Testimonials

“When we set out to buy our first home, we were a bit nervous because we had no idea what we were in for and our families are both from smaller cities, so we didn’t have much experience to draw upon. Lee was great because he walked us through the process almost a month before we even went out looking at houses. Since he is knowledgeable about both mortgages and realty, he was able to help us understand our financial situation and assure us that we could afford a home. Once we started looking, Lee was great at listening to what we wanted in neighborhoods and houses and he suggested neighborhoods that we might not have normally thought of, but we found a house and a neighborhood that we absolutely love! At each place that we looked at, he gave us his honest opinion about what he looks for inside and outside of a house. Once we began the purchasing process, he continued to amaze us at his willingness to explain every step of the way and provide us with his expertise throughout the entire process. We couldn’t be happier with our home and with working with Lee.”

— Jennifer A. and Timothy M.

“Lee was great to work with on all aspects of the purchase of our home. As first time buyers, we were nervous to say the least when we decided to start looking for a place to buy. Lee made the process go very smoothly and was very good about explaining things thoroughly. Since he did both the mortgage and realty side of things, it was convenient for us to have one point person to deal with. Aside from his pro work ethics, he had a great attitude and was extremely willing to go look at any and all places that we wanted to see, many times re-arranging his personal schedule to get us in to see places when they were fresh on the market. Lee was very upfront about all aspects of our loan, closing costs and everything involved on the mortgage side, and we were happy to find no surprises on the closing day. We’ve been in our place since August of 2006 and are very happy… Thanks Lee!”

— Ken C. and Amanda F.

“In February of 2006, we received notice that our landlord had decided to demolish our apartment building and we had two months to move out. We spent a Saturday looking at rental apartments and were discouraged by low quality and high prices. We weren’t really sure if it would be possible to buy a house, seeing that we didn’t have any money saved.

A number of our friends recommend that we call Lee Diamond. Lee had a reputation as a motivated agent and broker and someone who had a lot of experience working with first time buyers. We called Lee on Saturday and told him we were interested in looking into buying rather than renting. On Sunday he was at our apartment walking us through the whole process. He was very encouraging and explained how it was possible to get a mortgage and buy a house without a down payment and that it was also possible to do it all within 6 weeks. We discussed the types of properties we would be interested in and also our price parameters considering our income.

Lee’s extensive knowledge of both mortgages and real estate made us feel at ease at a time that was stressful and rallied our confidence. He was sensitive to our time constraints, and helped us develop a timeline and focus our search. By Monday, Lee had us pre-approved for a mortgage and had setup a website for us to look through house listings that met our criteria.

The next weekend Lee set up a day full of viewings based on the responses we gave to the listings we saw on the website. We never thought it would be possible to see 14 properties in one trip, but we had obviously underestimated Lee. One thing about Lee is he drives really fast, so be sure you wear your seat belt. Another warning, sometimes real estate listings are a bit optimistic or outright tall tales. You think you’ve found your dream-house online and then it turns out there is a foot of water in the basement. Lee has a great sense of humor which kept our spirits up as we discovered “The Slanty Shanty” and “The Cat Pee House”. Lee was always good about tempering our enthusiasm before we saw a place without being discouraging.
On our second trip out, we found a house we liked. Lee guided us through the inspection process and advised us on the mechanics and strategy behind making an offer and counter-offer. Because Lee was acting as our mortgage broker as well as our agent, he was familiar with our financial position and our capacity for handling closing costs. He helped us work out a contract with the seller that left us in a great position after closing to handle the costs associated with moving and setting up our new home. We highly recommend working with Lee for both mortgage and real estate broker.
Perhaps the most important thing for us was to work with someone we could trust. We had to move so quickly and since it was our first house, we needed guidance. Lee helped us each step of the way, with patience and candor. Lee’s integrity and dependability are at the heart of his work. Buying a house can be scary prospect, but working with Lee was a joy.”

— Jeff P. and Kristen L.

“I was buying for the third time when I went to Carrie, and she was far superior to any other agent that I’ve ever worked with. She is incredibly knowledgeable, and I always felt like she is putting my interests first. I absolutely love the property she helped me find, and I’d recommend her without hesitation to anyone I know.”

— Jon T.

“My agent Carrie Weston possessed much needed knowledge regarding the neighborhoods of the city, as well as housing construction styles and standards, which helped familiarize me with areas of Chicago that were ‘new’ to me and also helped me separate the wheat from the chaff. Her experienced guidance was a huge help in deciding which houses to look at and which ones to take a pass on. Through her, I found my house in a matter of a few weeks.”

— Tim A.

“Carrie is easily the most capable real estate professional I’ve worked with. She is meticulous about the details and provides the kind of support and direction that helped relieve the stress and uncertainty associated with selling our home and buying our new place. She is both creative and unconventional in marketing property and used that same brand of creativity in finding win-win solutions for the negotiation on our new home. She helped expand our search into great neighborhoods and areas we simply wouldn’t have been able to find on our own or through a realtor with less experience and without the broad understanding of the Chicago market. We’ve purchased and sold with other agents and wish we had always received the same kind of professionalism, skill and knowledge Carrie brings!”

— Kandie B.

“Carrie helped alleviate our first time home buyer anxieties with her vast knowledge of the entire purchasing process. We were also hoping to find a home in a short period of time. She made herself available as much as we needed and helped us find a house that we are excited to call home. Thanks Carrie!”

— Mindy F. and Charles S.

“It is rare to find a realtor these days who is down-to-earth, honest, caring, knowledgeable, and trustworthy. We found such a person in Lee Diamond.

We were first-time homebuyers who already had a lot on our plates, including an infant, a severely disabled toddler, and a job with long hours. Lee walked us through the entire process, making what could have been difficult and complicated simple and smooth. He handled our mortgage and served as our buyer’s agent, providing full and exemplary service in both areas and dramatically simplifying the process of buying a house. He put in the time and effort to find us a mortgage that met our needs and minimized our expenses. In addition, Lee was able to help us find a home that met our unique and special needs, including one that was easily adapted for a wheelchair and near public transportation.

We would recommend Lee to anyone who is frustrated by the typical realtor and who wants good old-fashioned service from a genuine person.”

— Rishi and Susan A.

“We contacted Lee on the recommendation of a friend, and from the first meeting knew that he would be the perfect agent for us. His astounding organizational abilities, endless capacity for detail, sardonic sense of humor, and complete lack of tolerance for the hyperbolic drivel pedaled by most real estate agents gave us total confidence as we navigated the daunting world of real estate for the first time. (“Cherry cabs and granite countertops….that’s nice. When was the roof redone? How old is the boiler? Are there any special assessments?”) And Lee’s personal interest in vintage construction and details matched perfectly with what we were looking for: a home with character, not one thrown together by cut-rate contractors in the same cookie-cutter style that currently plagues so much of the Chicago landscape.

More importantly, dealing with Lee as both our mortgage broker and realtor saved us tons of time since we were able to avoid communicating reams of information back and forth between two different people. Because Lee was completely familiar with both the financial details of our situation and our specific expectations in finding the perfect place, he was able to streamline the entire search process, guiding us towards places that would fit both sides of the equation. After many patient weeks of showing us dozens of condos, when we finally saw the one for us, Lee was able to assure us immediately that it would fit all of our needs. We put in an offer the same day, and had it accepted two days later. In a competitive market, this ability to move quickly and confidently can’t be stressed enough. We would never use anyone else for a real estate transaction again.”

— Dave R. and Michael M.