Hardworking

John Smyth was the real estate agent who was given the job of selling my father's house. He was hard working & committed as well as very knowledgable about property in the local area. He worked above & beyond the call of duty by allowing prospective buyers to view the house outside normal inspection hours. I was given clear advice & guidance throughout the entire sales process with constant updates. His attention to detail extended to preparing the property for sale, I would most certainly recommend him to others.

Liz Crumpton Seaforth

Enjoyable experience

John sold our house at 14 Audrey Street Balgowlah, and it is a pleasure to provide a reference as thanks for the wonderful service provided.

From the outset, he provided clear and realistic assessments of the market, demonstrating an excellent understanding of the sales potential in the Balgowlah area and its surrounds. This inside knowledge and passion for the local area instilled us with great confidence. Furthermore, John provided clear guidance as how to approach the marketing campaign, while showing great understanding of our decisions, so that at no stage did we feel under pressure. His attention to detail and ongoing communication as the campaign progressed were a testimony to his boundless energy.

To his credit, John went above and beyond the call of duty, helping to remove rubbish, paint the house, mow the lawn and supply tools as required, while using his relationships with local businesses to source furnishings at no cost.

Impressively, the advertising campaign gained maximum exposure, integrating extensive digital media whilst achieving feature articles in the local papers.

As a result of John’s efforts, we achieved a wonderful price for our property, and most importantly, enjoyed every step of the process. We would definitely entrust John with the sale of any future properties and recommend his agency and colleagues.

Belinda King & Adam Wood Balgowlah

Trustworthy

Dear John. Words just cannot express my gratitude!

I am at a loss – I am so very pleased that I chose you to effect the sale of my property at Seaforth in November this year!

You and your team are simply THE BEST! Sincerely – The campaign went remarkably well and you worked outside the normal realms of a real estate agent when it came to the feedback, community, assistance and updates! John, it’s been my pleasure having you on the case for the last few months. During this time I found you impeccably well mannered, reliable, trustworthy and honest. You possess a unique ability to achieve high results in your field of chosen work. Your communication skills are to be commended!

I will be recommending you to anyone who is seeking top quality and professional services! It has been a pleasure doing business with you and the team.

I cannot thank you enough for all that you did for me. I very much appreciated your effort.

Janet Link Seaforth

Attention to detail

During the sale period I was impressed with John’s energy and attention to detail. He always clearly and frequently communicated relevant information on the progress of the sale.

John consistently went well beyond what I would normally expect of a real estate agent’s duties and this resulted in a very satisfactory sales outcome for both myself, as vendor, and for the purchaser.

I feel sure that John, with his extensive knowledge of the Manly area will continue to have a flourishing and successful career in the real estate world.

Graeme Payne Balgowlah

Personable

John has single-handedly turned around my many real estate preconceptions. It has been an absolute pleasure to deal with John on the sale of my house, for many reasons. From my initial meeting with him to the successful completion of the sale, he has been both professional and personable; always persuasive but never pushy.

John maintained a steady presence during my early dithering Will I won’t I sell stage, and sprang into action once I was ready to move. He supported my plan for an off-market campaign, with some helpful suggestions.

Here are a few of my favourite moments:

• John balanced on a wheelie bin clearing out my gutters with the rain pouring down
• 20 boxes of books squeezed into the back of his car so prospective buyers wouldn’t think they were dealing with a demented hoarding librarian (even though they were)
• Painters, carpenters, cleaners, stylists all organised, wrangled and supervised while I was away on holidays
• A Clark Kent-like transformation into suited, briefcased real estate agent after a morning in shorts and boots, spent with the high pressure cleaner and a bucket of bleach helping clean the paths
• (Mostly) unsuccessful attempts by John to woo my cats, who remained resistant to his charms
• The satisfaction of an exchange of contracts (at a great price) less than one week after my first open house

I hate to sound like an ad, but John really is passionate about his work, knows the area (a local boy all his life) and is fantastic at selling houses.

Victoria Anderson Balgowlah

Deep knowledge

Recently we had to sell our family home which Mum and Dad built 65 years ago. After interviewing several agents we chose Stone’s at Seaforth for the task. From the moment John entered the door we sensed his love and deep knowledge of the Seaforth property market. His team were helpful whilst been mindful of our long memories of the home and the mixed emotions that lay ahead for us.

They were very dynamic and knowledgeable and made numerous suggestions on the presentation of the house and garden reflecting Mum’s pride in her home. They recommended a great stylist who used our existing furniture and furnishings to keep with the age and era of the home once a major declutter had occurred.

John would have to be the most enthusiastic professional who has a deep personal love for Salisbury Square. He worked well beyond his brief and no out of hours appointment was inconvenient for him. Throughout the sale he gave me and my other siblings via email constant feedback and kept us informed about the sale progress.

Thank you both for your professionalism and superb effort which earned us a wonderful result. As we said winners are grinners and we are still smiling.

Stephen Hartley Seaforth

Expert negotiator

Our relationship with John as our agent began just over a year ago when he literally talked his way into our house, a year before we put it on the market. In a bid to find us our perfect next home, John personally drove me around Seaforth and Balgowlah Heights showing me streets I never knew existed, despite having lived in the area for 6 years. He knocked on the doors of houses I liked even though they weren’t for sale and negotiated with vendors tirelessly. His trust in us laid the foundations for our trust in him and as we have come to know him better through the open and honest communications he has maintained at all hours, evenings and weekends included, our trust in him has solidified.

John has now literally met every member of our family and feels like family to us. His perseverance eventually paid off when we finally found our next home a year after meeting him and made our relationship with him official for the sale of our house.

He hit the ground running from the word go, organising everything we needed to make the house ready for market, from window cleaners to styling companies. When I was being completely OCD with the property furnishing company and pig headed with the stylists, John kept his cool and bridged the gap between our respective egos. He listened to me and sought to understand me even when I felt I was completely losing the plot.

In the middle of winter and a hung parliament, John aimed for the top price for a house and got it. His confidence stayed strong throughout the sales process and that confidence shone through to all prospective buyers.

I am certain other agents would not have had the same success. John’s passion for his work, belief in our home and exceptional negotiating skills were the reasons for our successful sale.

I would happily hire John as our agent in the future, and any person wishing to sell their property for the highest possible price would be wise to do the same.

Sue and Sez Erbag Seaforth

Marketing skills

I am very pleased to be writing this testimonial for John Smyth who has recently sold our Woodland St. Balgowlah Heights family home, in March 2016. The house had been owned by our family since 1949 and so was very dear to us. John has shown a full knowledge of the process of bringing a house to market and of completing the sale. Being raised locally he has a deep appreciation of the area and its great amenity, also having direct association with many of the families and businesses here. He was able to use all of this to successfully profile and market our home. During the preparation and sale of our home John was ready to answer any of my many questions. Always friendly and bringing plenty of energy to the task. Even physically lending a hand, out of suit! in his workman's clothes. John showed his strong marketing abilities identifying and targeting the likely buyers during the leadup to the auction and sale. Our family was very pleased with the auction result, outperforming similar properties sold by other agencies during the same time period.

David MacDonald Balgowlah Heights

In-depth knowledge

John Smyth has been the agent for the sale of our property at 11 Willawa Street, Balgowlah Heights. John had previously been providing useful advice prior to our signing an exclusive agency agreement with him. He is clearly an expert on the area and its property values.

As soon as we had begun the purchase of another property, John promptly began the process of putting our house on the market, and advertising material and inspection arrangements were in place as soon as possible. The marketing campaign proved to be very successful since over 30 parties inspected the house on the first opening and three firm offers were received subsequently. The best of these offers was accepted by us, so the house was effectively sold in the first week. John can take the credit for the speed of the process and the better than expected price. He has always been available to discuss issues and has kept us up to date with progress. We are very happy with his service and would recommend him to others.

Mike and Toni Stevenson Balgowlah Heights

Over delivers

John’s initial contact was out-of-the-blue and highly creative as our property was not listed for sale and contact details not readily available. Despite this John achieved contract exchange within 4-days of initial contact!

Such an impressive result is the mark of experience and determination, underscored by keen attention to detail and John’s personable abilities to expedite a process without being pushy.

He is an excellent communicator who tactfully and professionally managed all other stakeholder interests including tenants, building contractors and existing agent. John also facilitated a seamless legal process and remained attentive to all stakeholders post contract.

John has a high regard for matching buyers with suitable properties. He is a genuine service professional who under-sells and over-delivers, a rare and refreshing quality.

Jamie Quarrel & Amanda Gan Brookvale

Simply the best

John Smyth, to coin a phrase, IS SIMPLY THE BEST.

We started our search for a real estate agent some months before we needed to sell our family home of over 60 years. We interviewed five agents and gave each agent the same comprehensive series of questions after they toured our house. John took his time to appraise our house and get a feel for our home and its history.

He arrived with a detailed proposal for our marketing strategy. His research of the area and his extensive knowledge of its attractive attributes was unsurpassed by the other agents. This information was conveyed over a coffee and pastry supplied by John on his arrival. By now we were 99% convinced John was the agent we would chose.

So we visited another house he was marketing to see how he communicated with prospective buyers. To our eyes his excellent communication skills and easy rapport with potential buyers was the icing on the cake for making a decision - he had our property.

From day one John was attuned to who our buyers would probably be and marketed the property accordingly. He organised a coffee cart to welcome buyers to the property and provided Easter eggs and drinks for children coming through with their parents. He was constantly willing to go the extra mile for us from day one, often staying beyond the opening times for a few hours to chat to prospective buyers, unlike other agents who rush off after half an hour.

He offered us the use of a storage facility and trailer if we needed it. He even lent us his own plants to adorn our patios. As we cleaned up he even offered to help with rubbish removal. At one stage he was balanced precariously on a ladder over some stairs to change a light bulb as we prepared for a twilight photo shoot, always displaying his attention to detail.

John put in many hours over our campaign working tirelessly to promote the property, often taking potential buyers through after hours at twilight and at various times and days, and always with a phone call to keep us in the loop. As we approach our settlement day we can honestly say that John has made us feel like one of his family.

We will never use any other agent in future for our property needs and have no hesitation in recommending him and his team at The Madison Agency as we found them to be "SIMPLY THE BEST".

Should you wish to speak to me personally in regard to the service we received from The Madison Agency, John can supply my mobile number.

Suzanne Copp Balgowlah Heights

Commitment

'Beginning with the end in mind' would appropriately describe John's approach to achieving our family's objective of moving to a neighbouring suburb. John's unwavering commitment to the task ensured that we were not diverted from our course. This was at a time when there were many distractions (new jobs, new schools) and some noise of market headwinds to contend with.

John's incredible in-depth knowledge of the local market (through growing up in the area and during his time as a real estate agent) meant that he is in touch with the demographic profiles of potential buyers and can cleverly describe their attributes and what they look for in a property. John is also able to give frank, open and honest feedback about your own property and the alternatives that buyers will consider. This 'eyes-wide-open' approach meant that we were aligned from the beginning of our interactions.

We had a great campaign supported by a realistic amount of media investment and some helpful and constructive styling hints and tips that did not overhaul the way that we lived.

Constant communication is definitely 'a thing' for John - not too much, not too little - just very regular. Updates on campaign progress and developments with potential buyers came daily (sometimes more frequent than that).

We are absolutely convinced that it has been John's experience, inputs and counsel that has seen us get where we want to be. We would have no hesitation in recommending John to friends, family or anyone else who was thinking about selling their property.

Thanks should also go to Mandy for sharing John's time - when we needed it the most!

Simon & Rachel Balgowlah

Above & beyond

After a purchase of a larger family home in the area we considered several agents to handle our sale of our existing family home. We selected John because of the hunger he displayed for the listing, his ‘always on’ passion for real estate, and his unrivalled knowledge of the area and the lifestyle it brings. John has lived in the area all his life and can tell you a story about every house in every street.

From the outset he identified the attributes and features of our home as well as all the reasons why another family would cherish our home. We felt he had absolute ‘belief’ in the quality of the property and the price it deserved.

John worked above and beyond the expected role of a property agent assisting us throughout the entire process from preparation right through to settlement. John "owned it".

No job or detail was too big or small and we had a sense of team and partnership with John throughout out the process. The campaign and presentation is testament to his attention to detail.

His hard work and commitment to the process reflected in a seamless campaign and achieved a record price for the street. We had a great experience with John and his team and recommend him to anyone selling their property.

Bill & Emma Burton Clontarf

Energy & passion

In May 2105, we appointed John Smyth as agent to manage the sale of our recently renovated home in Bellevue St Fairlight.

A significant factor in the selection of John to represent the sale of our property was John’s extensive knowledge of the local area, his appreciation of the inherent attributes and quality of our property, combined with the opportunity to take advantage of John’s existing relationships with active buyers of similarly priced property that could immediately be introduced to our sale. Equally, John’s energy and passion to achieve an outstanding result were attributes that compelled us to appoint John ahead of other agents.

On appointment, John went above and beyond in assisting us to present the property to ensure it was appropriately positioned for the target buyer market. John’s attention to detail was reflected in all aspects of the campaign preparation including styling advice, the coordination of a thorough marketing campaign and the seamless execution of the advertising and on-line promotion of the property. John provided continuous advice and guidance throughout the entire sales process, always maintaining a clear line of communication regarding buyer feedback and handling the final sale negotiation in a professional and expedient manner.

To our delight, John was able to conclude a sale in less than a week, with a buyer he was able to refer to the property from prior listings, achieving an amazing price that exceeded the upper level of our expectations.

We would have no hesitation in recommending John as a committed, hardworking and trustworthy professional real estate agent, to any prospective vendors.

Greg & Annette Paddison Fairlight

Unrivalled knowledge

My wife and I first met John and his wife Mandy at a property they were selling in Balgowlah Heights. I was immediately impressed by John’s energy and local area insight. As it turned out, we went on to purchase this property and then based on our positive experience dealing with John selected his business, The Madison Agency, to sell our home.

From the very beginning we were impressed by John’s guidance, enthusiasm, as well as his unrivalled knowledge of the area. John went above and beyond in assisting us to prepare the property to maximize its appeal for the target buyer market. He identified the attributes and features of our home and instantly understood the appeal our home would have to different buyer groups. We felt he had absolute ‘belief’ in our home and most importantly he was confident in achieving the price which had been estimated.

John exceeded our expectations of a real estate agent assisting us throughout the entire process and keeping us clearly informed with daily communication along the way. We had a sense of team and partnership and always felt that we were John’s priority. The marketing campaign and professional branding through to the open home materials were all testament to his attention to detail.

To our delight, John was able to complete the sale before auction and achieved an amazing price that exceeded the upper level of our expectations. In a nutshell, we had a wonderful experience with John and the team and would recommend The Madison Agency to anyone buying or selling their property.

Nicholas & Angela Page Balgowlah Heights

The local expert

LONG VERSION TO COME :p

Loyal

Compassionate, energetic, loyal – I can’t find enough adjectives to describe John and the help he gave our family at a very difficult time. My elderly father had befriended him many years ago while down at the Point watching the sailing, and he had asked him to look after the sale of his house when he was gone. John kept that promise and delivered in spades.

I was given the job of organizing things. I was in a state of total grief and didn’t know where to start: 70 years in the family is a long time for a house, and the place had accumulated a lot of both wonderful memories and clutter. I met with John and his wife Mandy and they immediately put me at ease. John went above and beyond the call of duty in helping to prepare the house for sale; he even raced up to Bunnings on a Saturday morning (and didn’t even stop to buy a sausage) to buy a hose reel and attach it to the wall!

The result at auction was one of the best sales on the Northern Beaches that weekend—and this in a depressed market! We were thrilled and relieved, and John even managed to find us lovely buyers who we know will care for our beloved family home.

John’s love of his work shines through in everything he does, so I’m not surprised that he’s one of the leading agents in the area.

Thank you so very much, John and Mandy, for all your help. John, there will always be a beer waiting in the fridge for you at our place!

Raynall Sim Balgowlah Heights

Supportive

HE PROMISED ME THE WORLD!!! AND HE DELIVERED!!!

I cannot speak highly enough of the amazing support and service we received from John Smyth and his wife Mandy in the sale of our property in Woodland St, Balgowlah.

The personal attention to detail, keeping me informed and discussing the whole process meant that I felt that I always knew what was going on and that I was in charge of the process at all times. John's knowledge of the local market and lack of bullshit meant that I felt I had the big picture and was being realistic in the current circumstances.

The help with getting my house ready for sale was absolutely priceless. I simply could not have done it without John's hands on support: buying light fittings, taking away garbage, and cleaning out my garage!!! The unfailing enthusiasm and positivity, building a strong and mutual rapport with my buyer so that all negotiations were fair and friendly also removed emotional stress from the situation.

John appearing with coffee, chatting to my son about sport, being so completely hands on was also completely professional at all times and I felt in extremely competent hands. I truly cannot recommend him highly enough.

Aurora Hammond Balgowlah Heights

Genuine

Honest, reliable, trustworthy & highly passionate. John is enthusiastic and consistently delivers exceptional customer service like no other. He goes above and beyond and beyond again to meet both our requirements.

We purchased our property through John back in 2015 and was so taken back by his authentic communication and outstanding customer service, so when we decided to lease our property in 2020 we contacted him on a Sunday afternoon via email only to get a call back within an hour to get the ball rolling. We required to lease the property quite quickly and John came to the rescue (working whilst on his family holidays over Christmas), assisting us with advice on the market, ways to increase our leasing value, styling the property and even helping sell and deliver some of our furniture.

He loves his job and it really shows, he was always available and promptly responded to any queries throughout the whole process. He was raised on the Northern beaches and has in depth knowledge about the local area & market. We have peace of mind that our beloved home is in good hands, with suitable tenants and will be taken care of.

We recommend John to anyone who is selling or leasing in the Seaforth & Balgowlah area. You will not find another devoted real estate agent quite like John and your future customer service standards will be raised.

Lisa Nott Balgowlah