Matthews & Co

I have so many good things to say about Steve Matthews. I only write Unilocal reviews if I feel the experience was truly terrible or exceptional. Steve is truly exceptional.
My wife and I decided to purchase a home in spring 2014, during a particularly hot time in the Montclair real estate market. We are first time home buyers so I didn’t know much about the process. I responded to a sellers agent via Trulia for a house we were interested in. We nearly ended up signing off on dual agency, which allows the seller’s agent to represent both the seller and the buyer in a transaction (if you are considering dual agency I strongly recommend not doing it, saying this after extensive research and experience).
This particular agent was nice enough to recognize our hesitancy about dual agency and gave the names/​numbers of a couple of brokers (Steve was one of them). I called them and some other recommended brokers. I trusted my gut and we went with Steve — he was very calm, self-​assured, and very knowledgeable about the process and the Montclair market. The characteristic about Steve that helped me trust him then and that I still appreciate today is his willingness to really explain everything that’s going on to you. He wants you to be as informed a buyer as possible — he takes the time to break down the pros and cons, teach you the process, explain why certain things should be done a particular way, etc. He gives you a ton of time and attention. He makes recommendations after knowing what you want, but he also pointed out various things that we just didn’t notice or care about initially. As just one example, he told us to avoid certain busy roads because of the noise, the resale value, and our two young children. We quickly got on board with that.
MOST IMPORTANTLY — He gave very, very good recommendations about what to offer on particular properties, knowing that it was a dangerous time in the market in terms of people overpaying on properties relative to their value. After we didn’t get the first few houses, we were admittedly frustrated but Steve remained firm. Like a parent who knows what’s best for their kids, he advised us to be patient — «don’t overpay. You will find your house and it will be the best one for you.» We decided to trust him and continued going through our offers. We later saw that the houses we offered on were in some cases going for 100−130K over their asking prices. Many of them required significant work.
Finally, it happened. Right before we went on a long vacation, several houses in our price range became available, and at the same time a house we were interested in just dropped their price to be within our range — in short, the timing was perfect for buyers’ attention to be divided between various properties. We saw the house with the price drop the next day and fell in love with it. To us, it was the best house and neighborhood we’d seen yet. Steve masterfully arranged the offer, helped expedite the attorney review, and called in a favor to arrange the inspection and oil tank search before our trip (we only had 5 days or so between the accepted offer and leaving for our trip).
Long story short: Steve was right. We ended up in a house we really love, and paid a GREAT price in a tough market. The bottom line for me is that I was able to trust Steve throughout the process — he knows exactly what he’s talking about, helps you understand everything, and is always looking out for your interests (even when YOU are feeling too frustrated to do so yourself!).
Steve has all the strengths of the best brokers, but his integrity is unparalleled.