Sarah Liska

2 months ago

Unfortunately, things did not work out with Sarah. I had found a house I was interested in Frederick, MD independently. I did not have a realtor. There was an open house that I planned to attend on my own. It was suggested that I use Sarah as she was a realtor in the area and could be helpful with negotiations. I am not new to the home buying process and have bought 4 homes previously. I spoke to Sarah on the phone and liked her. She was busy and could not meet at the open house. We discussed the new "buyer's agreement contract” and she assured me that seller's are still continuing to pay both sides of the commission. I believed her and signed the agreement (PLEASE do NOT sign this agreement unless you are prepared to pay the buyer's commission!) My mistake that I won't make again. I did not need a realtor for this purchase - so if there was any indication I would be paying $14k in commission, I would NEVER have gone with one. I did put an offer on the house (there were no negotiations) with an escalation clause, but did not get it. I continued to see about 8 other homes with Sarah/her colleague over 3 visits to the area. I then found a new townhouse that I was interested in. This was not a house that Sarah had sent me with her MLS listings, however, I called her as I wanted her to get the commission and to see the house with me. She was unable to go to the house due to a personal issue, but called and had me registered as her client. I went with a friend, and loved it. The selling agent was great and I asked a ton of questions. I let Sarah know that I really was interested in the house. I went on the ask dozens of more questions of the selling agent and do extensive research on the builder (who did not get good reviews). I did not get any help from Sarah with questions or research and she told me she was not an attorney so could not even review the contract. Again, I am more than capable and have built two new homes before. As a new house there were no price negotiations. That's typical. I had about 8 different and somewhat confusing estimates of closing costs that I meticulously researched to understand on my own. No help from Sarah. I created several spreadsheets to understand every single aspect of the costs (including contacting home owners in the development to understand actual utility prices). I decided to get an independent inspector and asked Sarah several times if she knew of a reliable one - without an answer. I put down a deposit to hold the house. When I was less than 48 hours prior to signing the contract Sarah texted me that she noticed that her commission was not included in the closing cost estimate. (I was not looking for a commission in my closing costs as Sarah had told me that the seller still pays it.) No other comments/advice on closing costs from her. It had been 10 days since my first estimate of closing costs and she had never once commented on them at all. I asked her if that meant I would owe her money. She said she'd talk to the selling agent and re-work the closing costs. I responded that I needed to know how much I was expected to pay. Again, she was evasive. I can do the math. But this was a 100% unexpected cost. She clearly had told me that sellers were continuing to pay both sides of the commission, if that was different with a new build that should have been discussed immediately. She is not only an agent, but the broker. This is her job, not mine. I understood she couldn’t go see the house, I understood she couldn’t review the contract, I understood she couldn’t negotiate the price, I even understood when she didn’t even help analyze the closing costs. But I also trusted her when she told me that nothing had changed and sellers still pay the buyer’s commission. Things went downhill from there as she took no responsibility for any misunderstanding. I did not buy the house, nor will I buy anything in the state of MD until my contract with Sarah expires, as she would not let me terminate it even after I canceled the contract on that house. Moral of the story is no matter how nice someone is or if they are recommended please get everything in writing.

7 years ago

Sarah was an absolute delight to work with. She is so knowledgeable about this area, very organized, extremely communicative, and genuinely a kind person. We had no problems selling and buying our house. She, along with her team and the professional relationships she has built, makes the process for home buyers and sellers streamlined and easy. If we ever buy or sell again, we will certainly use Sarah and her team.

7 years ago

Sarah helped us buy our first house. She seems to know everyone in the neighborhood and all the houses about to come on the market. The whole process was as smooth as it could be, largely due to Sarah. She introduced us to a great loan officer as well.

7 years ago

Sarah went above and beyond to help us both buy a house and sell our old house. She negotiated an offer that helped us buy a house that is perfect for us, and she also found a wonderful buyer for our old house in less than a week. Both knowledgeable and respectful of her clients' thoughts and concerns, Sarah is wonderful to work with.

7 years ago

Wonderful agent with terrific knowledge of local market. Always gave us sound advice and direction. Both found a home for us and sold existing home. Worked with us patiently and thoroughly. Highly recommended- give her a call.