There are no words to express the gratitude and appreciation that my partner and I have for Bill. Our experience with finding and purchasing our first home was initially a little terrifying. However, with Bill's guidance and care, it ended up being a wonderful experience. We understand why he is a top rated agent in the Greater Hamilton Area. Among the many incredible qualities that Bill brought both personally and professionally to our realtor-client relationship, I think three really stand out: patience, diligence and professionalism. Patience: Bill carefully listened to what my partner and I wanted in a home and curated a list of properties that met our criteria. When viewing homes, he took a very practical approach in asking us how we felt being there and whether we could see ourselves building a life there. He would then offer his thoughts to avoid prejudicing our opinions. This patience and open communication were consistent throughout the whole process. One of the things that I've typically heard from friends looking to purchase their first home is that it can feel like a rushed or potentially pressured process. However, we did not feel that with Bill as he was attentive, patient and acute to our feedback. Diligence: Bill is always willing to take or make a call in the interest of his clients. While we noticed this prior to seeing homes when he was scheduling viewings, it became very apparent when the viewings began taking place. Viewings were organized perfectly as we went from listing to listing in a timely-fashion, while also providing enough time to ask any questions and see the properties in their entirety. On top of that, Bill was making calls to selling agents during the viewings with questions we had and even leveraged his existing relationships with other Hamilton realtors to view places that had not yet been placed on the market. Where both my partner and I were really blown away was when it came to making an offer - Bill is an excellent negotiator (by excellent, I mean one of the best I've ever encountered) and was able to come to terms on a price of our dream home for notably below asking (after much back-and-forth with the seller's agent). Professionalism: It's hard to put into words how best to describe Bill's demeanour and approach to building a relationship with clients. On the one hand, he is a consummate professional who advocated for us and our needs to find our perfect first home. He communicated directly and clearly, and was able to leverage his extensive contacts and experience in the Hamilton market to best position us. On the other hand, it felt like working with a friend - someone who will have a laugh with you, acknowledge the anxiety of making a big decision such as a first home purchase and break bread. This balance between professionalism, yet feeling like he had a personal interest in setting my partner and I up in a great situation meant a lot to us and is a large reason why we strongly recommend Bill to anyone looking to purchase a home - specifically, to first time home buyers who are new to the experience. It is important to note one thing that my partner and I learned quickly in our decision to work with Bill. It is imperative to work with a realtor that knows, inside and out, the area where you're hoping to live, who has significant on-the-job experience and has a strong reputation amongst peers. It became obvious rather quickly that Bill hit the mark in all of these respects. He described and explained the pros and cons of the neighbourhoods we were interested in; from demographics to growth potential to local hotspots for food and drink. He pinpointed inconsistencies in listings and identified issues in the houses we viewed due to his extensive experience. He negotiated and communicated with others in the real estate market effectively and efficiently, with each person recognizing his track record of being a good natured, hard working and caring individual and realtor. In essence, Bill is incredible and massively supported us in making one of the biggest decisions of our life. My partner and I very strongly recommend him as we consider him to be Hamilton's best real estate agent and someone who will act in the client's best interest.