I never thought my husband and I would ADORE our real estate agent, but we sure as heck do! As a first-time home buyer, I was so nervous about what was going on with the market in the Seattle area and needed someone to reassure, educate, and guide me through the process. I kept running into real estate agents all over the area, but not one person had won me over with their knowledge, the way they presented themselves, and clarity. I also wanted a personal relationship and trust. That is what you will find with Smit in every moment. I met Smit at an Open House in Kirkland and I was immediately drawn to the way he spoke about the market, the desire of purchasing your dream home, and the process of it. He spoke with such clarity, confidence, and wisdom. I found that he was able to speak that way because of his experience…not just general experience of selling a bunch of homes, but specialized experience. Smit is so incredibly educated and experienced (with so much experience as an actual educator regarding real estate and as a lender), I knew that I had met my trusted real estate guru. I could immediately tell by how comfortable I felt that Smit had my best interests at heart and would take the time to get to know and educate me along the way. As a high school teacher, it is very important to me that the professional I work with cares about the relationship and takes the time to inform and listen patiently. On top of all of that, Smit is wonderfully caring and funny; he had me and my husband smiling and giggling as we all got to know each other amidst all of the important and serious decisions that had to be made. He is calm, collected, and so clear during the process; I felt safe and reassured during every step of the way because he would be there physically or to listen no matter what. He is prompt and efficient when it comes to being on time and communicating over cell and email, and never breaks a professional promise. Smit was present with us at every step, even physically present while we signed papers at escrow (the notary informed us that most real estate agents are not present), and he answered all of our questions like a friend would- like a well-informed, caring professional friend would. On top of that, I continuously feel comfortable calling Smit and asking questions even after purchasing our home. Even now and in the future, I will continue to pick his brain when I am curious about the housing market and have a desire to learn from him because he is the very best. When people ask about our new beautiful home, I actually talk equally about our home and our real estate agent Smit, and how he is “our guy.” Smit is a man who genuinely cares about your wants and needs and he will serve you at the highest most personable, professional level. In my whole life, I have never worked with anybody quite like Smit, and I was pleasantly surprised and adored the fact that there are professionals like him. I am honored to have worked with him and feel so lucky that I spotted him at that open house and got him to take me on! I would whole-heatedly have every family member and friend work with Smit, hands down, I would insist! Because you want to purchase your home with love and a support system, and that is what we got with Smit.
Christina HA & Matt Kopchick
We had been looking for our second home for around six months when we met Smit. We were not in a hurry but did not want to move until we found the house that was perfect for us. We were lined up ready to put an offer on a home, and saw that there were several houses that had great potential on the market. We went to an open house for one of the listings and it was exactly what we were looking for. We had briefly talked to a Redfin agent, but when we tried to contact them about this listing we could not get a hold of them. The day was coming to an end and we still had not heard from the realtor. We became nervous that we would miss out on our home if we did not get all of our ducks in a row. Smit was working the open house for another listing agent. We started talking to him about how many groups of people were interested in the house and what we would have to do to put in a competitive offer. He was extremely helpful in answering all of our questions and giving us honest feedback about what it would take to secure our dream home in this market. He has worked in various parts of the real estate industry and he is very knowledgeable on all areas of the buying process. We asked him if he would be willing to represent us as our realtor. He agreed to meet us after the open house, and help us put together the “best” offer. He even called in a favor to help us get a pre-inspection done in a really short window. We met at a local brewery and together we worked on a deal that would work for us but would also make us competitive. Our offer was one of twenty-one and we got our dream home! Smit’s work did not end there. He was with us through every step of escrow and making sure things were done on time. We even ended up closing early on our new home. We have no doubt that he was integral in getting our dream home. He even offered us his truck to help us move! We would highly recommend Smit to anyone looking to buy a home. He makes it his priority to show you as the best buyer, and make you the most important part of the home buying process.
Jen and Tom Holland
“We moved from Michigan less than a year ago with our two young children and three dogs, and had a very rough crash course in Seattle real estate. We paid for our rental for two months before we were able to move here, and near the end of our lease term, were told that our landlord would not be able to tell us whether they would continue to rent the space until just before our lease was up. Knowing how hard it had been to find a rental with three dogs, we were beyond worried! In desperation, we attended an open house in Bothell and thankfully met Smit. From the moment we walked into that house, which incidentally was not even his listing (he was doing the Saturday open house so his colleague could spend time with her family), we knew that everything would be ok. Smit made the house search and buying process completely painless, from showing us houses when our schedules permitted to recommending excellent third parties. He gave us excellent advice both in real estate value in different areas, and in drafting acceptable offers. He was able to predict how much over listing prices homes would likely sell for with absurd accuracy. After he worked his magic, we were able to purchase and close on a house, as well as move in, before our lease term ended. Additionally, Smit attended the closing and has continued to follow up with us since to make sure that everything is still going well. We are extremely happy with the house and our neighborhood, and could not possibly recommend Smit more highly!”
June 2016 John, Marla, Lexie and Asher Spain
I wish to express my thanks to you and your buyers for the professional way you have conducted the escrow process and for your diligence in getting this completed.
All transactions have some challenges, some more than others, but together we made this happen and for that our clients should be appreciative of our collaborate efforts.
Wolf Puls
Past President (2012) at SEATTLE- King County Board of REALTORS (SKCR)
Our first home purchase was a very positive experience. We were so fortunate to cross paths with Smit while touring open houses. He invested a great deal of time educating us on the home buying process, letting us know what we were up against in a seller’s market, helping us with our offer and acceptance, taking a leadership position alongside our lender, overseeing every detail of the inspection and closing process, providing in quake guidance while signing the final papers, and all the little things in between (like calming our first time home buyer anxieties). Based on our experience, we highly recommend Smit as a knowledgable professional in his field, and a realtor that has his clients best interests at heart. We are looking forward to working with him again as our family needs grow.
Stephen and Donna, Issaquah, WA
Having to make a very fast decision to purchase a home in an overheated market was stressful enough, but having a loan process which started out “pre qualified” only to find out later that more and more paperwork was needed due to my complex financials almost was more than I could deal with. Fortunately, I had Smit on my side.
Michael Smith, aka Smit, was sitting on a random open house my wife and I walked through on a whim. We struck up a conversation, we liked each other, and he followed up with a serious “Smit talk” so he could figure out our needs and we could judge his abilities. He laid out his vision and understanding of the market and industry and it was reassuring to know of his previous experience as a loan officer. We took a look at a couple listings, but we kind of lost interest as there was so little inventory and it was the dead of winter. We gave up looking, but Smit did not.
Unexpectedly, a couple weeks later he emailed a pending house listing, advised us that we better look, got us an early bird look, and said we should make an immediate and competitive offer if we liked it … which we did, and we did. It was a whirlwind, and Smit walked us through the process…. And the rest, as they say, is history.
From his results-driven winning mentality to his careful handling of delicate communication issues to switching lenders in the middle of the process, and ultimately navigating the correct coarse in the most wind tossed of seas, I can confidently say that Smit’s handling of my home purchase was the difference between our closing this house or not. I would give him my highest of recommendations.
Matt Wood, Woodinville, WA
Thank you Smit for providing us with a wealth of knowledge in purchasing our second investment property. Your expertise in real estate and property management made an overwhelming process rather easy and very enjoyable. Smit made us feel as if we were his only clients. His warm, professional and no-nonsense approach was particularity appreciated. Not only did we meet a great real estate agent but also an amazing guy and now a good friend!
Darshan & Paul Sandhu. Snohomish WA
It has been a pleasure to work with Michael Smith, aka Smit. We connected through a mutual client, he has amazed me with his drive to find homeowners the right house. He is does an excellent job when negotiating the price and has a high level of professionalism to succeed in getting the offer accepted. His customer service and communication to the client and myself has be fantastic. When he refers me a borrower to preapprove, I look forward to working with him and his client. I highly recommend Smit as an agent.
Leigh Spearin, Kirkland WA
Michael (Smit) is great to work with.
He is professional, responsive, and is always looking out for his clients best interest.
Erica Zender
I worked with Smit for over a decade on various real estate transactions, including a loan of over $11.5million for a client of mine. Being an attorney, I am very careful in choosing to whom I sent my clients. Smit is not only a knowledgeable real estate professional, he is trustworthy and a pleasure to work with.
Tom O’Toole
We met Smit while casually checking out open houses, and very quickly felt comfortable with him. His experience and knowledge of real estate was evident, and very important in today’s market. He was always professional, timely, and very personable. He remained calm and positive when we got discouraged by the lack of inventory in the Seattle area, always reminding us we’d find the right house without a doubt. He also always made himself available to get us in to see homes right away- some within hours of them hitting the market! I was often rushing to meet him at homes with our two very young children, and he was always ready to help untie shoes or entertain the toddler so I could look around. It was exciting when he helped us get a house we love, but a little sad we wouldn’t be seeing him quite as much. I will continue to recommend him to anyone looking for an agent!
Janine and Aaron Wilson
We had put several offers on houses in Seattle, mostly through Redfin. While the website is great, the company just does not seem able to hire on enough knowledgable realtors to be effective, and we felt really let down by their lack of knowledge, experience, and even just a sense of caring about us. Working with Smit was a breath of fresh air and entirely transformed everything we knew about the process and how to put an effective offer together. When we finally found the house we were ready to go all in on, he helped us put together an amazing offer on a highly competitive property and we ended up getting the home- we weren’t even the top offer! Plus, with his deep knowledge of the lending process, he was able to hold our hand every step of the way. Great experience; if anything I’m just disappointed I can’t go buy another house right now as I feel like I have such a strong grasp now on what it takes to get a home in Seattle.
Ryan and Courtny
“My husband and I met Smit at an open house in Kirkland around the corner from our rental back in April 2017. It was a random stop for us on the way back from the grocery store as we saw an open house sign. What was meant to be a quick pop-in to see what the house was selling for, ending up being one of the best and most informative open house pop-ins we had ever been to! Talking with Smit about our situation and where we were at with the possibility of purchasing a home was eye-opening. He told us things we had never heard from other realtors or even from my husband’s long-time realtor friend. Our circumstance was not the same as most people who are able to buy a home. He gave us the hard truth and reality check of what to expect and gave wise suggestions on what we should do. Even though we weren’t quite ready to buy yet, the information he gave us was invaluable and it stayed with me for months. We left with his business card and an awesome bottle of Smit’s BBQ seasoning! Fast forward 7 months later, I contacted Smit out of urgency to purchase a home because our rental was going to be sold. We didn’t want to go through the process of renting again, so we got serious and searched for the right house with Smit. To make a detailed story short, Smit worked MIRACLES on our behalf. He did all the hard work, negotiations and helped us get into a home that was a one-of-a-kind situation and that NO ONE else wanted to buy. Our new home isn’t perfect, in fact it might have the tiniest kitchen I’ve ever seen. But it’s PERFECT for our family. We see so much potential and possibilities of making our new house a home. And we are forever thankful that we found the best realtor in town!
THANK YOU SMIT for all your hard work, dedication and passion in helping people like us get into a home when it seemed like all odds were against us!
Kim Kaplan”
Michael Smith (aka Smit) came highly recommended to us when we were starting a search for a new home. Over the course of the sale Smit proved to be an amazing agent who went far beyond our expectations. Before listing our home, there were some finishing touches including trim on the outside of the home. Due to our family’s busy work schedule Smit put us in touch with a contractor he knew to complete the work. Due to the tight timeframe and limited contractors’ availability, Smit ended up joining the contractor to finish the job (not to mention this happened to coincide with a power outage and a rainstorm which they continued to work through). On a side note, due to this power outage, Smit extended a warm welcome to have supper at his house while we rode out the storm. When we soon found a potential new home, we decided to place a contingent offer since a lot of equity was tied up in renovations on our previous home. At this time, and in this area, contingent offers were very rare, and unlikely to result in seller’s acceptance. However, Smit worked with the selling agent, and even ended up discussing with the seller himself, which resulted in them accepting our offer, which says quite a lot about Smit’s negotiating skills. After our offer was accepted the rush was on to list and sell our house. Smit worked with us closely on this and ensured our house was ready. Since we had a Nanny and baby at home, open houses and showings would be a big inconvenience. Amazingly, Smit offered for the Nanny and baby to stay in his nearby cottage when our house was being viewed. Fortunately, we didn’t have to show our house long because within a week we had multiple offers and ended up accepting one that was almost 9% over asking. Before and during closing Smit continued to go above and beyond the duties expected of an agent. He let us borrow his pick-up to help with the move on multiple occasions, and also coordinated expedited signing of papers in anticipation of the fact we were expecting to be out of the country around closing time during the Christmas holidays. After our move, Smit put us in touch with a family member who was willing to part with a grand piano, which is now sitting in our living room. Since the sale, we continue to receive touching invites from Smit inviting our family to events at his beautiful property in Woodinville.
In closing, the list above should serve as a testament to how Smit goes way above and beyond the calling and expectations of a real estate professional. In fact, the word agent doesn’t quite seem to fit one who was so helpful and who cared so much about my families’ comfort and wellbeing. The only words that seem to fit is “good friend”, which I hope Smit will continue to be to our family.
It goes without saying that we offer our highest recommendation for anyone considering Smit as their real estate agent.
Andrew, Erin and Olivia Roberts
Duvall, Washington
April 30, 2018
Smit was such a pleasure to work with. My business partner and I are in our early 20s and we knew next to nothing about the home buying process. Smit was unbelievably knowledgeable and helpful. He worked with us to make sure we understood everything that was going on. Throughout the process, nothing seemed to go our way. It was as if we were handed a deck of cards of worst case scenarios. Smit worked tirelessly to make sure we were always one step ahead of the bad news and were not being taken advantage of. He never failed to give us his honest and personal opinion. His unwavering work ethic coupled with an extensive background in law and a quick wit sense of humor makes Smit a fantastic agent. I would recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a house.
Regi Lammers & Kyle Heins
My wife and I met Smit at one of his open houses. Crazily, we at the time being somewhat discouraged at the market were considering the house for demolition and rebuild to which he smartly and quickly advised us against (appreciate it especially looking back). That’s where we started with Smit. He took the time to educate us – including making the time to meet up with us outside of the open house. Once we decided to work with Smit to land our *future* house, he gave us a few homework items so we head straight in prepared and strong. Quite memorable is his quote “it’s not the highest bid but the best bid.” Our suggestion is – listen to him. What he says works, and it’s a great method to the madness. And anyone heading in without this preparation isn’t being smart in this competitive market.
We unfortunately couldn’t land the first house due to fierce competition, but he took a unique proactive approach to present the offer in person to the seller which had us in a good place and in the running. Looking back, probably things happened the way they did for a reason… we were tip toeing on the top of the tallest ladder. We were naturally discouraged when the bid fell, but he kept encouraging us to stay on the horse and keep going as there WILL be a house for us out there. When we finally bid on the second house to which we live in now, he cut his time off short to rush back from Eastern Washington as he wasn’t going to write an offer up for a house he haven’t seen. He also made sure to make himself or proxy available at escrow signing when he didn’t have to do so. His work ethic and ‘rules’ are admirable.
We truly enjoyed the engagement and journey together. We would highly recommend Smit to folks who are looking to learn AND win at the same time. Been a pleasure working with him, and feel sad that we’ll need to wait for the next house purchase (or sale) to work with him again.
Jie Lin & Gaku Shimizu
Bellevue, WA
PS He throws an awesome barbeque party! Tri-tip is to die for!
Smit is an absolute powerhouse of knowledge and energy. When my agents were a little grumbly about the notion of sitting through 3 hours of financing information I was a little worried they might be bored. What Smit brought in terms of a fast pace, information rich, and highly applicable class made 3 hours positively FLY by! All the feedback was 100% positive across the board. If you are an owner or manager of a brokerage I would highly recommend bringing Smit to your agents for any topic he is teaching! You will be thanked!
Kristen Stavros
BRANCH MANAGER
WINDERMERE REAL ESTATE/WHIDBEY ISLAND
As a colleague, I’ve benefited from Smit’s creative problem-solving, tireless work ethic, and willingness to do whatever it takes to create solutions that translated into a win-win for all parties involved in the transaction.
He is incredibly generous with his time, expertise, and is committed to creating an atmosphere of cooperation and fairness. It was a pleasure working with Smit.
Jennifer Manning
Managing Broker
We were looking for a specific house is a very tight market and happened to meet Michael “Smit” Smith at an open house. We were impressed with Smit’s working knowledge of the local real estate market and his straight and honest demeanor. We connected with him almost instantly. He stayed with us for quite a while as we searched for what we wanted. He was there every step of the way. When we finally found what we wanted, he guided us through the purchase of our new home even successfully negotiating under listing price. Most importantly he got us through the sale of our existing home. He worked with us and priced our home perfectly for our market. The attention to every detail, staging, photos, and fliers lead to an outstanding end result. On the market 5 days with multiple high offers. Smit is extremely knowledgeable, supportive, responsive, and a lot of fun! He didn’t miss a beat. We would highly recommend Smit to our friends and family.
George and Anne Schreiber
25 day close! The transaction went smoothly and quick. Smit was a pleasure to work with. He’s professional, knowledgeable, and cooperative in creating solutions for a win/win for everyone.
Vanno Vong
Pellego, Inc.
Real Estate Broker
