What Realtor Adam Garrett Offers Central & Eastern Virginia Buyers
- Adam Garrett
- Apr 8, 2023
- 31 min read
Updated: Oct 14
In this article, I wanted to go over what I offer buyers, point by point, as well as a bit of information about me. Numbers below are based on what other individual associate brokers or individual agents have that I am aware of, based on my research.
About Adam in Brief
I serve full-time at Garrett Realty Partners & have since May 2014 when I started in the marketing department before transitioning to sales in February 2015. I have received awards for volume 5 years in the Outstanding Salesmanship Club of my office's primary local association of Realtors (VPAR). That includes a year where I did over $8,000,000 in sales resulting in me receiving the gold award for volume in VPAR and HRRA. However, throughout my career I have prioritized unmatched service and offerings over sales volume. That helps to explain how I put together the most comprehensive list of programs to reduce home costs in Hampton Roads before my 1st volume award. Today I am pleased to have available a number of unmatched offerings and resources for buyers and sellers those in SE VA across the 5 MLS I have access to.
I serve throughout 757 and 804.
Family & Legacy:
My family has been in VA since the 17th century. I was born in SE VA & have been here most of my life. I am married & my wife and I have a son. I am a 3rd generation Realtor, from a line of award-winning Realtors from my grandmother to my father. My grandmother & father's position in VPAR gave each the Emerald award, achieved only after 20 years in the Outstanding Salesmanship Club (OSC). There was only 1 award recipient of the Emerald Award in 2020. For a number of years, my father was number 1 in the VPAR OSC. My father has trained me well. He has had a higher sales volume than anyone in many SE VA cities for over 20 years. In 1 year he sold more than a house a day, & here's a recent example of his activity.
Education:
It can be very beneficial to work with a buyer's agent who is both good with words & numbers. I scored in the top 2% of people the year I took the SAT in math & scored an 80/80 in writing skills on the PSAT. I am a graduate of Gloria Dei Luthern School (Elementary School in Hampton), Hampton Roads Academy (Newport News), have a bachelor's from Wheaton College (IL), a master's from Regent University (Virginia Beach), & am a graduate of the Moseley School of Real Estate.
To see more about me, click here.
Unmatched Digital Resources for Buyers in Central & Eastern VA
Whether you're looking at this website, my locally (in SE VA) unmatched purchase considerations spreadsheet, my unmatched House Issues by Year page, my unmatched offer considerations spreadsheet, my locally unmatched buyer's guide, purchase needs, area guide, crime guide, or what to do right after ratifying a contract in most of SE VA, I offer incredible educational resources for buyers not available elsewhere. I also don't mind sharing about where to find resources on competing agents' websites so that I'm not reinventing the wheel, such as HOA disclosures & Neighborhoods around Williamsburg.
With access to 5 MLS, and with dozens of hours spent working on detailed search templates, many hours spent on resources that can inform searches like this one (unmatched) for public school districts, and this one (also unmatched) going over city/county differences in SE VA, you'll be able to get a fantastic search setup and the digital tools for expeditious showings.
$1k Guarantee:
If someone were to statistically demonstrate that I am wrong regarding the claim in the title to being unmatched for agents in SE VA on holistic digital resource offerings to buyers (not just 1 niche, i.e. neighborhoods or elements of a home), see the $1k guarantee details in the section below.
Unmatched Central & Eastern VA Programs to Reduce Home Cost
While low income 1st-time buyers have the most options, even cash buyers aren't excluded from some programs.
Here is a small portion of those programs that I've made public:
10+ Types of No Down Payment Required Mortgages
Good Neighbor Next Door Program (50% off homes)
I'm so confident that my list is unmatched that I offer the following guarantee, without anyone ever taking me up on it:
My list of programs to reduce home cost, is so comprehensive that I guarantee that it is the biggest in SE VA by offering $1,000 to anyone who can show me a bigger list. See the $1k guarantee details in the section below.
Unmatched Central & Eastern VA Offer Considerations Spreadsheet
I believe that my offer considerations spreadsheet takes buyers into more considerations regarding a home purchase offer in a more resource-integrated way than anyone in SE VA. The spreadsheet is also smart, where a number of answers shift future answers, i.e. answering 1 question about an offer type being not used near the top of the questions weeds out questions unique to that offer type, if applicable, and answering a question near the top about mortgages can weed out mortgage questions for cash buyers. Likewise, some of the first questions include the level of detail that a buyer wants to get into, where those seeking less details have the option if desired by answering a few questions that pre-populate future questions to "Adam" that a buyer can change later if they don't like it on the offer before the offer is submitted.
I'm so confident that my offer spreadsheet is the most comprehensive that I offer the following guarantee, without anyone ever taking me up on it:
My questions for offer spreadsheet is so comprehensive that I guarantee that it is the most comprehensive in SE VA by offering $1,000 to anyone who can show me a list with more considerations or with more resources covering a wide range of potential offer topics. See the $1k guarantee details in the section below.
Unmatched Central & Eastern VA Buyer's Guide
I believe that my House Buyer Guide takes buyers from start to finish in the home buying process in a more comprehensive & resource-integrated way than anyone in SE VA. Here are a sampling of the >100 articles I've created & integrated into it in rough chronological order, most of which have expandable sections so that buyers can quickly navigate between a variety of topics that they want to know more about without having to do too much scrolling:
Below are a sampling of those articles:
Pre Showings:
Long-Term Financial Preparations for a Home Purchase & How Adam Can Help
Credit Boosting Meeting with Adam
What do Buyers Need to Purchase a Home?
The Importance of Choosing a Great Buyer's Agent
What to Look for in a Buyer's Agent for Your Home or Other Real Estate
Options When Buying & Selling at the Same Time
SE VA City Information & Real Estate Property Info
Things to Do in SE VA Locations
Initial Buyer Consultation w/ Adam Garrett: 3rd Generation Realtor®
Tips for Search Creation with Your Agent
What to do After Your Agent Activates Your Search
Showings-Contract:
Home Elements to View Online Prior to a Showing Request
Below & Above Asking Price Offers
Buyer Ratified Contract! Now What?
What Buyers Should Do After Home Inspection Contingency Is Removed
Responsibilities & Inspector Options Including Deadlines Template for REIN & VAR Offers
Preparing for Closing:
Utilities List for SE VA (Primarily Hampton Roads)
When to Perform a Walk Through Inspection
Post Closing:
Next Steps for Buyers After Closing
Cost Guide to Repairs & Remodeling
I'm so confident that I offer the following guarantee, without anyone ever taking me up on it:
My buyer's guide is so comprehensive that I guarantee that it is the most comprehensive in SE VA by offering $1,000 to anyone who can show me a bigger list. See the $1k guarantee details in the section below.
Unmatched Central & Eastern VA Home Purchase Considerations
I believe that my Master Spreadsheet for Prospective Home Purchase Considerations takes buyers into more considerations regarding a prospective home purchase in a more resource integrated way than anyone in SE VA. The guide is meant to be personalized to buyers I serve, where criteria that don't apply to a prospective home purchase should be deleted in the respective column to streamline the buyer's true considerations based on their personal preferences, with the most important items shifted to the left of the spreadsheet.
Here is a small sampling of some of the resources I've created & integrated into it:
Manufactured, Modular, & Mobile Homes
Public School Districts in Hampton Roads & The Surrounding Area of SE VA
Hurricane Evacuation Zones & Local Flood Zone Projections
I'm so confident that I offer the following guarantee, without anyone ever taking me up on it:
My Master Spreadsheet for Prospective Home Purchase Considerations is so comprehensive that I guarantee that it is the most comprehensive in SE VA by offering $1,000 to anyone who can show me a list with more considerations or with more resources covering a wide range of topics. See the $1k guarantee details in the section below.
Unmatched Central & Eastern VA Area Guide
My unmatched Central & Eastern VA area guide goes over a wide variety of area factors that can be highly informative for a buyer being guided through the process of a purchase & wondering where to buy.
$1k Guarantee:
If someone were to statistically demonstrate that I am wrong regarding the claim in the title to having the most comprehensive area guide regarding a broad range of area factors in Central & Eastern VA, see the $1k guarantee details in the section below.
Unmatched Central & Eastern VA Offer Considerations Spreadsheet
While some buyers prefer for me to go over it with them orally, and some prefer to go over it in writing, as long as there's substantive time to go through it rather than going directly to the offer, my standard operating procedure for offers includes an offer considerations spreadsheet that integrates:
Multiple of options of detail to choose from at the beginning of the form that impacts what questions are asked.
Multiple offer types
Smart answers where 1 answer sometimes answers multiple additional questions when something doesn't apply
Numerous situations
Options not found as default provisions within the contracts
Built in additional info in places & hyperlinks to pertinent forms & additional information
Unmatched Central & Eastern VA Weather Hazard Guide to Help You Narrow Location & Paid First Street Subscription for Property Specific Flood Risk Data & More
My guide includes information on a wide range of weather-related potential hazards, filled with maps and resources from a number of sources, from FEMA to maps that I created (i.e. a US map of months 68+ water temperature), & many more.
First Street has some of the best data available for flood information & many other weather-related hazards that can influence your house location choice. I pay for their monthly subscription so that I can have data that you won't find in any other agent that I know of, even after using a tool like Chat GPT to do some digging to see if other agents in SE VA publicly shared that they had a subscription.
Why I think it's unmatched?
I thought it was unmatched before I asked Chat GPT, but to confirm, I asked Chat GPT a question that included a minimum time requested for research: "Do any agents or brokers in SE VA have anything that can come close to this for helping to determine where to move based on weather hazards?"
Its response included, "After a deep dive, I couldn’t find any SE-VA agent or brokerage that publishes anything as broad and decision-oriented as your Environmental Area Guide. A few agents touch flood zones, evacuation zones, or “flood-prone neighborhoods,” but they’re narrow (usually FEMA basics or a single blog/video) and don’t synthesize multi-hazard data into move-decision guidance the way you do."
Chat GPT also wasn't aware of any broker or agent in SE VA with a First Street subscription.
(Unheard of) Matterport 3D virtual tours for Buyers w/ Matterport Pro 3 of House Interior & House Exterior
I offer Matterport 3D tours for buyers and sellers. If a 3D tour is present, but doesn't include the house exterior in 3D format (they don't typically), Adam can do one.
Conditions:
House under contract with my buyer clients
If the buyer(s) is out of town & has never physically seen the house in a showing in person
If no 3D tour is available from the seller
Requires seller/listing agent permission for Adam to do one
The buyer would like one
The buyer has substantive functional utility for the tour (i.e. during the home inspection period or prior to hiring people for renovating )
The exterior 3D tour includes the house perimeter & and any other structures considering being purchased within 100 feet of the house. Beyond 100 feet, only structures valued at $1k or more will be shot, the structures must be accessible to be shot, and separate tours may be created.
Free under typical circumstances; 50% off my already competitive Matterport rates (see Matterport link above) if acquiring the tour for the purpose of advertising it to prospective tenants.
(Unheard of) Audio Recording Availability for In-Person Buyer Showings
One of the benefits of being "exceptionally honest" in the words of a former buyer client in a review, is that it lowers an agents' liability for encouraging audio recording of what they say in showings & actively doing that every time if the buyer wants you to.
Having an audio recording of a showing can be very beneficial if:
Considering an offer and wanting to listen to the recording again after the showing
Weighing 2 top tier potential properties to choose from to make an offer when it's hard to decide after many showings.
The seller or listing agent has denied the ability for me or the buyer to shoot video, particularly in cases where one buyer is present and one is not present or in cases where Adam goes to places in the absence of the buyer (i.e. a scuttle access attic without a floor)
Trying to remember something that was said in a showing that might be important
Top .1% Local Video Showings
I offer top .1% video showings for buyers from a combination including but not limited to the following:
Top 5% buyer feedback - my showing style that some describe as a hybrid between a real estate and a home inspector (though I'm not certified in any way as a home inspector, though on at least one occasion I pointed out more negatives than the buyer's home inspector with the seller for new construction fixing more things on my longer list than the inspector's short list)
Top 5% research prior to showings
Newer Samsung Galaxy Ultra 5-G (25 in 2025) for live recordings
Second Samsung Galaxy Ultra 5-G (22 in 2025) for simultaneous dedicated recordings, which is higher quality than the live recordings and extremely beneficial if the signal isn't good for the live recording
Stabilizer and attachments for external lights and both phones
30' pole for camera
A few borascopes
Thermal imaging camera
Mavic Air 2 drone
Ipad Pro for viewing Mavic Air 2 & for viewing pole camera
Reportedly second most powerful flashlight sold (Immalent MS-18) to make the night like the day & a smaller version that's the brightest for its smaller size
Prior college-level full-semester course in documentary studies
Plenty of experience with video showings since 2015
Providing buyers tips for video showings
$1k Guarantee:
If someone were to statistically demonstrate that I am wrong regarding the claim in the title to being in the top .1% of agents for buyer holistic education about a property via showing with video in Eastern & Central VA, see the $1k guarantee details in the section below.
Top .1% Local Agent/Broker Publication on Real Estate: Credit & Financial Resources
In this article I link a number of resources & information I have regarding credit &/or finances available for those looking to purchase, rent, sell, or be a landlord.
Finances Generally
Credit
Real Estate Type Differences: Homes, Commercial, Land, & More
Buyers
Mortgages & Reducing Purchase Costs
Sellers, Landlords, & Other Owners
Tenants
Homeless
Other
Top 1%: Availability for Buyer Drone Footage
When I do it:
It's part of my standard requests for buyers if they'd like it to be for houses sitting on over 2 acres.
It's also something that I do sometimes when a property is under contract for a buyer and the buyer has never seen the property in person and won't be present for the home inspection
I also often do it at the walk-through inspection, whether inspecting the roof if roof repairs were concessions & the buyer doesn't want to get the home inspector back for a 2nd inspection or whether the buyer wants a picture of the house or the house with them from the air to share with others.
In some cases, for buyers who aren't in the area, I'll do some drone footage of the neighborhood if there's one they're really thinking about.
It's also helpful for getting an idea of what it would look like kayaking in the middle of a lake if a neighborhood allows boating
Requirements:
Permission from the seller/listing agent
In some cases, permission from the association
In some cases, FAA Airspace Clearance (particularly in locations where manual approval takes longer than a week)
Meeting other legal requirements
Top 1% Physical Resources for Buyers
The physical tools and gadgets I have for buyers include some basics that I believe all buyer's agents should have and include some more niche items that can be a fantastic resource to buyers. The right physical tools can mean the difference of making an offer or not. I have invested thousands of dollars into the right equipment for real estate that most Realtors never see the value in investing in. The drone I mentioned earlier, for instance, can be viewed by buyers while I'm flying it with an Ipad Pro that I also purchased new this year at the time of this writing. My phone, this year's best Samsung Galaxy as of 2025, is another example. I have the brightest flashlight on the market at the time of this writing, which is especially helpful for showings in the dark (whether looking in a crawl space, doing an early or late showing, or going into a property with no electricity). Other examples of my tools/gadgets available, whenever I'm performing showings without prior request, include a thermal imaging camera, 2 sizes of Gorilla ladders (ideal for identifying old & broken HVACs located in attics with scuttle access only), portable 2nd & 3rd screens for my laptop (which can be very helpful when we're physically together if looking at properties online or otherwise), outlet tester, electric meter, boots (can mean the difference between a very muddy property being walkable or not), headlamp, toolbox, laser measurer (helpful when considering furniture typically, and in 1 case I identified a room improperly labeled as a bedroom due to the sq ft being below minimum VA standards), moisture meter, & more.
$1k Guarantee:
If someone were to statistically demonstrate that I am wrong regarding the claim in the title to being in the top 1% of agents for physical resources for buyers in Central & Eastern VA VA, see the $1k guarantee details in the section below.
6 MLS Across a Large Coverage Area (top 3% in Central & Eastern VA), the Best MLS Coverage Map in Central & Eastern VA & Transparent Coverage Map
Most agents only have access to 1 or 2 MLS, in cases where subscriptions only cover 1 or 2, while I have access to 4 directly and 2 more indirectly. That means that I can help buyers searching over a larger coverage area more effectively in an area like SE VA where there are so many MLS. I also have a transparent Coverage Map of where I can help buyers based on price & MLS access.
I provide:
1. Access for buyers to up to 6 MLS
2. The data to show which cities/counties in the area are primary to each. Here is a list of which MLS are used most by which city in the area & here is an article on MLS explaining the importance of MLS & other details for buyers and sellers.
Here are my MLS:
Northern Neck (NE),
Central Virginia Regional (W - indirectly),
Chesapeake Bay & Rivers Association of Realtors (E),
Williamsburg (central),
Real Estate Information Network (SE)
BRIGHT MLS (N)
See my coverage map page for more details including exceptions where I may go beyond the map pictured below & the price range minimums I typically cover. For those outside of my standard coverage, I can often provide a quality referral for those seeking to buy or sell property >$40k.
Adam’s cities/counties covered include:
Amelia County,
Charles City County,
Chesapeake,
Chesterfield County,
Colonial Heights,
Dinwiddie County,
Essex County,
Franklin,
Gloucester County,
Goochland County,
Hampton,
Hanover County,
Henrico County,
Hopewell,
Isle of Wight County,
James City County,
King William County,
King & Queen County,
Lancaster County,
Mathews County,
Middlesex County,
New Kent County,
Newport News,
Northumberland County,
Nottoway County,
Petersburg
Poquoson,
Portsmouth,
Powhatan County,
Prince George County,
Richmond (City of),
Richmond County,
Southampton County,
Suffolk,
Surry County,
Sussex County,
Virginia Beach,
Williamsburg,
York County,
$1k Guarantee:
If someone were to statistically demonstrate that I am wrong regarding the claim in the title to being in the top 3% of agents in Central & Eastern VA for the number of available MLS, see the $1k guarantee details in the section below.
Top 5% Buyer Showing Feedback
I provide top 5% buyer showing feedback through a combination of:
Top 1% physical tools and gadgets for showings
Top 1% digital showing tools (i.e. water heater year identification & private HVAC/AC identification)
Top 5% research prior to showings
Exploring areas often not touched by buyer's agents (i.e. exploring attics sometimes w/ no floor & w/ scuttle access only, peek in crawlspace w/ brightest flashlight sold and access at times, etc. combined w/ ability to identify ages of AC/HVAC/Water Heater)
Highly candid & highly informed nature of feedback, including significantly greater feedback on cons than typical agents, as well as many examples of pros when present, including a number of matters that are outside of the scope of inspectors (i.e. flood related issues & many more)
Top 1% research prior to showings
My buyer feedback is so thorough that on at least 1 occasion, I pointed out more actual negatives than the home inspector that the seller took care of on a new construction property. That thoroughness means a lower likelihood of surprises at the time of the home inspection & a lower likelihood of buyers wasting their money on a contract that will eventually fall through due to the volume of surprises after the home inspector comes along.
When you have more than 1 agent at competing firms saying that you've provided them one of the best feedback responses they've ever heard in their career, all of which you shared with the buyers before, you know you're doing something right for buyers as well.
Here are some examples of quotes from listing agents at other firms who I didn't know:
1. That may be the absolute best feedback response I have ever received. Show our listings ANYTIME! Thank you!
2. Wow!! Very thorough!!
3. Wow! Thank you for the informative feedback Adam!
4. Wow.... this is the most detailed feedback and is appreciated (smile/hug emoji)
5. I have to say that is one of the best review feedback ever in my real estate career. Thank you Adam.
Related:
$1k Guarantee:
If someone were to statistically demonstrate that I am wrong regarding the claim in the title to being in the top .1% of agents in SE VA for buyer showing feedback on average for my showings, see the $1k guarantee details in the section below.
Top 5% Research Prior to Showings
My thorough buyer survey where buyers may fill out a low volume of required information (verbally with me or with a form) or a more detailed volume of information that can better inform the questions that I ask listing agents and the items that I look for in the listing prior to scheduling a showing
My heavy research into a wide variety of topics that many agents simply don't have the time for, i.e. my unmatched my master spreadsheet of home purchase considerations,
My showing spreadsheet templates that I've created within various MLS that are likely top 1% by themselves with the primary MLS I serve
I've developed a top 1% spreadsheet of questions to ask listing agents prior to showings based on various scenarios
I can also set up some fantastic searches to reduce the amount of research needed, i.e. where I spent a few dozen hours to relatively closely copy hurricane evacuation zones across a few MLS, a USDA map, hub zones, etc.
I also educate buyers on how I'm legally limited where it's important to do their own research, and show buyers how to do that themselves.
I also educate buyers better than most on issues like:
My buyer feedback starts with clients before I ever show them a property. In some cases, that feedback rules out a house before it's ever shown based on that which the buyer didn't see. For instance, on one occasion, a buyer I was working with informed me that she really liked a listing and at the same time that she was literally headed to the airport to catch a plane to see the property with me. She emailed me (please text if you're in this situation for my fastest responses), and I texted her starting less than 20 minutes later with 3 pictures from my screen from riskfactor.com specific to the property along with the simple question, "Hi ____, I hope that you are doing well. Are you sure that you are OK with the flood zone situation at ____?" That was it. She responded, "Hi Adam that's a game changer for me, I probably should wait and look at something else..." She never got on a plane because of that quick online research.
$1k Guarantee:
If someone were to statistically demonstrate that I am wrong regarding the claim in the title to being in the top 1% of agents in SE VA for research of homes prior to showings buyer showing feedback on average for my showings, see the $1k guarantee details in the section below. The 1 exclusion here is property value, since I typically go through comparable sales after a showing prior to offer if a buyer expresses interest in an offer based on the showing & the buyer would like to know about value, a question in my offer spreadsheet with buyers. That said, there have been a number of times where I've pointed to value problems. My research is isolated to certain critical elements I check, and my short term memory is not above average, so my research by no means indicates that I will know more generally speaking about a property (i.e. age of the home, # of beds and baths, etc.) than 99% of agents, though I'll often ask agents questions other agents won't ask, & I'll often ask buyers about potential deal-breakers in a way that many agents will not, even if another agent might know more generally about a property in terms of details like beds and baths that they remember from the listing. My research is focused more on the less obvious that could be more problematic for the buyer and could kill a showing before it starts so the buyer doesn't waste their time. It's also focused on factors like existing offers, nature of existing offers if available, etc.
$1k Guarantees for Metrics in Titles Above
I'd like to back the numerical statistical claims in titles above by providing a guarantee on them that is available to any real estate agent, buyer, seller, lender, or other party who can prove me wrong statistically. by offering $1,000 to anyone who can show me that I'm mathematically inaccurate in that claim. I've never had any takers, do some independent research at times to create datasets for some of my claims on various data sets that many agents assume do not exist (i.e. this one comparing 6 MLS in Central & Eastern VA), and scored in the top 2% in math on the SAT, but whether you're a lender, buyer, another agent in the area, or otherwise, you're eligible for $1k per claim if you can show me that I'm statistically wrong (without someone copying or integrating my content when the claim is regarding my content volume).
When I say "unheard of" it's at the time of adding it (8/18/25). I hope that more agents do it in the future. This guarantee doesn't apply unless it can be statistically demonstrated that over .1% of agents in any MLS of my coverage area do it.
Additional Offerings/Details:
Past 1 Year Sales Volume as High as the Top 3% of Buyers Agents in the Area
My annual sales volume has put me as high as being in the top 3% of buyers agents in REIN, the primary MLS of the largest cities/counties in SE VA and a number of surrounding areas in SE VA. While I mostly work with buyers, my combined sales volume in a year has been as high as over $8,000,000 with 28 transactions in that year (2020). As of January 2025 I have received awards for volume 5 years.
That said, I'm a quality over quantity person, focusing far more time on developing resources for buyers and sellers than most, as you'll see on this website. Educated clients make the best decisions. My focus on quality helps to explain how I put together the most comprehensive list of programs to reduce home costs in Hampton Roads before my 1st volume award. The year I did that high of sales volume (2020), the number of new resources I developed was lower than any other year, because there's only so much time in the year. Since then & in the years I've been an agent before then, I've focused more time on resource development so that what I can offer my clients can exceed that of other agents even further, and faster. Most of my published content on this website wasn't present in 2020, & my unpublished content isn't as user friendly with drop-downs as my published content. Often the resources I develop are in response to the needs of the buyers and sellers I serve. What I can provide buyers is getting better every year, but by not pursuing too high of volume, it can get better faster, and the number of unmatched or top 1% offerings I have can increase.
While many options have been advanced since 2022, here are examples of offerings initially made available after 2021, with 2021 being my second highest sales volume year and where I received the Virginia Peninsula Association of Realtors gold award, with non-linked options below being linked above as well as article publication count by year:
2021 & prior (never 50 or more articles/pages published in 1 year likely, w/ likely 20 or less in 2020 & 2021 combined)
2022 (3rd highest sales volume year; over 50 articles published)
November 2022: Publicly Visible Version of Central & Eastern VA Home Purchase Considerations (The May 2021 version of this spreadsheet wasn't public & likely wasn't unmatched, & it gets better every year)
2023: (over 150 articles published)
April 2023: Publication of 10+ Types of No Down Payment Required Mortgages
June 2023: Southeast/Central Virginia House Buyer Guide
August 2023: Real Estate: Credit & Financial Resources
September 2023: Advice When Buying & Selling at the Same Time
2024: (over 60 articles published; my son was born in January of this year & I began performing 3D neighborhood tours this year, completing 3)
April 2024: Weather Hazard Guide to Help You Narrow Location
April 2024: Central & Eastern VA Area Guide
May 2024: Military Resources, Freebies & Discounts w/ SE VA PCS Integration
July 2024: I produced my 1st multi-format premium video for a house listing I was selling
August 2024: Low or No Credit Mortgages
July 2024: Boosting Credit for Mortgages & Tenants
2025: (I began learning & working with AI extensively midway through this year to expand the options available on my website & for my clients, including developing code with AI for the 1st time; I also did more with 3D neighborhoods this year than the prior year)
April 2025: 3D neighborhood amenity tours go live on my website for the 1st time, enabling buyers to explore neighborhood amenities like never before
August 2025: Matterport 3D virtual tours for Buyers w/ Matterport Pro 3 of House Interior & House Exterior
August 2025: Virginia Map Guides
Dozens of Reviews & List of values as evidenced by reviews
Click here to see my dozens of reviews.
Click here to see my list of values as evidenced by quotes from reviews beside each of the following values:
Staying Available
Working Hard
Saving Clients Money
Keeping Clients' Interests First
Client Educator (See also my extensive website that includes enough content I've written to fill a book)
High Ethical Standards Including Integrity
Excellence
Experience: Over 125 Transactions Since 2015
I have had full-time experience as a Realtor since February 2015. Prior to becoming a Realtor, I spent 9 months full-time in the marketing department at Garrett Realty Partners. As visible from a brief review of my website & as shared by a review, "As a third generation realtor, his knowledge base and experience is beyond his years."
My freshman year of college my family purchased this home, so I know some things about luxury waterfront that many don't:
You'll see the majority of my previous transactions on my Zillow page. I crossed the 100 property threshold in 2022.
No Transaction Coordinator Fees
Unlike many agents, I don't charge an admin/transaction coordinator (TC) fee. Because I don't even use one, your primary point of contact will be me, not an admin, throughout the process of a home purchase. Some agents say that the seller can pay for that, but keep in mind that any concession you request of the seller that impacts their net hurts the likelihood of your offer's success and increases the chances of your offer being ignored in a multiple offer scenario or countered/rejected in a single offer scenario. The $395-$500 range is typical, while I've seen as high as $995.
Availability
As I share on my hours page, "I value availability and saving my clients as much time and money as possible, whether buying or selling. I work around my clients' time frames & am typically available 9-5 & 6-7:30 EST Monday through Saturday unless I have an appointment already although in some cases I'll make exceptions for earlier or later. I've started showings with buyers as early as 6 AM & finished after 9 PM on some occasions. While not typical, for the sake of an offer, where speed is critical, I have worked until after midnight at times. I tend to have the least appointments booked Wed morning-Friday morning where my schedule is typically the most flexible."
Experienced Agent Fill-Ins When I'm Unavailable
Sometimes when you notice a property available you'll have less than 6 hours before it will go under contract. Because of the importance of expeditious showings, & because offers, where the buyer hasn't seen a property, are inferior to offers where the buyer has, it's critical to not exclusively have the agent you work with available. Thankfully my firm has around 100 other agents, and I can often provide an agent fill-in when I'm unavailable. My go-to agent fill-ins have done over 150 transactions each, with one having done over 700.
How Adam Can Help
As of Nov 2020, “88% of buyers purchased their home through a real estate agent or broker.”
By having professional representation by me for your home purchase you will have access to me for the following assistance:
1. Asking the right questions: While many agents typically ask just a few questions regarding a showing, such as if it's available at a certain time, I never stop at only a few. I have full-blown templates with entire sequences of questions to ask agents questions based on a number of situations. By asking the right questions in advance, I save many buyers from wasting their time on seeing a property that doesn't list certain critically pertinent information online & get important information for the showing itself. For example, I've seen where a home around an hr away had multiple offers (one of the questions I ask), and I asked about any known previous flooding (since in my research I noticed that it was in a flood zone). Based on the agent's honest response (the whole house had flooded around 5 years ago and they did around $40k of repairs, which did not include raising the house), I expect no other agent asked that question and that if they had, none of those offers would be present. By asking the question before even going to the property, the buyer and I saved a few hrs each even if we hadn't made an offer.
2. Deciding on properties to view beyond the search & what's visible in the listing since in some cases, even if a property looks great in a listing, invisible items available prior to showing will mean the difference of a showing and a property excluded from consideration. Examples include recent flooding of the home with no publicly visible sign of it in the listing, properties that are being sold with lease agreements active for >6 months after closing, properties that wouldn't qualify for financing with no mention of it in the public remarks, properties that a buyer couldn't buy due to not seeking to be an owner occupant during a period where investors can't purchase, & many more.
3. Viewing properties with both positive and negative expert feedback
4. Viewing properties with the right gadgets/tools
5. Making offers whether trying to win a multiple offer scenario, going below asking price, negotiate seller concessions like closing costs, or otherwise. I've helped buyers to win in situations with as many as 8 offers on 1 property (while not going too high over the next best offer), get up to 4.5% closing cost assistance, and have helped buyers get as much as $49000 below asking price. There is a balance to strike that is highly dependent on the situation of the property since in some cases, you only get 1 shot at an offer with no chance to change it.
6. Helping a buyer decide on which inspections and other related items to get. While I don't typically recommend surveys with homes in neighborhoods, in some cases my recommendation on a survey with some properties that most wouldn't have gotten one for led to the seller freely covering the cost of remediating encroachment after the seller agreed to paying for the survey (that the buyer would have typically needed to cover if they wanted one) after I identified likely encroachment prior to the offer presented to the seller that ended up being accurate.
7. Providing an unmatched spreadsheet of information for various inspectors & other service providers based on cost, location, availability, quality, unique offerings, etc. (there are some inspectors with mostly great reviews that I avoid, and I'm happy to share why if you'd like me to)
8. Negotiating repairs/price reductions after contract ratification if applicable (I've seen as high as a $10k price reduction from these negotiations & >$20k repair from these negotiations)
9. Walk-through inspection(s) - my walk through inspections have led to thousands of dollars in value in repair/replacement cost at times when items that were supposed to be done per the contract weren't, and those items aren't always obvious (i.e. those that require access to a crawlspace, roof, or tools to see; I've spotted problems on a roof with my drone and spotted problems in a crawlspace by going under there).
10. Closing on a home for purchase including guiding buyers through many important preparations prior to closing.
11. Assisting buyers after their purchase
If a buyer isn't ready to purchase, Adam can still help in various areas, such as:
Credit boosting advice
Budgeting advice including debt reduction & savings increase
Other ways Adam can help:
I am a wealth of knowledge in saving on travel expenses, as you can see on my Facebook group on the subject, & am happy to give you a free consultation on maximizing your cost-effectiveness in travel. In some cases, following my advice can save buyers 10's of thousands of dollars for vacation(s) &/or flying to VA from out of state & staying here with free or drastically reduced cost hotels during your home search from out of state &/or prior to your transition from temporary housing to your home if needed.
Excellent Offerings for Sellers if You Ever Need to Sell
https://www.adambgarrett.com/post/what-adam-offers-sellers
My standard marketing with "*" by reduced offerings for lower listing side commissions & sometimes price dependent begins with:
1. Placement on 4* MLS,
2. Matterport virtual tours (including interior & exterior*)
3. Aerials
4. Professional photos.
5. Top 1% area photos (from the ground and the air, with limitations on new photos for low commissions).
6. Paper marketing to around 100 agents at my firm* & same flyer on property in flyer box on sign & in building
7. Email marketing to those same roughly 100 agents,
8. A social media campaign with an average reach of over 10 thousand and average engagement over one thousand* (also excluding certain distressed properties that are in condition that could lead to public heckling, i.e. unusually dirty properties & those with many obvious repair needs)
9. Open houses*
10. Highly comprehensive responsibilities & obligations of buyer & seller with page #s to reference on contracts*
11. Highly detailed property walk throughs for all sellers who want to maximize profits by not going as is, but available for as is sales as well.
12. Data input in MLS is highly detailed to consistently max out the public remarks space's word count (within 95%) to display positive property elements & check far more property features than most agents for similar properties to maximize searchability.
13. Highly comprehensive offer comparison spreadsheet*
14. Highly comprehensive emails edited according to situations at each major step of the process to guide you thoroughly. An informed seller can make the best decisions.*
15. Extensive writing on numerous subjects beyond email direct content that can be provided on call, with over 50,000 words on my website alone.
16. Limited highly practical staging assistance, including (if not already present) hand towels, interior floor mats, exterior entry mats, shoe covers, toilet paper, basket for shoe covers w built in label, metal step to open trashcan, etc.*
17. Snacks and drinks of much better selection, quality, and quantity than typical if present at all.*
18. Stands available to put 11x17 cardstock images of home while staged if furniture is removed prior to listing and to put on location and nearby aerials if desired*
19. Top 1% live video available for prospective buyers with Adam's showings available for unrepresented buyers and unavailable buyer's agents (see section VI).
20. Adam will typically reach out to all prior parties who expressed interest or showed the property without ruling it out prior to acceptance of an offer.*
21. 1-3 electronic MLS lockboxes & a contractor lockbox
22. For higher-end properties, if desired my father, Greg Garrett (Linkedin, Facebook, Company Webpage), can be present with me at listing appointments & if desired, co-list property with me. He's been Recognized in Realtor® Magazine as one of the top 50 Realtors® in the United States. He's sold a few dozen properties for sellers over $1,000,000 & has possibly sold more homes than anyone else living in SE VA, thousands of properties personally.
Flexible Buyer Brokerage Options & Communication Options
I offer exclusive or non-exclusive buyer brokerage agreements.
Wide Variety of Communication Options - Whether you want to call, Facebook, Zoom, do a Google Hangout, use Whatsapp, use email, meet in person, text, or otherwise, I am available to communicate according to your unique preferences & in addition to having great quality video, can offer options such as recorded video tutorials, live screen-sharing, & remote desktop.
Incentive Matching
If another agent is offering an incentive (i.e. a rebate) that is enticing you to go with them, despite the substantially more important factor of agent quality vs something like that in light of the high % of buyer remorse, ask me if I'll match it. Often I can. Just how prevalent is buyer's remorse? "Eighty-two percent of home buyers express regrets about their recent property purchase in a recent survey."
Keep in mind as well, though, that I've negotiated concessions for buyers more than triple the commission I was being paid on the property, helped other buyers win in an 8-offer scenario, and also helped buyers get a program to reduce their home cost in excess of my commission. I'm aware of programs to reduce home costs where the most extreme example would be in excess of 16x my commission. If you're only chasing after a portion of a buyer's agent's commission, those options that are in excess of their commission are often negatively impacted due to the agent needing to have higher volume to make up for the per-closing income loss. For instance, did you know that many of the programs to reduce home cost are unique to certain lenders, so if you are relying just on a few lenders to give you programs available to them, there may be dozens of programs that they don't tell you about? In addition, there are many potentially negative property elements that are far beyond the scope of a home inspector's inspection like flood/hurricane evacuation zones & projected changes that agents rarely mention, crime, major tax rate differences, elements of a home that impact resale, other area factors., & many other factors I mention in my Master Spreadsheet for Prospective Home Purchase Considerations.
Related:
About the Author: Adam Garrett - 3rd Generation REALTOR®
Adam is the 3rd generation in a line of award-winning real estate agents serving SE VA. He has served full time at Garrett Realty Partners since May 2014 when he joined the marketing department before transitioning to full-time sales to assist buyers and sellers in February 2015. He believes that an educated buyer or seller makes the best decisions, & is dedicated to helping with that both digitally & on-site physically for buyers & sellers. He's also available for referrals to real estate agents around the globe. In several capacities, his resources & direct offerings for assisting sellers & assisting buyers are either unmatched or are top 1% for the SE VA area, and in some cases, nationwide. Not stopping after closing, he also provides information for tenants, landlords, & homeowners.
Related for Buyers:
Related for Sellers:
While Adam can refer buyers and sellers elsewhere, Adam’s direct coverage includes most of SE VA including Hampton Roads (VA Peninsula, Southside, & Middle Peninsula), the Northern Neck, & Greater Richmond including the following cities/counties:
Amelia County,
Charles City County,
Chesapeake,
Chesterfield County,
Colonial Heights,
Dinwiddie County,
Essex County,
Franklin,
Gloucester County,
Goochland County,
Hampton,
Hanover County,
Henrico County,
Hopewell,
Isle of Wight County,
James City County,
King William County,
King & Queen County,
Lancaster County,
Mathews County,
Middlesex County,
New Kent County,
Newport News,
Northumberland County,
Nottoway County,
Petersburg
Poquoson,
Portsmouth,
Powhatan County,
Prince George County,
Richmond (City of),
Richmond County,
Southampton County,
Suffolk,
Surry County,
Sussex County,
Virginia Beach,
Williamsburg,
York County,
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