September 23, 2003

Mr. Tim O’Donnell

Edina Realty - Apple Valley

7668 West 150^th St.

Apple Valley, Minnesota 55124

I am pleased to provide this letter of reference for Tim O’Donnell of the Apple Valley office of Edina Realty.  Tim provided excellent service, performed unusual services for us, and exercised great patience and composure from beginning to end in our difficult circumstances.

The process began by telephone and email from my home near San Francisco, California, where in March of this year I accepted a new position in Apple Valley, Minnesota.  I began to correspond with Tim by email and he sent much helpful information.  When I mentioned that I would be in Minneapolis for business, Tim offered to take some time and show me some properties.  I extended my trip an extra day, and Tim spent the whole day with me, having made appointments to see 14 or 15 properties.  By the end of the day I decided to offer on one of the homes.  Tim spent that evening and the next morning working on the documents for the offer.  I left Apple Valley to return to California, leaving our purchase offer in Tim’s hands.  When the offer was accepted, Tim became the primary intermediary between me, in San Francisco, the owners, and our lender in Apple Valley.   He stayed on top of the progress of the loan process, arranged for a professional inspection,  personally attended to several minor glitches, and  kept us informed.  With Tim’s help we were able to purchase a new home from two thousand miles away.

Tim also accepted a limited power of attorney so he could represent me as my closing agent, saving me the expense of an extra trip from San Francisco.  On  Closing day Tim conducted a final “walk through” and discovered evidence of water in the basement which had not been disclosed by the owners.  Another agent might have kept his mouth shut and closed the deal- he had power of attorney to do so.  But Tim is a man of honor and principles.  He called me in California to report his findings, fully aware that it could stop the closing and that he could lose a commission.  The closing was put on hold.  Tim scrambled to get the inspection company back out to assess the situation.  It was suggested that roof gutters would solve the problem.  Tim negotiated with the buyers for $1500 to cover the cost of gutters.  They finally agreed, and Tim was able to arrange and conclude the Closing later that same day. 

It is not easy to find men like Tim O’Donnell.  He is very knowledgeable about home construction and the real-estate business.  Those are helpful qualities, but they are not what make Tim special.  What makes him so unique is his honesty, integrity, willing and helpful spirit, and compassion.  We would not have the house we have now were it not for Tim’s efforts.  I hold Tim in highest esteem and I enthusiastically recommend him to anyone needing the help of a real-estate agent.  You will be in capable, dependable, honest hands with Tim O’Donnell.

Sincerely,

Reverend Karl J. Anderson

Pastor, Heritage Lutheran Church

To: O'Donnell, Tim

To Whom it May Concern,
My husband and I sold and purchased homes at the end of December and we were very impressed with the help of Tim O'Donnell. We met Tim at an open house and he offered to do a market analysis on our home. We took Tim up on his offer, we then decided to put the house on the market. Tim did a wonderful job marketing the house. He made sure of having open houses as often as possible. He advertised in the newspapers, and we had priced the house right, it had sold in only nine days.
Tim was available anytime we called him. I could reach him on his cell phone at all times. We really liked that because there are a lot of questions and he was always there to answer them.
Tim knew and understood what we were looking for in a new house. He would send us daily e-mails of new listings and anything that we were interested in he would take us to see it as soon as possible. Tim was very flexible in his schedule. I would definately refer him to friends and family.

Sincerely,
Tammy and Guyal Buckley

To whom it may concern:

As first-time home buyer’s, my fiance and I were frightened at the idea of buying a home.  Would we get ripped off?  How would we know if the house were a lemon or not?  We worried about everything and felt like we knew nothing - because we didn’t. 

My fiance’s parents put us in touch with Tim.  And just like that, we were out looking at homes, and being educated on the process.  Which put our minds at ease.  Tim was very dedicated, and was willing to meet us whenever our hectic schedules allowed. 

Tim was great at pointing out the important things to look for in a home, the furnace, plumbing, roof, etc.  The major stuff that could keep you from golfing during the entire summer, due to lack of funds.  He also was excellent at asking about things we wanted in a home, then finding listings that were appealing to us.

The search was long and short all at the same time.  It still amazes me how fast this process can be, and how many overpriced homes there are.  You have to see a lot of bad ones before you appreciate the good ones.  Tim was very patient with us, throughout our search.

Once we found the perfect home for us, Tim’s guidance and help truly shined.  He talked us through our “we’re freaking out” phase, and stayed in contact with us almost daily, until we finally closed on the house.  It is that kind of service that makes Tim an excellent Realtor, and makes me forgive him for being a Vikings fan (I’m a die-hard Packers fan).

Keep up the great work!

Joel Stacy & Jill Glesener

To Whom It May Concern:

I would like to offer my highest commendation to Tim O'Donnell, who recently completed the listing and sale of our home.

Tim has a demeanor of flexibility, creativity, and an ethic of tireless hard work.  I feel he understood our unique requirements and was able to overcome many hurdles during the process which at times seemed insurmountable to us.  He communicated regularly, followed up every time as promised and represented your company well.

I would highly recommend him to anyone considering buying or selling a home.

Very Truly yours,

Michael A. Mc Cabe

Tim,

We wanted to pass along our sincerest thanks for all your help with our first home purchase.  You made the entire process as enjoyable and stress free as possible while doing a great job of keeping us informed.  I feel we really benefited from your expertise and wisdom.

Thank you for the Bachman’s card.  We’re eager to tackle landscaping this spring so it will be put to good use.  As we mentioned at closing, we’d recommend you to anyone-hope we can send some referrals your way in the future. 

Thanks again, Tim

Molly & Tyler Love