Testimonials

Overall: 5!

Stephen is an awesome communicator, open to our feedback along the way and kept our investment in pre-market work to an extremely efficient minimum, while still ensuring our home showed well. -Helen and Sarah

Steve is an excellent expert!

My husband and I met Steve at an open house he was having down the street from our house. He kept in touch with us for ten years before we finally decided to sell. The whole process was painless thanks to Steve.
- D. Junge

Absolutely Superb!

Steve was absolutely superb! He had the best answer for every problem. He was always available, and saved me from a couple of foolish mistakes I might have made without his advice.

Steve Exceeded our Expectations

"Steve Exceeded our expectations for customer service at every turn. Let me put it this way, during one of our open houses, one of the visitors tracked 'dog do' onto the front steps of the porch. Steve wearing his suit, went out and cleaned it off! He is tremendiously experienced and really fun to work with. He was savvy about positioning our home at the high end and got us a great sale price that met our goals for both timing and return on investment."
-K. Johnson

Steve Hicks is the Best

Steve Hicks is the best! He kept every member of my family informed, paid attention to detail, kept the buyer and seller informed and was reachable when we needed our questions answered! - Nancy

Steve Hicks made us $61,000.00 in three Minutes!!

One of the many reasons we hired Steve Hicks to represent us in the sale of our home was his skills as a negotiator. Several years ago, he approached us on behalf of a client he was representing. Mr. Hicks wanted us to sell the large pine tree located on our property which was blocking some of the view from the home across the street which Mr. Hicks was selling. Thanks to Steve's diplomacy and negotiation skills, we did sell the tree to his client which was subsequently removed. We kept Mr. Hicks' card.

Four years later, when we decided it was time to sell our home, we called Steve to be our listing agent. He suggested a marking strategy that resulted in our getting over twenty agents to show our home to potential buyers in six days! We had several buyers bidding to buy our home. Finally, it got down to two buyers and Steve suggested another idea that got one buyer to pay $61,000.00 more for our home in three minutes!

Needless to say, we highly recommend Mr. Hicks to you too! Now we are having him find us a smaller home and we are very confident that his skills as a negotiator will greatly assist us in buying the right home for a great price!
We suggest that you call Steve when you need to sell your home.

Sincerely,
D. Smith

Dear Potential Steve Hicks Client

Dear Potential Steve Hicks Client,
I've never written a fan letter for a real estate agent before, but my husband and I were so impressed by Steve Hicks that I had to tell our unusual story.

We had been speaking with another realtor about selling our Queen Anne home but we decided to sign with Steve because he was more responsive in answering our questions about getting our house ready to list. We were shocked when he suggested that we list the house for almost $200,000 more than what we were prepared to ask; and he got more than the $1,095,000 asking price 4 days after the house went on the market!

The reason we decided to sell our house was that we wanted to build a new one on Queen Anne. On our behalf, Steve approached a seller before his house was listed. He had informally agreed to accept our offer when another potential buyer made a higher offer. Steve went to bat for us with the seller and explained that we were a family trying to stay in a neighborhood that we love; the seller decided to go with our original offer.

(During this time, my son got his Queen Anne Little League assignment to the Steve Hicks team. Steve has sponsored a team for years.)

As if that wasn't enough, we needed a rental house while we are building our new house. Steve just happened to have another client that bought a house in our neighborhood as a rental property. Steve introduced us and we are now happily situated and his client has a good tenant.

This all happened within a few weeks this Spring and during that time Steve always kept us posted on what was happening and checked in frequently to see how things were going. More importantly was how shrewdly he handled the process when our house got multiple offers. He is very experienced and very professional but he is also really fun to work with. It was always a pleasure talking with Steve and it is a pleasure to recommend him.

Sincerely,
S. Olson

Thanks to Steve!

At times this transaction might have been lost. Steve kept it alive, on track and led it to a close. Steve's attention to detail and accuracy is deeply appreciated. Throughout the negotiations he kept me informed and was always reachable. His choice of Ballard Escrow & Shelly Smith has assured me that all legal requirements have been satisfied. Thanks to Steve and his efforts on a complex sale.

Steve, You're the BEST

Effective; directed; pleasant; entertaining; professional; and successful. Thank you, Steve you're the best.

Steve Hicks is #1

Steve Hicks is #1. Clone him! He is a pleasure to work with. Thanks.

Steve did an outstanding job

Steve did an outstanding job as usual. His professionalism and knack for detail were a blessing. I have enjoyed working with him both now and in the past, and would recommend him to others.

Steve Hicks is a Genius

Excellent! Once again - Steve Hicks is a genius at marketing and selling, I couldn't be more pleased.

I am very thankful for your help

I am very thankful for your help in selling our Queen Anne home. It has allowed me to have my own home, my own space and peace of mind. Life is really good and I hope it is for you too.

Steve exceeded all of our expectations

Dear Jake Jacobsen, Designated Broker,

You may recall that we met recently when I executed documents for the sale of my sisters estate on Queen Anne. Steve Hicks was your agent who listed the property and eventually found/represented the buyers as well. During our meeting, I expressed to you how delighted I was with Steve's professionalism and attention to detail. I would now like to formally convey my appreciation through you to Steve for a job especially well done!

You see, I now fully understand why Steve has developed his stellar reputation as the go-to man for real estate sales on Queen Anne. I learned about Steve from old friends and neighbors who have lived on Queen Anne for decades, two who hired Steve to sell their mothers properties and had nothing but good news to report about his abilities/performance. Still, I competed the listing with other agents/brokers before finally selecting Steve and Windermere to represent our interests in the sale of property. From the outset it was apparent that it was the right decision. Steve exhibited uncanny, second-to-none street smarts about virtually every listing on the Hill. During our initial meeting he was able to cite references, property listings/comps and other pertinent details, as well as devise a sound sales strategy that was fully consistent with our interests/desires/concerns. His market insight and understanding of emerging trends were also precise and accurate.

Simply stated, we could not have done better. It never is easy going through an estate settlement, yet Steve made it much easier for us to do so because of his unusual degree of empathy. He was always mindful and focused on representing our interests and avoiding potential conflicts of interest. Steve exceeded all of our expectations in every area of the sales transaction. His grace and ease instilled confidence that proved to be well placed especially based upon the end result.

So, for the Windermere team and especially to Steve Hicks, I sincerely convey a heartfelt thank you. May your good service continue to be rewarded with good fortune!

Respectfully,
P. Nebb

Mr. Hicks is a true professional

You may be considering working with Stephen Hicks of Windermere Realty. I give him the highest marks for his helpfulness to me in my recent sale of my house on Queen Anne Hill.

Mr. Hicks is a true professional, with years of successful work in realty. He stayed in touch throughout the process of the sale, but was never intrusive. He kept me posted even while I was traveling out of the country. He was able to recommend excellent re-modelers to me and gave me much other good advice on the house and its sale.

Being able to rely on Steve's knowledge and professionalism and his always pleasant and upbeat manner made selling my house the best experience it could have been.

L. Curtis

Steve hit the nail on the head!

The purpose of this letter is to tell you how pleased we are with the professionalism and vast knowledge extended to us by Steve Hicks when we listed our home with him this past February.

We began our search for a realtor that would give us a true inside look at the condition of the market, someone who possessed a long standing presence in the Queen Anne Hill neighborhood and someone who would work with us, not for us, on how best to get the most value out of our home. Steve hit the nail on the head!

Steve's exciting demeanor, precision follow through, and unyielding integrity throughout the entire process of selling our home was very refreshing. As a direct result of Steve's attitude and know-how we were able to sell our home within a week's time and received multiple, unconditional and over-listing offers which pleased us very much.

The experience we had with Steve will certainly have us looking to him for real estate guidance in the future. He is a true professional!

Best regards,
C. Faul

Steve is a true professional

We recently used Steve Hicks to both list our home and buy another. During the entire process Steve always kept in touch with us, giving us the latest updates on the showings of our home for sale as well as letting us know what the market was doing and what was selling. This information was very useful to us. In addition, in purchasing our new home, Steve was extremely helpful in negotiating our best interests and in overseeing the entire escrow process so we always knew how our purchase was progressing.

Steve is a true professional with years of experience which helped to make these transactions fairly effortless. We would highly recommend him to you without reservation.

Sincerely,
M/M Keenan

Thanks for the great job!

Steve,
You would be hard pressed to find anyone with less real estate experience than me so when I found myself in the position to sell so valuable a piece of property as this one, there was considerable anxiety!

What lead me to chose you as our agent over the others we interviewed was a feeling of confidence that one, you were talking straight and two, your professional demeanor and knowledge of the Queen Anne market gave me the feeling of confidence I needed. This initial impression was reinforced as we progressed with preparing to get the house on the market. Your marketing was very effective and brought us a good buyer in a matter of weeks. Your counsel and skill during the bargaining phase were invaluable in getting us the price we were looking for. Your continued interest and help in cleaning up details even after the close again proved your professionalism.

In short, thanks for the great job!

Best regards,
D. Miller

Steve receives my highest recommendation

To Whom It May Concern:
During the past six weeks, I have had the pleasure of working with Steve Hicks on a Queen Anne real estate transaction. I have found him to be professional, dependable, accessible, and effective in the marketing and sale of this
particular real estate property. He listened diligently to my needs, offered experienced and sound advice at the appropriate time and achieved the results he projected he could in a very challenging and depressed market.

Steve comes with a cadre of competition assistants who helped with the property marketing by landscaping, painting, repairing, cleaning and hauling. The entire sales process was a team effort, under the direction and successfully
orchestrated by Steve Hicks.

Steve receives my highest recommendation, as a realtor, for his commitment and steadfast loyalty to the individual he represents. Steve's knowledge of Queen Anne real estate, forged by three decades of experience on the hill, is an
asset any individual should take advantage of. Steve was first choice over a decade ago when my parents bought and sold two pieces of Queen Anne real estate; he remains first choice with the present generation.

M. Wilson

Thank you for the positive experience

Dear Steve,
Carol and I want to thank you again for the outstanding job you did in walking us through the Hicks' strategy of marketing, presenting, and selling mom's home on Queen Anne. Your professionalism in sharing your knowledge on how too prepare a home for sale, your excellent comprehension of the Queen Anne market, and your thorough understanding of the dynamics of the financial market contributed significantly to our confidence in you as our realtor and friend. Your pleasant personality and logical best foot forward sales approach fully supported our objectives. You did a splendid walk through of your sales and marketing philosophy in layman's terms.

From start to finish you assisted us by coordinating and directing experts in getting mom's home ready and staged to sell. The experts you recommended to spruce up mom's home were very professional. They all did an excellent job in a relatively short time frame. Your rapport with these home preparation experts is a credit to your honesty and integrity and was a big plus in getting everyone to pull together to make a house into a high end home for sale.

You coordinated, handled, followed up, and communicated promptly everything pertaining to the sale, including the closing. This was all accomplished without a hitch or glitch when we were 3200 miles away. Your choice of Ballard Escrow was also excellent since they worked all the details over the phone with prompt follow up e-mails and faxes to smooth the paperwork well in advance. You and Ballard Escrow superbly coordinated the closing and completed it in less than three weeks.

You presented and sold the property two days after it was on the market, and one day after you did the open house. A Steve Hicks' presented home makes a world of difference even in a slow or down-turned market.

In closing, thank you for the positive experience from such a fine and caring realtor.

W. McLay

Thank you again for all your hard work and persistence

Dear Steve,

Thank you so much for the lovely roses. We have a new found respect
and appreciation for the amount of time and effort that a great agent
puts into selling a home. We know you went to great lengths to get a
deal put together, even with the one that didn't work out. We're so
happy that our house has a wonderful new owner and we have a great new
neighbor. Thank you again for all your hard work and persistence.

Best wishes,
Lisa and Rick

Steve provided outstanding advice

Steve provided outstanding advice from the beginning what was needed to make the house show at its best, and where to price it in a difficult market. And once we had an offer, Steve used his long experience in Queen Anne real estate to help us negotiate and complete the closing quickly and smoothly.

Mr. & Mrs. B

Queen Anne Hill needs more agents like Steve Hicks

We hired Steve Hicks to sell our home because of his 20+years as an experienced agent specializing in Queen Anne real estate. Over the years we had received numerous mailings from Steve highlighting Queen Anne homes that he was either listing for a seller or had helped a buyer purchase. And we had met Steve at a number of open houses throughout the years and we really liked him. He was constantly upbeat and smiling and that was very reassuring to us. When it was time to sell our house we decided that we wanted a listing agent who could work as hard for us as we had seen him work for all of our major advertising in local newspapers and the internet highlighting our home with a beautiful professional Artists sketching and professionally-taken photographs of the house. And all of the mass marketing expenses to sell our home were covered by Steve himself.

During this time, the national and local real estate markets were seeing a major slowdown based on the mortgage crisis, and the housing inventory continued to grow. Throughout this turbulent time, Steve was 100% positive and held us steady during a very emotional time and approached everything very professionally and rationally. Throughout this entire process Steve was our trusted advisor, making recommendations to us and letting us make the decisions. Ultimately, Steve helped us find a buyer who fell in love with our home and that made it even more special when we left. Queen Anne Hill needs more agents like Steve Hicks.

Thank you, Steve!

Mr. & Mrs. W.

An outstanding agent

Steve,

I just wanted to send you a much-belated thank you for all of your help with our home search and transaction. You served Shauna and me with exceptional effectiveness and integrity. I appreciate your patience in facilitating our search that you didn't try to steer us towards the most expensive home that we could afford, and that you didn't try to sell us on houses that were available but didn't quite fit with what we were looking for. I also appreciate that you encouraged us to negotiate aggressively on the houses we bid on - I think that was the right approach in this market, even if the Kinnear offer didn't work out. I also appreciate your attention to detail in getting all of the proper documents identified and signed so that the closing on our house went smoothly. I think you are an outstanding agent, and I will definitely recommend you to anyone I know who needs an agent. On a personal note, it was a pleasure getting to know you and I hope that our paths will cross in the future.

All the best,

Brian

Passion of his profession

Steve Hicks has the love and passion of his profession, couple this with years of patient experience(he has seen it all) and a stellar personality and sense of humor. It's all a win.
- Allison F.

Thanks, Steve!

Thank you very much. We are still in total disbelief. John woke up feeling rich for the first time in his life and thought it was a feeling he could happily settle into. We both think you're the best agent on the planet.
Thanks again,
Barbara B.

Very helpful!

Steve was the original seller's agent when I purchased my property 22 years ago. He did a lot of "after sale" things, including reading the electric and water meters, and coordinating some final items with the escrow company. I had left town before the final closing and his help was invaluable.

Valued and Appreciated

...And many, many thanks to you for all of your assistance. It was especially difficult with being so far away, but we are so glad to have had you. You truly made everything go smoothly. Your expertise and guidance were most definitely valued and appreciated!
-Rebecca M.

Wish I had another house that needed your skills.

Wish I had another house that needed your skills.

Steve did a terrific job

Twenty seven years ago, we decided to search for a house in Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood. A friend, who had recently purchased a house in Queen Anne with Steve Hick's help, recommended that we engage Steve as our buyer's representative. We did so and, with Steve's help, soon purchased the house where we lived for the next twenty seven years. We were pleased with the work that Steve did to locate our house and negotiate the purchase. Last year, when we decided to downsize, we went back to Steve and asked him to serve as our selling agent which he agreed to do. Once again, we benefited from Steve's knowledge and experience. Steve did a terrific job, giving us a beautiful appearance on the internet and effectively marketing the property. Shortly after the house went on the market, a buyer expressed strong interest. After some serious negotiations, we reached a deal and the sale closed. In addition to having considerable real estate knowledge and experience, he is a lot of fun to work with. We recommend Steve to anyone seeking to buy or sell property.

A true professional who worked very hard for us!

We chose Steve to represent us because of his reputation and the extensive and positive interviews. He was very detailed in establishing a dependable cross-section of comparable sales in our area in order to determine and support an agreed sales price.
Many agents disappear after you sign the listing agreement. Steve was always available to answer our questions and quick to resolve the unknown issues that arise during any sale. He is very well connected and highly respected by his peers. A true professional who worked very hard for us! Home sold in one week!

-Ron + Judy