Linda Tartak

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         I want to recommend most highly the real estate services of Linda Tartak. I have bought and sold quite a few homes over the years, but I have never worked with a more dedicated and knowledgeable realtor than Linda.  I described to her what I thought were the ideal locations, price range, and home characteristics, and then she went to work.  Because of her thorough knowledge of a wide area of Southern Florida, she was able to send me complete details of more than a hundred listings over a few months of searching.  She never let up sending the newest listings as they appeared on the market, but she did not waste my time by sending me just any listings - all were within the scope of what I had detailed as my ideal situation.

After I had compiled a list of homes, I flew to Florida to meet her and to visit the homes on my list.  She met me on a Saturday morning after driving for over two hours from her office location.  We spent all day looking at homes, and then she invited me to dinner with her parents and friends.  During the search process she was able to answer most of the questions I had about local laws, restrictions, shopping, and attractions.  Any she couldn’t answer, she made calls on the spot to get the answers from her wide network of friends and associates. The next day we revisited the short list we had arrived at from the day before and finally decided on a home to make an offer, with one more as a back-up choice.  The next day she called the listing realtor, made the offer, and negotiated an acceptable price with my input.  After she arranged for a house inspection several problems were discovered.  On her own she was able to convince the listing realtor that the problems should be resolved by the owner before settlement, or I should be given an allowance from the already agreed upon price to remedy the problems after settlement.  She arranged for inspections and estimates to fix the problems by local contractors.

She also arranged for all settlement requirements, took care of all paperwork, attended settlement for me, and has followed-up routinely to be sure all is going well.  For someone living out of state, she made the process seamless for me, requiring only an occasional signature and phone calls and e-mails to keep me informed and to ask for approvals.  For all these reasons, I can most strongly recommend that anyone will benefit greatly if you have the good fortune to work with her.  Much of what she does is expected of a realtor, but the energy, concern, and work she displayed was extraordinary.  Several months after settlement we still correspond on a regular basis.

William J. Stegeman, Ph.D.

I first met Linda while I was still working with the search committee at FIU for the position of Associate Vice President and University Controller. I lived in San Francisco, and without Linda, I couldn’t possibly have ended up in my own home in Coral Gables within a month of joining the university.

From the very beginning she provided services far beyond my expectations.

·         She figured out which communities would fit my commuting restrictions, budget, and life style preferences.

·         She picked me up from FIU interviews and campus visits to “test drive” the communities with me and show me sample houses on the market.

·         She created a “private website” for us so that from California we could review and rate and ask questions about houses for sale in our target neighborhoods.

·         She turned a four day house hunting trip into a tightly scheduled marathon during which we visited forty of our top house selections. And she remained gracious no matter how cranky and snappish we became as the days wore on. And she cut short an out-of-town vacation to do it!

·         She drove us back and forth, and back and forth, during rush hour, to make sure our choice would really give me the commute I wanted.

·         She was an island of calm and reason as we worked through a difficult and nerve-wracking short sale process.

·         She found us referrals for all the myriad tradesmen we needed to repair and improve the house. And it was quite a long list!

In October of 2006 my husband and I began the long arduous process of relocating to Florida from the Bay Area in California. We had our home for sale in San Jose and were looking to purchase a new home in Village of Palmetto Bay.

We were nervous about our move and had heard nightmares about realtors in Florida; therefore, I performed due diligence and interviewed 10 realtors before making a choice. Not only were Linda’s credentials unparalleled, but during our interview she blew everyone else out of the water. It was readily apparent that she had significant experience and knowledge of the market. She was educated, articulate and easy to talk to. She was experienced enough to know what she didn’t know, offering advice and guidance even before we became her client. 

One weekend in December she met with us for an entire day showing us home after home to help familiarize us with the market. Even though we didn’t relocate until end of February 2007, Linda touched base with us often educating us as we went along.

Both my husband and I are very experienced sales people and have a hard time letting someone else negotiate for us. We trusted Linda wholeheartedly when it came to negotiations and sought after her advice, which she gave readily. Linda was professional, conscientious, and motivated. She scheduled all meetings and interactions at our convenience after work and on weekends. As our situation and needs changed she quickly adapted.

Linda held our hands throughout the entire process and in the end she helped us negotiate a deal almost $100K below asking price. Not only did we find our new house, but we also found our new home and we are incredibly happy with our purchase. It’s more than we ever thought we could afford.

Linda is not only a great business partner she’s also fun to hang out with. My husband and I enjoyed every moment we spent with her. She is funny, witty and extremely pleasant to be around. She made a difficult transition easier to cope with.