“Brandon’s professionalism, technical expertise, market knowledge, creative resource utilization, and relentless energy were invaluable to our success.”
With double contingent offers, a VA loan, and an accepted For-Sale-By-Owner home purchase, happening right in the middle of an escalated subprime housing market, our bid to transition from Sudden Valley to South Hill was for us, at the least, tremendously bold. Navigating these waters required nothing less than the very best helmsmanship available. Brandon Nelson provided this, and more, every step of the way. Brandon’s professionalism, technical expertise, market knowledge, creative resource utilization, and relentless energy were invaluable to our success. However, even more importantly, we came to absolutely trust his very sincere, honest and personal commitment to our dreams. I most highly recommend working with Brandon Nelson.
–Jeff Hegedus
“His experience as a former home inspector was invaluable…”
My husband and I have invested in several properties near downtown Bellingham, both residential and commercial, and worked with many different agents in the past. Brandon was aware of the sort of investments we seek, and when he spotted a recent listing, he immediately brought it to our attention. It was a terrific find – exactly the type of project we look for – and Brandon worked with us at every stage of the process to ensure a smooth transaction. He brainstormed with us to come up with the best approach, from offer to close. He made himself available to us whenever we wanted access to the property and was always prompt, friendly, and ready with a spare latte. He listened to all my ideas and tolerated with a smile all the flipflopping that comes with a real estate purchase. Even after we had closed, Brandon put in the extra time to meet with us to provide contractor referrals and to assess the appropriate level of investment for future resale. His experience as a home inspector was invaluable as we evaluated the condition of the property. We are very happy with our investment and would absolutely recommend Brandon to friends in the future!
-Amy Mann
“Brandon remained optimistic and encouraging, while working hard to follow through…”
Brandon was instrumental in the sale of my house, and provided exceptional service. He is professional, knowledgeable, driven, responsive, and communicative. During a challenging real estate period, Brandon remained optimistic and encouraging, while working hard to follow through on his intentions. As I was out of the area, Brandon was particularly helpful in looking out for my house and proactive in coordinating work to be done. I felt like Brandon acted not only as a good agent, but also as a friend. I really appreciate Brandon’s dedication, and I would highly recommend him to another friend.
-Natalie
“…he was willing to go the extra mile…”
Quite apart from the fact that Brandon helped us sell our home in 2 days, our condo in 3 days and assisted us in finding our dream home on the first day of looking; who wouldn’t want to spend some time with this guy!? He is an outstanding realtor and human being. During our time working together, we found that he was willing to go the extra mile to make things happen. There is complete reliability and honorability with Brandon. But don’t take my word for it; call him and experience it yourself.
-Hilde Meadow
“…he created the ‘plan’ to sell it and it worked…”
Brandon just works harder for you. I have been benefactor of Brandon’s effort since he inspected my home 5 years ago. I really enjoyed his attention to detail. When it came time to sell our house, he created the ‘plan’ to sell it and it worked. As we bought our current home he looked after our interest. Since then Brandon has helped my friends buy or sell their homes. We all trust Brandon with the biggest purchase of our lives.
-Darrell Sofield, owner aMAP
“Brandon went out of his way to make the sale happen…”
When we had decided to put our house on the market, a few of our friends were ahead of us and had already listed with local Realtors. We took a chance and chose Brandon to sell our home because of his tenacity and his ‘plan’ to seek out buyers. The housing market had just gone from good to bad in a few short months and there were over 400 homes in our area in the same price range as our home. Brandon did a video virtual tour of our home and property and we started seeing instant results from our listing. Meanwhile, our friends that were also selling their homes were dealing with frustration over the lack of communication with their Realtors. Brandon kept us updated with every visit and even gave us feedback from every showing. He did multiple open houses, but the true lure was the virtual tour, which brought in several ‘out-of-town’ shoppers. When we finally did receive interest from a buyer, Brandon went out of his way to make the sale happen. The buyer was insecure about the older LP siding on our home and Brandon got us a contractor and siding for almost 1/3rd of our bids for the same job. He even went as far as to come out and help us tear down the old siding in order to get the house ready in time for the contractor. Once the new siding was up, Brandon was right there at my side when it came time to paint. I can’t say enough about how hard Brandon worked to sell our home and to this day, I recommend him to all my friends that are either buying or selling. The best part of the relationship was the communication that kept us informed: with his constant feedback, we had peace of mind knowing that he was focused on selling our house.
-Larry and Lara Goolsby
“He helped enhance the curb appeal for me…”
Brandon helped me buy and sell a house. We were able to get an offer to buy accepted on the contingency that my house would sell, the agent for the house we were buying didn’t believe it would sell for what we were asking. My friends later told me they couldn’t believe I got what I was asking for it either. It was a great house in a fabulous neighborhood and had curb appeal, which all helped, but a lot of credit goes to Brandon for helping to sell it (in three days!). He helped enhance the curb appeal for me; he told me where to get a new front door and (this was certainly above and beyond) he helped me install it. He advertised and got the word out about my house with so much enthusiasm, I even remember balloons hanging on the For Sale sign. He is super creative when it comes to marketing and has proven this time and time again with all of the other houses I know of that he has sold. Brandon is also über organized, he always had folders for me with all of the documents and important dates for me to keep track of. I would (and have) recommend(ed) Brandon to my friends.
-Ruth Harper, PhD WWU
“He was patient, fun, available, reliable, informed…”
As a first time single buyer [of a house], I needed guidance and Brandon clearly explained the things I needed to know. He was patient, fun, available, reliable, informed throughout the months we searched for a house that I could live in. With the purchase, he handled all the paper work with skill, educating me and the sellers along the way. It was a seamless process because of his ease and understanding. I would recommend Brandon as a superb realtor.
-Sara Todd
“…fully committed, enthusiastic, professional, and with a positive “can do” attitude…”
Earlier this year, we decided to begin a search for income property in Bellingham. Since we both had been Realtors in the past, we knew that the place to begin was to find a quality professional to work with. Through mutual friends in the kayaking community, we were very fortunate to connect with Brandon Nelson.
It doesn’t take long to see that Brandon approaches real estate in much the same way he does everything else in his life – fully committed, enthusiastic, professional, and with a positive “can do” attitude. From the moment we began working with Brandon, we knew we were in good hands, and had a true advocate in our corner. If there is a way to make a transaction come to a successful close, Brandon will find a way to do it. His knowledge of construction, good communication skills and amiable nature, make him a natural winner as a Realtor.
With our previous experience in the real estate industry, we know what it takes to be a good Realtor. Brandon far surpasses those expectations.
-Ken and Luanne Katz, Salt Spring Island, BC
“…honestly answered our questions and offered suggestions…”
We had been looking for the perfect neighborhood to buy our first house in when we came across the Lake Whatcom area and immediately narrowed our search. It was still another few months before we began contacting realtors to begin comparing interiors. You were the only realtor to call us back, set up a time, and get us into a house, in a timely manner. It was that and your super pleasant demeanor that ultimately led us to choose you to be our realtor. During our home tours together, you honestly answered our questions and offered suggestions. You were patient with us as we went back and forth on houses and even when we changed our budget; you let us take our time. Once we finally decided on a house, you helped us through the negotiations; you reminded us what wasn’t so important and helped us fight for what was. It was when our house was in escrow, however, that your support meant the most. You helped us make sense of the entire process and explained, in detail, what every page meant. When loan-delaying issues arose, you were there to make sure everything was turned in on time, thereby taking the stress away from us. Your efforts were especially meaningful to us as we have no family living in this state. We thought we would have no one to honestly look out for us and ease us into our first home buying experience, and we were wrong. You were with us every step of the way as we found, negotiated, and purchased our first home and you are still here helping us as we experience our first joys of home ownership. We are certain that this process would have been much less pleasant without you and have no intention of purchasing another home without you! How does 2020 sound?
Forever Grateful,
–Jacqueline Bension and Chris DeBussey
“Brandon really worked his magic…”
We were referred to Brandon by a friend just when we were about to give up on realtors who just didn’t get what we were looking for. Brandon not only ‘got it’, but patiently showed us an incredibly varied selection of houses we were interested in. He was an invaluable resource in helping us figure out what was worth our money, what neighborhoods we might like and where else to look. When we found the perfect house after a whirlwind weekend of looking, Brandon really worked his magic. The house was listed for well above our budget, but with Brandon’s guidance we were able to put together an offer and get the house for a price we could afford! We were buying from out of state, and Brandon’s leadership and organization made what could have been a difficult buying process incredibly easy. Brandon took care of every step along the way – he walked the house with the inspector, lined up a roof cleaner/sealer and shuffled all the right papers to the right people. He also gave us great recommendations for a local mortgage broker and insurance agent. We didn’t have to fly down until the closing! Buying a house is supposedly stressful, but Brandon made it an easy and enjoyable experience. We’d wholeheartedly recommend Brandon, and will certainly use him again if we’re in the market in the future.”
–Kurt and Becca Gisclair
”…created an opportunity for us to buy the property…”
“By mid-2008 the Bellingham Kiteboarding community had grown to the point that we needed secure, guaranteed access to Locust Beach, just north of Bellingham. We knew about the half-acre lot with a metal pole-building that’d be perfect, but it wasn’t for sale. That’s when we called Brandon.
Within days, Brandon had approached the land-owner and established a fair market price, arranged for us to meet face to face, and had basically created an opportunity for us to buy the property.
Instead of an outright purchase, though, we wanted a “Try Before You Buy” scenario and shared these thoughts with Brandon. He negotiated with the owner for a lease/option contract, and we got the exact terms we wanted. We then had an 8-month window to see if it was everything we hoped.
By the time we decided it was perfect for us, obtaining financing for land had become extremely difficult and expensive, so we told Brandon we needed owner-financing. In no time, Brandon had arranged another meeting with us and the seller along with a group of her friends, where he presented an entire outline of how owner-financing works, the pros and cons for each party, and why in our situation is was a total win/win for everyone. He’d prepared folders for each of us with bullet-pointed lists so we could all be “on the same page” throughout the presentation. By the end, the owner agreed wholeheartedly to grant our request and finance the purchase.
We closed on the sale less than a month later, and the property has allowed the Bellingham Kiteboarding community to continue to grow without fear of losing beach access or parking. Brandon was an integral part of the purchase from start to finish, and we’ll never buy or sell any real estate in Whatcom County again without Brandon as our Realtor.
–Andy and Marlys Holmes, owners of Bellingham Kiteboarding
“Brandon provided support, a wealth of information, and skillful guidance…”
My wife and I recently returned to Bellingham after spending five years away. Having always lived in rental properties, we were mulling over the possibility of moving into a home when we moved back.
One evening we submitted a request for a listing that caught our interest, and Brandon Nelson responded with a warm, informative e-mail. We were surprised and nervous about engaging with a real estate agent because that meant we needed to get serious. Furthermore we had no experience with the home-buying process.
Truly we could not have asked for a better real estate agent to take us through that process. From our initial e-mails, to phone calls, to two tours of Bellingham neighborhoods and available homes – Brandon provided support, a wealth of information, and skillful guidance. At one point we took a month to step away from the search and that prompted an understanding, patient response from Brandon.
Upon returning to the home search we saw a listing online that looked to suit us. We put ourselves back in Brandon’s hands and he adeptly took us through the process: lending, meeting the sellers, crafting an offer, setting us up with an excellent inspector, working with our loan officer, and remaining confident and encouraging each step of the way.
Brandon Nelson is the whole package. He facilitated effective, comfortable negotiations between the sellers and us, he scanned and e-mailed documents to ensure they were timely and correct, he advised us regarding homeowners insurance and a title company, and he made us a priority. He represents all the reasons we were so happy to move back to Bellingham.
There’s nothing like having an experienced, diligent professional on your side, and that’s why Brandon gets our highest recommendation.
Sincerely,
Gethyn and Ann Chilcoat
