Simon Vand helped us buy our first home during a very chaotic time in the Austin market. I would recommend him to anybody looking for a home in the Austin area. Simon is knowledgeable about every market we looked in, about negotiating with different types of sellers, picking mortgage brokers, and also house quality and integrity. While we looked at properties, he helped us understand potential issues and red flags. He learned our needs and preferences very quickly which really helped get us in the right area and the right type of house; he knew we had found our dream house as soon as I did! I was always really impressed by how much respect he showed for every house we visited, making sure we left them exactly as we found them, every window and door locked, every fan and light switched off, no footprints or smudges anywhere. Simon is an honest agent even when he could benefit from leaving out details or letting us get carried away with high offers. He was respectful of our financial situation and never, ever pressured us to offer more than what we were comfortable with. Simon helped us write competitive offers in many parts of town and his suggestions helped us buy our house without going over other offers. Even on losing offers, we were never discouraged because we were sure that when the right place came along, Simon could help us land it. He helped us understand every part of every offer we wrote and consulted us on absolutely every decision, even when there were "standard" ways to do things. He was always very clear about our rights as home buyers and all options available to us. He always respected the seller's agent positions and communicated with them honestly while advocating for us 100%. Simon was always available to answer questions quickly and made himself available around our schedule to show us properties. We knew of course that he had other clients but always, always, made us feel that we were his top priority. When he went out of town for a week, he was still available for questions and he set us up with a fellow agent, Tyson, who was also really great about showing us houses quickly. With Simon's help, we closed our house a week before we expected to in a time when buyers were missing closing deadlines left and right. We will call Simon again in the future if we ever list our house or want to buy another property, no question.