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As first time homebuyers we were pretty much clueless. Michelle Ashley took the time to truly work with us and explain the ins and outs of the home buying process.
One of the things that immediately impressed us was Michelle's dedication to her clients. She worked tirelessly
to ensure that that we were able to purchase our home smoothly and was always available for our countless questions. Her impeccable sense of style, vast experience, and real estate knowledge are huge assets and were essential in getting us the home we wanted. From house hunting to settlement, Michelle's humor and energy made the buying our first home a great experience.
-K. Terrado & J. DeCampli
"Michelle was the seller's agent on the house we recently purchased. We were so impressed with her that we decided to hire her to sell our place as well. She has impeccable attention to detail, a keen judgment about the real estate market and what buyers want, and is meticulously efficient and organized. The additional virtual tour and photos she lists on her personal website--prepared by her own crew--really made our condo (and the home we bought) stand out from the crowd. We thoroughly recommend her!"
S. Nirmul
I can still remember the first time I spoke with Michelle, which happened to occur late in the evening after I had already had several conversations with other realtors on the phone. Our conversation more closely resembled a casual conversation over espresso than it did an interview with a new realtor. Michelle’s honesty was remarkable compared to other younger or older realtors I had spoken to previously. The only real sales pitch she had to make as we both sat in our offices at nearly 9 PM, was when she said jokingly, “its not too late for me, I am kind of a work-aholic”. I hung up the phone with a smile. After a quick google of her, revealing her HGTV celebrity status, I phoned my wife to tell her we had found a realtor.
Buying: That first experience of Michelle masterfully determining what we were “really” looking was very smooth and surprisingly enjoyable. We closed on our fantastic home in the art museum area just a day before the 4th of July. During our time in our small art museum oasis, Michelle never failed to happily steer us to excellent contractors, plumbers or even local eateries. I have to say that after the whole affair, both my wife and I missed the trips to Starbucks with Michelle, interrupted of course by looking at house or two, most of all.
Selling: Sadly, just two years later I had to call Michelle and tell her we were moving from the area and needed to sell our wonderful home. If I was impressed before, I soon realized that selling was really where Michelle shined. Despite the fact that the market panicked and softened just before we put the house on the market, through her marketing efforts we had an extraordinary amount of traffic through our home in a saturated market and several offers to consider before we finally entered an agreement for nearly our asking price.
Again, I have to say that I will actually miss the casual, coffee ridden, cell phone ring soundtracked adventures (I mean tasks!!!) we carried out to stunningly decorate my “bachelor pad”, all of course, except dragging me to the dreaded IKEA.
Michelle appears to know everyone that is anyone in Philly and as best I can discern she is well liked and respected across the board. Anyone considering working with Michelle should consider the danger that through such an interaction they risk gaining a new friend as well as a great realtor.
J. Cooley and R. JiJi
I am an architect and builder in the Art Museum area and I met Michelle as a buyer’s agent for one of my properties. Her buyers were particular and had been searching for the right house. She found the right place in my house and I found the right realtor at the same time.
Since then, Michelle and I have worked on several occasions and they have all been successful. I have sold my properties in only days and have never had to take less than asking price.
I think one of Michelle’s strongest assets is her honesty. Michelle knows what a buyer is looking for and how to match them with the appropriate house. She will immediately let you know what is good or bad about a home you are buying or selling. She knows it is important to understand what you are really getting and not let basic appearances mislead you. Michelle works closely with her clients to provide the best service possible. Her sense of design and construction knowledge also helps her inform clients of possibilities and potential that they might otherwise not see.
Most importantly, Michelle makes buying a home fun while maintaining a keen business sense and works hard to make everything go smoothly.
R. Clapp
Indigo Property Development, LLC
Michelle Ashley successfully sold two of my Center City properties in 2006. She exceeded my expectations in every way. The prices that I got for my properties were exceptional!
Much of what separates Michelle from other Real Estate agents is her bright energy, ability to properly stage a property, and her integrity. She has an incredible eye for making the interior and exterior of a property look fantastic and entice a buyer.
Finally, Michelle works to ensure that every detail is covered, and that her client is fully informed. Michelle is refreshingly easy to work with and makes the buying or selling process stress-free every step of the way.
- D. Huting
After a bad experience with another realtor, I demanded much more the
second time around.....for the same property. The most important lesson I learned is that marketing of a property is key. And that is where Michelle exceeds. Not only does she make recommendations on what it takes to make your house saleable, her marketing techinques are the best.
She listens to her clients, offers recommendations for marketing based on the area, brings in professional photograhers and holds open houses every week. Because of all this, my house sold within 28 days of the listing, for the full asking price.
Since the sale, I included Michelle on the purchase of a new property
because I wanted her expertise in the new house. She has been instrumental on making what could have been a difficult purchase, smooth. All in all, I will continue to use Michelle and have recommended her to all my friends.
- R. Lieberman
Michelle came to our rescue when we were in the middle of a real estate nightmare with another agent trying to sell our home. We had known Michelle from when we purchased our home and she served as the seller’s agent. We liked Michelle very much from that experience and knew that she was a knowledgeable, skilled and motivated real estate professional. We also knew that Michelle would immediately and effectively jump right into our deal and give us her full attention, expert advice and her meticulous attention to detail.
We were right…our home sold on the first showing. Michelle’s marketing savvy, design and style expertise and business sense is the best we’ve ever encountered in the real estate business. She is extremely responsive regardless of the time or day, detail-focused and she has a keen understanding of the real estate industry and particularly Philadelphia. Michelle goes above and beyond the normal requirements of the job to deliver results on behalf of her clients. She helped us immensely in the preparation and presentation of our house, from painting and flowers to advising us on interior décor. She also knows the most effective and targeted ways to market, whether through advertising, open houses or web marketing.
But more than that, Michelle is also an honest and kind person, the type of person and professional you want to be associated with. She is a business associate and friend, and we will definitely work with Michelle in the future.
---The Woolfords
My wife Angie and I were moving to Philadelphia and interested in purchasing a new home right when we arrived. I was introduced to Michelle Ashley after calling Prudential and we immediately jelled. Although we did not purchase a home at that time, deciding to rent instead until we became more familiar with the area, we kept in touch with Michelle. Eight months later, we were ready to start looking again. Michelle knew our taste in homes and while we were reluctant to move outside of Central Philadelphia, she believed that she had a home in the Art Museum area that would a) fit our need to be in a neighborhood, b) be in close proximity to downtown and c) be ready to move-in immediately without any renovation. When we walked into the home, we knew right away that it was exactly the right place for us. After only a few weeks of searching, we had found a home that had met all of our factors.
However, only eight months later, I had been offered a new job in Los Angeles and we needed to move within a short time of only four weeks. We needed to sell our house immediately. As a result, we phoned Michelle and asked if we could solicit her advice. We were most concerned with the fact that we had to sell our house quickly and that we would be unable to recoup costs (commission and taxes) since we only possessed the property for eight months. Michelle effectively offered us a few different options including a smart marketing plan that would build momentum and create a “buzz” around the open house. The plan worked to perfection as we received two offers that day, both above asking price allowing us to recoup all of our costs and breaking even on the deal.
We could not have been more pleased with the way Michelle has handled both our purchase and sale of our home. She was always there to bounce off ideas and provide guidance when we needed advice. She is a true professional in every sense of the word.
-J. Tepper
I highly recommend Michelle Ashley to anyone looking to sell a home quickly and effortlessly. Michelle came to us with a plan to market our home that made great sense and worked for us. She met with us when it was convenient for us, often later in the evening. She kept us constantly updated on the status of the sale.
Aside from making herself available any time, Michelle helped us stage our home to look its best. She has great ideas that are easily implemented and make a huge difference. She came back several times as we readied our home to check on our progress and to offer her assistance. She definitely went above and beyond a realtor’s duty to help us prepare our home. As a result of Michelle's expertise, enthusiasm, and commitment, our home sold in one day!
-The McLaughlins
Working with Michelle was a wonderful experience from the minute we met. She worked tirelessly to help me prepare my home for sale, create amazing marketing materials and hold Open Houses that attracted many buyers. Michelle followed up with all leads and worked at any hour to make the sale happen. I don’t think Michelle would have worked any harder even if she was selling her own home.
- M. Hansberry
Michelle Ashley was extremely helpful in assisting me in both buying and selling properties in Philadelphia recently. She helped me price my property perfectly, help stage it to show effectively and to market it. She produced a wonderful video tour, held a highly attended Open House, and worked very hard to show the property. She was also a great help not only in negotiating a sale, but helping work through the many inevitably details that required immediate attention.
Michelle knows the Philadelphia Real Estate Market inside and out, and is a great asset to have on your side in any transaction. She is a tireless agent that was sure to get all documentation, signatures and anything else needed, even late at night, and on weekends.
-M. Slawter
Dear Michelle,
I am writing to thank you for helping us with the purchase of our beautiful new home. We are so happy. You helped us find the place that is perfect for us! I knew you would be a great realtor because of your background in film production. You are very organized, a great communicator, with a strong and efficient work ethic.
I knew I could rely on you to phone me back right away and move quickly in this competitive market. In addition to all of this you were sensitive to our practical and aesthetic needs. I never felt like there was an issue I couldn't bring up. I always felt that you took our concerns seriously.
Your sense of humor made looking for houses fun. If I hadn't really needed one I might have just kept looking with you just for the entertainment value alone! You made even the part I dreaded, "THE PAPERWORK", not so bad! You are SO organized. Thank you Michelle, for all of your hard work, WE LOVE OUR NEW HOME!
Sincerely,
J. Baker |
