A few of our recent raves...

More Testimonials & Print

     We want to thank you for the tremendous job you did selling our small farm.  Your professional marketing of our home was the key to success in this difficult economic time.  We would like to extend my thanks to Natalie for the specialized treatment we received staging our home for the pamphlet and web tour.  We were so happy with the way she made use of our belongings that we kept the furnishings exactly as they were placed.
     We are so excited that the home we restored and loved is being purchased by people who love it as much as we do.  Your matching of the seller to buyer is a direct result of the information you provided in the listing.  We knew whoever walked in was completely aware of every aspect of our home before they scheduled a showing.  This made every showing an exciting prospect as there were never any surprises for the prospective buyer.  What they saw on the web or in the pamphlet was what they got.  What a relief for us to have found you after 6 months of showing our home to people who were not even slightly interested in our type of home in our type of area.  My regret is that we did not find you sooner.
     Thanks so much Gary for finding the perfect buyer for our beloved home.  We worked hard to restore it and you worked hard to find the right couple to enjoy our labor of love.
David and Laura James, Woodsboro, MD

     We were very pleased with Gary Gestson's representation as our seller’s agent for our historic Dickeyville home. Gary marketed our home thoroughly, which generated a lot of visits to our property. Since ours is a historic home, it is not for every buyer. Gary understands how to promote period homes like ours to maximize opportunities to find the ideal buyer. 
     Gary advised us well, as we debated the merits of keeping the home for sale or finding a renter. When we considered taking our home off the market last winter, Gary reminded us of the extraordinary Federal incentives that could generate more buyer interest.  This decision to keep our home for sale paid off, and ideal buyers stepped forward to help meet our asking price. Gary proved his value during the entire negotiation period all the way to the timely settlement. 
     Gary was responsive to all communications and we felt he was easy to contact.  We recommend him highly.
Candler Gibson and Marni Tuel, Dickeyville, MD

     There is no doubt in my mind that the biggest reason that I was successful  in selling my house in  the current market is the fact that I  had the great good fortune to have Gary Gestson acting as my Realtor. Having grown up  with a realtor for a mother, I was somewhat intimidated  from the horror stories of showings that had gone wrong and Realtors  whose personalities and presentations were done more with smoke and mirrors than substance, honesty, and facts.It was with some trepidation that I agreed to meet with Gary after much urging from my Mother ---- I mean choosing a realtor based on their appearance on the cover of a national realtor's magazine ----- what was Mother thinking ?  However five minutes after Gary sat down on the couch in my house for our initial meeting and tour of the  property, all my hesitations and concerns had been laid to rest, I had not only found a knowledgeable realtor, I had found someone who respected and accepted my concerns and uniqueness of the property and situation.
     The suggestions that Gary made to get the house on the market were clear and concise and defiantly made the best possible use of the limited funds that I had to get the house ready to sell.  After the house was ready, Gary and his fantastic staging team came out and took numerous photographs and did a video of the house. I must admit that the first time I looked at the picture presentation  on the Historic Home team's website, I thought "wow, what a neat house. I live here?!" Gary's background as a former art teacher showed in the wonderful composition of the photographs. This background combined with his skill and understanding of capitalizing on the power of Internet marketing  is I feel one of the most powerful elements Gary brings to bear in getting any house sold.
     Through out the entire period of showing, selling and settlement of the house Gary was always available to answer questions, resolve a variety of unexpected hiccups and minor  crises , and help me keep a positive outlook towards the whole  convoluted   and seemingly never ending  process. One point that left a lasting impression on me was that if Gary was not a 100% certain of the validity of  information that he was relaying, he has the integrity and honesty to say "I'm not sure on that. Let me look into it and get back with you". And then he would do just that, find someone who did know the answer and relay that information back to me in a timely manner.  At no point was I left hanging with issues and questions and unaddressed. His patience, support, and humour were vital parts keeping the my stress-level to a manageable minimum.
    I very heartily recommend Gary Gestson as the consummate real estate professional --- he is as someone else has said  "the real deal". Gary is above all else a true gentleman in every sense of the word. I am very proud to call him above all else my friend. 
B.R. Duttweiler, Knoxville, Md

         Gary was an absolute lifesaver! Throughout the home-buying process, we hit quite a few speed bumps due to issues unrelated to Gary or Long & Foster. At every single point in the process, Gary was directly available to not only advise on every issue but often alleviate the stress to me as well as address and correct the problem (meanwhile keeping me fully informed, as I preferred). He worked diligently with every detail by returning calls immediately, communicating with other parties to resolve crises, answering all questions to the best of his knowledge and even researching questions in depth if necessary to provide the best answer/service. There were many times that his knowledge of the processing of my home loan surpassed that of my mortgage company!
Also, Gary’s general attitude, work ethic, and manner were far beyond what I expected and even hoped for in a realtor. By the time we got to closing, he was practically family, and I am thankful every day for Gary’s involvement and patience. I would (and will) recommend him in the future, and I will most definitely enlist his services if I find myself in the market again. I am so happy with my new home, and I couldn’t have done it without Gary!
Honestly, I could write an essay and it wouldn't be enough to express how much I appreciate your amazing service.
L. Kercheval, Knoxville Maryland

     When we decided to sell our house in Greencastle, PA, we began a painfull process of hiring a number of local Realtors in succession, none of whom were able to generate the slightest interest in our home. After having seen an ad for the Historic Home Team, we decided to take a chance with this Team to sell our beautiful, superb, unique, and historic home. At this point, Mr. Gestson became our Realtor. Almost immediately, the home market began to collapse. However, Mr. Gestson stood firmly beside us and never, even for a moment, failed to assure us that our home could and would be sold. Even when the market further tanked, Mr. Gestson continued to generate an amazing number of visitors to our home, while many other homes were forced out of the market due to lack of interest. His guidance during these "tough times" was flawless, and never failed to consider every one of our "often admittedly difficult" interests. I am convinced that without his expertise we would never have sold our home. Not only is Mr. Gestson the most knowledgeable Realtor I have met, but he also possesses a multitude of rare personal attributes, especially including intelligence, tenacity, grace, tact, and superb negotiating skills, unmatched by anyone I have ever known, whether Realtor or not. He is simply, without exaggeration, the very finest Realtor imaginable, and shines brightly as one of the finest gentlemen in the field.
I unhesitatingly and completely without reservation, recommend Mr. Gary Gestson to anyone who has a unique, or for that matter, an ordinary home, for sale. I know that his future clients will remember him with the same great respect for his performance as we do now, for he is simply the "Finest Realtor There Is!"
James B. Oerding, Greencastle, Pennsylvania

     As our selling agent, Gary Gestson was a most attentive, supportive, effective, and knowledgeable agent who respected our opinions and decisions.   We had a lovely Civil War era house, built of quality, expansive and elegant, in this environment it took many agents, many years, and yet no sale.  Only 2 viewings in all that time.  Immediately, Gary continually showed our house, advertised it in every conceivable avenue, gave constant feedback and showed extraordinary patience.  We sold it and got a reasonable price in a very difficult environment.  He is a rare person and, now, friend.
Sandy Pelletier, Greencastle, Pennsylvania

     We have been involved in numerous real estate transactions, and Gary Gestson is the best real estate agent with whom we have ever worked.  Even though the house he helped us sell was nowhere near the high dollar amount of most of his transactions, he treated us as if it were at the top of the list.  To make his work with us even more exemplary, we had a difficult house to sell in a difficult location at a difficult time. Gary worked the sale from inception to conclusion, devoting his time and energy to all the tasks involved in getting this house onto and off the market.  We would rate the entire process as highly as possible; in addition, Gary is a person of kindness, integrity, patience and persistence. I know this sounds as if it were written by his mother, his sister, or his wife, but no -  we are just out-of-state owners who met Gary only once. He could not have treated his family or his best friend better than he treated us.
Lyn and Tom Phillips, Catonsville Maryland

     Gary Gestson recently acted as our agent in purchasing a property in Washington County. Gary gave us excellent advice and always acted in our best interest. He organized all aspects of the house inspections and - most importantly - guided us through the complicated loan process. We are very happy with Gary's performance as our agent and highly recommend him to others seeking a superb agent.
Frederick W. & Sabine Fisher, Rohrersville Maryland

     Dear Gary, I will always be grateful that you took on the sale of my historic property, well aware of its faults and shortcomings, while assuring me that it was extraordinary and remarkable and superb ! Your positive attitude was one of the  many qualtities I came to admire, along with your professional expertise, knowledge and expert advice. You always gave me the impression that the sale of my property was the foremost thing on your mind, and you always returned my calls and emails, no matter the hour of the day or night. I felt extremely comfortable about the guidance you gave me as we negotiated the many pitfalls that could occur during the process, and your advice was always sound and direct. I decided your middle name should be “patience”, because nothing that came up ever seemed to be a burden, nor did the amount of time you spent seem to be a problem. Thank you again for your professional abilities, and for the time and interest you took in the sale of Elmhurst. You did a superb job from start to finish ! Gratefully,
Pat Lansdale, Sandy Spring MD

     Gary Gestson recently acted as our agent in purchasing a property in Washington County. Gary gave us excellent advice and always acted in our best interest. He organized all aspects of the house inspections and - most importantly - guided us through the complicated loan process. We are very happy with Gary's performance as our agent and highly recommend him to others seeking a superb agent.     Dear Gary, I will always be grateful that you took on the sale of my historic property, well aware of its faults and shortcomings, while assuring me that it was extraordinary and remarkable and superb ! Your positive attitude was one of the  many qualtities I came to admire, along with your professional expertise, knowledge and expert advice. You always gave me the impression that the sale of my property was the foremost thing on your mind, and you always returned my calls and emails, no matter the hour of the day or night. I felt extremely comfortable about the guidance you gave me as we negotiated the many pitfalls that could occur during the process, and your advice was always sound and direct. I decided your middle name should be “patience”, because nothing that came up ever seemed to be a burden, nor did the amount of time you spent seem to be a problem. Thank you again for your professional abilities, and for the time and interest you took in the sale of Elmhurst. You did a superb job from start to finish ! Gratefully,      I recently purchased a beautiful historic home in Southern Maryland. Gary Gestson was the seller's agent whom I met on the first day of inquiry and I feel very fortunate to have met him. Right away I felt I could work directly with Gary, without an agent of my own and my instincts were correct. His keen sense of aesthetics and appreciation for the uniqueness of old homes made him a pleasure to interact with. Gary could not have been more accomodating, not only in the beginning but throughout the process. This is the 4th historic property I have acquired and numerous experiences with many realtors have given me great appreciation for Gary's unique blend of professionalism, kindness, and understanding of human nature in these often complicated transactions. Gary saw the seller and myself as a good match with much in common, & with skill and patience brought us together. I knew I could count on him to thoughfully & accurately communicate what I needed to convey to the seller, and vice-versa. So often realtors fail to do this, and the deal fails. From my experienced perspective, this successful transaction likely would not have occurred if it weren't for Gary's efforts and skills. At some point soon, I will likely sell one of my other historic properties & my first call will be to Gary Gestson.
Wayne Fisher, Brandywine MD

     We had the good fortune to choose Gary Gestson as our Real Estate Agent for the recent sale of our house in Brandywine, Md.  We were able to sell the house at a time in which there were daily stories about the rapid decline in house sales and prices.  In order to achieve this timely sale, Gary marketed the house in a professional and compelling way that allowed it to stand out and make an impact in a crowded and depressed market.
First, Gary’s knowledge of old houses and the old house market guided us to a sympathetic visual presentation.  The brochures and magazine shots were superb and artistic in themselves.  The marketing material was placed in venues that would be available to the old house buyer, where there was always a sense of prominence and specialness for our property, with insets and call out pictures.
Gary had an article placed in a local commuter newspaper, the national old house magazines and a specialty Extraordinary Properties glossy magazine that drew a lot of attention.
Gary also managed the sales process for us in a way that removed much of our work load.  The showings were timely and convenient, he was engaging with the prospective buyers and useful in guiding us as sellers and the prospects, as buyers.  He was able to expedite the actual sale by showing both us and the buyer where our mutual benefit existed, so that we felt we achieved a fair exchange with the buyer.
The mechanics of the sale and paperwork went off without a hitch.  Gary diligently handled most of the logistics, removing work and worry from us.  We can only give the highest praise to Gary’s work and any seller would be fortunate to have him as their agent.
David S. Stern & Marcia Nicklin, Brandywine MD 

     Thanks so much for everything. You are the consummate professional. It will be my pleasure to recommend Team Gestson to those interested in enjoying a hassle-free, fun, educational, and relaxed real estate experience. Actually, more my duty, as I can not now imagine anything less!! Should we ever consider moving from our new home, it would be without hesitation to once again ask you to represent us. Unlike so many people these days, you actually answer and return your phone calls and emails. You do your homework and educate along the way. Your primary concern is not necessarily closing *any* deal, but the *best* one for your clients. As for Natalie - her intuition and designer’s eye turned our home into a page from House Beautiful. I can not tell you the comments we received about how lovely our home was staged. Her insight and special touches were worth their weight –– literally –– in gold. Again, I want to share with you how grateful we are. What could have been the most stressful time in our lives was tempered by your common sense, sense of calm, sense of humor, and dollars and cents sensibilities. Thank you for allowing us to be partners on your team.
Frank & Amy Johnson, Gaithersburg MD

         Buying and selling a property is a complicated business at best. Successfully doing so from a distance of 3000 miles is a feat - one that I owe to Gary Gestson. I feel enormous gratitude to Gary at the end of a three month period that led to the acquisition of a historic house and equestrian center 35 minutes from downtown D.C. This is our dream place - the place where we will settle when we come home this summer, after a near twenty year absence while serving at our Embassies overseas as a Foreign Service family. We have sold and bought houses before, and this was our ninth and hopefully final real estate transaction. It was also the biggest and most significant, as it involved all our savings, our life after retirement from the Foreign Service, and our daughter’s life as an equestrian and young professional working in D.C. Gary took the time to fully understand our situation, aspirations, and practical parameters. He was always mindful of his commitment to the Sellers and made that clear from the very beginning, but was also very sensitive and attentive to us. There was never a question or concern that he did not address promptly and in detail. Exceeding his obligations as a Realtor, he extended thoughtful advice, objective information, and guidance that helped us greatly in our decisions. Gary is the ultimate professional and the most caring person anyone could deal with. He has a vast knowledge of historic homes and of the regions in which he specializes. He knows his trade inside out and brings to it honesty, integrity, and a strong sense of fairness - qualities not often associated with financial negotiations and transactions. I feel grateful and privileged to have had him as our Realtor. Gary truly is a class act.
Helen Margiou, Foreign Service Officer, Upper Marlboro MD

      Thank you so much for all you did to make the sale of our “old house” as painless and smooth an experience as possible. Your understanding of the elements that make a historic home special, your expert advice in how to stage the house for showing, and most importantly, your clear-sightedness, understanding and patience through the entire process were invaluable to us. All of the marketing materials, from the beautiful “Wow!” color brochure, to print ads—and especially, the fabulous virtual tour—were so well done, and conveyed an accurate image of our home to prospective buyers. Professionalism and thorough attention to detail were evident in every aspect of the listing, marketing and sales process. On a personal level, Roy & I were very comfortable discussing all facets of the sales process with you. Your level of knowledge and expertise inspired our immediate confidence, which proved to be well-placed. We especially appreciated your almost instant responsiveness to calls or emails, no matter how small the question or concern we had. When we received an offer on the house, you took the time to send us articles and other reference information, as well as your thoughts and professional insight, to consider in making our decision on the offer. You managed to be concise and straightforward in a tactful and sensitive manner—no easy feat! Without hesitation, we will wholeheartedly recommend you and your Historic Home Team (indeed, have already done so) to everyone we know. At the risk of being redundant, we can’t thank you enough for all you did to make the transfer to our new home so seamless. Much success in the future!
Roy & Andrea Struble, Waynesboro PA

      As I was considering selling my home (built in 1860) I was concerned that homes in my neighborhood would, literally, stay on the market for months and still not sell.  When I met with Gary he walked me through his very specific marketing techniques to attract buyers interested in a Historic Home.  He also walked through and made very positive suggestions as to how we could make my house more attractive to prospective buyers.  We soon had many showings and then had 3 offers come in, one at the full listing price.  Gary was very pleasant to work with and was very responsive to my concerns and questions.  He also assured me that we would find someone who appreciated my home as much as I did!  I would highly recommend his services to anyone who is considering the sale of  an Historic Home. Again, thanks Gary, and prosperous house selling to you and your team!
Sally Barnhart, Frederick MD

      In selling my historic home I found it to be essential to have an agent who is sensitive and knwledgeable about the unique qualities of an historic home. Gary and Natalie have that sensitivity and knowledge. Without their expertise, I would not have had the success I had in selling my home. My sale was a positive experience because of their efforts, which were above and beyond the call of duty. I can not thank them enough nor speak their praises highly enough. Anyone contemplating the sale of their historic home should consider the Historic Home Team of Gary and Natalie first - and last. They are the best agents for the job!!
Kim Tucker, Laytonsville MD

     Firstly, many thanks for all your help above and beyond your normal duties. I understand that you may put this in the"friend" and not the"professional"basket, however I imagine that from the way we were treated by you throughout the process of selling and buying, all of your clients would end up becoming good friends with you anyway.
I was extremely impressed by your level of organization, attention to detail and understanding of the business. Your patience is also a virtue which should not go unmentioned, since it is because of your unlimited patience which ultimately allowed us to relocate into a most ideal house. And most important of all, you formed a team with us to develop a strategy for all aspects of the selling and buying that, without, would not have resulted in the very successful and satisfying outcomes achieved. The ambitious goals of price, the incredibly short closing period and the very favorable conditions/contingencies for both the purchase and sale of the properties you managed were a direct result of the time and interest that both you and Natalie invested in us as clients.
I would recommend you to any and all of your prospects.
Vincent & Tracey Vesper, Gaithersburg MD