Deb Odom Stern

We moved to Ann Arbor from Chicago in summer 2015. The real estate market in Ann Arbor can be a little nuts, with many homes going above listing price this year. We were looking for a home that we could add equity into with remodeling, and didn’t want to overpay for it. When we began to ask friends in Ann Arbor about their experiences buying a home in Ann Arbor, we couldn’t find one person who could give us a positive recommendation to use their real estate agent. We found Deb on Unilocal,and it was the smartest decision we ever made. She walked us through the process over the phone before we traveled to Ann Arbor, and showed us a variety of homes that fit our needs. We were lucky to find a home on our first visit to Ann Arbor, and Deb helped us land the home for well below asking price. She is well connected with trustworthy mortgage lenders, home inspectors, etc. in the area, which is very helpful for people looking to buy a home from out-​of-​state, especially with a quick close.
In response to the lone negative comment on Unilocal,we had the exact opposite experience with Deb. Our deal almost fell apart one week before closing because we could not obtain homeowner’s insurance due to the condition of the roof of the home (which previously passed the home inspection). Deb and Brian’s ability to get us an additional $ 5000 the week of closing to cover the cost of the roof saved the deal. They are excellent negotiators, friendly, and knowledgeable about the Ann Arbor market. Unlike my friends in Ann Arbor, I wholeheartedly would recommend Deb to anyone looking for a real estate agent in Ann Arbor. Deb is the first person we will call if we decide to upgrade or sell our home in Ann Arbor.

Very happy with Deb’s help in finding a place in Ann Arbor. From out of state and no knowledge of the Ann Arbor market, I felt that she had a good handle of the Ann Arbor market and how to stretch our dollar to the fullest extent. We trusted her judgment about neighborhoods and properties. Thanks again!

Wow — I could not disagree with the other reviewers more.
Deb sold us a bill of goods that she was going to be responsive and really understood the nuances of the Ann Arbor housing market. She gave us a list of things for us to do to take our house from beautiful to amazing, which we did. But when it came time for her to do her part of the heavy lifting — she fell far short. It seemed like she sat back and thought that the Reinhart marketing machinery would do it all for her. She didn’t contact us for weeks on end, except when she wanted to lower the price — and that drumbeat started less than 30 days after the house went onto the market. BTW, we didn’t price the house high. We took her recommendation and lowered it twice — but got nothing but low ball bids.
We got virtually no feedback on the open house (It was a three bullet email) and 90% of the other visits to the house had complete silence after them. It was a frustrating and unpleasant experience.
Also — even though she would never write it in a review, one of my colleagues and her husband were selling a piece of property through Deb. Her partner Brian missed a critical deadline and cost them more than $ 5k. The transaction went through, but there was no consideration for the mistake and the monies lost — just an «Oops, sorry.» Most professionals do their business in a more above board manner.

I just sold my house through Deb. It was a difficult process, but without Deb it would have been impossible. The house had been rented out since 2006, when I moved out of state. I had the good fortune of longer-​term tenants, but 8 rental years left the house looking tired and worn-​out everywhere. I let go 2 agents before finding Deb. Deb is smart, professional, resourceful, ethical, and committed. She plans well, communicates promptly, sets proper expectations, and executes as promised. After some 2 months of serious facelifts — touching nearly every part of the house and yard — the house sold after only 17 days on the market, in the dead of winter. If you have a house you want to sell, have her help you. You will be very glad you did! Paula Bowman (Director of Closing Services at Reinhart) is also very good — she will do everything she can to make sure your closing takes place without a hitch.

I had a wonderful experience working with Deb to purchase my home when I relocated from Northern Michigan. I actually found Deb on Unilocal and it turned out she is amazingly thorough and helped me understand the Ann Arbor housing market and all the in’s and out’s of buying a home. It was the first home I purchased on my own after my husband passed away and I really heeded a soft touch without a lot of pressure. Deb showed me many houses and had a great sense of what would work for me. I trust her judgement 100 percent and recommend Deb to every home purchaser, whether for their first time or for their 10^th home.

We had the pleasure of working with Deb both when we bought and when we sold our house. She got to know our likes and dislikes well and showed us many properties when we were buying our home. She knows the area well and gave us reliable advice. When we were selling our home she helped us prepare so it showed well. She is very knowledgable about the market and we were very pleased with how fast our house sold and the offers we received. We highly recommend her!

We had the privilege of working with Deb Odom Stern first when we were buying a house in Ann Arbor, then when we sold it six years later. Deb was impressive from start to finish. She is the consummate professional: always prepared and readily responsive to our many questions about the buying and selling processes. We got a great price on our home when we bought it, and an even better price when we sold it. I highly recommend her services.

Deb Odom Stern came highly recommended to us as we were searching for the perfect agent to help us find our dream home in Ann Arbor. We were initially a bit worried because we were trying to navigate the market from Princeton NJ and we quickly realized that house hunting is super competitive in Ann Arbor. Over a friendly but efficient introductory phone call, Deb was able to prioritize our needs, review the market availability and immediately match our desires with a perfect and available house. Moreover, Deb helped ensure that the entire process was essentially effortless — from negotiating with the seller, to finding a trustworthy loaner, to fully arranging the details of closing. Overall, we could not have been more satisfied and impressed with our experience. And after a year in our home, we are even happier than expected. We give our highest recommendation for Deb Odom Stern (and have many times already) as the best person to help you find your perfect home!