Buyer Q&A: John C.

John and Cathy lived in Texas for 40 years before making the decision to relocate to Madison. In this short Q+A, John shares his story of buying a home in Madison while still living in Texas — and how Madison Lifestyle made a complex process easier.

Tell Us Your Story of Buying a Home. What Was the Situation and What Type of Home Were You Looking for?

When I retired, Cathy and I agreed that it was a good time for a change of scenery. We had lived in Texas for 40 years for my career and we really wanted a location that provided four real seasons (as opposed to early summer, summer, late summer, and not summer). Having grown up in Cleveland and Boston, winter is no stranger to us. And we’ve visited Madison many times over the past decade and became very comfortable with the area.

We wanted a home that was move-in ready with a decent amount of space both inside and out. Other than that, our requirements were rather flexible.

What Was It Like Working With Audra and Wanda? How Did They Help You During the Process?

So keep in mind that we’re trying to buy a house in Madison while living in Texas. I asked a friend who’s lived in Madison for decades if he could recommend agent. He polled his friend group and they recommended Wanda without hesitation. We were able to meet with Wanda during one of our visits to the area and had a great discussion about not just what we wanted in a home but about us as people. She really wanted to understand us so she could see houses through our eyes.

After that first meeting, most of our house shopping experience was online. Wanda knows the market so well and was able to email us the listings for dozens of properties. The first few were mostly about learning what we liked and — maybe more importantly — what we didn’t like. She continued to show us properties that fit our vision.

When that list was narrowed to about a half-dozen properties, we flew to Madison and she drove us around to all the houses, some more than once, and walked us patiently through each. Because we weren’t local, we crammed as much house-hunting into a long weekend as we could and Wanda was there with us every step of the way.

So When Did You Know You Found the Right Home Out of the Bunch? 

Wanda showed us one particular house online that caught our attention. She went to the property on Mother’s Day of all days and did a walkthrough with us on Facetime. We were all captivated by this house. Unfortunately, it had just been taken off the market. We flew back up to Madison and Audra and Wanda were able to use her relationships with other real estate professionals in the area to let us visit the house not once but twice even though it was off the market. That’s the house we made an offer on and are living in today.

Sounds Like Audra and Wanda Went Above and Beyond to Help You Secure Your New Home.

Wanda and Audra didn’t stop helping us once we had a contract or once we closed on the house. Because we were out of state, everything in Madison and Wisconsin was new to us. Fortunately, Audra and Wanda were able to help us find and schedule contractors for inspections, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and more. I came up for the inspection and they went to the house with me to meet the inspectors and see how things were going. They even recommended a moving company that could get our stuff from Texas to Madison. Wanda came out to meet the truck that delivered our car — days before we arrived in Madison.

Audra and Wanda were absolutely fantastic to work with. They are friendly, professional, and knowledgeable. Going above and beyond is a cliche but that’s what they did. I cannot imagine this process working as well with anyone else.