Capital Park Realty

Nate and Jackie recently helped my wife and me find our first home in Silver Spring. We couldn’t be more excited about the house and can’t say enough about Nate’s dedication to helping us get here. As first time home buyers we didn’t really know what to expect, or more importantly what to be on the look out for. Nate was patient during our search and invaluable when it came to identifying pitfalls with a potential home. We only needed two days of searching as Nate was able to help us zero in on homes that fit our profile. He was very flexible with his schedule and well prepared ahead of our outings.
Once our offer on the house was accepted we were immediately faced with a water issue in the basement. Thankfully we hadn’t yet closed and Nate instantly became our full time lawyer and negotiator with the seller. Nate could also double as a contractor, as he knew everything there was about the water issue and how to fix it. He ultimately helped us negotiate for a brand new floor (of our choice) in the basement in addition to substantial drainage work outside of the house. Had we not had Nate’s knowledge of the problem we wouldn’t have known what to ask for and certainly wouldn’t have ended up with a beautifully redone basement done to our own specifications. Closing and paperwork was a breeze thanks to Jackie’s support.
We would highly recommend the Capital Park team to any potential home buyer!

Ben Puchalski was great to work with when purchasing my first condo. The search lasted 11 months during which he was incredibly patient and honest. Throughout the process, I felt I could really trust Ben. In one instance the seller was pushing me to raise my offer. Ben did the work to show me the unit was overpriced and that I shouldn’t raise my offer to what they wanted. Throughout the process he wanted me to find the right place for the right price. Just getting me to buy anything wasn’t his goal. When I finally found a unit hand had the offer accepted, it was great to feel it was the right place.

Amazing!!! Nate & Jackie were absolutely amazing! We had a previous realtor who was not aggressive enough with their efforts in terms of their promptness to emails and listings. We were referred to Capital Park Realty through a friend who used them as well. From the start there was a drastic change as Nate & Jackie were quick, helpful, and got us the best offers and deals. They were able to get the seller to come down off their asking price in the first week! They not only got us a better price, they found program (s) that we could do to help ease the financial burden. They were the best. If and when we do get another property Capital Park Realty will be our realtors! I truly recommend them, 100%!

My experience with Capital Park Realty buying a row home in DC, working with Nate, Jackie, and Katherine, has been beyond expectation. The entire team was extremely responsive and professional. They looked out for my interests and were honest throughout the entire process. Nate was very knowledgeable about the area and the market in the DC area. He knew all the pros and cons of the neighborhoods we were looking at, so it made our decision-​making process much easier. I highly recommend Capital Park Realty!

Jackie is a phenomenal realtor! Don’t even bother with anyone but Jackie & the Capitol Park Realty team. I don’t know where I’d be without Jackie, but I’m sure I wouldn’t be in a new, perfect place she found me. I thought that finding a home with my never ending list of amenities would be impossible given my quick timeframe and tight budget, but Jackie made it happen with ease. In the beginning of my search I met with a few other realtors, but Jackie was the only one who stuck with me. Her persistence and dedication surpassed all others. But what’s more is that she was a pleasure to be around. As a first time homebuyer I felt comfortable working with Jackie because she explained the necessary information, showed me a wide variety of places so that I’d know exactly what was in my range, and was open and honest during the entire process. In my time with Jackie, I never once felt pressured or unsupported. She was my realtor and my advocate during my search and I’d recommend her to anyone!

We worked with John to purchase our home! My husband already owned property before were were married, but this was my first time going through the process. First and most important to two very busy people, John was incredibly flexible and accommodating. He met us on VERY short notice to show us a home, and helped us structure a competitive offer that we had to turn around very quickly. Second, he answered a lot of the questions that I had as a first-​time home buyer that made me feel comfortable moving forward. The questions were many — and he was very patient! There was more back-​and-​forth with the sellers than I had anticipated, and he communicated really well with us and the sellers’ agent. He’s got an awesome laid-​back personality as an added bonus!

Nate and Jackie came highly recommended by friends of ours even before we started our home search in earnest. After meeting several different realtors to gauge their level of service, knowledge, and commitment, my partner and I were immediately at ease after our first meeting with Nate and really appreciated his patience and wealth of knowledge, especially as first time home buyers. We knew he was the right realtor for us as soon as we left our first meeting. Nate made no attempt hurry my partner and I along through the home search process — we were at it for several months before really narrowing down our criteria and finding the right properties to make offers on. Nate and Jackie recognize the internal process that a couple needs to go through when looking for and home and they are happy to lend advice and input when asked, while at the same time not trying to push you one way or another. We could not have appreciated their straightforwardness and sincerity more — it is a stark contrast to the personalities of some agents we met prior. Nate and Jackie spent an unbelievable amount of time working with us to find the right house, and never once did we feel rushed or anxious in the process. In an age of instant digital transactions, our experience with the Capital Park Realty team was a pleasant reminder of what top-​notch people-​oriented business can be like.
When I say Nate went above and beyond the call of duty to help us through our search, I am not exaggerating — I have never experienced this level of service and commitment before. As soon as we pointed out properties we were interested in, Nate and Jackie would respond immediately and work to get us into these homes later the same day. We spent several months looking at dozens of properties with Nate — even nights with torrential downpours didn’t slow Nate down from showing us places in Columbia Heights, the H St corridor, and Capitol Hill. We saw the full gamut of housing stock DC has to offer — posh move-​in ready condos to dilapidated fixer-​uppers and short-​sale units. Nate has a wealth of home construction knowledge, which proved to be invaluable as we toured some of these older homes. When we found the place we ended up buying, Nate had no qualms about taking me on a tour of the crawlspace so that we could inspect for termite damage before the official inspection. This was unnecessary but appreciated nonetheless as it allowed us peace of mind as we entered the negotiation process since we had an idea of what the sub-​floor looked like in advance.
As excited as we were once we closed on our home, my partner and I were somewhat sad since we had grown used to seeing Nate and Jackie on nearly a daily basis by that point. We bought a house and ended up making some pretty great friends along the way! Capital Park Realty will, without a doubt, be involved in our future real estate dealings in DC. Thanks Nate and Jackie!

Nate was incredibly helpful in helping us sell our condo. Friends of ours recommended him after he helped them sell their condo (for a great price), and we are so glad they did. From start to finish, Nate provided value and good counsel and kept things moving forward. He was always responsive, patient, and provided honest/​candid input when it was needed. Despite some curveballs while showing our place (Pope’s visit, etc.), we were able to sell it at a price and within a timeline that made us very happy.
We would definitely recommend him to others, and have already done so.

I do not write many reviews, but I am doing so for Nate because I feel I owe him one. He shepherded me through what had to be one of the most difficult and complicated first-​time home-​buying experiences ever. I know a lot of agents can say they are understanding when it comes to buyers like me, but I feel my circumstances were particularly trying and really showed his dedication to his work.
1. Narrowing the search:
I was looking for an affordable one-​bedroom apartment. With the help of the polygon map search tool on the Capital Park Realty website, I identified several attractive properties in the Southwest Waterfront. I then went in search of a realtor and interviewed several before ultimately selecting Nate. Nate is personable, direct, and has expert knowledge on the history and management of many of the major properties in the neighborhood. He patiently and diligently explained to me the differences between coops and condos, both in terms of fee structure and how to factor in utilities, taxes, and any underlying mortgage. We went on several visits to Southwest and must have toured more than a dozen units before I made my decision. I did not sign a buyer agency agreement until I had selected a unit and was ready to make an offer. It turns out the search was not to be the hard part of the process.
2. Getting to a contract:
The unit I wanted was in a coop that had such a low owner-​occupancy rate my regular bank would not provide financing. Nate helped me to find a new lender that had a good reputation at the co-​op and was willing to take the loan, and got the necessary documentation together so I could get preapproved. He then produced comps to help me build an offer (which ended up being much lower than my original guess). After coming to terms with the seller on price, one big unknown remained: the tenant. Nate had warned me about the potential complications given DC tenant rights, and we made signing the TOPA affidavit a condition of the contract. Still I went more than a month without any confirmation the tenant was actually going to leave. During this time Nate mediated discussions with the seller and helped to manage my anxiety as I fretted over when to give notice on my own apartment and meanwhile watched new units come on the market.
3. Getting to closing:
Closing was ultimately only delayed by two weeks, but that is where my real troubles began. The week before closing I started getting calls from my lender (not the original loan officer, but the mortgage processors in the back office) asking for last-​minute paperwork. After each call they assured me I was now ready to go. However, the day of closing, with both parties at the table and me with my 20% down payment in hand, and despite numerous phone calls and confirmations that very morning, my lender simply failed to show. Nate negotiated a pre-​settlement occupancy agreement with the seller (since I had contractors lined up to start painting that weekend) and worked with the settlement company to reschedule for the following week. He also played nanny to the lender in the interim, ensuring that this time when they said the paperwork would be ready it actually was.
Buying your first home is stressful enough, but thanks to an uncooperative tenant and an unfathomable lender, my experience was particularly nerve-​wracking. Through it all Nate was a constant source of support and guidance. And while it may have taken longer than I would have liked, I am very happy with my new apartment. It also needs to be mentioned that Nate did all of this for a relatively low-​end client (under $ 300K) which just shows that he cares about the job. We went for drinks afterwards to celebrate.
I would not hesitate to recommend Nate Ward and Capital Park Realty to anyone looking to buy in DC.