When we decided it was time to sell our house, we didn't have any existing relationships with any real estate agents, so we asked ourselves, "What would we be looking for if we were buying a house?" We had purchased and sold two houses previously, and in some cases had been confronted with some hardnosed real estate people. We decided that this time, we wanted someone with a lot of experience, someone who could fight for us. Of course, there are the usual real estate rags. However, these days, we tend to look at real estate online. Looking at web pages for houses close by our neighborhood, we found that Scott Williams seemed to have web pages which were clear, included a lot of pictures, and were easy to navigate. We also found that he had sold a number of properties in, or close to, our neighborhood, so it seemed as though he would know the market well.We contacted Mr. Williams via email, using the contact address on his web page, and he replied promptly, arranging a time to meet. I must admit, this was also somewhat of an additional test to see if we could work with him. Some people do not respond to email very quickly, but since we live our lives on the Internet and use email many times a day, quick responses via email was crucial. From the very beginning Mr Williams was very up front about the improvements our property would need. He gathered information for a market analysis, showing the asking and selling prices of comparable properties in the area and was able to give us a good idea of what price he thought we could obtain. He did, however, make it clear from the outset that in order to achieve this, we would need to make some improvements to the property, however his extensive experience in this area proved very useful. He has given seminars on exactly this topic: how to get at least 2:1 money back on your improvement dollars when selling!Mr Williams was right there with us from June 17th until October 23rd. He helped us select paint colors, cabinet finishes, ceiling finishes, carpet texture, style, and color, etc. We spent a lot of money improving the place, but he made sure that everything he requested was something which would pay off more than cost when it came to the selling price. A good example would probably be the kitchen. Many people would spend a lot of money to renovate the kitchen. In our case, Mr Williams determined that this would not work out and it would be better to leave the kitchen mostly intact, simply updating the hardware, and generally repainting them such that they are more "modernized".The house had some deferred maintenance and Mr Williams helped by contacting people to come out and handle it. In many cases, he would simply look into his list of people, call a few of them out, he would meet them at the house (with us present usually, but not always), collect bids, then pass it all by us for approval! It was incredibly useful to have an agent who would take control and get things done, but at the same time would constantly make sure he had our understanding and approval before spending our money! Since we were also looking for, and moving into, a house in another town far away, Mr. Williams had full access to the property, oversaw its fixing, and kept us constantly notified of expectations and timeframes, via email and phone. He seems willing to do whatever is needed in order to get the job done. He used DocuSign, which allowed us to sign documents without even being present. The man definitely knows how to make effective use of the Internet.In the end, Mr Williams ended up representing both the buyers and the sellers. We went back and forth with the buyers a number of times and it was clear that he was in a difficult position, having to think of what would be in the best interest of both parties at once while not giving away private communications with either party. He handled it very well, however, and we ended up settling in such a way that everyone felt that they were both giving something and getting something.I think the most important things to look for in a real estate agent today is someone who (1) can deal effectively with the modern technology we all have around us (web sites, cell phones, email, etc.); (2) can take charge and get things done, getting estimates, giving advice, handling all scheduling of multiple workers, etc.; and yet (3) while taking charge, will always keep you, the seller, constantly updated on everything that is happening, why it's happening, the causes of any delays, rescheduling, etc. Scott Williams handled all of these things well. It was an enormous weight lifted off of our shoulders when we saw the way he not only took charge but also always kept us informed. We would heartily recommend him to any else who wants to see the process of selling run like clockwork!