Testimonials

Ross really is as good as it gets in Seattle's crazy real estate market. He helped us buy our home in Seattle 3.5 years ago, after a somewhat picky, several month long search. We loved our home, and continued to rely on Ross for his home renovating and resale expertise as well as his extensive list of local contacts to help do some projects around the house. When it came time to sell our home, despite several agent referrals from friends, we had no doubt we would ask Ross to help us again. In just a few short weeks, he was able to help us get the house on the market to take advantage of the spring selling season. He had a thorough list of ideas/easy fixes to get our home in top shape for showings, as well as a list of readily available contacts to do some painting and maintenance. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable about the market, he is also personable and compassionate, realizing how emotional selling a home can be and able to talk us through any concerns without ever pushing any agenda on us. When we put the house on the market, even this crazy market, we were still stunned and thrilled with the results. Our home received multiple offers well over what we expected and we know it was because of Ross's knowledge and assistance in getting our home to shine. Though we know he must be very busy, Ross always makes us feel as if we are his most important clients and has been readily available by phone or in person to answer questions, calm worries, or relay information. He excels at making the steps toward closing go as smoothly as possible for all parties and eliminating our stress as much as possible. We really can't recommend Ross enough, and we're looking forward to having Ross on our side once again as we purchase our next home!

Ross went above and beyond the expectations of a buying and listing agent! He was professional and knew when to listen and when to act. Thank you, friend!

Thank you for your hard work and attentiveness. We’ll continue to refer family and friends! Ross made us feel like we were the only clients he was working with!

Thank you so much for everything you did for us during our house hunting process! Thanks for being an awesome party bus/van driver. I appreciated your flexibility in always taking us around last minute and your willingness to see a few sketch places Josh and I put on the list. Your humor made what I was expecting to be a painful process way, way more fun than I could have imagined! Thank you for everything!

Thanks for helping us sell our house and find one all in a pretty tight timeline! We feel like you made the process as smooth as could be, without ever making us feel rushed. We also appreciated the way you helped us figure out what we were looking for, and our sense of style and design jibed well with yours.

Appreciate all the help with the home buying process! We had some big fears going into this process and you made those go away. Totally will be sending our friends to you as they get ready to buy, too.

I met Ross at an open house he was hosting during an exploratory trip to Seattle. I had looked at quite a few houses that trip and was not ready to buy, but just wanted to get an idea of what the market was like. I was impressed by Ross's knowledge, candor, and lack of hard sell tactics, and knew at that point that I wanted to work with him when we were ready to move. I'm so glad I kept his card. Ross quickly learned what my wife and I liked and valued in houses, and found us appropriate listings. We wanted to see every house that seemed like a possible fit, and he was always happy to show us. He kept us feeling positive but was also realistic about the market, and cautioned us against settling for a house that didn't meet our needs. Most of the homes that fit our taste and budget were older, and many of them were in need of remodeling or more serious work. Ross's knowledge of remodeling and the underlying systems of houses -- foundation, electrical, plumbing, etc. -- was invaluable and gave us the confidence we needed to buy a house that wasn't already entirely fixed up. When we found the right house, it was during a fast-moving seller's market where most listings had multiple offers. Ross knows how to craft a strong offer and helped us put together a mortgage/escrow team that got our offer accepted and closed. We ended up with a nicer house and better location than we thought possible, and I am confident that it is Ross's skills that gave us the edge to make it happen. I wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone who wants to buy real estate in Seattle!

Ross was invaluably helpful with the sale of my condo. Being out of state, Ross went above and beyond taking care of all small details which I could not. He is knowledgeable and thorough, couldn't have asked for a better agent!

Ross Hartwich went over and beyond the call of duty as a Realtor. We had a positive buy and sell experience with Ross and was by far the best Realtor we have worked with. Ross gave us great guidance and made both processes as smooth as possible. We are thankful for his work efforts and for sure will recommend him to all who are in need of a Realtor. We love our new home!

Thank you so much for helping me fin the perfect townhouse! You are an amazing broker-- I really lucked out. You definitely went above and beyond the call of duty in every sense. You are very patient, accommodating, and most importantly, knowledgeable of the whole process. You made what could have been a very stressful process FUN. Thank you!

This was our first home purchase and Rachel made the process so clear to us. She took our requirements and found the perfect house for us. She was always optimistic about finding the perfect place and during the process offered guidance on how to get what we wanted. She is an asset to Lake and an excellent example of the perfect realtor. Thank you Rachel!

Ross is a wonderful, kind, and caring agent that really made our first home buying experience a great one. I really don't think my wife and I would have gotten the house we were after if it weren't for his experience and professionalism. Can't speak highly enough of him. Ross does an excellent job of guiding you through the process, making sure you understand everything, and finding the right house for you. He's the only agent we'll work with in the future for sure!

One day while getting in the car with Ross, (Ross is awesome and picks his clients up to tour homes) I noticed he had a bunch of tools in the back of his car. He was apologetic for the noise they were making. It wasn't bothering us at all and we later learned he was dropping them off with a former client who found a home and needed tools. This is one small example of the awesomeness of Ross. We are first time home buyers who barely scraped enough to buy a home in the madness of the Seattle market, and we needed a lot of guidance and strategy to help us navigate not only the first time home buying process, but the illogical nature an over saturated low inventory market. Ross had helped fellow friends and colleges which made the decision easier but after interviewing a few other realtors, we knew he was the one. Ross is the realtor you want on your side. Not only does he brings years of experience in the Seattle market, as a bonus he used to remodel homes in the Seattle area so he knows a lot of the pitfalls we needed to consider. Oil heat? Galvanized pipes? Years left on a roof? Foundation type? Electrical? Siding? Flooring? Heating? All things he can recognize and point out as a consideration for purchase. We could also give him a list of homes on a Monday and we were out looking at them on Tuesday. He also spent a few weekends taking us on tours and it didn't matter how far apart they were. He is also VERY patient. We had a lot of questions and no matter the time of day or frequency, his response was always prompt and well thought out. As a great realtor should, Ross helps to guide the purchase rather then inject his opinion. He looks at the whole picture and asks questions to help us understand how the different aspects of the home and purchase fit into our needs and budget. However he had no issues saying a house was solid or needed a lot of work to be comfortable. Ross is also committed to the sale. Based on our fist few offers, all losing to bids 10-30% over asking, or homes with multiple per-inspections/offers, we were becoming a bit discouraged on the entire process. Due to the constraints of our budget and down payment, we knew we needed to be creative and re - strategize on approach. When we finally stumbled into a house we had a chance at buying, knowing the competitive nature of this market, Ross jumped into action. He spent a Saturday with us scheduling (and un-scheduling) pre-inspections, communicating with the listing agent, guiding us on our offer, earnest money, contingencies, escalation, and making sure we had all the offer documents in place. When it looked like we were going be out bid, he continued to work with us until the later evening on Sunday, re-negotiating with the listing agent and sellers, gave us some solid advice, and our offer was accepted on Monday afternoon, even beating out a higher offer. Even after mutual acceptance he came to our workplace to pick up our earnest money check and hand delivered critical documents to the sellers escrow agent to make sure the process moved smoothly. I can't recommend Ross enough. We could have "tried" to save a few dollars by going through a service like Redfin but I can tell you we would have never had a chance in this market where a skilled and knowledgeable agent is required. Now I'm very excited to be on the receiving end of Ross's tool library for our new home needs.

My husband Ben and I recently completed the home buying process (for the first time) with Ross as our guide and broker, and we were quite satisfied with the service he provided us. His knowledge of the local real estate market, friendly personality and untiring willingness to work with us on our terms made him an invaluable asset during our house hunting experience. Ross's professional understanding of the real estate market in Seattle, along with his considerable experience living here made us feel at east with his suggestions and opinions provided whenever we requested them. Being first-time homebuyers, we were sometimes confused by unfamiliar terminology and the general bafflement that is buying a piece of property, and Ross was always glad to translate for us in plain English. There really wasn't ever a question that we asked him about the various properties we looked at and researched that he wasn't able to answer in a way that made sense to us. When we were just starting to look at listings and were sniffing out a broker to work with, we were impressed with Ross's friendly, non-aggressive personality. He didn't seem so much a salesman as simply a concerned friend who wanted to help us make the best and most informed decision possible about hour home. My husband and I use public transit, walk, or ride our bikes to and from work most of the time, which sometimes made it a challenge for us to get to open houses or viewings during the work week. However, Ross was always more than willing to pick us both up from work as well as transport us either back to the office or home after a real estate outing. We greatly appreciated his going to extra mile in this way (literally) to make the home hunting processes easier to fit into our busy day-to-day lives. His flexibility and understanding of our needs as customers truly set him apart from the competition. My husband and I had a great home buying experience with Ross.

We are very happy with our whole home buying experience! Thank you so much! You were a huge part of making this process so easy for us.

Being a single female first time home buyer in the Seattle was daunting, to say the least. I started the housing search with vague sense of what I was looking for and not 100% sure I would ever be able to find it. Ross came highly recommended through friends who had recently purchased a home in Seattle. He was a HUGE asset and can't imagine having gone through the process without him. He was incredibly helpful in guiding me every step of the way and making it feel much less formidable (and actually enjoyable). I never felt pressured or rushed. He helped me to distill exactly what I was looking for and to educate me on all aspects to consider when purchasing my first home. He remained optimistic and encouraging. I always felt like I was his one and only client: very responsive, flexible and frequently available at a moments notice. Ultimately, it took me close to a year before I eventually found the home that I ended up buying. By the time I found my "dream home" I felt confident, prepared and knowledgeable. Ross helped craft a highly competitive offer that ultimately beat our seven others. He exceeded my expectations of his role as a realtor in multiple regards. After I was settled in my new home, Ross continued to make himself available: he helped unstick my windows that were painted shut, lent me tools, gifted me a black and white copy of a 1918 photo of the home, and remained available for anything that came up. Ross is EXCELLENT, hands down. If possible, I would give him more than five stars. If you're looking for one of the best realtors in Seattle, look no further!

I'd give you 5s on a few more things as well: Staying within my price range and not trying to "up-sell" me Making me feel like you had my best interests at heart by talking me out of a condo with high HOA dues and into a TH with better potential for re-sell value Being knowledgeable about the market, Seattle neighborhoods, and all the "working parts" of a house-- roof, sewers, heating, plumbing, electrical, etc. Being enthusiastic, patient, and down to earth and fun to be with-- and very chivalrous as well-- opening doors, picking me up, making me feel like you were my friend as well as my agent. I'm glad I met you! Thanks for all your help.

We have nothing but positive things to say about Ross. Our home search in Seattle was mostly remote, as we were living out of state. From the very beginning Ross was considerate and cognizant of our time constraints and he was diligent to follow up with any question or concern that we raised. We began looking at home with another company, but they weren't able to find new construction, non-listed homes very easily. On our own we found a home that we were curious about and contacted the listing agent. That agent referred us to Ross who then was able to show us one that hadn't been listed. We had a very tight schedule as we were ending out week long search that afternoon and flying back to the previous state we lived in. The first home we saw with Ross, we put an offer in and it was accepted. Ross recognized that we were potentially "settling" on the home. He was concerned it didn't have everything we were looking for and he wanted to be certain it was the right fit for us. Ross took us to City Hall to find answers we had about property lines and additions. He worked closely to counsel us and we agreed that the home just wasn't right. while we thought this could impact our client/agent relationship, it turned around to really help build our relationship and solidify our true needs in a home. We continued to fly back to Seattle every week for a few days at a time and Ross would graciously assist with our pick up and drop offs at the airport. He even had us keep one of our cars at his home for a period of time before closing. Once we determined the next home for purchase, Ross made sure our offer was solid and it was accepted, blow list price! In this market that is not a common occurrence. Since we were still out of state, Ross coordinated to meet with the builder and all the other services that were needed. Once closing and possession took place, we saw a few items from the blue tape walk through that hadn't been completed. Ross worked with the builder to begin completion the following week. In addition to his kind personality, he also makes the process less anxiety filled because he is calm and well intended. Working on a major home purchase out of state is stressful. Ross worked towards making sure we were always updated with progress. Without pause we would highly recommend Ross, especially for relocation. His generosity and follow through shine again and again.

Rarely is it easy to offer unhesitating praise for someone who has helped you in the plying of a trade. Ross Hartwich inspires such praise in me. I was in need of a new home, and I was, like many these days, unspeakably busy with ongoing commitments. I was going to require a really energetic alliance. I had spent a year or so relying on another agent who just didn't have that steam. Then I met Ross at an open house--he enthusiastically helped me make sense of the place I was looking at, to a level of probing specificity I had not encountered before. He took immediate and genuine interest in getting a feel for what I was drawn to, and after this first conversation, I was moved to contact him and enlist his services. Then, it was a matter of months, and this very particular and demanding customer found himself being helped into a home of remarkable rightness. Ross happily drove me to have a thorough look at every place either of us thought just might have a chance of being a good fit. This venture ranged into the dozens within weeks, but I found myself buoyed up by his optimism. I learned a great deal along the way, rapidly becoming a more deeply informed house-hunter. He spent time with me over snacks and coffee, offering reflections and insights, and he cultivated a thoughtful interest in how my search for a home fit into the larger scheme of my life. When he saw me getting excited about a house about which he had concerns, he cautioned me. When he believed I might benefit by another look at a place I'd passed on, he encouraged me to go back there with him. When he saw my eyes grow weary with looking, he suggested a break. And, a good few times, when he heard discouragement in my voice, he reminded me confidently that something right would come along. And of course he was accurate. When I did find the house I wanted to make my home, he offered every conceivable assist to help make it mine. He provided many hours of detailed strategic support, without which, I am sure, my offer would ultimately not have been accepted. And, once the house was mine, Ross continued--indeed, continues even now, months later--to help me in a variety of ways with the protracted business of making the changes that optimize and personalize a house for the long term. I can see that Ross Hartwich is among those who love people generally, who take pleasure in playing parts in others' lives, and who find meaning in facilitating others' searches for fulfillment. Ross loves his work--you can see it, and he says it. He comes with a fine and rich combination of skill, inspiration, insight, savvy, and experience, as well as an openness to being surprised, an ability to stay on his toes and notice the unexpected. I did not imagine that I would wind up having such a good time searching for a house, especially in such a mad market as has recently prevailed. But I--no, we--really did have a great time, and it all went so very well! Ross's energy is incomparable, well-directed, reliable, and high-spirited. If you want to find a home here in Seattle, you'd do well to work with Ross Hartwich. You can tell him I said so.

Thank you for all your help! You went above and beyond for us.

Thank you for making the process of selling my home relatively easy. I watched my neighbor sell his home and he didn't get nearly the support from his agent that I received from you. Even my architect friend was impressed by your professionalism and knowledge. Thanks so much.

Ross was great to work with. As first time homebuyers he expertly explained and taught us tons about the process, houses, and even provided some great tips for home improvement ideas. We feel truly lucky to have such an informative, thorough, and level-headed agent to work with throughout the process. Because of Ross, our homebuying process was way easier than we expected it to be. Thanks, Ross!

We love Ross! Excellent job!

Thank you so much for guiding us through this difficult market with wisdom and patience. You went above and beyond.

Thank you again for all you helped us accomplish with our house sale!

Ross is one of the best realtors that I know. He is personable and engaging and professional and goes out of his way to understand my needs. I never get that salesman vibe and always enjoy working with him.

Living in Idaho, and selling a home in Seattle, with absolutely no free time, seemed to be a near impossible task. How could we get the house ready to sell, after 4 years of renters? When would we find time to move our things into storage? The yard is a mess, when are we possibly going to be there to clean up and make it presentable? How will we afford to do all this? One meeting with Ross and it all became clear and easy. Ross immediately laid out the plan for us. He would have the folks he works with come in and re finish the hardwoods, paint the inside of the house, fix and repair everything that needed fixing. He could arrange to have the yard cleaned up and new plants, etc., would make it look like new. If I arrange for a storage unit, Ross could even get the yard workers to move all of our stuff into storage and dispose of anything that was no longer usable. How could we afford all this? Ross set those fears to rest and guaranteed a price range we could afford. Not only would he arrange to have all the work needed to maximize the sell ability of our house, get us moved out and have the house staged for showing, but also would arrange for us to settle these expenses with the funds generated by the sale and closing of the house!! This all sounded great!! We set the date to list the house and we returned to Idaho to continue our life. 1 week before that date, while in Seattle on business, this being my first trip back since our original meeting with Ross, I had no idea where we were in the process. Much to my chagrin, Ross had followed through on every piece of the plan he set forth in our first meeting. He even showed up to help me move the final pieces of furniture out of the house for his guys to move to the storage shed I had arranged. As we did this, the stagers showed up and by the end of the day the house looked amazing and was ready to list. Best of all, after 5 days on the market, our house was sold for about $80,000 over the price we listed it for. Ross's prep work, professional approach and knowledge of the Seattle market, yielded a sale well above our expected selling price. With a few electronic signatures, the whole deal closed about 1 month after the day our renters moved out. We are already in contract and about to close on our dream home here in Sun Valley ID. I would recommend anyone selling, or buying a home, in the Seattle area, take advantage of this amazing resource!! Thank you Ross for making this process a pleasure!!

Ross was extraordinary to work with! He definitely went the extra mile to make sure we were comfortable with the sale of our house. It all went smoothly and sold very quick. We would not hesitate to recommend his services. He took the stress out of a stressful situation and we'll be forever grateful! Thank you Ross!

Ross is one of the best. I've been through the buying process before, however, this time it was selling AND buying. Negotiating the difficult Seattle market, my insane schedule, plus a tight budget didn't even seem to bother him a bit. Ross listens to his clients, taking into account the lifestyle, financial means, and individual needs and constructs a plan that puts as little stress on his client as possible.

Thanks so much for all of your hard work. The late night calls, questions, and support didn't go unnoticed. We will be recommending you all over the place. Mario and I are over the moon about the new house and we know without you we might not be there now. We love you! Thanks again.

We recently purchased our first home and Ross Hartwich was our broker. My husband, Tomas, works at Google in Fremont and I stay home with our 18 month old son. When we started the house search we were very overwhelmed. Especially after hearing hearing horror stories from friends about bidding wards starting on houses. Tomas wanted to be able to walk or bike to work, so the areas we could live in were a little limited. After meeting Ross, he sent me new properties to look at every day. We had a Queen Anne night, Wallingford night, etc. It really helped being able to see several houses in one neighborhood so that we could get a good feel for [it]. Prior to making an offer on our house in Phinney Ridge, Ross came over and let us spend some time so we could envision our life in the new house. Ross is dedicated, extremely responsive, and got us a great deal on a house.

Superb job considering long-distance negotiations and difficult seller. Happy to be a reference anytime!