Testimonials

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Sold in only 40 Days! – which included the Christmas & New Years Holidays:

Jan 09, 2012

Hey Charles,

Thank you for all you did and being so quick to jump on this sale. It’s not often that you find someone that is willing and capable to make things happen. You were great and we would be the first to tell our friends how appreciative and fond of Washburn [Real Estate] we are. Especially you Charles.

Thanks again,
The Millers – Allen & Sandy

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Finally Getting their “Cabin in the Woods”:

December 10, 2011

Grace and I have bought and sold several properties during our married lives, and have never been treated with more genuine professionalism than with Charles Burgess.  He has always shown an exact sense of which properties to show, as well as eliminating those not suitable.  Charles has always kept us “in the loop” with timely communication, and answers each question to complete satisfaction.

We always felt fully informed each step of the way, and were satisfied completely at both closings he has done for us.  Some difficult out of the ordinary circumstances can usually be expected.  Charles will handle those in such a manner as to leave us with peace of mind every time.  We consider Charles a true professional and valued friend.

Our recomendation to all is quite simple:  ”You can find no finer agent than Charles!”

Jim & Grace Mooney

Bostic, NC

 

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Moving out to the Country:

November 29, 2011

Steve and I will be spending our Christmas Holiday in our new home thanks to Charles Burgess of Washburn Real Estate.  Charles worked hard to get the deal done on selling our other home and buying the new one.  Steve and I already feel like this is where the kids and us will spend the rest of our lives … right here in Bostic, N.C. thanks to Charles.

Charles is a wonderful person that we are now proud to call our friend.  He always returns our calls or messages asap and always wears a smile on his face.  Doing business with him was so easy and stress free.  We would advise and recommend him to anyone trying to sell or buy property.

Thanks Charles for making our dream happen.  You are the Best!

Steve & Sherry Penson!

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A New Job Leads to a New Life in NC for the Entire Family:

July 18, 2011

Charles made our choice of a new home so easy!  Shopping from another state is difficult to begin with when one person is still in New York and the other is already in North Carolina, you can not always be there, but when you add in to that mix a husband who is doing the final selections, and “weeding out” of the homes on the market that we will not look at, and choosing the ones we will see, you want Charles to assist.  He figured out what I liked, and what we needed, saw the styles that appealed to us and steered us away from homes he knew we would not like.  We insisted on seeing a few, and he was right, we did not like them, but he was patient and showed them to us anyway.

The one that was right for us, Charles took multiple videos of and sent them to me so I could see it from NY, as I was unable to drive back to NC to see it in person.  He helped with what banks to call, what insurance companies were in the area, assisted with all the types of questions and direction an out of state person has.  Between my husband and Charles’s guidance we found a bank that was easy to work with, and insurance company that saved us money, someone to do a home inspection, and he helped with all the steps that come along with a home purchase.  When telling friends about our venture, there were repeating comments that they did not get assistance like this from the brokers they used, they wanted to know how I found Charles.  This experience with Charles is not what you get with just any broker;  Charles helped with everything, got answers for every question, and became a friend during our house hunting process.

The first time my daughters and I actually saw the house and was able to walk into it, was for the walk thru just prior to the closing!  It was all I could have asked for and more, just perfect!  My husband opened the door, my daughters walked in first, I followed and could not have been happier, it was better than the videos;  this was the house for us!  It felt like home the first night we spent in it.  We even found my daughters favorite candy bar left for her in her new bedroom,,, hmm I wonder who could have done that?

Richard, Lisa, Salena, and Marissa Craver

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Settling the Parent’s Estate:

June 02, 2011

Hey Charles,

I just want to reach out to say I certainly do appreciate your help in selling the house from my parents estate.  Your professionalism and constant efforts were an asset.  Hope you are well.  See you at the next closing! Ha bk

Bryan King

Rutherfordton, NC

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Buying his 1st Home:

May 10th, 2011

Adam McGinnis

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Real Estate Agents turned Retirement Buyers:

April 27, 2011

We are so very excited to be finally moving to North Carolina ….. the home of our precious grandchildren. We will be living in a charming log home in Rutherford County, with a fabulous mountain view, all because of our realtor Charles Burgess.

As two retired Realtors from Texas, we started our search on the internet more than one year ago. We made several inquiries with numerous realtors in the area. Charles was the only Realtor who ‘persistently’ provided us with invaluable information on new listings, price reductions, tax information, etc. that met our home search criteria.

When we finally arrived on our house hunting quest, Charles had 7-8 great prospects to show us that matched the criteria. We found our home on the first day, wrote an offer on the second day, and did inspections on the fifth day, prior to returning to Texas.

As we were absentee buyers, Charles handled all transactions on our behalf in a most thorough and professional manner. During the 2 months it took to close the transaction; Charles was the consummate diplomat, never once losing his composure.

As former Realtors we may not have been Charles easiest clients, but we certainly are his most appreciative.

Thanks for everything,
Diane & David Salonius

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Migrating South for the Winters:

February 25, 2011

Edgar Whipple

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Buying & Selling to keep pace with Life Changes:

January 1st, 2011

Chevis & Jennifer Duncan

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Finding a Warmer Place Closer to Children & Grand-Children:

January 1, 2011

Hi Chuck,

Hope you and your family had a great Christmas and a safe New Year. Have wanted to thank you for all the help you gave my wife and I on the purchase of Lot 47 at Black Rock Falls in Rutherfordton. You definitely went the extra mile for us in not only closing the deal, but assisting us in finding the property. Reading through the testimonials – they all seem to say the same thing, you care about your clients and go above and beyond to assure their satisfaction.

I wish I could include the pictures of you and my granddaughter showing us which direction the pictures of the different properties were taken!! [*Pics have been uploaded below*] As the other couple stated, you made it so much easier for us searching from Pennsylvania long distance. You are definitely a 5-star Agent!

Thanks again,
Helene and Ron Linton

Pennsylvania to Black Rock Falls in Rutherfordton, NC

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Re-Establishing Childhood Roots:

July 14, 2010

Hi Charles,

You are the best and without you and your guidance, we would have never found what we wanted after 7 months of looking. Wanting to come back to my “roots” after retiring and looking at so many properties, it was Charles that knew excatly what we wanted and lead us all the way.

I would recommend Charles to ANYONE that needs to find what they want and he can get it done and with haste!!!! He is a gentleman, beyond knowledgeable about his job and the areas of Western North Carolina. He bends over backwards for his customers and always is there when you call, email, or have any questions. He is the BEST! Thank you Charles, for our beautiful home!!! We are very happy with it and couldn’t have done it without you and your knowledge!!!

John and Wanda Pippin

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Retreating to the Mountains:

December 30, 2009

In November and December of 2009 we had the good fortune to meet Charles Burgess and benefit from his skill and knowledge in finding us the log home we were seeking.   He is a competent and professional real estate salesman who made our experience in buying a home in Rutherfordton not only a successful one, but also one that was stress free and served our needs very well.

He readily provided us with all information requested, conscientiously sending it to us electronically including answers to any questions we may have had.  He showed us many homes that were to be considered and continued to search the market to find the one that met our expectations.  He arranged contacts within the community for us to easily process the purchase of our home.   He was thorough and a pleasure to work with.

Charles Burges has our highest recommendation which is given without hesitation.

Sincerely,

Ed & Carol Jacunski

New Bern, NC  to Black Rock Falls in Rutherfordton, NC

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Moving Back Home:

May 29, 2009

When we started our search for a home in Rutherfordton, we had a short time window to make our decision. We knew we needed a real estate partner to make it happen.

You made our search so easy! In your attentiveness and attention to detail, You listened to our wants and needs, and presented homes to us that were perfect for our desires. We could not have done it with out you! Moreover, in our experience with you, we not only gained a knowledgeable partner to help us in our real estate endeavors – we gained a friend. In today’s real estate market, you really need an experienced real estate professional, and we would certainly recommend you to anyone that will be looking for a home in the Rutherford County area.

Aaron & Haley Perry

Alabama to Rutherfordton, NC 28139

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Building a Dream Home:

February 4, 2009

Charles,

I have attached some pictures of the new house for you to see now that were finished with the build. You were so wonderful to help and show me all those floor plans and then get me in touch with a builder that could actually make those plans become a reality. I really do appreciate all your hard work and assistance. I keep your cards in my desk and I send you as many referrals as I can.

Again, thanks for all the help!

Erin C. Hooper
Associate Agent Rutherford County Farm Bureau
828-287-2428 Phone

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First Time Buyers:

November 13, 2008

Charles made it easy buying our first home. He was dependable and helped us with every aspect of our purchase. I would definately recommend his services for anyone in the market for buying a home.

Chad & Megan Hensley

Forest City, NC 28043

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Time for Retirement:

September 15, 2008

Living in sunny Florida for the past 6 years and thinking this would be our home even after retirement was wrong. One of our girls moved to Rutherfordton with her family. We made several trips to visit and reconsidered our retirement plans.  We drove around the area and liked what we saw.

We started researching the area, checked the MLS frequently. We found a house we liked on line and asked my daughter to meet with the broker who held the listing for that house. She did, took many pictures and sent them to me. I had several questions regarding the house, it was very old and I had many concerns. I sent a list of questions to the broker who in turn forwarded them to the owner . I received answers to some of the questions as well as quite a few “unknown” and “did not know” answers. My thoughts “ What, you own the house and don’t know how old it is, or what type of electrical service is there currently, is the house insulated…”..that was just not good enough.

I continued searching on line and found a property that appealed to me.  I contacted the broker and had a lovely conversation with a woman who took my number and told me Charles Burgess, her son, was going to call me with that information. And so he did. I explained to Charles what we were looking for; he in turn asked many questions to find out our likes and dislikes. He sent me many online properties that he thought would meet our needs, in some instances he sent us the site plans and particulars about a subdivision.

We scheduled a meeting with Charles. We drove to NC from Florida and he was ours exclusively. He spent entire days and even weekends showing us house after house. As it turns out, we fell in love with two homes. Each one needing some work. We were out of time and had to return home and so we did. On our trip home, we discussed in detail the pros and cons of each house.

Primarily, what each house would entail to make it our own. After many years of working, and renovating one home and doing a remodel to another, my husband just was not up for a major remodel. Oh okay, a paint job, or some minor landscaping, but no more kitchens or baths. After discussing with Charles about this he suggested we look into building a house. I always thought that would be totally out of the question, but he gave me some insight into the process.

Shortly later on that same month, we drove up to NC again. This time to look for property. Charles took us out again and brought us to several subdivisions both new and old. He also brought us to several builders’ model houses to show us the type of workmanship they provide as well as to answer any questions we may have about their building process.

Charles took us to a community with beautiful mountain vistas amongst tall pines and we were awe struck. We now own that lovely homesite and look forward to having our home built. The process for buying the property was painless. Charles took care of everything and answered all our questions. We are still in contact with Charles and my only wish is that he could sell our property here in Florida! Now wouldn’t that be grand!

We would recommend (and have) Charles Burgess for all your real estate needs.

Sincerely,
Bob and Gail Riegger
Holiday, Florida to Mill Spring, NC

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Planting New Roots:

August 30, 2008

Over the last 25 years, I have lived in many different locations.  For that reason, I have bought and sold several different houses.  I have had the opportunity to work with many different realtors.  I can honestly say that Charles Burgess worked harder for me than any I have ever dealt with.

He quickly came to an understanding of my situation and what my needs were.  He was willing to work around my already busy schedule to show me houses at my convenience.  Once the buying decision was made, he moved the process along quickly and efficiently coordinating such things as appraisals and inspections. Even after the closing, he was a tremendous help to me in resolving a couple of issues I had with the property.

To this day I know that if I needed his help with any real estate matter, I could call him and get a prompt response.  When and if the time comes for me to sell my present house, I will list it with Charles.  I would have full confidence that everything possible was being done to help me sell the house.  I would definitely recommend Charles to anyone buying or selling real estate in Rutherford County.

Bill Morris

Rutherfordton, NC 28139

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Relocating Closer to Family:

August 15, 2008

We first met Charles in October, 2007. We were looking for a Realtor we could feel comfortable with to be our eyes and ears in North Carolina. We were doing our home search long distance from Pennsylvania via the internet and MLS listings! We sent him a list of our criteria and MLS listings we would like to get additional information on. He advised which fit the criteria and suggested additional homes in the area. He researched the homes and neighborhoods very accurately for us because he knew we didn’t have much time to look once we visited.

When we finally did come to North Carolina to personally look, we had one week to find that dream property and make an offer. The expertise Charles showed was invaluable. He spent two solid days showing Maggie homes we had requested to see, and then additional ones which he suggested we should also consider. At the end of the week when Lee flew down, we re-visited those which were on our short list. It turned out that the winner was a home which Charles had suggested we look at and it was love at first sight! We both loved it, the neighborhood and the view. We made an offer over the weekend, had it accepted on Sunday, and were on a plane home to Pennsylvania on Monday to begin packing.

We moved into our new home in mid-December, but Charles was a constant source of information and help prior to the closing. He tried to make everything as simple as possible with the paperwork for the closing, or we would call and ask – “who would you recommend as an inspector, a plumber, an electrician, a surveyor, etc.” All of his recommendations were fantastic and he was never too busy to help us out. His help didn’t stop there – even after the settlement, Charles was there to guide us to additional services as we needed. He was a friendly face in a strange neighborhood.

We would highly recommend Charles (and have) to anyone looking to purchase, or sell, a home. He is very willing to “go the extra mile” all the while looking out for the interests of his clients.

Lee & Maggie Tice

Pennsylvania to Ellenboro, NC

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First Time Buyers:

October 26, 2007

As first time homebuyers, my husband and I were a little bit apprehensive about making such a major decision. Thanks to Charles, the homebuying process was made a lot simpler and a lot less intimidating.

He made sure he explained each step of the process, while answering all of the questions we had in an EXTREMELY timely manner (normally within 24 hours). During the final stages of the closing process, he volunteered to assist us in anyway needed by agreeing to pick up or drop off the needed paperwork, and make phone calls on our behalf.

We now have a wonderful home, and a pleasant experience along with it. He comes highly recommended to anyone looking to buy or sell their home. We look forward to working with him in the future on our next home transaction!

Shawn & Alesha Logan
Ellenboro, NC

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First Time Sellers:

December 17, 2008

RE: Charles Burgess – Washburn Real Estate, Inc.
Sale of Property @150 Asheland Drive, Ellenboro, NC 28040

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Washburn Real Estate and our agent Charles Burgess for the sale of our first home. As with all big decisions making processes we studied and researched all the information possible before making a choice of which company and realtor to use for the sale of our first purchased home. We had lived there for over 17 years and had put a lot of our heart and soul into making it our home and we wanted to choose a realtor that would promote that as a selling point. After checking out all the local competition and speaking with many different brokers we chose Charles Burgess. We chose Charles because we felt like he was the best opportunity we had to present our home the way we thought it should be marketed.

Most prospective home buyers are using every tool available to find their perfect home, and they are using the internet for most of these tools. When we were searching for the right broker and the right company to deal with we wanted our home to stand out in a market where it would have the best chance to excel. Charles Burgess gave our home that chance.

From the beginning of the service to after the sale we could not have asked for a more professional, knowledgeable, and dedicated real estate broker. Charles spent countless hours preparing the sale of our home and even more time answering the questions that only newcomers to the real estate world would ask. We learned a lot from our sale experience and we appreciated having Charles to guide us along the way. We have referred Charles to all our friends and encouraged them to at least sit down and talk with him before they choose which broker they will use for their real estate needs. Some of these friends have already listed and sold with Charles.

We could not have been more pleased with our first real estate sale and we owe it all to Charles Burgess and Washburn Real Estate for a job well done.

Thanks again,
Brad & Tammy Joyner

Ellenboro, NC

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Experienced Sellers w/ Growing Family:

August 12, 2008

Re: Charles Burgess and Washburn Real Estate, Inc

After several months of planning and preparation, we were ready to sell our home. Charles was the last of four agents to come do a walkthrough and take measurements and give his recommendations. My wife and I discussed it thoroughly and decided he was the one for the job. One of his initial quotes to me on our couch was, “You could choose to GIVE your listing to another agent, but you will know that I have WORKED and EARNED the job of representing you”.

I verbally agreed to let him list our home, and before I signed anything, I kept up with his hours spent taking pictures and measuring, and working on the listing on the computer. He put in nearly 20 hours. We did make it official and sign all the necessary paperwork, and every night my wife and I discussed what he was doing and how well. We were excited to see the end result and the listing he was creating.

In the meantime, he was still working on finding us some more property to build on or a house worth the renovation to sell again, as that is what I told him we would do. Within 6 weeks we had our home sold, and within two weeks after that another one was under contract for us to buy and remodel.

The whole process was flawless and worry free. He took care of ALL the details as he said he would do. He still stays in contact on a regular basis on our remodel project to make sure all is going well and see if there is anything he can do. He has endless ideas and input, a lot of which we have used.

I have recommended him to everyone talking about real estate, and will continue to do so.

His work is exceptional, his website was even better. He is a smart young man who understands the market, and understands that his compensation depends on doing things right the first time.

We would be happy to answer any questions about him or his agency by phone, email, or in person. Let him work for you and that is exactly what he will do, and you will probably have a new friend afterwards too.

Sincerely,
Chevis & Jennifer Duncan

[mobile : 828.429.5095]

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Agents/Colleagues

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August 17, 2008

Brent and Charles,

I wanted to follow up from the 2 showings I did on 2 of your properties this weekend, but first I would like to pass on a couple of comments or observations.

My dealings with both of you were extremely professional and pleasant and it was a real pleasure to deal with you over the weekend.  I do not show a lot of property in Rutherford County, but I was assisting an agent I hired about a year ago and took on the mission of showing her client property in your area and I am not overly familiar with your area.  My positive experience started with a call to Charles to inquire about 1 property this client wanted to look at and Charles was very prompt on replying to my call and in a detailed email, offered up several other properties that fit price, size and acreage almost to the tee.  That was very helpful and then after getting over into your area, I had MLS Sheets that had a couple of homes that were close fits to what we started to look at, but I had not set up showings on.

Brent, you were extremely responsive to my calls and very, very helpful with directions and explanation in getting these showings setup.

I was President of the Hendersonville Board of Realtors in 2006, still serve on the Western North Carolina Regional MLS Board and the Hendersonville Board of Directors and I wish all of our agents put forth the effort you guys did to get your listings shown and offered up for showings and at least an opportunity to get sold.  It was refreshing to see the effort you put forth.

The agent that I was covering for tries to show property in your area and I have gently attempted to advise her to refer this type of client out to experts such as you guys when clients want to look at property outside of her area of expertise.  I can assure you that if I have the opportunity to show property in your area, either of you will be at the top of my list.  Thank you for your efforts.

I will try to advise you as to what happens with this client and I can assure you that if I ever have a request to show property in Rutherford County, you guys are at the top of my list, which now includes just you two.  Thanks again, keep up the very professional job that you did this weekend.

Sincerely,
Steven R. Dozier

Prudential Beacon Realty, Hendersonville, NC