When your real estate agent takes the time to mount your flat-screen TV and caulk your dryer vent after helping you buy your dream home, you know you’ve found someone who truly takes customer service to heart.
It’s that kind of dedication that earned Bob Plessinger and Karen Collins our first-ever “Red Pants Award,” which has nothing to do with their wardrobe choices and everything to do with their client service. Each month the “Red Pants Award” will honor Redfin agents who did amazing work and received an outstanding review from their clients as a result.
In Bob and Karen’s case, that meant passing up an easy sale to get the right home for their clients — and even doing a little home improvement work!
Their clients, Kent and Chase, had been living in an apartment in downtown Dallas but had grown tired of renting and wanted a place that they and their two dogs, Vitamin P and Mutt Job, could call home. They knew the neighborhood they wanted to move to and had been looking at homes for sale in the area on Redfin.com. Once they found a home they were interested in, they booked a tour with Bob.
The first home they saw was older but had recently been updated, which Kent and Chase appreciated. However, Bob — who has done several renovations of his own — noticed that while the home looked great at first glance, the homeowners had taken a lot of shortcuts that would need to be addressed in the future.
The asking price was also pretty high for the area, and there weren’t a lot of homes in the same condition that were on the market at that price. Bob warned Kent and Chase that the appraisal may come in under the asking price and that their lender would only provide funds for the appraised value. If there was a difference, they would need to come up with the cash to pay it.
Even though Kent and Chase liked the home, they took Bob’s advice to heart and continued looking. The next home they found was newer and didn’t need any updates. It was the one.
Bob worked with them to put together a competitive offer and, after some negotiation, the parties agreed on a price. Then Bob went on vacation. Yep — you read that right. He had been planning a big trip to Australia for months and had to leave before the deal closed. But before he left, he made sure to tie up all the loose ends with the lender and appraiser and then put his clients in the very capable hands of his teammate, Karen Collins.
The closing process went smoothly, and Kent and Chase got the keys to their new home. When Bob got back from his trip, he stopped by to visit and helped them mount their TV and complete a few other home improvement projects!
When all was said and done, Kent and Chase submitted the following review, which was published on Redfin.com (just like every review):
“When Bob showed us the first house we were interested in, I knew right away that he was looking out for my interest rather than trying to sell me a house as quickly as possible or at the highest price. He stated quite plainly that the house was overpriced and that we should not buy without a substantial price reduction. Moreover, later when we were negotiating on the house we ended up buying, he even encouraged us to bid more aggressively than we were initially inclined to do. In the end, we got our dream house for a price substantially below both the list price and the appraisal value.
As for service, Bob was very easy to get in touch with—whether by phone, email, or text. And, when his vacation (literally half a world away) happened to coincide with our underwriting period, he remained in contact by email and made arrangements for us to work with Karen Collins, who handled everything smoothly and quickly.
Further, Bob went the extra mile during the inspection period. He made sure I understood everything on the report, he contacted vendors when necessary to address certain issues, and he even took responsibility for making a few small repairs himself.
Finally, we had some initial trouble with the lender, but Bob stayed on top of our contact there and did what was needed to make sure that we closed on time.
I recommend Bob highly and without reservation.”
Congratulations to Bob and Karen!
And, in case you’re wondering where the “Red Pants” name came from, every year at our company meeting at least one executive wears red pants during his or her speech. Now the inside joke has come to life; we actually embroidered the text of the winning review on red pants for Bob and Karen!
If you’re interested in working with Bob and Karen, or any other Redfin agent, please get in touch today! Every Redfin agent’s page includes reviews from past clients, and every review is posted, so you can feel confident in the level of service you’ll receive.