Testimonials for the
Ruth Bethem Real Estate Team
"Our reputation is our best asset."
I found Ruth Bethem not the
way I planned. I am a residential realtor and live in Wilmington,
Delaware. I had a condo in Naples, Florida to sell and had to
find a realtor. I did what most people do and Googled for realtors
in Naples, Florida. It came up with too many brokers websites
and too many realtors. I decided to go through some and even
email a few. I never got any responses. Being a former professional
photographer I decided to one day search for real estate photographers
in Naples. I figured if I found a really good photographer that
might lead me to a really good realtor. I found Rick Bethem's
website and was blown away. His photos of real estate listings
were just amazing, better than I thought I could find. I can't
even find photographers that good where I live which is right
by Philadelphia, PA. I got in touch with Rick to find out what
he charged because I thought I might have to go the FSBO route
which I wanted to avoid not living in Naples and not knowing
the market. He told me his wife Ruth was a realtor. After I
checked out Ruth's website and speaking with her I knew I had
hit the jackpot.
Being a realtor myself I was going to be extra critical of who
I was going to choose to list and market my condo. I wanted
someone who knew the market, was full time, had a strong track
record and most importantly wasn't going to "buy"
the listing with a high price and tell what they think I wanted
to hear. Ruth was very upfront about the market, competition,
days on market, pricing, what to do to prepare for the market
and did not sugar coat anything. Whether it was news I did or
didn't want to hear, she told me how it was. It was refreshing
to find someone with that approach because with the amount of
condos on the market in Naples I didn't want to deal with a
bunch of price adjustments and to be on the market for a year
or two. Especially when the last sold condo in my building was
several years ago.
Her pricing was right on point. I received an offer within 2
days of coming on the market from a buyer who hadn't even seen
my condo and was living in another state. Since my condo was
vacant and had no furniture we staged it which really helped.
Rick photographed my condo as if it was a cover shoot for Architectural
Digest. He was there all day and literally stayed until he could
get a shot of the sunset over the ocean from my balcony. I received
several other offers to choose from within days of the first
offer, went under contract and settled much quicker than I expected.
Ruth deals with everything from start to finish and will always
call or email you back. I could always get ahold of her. The
level of service she provides exceeded my expectations. I put
everything in Ruth's hands. It was her market, I relyed on her
and she delivered. She helped me get through the inspections,
get repairs done, meet contractors at the condo even help clean
out and donate some leftover items in the unit so I didn't have
to fly down. She gave me peace of mind from start to finish
and was rare find for me.
Tim Owen, 5th Generation
Realtor
Wilmington, Delaware
We contacted Ruth through her
website.
From our first contact with her we knew
we had reached a true professional. Searching for a property
in Florida, from Toronto, initially seemed a daunting prospect.
However, once Ruth was involved the process was educational,
fun and smooth. Ruth always made us feel as if we were her most
important clients. Her attention to detail, her organization
and her great knowledge of south west Florida was vital in our
being able to select exactly what we wanted.
We had a very short window of time in which
to fly down to Naples from Toronto, see properties, select and
put in an offer. Ruth had it all organized, she drove us around
and efficiently and knowledgably informed us about all the details
we would need to know in order to make an offer. Her knowledge
of life in Naples was invaluable and was instrumental in our
final decision. Ruth assisted us every step of the way giving
us lists of insurance companies, home inspectors, lawyers etc,
to ensure our purchase was completed in a timely manner without
any unexpected glitches. Not only would we highly recommend
Ruth as the consummate professional Real Estate Agent for south
west Florida, we consider her a friend.
--Sheila & Denis Geary,
Toronto
I had the good fortune of meeting
Ruth recently, when a friend recommended that I contact her
to help me in selling a condominium. Knowledgeable, personable,
accessible, and of an enviable work ethic, Ruth guided me through
the process that turned out to be a whirlwind. I expected that
she would offer suggestions as to how to prepare and stage the
unit for sale, but I never imagined that she would actually
work shoulder to shoulder with me, providing her own sweat equity
in carrying out those recommendations.
Ruth is the consummate professional and
I trusted her to guide me appropriately. She did not disappoint.
Granted, I took her advice to heart and did what she suggested.
Ultimately, I only had to reduce it by $1000.00 to secure the
sale. Despite the fact that I was hoping for a quick sale, I
never dreamed that I would actually close on the unit two weeks
after it was listed! I am grateful to Ruth and recommend her
without hesitation.
--Marilyn B. Moser, Naples, Florida
When my wife and I decided
to buy a house in SW Florida we werent really sure how
to take the next step. OK, wed focused in on the area
we were interested in, but we really didnt understand
the machinations of the US/Florida system. We arent exactly
real estate novices, as we have bought and sold in other countries.
When it came to choosing a realtor we went through several steps
to try and weigh them up. Id ask about houses in areas
which would not be desirable, or about properties on streets
where Chinese Drywall is recognised as a problem etc. We wanted
to get a feel for their knowledge and judgement etc. Some never
responded at all, and others appeared to be less than enthusiastic
to help us find the property that was right for us. Some didnt
seem very clued up at all. Frankly I wasnt too impressed.
Then we found Ruth Bethem! Thank goodness that we did!
I was initially attracted to Ruths
site at Downing-Freye Realty in Naples FLA because of her experience
in dealing with British and Canadian clients. We fall into both
camps being English but resident in Canada. What a great decision
it was to contact Ruth.
From Day 1 we knew that we were in professional
and dedicated hands. Nothing is too much trouble. Ruth helped
us to narrow down and eliminate unsuitable choices and was in
constant contact by phone and email to keep us up to date with
new properties, and to inform us when others had gone to pending.
I cant speak highly enough about Ruth because shes
awesome! Shes gone from realtor to friend to us, in the
time that we have known her.
She is diligent, and determined to do the
best that she can for you and will always go the extra mile
to make sure that what can be a stressful process is made easy
by calling upon her considerable real estate experience. Ruth
was there every step of the way through to closing (and beyond).
If you are looking at real estate in the Naples, Bonita Springs,
Estero area etc thenyou just need to call Ruth. Shes a
lovely lady. A wonderful person to deal with and you really
dont need to talk to anyone else. Take it from us. It
will be the best decision you will make.
-- Jeremy Robson, Ph.D. & Mari
Jayne, United Kingdom and Ontario, Canada
If you want fantastic service
with a smile then stop here. When we decided to buy in Naples
I sent our requirements to 4 different realtors. 3 could not
be bothered to return my emails. Given the market conditions
at the time this surprised me. Ruth took the trouble to make
contact and from that moment we did not look back. She maintained
regular contact throughout the searching and buying process
and always returned my calls or emails promptly. She started
by listening to what we wanted to achieve. She then drew up
a list of potentially suitable properties and sent the details
to us from which we selected a short-list for viewing. I made
2 viewing trips. On both occasions Ruth met me on time at my
hotel on the first day and on each occasion she presented me
with a file that contained details of all the properties we
were going to see, with a front summary sheet showing the essential
information in an easy to read format. She took me to view all
the properties and spent time discussing the pros and cons with
me afterwards. She worked hard to get second viewings at short
notice and always checked out facts I wanted to know so that
I had answers as soon as humanly possible. This often meant
working late in the evening as we had spent the whole day out
viewing. At all times she worked professionally and at no time
did she step too far into the arena and start imposing her own
opinions, ensuring that while the information was made available,
the decision was mine to make. She has a good relationship with
the other realtors in the area and has contact details of all
the people you might need to use during the purchasing process.
This purchase has not been without its complications, all out
of Ruths control, however they have all been managed with
speed and expediency and absolutely no fuss. She works with
high quality professionals who you know you can trust, because
she trusts them. Her service has continued after the closing
date, as there were a few minor issues that still required sorting
out. There has never been any doubt that Ruth has worked in
my best interests throughout this process. In doing so she has
saved us from possible financial disaster and ensured the property
we have bought is the right one for us. Her appropriate interventions
have ensured that the house is in the best possible condition.
Having put my trust in her she has never let me down. I am thrilled
with what we have achieved together.
-- Karen Johnson, England
When we first mooted the idea
of owning a property so far away, it seemed a bit fanciful to
imagine it actually happening, but Ruth helped us enormously to
realise our dream and did it with the minimum of fuss and hassle.
We had been coming to the Naples/Gulf Coast area for several years
as holiday makers and were particularly fond of the Olde Naples
area. After one such journey we decided to see whether it would
be possible to dip our toe in and see how difficult it would be
to try and buy something. We initially contacted several random
realtors on the internet ("estate agents" to those living
in the UK), hence although it was quite by chance that we came
upon Ruth, from an early stage her extensive local knowledge and
professionalism shone through. Although at first it seemed quite
a daunting task to first find and then successfully negotiate
the many aspects of a property purchase in a quite alien legal,
practical and administrative framework, Ruth helped us every step
of the way.
She is very perceptive and realised very quickly what type of
properties we were interested in and the areas which would be
most suitable. This helped enormously in cutting down the time
spent otherwise trawling through endless lists of properties.
She helped us whittle things down to short lists and was very
thorough providing us with all the information we would need.
She then made herself available to us on two separate visits from
the UK to view these short lists; driving us around over several
consecutive days so that we could obtain a very good feel for
the area. She helped us to initiate the legal side of things (providing
a short list of attorneys) and also put us in touch with other
services we would need (i.e. property inspections, caretakers,
gardeners, cleaners, etc).
Nothing was too much trouble and having had many bad experiences
of realtors (especially in the UK) we were delighted with Ruth's
honesty, professionalism and thoroughness. Several months after
buying our home Ruth is still helping us with information in many
different respects;such a providing a list of recommended local
doctors or helping with additional legal aspects of the purchase.
--D. & E. Beach, London
and Port Royal
We both feel very fortunate
to now be owning our lovely place in Naples and are looking
forward to many happy years of enjoyment in such a beautiful
part of the world. None of this would have been possible without
your strong support, your calm guidance and understanding and
Hilary and I are extremely grateful to you for all of this.
Thank you for everything you have done for us.
--The Hutchinsons, Scotland
"We met on the internet".
We were contemplating a Florida home and fell in love with Olde
Naples on a rather hurried visit in April. On returning home
to Canada, we spent hours on the internet searching for that
perfect place. Thats where we met Ruth!! Her website was
always up to date, easy to navigate and best of all she waited
for us to contact her! And we did. We returned in June and finally
met her
.she was on time and well prepared for visits to
some of the properties we had indicated an interest in. She
even prepared a binder for us with all the listing, pictures
and so on that was a great help to us as were started to narrow
our choice. Ruth was always pleasant, always on task. My husband
remarked that he could have used a few good salespersons like
her in his business. She did close the sale for us, but her
attention to detail did not end there. She has walked us through
the intricacies of Florida real estate, flood insurance and
everything else we have had questions about. All of this was
accomplished with great efficiency through email, attachments
and phone calls. So it is true, we did meet on the internet.
--Donna and David Whiting, Canada
and Olde Naples
Aside from being utterly impressed with
their expertise and knowledge of the Southwest Florida real
estate market, Naples in particular, and their consummate professionalism
and trustworthiness, we found it remarkable how they went that
"extra mile" for us as clients.
--David
and Pamela Wood, Sherman Oaks, CA
When we contacted the Ruth Bethem Real Estate
Team, we were looking for a fast, efficient, and professional
sale of our single family home.
We chose Ruth Bethem because we liked Ruth's hands-on, personalized
approach to the sales experience. Ruth understands that communicating
effectively is at the heart of what motivates people to action.
We sold our home within sixty days and were really pleased with
the results, especially her assistance in helping us stage our
home for the quickest possible sale.
We recommend Ruth and her team of professionals to anyone who
desires practical and proven tips and techniques based on sales
research. Her "out of the box " suggestions are attention-getting
and proven to get results.
--Bob and Lori Anderson,
Venice, Fl.
Ruth is an outstanding, comprehensive
realtor who carefully managed our limited time, thoroughly screened
homes, provided advice in the negotiation process and addressed
all post-sale issues. We have been purchasing homes and investment
properties for many years, so we appreciated working with such
a professional.
--The Paradiso's,
Virginia.
Dave and I found Ruth a pleasure
and a treasure in the Real Estate world of Southwest Florida.
Her website gave us a good idea of the market even before we
arrived in Naples to begin our search. She was organized and
efficient in presenting homes to us and worked tirelessly to
find what we feel is the perfect Canadian snowbird community
for us to migrate to. She has a good working knowledge of real
estate practises in the area. Her colleagues in the business
and the businesses that support and provide auxiliary services
obviously like and respect her. Altogether, she made looking
for and acquiring our new home a great experience. We have already
recommended her to friends and acquaintances who are looking
to make a similar move."
--David and Margaret Murray,
Toronto, Ontario
We want to thank you for a
totally professional experience in locating and negotiating
for our beautiful new estate home in Medittera. Throughout the
arduous process of first locating the right community, then
finding the right house, and then negotiating the right price
in unusual market conditions in Naples, you were always highly
professional but, most of all, you kept it fun with your great
sense of humour.
We valued your insights as we reviewed the various locations
and homes for sale, and we found they were always correct. Without
hesitation, we will recommend you to friends in the future.
--Greg and Barbara Salkow, Naples, FL
I tried something unusual - I bought a house
from 1000 miles away. Using the internet and Ruth and Rick's photo
slideshows. I trusted my knowledge of the area and Ruth's professionalism
with great results. I'd do it again in the future.
--Susan Blydenburgh, West Chester, PA
Ruth was outstanding! She communicated
with us almost daily and her expertise and professionalism was
invaluable. Ruth's appearance and calm, professional attitude
gave us complete confidence that our home would be sold in a relatively
short time. Ruth exhibited an outstanding wealth of information
that served us well during the sale of our home and the purchase
of our new house.
--Mr. and Mrs. John Oustrich, Phoenixville,
PA
Thank you for making our first
home purchase as stress free as possible. Love the website and
ability to view complete MLS selections. It's great for busy people
who work alot!
--Mr. and Mrs. Jason Mikes, Naples, FL
Great experience! Love doing
business with you.
--Mr. and Mrs. Volos, Macomb, MI
We have known Ruth for over two
years and have been very happy with her professionalism and genuine
interest with which she treats her clients...you can't improve
on excellence!
--Mr. and Mrs. George Trotter, Naples,
FL
Ruth has the great gift of sincere
empathy, combined with honest patience and clear guidance, that
ultimately pointed us in the direction of making a sound and confident
decision. Ruth always went the extra mile each and every time
we contacted her. Her honesty, sincerity and respect for us made
it that much easier for us to put out trust in her. We highly
recommend Ruth to anyone with real estate goals in Southwest Florida!
--Mr. and Mrs. George McArdle, Mentor,
OH
We were exceptionally satisfied with Ruth's
attention to details from contract through closing, as well as
her overall performance. Your service is only as good as the people
who represent them. We were proud to have Ruth representing us
in the sale of our home. Not only is she very professional but
she made us very happy.
--Mr. and Mrs. Bob McCollum, Naples, FL
Ruth's professionalism combined with her warm
personality made the entire process, from preliminary condo search
to subsequent purchase, a pleasure. Even when we hit a rather
large "bump in the road" during negotiations, Ruth continued
to remain supportive and eager to do whatever necessary to keep
moving forward. We will refer Ruth to all our friends interested
in discovering the beautiful town of Naples.
--Mr. and Mrs. S. Yount, Charlottesville,
VA
We were extremely satisfied
with Ruth's professionalism, real estate etiquette and knowledge,
and overall attitude towards a successful completion of the sale
of our property.
--Mr. and Mrs. George Trotter, Naples,
FL
Ruth was exceptionally thorough and helpful.
She was quick to return phone calls and always was pleasant
to deal with. We appreciated her good advice and guidance. We
will recommend Ruth again.
--Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence
True, Clifton Park, NY
Ruth was very professional
from the presentation to the sale of my property. She did an excellent
job representing Keller Williams Platinum Realty and I have and
will continue to recommend her to others wanting a quick sell
by a great realtor. Thanks Ruth!!
--Mr. Von A. Bacon, Naples,
FL
From our first telephone conversation
I was impressed with Ruth's professionalism and her desire to
meet our needs as first time investment buyers. We offered a special
challenge as we reside out of state and didn't have the ability
to view the units first hand. Ruth was religious in e-mailing
us pictures of potential units and she clearly went out of her
way to accomplish this in a timely fashion. Her patience with
the situation was notable. I would definitely send friends and
relatives to Ruth and know that they would be well served.
--The Kennedy's, Clifton Park,
NY
With Ruth as our realtor, buying a house
is as easy as 1-2-3. Thank you so much! We will recommend Ruth
to our relatives and friends.
--Constantine, Ella and Pamela
Apostol, Naples, FL
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