brianguzman.com

Testimonials

“Dear Brian,
I just wanted to take the time to thank you for everything that you have done for me and for helping me finally find a beautiful home after an endless search. I am extremely happy with my new place and would never have found it had you not helped me expand my horizons and look at other places other than just downtown Chicago. I must commend you for your patience while I dragged you to over 100 places in the city and then decided to start looking elsewhere. Yet, you never once gave up on me and continued to ask me the important questions that made me really think about why I had wanted to move to the city in the first place. As you know, it turns out that you were right, I didnt want a small box in the city even if it was downtown. I wanted a spacious place with a yard or a really nice balcony and didnt want to pay 30-40k extra just to park my car. In the end, I wanted something out in the suburbs and I just didn’t know it.

I also wanted to commend you for not trying to peg me into a place that I wasn’t sure of. Many realtors I feel would have gotten sick of my questions and tried to convince me that this really was the best I was going to get but you never once did. In fact, when I would tell you that I thought this might be the place for me, you would go around and try to point out everything that was wrong with it just to see if I would still want it as is. Most of the time these faults were things I never noticed. No sales person in their right mind would do this unless they truly cared about my wellbeing and my happiness. It is because you did this that I did not settle for that tiny place in the city that was near no expressway and really wasnt half the place that I bought. I cant even imagine living in the place that I almost settled for after finding my place in Elmhurst. My townhome is so much more than I could have ever wanted and I am truly happy there. I couldnt have done this without you, you never gave up on me and you never let me settle. You knew what I wanted and you continued to search aimlessly everywhere to give me my dream home. I would recommend you most highly to anyone that would ask. If I have any friends that need a realtor in the future I will defiantly pass your name and number along. Please know that you have definitely overcome my expectations of what a realtor really is, as well as how much they can make a difference if you have the right one in buying a home.

Thank you for everything Brian. I truly had a good experience for my first time in buying a home.”
-Ellyse Lamon

“I’ve known Brian for several years, dating back to our years caddying, in high school, and as Evans Scholars in college. I decided to begin my condo search with Brian due to the fact that Ive known him for so long, and I knew that from the beginning, he was only interested in my best interest.

Ever since our very first meeting, Brian was very professional. His thoroughness and attention to detail helped make the entire process of purchasing a home extremely easy. Although we were not planning on purchasing a home until the middle of this summer, we decided to take some time out early on to check out a few places in order gauge what exactly we were looking for in a home. A few places turned into 15. After narrowing down what we wanted, we found the perfect place during our 15th visit. We decided to go through with the purchase ahead of the time frame we had planned on, but Brian assisted us every step of the way. Brian is always available and accessible nights, weekends, and even after I had my closing. He strives to provide the best customer service that any real estate agent out there could provide. Regardless of what we needed, whether it was booking a showing, providing listings, communicating with the mortgage broker, or dealing with the developer post-close, Brian was always there and on top of things. I had many questions throughout the entire process, and in the rare case that Brian did not know the answer; he was always able to find it quickly. Brian has been a great friend, but more importantly throughout this entire process, a great real estate consultant.

Brian thanks for helping us find our first home!”
- Robbie Moy

“When we first starting looking for a condo to buy, we decided to start early because we figured it would take awhile for us to figure out what we wanted and then find it. We worked with Brian to figure out the certain aspects that we knew we wanted, and with his help discovered that we had a much clearer vision than we had thought. Brian has such a thorough knowledge of the properties in the area and he really listened to what we told him, so it turned out that every property that we saw was in the realm of what we wanted. Since we didnt have to waste our time going to see bad properties, we found our dream house faster than we thought!

However, finding our condo turned out to be the smallest thing that Brian did for us. Brians biggest asset as a realtor is how much he cares about his clients. His main goal, after finding his clients the property they want, is to make sure that his clients are comfortable with the process. He actively tries to alleviate the inevitable anxiety that come with buying a home because the last thing that he wants is for buyers to feel unsure or nervous. He is friendly and invites you to ask him questions or call him to talk about what you can expect. Brian is the kind of person that brings his work home with him, in the sense that he is always thinking about his clients and what he can do for them.”
- Annette Oswiecinski

“Thanks so much for all of your help in my first home owning experience. You went above and beyond your responsibilities and will definitely be referred by me to other home seekers in the future.”
- Caryn H

“Brian was extremely helpful in purchasing my first home. As stressful as it is to be a first time homeowner, Brian eased my anxiety and nervousness through his knowledge and hard work during the whole process. Brian was very responsive to my questions and concerns and worked extremely hard in resolving any question that I had. I would highly recommend Brian to anybody who is interested in purchasing property in the city.”
- Mike H

“He was willing to work for us as well as with us to find the best place for us. These qualities are rare to find. Upon initial meeting, our agent had multiple appointments lined up. This is scarce in the first meeting. He was knowledgeable, friendly, a great listener and took note to our dislikes and like. We were very satisfied with his knowledge. He had the updated information. In cases where more questions came up, he promptly performed his research and got back to us with specific answers. He was very accommodating and put his heart into the search. I think that made all the difference. Although we were hard to reach, Brian never lost patience with us.

Before we went to the negotiation stage, we would do an assessment of our buying power, comparative sales in the building and points and features to consider at different points in the negotiation. He was prepared and, when needed, provided his analysis of the deal. We trusted him and he came through on a good deal for us.

Brian stuck with us through thick and thin. He provided us with important relevant information before viewings, he kept open and honest communication, he was flexible, he was a great and attentive listener and most importantly he cared about our happiness in our new place. We were on the market for over 6 months and Brian was nothing but patient with us. He even came to our closing to provide moral support! Brian adds the personal touch. Without him we would not be in our new home and we would not be as happy as we are! Brian makes an excellent buyers agent and we don’t know what we would have done without him.

Thanks for all that you did for us!”
-Nirav and Sarali

“Brian consistently delivers superior service to clients that both sell and purchase real estate in the Chicagoland area. His determination and drive results in a smooth transaction and satisfied clientele. Brian not only thoroughly educates his clients on buying and/or selling but he continuously educates himself in order to creatively and systematically problem solve through any number of situations. Brian’s ability to plan his work and work his plan will continue to bring a positive outcome to clients both new and old.”
-Rich Rogala

“Brian is an excellent REALTOR®. He is organized, thorough, conscientious and intelligent. He does a great job managing his transactions. Brian is easy to deal with. I have had the pleasure to work with Brian on several transactions and have found him to be honest, hard-working. He always has the best interests of his clients in mind. I recommend Brian strongly.”
- John O’Leary, John O’Leary Attorney at Law

“Brian was very professional and conscientious in every aspect of the process. He made himself available and kept me informed of all new listings in the area I was searching. He was patient, he listened to my expectations, made suggestions, answered my questions, immediately contacted the sellers agent when I had specific questions on the property I was considering. Brian provided the professionalism and quality that made my property search and successful purchase an easy transition. Thank you! I know you will continue with the same dedication you’ve demonstrated.”
- Cecilia G.

“I have had the pleasure working with Brian’s customers to obtain financing on homes he helped them find. Brian is extremely detail oriented. He works much harder than most REALTORS® and has great follow through. Brian recently helped a customer find a home that appraised for $70,000 more than the offer price. Brian acted quickly when the property became available and made sure the offer was submitted immediately. He put me in touch with the listing agent to reassure the seller that Brian’s buyer was qualified. There were multiple offers but because Brian was quick to act and was very detailed, the seller felt most comfortable with Brian’s buyer even with a lower than market offer. Brian’s buyer was happy to close with instant equity. After the contract has been written, Brian stays involved and is always available to help the buyer’s attorney and the lender make sure that all proper documentation is received so that the buyer can close on their purchase on time. Recently, there was a transaction where the seller’s attorney was slow providing documentation regarding the condominium project. Brian stayed involved and followed up with association members to make sure that his buyer and buyer’s attorney received the documentation ahead of the closing. When the documentation from the association was received, it indicated that there was a potential roof issue with the building. Brian then followed up with the original developer and helped coordinate with the association and the developer an inspection of the roof and an agreement to make repairs to the roof. The attorneys were involved but disinterested in the extra work. Brian is the one who made sure the deal came together and that his buyer received a unit with no roof issues. These are two examples of the many times that I have seen Brian go above and beyond the normal call of duty for his customers. I recommend Brian highly for his prompt professional extremely detailed service.”
- Matt Tierney, Guaranteed Rate

“It was an absolute pleasure working with Brian. I hired him as my real estate agent in 2007 and the whole time Brian was very friendly. He made the whole process of purchasing my first home very enjoyable. He took the time to explain things to me that I did not understand, being a first time home buyer. He was patient and through and I was able to put my trust into Brian to help me with my purchase. I have and will continue to recommend Brian to all of my friends who are potential buyers as I know they will be in good hands.”
- Chris B.

“I wanted to thank you again in follow-up to my townhouse sale. I think you did a great all-around job in helping me achieve my goals despite the worst real estate market cycle in decades. I believe the keys were your:

Advice on Market Timing: Another prospective agent was adamant that I wait to list the property until after the Labor day weekend. Your advice to get the property on the market for the 3 weeks leading up to Labor day was not only correct, it proved prescient given the credit market and other economic problems that hit in September.

Advice on Pricing: Again several other prospective agents proposed lower price points, but I agreed with you approach and the market bore this out as the correct amount. I was very happy to achieve a contract at 98% of listing price, especially in this market.

Approach to Marketing: From the MLS listing to the glossy marketing material, I was extremely proud of how the property was presented to the public, and the amount of traffic generated was impressive.

Diligence & Thoroughness: Your ability to get everything lined up to achieve our listing & open house dates was commendable, and your tracking of prospective buyer background & comments proved extremely helpful.

People Skills: I selected you as agent partly because your demeanor was a good match for me but more importantly, I think you work effectively with the various types of buyers in the marketplace as well as the lenders, inspectors, lawyers, and other needed to complete a transaction.

I would recommend you to anyone selling a property, and you should feel free to use me as a reference.”
-Patrick

“Herb and I would like to thank you for the excellent job you did in helping us purchase our new home in downtown Chicago. You were a superb negotiator, and got us the very best deal possible on our condominium purchase. We also appreciated your patience in working with us for as long as it took for us to make the decision to return to the Chicago area. You were always responsive in providing us with listings that met our requirements and getting back to us quickly when we had questions or were coming into town from Texas and taking us to look at properties.
In addition to the work you did for us, you were equally responsive in helping our daughter Abby purchase her first home in Lincoln Park and once again did it with speed, skill and professionalism.
We are grateful for your work on our behalf and would, without hesitation, recommend you to other potential customers for your professionalism, knowledge of the area and especially your negotiating skills.”
-Peggy and Herb

“Throughout these processes you were fantastic at recognizing what my specific needs were.
1 – You were prompt even when I failed to be.
2 – I did not want you to sell me on any prospective condos, I wanted the numbers to sell me. You allowed this to happen. In the past other agents have forced me out of my price range when that is clearly not what I desired.
3 – You patiently explained to me processes that were foreign to me. You did not condescend while doing this.
4 – You returned all phone calls (no matter how trivial) in a timely fashion.
5 – I could really go on and on about specific things that you did. This would be counterproductive. Your positive actions all fall under the same umbrella of actively listening to my goals and working with me to achieve them. What I was doing was not complex and you did not make it complex.
6 – You at no point attempted to hide your motives. This is very important to me.”
-Ryan

“I just received a message from our RA, the client’s mom, and she raved about Brian! She said that he was a perfect gentleman and was incredibly knowledgeable. She said her daughter was thrilled with his service and that he will be highly recommended for anyone else they know who is looking in Chicago. Please pass this information on to Brian, he deserves to know what an excellent job he did.

Thank you for selecting him to assist our client!”
-Drew Daniels, relocation director at Janet McAfee Inc.