Chelsea and Houston S.
My husband and I interviewed all the top real estate agents working in the Catskills, and Alex got our business because he did not waste his time or ours! There was no lack of clarity on next steps after our initial call. Alex told us the best course of action for serious buyers is to explore the area over an extended visit, so we booked an Airbnb for a month and got to business! With Alex's guidance we narrowed in on the regions we liked most and the amount of privacy/proximity to amenities that we truly wanted. Alex had useful insight throughout the process on costs to DIY or hire out work. Perhaps most important: Alex helped us navigate a competitive market, and—knowing our preferences—helped us find an "under the radar" home that had everything we wanted without the kind of styling that attracts a bidding war. We couldn't be happier with our place and highly recommend Alex!
Gibran D. and Alizabeth A.
What more can I say….. it was an absolute delight to work with Alex. His patience and knowledge was clear from the very beginning. Alex walked us through the process and was there every step of the way. It was my best real estate experience to date. I look forward to working with Alex again in the near future. I would highly recommend Alex for any serious buyers.
Josh A. and Elaine A.
Alex was great to work with. He’s very knowledgeable, accommodated all our requests and worked diligently to find us our new home. We couldn’t be happier.
Dave L. and Lacie N.
We had a wonderful experience working with Alexander in search of a second home upstate. We spent almost a year trying to find just the right house and throughout the entire process, Alex was patient and never gave up. He listened to what we wanted, was respectful of our time, and made easier a somewhat daunting process, (i.e., finding our "needle in a haystack" perfect home in a geographic area and community we had little knowledge of or prior experience with). After a number of showings where we left disappointed, Alex never gave up and continued to send us listings and ideas. Alex's intuition on the home we ultimately purchased was spot on -- Alex knew if we just saw it in person, we'd know it was perfect for us. And he was right. We couldn't be happier with our new home and would recommend Alexander in a heartbeat.
Camille W. and Paul W.
We had a great experience working with Alexander in our search for a home away from the city. During a challenging time with a highly competitive market, (not to mention that we are new to the state and in the middle of a pandemic), he provided expertise on the process and keen knowledge of the different area communities. We appreciated his availability, his patience, and his sixth sense in assessing a property. If you are looking for Hudson Valley or Catskills real estate, we highly recommend Alexander James and would work with him again if the opportunity arises.
Ashley D. and Robbie R.
We spent the past few years visiting the Catskills as weekenders, taking in the views, and enjoying all the outdoors had to offer. We often talked about what it would be like to “one day” own a mountain home, once we no longer lived in the city. However, with the recent option of permanent remote work, we decided to make that dream a reality and head upstate. After reaching out to a NYC realtor, and friend, about how best to approach the Catskill market, we were recommended to Alex. Prior to meeting Alex in person, we spent some time on the phone and exchanging emails getting to know each other, letting him know what we liked, what mattered most, our budget, etc. The extra time he spent up front really set us up for success and prepared us to navigate a fast moving and competitive market. On our first trip upstate, we gave pretty loose parameters as to what we were looking for only say…
We spent the past few years visiting the Catskills as weekenders, taking in the views, and enjoying all the outdoors had to offer. We often talked about what it would be like to “one day” own a mountain home, once we no longer lived in the city. However, with the recent option of permanent remote work, we decided to make that dream a reality and head upstate. After reaching out to a NYC realtor, and friend, about how best to approach the Catskill market, we were recommended to Alex. Prior to meeting Alex in person, we spent some time on the phone and exchanging emails getting to know each other, letting him know what we liked, what mattered most, our budget, etc. The extra time he spent up front really set us up for success and prepared us to navigate a fast moving and competitive market. On our first trip upstate, we gave pretty loose parameters as to what we were looking for only saying we wanted a home that was fairly remote, with a little bit of land, and that we wouldn’t mind doing some fixing up, all under a certain price point. We saw about six properties that day, all of which didn’t work out for one reason or another. However, Alex was extremely informative in the process, and spent extra time showing us around the area, and telling us about all of the different towns and what they had to offer. After each home we saw he would give us great feedback and insights on which were worth taking on as a project, and others that were best to walk away from. We instantly knew he wasn’t about making a sale, but genuinely wanted to find a place that was perfect for us. On our next outing together, we fell in love with one home in particular and thought that it was the one. Alex did his research and found out for us that the home had multiple offers and that it was going to be a competitive bid process. So before making our offer, he helped us formulate a strategy to make a competitive offer that was matched against the market’s reality, without us having to overpay. While we ended up not getting this home due to a higher offer, we learned a lot about the process and it helped prepare us for the next set of listings and another rejection. We hoped that losing our first offer was a one time thing, but after our second rejected offer, we started feeling rather discouraged, and were ready to walk away from the whole process. We didn’t want to end up in another competitive bid process where we lost to someone who was willing to spend 30% over list price. After talking to Alex he assured us that with some more patience that the right place would pop up at the right price. Almost four months after starting the search, we stumbled upon a home that was very unassuming in the listing but once seeing it in person, we realized we had just found a gem. Alex worked with us to quickly put together an offer and less than 24 hours later had a response that it was accepted, for 3.5% under list price! We know without Alex’s guidance in this process, we would have probably ended up either walking away or paying over price for a home. After the accepted offer, Alex continued staying in touch well beyond the time he needed to. He went above and beyond to make sure we knew every bit of information regarding the closing process. He made recommendations on lawyers, banks, home inspectors, and by the end of it, he had helped us assemble a great team that guided us from accepted offer to close. Looking back on the entire process, there is no way we would have been able to go from Zillow searches to first time homeowners without the help of Alex. He made an emotional, long, and oftentimes confusing journey seem possible, manageable, and genuinely enjoyable.
Caroline and Chris R.
We got in touch with Alex about a year into our upstate search and what a difference it made. We were so frustrated after working with two different people earlier in our search, but we immediately felt at ease after our first conversation with him. He responded to us at all hours, and he helped bring a New York City mindset to our weekend home search. He understood exactly what we should be thinking about as weekenders. It's so much more enjoyable to work with someone who understands what it means to be a weekender, and he lives that life and was able to share his personal insight. Alex was able to focus our search to only show us homes that met our needs. He was discerning, honest, and communicative throughout the process and was so helpful after we moved in. We couldn’t have found a better spot working with another agent, so we highly recommend working with him if you can.
Ali and Aaron M.
We were thrilled when we finally got to meet Alex after a whole lot of email exchanges before our first visit upstate to buy a home. He just got us and understood exactly what we were looking for in a weekend home. Alex was patient with us the entire time and helped us understand what we should be thinking about, since homeownership upstate is so different from a condo in the city. He brought us up to speed on how a house works, the types of things to think about outside of the cosmetics and glossy pictures, and how to approach the process of putting in a winning offer. Now that we've gotten to really know our home and the area, we couldn't be happier, and we're so glad we worked with Alex to make sure we were making the right decision during every step of the way.
Matthew B.
Alex is arguably one of the sharpest real estate agents I've come across as I pursued my search for a home upstate. He acted as my guide throughout the entire search process--from the early consideration stage through the purchase process and beyond. He took the time to educate me to different areas where I could stretch my budget and find my dream home. Throughout the purchase process Alex provided his honest opinion on what I should be thinking about as I considered different options. His detailed understanding of each of the Catskills regions coupled with his deep structural design knowledge helped me choose the perfect home for my family and me.
Alena H. and Chris V.
My partner and I had a wonderful experience working with Alex James to purchase our first upstate home. Coming from out of state, we weren’t very familiar with the Catskills real estate market, and after a couple showings with Alex, it was clear that we were working with an expert on the region. We were interested in buying an older, semi- fixer-upper, and he steered us in the direction of a well-maintained and appropriately priced property that was filled with cosmetic potential—truly the perfect fit for us. We were especially impressed with his guidance on bidding in this competitive market. We followed his strategy with complete confidence and didn’t have to deal with a bidding war or any other surprises in the negotiation—it was such a relief to have those potential stressors removed from the equation, and Alex made that happen for us. We also greatly appreciate how responsive and …
My partner and I had a wonderful experience working with Alex James to purchase our first upstate home. Coming from out of state, we weren’t very familiar with the Catskills real estate market, and after a couple showings with Alex, it was clear that we were working with an expert on the region. We were interested in buying an older, semi- fixer-upper, and he steered us in the direction of a well-maintained and appropriately priced property that was filled with cosmetic potential—truly the perfect fit for us. We were especially impressed with his guidance on bidding in this competitive market. We followed his strategy with complete confidence and didn’t have to deal with a bidding war or any other surprises in the negotiation—it was such a relief to have those potential stressors removed from the equation, and Alex made that happen for us. We also greatly appreciate how responsive and approachable Alex has been, from our first email exchange to this very day (we still reach out to him for recommendations on area contractors). Because the NYS buying/selling process is drastically different from our previous home state, we have had a lot of questions, and he answers them all within hours, always with a lot of helpful context and detail. All the stars to Alex for helping us feel confident and at ease during this big life change—we feel very lucky to have found him!
Nick and Ivette M.
When my wife and I decided we would move up to the Catskills region and also invest there, we found Alex from the Fresh Air Realty team. His knowledge of the Catskills real estate market was instrumental in helping us land both our primary home and our first vacation/investment property. The experience started with a very natural and comfortable exploratory conversation and then moved through the various phases of the home finding and purchasing process. He was there by our side through the whole process but was dynamic enough to know where we needed more guidance and where to give space. Overall a 5 star experience (clearly, came back for the 2nd round!) and will be returning for the next one. Thanks Alex and the Fresh Air Realty team.
Gabriella B.
I worked with Alex James and he was great. He recommended small, easy improvements I could do on the house (on a budget) to maximize my return. He kept in constant communication and walked me through every step. I had contacted a different realtor at first who suggested a much lower selling price. Alex only works for the client's best interest. He is professional, approachable and very knowledgeable.
Letena and Rahsan L.
Life always has a way of giving you what you need. My lesson in working with Alex at Fresh Air Realty was the importance of patience. At the time of my search for Catskills real estate, there was limited supply on the market. Alex was thoughtful and meticulous in listening to my wish list, reassuring me that the "just right" property was out there and not to give up hope. Well...he kept his word and found the absolute PERFECT property. We are grateful that he shepherded us through the entire process and continues to be an ongoing resource, given his local knowledge. I would highly recommend Fresh Air Realty and Alex.