We had our house up "FOR SALE BY OWNER" and Jeff was acting on behalf of the people who purchased our home. His demeanor and professionalism were such that we felt is necessary to write this letter on his behalf.By way of background, we have moved six times in the last 20 years, buying six houses and selling five. These moves involved five totally different geographical areas of the U.S., so we have seen many real estate agents from many different companies work.
It has been our observation that most agents bring prospective buyers to the house, then stand back and say nothing while their clients wander through the house. They don't "sell", but rather just "show". When Jeff called to set up an appointment to show the house, he came early, walked through the house making note of the architectural details, then asked pertinent questions before his clients arrived. By the time the prospective buyers arrived, he was familiar with the house and actually SOLD the house by pointing out its positive features. Because he was familiar with the builder, he was able to point out features in our house that are not available from other builders in our area. I could also tell that Jeff had previously built homes, because he pointed out features to his clients that I was unfamiliar with. After his question and answer tour with his clients, Jeff encouraged them to tour the house by themselves. This was great! The potential buyers had another opportunity to learn what they needed to know about the house and therefore ask more relevant questions.
Jeff presented the offer to us in a most professional environment and in a most professional way. Accordingly, he was able to conclude the agreement, decisions and paperwork in a couple of hours. In our experiences, most real estate agents are pleasant, but most are not very professional. Jeff is both. We highly recommend him to anyone!” - Marvin and Janice Ball |
| Steve and Shelley Ard | | “Steve and I really appreciate all of your help and expertise on the sale of our house. It was such a peace of mind for us to know we had you on our team handling all of the issues that came up. We started to sell our house by ourselves or through BUY OWNER. Looking back, I am glad we did not try that. You did a great job for us and were always available to us when we needed to get in touch with you. Don't ever lose your cell phone! I will definitely refer you to our friends who need a real professional to help them with their real estate needs.” - Steve and Shelley Ard |
|