Nicole Truszkowski was the listing agent for the sale my father’s home. Although this large house and lot were in a superior location, just opposite Tor House on Carmel Point, and the house had a timeless Spanish-style architecture, it suffered greatly from deferred maintenance and the market was a little weak at that time for “fixers”. Nicole helped us price the home wisely and then tested the market with superb promotion. She was very active in exposing the house, not only to local agents and the public but to her own wide sphere of top agents from around the entire country. By keeping us well-informed of market reactions, she helped us quickly adjust course when it became apparent that we had over-reached the market a bit with price.
Once we had our new price, we were able to get into escrow pretty quickly. There were problems. Our buyers were a bit difficult from time to time and their agent not always in command of the situation. Nicole helped us keep perspective and dealt deftly and firmly with the other side, so we were able to keep the transaction on track.
As we approached closing, the coronavirus suddenly swept into the United States. Some transactions disintegrated under the impact of stock market volatility and grim economic forecasts. The governor of California ordered a statewide lockdown just as we reached our closing date and it seemed that our buyer panicked. Nicole again helped us all stay on even keel as we arranged for an extension of our transaction with some safeguards built in. Ten days later, we closed escrow.
You know what an agent is really worth when they are tested not just by a niche market (an expensive fixer late in a market cycle) and a sometimes difficult buyer, but when they are faced with such a dramatic expectation-overturning force as a global pandemic. Whether the seas are calm or rising with tsunami force, Nicole is the agent for you. We can’t thank her enough.
