Buying or Selling a Home,Investment,Commercial Property...

call LARA to see me honour my committment to you of "I'll Run for You"Service" !

Completed 12 x 90 km Marathons ! and 96 marathons between 42,2kms (26 miles)to 160 kilometres (100 miles),Iron Man Triathlete Mont Tremblant,Quebec,Canada Finisher August 2012, White Water Kayaker,Trail Running, Cross Country and downhill skiiing.

I offer you Loads of Energy ! ........so what does this mean for YOU as the Buyer or Seller ?......................... (so what !, you might think ``Lara is a big runner``, so what does that mean for me the BUYER or the SELLER...........

That I will go the "extra mile" for you in terms of dedication, determination, perseverance, staying power and an unrelenting ability to act until I achieve YOUR home Buying or Selling goal. For it is in the sports arena that some of the greatest lessons in life are learned and practised !!

Credentials:

• University Graduate in Bachelor of Arts Psychology.
• 10 Years in Real Estate including owning my own Brokerage "Lara Kaplan Properties" in Cape Town, South Africa & Top Producer for Sotheby's International Realty.Currently working as a Sales Representative for Keller Williams Realty in Canada, for well over 3 years and having been amongst the top 10% of Realtors in a fast paced robust Canadian market. 
• 15 Years Marketing and Advertising Experience
• Professional Speaker and Trainer-Motivation, Inspiration, Sports topics,Key Note addresses for 15 years
• Affiliations:
• CREA  (Canadian Real Estate Association)
• NSAR  (Nova Scotia Association of Realtors) 
• CAPS (Canadian Association of Professional Speakers)

Areas of Expertise

Servicing First Time Buyers gives me a great thrill to help anyone buy their first home and make their dream of home ownership a reality, having said that I have worked with plenty of "seasoned" Buyers through the 10 years of real estate experience.

Listing Mid Priced to High End Properties for Sale-I was a top producer for Sotheby's International Realty in Cape Town,South Africa and so for many years I successfully specialised in Listing middle priced homes as well as High end homes.

I own a property in White Birch Hills, next door to Glen Arbour Golf Estate ,Hammond Plains ,  close to BEDFORD, and enjoy selling and listing homes in the BEDFORD area (although I am not bound to this location) and have a good real estate working knowledge of the beautiful city of Halifax.

TESTIMONIALS

APRIL 2013(SELLER )

“I first met Lara Kaplan a number of years ago when she stopped by my house in Bedford wondering if I was interested in selling as she had a client who wanted to live in the neighborhood. Flash forward to January 2013, I found myself in a situation where I needed expert advice and a fresh start for selling my home which was already on the market. Lara toured my house property and gave me on-the-spot excellent recommendations to prepare my home once again for the marketplace. Once my house was ready, she arranged for photographs to be taken to present my home in a virtual tour. It was a fabulous marketing tool and the photography was second to none. With the launch of my home on MLS, there were a number of inquiries right away. Lara underwent many house showings and open houses on a weekly basis. She continued to offer encouragement and kept in touch regularly with updates through the dark days of winter. She was very professional and positive at all times and diligent in getting back to me with feedback and replies. I appreciated the way that she kept in touch via text and her use of social media in promoting my home.

In February, I was presented with a conditional offer on my home and Lara helped me work through the steps involved. Her unique approach of showing me the final numbers at the end of the day gave me confidence in her abilities and helped me to see the big picture. Lara was very supportive in providing me with a complimentary home inspection so that my house sign could say ‘preapproved.’ The day after Easter Monday, she called me with another offer on my home. In a matter of 2 days, I was signing the final paperwork and feeling like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders knowing that ‘Close Day’ was drawing near. Since contracting Lara to be my agent, I received close to 85 emails to keep in touch. I never was wondering or chasing her for information which was very refreshing to say the least. She has a real knack for what she does and has a good understanding of human behavior. She does ‘run for you!’ I would highly recommend Lara. There is a reason why she is ranked as a top agent for Keller Williams Realty.”

A big thank you to Lara for helping my family and I move forward.

 Sincerely, Shayla (Formerly of Bedford)

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 March 2013

Deborah & Francois Danis (Buyer)

2217 Bois Vert Pl.

Orleans, Ontario

K4A 4T9

8th March 2013

Re: Real Estate Services of Lara Kaplan

The above address is only temporary for us now.

Over a period of months, from the distance of Ottawa, Ontario to Halifax, Nova Scotia Lara Kaplan has encouraged, guided and worked so hard on our behalf. Encouraged us that our home will sell, guided us via email of the homes available to us including our special requests, knowing Lara worked so hard for us by the dates and times, pre-dawn to midnight of her emails. Not to mention the multiple phone calls of support and information.

We knew from the start, not only were we in the care of a professional business women, but also a detailed, thoughtful, caring woman for what would be truly in our best interest.

In the past couple of weeks, we have been to, and returned from Nova Scotia. Successfully finding and purchasing our dream retirement home.

Lara completely cleared her schedule for our one week visit, and with detailed timely viewings, and all the necessary professionals from Lara's never ending network of colleagues, our trip was a great success.

Lara also treated us to some of the most beautiful sights and eateries Halifax//Bedford//Sackville area has to offer. Not only as a respite between viewings, but to help us get familiar with our surroundings. We were personally introduced to outstanding Legal, Financial and Insurance support, which would have been horribly time consuming to do ourselves. To the very end of our visit all our needs, hopes and dreams were met above and beyond by someone we met for business, when in fact, we have gained a true life long friend.

Our heartiest thanks to Lara for giving us the future we've been dreaming of for years.

"We guarantee...... that Lara's guarantee..................IS GUARANTEED!!!!!!

Deborah & Frank

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Buyer(March 2013)

Fort Good Hope

Northwest Territories

X0E 0H0

March 4, 2013

RE:  Services of Lara Kaplan

My permanent home is in Alberta.  I work 10 months of the year  in a very small community in the NWT where there are no professional service providers.  I decided that I wanted purchase my retirement home in Halifax, NS ;  I knew that the logistics of such a purchase were going to be complex and wasn’t sure where to even begin.

 We (my sister and I) began seriously looking for a condo in the Halifax/Bedford area in the summer of 2012.  Lara Kaplan was recommended to us by my nephew.  We contacted Lara and told her what we were looking for and our price range.  She called me and we talked at great length about what was currently available.  Lara set up a number of viewing appointments for my sister to see during her time in Halifax.  There was not a lot of time available and Lara had a well-organized viewing schedule for my sister.

Some of the properties we did not like, and of course the one we really liked we felt we could not afford.  So we decided to wait.  Lara called me a few times and we talked about other properties as they became available.  Lara also kept me informed what the status was of the one I felt we could not afford.  Taking Lara’s advice on how to do it, I decided to make a “no negotiation” offer. Lara handled it expertly, and the buyer accepted!  

Lara did a lot of leg work for us since we were not there.  She identified potential mortgage holders, lawyers, and property inspectors and contacted all of them to gauge their willingness to work with an out of province buyer prior to my contacting them.  Lara even identified an agent in Alberta who could be the listing real estate agent for my sister’s home.

As the closing date drew nearer, Lara sent me all the information I needed to set up the utility accounts and notify the condo board about change of ownership.  Lara was very patient with all my questions, and replied promptly to all of my calls or emails.

I am very pleased with all the work Lara did for us.  We have the ideal home to move into.  It would not be ours if Lara hadn’t worked so hard and done things so professionally.  She really did provide service of the highest quality, and service  that I have never had from other real estate agents I have used in the past. 

Bottom Line—would I use Lara again—you bet I would!

Sue Drozda

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Buyer (2013)

Lara Kaplan Reference letter January 31 2013

In November 2013 my wife and I first met Lara Kaplan of Keller Williams Realty.

A colleague of mine had referred me to Lara Kaplan several months before as she had bought a house through Lara and was raving about the excellent Service she received from this Realtor.

Lara attempted to make contact with me for several months before I was formally ready to buy a home, and I responded to her attempts to reach me several times, when I was ready to buy a home.

I was impressed with her Perseverance to reach me, however  the contact was not so often that it irritated me, but rather came across as good “follow up” from a Professional.

Our initial meeting with Lara was at her real estate office in Bedford  in Mid November  2012 where she had a meeting with us inquiring about what exactly we were looking for in a home. Lara answered all our questions and presented us with a presentation on what the Service offer exactly entailed, and what costs we had to pay for the closing of a property when we bought. We were so impressed with the initial presentation that we felt comfortable enough to hire Lara as our Realtor. (Prior to this meeting Lara has introduced us to a Mortgage Specialist who helped us get pre approved for a Mortgage so we knew how much” home” we could afford to buy).

We were immediately set up on an automated email property search only sending us properties that met our requirements.

As I was very busy working I asked Lara to “preview” some of these homes my wife and I were interested in, and when on occasion she gave us reasons why NOT to buy some of these homes, in many ways this is where our respect for Lara really went up.

We were unsure what area of HRM we wanted to buy in , and on our first Saturday out looking at properties, Lara showed us a selection of 8 totally different homes across 3 or 4 different subdivisions of, Hammonds Plains, (White Hills, Glen Arbour ) Tantallon (2 different sub divisions)  and West Bedford.

It was on that first  day out looking at homes that we found our “dream home” after weighing up the pros and cons of each home with Lara’s help. Utility costs, proximity to my kids schools and my office, everything was taken into consideration by Lara with regards to providing us information as to which home was best, including information on schools in the surrounding area for our 2 kids.

We made an offer on a beautiful Glen Arbour home with views over the Fairway and the Lake, and Lara took care of the negotiation process like a true Professional, we were very excited about our Purchase.

It was then that Lara introduced us to a choice of home inspectors and property closing lawyers to help us close the transaction .Lara even collected the deposit cheque from our home making it very convenient for us.

Prior to the closing , nothing was too much trouble for Lara. Firstly my wife and I were interested to buy some furniture from the home owner, and Lara arranged for this with the help of photographs that she emailed to the homeowner through the Listing agent

(as he was out of town)  and facilitated our payment to the home owner.

A week before closing we needed access to the home to measure up for a dining room table were were wanting to buy but we were not sure if it ft. Again, Lara willingly facilitated this access for us.

On the day of closing we met Lara at the house for the pre closing walk through. The home was handed over immaculately cleanly and we were super excited to move in to our new home. It was on that Day that Lara also bought us (including my 2 kids) a closing gift to thank us for our business.

As I was moving from my old home the moving truck pulled up and my neighbour asked me where I was moving to. I told him. At that point he told me he too would be in the market soon to buy a home. t was at that point that I referred him to Lara who I told him was the best Realtor you could ever wish for and offered a “one stop shop” in terms of Service for all aspects associated with the real estate transaction. I believe that Lara and my Neighbour had set up to meet the next week.

But most of all, besides the unbelievably excellent Service I received from Lara was the fact that she is genuinely a very warm and compassionate person who really cares about her Clients and this is obvious right from the start .

 Lara ,from the bottom of my heart my wife and I want to thank you for making this moving experience in Halifax such a pleasure for us. We will continue to recommend your Services to co-workers, Family and Friends and will only use your Services again in the future.

With Sincere Thanks,

Z.Hasnat and F. Beg.

Glen Arbour

Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia.

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(Buyer-December 2012)

I met Lara Kaplan in the summer of 2012.My daughter called her off a sign for another property, which was not suitable for us, and Lara offered to show us some other homes.

Shortly after viewing the homes I went back to Newfoundland(where I live) and Lara continued to keep in touch with  both me and my daughter Kathleen who I was purchasing a home for in Halifax.

I was curious what my condo on Kearney Lake,Halifax, was worth, and Lara proactively offered to send me the comparative sales for the area and this gave me an idea as to how much my condo may have been worth to sell.

Lara continued to stay in constant touch with my daughter Kathleen, and in my absence showed her( and my ex-wife) a number of homes, always communicating with me on the e-mail how the showings went, providing additional information on the homes and so on.

It was not until October 2012 (some 3 months later) that I eventually came back to Halifax and made the decision to buy the same home Lara had shown us 3 months earlier that was still for sale. Lara managed to negotiate us a good price on the home, and took care of all details for my daughter such as the home inspection and referred us to a good closing lawyer.

All the paperwork for the transaction, including subsequent amendments was handled very professionally and well.

Lara also gave me some good advice on selling my Kearney Lake condo, which I also managed to do.

Lara stayed in touch with my Daughter Kathleen , right up until the closing and facilitated all sorts of helpful information with regards to the propane tank lease transfer into my daughter’s name and the transfer of utilities information etc

I felt Lara handled the Sale like the true Professional that she is and ,

always with a warm ,positive attitude towards everything.

No request was too much for her.

As such I highly recommend Lara Kaplan as your Real Estate agent whether you are buying or selling a home.

Patrick O’ Callaghan

• Atlantic Canada Entrepreneur of the Year 2012
• Inducted into Newfoundland Business Hall of Fame 2012
• CEO and Founder of East Coast Catering Ltd

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November 2012 (Seller and Buyer)

To whom it may concern.

We are delighted to recommend Lara Kaplan.

Lara represented us in both the sale (in Bedford) and purchase of our new home(in Kentville) , protecting our interests in a very professional manner. Her marketing and negotiating skills achieved results beyond our expectations. With a determined commitment Lara was always positive, helpful and went the extra mile.

We highly recommend Lara's unique talents, knowledge and abilities.

Her results speak for themselves.

Sincerely,

Earle and Pat Wineberg.

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October 2012 (Seller)

Approximately a year ago, we attempted to sell our family home of 25 years where
we raised our 7 children. Our efforts and the efforts of our then real estate agent
were not successful. In April, we met Lara Kaplan and our life began to change for
the better. Lara met my husband first and he began telling me about this vivacious
real estate agent who had presented herself at our door. He wanted me to meet her
and so we did. I knew within a few minutes that we had finally found someone that
we could work with and who would work for us! Her presentation to begin that showed
us very clearly what our part would be in this process was outstanding. Then we started
to implement the things that she suggested. Every thing that we undertook to do, Lara
was so proud of and made us feel like we were on the right track. She would call or
come by regularly to see how our renovations and staging were going. She made us
feel invincible!!!! When the photos were taken of the house, we were blown away with
the wonderful way it would be seen and shown. Our showings were many and always at
our convenience. Lara was quick to always give us follow-up when a showing had taken
place. She was our greatest cheerleader - keeping our spirits up. Withink 6 weeks our
home was sold and sold only because of the smart moves on our part that she took.
Remembering a person who had come through the house weeks before and going back
to them and there was the success! We could not have done this or had the courage to
even try without Lara. She is AMAZING! We indeed felt she had become part of our
family and our children who live all over the world were so happy to know that we were
in good hands. I so very strongly recommend this wonderful real estate agent and our friend
Lara Kaplan for any of you that want to have success in selling your property. Thank you
Lara from the bottom of our hearts.

Julie and Bill Haas, Bedford, Nova Scotia

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Sellers of 2 properties

JULY 2012

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

JULY 2012

It was indeed a lucky day that brought Lara Kaplan into our lives.   We had unsuccessfully tried to sell our property for a full year,  first on our own and then through two different realtors.  Within six weeks of knowing Lara,  she had brought us a buyer. 

In addition to this,  Lara had a buyer for our rental condo within four days of listing for more than the asking price. She emailed everyone on her database regarding the forthcoming listing of the property before it went to MLS to line up prospective buyers ahead of time with the result that there were buyers standing in line by the time it was listed.   Lara professionally handled two offers late into the night and ensured the best conditions for us as sellers.

Lara is an extremely energetic and hard-working agent .She does not sit back and wait for the buyer to come after placing the property on MLS but rather proactively seeks the buyer..She has excellent negotiating and communication skills and at all times we were supplied with updates, marketing strategies and feeback. 

Lara pays attention to detail and ensures that one’s property is well presented.   She does not take given details for granted but checks up herself on listing detail,  measuring rooms herself.  She also gives honest advice on the appearance of the property and advises against presenting it at anything less than its best.

In addition to being  experienced,  highly professional and motivated, Lara is a friendly, kind, warm and empathetic individual. In the past fifteen years we  have bought and sold property nineteen times and have never met with anyone as dynamic, enthusiastic, energetic and so quick to respond.  She is truly dedicated to her profession and I would recommend her unreservedly to prospective sellers or  buyers.  

Johan Geldenhuys and Julie Wilson

Glen Arbour

Hammonds Plains

NOVA SCOTIA

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July 12, 2012

July 2012

To Whom It May Concern:

Lara Kaplan is a thoroughly dedicated, knowledgeable and professional Sales Representative for Keller Williams. Her commitment/mantra which states "I'll run for you" is particularly apt. She not only runs the course, she goes the extra mile to provide excellent personal care and service!

On January 25th of this year(2012), a blustery winter day, Lara knocked at our front door....a cold call, inquiring if I knew of anyone in our particular town house/condominium complex who might be considering selling their unit. After a very animated conversation, I suggested she call me in two weeks time. This gave me the opportunity to discuss the possibility of selling our home with my husband. I explained to Lara that my biggest concern would be to find an alternative place to live. She arrived for our first consult not only armed with all the pertinent information involved in selling our home, but she had also researched for and presented us with a list of possible properties available for rent in our immediate area....a wonderful gesture on her part, as we had no idea where to even begin!!

Lara listed our house, and walked us through the necessary steps to present our home at its optimum for showing and selling.  Lara's husband, Gavin Peters, a professional photographer, took wonderful photographs of the interior (and exterior) of the house .Lara's strategy of holding an "Open House"  early on in the process, resulted in an immediate offer, which we readily accepted.

We have been in our new apartment for three months now...again with Lara leading the way! We consider Lara a friend, as well as a hard working, tenacious seller of real estate. She manages to get advantageous results, both for her clients, and her company. We will definitely recommend Lara as the agent to call to any of our friends( or relatives !)who are considering selling their homes.

Pat and Scott MacCulloch

Bedford Nova Scotia

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To whom this may concern:

RE: LARA KAPLAN

I must share my recent experience dealing with Lara Kaplan who is a Sales Representative with Keller Williams Realty.

I was in the market to sell a condo and Lara was referred to me by good friends.  They had her as an agent when they sold their house this past May. The house sold in a matter of days.  Needless to say they were extremely happy with Lara, not only with the rapidity of the sale but also with her as the agent. They praised her so much that I just had to talk to her about selling my property. Of course my friends highly recommended her. 

My dealing with Lara has been positive from the get go.  Her tremendous knowledge of

the business, her detailed approach, and her remarkable interpersonal skills made it  easy for me and that’s exactly what I needed. 

Her motto:   My commitment :"I'll Run for You" Service is an understatement and I will not hesitate to recommend her to my friends.

Regards

Jeannine Thériault

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(Buyer)

July 2012

LARA KAPLAN – SALES AGENT

Lara Kaplan was the sales agent for the new house we bought at 85 Basinview Drive in Bedford, NS, late in the spring of 2012.  Lara was cordial, and very well spoken.  I liked dealing with Lara because she was friendly, helpful and informative.  She goes the extra mile in making sure that you, as the purchaser of the property, understand what you are buying.  She will accommodate your schedule and deliver the forms and contract to the most convenient place and time for you.  She explained in detail what the contract said and meant, and explained the “clauses” in the contract, as well as the inclusions and exclusions of the property sale so that we were clear on what we were getting when we purchased the house.

I would highly recommend dealing with Lara.  She is a sweet person who knows her job well and ensures that her clients are informed and receive the best care in the transaction.

Good luck with the purchase of your new home.

Yours truly,

Marilyn Plourde

Basinview, Bedford ,

Nova Scotia

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(Seller)

May 2012

To Whom It may Concern

Selling a home is so traumatic having to deal with all of the details of finding an agent, determining prices and the timing of selling and occupation of a new home and so on.Lara had sold the home across from us in what I thought was in record time, however I would find myself amazed yet again when our home sold so quickly.Lara's presentation that afternoon appeared over kill but her attitude was extremely positive.Business like professionalism shone abundantly as she moved from room to room with her measuring devise in hand making comments on what needed to be done.It was clear that her game plan was going to be aggressive.Lara kept her promise of open communications and promptly informed us of every move she planned to make including the call to bring a buyer to view within only two days later (of listing the property).

Lara knows the Halifax market ,availability and prices and therefore was able to put together an offer very quickly and accurately that sold our home once again in record time for a win-win solution.

I will recommend Lara to potential buyers/sellers who are truly interested in selling their home.Listen to what she has to say:do what she asks and watch her work her magic effortlessly.Lara's dedication,hard work and honesty in her efforts to sell your home are just some of her strong points.Here tireless energy AND ATTENTATIVENESS will amaze you as will her positive attitude.IT WAS A PLEASURE TO WORK WITH LARA IN MAKING THIS A SUCCESSFUL TRANSACTION.

THANK YOU LARA

BRIAN AND LORRAINE ALLEN.

MOIRS MILL, BEDFORD.

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June 2012

(Seller)

To Whom It May Concern

Lara proactively approached me regarding selling my home.

I was thinking about moving out in the next 2 years but Lara was the catalyst for me to believe that "now" was the right time. Having listed my house twice before with 2 different real estate brokerages and not been successful in eliciting a sale,

I was rather skeptical of how the 3rd agent would handle things. Until I met Lara and I new my experience would be different and end in a successful sale.

Lara Kaplan is a top-of-the-line real estate agent.  She is intelligent and serious about selling the homes entrusted to her.  She guides you through the preparation stages and then aggressively recruits possible buyers who are well matched to the particulars of your home.  She actively tries to find the perfect fit for buyer, seller, and home.

If you want your house sold, Lara is the agent for you.  She is an amazing agent !

Heather,Bedford,Nova Scotia

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June, 2012

(Buyer)

 Hi Lara,

 Gillis and I just wanted to say how thankful we are for all of the assistance that you have provided to us in purchasing our very first home in Halifax. Thank you for all of the time that you spent with us looking at our options of purchasing or building our home. Thank you for helping us move through the entire purchase process...without you I doubt the process would have been soo seamless and easy for Gillis and I with our truly busy schedules.

 Thank you again for helping us find our dream home and supporting us when we were lost in the process. It was so very nice to know that any question that we asked would be followed by a detailed description and contact information for any assistance we were looking for. Not living in Nova Scotia for some years and not knowing what companies to contact for what, it was extremely helpful to have you on our side.

  I would not have any problem recommending you to any of my friends and family who are beginning to look for a home and need that assistance as our experience was top of the line!

 I am sure we will bump into you again. All the best!

 The Batherson's

Tantallon,NS

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PRIVATE SELLER.(November 2012)

We are retired with lots of time on our hands, and we have sold 15 homes. We were comfortable arranging for and showing our home so we listed through Property Guys. We received a call from Lara who had been asked by her client to arrange for them to view our property. Subsequently she called to inform us that her clients were going to submit an offer. We very quickly entered into a very fair arrangement relative to her remuneration if she were to look after the offer process and subsequent communications. We received a very satisfactory and clean offer, which no doubt she played an important role in relative to counseling her clients. The deal closed without a hitch and it was well worth the fee we paid to have Lara look after the whole process. Lara is highly professional, knowledgeable and very quick in her response to matters that arose. We would have no hesitation in recommending her to prospective buyers and sellers.

Pat and Martha Barry

Wolfville NS

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(BUYER and SUBSEQUENT SELLER A YEAR LATER !)
Canadian Forces School of
Administration and Logistics
Canadian Forces Base Borden
PO Box 1000 Station Main
Borden ON L0M 1C0
1000-1 (Crse Dir)

10 July 2009

LETTER OF REFERENCE - MS. LARA KAPLAN

Ms Lara Kaplan acted in the capacity as my Real Estate Agent during my recent house hunting trip. She was responsible for showing my wife Tanya and I several prospective properties in the Region. All tasks undertaken by Ms Kaplan were handled in a competent and professional manner, demonstrating her high standards and genuine dedication.

Ms Kaplan is a self-starter. Her professionalism, knowledge of the market, suggestions and purchasing strategies all contributed to our overall feeling of confidence and peace of mind. She energetically applied herself when working on our behalf. Of note, she has the motivation, intelligence and perseverance to meet any challenge. It was great working with a Realtor who is so committed and passionate about what she does for her clients. She definitely sets an excellent example in her field.

Ms Kaplan is dependable, industrious and possesses extensive real estate knowledge. She accepted and discharged all her responsibilities effectively. She maintains a positive attitude in her work and earned our utmost respect. As her motto states, she will "Run for You".

I firmly believe that with Ms Kaplan's range of experience, she would unquestionably be a strong and competitive Realtor for prospective buyers and sellers. We would not hesitate to recommend her to our friends, family and military counterparts who may be looking to buy or sell properties in the future. The experience was truly a pleasurable one.

Should you have any questions or wish to have more information, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned at 902-233-6478.

Original signed by
S.M. Hamilton
Lieutenant -Commander
Course Director
 

(BUYER)

September 5, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

As a former client and present friend I am delighted to be asked to provide a reference for Lara Kaplan. Since you are considering using her services, I find that I have some understanding of your needs and the following information should be taken into consideration.  With this letter I would like to introduce to you Lara Kaplan as well as to convey my wholehearted recommendation that she be chosen as your real estate representative.  Here is why:

Having recently changed jobs to a new management position, my family and I needed to move to the area quickly and we had a very specific list of wants and needs. Through Lara's expertise we were able to screen out many properties and visit only the ones that would fit the bill.  She is genuinely friendly, cheerful, and mostly full of energy!  Punctual, dependable, hard working, competent and considerate is just a few of the personal qualities that Lara displayed during the time we worked together.

After a brief search and a few visits we have found the house that met our wants and needs and for a price that was below our budget. We are really impressed. Lara also recommended an excellent team of home inspectors and lawyers.  I have no hesitation in recommending Lara's services to friends, family and co-workers. Our overall experience with her has been excellent and beneficial.

I hope this information proves helpful and I will be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

Sincerely,
Francois Lanthier

(BUYERS)

September 28, 2009

To whom this may concern,

I am writing to express my appreciation of Lara Kaplan as our Real Estate Agent and would recommend her to any potential home buyer(s). As first-time home buyers, Lara's energy, enthusiasm and professionalism helped us through this important and life changing occasion.  If we were to sell our house in the future, we would definitely seek her services again.

In terms of our experience with Lara, her knowledge of the current housing market was extensive.She provided excellent advice in terms of location, price and the bidding process.  In terms of advice on homes, Lara was objective and clearly laid out the advantages and disadvantages of all the homes we saw with her.  Lara also highlighted many other considerations that helped us make our final decision.

Secondly, Lara's attention to detail was excellent.If there were flaws in the house or something that did not sit right, she would point it out and offer to do more research if we so desired. Lara also provided great suggestions in terms of potential home improvements to raise the value of our new home.

Finally, Lara's business contacts were also a pleasure to work with. Lara explained the home buying process to us step-by-step and also suggested other professionals who could help finalize the documentation required for buying a home. We were both pleased by her recommendations in terms of a mortgage specialist and lawyer for sorting out the financial and legal details.

Overall, we were both very satisfied with Lara's services for buying our first home. Lara was very personable and made the home buying process less stressful than we originally thought.  In terms of professionalism, Lara provided great advice and accommodated our busy schedules.

Thank you Lara for such a positive experience!

Sincerely yours,

Minh On and Chantal Pare

(SELLER)

Lara Kaplan is an amazing and a very professional real estate agent. I was very leary of wanting to go with a real estate agent at first since I wanted to squeeze out as much of my home equity as I could (AND SELL THE HOME MYSELF).After sitting down talking to Lara and listening to her action plan I took a chance and signed on with her as my agent. Within days my house went up on her respective websites, and mls.  Lara had a professional photographer come into the house and took some pictures to post on mls. The pictures turned out amazing. Best home photography pictures I've seen on MLS !!!!. Lara kept in touch with me in every step of the process. From the moment the house went on to the market to the moment we sold our house. We had our first open house within the same week as the house went up on the market and within the next day the house was sold. We got more then our asking price. I highly recommend Lara. As she is not only very professional but a very caring person. Thank-You Lara for making this a very unstressful process.

Tri Tran
tritran@rogers.blackberry.net

(SELLERS AND BUYERS)

February 18,2010

Lara is one of those positive accidents that happen to you in life. I first met Lara at an association meeting, where after speaking to her briefly and making a comment about selling my house, Lara stood up at the end of this meeting and declared" I will sell your house in six to eight month". What an amazing first impression.

My wife and I were looking for someone who could lead us through the market and find that house that we have been searching for years.
Lara is an amazing real estate agent. She not only sold our house in 8 days, she found us a beautiful home in our dream location. Lara leads you through by showing you what you want and listening to her clients. Lara is professional, proficient and an expert in understanding the needs of her clients both selling and purchasing. Her genuine personality and approach leave you feeling you are in great hands. Lara did not try to "sell" at any given time, and was always available. Lara is always about the relationship between her clients, and that is evident in every aspect.

It is obvious that Lara has 20 plus years of experience. She understands the market and exactly when the right time is to sell and buy.

Thank you, Lara for everything!

You are always welcome in our home,

Olivia and David Riddell

(BUYER)

March, 2010

To whom it may concern;

As a recent client of Lara Kaplan and I am writing to congratulate her on a "job well done". Lara recently and very successfully, I might add, assisted me in acquiring an investment property.Her real estate background and exceptional knowledge of current real estate market trends were outstanding factors that made all the difference! As an investment buyer, the things you look for when buying a property are completely different then when buying for yourself and with Lara's expertise we were quickly able to narrow our search. She knew exactly what type of property would work best for me and within a day I was making an offer.

Her professionalism and enthusiasm is unmatched! Lara has a complete dedication to her individual clients no matter how many clients she has on the go at one time.She sincerely makes you feel special! I can honestly say that I have never worked with anyone in her capacity that has demonstrated such organisational and true grit ability!

Not only did Lara help me find an excellent investment property, but she also introduced me to a mortgage broker and a home inspector that both delivered to the same high standard.

Congratulations Lara on your winning attitude! You've won me over and I will use your professional real estate services again! You can count on it!

Thank you for making this purchase fun and effortless.

Sincerely,

Lynn Soucie

(BUYER)

May 2010
 
It is my great pleasure to write a letter of reference for Lara Kaplan, Sales Representative, Keller Williams Realty. I have been looking for an investment property for several months. I met Lara through a friend an instantly knew that she would work tirelessly and effortlessly for me in my search for the right property. After a brief discussion as to my needs and expectations she knew what it was that I was looking for.

Lara not only found me the perfect property at the price I wanted to pay; but she guided me through the process with professionalism, tirelessness and enthusiasm. She went beyond my expectations when she forwarded the Agreement to Purchase to my lawyer and Financial Institute. She has been in constant contact with me to ensure that things are going smoothly.
Lara, again, in her indefatigable nature, put me in touch with my new tenants. She brought them to the new property, introduced us, and left us to discuss the financial dealings of the lease.

This lady represents what every real estate agent should exhibit in their dealings with clients. She is professional, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, accommodating and tireless. Her most valuable asset, in my estimation, is the genuine warmth and caring that she exhibits towards her clients.

Well done, Lara! You are at the top of my list when I make recommendations to my friends and family.
Marie Egglestone

(BUYER)

July 14th, 2010

Ms. Lara Kaplan
Realtor
Keller Williams Realty

Dear Lara,

I'd like to thank you for the energy that you showed, the guidance you provided and the professionalism that you exhibited during the search for and purchase of my house. Should I either buy or sell property in the area again I will hope to work with you, and I would be pleased to provide a referral to you or a testimonial for you.

The search for the house and the completion of the purchase were both quicker and less onerous than I had expected, it was your effort that made this so. I recall in particular your ability to set-up or alter showings on almost no notice, to organize documentation in multiple cities as I travelled across the country, and to do both with good humour.

Again, thanks so much for your enthusiastic effort. I have no doubt that the process would not have been as successful without your aid.

Warmest Regards,

Steven Morse

I was extremely pleased with the exceptional and truly professional realty services I received from Lara Kaplan.

At first, I was convinced that I wanted to sell my house without an agent. However, after meeting Lara and seeing the commitment she was making to get me top-dollar for my house, I agreed to have her list my property. I have absolutely no regrets!

Prior to actually listing the property on the MLS, Lara helped by giving me great advice on staging my home in order to best present it to potential clients. She also even went out shopping and bought some plants and accent pillows to add the final touch.

The results speak for themselves; Lara sold my home in less than three days for $500 more than the asking price! I believe Lara did get me more money in my pocket than if I tried to sell my house myself.

Regardless of whether you are buying or selling, I would highly recommend Lara Kaplan to help you. I could not have asked for a better agent to guide me through the process.

Dave Caron

6046 Red Willow Drive

September 20 ,2010

My name is Mieke Khaisavang and this letter is to document the Service I received from Lara Kaplan, real estate Agent from Keller Williams Realty.

I was a Private Seller who then listed with Lara Kaplan and sold my house, here is my story.

In May 2010 Lara Kaplan proactively knocked at my door one day and asked me if I was in the market to Sell my home.I told her that I may be in the market in a year's time.

Lara asked if she may contact me again to which I agreed, and she politely gave me her business card and wished me a good day.The entire meeting was 2 minutes long.

Lara impressed me in that I could see that an Agent who does this kind of marketing is hard working and not lazy and I thought if I ever sell my home through an Agent, I would consider using Lara's Services.

In June 2010 I spontaneously found a home I wanted to buy in the area and made an offer on it. Of course I needed to sell my home fast as I needed the funds from my home to buy the other home.I decided I wanted to list the home for sale myself, as originally I had bought the home through a private seller, and so I thought I could sell it just as easily.

Besides I really wanted to save on the real estate commission.!!

After several weeks on the market listed witha private seller site, I had about 10 people viewing my home but I received no written offers. I started to feel anxious as time was ticking and I needed to sell my home.

I then called Lara Kaplan and told her my home was listed privately, and if she had any buyers she could bring them along.

Lara asked if she could have 15 minutes of my time to come and show me a presentation on how I could get more money in my pocket dealing through Real Estate than I could get as a Private Seller. This seemed highly unlikely and I was sceptical to say the least but Lara was quite persistent so I reluctantly agreed to give her 10 minutes of my time.

She gave me the presentation and although what she told me and showed me seemed to make sense I told her I would like to try marketing the home on my own for another few weeks and then I would make a decision whether to list with an Agent.

Another 2 weeks went by, and still lots of people through the home, but no written offers.I started to really get disillusioned that my efforts were coming to nothing, in what seemed to be a good market at the time. My property was a little difficult to sell however, as it was a lower terrace home (the Upper units are more desirable) and it was located on a busy street.

I phoned Lara and she came over to my home immediately with a list of comparison sales for similar properties in the area and we agreed on a list price that would not scare the market off, yet would still enable me to nett what I required and move to my new home.

Lara showed me the marketing she would be doing and explained the process of how her office would call me when showings happened and that I should leave the property for showings. We agreed to open house dates and the Keller Williams For Sale Sign went up.

I also gave Lara a list of names of all the people who had toured my home before for her to follow up with. (Incidentally she contacted all of these people and none of them were really quality buyers).

Lara also gave me tips on how to stage my home for Sale including two important things I had not implemented before, i.e.

1)Moving the kitchen nook table out of the very compact/tight kitchen space.

2) Staging this table as a dining room table in the dining area, which previously had not been there.(This previously gave the impression to the marketplace that there was no space for a dining room table), but Lara helped me see this and change it.

The house was listed on MLS and showings started to happen immediately.

There was one Open House day , and then 10 days later, from List Date to Date of Sale, Lara brought me a very fair offer on the home and the home was SOLD.

Lara was also excellent in her follow up service between the home being conditionally sold and the deal firming up when the conditions are met .Her paperwork and communication was meticulous in this area.

She forwarded all paperwork to my lawyer and my Mortgage Broker and kept me informed and motivated every step of the way.

I can honestly say that if I had not met Lara Kaplan that day in May when she came knocking at my door, that my dream to upgrade to a single family detached 3 bedroom home with a garage would not have been achieved.

Thank You Lara !I shall not hesitate to recommend you to any friends or family I know who want to buy or sell a home , first one being my Mom in about a year's time.

Sincerely,

Mieke Khaisavang

(November 2010-Happy Seller)

M y Experience with Lara Kaplan

After talking with Lara, along with other real estate agents about selling my house,

I decided to give the listing to Lara Kaplan of Keller Williams Real Estate.

Very soon into the process of selling my house, I realized that I had made a good decision.

Lara's commitment is "I'll Run For You" and that is exactly what her service to her clients is .

Within hours of listing my house, she had arranged a very impressive photo shoot of my town

house . She had the best advertising campaign set into motion and had a arranged to host an open house.

Within the first week, many prospective buyers came to view my house and by the end of week one, I had received an offer on my house. The offer was very fair to me and by the end of the second week, the deal was solidified.

Lara's professionalism is of the highest standard. Her energy, enthusiasm and dedication to her clients are by far the best I have witnessed during my six previous experiences with the real estate market.

Most of all Lara's commitment to me through out this process was unwavering. She was available day and night to answer questions and to deal with any concerns that I had.

I believe that if you want the best agent to sell your house, Lara is the one to choose.

She and her company are first class in their field.

Daryl McCormick

December 2 , 2010

(Buyer)

Lara, thank you back for joining us last night. It was a most pleasant way to wrap up the last week of to-ing & fro-ing, and we quite enjoyed your company at the table.

Robin & I (as cautious and nervous purchasers) were both very impressed with, and charmed by, your ongoing positive and upbeat personality, your detailed knowledge of the local real estate market, your hustle and tenacity, your close attention to detail, and your very pleasant mediating skills.

Thank you very much for wrapping everything up in such an orderly fashion. I don't know if we would have ended up buying this house, had you not been so involved.

And it was obvious from the vendors communications, that they were equally impressed and charmed with your services as well.

Please tell your father today, on our behalf, to be very, very, proud of his daughter !!

Greg Farnand
Bunning & Farnand
Professional Corporation
Barristers & Solicitors

gfarnand@rogers.com

(Buyer)

December 2010

Dear Lara,

We appreciate your help in assisting us with our very first home. Your responses to all our questions and inquiries were always very prompt. We will surely recommend you to any family or friend in need of buying or selling a home. Thanks again for your excellent service.

Hoping you and your family have a happy holiday season,

Francine & Steven Spry

One of Ms. Lara Kaplan's favorite activities is running marathons. To be a good runner, one must be disciplined, persistent, dilligent and competitive. And competitive she is. But in the end, everybody wins because she is running for you. As a proud new owner of a beautiful condominium, I recommend her without hesitation as your realty agent.

Her wealth of information of the housing market was of the utmost importance, as I would benefit from her assistance to understand the hottest markets in town. As a first time buyer, I often relied on Lara to provide me with the necessary information I needed to make a wise purchase; the most important purchase of my life. Through the initial interview, she was able to analyse and pinpoint the perfect place that caters to my needs and lifestyle and took it upon herself to take the necessary steps to make it happen. In fact, during that very first meeting, she managed to book three house visits and later that day, I received an E-mail from Lara with more suggested homes to visit. She was already on the case, or should I say "running for me".

Her dynamic approach, resourcefulness and professionalism, infused with hard work, guaranteed a successful hunt for the ideal home. Lara was able to observe every step of the process; from organizing house visits to setting up appointments with the lawyer and the house inspector. Everything was arranged to accomodate my busy schedule. Between appointments, she constantly kept a keen eye on the latest opportunities that would present themselves and directed them to me through E-mails and phone calls. With her good morale and energy, she managed to turn a rather stressful experience into a pleasant one. Today, I am writing this letter from the comfort of my new home.
Thanks Lara, you certainly ran for me!

Best regards,

Jean-Marc Paradis

 (February 2011)-SELLER


Dear Lara

Please excuse me for the delay in writing to you with regard to the sale of my home.
First let me say that you are truly an excellent realtor. You took on a difficult job and you did all that you could possibly do to receive an offer and to effect a sale in a what is alleged to be a difficult market.

Thank you for your effort.

Although I was very disappointed with the final price for my home, I was not forced to accept the offer, the decision was mine alone.
All that is now behind me.

I give you high marks for your effort. I am prepared to recommend you to any person or persons who wish to buy or sell a residential property.

I hope you and your husband are both well and, once again , thank you for a job well done.

The Honourable Max M. Teitelbaum

Seller) March 2011

My wife and I are very happy with the services that Lara provided in assisting us selling our home. We were unsure of whether to sell privately or go with an agent. Several friends told us about how they sold on their own and painted a great picture of the process. However, they forgot to mention the level of detail and the actual profit margin they earned once everything was said and done. After doing some research we realized that privately sold homes tended to sell for a lower percentage of their asking price when compared to homes sold by a professional agent. So we decided to try selling with an agent.

To that end, we interviewed several agents and came across Lara by accident when a friend recommended her. We thought one more interview couldn't hurt and are glad we took a chance.

She was punctual, friendly, energetic, informative, and honest; which is a valued trait when undertaking such a big endeavour. Your home is your biggest investment and doing your homework goes a long way to ensure the best results. When Lara came for her initial visit, it was clear she had done more work than any other agent we had seen. She had a list of homes similar to ours that had sold, or were currently for sale, complete with a breakdown of area, size, upgrades, etc. She also had a presentation on the entire seller/agent process and what to expect going forward. She then took her time and conversed with us on why we wanted to sell and what we expected from the whole process. She didn't pressure us to sign a contract at any point she was there and once she was done, she encouraged us to take our time before deciding what to do.

Once we made up our mind, Lara went into full swing, formulating several plans to sell our home, what needed to be done to get it ready, and was very detailed on how our home should be presented when open to viewings. She hired a top notch photographer that made our home look like a gem, advertised all over the place, and had our MLS page up in no time at all.

The end result was beyond all of our expectations. We had multiple offers on the first day, with the lowest bid being our asking price! Lara guided us through the entire negotiation process and got us significantly above our asking price to the point that she basically worked for free. We sold in only one day and were very happy with the entire experience. Whenever we had questions, or were worried about an issue, Lara was always available to answer them or allay our concerns.

My wife and I must admit that we were initially biased in our view of realtors, but our experience with Lara was nothing short of fantastic. She truly loves her work and has your best interests in mind. I wish her the best of luck moving forward.

Claudia and Asim

 (Buyer) April 4, 2011

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to describe the kind of service recently received by Ms. Lara Kaplan as my buyer agent.

I met Ms. Kaplan at an open house months prior to actually being ready to purchase a home and she immediately stuck in both mine and my husband's minds as someone that will go the distance for you. We met many agents while browsing open houses but in the end went with the one that made the biggest impression when we were ready.

I remember thinking this agent seems to know so much about real estate and has an answer for any scenario you put forward resulting in piece of mind. She is not there to merely complete a quick transaction but will rather take the time to listen to your wants, concerns, timeframe and make things happen for you as you had envisioned - not as she envisions.

I took further comfort in my choice to have her represent me as my buyer agent when my father accompanied me to a viewing and was impressed by her professional attitude and knowledge. My father has bought and sold approximately 10 homes over the years and is at times hard to impress.

At one point I told Ms. Kaplan that I was nervous about my budget and finding exactly what I wanted when I wanted. She simply replied "I think we will find what you want within 1 week". The next day, it happened! She definitely went the extra mile to get me a great deal and took care of EVERYTHING for me.

I would recommend her to anyone looking for some real estate assistance. You will not regret and in the end you will be referring her to others.

Thank you so much.

Chantal

 July 10th, 2011

Ms. Lara Kaplan

Realtor

Keller Williams Realty

To whom it may concern;

This letter is written today as a means to express the gratitude felt in return for  the excellent service offered by Lara Kaplan in our first home buying experience. Meeting Lara at an open house one day, she seemed like the ideal person to work with throughout such a process, and surely enough, she was able to understand and even anticipate the vision painted by myself and my sister. By truly listening to what we were looking for in our first home, and giving us good advice and smart recommendations that 'rookies' like us would perhaps overlook, Lara was able to find us exactly what we wanted and needed. The entire process was so smooth, unlike anything I had ever imagined, and my sister and I recognize today that this is in most part due to the hard work and dedication of our agent. She worked as part of our team, always kept us connected and up to date throughout the entire process, and in doing this helped us find our dream home while exceeding our every expectation!

Thanks t to Lara, our first home buying experience will be remembered as an exciting, exhilarating time that has just yet begun - and for this we wish to thank her for hard work and strong effort!!

*Thanks a million for everything Lara, we could not be happier - this could never have happened without your help!!

-Marie-Pierre& Myriam Lemay

 Seller

 August 4,2011

 Lara,

I was very pleased to have you working with me to sell my home.  Right from the beginning, your professionalism, motivation, suggestions, and marketing strategies provided me with the confidence and piece of mind that my home would sell.

You have extensive knowledge in the industry, and took extra care to analyze the market and to make sure my home was priced properly, and that all of the best features were listed.  I was extremely pleased with receiving a great offer, after being on the market for only two days.

I can't thank you enough for all of your hard work and dedication.  I would not hesitate to recommend you to my family, or anyone who may be looking to sell their property in the future.  

Sincerely,

Justin Howard

Justin Howard

Investment Advisor CIM, FCSI

TD Waterhouse Private Investment Advice

(SELLER AND BUYER)

AUGUST 22,2011

Dear Lara,

My wife and I would like to thank you for all your hard with helping us to find our dream home and then devising a great strategy to quickly sell our current home.  It worked perfectly and we received a full asking price offer within two days of listings.

The new home buying and selling process can be very stressful and disruptive to most people's lives.  Given our situation with two young children, we were certainly concerned about that.  Your professionalism, endless energy, and personality, made this process almost fun!

Thanks again for all your hard work!  We will certainly recommend you to our friends and family.

Regards,

Robert and Jennifer Mackay

BUYER AND SELLER

October 25, 2011

To prospective clients of Lara:

I am happy to say that Lara has restored my faith in real estate agents.

Lara was attentive, patient, energetic, knowledgeable, punctual and truly interested in reaching the best possible result for us. My wife and I really appreciated Lara’s tireless efforts on our behalf and her frank, professional demeanour. We also appreciated that Lara was always prepared and available to respond to any questions or concerns that we had during the purchase of our new home and the sale of our first home. Real estate dealings can be stressful – Lara recognizes this and helps to reduce that stress.  Simply put, we truly felt as though Lara always had our best interests in mind.

We were also very impressed by the wide range of contacts that Lara has for dealing with the many issues that one encounters during while purchasing, selling and moving into their new home.

Lara is proof positive that great things come in small packages. She is a truly a dynamo who will put every ounce of energy into helping you accomplish your real estate goal(s). One true test of how you feel about your agent is whether you would recommend them to your friends and family – for us, the answer is a resounding YES.

Admittedly, I am a tough client with high expectations who is not easily impressed, but I was impressed by Lara.

Very satisfied client,

Darren Power