About Susanne
Owning my own real estate business for the past eight years has been an interesting ride. I have had the opportunity to experience a major boom in real estate sales, or 'the bubble' as it has been dubbed, to the 'bust' and now the aftermath. No matter what the state of the economy, I have been able to call myself a success because of the key principles I hold onto when working with clients.
Honesty and Keeping it Real
Let me say it goes beyond just 'telling the truth.' I am here to protect your financial interests and to guide you with my experience to making the best possible decisions in your home sale or purchase. My business depends on future referrals, so I have every incentive to make your experience a good one.
80% of my business comes from referrals of friends, family and co-workers of my past clients. This is a huge compliment and confirmation that what I do matters.
Personalized Service
Although I do have office staff to help with administrative and transaction tasks, you will always get me when you call. You will never be left to an assistant or a phone service. On the occasion that I am taking a vacation, you will have a full time, experienced Realtor partner on your side.
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I was born in Helsinki, Finland and my family moved to the Bay Area in California when I was nine years old. After high-school, I moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to attend Marquette University where I obtained three degrees: International Relations, Economics and Political Science. On a visit with a friend, I fell in love with Seattle, stayed and have been here for the past 11 years. I have lived in Ravenna, Eastlake, Capitol Hill and now call Ballard my home.
Prior to real estate I worked in various sales and marketing positions, from managing folks who install those red machines that spit out coupons in grocery stores to coming up with schematics to place POS (point-of-sale advertising) in stores to draw attention to 'important' items. During the time I was working for an office systems company, making a grand effort to sell networking systems and a copier to a RE/MAX office, the RE/MAX office actually succeeded in selling me on becoming a Realtor.
I love what I do! Real Estate has been my only business, my full-time gig for the past eight years. For couple of those years I was lucky to have my friend Erin as a partner, but I am back to flying solo.
When I am not with my clients you can find me at Bikram Yoga, at the Farmers Market, cooking, gardening in my street-side veggie box, listening to music with friends, reading without moving for hours, drinking my pantry-full of tea, and most of all hanging out with my family... my other-half, Cory and our wonder twins, Nico and Luna, born July 2011!
I would love to meet you and answer your questions. Please contact me anytime and we can set up a casual meeting over coffee, tea, or a nice craft beer or glass of wine, perhaps?
"So fun working with Susanne! Honestly I could not have been happier as a first time homeowner. Her experience in the Seattle market was invaluable. I ended up referring some friends who also ended up happy homeowners"
Dan A. (Ballard)
Susanne helped us find exactly what we were looking for. For some time, my husband and I could not agree on anything while house hunting. Susanne did a terrific job navigating us through the process, never taking sides, always making terrific points and offering up insightful information. When our dream house came on the market, Susanne made sure we saw it immediately and though there were other offers, we are certain that her professional skills were a big part of why we got the house. She was also very fair in negotiating commission and with her housewarming gift. We felt very lucky to work with such a genuine and professional agent, especially since we'd met a few who we did not get good vibes from. I'd recommend Susanne to anyone!
Sarah O (West Seattle)
We purchased our home three years ago with Susanne's great support. We had no idea on many processes especially about financing, but she was not only very helpful but also made us feel very comfortable on this big purchase. Excellent knowledge and prompt communication. We strongly recommend to anyone and thank you again for finding us our perfect home! Susanne, you are the BEST!
Maya and Casey S. (Kirkland)
"Buying our first house was such a big step financially... even after our offer was accepted there were times when we really doubted whether it was a wise financial decision for us and thought about backing out. Susanne was so calm and reassuring... didn't panic or pressure us, but just talked it through with us gave us our options clearly at every step of the way. That really helped!"
Amity F and John (Queen Anne / Interbay)
As a first time home buyer, I was nervous about the process and didn't know a lot about all the details. Erin and Sus were so supportive that everything felt easy and comfortable though. They took the time to talk through all my questions and filled me in on all the little things to watch out for. I appreciated how candid they were about the benefits and drawbacks of the different homes, offers and situations we encountered - it really helped me make an informed decision. My long term happiness with my choice was clearly their priority.
- Kate Byers (Ballard)
I have never seen two ladies work so hard! In a down market, they sold my house within 3 months. I felt especially comfortable with them being over 2000 miles away while the process was going on. The communication was incredible and everything went very smooth. Susanne and Erin offered sound advice on pricing and market analysis and continually kept me informed the entire way! Susanne and Erin go the extra mile for their clients and anyone should feel extremely comfortable. There are very few TRUE Real Estate Professionals out there these days. If you need a personal reference you may contact me at jr@maplewoodlanesomaha.com
Jeanne Belitz (Queen Anne/Interbay)
I just wanted to take a minute to say THANK YOU for your amazing service. Not only did you get me top-dollar when I sold my condo earlier this year but you somehow managed to pull off the impossible: coordinating selling my partner's old house and us buying our new dream house SIMULTANEOUSLY! You two are a great team and you made everything look easy despite the chaos of these complicated sales. Thanks again.
Dale Wampler (Greenwood and West Seattle)
Your professionalism, friendship and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty have been monumental in finding the right home. I love my place and thanks so much for everything you have done! I'm looking forward to the next time we get to work together...
Margaret (Greenwood)
In the interesting world that is Seattle's real estate market, it is essential to have good agent representation. That's why Susanne and Erin have represented me through my arduous 8-month search for my own home. I had been working with an agent who was a friend of a friend. Unfortunately, that agent was not providing any real services. I was lucky to have called on one of Erin and Susanne's listings. When I met them at the property, I knew immediately that I wanted them as my agents.
After that meeting, they diligently sent me listings--the listings I really wanted to see--and were incredibly responsive. Over the past 8 months, Susanne and Erin have proven themselves to be the kind, professional, responsible, and honest people I took them for. So, as long as I'm in Seattle, I will not buy or sell a property with anyone else.
Aradia (Ravenna)
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