YOUR STORY IS OUR STORY.
3 Different Houses, 3 Different Generations, 3 Different Families and 1 Realtor
In 2003, my husband and I started our family. We moved to a very cute View Ridge rental right before Lily was born. It was time to buy a house but Lily was on her way so waited till we settled into parenthood. Throughout my pre-marriage years and pre-kiddos, I spent a lot of time at the gym. I met a friend who happened to sell real estate, David Prater. He was a bit older than me and way more extroverted than me! He grew on me after years and years of cycling together at the crack of dawn. As my life started to evolve from being to getting married to having kids, David and I started to talk about real estate and the challenges of buying a house in NE Seattle. He sent me links or asked me to drive by certain houses. I remember on day he said, "I am picking you up and we are going to drive around and look at houses that aren't for sale." WHAT! Why would I do that? That is depressing. However, that short car ride was the start of wonderful partnership. David understood my likes and dislike. He asked me tough questions and challenged me to have a long term vision.
In December of 2003, David called me to tell me thinks he found a house for us! My husband drove by and sure enough... we bought it and moved in 3 weeks later. I was impressed with his wonderful ability to listen, empathize and execute. We lived in our Wedgwood house for 11 years. Over those 11 years, David came by on every family birthday, every holiday and every special day. He wouldn't knock but leave a special surprise on our front porch. Our daughters loved the pumpkins he left every Halloween. The porcelain Santas that David placed on our outdoor Christmas trees became part of our holiday decor each year. Two kids later, one new puppy and a large remodel, it was time to start thinking about a new adventure. Our girls are entering middle school and need more space to entertain friends.
Given the housing market, we were prepared to stay in Wedgwood. Bidding wars, crazy low inventory and the overall competitive nature of buying a house became our reality. David successfully put us in touch with an empty nest family that was getting ready to sell their home.. David helped this family move to a condo as they entered their retirement years. If it wasn't for David, I am not sure if we would have been able to find our dream house. Our new home looks to Lake Washington and we can hear the feet of friends running on the Burke Gilman. We spend our days and evenings enjoying our 3 wonderful decks that are perched perfectly to take in a view of the lake and Mt. Rainier.
Meanwhile, we needed to sell our Wedgwood home in order for our new home become reality. Once again, David knew a young couple who were starting the same chapter hat my husband and I started 11 years ago. He calmly said, "I know a young couple who will love your house". Sure enough, this couple came into our Wedgwood house (before we listed the house) and wanted to buy it. It took all of 47 minutes. David ended up selling the young couple's condo and helped them to move into our beloved first home.
During this process, I never felt pressured or pushed. David wanted us to love our new house and explore all options. I remember David saying, "You need to picture yourself at this house every morning". He made us sit in every room and just breathe. David asked, "Can you picture yourself drinking your morning coffee here?" I know he wanted the same thing for the other two couples involved in the sales transaction. It never felt like a business transaction to me, it felt much more like a partnership and friendship. David's main goal was to find the best home for our new chapter in life.
3 Different Houses, 3 Different Generations, 3 Different Chapters, 1 Realtor.
Gratefully,
Meghan and Randy Novak
In December of 2003, David called me to tell me thinks he found a house for us! My husband drove by and sure enough... we bought it and moved in 3 weeks later. I was impressed with his wonderful ability to listen, empathize and execute. We lived in our Wedgwood house for 11 years. Over those 11 years, David came by on every family birthday, every holiday and every special day. He wouldn't knock but leave a special surprise on our front porch. Our daughters loved the pumpkins he left every Halloween. The porcelain Santas that David placed on our outdoor Christmas trees became part of our holiday decor each year. Two kids later, one new puppy and a large remodel, it was time to start thinking about a new adventure. Our girls are entering middle school and need more space to entertain friends.
Given the housing market, we were prepared to stay in Wedgwood. Bidding wars, crazy low inventory and the overall competitive nature of buying a house became our reality. David successfully put us in touch with an empty nest family that was getting ready to sell their home.. David helped this family move to a condo as they entered their retirement years. If it wasn't for David, I am not sure if we would have been able to find our dream house. Our new home looks to Lake Washington and we can hear the feet of friends running on the Burke Gilman. We spend our days and evenings enjoying our 3 wonderful decks that are perched perfectly to take in a view of the lake and Mt. Rainier.
Meanwhile, we needed to sell our Wedgwood home in order for our new home become reality. Once again, David knew a young couple who were starting the same chapter hat my husband and I started 11 years ago. He calmly said, "I know a young couple who will love your house". Sure enough, this couple came into our Wedgwood house (before we listed the house) and wanted to buy it. It took all of 47 minutes. David ended up selling the young couple's condo and helped them to move into our beloved first home.
During this process, I never felt pressured or pushed. David wanted us to love our new house and explore all options. I remember David saying, "You need to picture yourself at this house every morning". He made us sit in every room and just breathe. David asked, "Can you picture yourself drinking your morning coffee here?" I know he wanted the same thing for the other two couples involved in the sales transaction. It never felt like a business transaction to me, it felt much more like a partnership and friendship. David's main goal was to find the best home for our new chapter in life.
3 Different Houses, 3 Different Generations, 3 Different Chapters, 1 Realtor.
Gratefully,
Meghan and Randy Novak
I would highly recommend David Prater...
to anyone who is interested in either buying or selling a house. I had the pleasure of working with David to do both transactions.
When I decided to sell my house, David patiently worked with me for a year and a half making helpful suggestions about what I could do to make my house attractive to buyers. He has a network of people who can do the work that needs to be done (roofing, hardwood flooring, staging, etc.) and he himself stays on top of trends and has impeccable taste. He helped me choose new hardware for the fixtures as well as paint colors. He was always accessible to answer my questions and made the final selling process transparent and seamless. He listed my house at the perfect price and it sold within a week!
As a buyer, I also had a terrific experience. David quickly understood the type of house I was looking for and offered houses for me to consider. Whenever I was even curious about a house, he would meet me to see it. He made himself available at times that were convenient for me. Working with David while selling my house educated me about what is involved in buying a house. With the aid of his extensive experience and knowledge of real estate and his stellar social skills, I was able to buy my current house and am very happy with the outcome.
David is attentive to his clients. He gets to know who thay are and that helps him in helping them obtain what they want. He is a genuinely friendly person and added a lot of personal touches along the way that made both transactions pleasant.
I hope I don't need to sell or buy a house again, but if I do, David is the person I would unhesitatingly call.
Leslie Hazelwood-Spurr
When I decided to sell my house, David patiently worked with me for a year and a half making helpful suggestions about what I could do to make my house attractive to buyers. He has a network of people who can do the work that needs to be done (roofing, hardwood flooring, staging, etc.) and he himself stays on top of trends and has impeccable taste. He helped me choose new hardware for the fixtures as well as paint colors. He was always accessible to answer my questions and made the final selling process transparent and seamless. He listed my house at the perfect price and it sold within a week!
As a buyer, I also had a terrific experience. David quickly understood the type of house I was looking for and offered houses for me to consider. Whenever I was even curious about a house, he would meet me to see it. He made himself available at times that were convenient for me. Working with David while selling my house educated me about what is involved in buying a house. With the aid of his extensive experience and knowledge of real estate and his stellar social skills, I was able to buy my current house and am very happy with the outcome.
David is attentive to his clients. He gets to know who thay are and that helps him in helping them obtain what they want. He is a genuinely friendly person and added a lot of personal touches along the way that made both transactions pleasant.
I hope I don't need to sell or buy a house again, but if I do, David is the person I would unhesitatingly call.
Leslie Hazelwood-Spurr
