Testimonials

“Mark made the process of selling our house as painless as possible. He is highly organised, reliable and keeps a very close eye on every aspect of the selling process. He returns every phone call immediately and provides campaign updates regularly. We were also very comfortable that Mark offered us sound and objective advice regarding campaign choices.”

- Cassandra Meers and Ben Whatmore - Balmain

 

“From the moment Carol and I met Mark, we have been very comfortable working with him in the sale of the property. He has portrayed himself as a very knowledgeable young man who is absolutely devoted to his work. He is very charismatic, loves what he does, and kept us informed every step of the way. He has been very punctual for all out meetings, did what he said he was going to do when he would do it.”

- Suzanne Younglove - Balmain

 

"I wanted to write to you to show my appreciation for the job you did in selling my property.  Given the declining market we were and are in, not to mention the doom and gloom being touted, I was exceptionally pleased to have not only had a great deal of interest in my property from the outset, but more importantly to secure a price above expectations. I have little doubt that your hard work and dedication to the process (phone calls well into the evening during crucial and other times) assisted in securing a buyer and then ensuring we achieved a maximum price. Thank you for your efforts Cherry, I will have no hesitation in recommending your services to anyone I know looking to sell in the Inner West. 

I wish you all the best for the future."

- Hamish Pearce - Lilyfield

 

“Throughout the marketing campaign Lynsey maintained regular contact with my husband and I, updating us on the progress of the campaign and very professionally liaised with us, potential purchasers and various solicitors. From my observation Lynsey works tirelessly, is very thoughtful and practical and has a very professional attitude to her work. Lynsey has a very friendly, relaxed manner which makes her a pleasure to work with.”

- Dr Carolyn Ellaway - Balmain

 

“We would like to thank you (Carol), in particular, for the assistance and advice you provided us with as we were preparing the property for market..... We also appreciated the regular feedback you provided us with about the level of interest in the property, your assistance in sorting out issues as they arose, and your preparedness to spend as much time at the property as prospective purchasers required”

- Jennifer Wilkinson and David Fruen - Balmain

 

"From our first meeting with you we were impressed with your calm, confident manner and your attention to detail. You took the time to answer our questions and make sure that we fully understood and were completely at ease with the sale process. We appreciated your advice on our property both prior to the house being listed and in the short time that the house was on the market. We particularly appreciated your handling of the negotitation process with the potential purchasers, the result of which was a sale price that significantly exceeded our expectations. You made the process of selling our house a pleasure and we sincerely wish to thank you for your efforts."

- Leo and Allison Cohillj - Rozelle

 

“Carol was very professional and extremely helpful. We were informed and keep completely advised of the market, buyers, and feedback. The house was sold in less than two weeks for a price I was extremely happy with given the current climate. I would be happy to recommend Carol to future sellers and would look to use her again with no hesitation.”

- Lynn and George Herisson - Annandale

 

Initially we spoke to four potential sales agents about the upcoming sale of our property. Mark was the only agent to follow the initial meeting up with regular phone contact.   This was our first sales experience and Mark handled the sale with calm professionalism. At all times Mark kept us up to date with the progress of open houses, contracts issued and potential purchasers. He was reliable and honest and provided sound advice throughout the sale process. Ultimately our property was sold prior to the planned auction so obviously we were happy with the price reached.

 

- Josephine and Ben Hendriks - Petersham

 

It is a pleasure to be able to write expressing our thanks and appreciation for the way in which you recently achieved a prompt and satisfactory sale of our Balmain town house.  From the start we found you a most pleasant person to associate with.  Your approach was businesslike and professional, you were always friendly and available, prepared to hear our needs and points of view.  Your valuation of the property was realistic, thorough and based on your experience and relevant data which you showed us.  The plan proposed for marketing the property was practical, economical and appropriate to its type, value and location.  We were particularly impressed with the prompt verbal and written feedback you provided to keep us informed of responses to advertising and inspections during the marketing period.  

- Elfreda & Arthur Marshall - Balmain

 

It was a very difficult time to be selling – so much uncertainty about the economy making interested buyers very nervous about making a commitment to proceed. I found Monique’s opinion very helpful and her manner friendly as well as professional at all times. I can only highly recommend Monique to anyone with a property to sell.

- Niki Rebay - Balmain

 

"We just wanted to send you a letter to say thank you for all your hard work with regards to the sale of 1/1 Barr Street Camperdown. Since the start of the campaign, we found your service to be open, honest and at all times were made aware of where everything was at. The implementation of the marketing campaign was thorough and the end result of the auction day was something we were extremely happy with. Thank you again for all your help and I would have no hesitation in recommending you to anyone when it comes to selling their home."

- Nick Cutler and Louisa Coleman - Camperdown

 

“By putting us in contact with your excellent stylist, we were able to display our home in a very saleable manner, something which was commented on very favourably by people who saw it. Mark was swift to give us feedback after every open house and kept in contact with us on a regular basis by phone, email and face-to-face. We found that you conducted yourself at the highest level of professionalism, seeking out input and checking that we were happy with how the campaign was progressing at every stage. We were delighted with the end result that you achieved for us. A generous offer meant that we did not have to undergo the stress of an auction!”

- Tim and Faith Entwisle - Petersham

 

I wanted to write and say thank you on behalf of Carey and I for your help in selling our house. It is a very rare thing to work with someone of such honesty and integerity and even rarer in the much maligned industry you work in. You have been exceptionally patient with us and your guidance made a stressful experience one that we almost enjoyed. Your positive attitude coupled with a tireless work ethic impressed us no end but it was your constant availability and feedback that was most appreciated. We were never left wondering what was happening, a phonecall was never not returned, a question never not answered. The day of the auction was especially impressive, when all hope seemed lost, you seemed to thrive on the pressure and secured a result that given the market circumstances we were delighted with. I have already started telling all who will listen about you and will continue to do so,  I will also always keep you in mind for any future business obviously.

Thanks again Mark,

 

- Stewart Reeves & Carey Cameron - Annandale

 

“Monique was fantastic throughout the whole process - professional, responsive, informative, accessible and honest. We were really impressed with timely way information was provided to us following the inspections and were kept extremely well-informed about how various interested parties were tracking, including a wrap-up summary prior to the auction.”

- Simon Barnett and Helen Ord - Rozelle

 

"Monique is without a doubt, the most professional real estate agent we have ever met. She is responsive, attentive and honest. She also possesses polished communication and negotiating skills. She has an excellent sense of urgency and is not afraid to go the extra mile to get the sale. But most importantly, she has integrity, compassion and a true understanding of how to sell real-estate, in any market. For these reasons, we wanted to take the time to show our appreciation to thank her and your organisation, for a job well done. As a result, we are only too delighted to recommend Monique Dower and Sarah Lorden as Real Estate Agents that deliver successful outcomes."

- Murielle Paviet-Fanolliet and Max Manton - Leichhardt

 

From the moment Carol and I met Mark, we have been very comfortable working with him in the sale of the property. He has portrayed himself as a very knowledgeable young man who is absolutely devoted to his work. He is very charismatic, loves what he does, and kept us informed every step of the way. Rang me just about every day to let me know when another prospective buyer inspected the house, asked for a contract, or had other bits of news. He kept in touch with prospective buyers, updating us on what was said, concerns, etc.,  He let us know about newspaper articles relative to our situation, that we may be interested in reading. He has been very punctual for all our meetings, did what he said he was going to do when he said he would do it. Mark was very honest with his perceived value of Dad's home. He didn't promise an unbelievable figure for the property.He did a lot of research before giving us the report on the property and recent sales etc., He gave us a quite realistic figure, which came to fruition, plus a bonus $10,000. We all appreciated that the property has to have heaps of work done to it and realised that the price paid  would reflect it. If there was something that we weren't quite sure about, Mark would go through everything to ensure that we understood it fully and didn't use "Real Estate Speak".  He has a rapport with people of every age group and walk of life. He even stayed for the chicken and champagne lunch for a little while after the auction on Saturday. He introduced the new owners to the neighbours and us and we all celebrated together. One big happy street.

- Thomas Wickenden and Sue Younglove - Balmain

 

“Honesty and transparency are not virtues often immediately associated with real estate professionals, but Lynsey is proof that adherence to these values can and does consistently deliver the best possible result for her clients. At all times through the sale or purchase process Lynsey kept us up to date, informed and worked with us to get the right result for all parties”

- Mark Sundquist - Balmain

 

”Monique made the process of selling our house as painless as possible. She is highly organized, reliable and keeps a very close eye on every aspect of the selling process. She returns every phone call immediately and provides campaign updates regularly. We were also very comfortable that Monique offered us sound and objective advice regarding campaign choices. We felt highly confident knowing that Monique would be the face of our sale campaign to all prospective buyers – an issue that was particularly important to us when choosing a real estate agent.”

- Cassandra Meers and John Whatmore - Petersham

 

When we first met with you, we both felt a sense of confidence, mainly due to your enthusiasm and obvious professionalism. You were the first agent to take the time to suggest minor, inexpensive cosmetic changes to our home that ultimately had a significant bearing on the sale. You continually updated us with details relating to buyer interest, buyer feedback, results of open house inspections and anything else of relevant interest. During the sale negotiations, we felt you treated all parties with respect and never at any stage tried to sell our house under value purely to achieve a sale, but vied to obtain the best possible price. We were delighted with the figure you achieved especially taking into account the current market climate. Although we have known you a short time only, we gained the impression your career success would have achieved in no small way by your honesty, integrity and sincerity; traits often spoken about but rarely found in some industries."

- David and Dianne Suter

 

I have known Monique Dower professionally for almost 10 years. Monique has been responsible for selling me two houses and arranging purchase of another. My most recent dealing with her was for the sale of a property at Harris Street, Balmain. This property had been totally reconstructed and placed on the market with Monique. We initially agreed to put the property to auction, however, as there was a great deal of interest in the property, Monique was able to bring a purchaser to the table prior to auction at a price that was above original expectations. During my dealings with Monique, I have found her to be professional, courteous and hard working. I would have no hesitation in recommending her to colleagues and friends.

- Ron Cooper - Balmain

 

“Your approach was impressive and professional, yet personal in how you treated the daily profess of the campaign. Probably the biggest compliment I can give you - is that as a successful real estate agent myself, it was very difficult for me to hand over the selling of our house to someone else. Due to your extensive expertise and knowledge of the area, you did a better job and got a better result that i could have.”  Lynsey

- Inge and Martin Lass - Rozelle

 

After interviewing several agents for the sale of property (address), it was apparent that Mark Bowis had significant experience and knowledge of the market and was highly organised and articulate. Mark was extremely helpful in guiding us in setting an asking price; and prompt in organising advertising, inspections, and following up on every detail.

- Dr Claudie Lee - Alexandria

 

“Thank you for your enthusiasm, concentrated effort and non pressurized advice during a very intense and fast sale period. Most importantly you (Carol) met my number one criteria of a good communicator and a person that both Matt and I felt comfortable dealing with.”

- Leanne Abbott and Matt Scott - Balmain

 

"I would especially like to thank our agent Monique Dower, who was always professional but had such a lovely warm nature that made you feel at ease and very comfortable. Selling your house is supposed to be one of the most stressful tasks life brings, but Monique’s ease of assurance, professionalism and friendly manner made the task an extremely stress-free experience. I appreciated the constant feedback, being positive and sometimes negative from potential buyers but the strength of the feedback always reassured me she only supported our best interests, I had every confidence that no potential buyer would ever have slipped through her radar and all buyers were made to feel valued and welcomed. Monique managed to negotiate and secure an extremely good price, which finished a very successful sale."

- Karen Brown - Birchgrove

 

“Her (Carol’s) close following of every potential buyer and her regularly keeping us informed, ensured that we knew at all times how attractive (or otherwise!) our property was. We were never left in the dark and therefore had a high degree of confidence around the sale of the house”

- David Madden and Chris McRostie - Balmain East

 

"I wish to thank you and your team, in particular Lynsey, for selling my property in Balmain over the weekend. Being a quirky property, it was never going to be the easiest to sell. In addition to this, because it was a rental investment and I live in Victoria, minimal work had been carried out on the property over the past 15 years. Lynsey and Melissa acted very professionally and honestly over the whole campaign, and I am sure they achieved the best price in the current market place."

- Brett McClellan - Balmain

 

Both Stephen and I would sincerely like to thank you for selling our home in Balmain. The result was far beyond our expectations and so we would like to congratulate you on an outstanding accomplishment. This success is due only as a direct result of your unparalleled service noted by an exceptional attention to detail. You ensured the house was impeccably presented taking onboard the additional detail to differentiate our house from many others likened to be so similiar.

- Michelle Costa & Stephen Graham - Balmain

 

"I want to personally thankyou (from both Doug and I) for your unbelievably professional service and superior delivery across all aspects of the sale process. You have yet again proven to me that the Sarah Lorden Brand is the best in Balmain and in particular your expertise, skills and savvy as an agent are the best we are yet to experience, over many years. So a sincere thanks for all your efforts & professionalism. "

- Doug Friis-Clark and Heather Wassenaar - Balmain

 

“Carol, thanks so much for your assistance in the sale of my house; the result was just what I wanted. I really appreciated your professionalism, efficiency and communication. In particular I felt as though you went out of your way to help me and to make the process as smooth as possible, particularly since I am overseas. I would recommend you without any hesitation to any seller.”

- Judith Graham - Balmain

 

We would like to express our gratitude and praise for the professional services of Mr Mark Bowis. Mark has recently acted on our behalf to sell our property at Mary Street Leichhardt 2040. This was dealt with in a very efficient and sensitive way and we appreciate the hard work that Mark demonstrated on our behalf. There were difficulties in the process due to the fact that the house was not completely renovated and many questions and concerns were raised during the process. However Mark dealt with these very effectively and we achieved the desired outcome. I would have no hesitation in recommending Mark to friends or relatives who are requiring similar services.

- Ken and Kathy Fletcher - Leichhardt

 

“Through clever marketing Lynsey was able to generate a huge amount of interest in our property and several genuine bidders at the auction. Our property ended up selling for $125,000 above the reserve price. Working in the property industry and dealing with a lot of agents on a regular basis, I found Lynsey and the team at Sarah Lorden Real Estate to be the most professional, organized and well run agency I have dealt with. I would highly recommend Lynsey Kemp and Sarah Lorden Real Estate’s services to other people wishing to sell their property.”

- Tim Abbott - Annandale

 

David and I would like to thank you (Mark) for all your help while selling our property in Balmain.  It is not often that we have experienced this level ofcandor and service and we respect your knowledge of the market in the area, your experience and the understanding you have shown us.  It is a difficult and sometimes stressful experience to sell your home, often wondering if the asking price is appropriate for the market and if it is achievable, and you have shown empathy while maintaining a professional composure that has been comforting, for me in particular. 

- Jane & David Eddy - Balmain

 

“I have sold houses before but have not encountered anyone who was so energetic, committed to ensuring I got the best price nor someone who actually seemed to enjoy the whole process! It was all very professionally handled – Mark’s communication was prompt and regular - I never had to chase him up - which is so often the case - to find out what was going on. Mark dealt with the current tenants with tact and sensitivity and was always consultative in every decision made.”

- Phillipa Maher - Balmain

 

“You will recall that we had been talking for more than five years about buying and selling on the Balmain peninsula. During all these years you (Monique) have been very generous with your time and advice, showing us houses that you believed might meet our criteria and providing expert opinions on the market value of our Rozelle house. Your good communication, realistic advice and canny sense of the market all underpinned the most satisfying of the five selling experiences we’ve been through in the past 14 years.”

- Bob and Maria Hunt - Rozelle

 

"I chose Carol Leddon because her years of experience and specialist expertise in the Balmain area shone through when we met. She had the calm grounding and knowledge that comes from years of experience both with people and property. I felt that I could trust her advice and leave the ins and outs of the sale in her hands which was important as I had other major projects to focus on at the same time. Sarah Lorden's team approach and Sunday open-house option were also unique and a major factor in my decision between the three agencies I interviewed.

 

I was not disappointed. Carol kept in touch regularly and provided sound advice. Her persistence in following up all prospective purchasers; even when they didn't return her calls, resulted in five registered bidders at auction day. Carol went the extra mile with practical matters as well; even offering to prepare my house for one weekend's open for inspection when I was incapacitated. And your team did a great job with the Sunday opens which proved a god-send on one particular weekend when few people showed up on the Saturday due to a massive storm. I also particularly appreciated the nice note Mark left me after the Sunday open that he managed."

- Lisa Perkins - Balmain

 

“At all stages of the process I was impressed with her professionalism. Monique is an excellent communicator and kept close contact to update me on developments throughout the weeks prior to the sale, as she did also with potential bidders.”

- Janet George - Balmain East

 

My husband and I sold our property and purchased a property both through Mark Bowis in the beginning of 2009. We met Mark while inspecting the house which we ended up purchasing and were impressed with his approach in selling the property to us.  We then sold our house after only 14 days on the market, well before our auction date and for a price that we were happy with.   Mark put a lot of effort into his initial proposal to us and kept us informed daily through the whole process.  Having dealt with Mark on both sides we have no hesitation in recommending him to you.  We valued his honesty and integrity.

 

 

 

- Emily & David Mcgrath - Lewisham & Lilyfield