Richard Verrier - Comox Valley / Courtenay REALTOR / Comox Real Estate Team

Five Star Service with a Very Unique and Infectious Laugh!

(Anna writing, this could get personal!)
Let me tell you about Richard… I’ve known Richard for over fifteen years. He’s one of my best friends and I know he’ll feel a little exposed by this bio (he has a shy side despite his hospitality background.)
Why does this matter to you?

Richard is the most dedicated REALTOR® I know.

Read on, I’m certain you’ll agree…

Richard worked as a Selling Partner with The Anna Jorgensen Team from 2006-2012 and continues to work with me (Anna, unlicensed Marketing Consultant) under the new umbrella Comox Real Estate Team. Richard moved to the Comox Valley from the hospitality scene in Vancouver in 2005 to work with me (though it was really just an excuse to take advantage of the Vancouver Island recreational lifestyle…hmm...) Anyway, after having worked many years behind a bar throwing bottles in the air a la Risky Business and waiting tables in top restaurants like Canoe Club on the waterfront in Granville Island and Provence in Yale Town, he’d had plenty of practice charming and persuading patrons to allow themselves to indulge. Richard LOVES people; and because that comes across, they love him.
Richard has an innate need to ensure the people he works with have the best experience possible when buying or selling a home and he truly, truly goes the extra mile. He’s a people pleaser. Yes, you’ve heard that before – but we’ve got evidence!

(Let’s be clear here, he goes the extra mile for clients; for friends, well… there’s only so much time in the day, see funny end note.)

The Evidence is Clear aka Some Real Life Real Estate Examples:
Richard’s version of early bird is rolling out of bed at the crack of 7:00am ish. He’s in the office by 9:00/9:30 every day and pretty much breathes real estate until he crashes in the evenings in front of his laptop browsing MLS® listings (what a geek!)

That’s the set up for our story…
Richard was working with really busy out of town clients (owned and ran a few businesses) who had a son attending North Island College and wanted to invest in real estate instead of paying rent while achieving an education. (Fortunate to have parents with the ability to do this!) They had only half a day to get a feel of the market and see how good of a deal the condo they’d discussed was. There was only one way – see it! Their 3:30pm flight turned into 5:30pm so Richard scrambled to rearrange his whole tour (not easy or fun as a last minute thing – cranky sellers and REALTORS®!), pick them up at the airport, show them condos (that they would either like or understand why he didn’t think they were appropriate – Richard knows the market), drop them off at the hotel (we’re at 9:30pm by now), pick them up at 5-5:30am (he couldn’t quite remember, too early and he probably only had one coffee), and take them back to the airport. They bought the original condo he recommended.

I can tell you one thing right now: Even when I used to show homes, I wouldn’t be driving you to the airport at 5:00am – and I’ve had two coffees by then!

“I feel if my clients can commit to investing time, and of course money, in real estate and working with me, I can commit to them…. I’ll be honest I did go back to bed after.”
Richard

Not convinced yet?
We had a house listed in the mid-range when competition was fierce; we got a short notice showing. Everyone in the household was at work so no one was able to take Buddy, the dog, out. Buyers need to be able to focus on the house not the owners over friendly dog (“He’s a real peach,” RV) and if possible never say “No” to a showing. Cut to next scene: Richard and Buddy go for a nice walk in the rain while the buyers view the property (They were with their REALTOR®.) (He also turned all the lights on, of course.)
Need more? You’re a toughy. Read on. This one is my favourite, it’s written in Richard’s words; I’ve done some grammatical editing… I’ve got to be good at something besides marketing…

“I had a young couple moving here from the mainland on a budget and although he was starting a new job in the Comox Valley he was only qualified for a limited amount but luckily there was still a lot of inventory in their price range. I broke down areas and each day were able to focus on houses that might work, then come up with a short list then decided which would be plan A, then plan B and so forth. I met them at a coffee shop grabbed some Americanos and off we went.
After the first day they were quite discouraged being on such a tight budget; they weren’t feeling any houses that we’d seen (it was only the first day and I knew we’d find something). Second day went in a little community that would be perfect for their lifestyle and has good value. Half way through the day we came to a listing with a low commission rate. (Anna, say what you have to say to keep us out of real estate jail.)

(A little side bar for you folks that don’t know how real estate works. We have something in real estate called the Competition Act which states regardless of ones business model everyone is entitled to have their property shown without bias regardless of commission payable. REALTORS® can go to real estate jail if they avoid these listings or try to set commission rates. Tsk tsk.)

Anyway, this alternative brokerage listing was on our tour and half way through the day we came upon this listing. I opened the door and before walking in knew this was the house for them. They walked in and after a short period they knew this was the house for them, too. I find most of the time people know with in a few minuets whether a home makes them feel good; everything else is just the details.
Summer is a busy time and my clients were staying/visiting Campbell River. Unfortunately their parents weren’t of the fax generation so I had a nice little trek to Campbell River several times to get signatures during the negotiations. (In real estate, verbal acceptances aren’t legal for a binding contract – only once all signatures or initials on any changes are present is it binding.) Due to lack of interest and time on market I was able to negotiate a great price for this home. I found a place that makes them feel good and now they can focus on the task at hand…enjoying the Island.
I take pride in the fact that I always work in the best interest of my clients and always try and help them achieve their goal whatever it may be. I ran into them at the airpark while we were all walking our dogs and they still love their home!”

Richard

It’s clear Richard will never let you down, he works in the best interest of his clients often at his own sacrifice. He’ll go out of his way to turn on lights, open windows for fresh air for vacant properties, returning later to make sure lights are out, windows closed. Part of the reason his service is so spectacular is because he still thinks there’s room for improvement. You tell me.
***
Some additional interesting things to know about Richard…
• He wears a suit and tie to work, he’s very professional (but add to that: big city jeans and fancy schmancy shoes - read: west coast chic.) Don’t expect a hug on your first meeting.
• He works every day, all year, but not all day. Because Richard puts ALL his energy into servicing his clients, he takes mini breaks to enjoy the gems of the Comox Valley and recharge his batteries. He often says, “Why would I go on holiday when life in the valley is a holiday?” (When he's not in a tie, he's in flip flops at the beach with his dog, Maggie, or on a snow board at Mt Washington.)
• You can call / text him any time direct on his cell 1-250-702-1063 anytime. Did we mentioned: ANY TIME?
• You can email him anytime and it goes to his cell richard@annajorgensen.com He replies quickly. His spelling is atrocious.
• When you get past the professional, yet warm, exterior, you’ll see the fun loving side and may hear the infamous and infectious laugh.

Closing scene:
Anna and Richard at Starbucks (our second office) talking in general (either about real estate, relationships or life in general):
Anna: “…but you’re not really that nice as a friend…” (I’d asked him to water my plant when I was away. After a lot of huffing and hesitation, he agreed. I had even dropped it off to him.)
Richard: surprised silence… contemplation… realization… infamous laugh - hug… Roll credits.

Testimonials