AVIS & IRISH - OAKVILLE, ON

Do not trust Cindy Avis. Her agenda is not yours, and she has no loyalty to her clients - only what is in her interest. She advised us to list at a price that was nearly 200K over our selling price. When we were lowballed with a 400K lower bid by foreign buyers, she advised us that it was in our interests to counter the bid for the inane reason that it 'looked good' to other potential buyers if there was some active interest in the house. I realized afterwards that she said this to get us to engage with the buyers, knowing we would likely 'cave' since we were eager to sell. We were far too trusting in her, over our own instincts. We were also lied to about the reason the buyers wanted to purchase our house. We were told they wanted it as a home and were anxious for an earlier closing time for that reason. So when we asked for a closing extension of two extra weeks, we had to forfeit a $2000 new washer and dryer set to get the extra time - and Cindy's comment when we balked was, "Well I'd hate to lose a sale over a washer and dryer". That comment said it all regarding whose side she was on. Needless to say, the 'buyers' - if indeed they were the actual buyers - went back to Beijing, and months later, the house was rented out. The yard fell into disrepair - and it was embarrassing for us because of our neighbours who were also friends with whom we kept in touch. We were told by Cindy that - at the last minute - someone else - a Canadian citizen who wanted the house as a home - begged her to hold off with the deal for a day, because her husband was out of town and she needed to consult with him. She told us this after-the-fact, which made me feel even worse. We owned four houses altogether in our 34 years of living in Oakville, and that was the worst experience we had in selling. We were badgered by the buyers as well - to let them into the house the day before they were to take ownership (not part of the deal, and we told them no - because we were so put off by them at that point) - and asked to do so by Cindy as well - because speculative buyers bid unconditionally to get the edge over legitimate homeowners, and they wanted to make sure that we didn't strip the place of essential things like the appliances. Our home meant something to us because we spent 13 years bringing up our daughters there - and to let it go so cheaply to people who were so rude and disrespectful - and had no intention of living there, while contributing to a speculative-driven erosion of our community - was very difficult for us. Unfortunately, we realized all this in hindsight. Agents who facilitate such sales - by encouraging speculative-driven investment in home real estate - are motivated by greed - and care little about the community in which they work. Profit for them - is a priority. And they care nothing about the client they profess to look out for. There are agents who will advise their clients either way - whether selling or buying - about what is in their best interests - and those agents are not so self-serving. They do exist - but this is not one of them. Find an agent who will, at least, advise you to hold out for closer to your asking price - especially if she helped you to set it in the first place.