Finding my First Home
Black Diamond Real Estate was wonderful to work with in finding my first home. Mary Staton is very knowledgeable about the housing market and always willing to show homes whenever my fiancé and I wanted to view a house we liked. Bert & Mary Staton were also very helpful when it came time for negotiations. Together Mary Staton and Bert made the home buying process very smooth and enjoyable. Overall I definitely recommend Black Diamond Real Estate if you’re in the market for buying a home. ~Billy Dula
Mary Staton's Services
We appreciated Mary Staton's service as our realtor. She was pleasant to work with, easy to communicate with and attentive to detail. She was caring and diligent in helping us pursue our housing goals. In the past we've had Realtors that were difficult to reach and slow to respond. Mary Staton was the opposite. I was surprised how quickly she responded to our questions or ideas. I would recommend her to help you with your housing needs. ~Sean & Carmen Garrigan
Breath of Fresh Air
Mary Staton Ward is a breath of fresh air. In the constant chaos of trying to find the right home, she continuously offered insight, patience, and charm while remaining professional in every aspect. She has a great work ethic: always prepared, on time, courteous, and very easy to communicate with. She is thoughtful and kind but has good judgment and professional acumen. She has rightfully earned a reputation as a tremendous local agent. ~Dr. Chelsea Ward
Professional Diligent Realtors
Bert & Mary Staton helped us find the perfect buyer for our Muirfield Condo at Mill Pointe in Elon during a tough market period. They were very cordial and fair-minded to deal with. They even went beyond the call of duty by helping us consign furniture that we were not moving. We recommend Bert & Mary Staton without hesitation as professionally diligent realtors. ~Curt and Kathy Minaya
Determined
If I had to use one word to describe Bert Ward...it's determined. Through unforeseen circumstances we had two contracts fall through on our home. Bert stayed positive the entire time, giving us great advice and helping us every step of the way. The third time was a charm and we sold our home for a price we were very happy with! All thanks to Bert's great advice, and determination to get the job done. ~Krista Marcy
Very knowledgeable
Although the seller and her agent seemed to make the sale difficult in every aspect, you could not have been more knowledgeable about fulfilling my housing needs and more accommodating at helping me get into the perfect home .As you know, on occasion I became frustrated but you were always cool, calm, collected and professional. It was a real pleasure to work with someone whose primary interest was to find what I wanted, rather than trying to get me into something that was easy for you. I really appreciated your help in navigating the myriad of paperwork needed to close the deal within our short time frame. Thank you for being the consummate professional.” ~Steve Simpson CLU, ChFC, LUTCF
Diamond in the Rough
“We bought our first home through Bert and Mary Staton. We were looking for something a little different, and they were able to show us a variety of possibilities. Their guidance, from searching for houses through making an offer and closing was so helpful. You can tell they are on your side, they were persistent in keeping communication open between all parties involved and keeping us informed. More than that, they take a vested interest in your situation and you can tell that they care about you on a personal level. They were such a pleasure to work with. Thanks to them we were able to find our 'diamond in the rough." ~Jordan and Leah Covington
We would highly recommend Black Diamond
“Bert and Mary Stanton Ward helped us sell our home in a very short time. Their advice on pricing the house, suggestions on getting our house ready for the market, and MLS listing (pictures/virtual tour) was very professional. We also appreciate Bert’s help with the contract negotiation. We would highly recommend them as real estate agents!~Brad and Sherry Martin
I Would Recommend Bert
“You were a pleasure to work with and helped me through the process every step of the way. I would recommend you to anyone looking to buy or sell a property. Your timely correspondence kept the negation process going when both sides had doubts.Thanks again," ~Joe
A Pleasant Experience
“Working with Bert was a pleasant and easy experience. The negotiations were very professional and efficient. We relied upon his recommendations for attorney and inspections, and these were also well done, thorough and efficient. Overall, it has been a great experience."~Dr. Brasington
Creative Marketing Ideas
"Bert listed our home and had it sold within the first month. He was knowledgeable about the market and about all aspects of the listing process. He used several creative marketing ideas and was aggressive about getting the listing in front of as many qualified buyers as possible. Once the home was under contract, he was skillful in working with both parties on all of the issues that had to be addressed before closing." ~Scott Self
Objective Advice
I wanted to once again thank you for all your efforts and objective advice during the recent sale of our home on Pineway Drive. As you know, selling a house that has been your home for many years is not only a financial event but can also be an emotional undertaking. Your advice throughout the process was always timely and unbiased and you demonstrated knowledge of both the market and legal aspects of the sale as well as an acute awareness of the economic and emotional factors influencing both buyers and sellers. I have worked with many realtors over a number of years, both as an attorney and personally, and I can say without reservation that you were one of the most professional realtors I have known. We particularly appreciated the fact that you communicated with us frequently during the sale process, keeping us well informed about each phase of the process as well as providing concise explanations regarding the various issues that arose during the sale. Thanks again for all your assistance in this transaction and best wishes for a successful career. ~Tip and Christina Messick
The Right Choice
Bert, just wanted to drop a note and say "Thank You" again. We are very happy with the way our mother's house got sold.. A sign was up in the yard and within ten days we have an offer and closed within 45 days. No issues, No worries and you even went and got the check for us!! We definitely made the right decision with our real estate agent!Thank you! ~Joey C
How to Sell A House
“From where I came from there is a saying as it goes, we turned the corner before hitting the wall. Amen…we were not in a hallucinatory or denial mode…Bravo for both the seller and the HELPER. This one goes down in the history of how to sell a house in a difficult market. Textbook learning lesson for beginners. Please put this in your biggest achievements list as number one. Thank you and feel free to share my comments with your colleagues as a customer satisfaction in your resume. Best Regards as Always." ~Misel Altintop
A Real Pleasure
“Working with Bert on the sale of my client’s house was a real pleasure. Bert is knowledgeable, professional and he got the property sold in just days. I’d be happy to work with him again on any NC properties that we need to sell!" ~Susie Real, Owner Investisource-Reale Realty
House Hunting While Deployed
“My name is Melissa Ashby and I will highly recommend Bert Ward to anyone. When looking for a house I was very nervous because I was doing my house hunting while deployed overseas in Kuwait. I was already stressed from my working environment and I didn’t want unnecessary stress from house hunting. When I came home for two weeks during my deployment, Bert made sure to meet up with me immediately for house viewing. I gave Bert a specific list of what I was looking for and price range and he found exactly what I wanted. Not only did he show me a nice house, he explained the community and surrounding area as well. Once I left NC to head back to Kuwait, Bert stayed in contact with me weekly to keep me up to date on inspections, closing documents, etc. I would highly recommend Bert Ward to anybody who needs a good Realtor that will keep you well informed and not have you feeling as if you’re being cheated…he isn’t one of those type of Realtors that just makes a sell and forgets about you the next day!" ~Melissa Ashby
Wise Council and Guidance
“I am most pleased to provide this letter on behalf of Bert Ward who served as our agent recently when we decided to sell our home on Charlotte Lane in Burlington, NC. From the beginning he provided wise council and guidance. In the end his direction was always prudent. He acted quickly with all recommendations and was incredibly prompt in responding to questions. His follow through with any matter was excellent. He went above and beyond in every regard. We had a timeline within which we needed to sell our home because we were relocating and he navigated the sale of our home within this window and attended to every detail in a calm, business-like manner, and in a most timely fashion. My wife and I could not have been more pleased in every respect with Bert Ward's professional service." ~Steve S.
Without a doubt, this transaction was the best experience we’ve had by far!
“We have bought a number of private residences over the years (think the count is eight) so we certainly have some experience in dealing with other real estate people. Without a doubt, this transaction was the best experience we’ve had by far! It’s almost unbelievable that we were able to find and close this deal in less than two weeks. Your help in find the right property, getting the inspector and contractors over so quickly, negotiating the offer and modifications, finding an attorney who could close in four days, and help with rental forms and rent pricing was invaluable." ~Rick
I found Bert to be professional, informed about the current market, and personable.
“When I decided to move to a retirement village in Florida, I talked with Bert Ward on the phone to set up an appointment. During the interview I found him to be professional, informed about the current market, and personable. I hired him. In the past, I have sold three other houses. Bert said that the market determines the price…I knew this, but Bert said one poignant thing I had not heard before: “you can set the price of your house so that your house sells the other houses for sale in the area; or, you can set the price of your house so the other houses sell yours.” Bingo…made sense to me! My house sold in 30 days for $1,000 less than what it was listed for. Bert went to closing on my behalf, as I was scheduled to close on a house in Florida the next day. Everything went without incident. I highly recommend Bert for the work he has done and the person he is”. ~Dennis
Bert’s ability to provide accurate and realistic values in today’s market has definitely helped move real estate quickly.
“As an Asset Manager for a major bank I really enjoy having Bert on my side. Bert’s ability to provide accurate and realistic values in today’s market has definitely helped move real estate quickly. Bert knows what it takes to get the highest price for my property and provides suggestions to get it in the best marketable condition possible. Outside of real estate, Bert is responsive and reliable. I have never had any trouble getting in touch with Bert at any time”. ~James
Bert worked both sides of the deal with persistence and professionalism.
“Bert was the listing agent on a home we bought and the listing agent on the home we sold. Bert did an outstanding job throughout the entire sales process. We negotiated off and on for a number of months on the purchase of our new home and Bert worked both sides of the deal with persistence and professionalism. He worked hard to ensure that each party was well informed, knew and understood the market dynamics, and stayed at the table to make a deal. On the sales side Bert worked with us to set a price that would attract motivated buyers. Within 72 hours, we had our home under contract. From contract to closing Bert was there to help facilitate the process. Based on his efforts both transactions went very smoothly”. ~Wes
Bert's knowledge of home values really helped in assessing the unique features of each house.
“Thank you so much for making my home buying experience so successful! Your knowledge of home values really helped in assessing the unique features of each house. I really appreciate your kindness, caring attitude, and professionalism you showed in answering all of my questions and especially in taking time to keep me up-to-date on all the transactions from the initial offer to the final closing. I will definitely recommend you to my friends who are considering buying a house because I know firsthand that you go the extra mile for your clients”. ~Mary
He is very diplomatic about bridging the gap between buyer and seller.
“Bert is a great Realtor. He spends his own money to market your property. He is very diplomatic about bridging the gap between buyer and seller, the former that wants the best bang for his dollar and the latter that wants to get every penny out of his investment”. ~Mario
Bert had a knowledgeable reference to immediately address and resolve any potential issues or obstacles.
"This is to express my appreciation to Bert for listing and selling my home in less than 30 days. I contacted Bert on Memorial Day weekend to list my home and it was under contract by July 4th and closed before the end of July. Bert listed my home on the cover of the Alamance at Home publication and I had numerous showings. While the home was listed in MLS, it was Bert’s networking in the community which facilitated the sale. Bert also assisted me in getting some quick home repairs done for the showings. Bert had a knowledgeable reference to immediately address and resolve any potential issues or obstacles. Bert takes great interest in all parts of the real estate transaction and was available to assist whenever needed. I highly recommend for all your real estate needs. ~Dianne
Bert went above and beyond to earn my business.
“Bert went above and beyond to earn my business, including showing a property after business hours….I highly recommend him and appreciate his dedication”. ~Dave
Get Bert on your side.
“You did a great job helping us sell our old home and find us a new place! For those looking for hands-on agent who knows the market well, get Bert on your side”. ~Greg
Bert's knowledge of the local market, as well as his marketing and negotiation skills is exceptional.
“Bert is an outstanding Realtor, his knowledge of the local market, as well as his marketing and negotiation skills is exceptional. The extra effort that Bert makes to constantly improve his business skills is commendable and his professionalism and reputation among other agents is excellent”. ~Lynn Gelsinger, Managing Broker Coldwell Banker HPW