CLIENT REVIEWS

I was a little hesitant as I wasn’t working with an agent, but I contacted the Hales family to inquire about a property they had listed. They were very patient and thorough in answering all my questions. At no point during the purchase process did I feel at a disadvantage for having the sellers agent representing both sides (dual agency).
These guys are professional, I feel I was treated fairly given my situation.
Now I’m a happy Beautiful Balsam Lake Cottager.
Lance

Working with the Hales has been a great experience. Buying a cottage property is a first for me; it really is much different than buying a regular house. I quickly realized it would be very easy to make a big, costly mistake when buying a waterfront property/cottage. A friend, who already lived on Balsam Lake, recommended the Hales to help me. The experience and knowledge that the Hales have of Balsam Lake is second to none. They took me through the process from start to finish with expertise and patience. Personally, I dealt primarily with Ken Hale Jr. I highly recommend them

Ken is a dream maker! I always dreamed of owning a cottage but had no idea how I could make it happen. Ken worked with me to find the perfect cottage and walked me through all the steps and things I needed to consider that I would never have thought of. It happened so fast and smoothly that I blinked and I was onmy dock with a coffee enjoying the sunrise. I would recommend Ken or anyone on his team. Make your dreams come true too!

Ken Hale Sr. and his team went above and beyond to market and sell our properties on Balsam Lake where our family cottaged for decades. Ken's team took the time to explain the sales and communication strategy which was very important to us. He brought in additional resources when needed. He was candid about the market. We know he took extra time to make the process clear and with the best result for our family.

Ken,

Happy new year! I have been meaning to write this for months. As you know, I was concerned re-listing my property after an unsuccessful year in 2010 with another agent. The house and property have a lot of features not found in most houses and you needed to research several details that I didn’t have information on. I don’t know how you managed it, but there were probably three times the showings from the year before. However, the house is very unique and isn’t for everyone. Just when I was getting rather anxious as the summer was coming to an end, you found the perfect buyer. In 30 days from the initial offer, the house was sold! And, it was a “clean deal”. That doesn’t mean it was an easy sale. I know you used your negotiating skills to get me the best possible deal.
I cannot tell you what a huge relief that was. I had never sold a house by myself  before and relied on your suggestions and recommendations. It was easy to talk to you about any concerns or questions I had that in the past I could discuss with a partner. Thank you so much for your hard work and professionalism.
You obviously understand the waterfront market and know exactly how and where to concentrate your efforts. It was a pleasure doing business with you. I would recommend you to anybody who wants an excellent agent.

Regards,

"The purchase of our new property was not as easy as we had anticipated, but we are happy to have carried the deal through to completion. Without your constant support, I am not sure that we would have achieved the same results. Gayani and I are very pleased to have had you represent us through this sale and we wish to let you know how much we appreciate the support you have provided us.

Between the insulation and the right of way challenges, we were quite concerned that the deal would fall through. Your professionalism and focus on finding solutions has made a true difference.
 
Please understand that we will recommend you to our friends and family, and would be more than happy to act as a reference. Feel free to contact us anytime should this be useful to you.
 
We look forward to working together again in the future."

"Hi Ken, 

We just wanted to thank you for your work on the purchase of our new house.  You are very friendly and easy to work with, and it was a pleasure dealing with you.  Thanks for making a relatively complicated and stressful process easy.  We believe that Bonnie and Jim Peel were very happy with you as well. Thank you as well for suggesting your wife for the sale of our home in Lindsay.  That whole process was made so much easier because of that connection.  We discussed this at length before deciding to use Joanne.  We were concerned at first but after a short period of dealing with Joanne it was readily apparent that you had made a great referral.  If any one of our friends or acquaintances should be looking to buy some waterfront property we will be sending them your way."
Doug and Marilyn Dunstan 

 
“It is our distinct pleasure to highly recommend the Hales as reliable, very experienced and professional realtors.  Available 24/7, the Hales provided exceptional service in market timing, pricing, staging, brochure preparation and advertising, counseling and closing.  We have no reservations in endorsing their services as exemplary to the profession.”
Sincerely,

Thank you Ken Sr. and Ken Jr. for providing a great service and selling my cottage so quickly. I not only valued that you always passed along the feedback after showings but was impressed with your responses to the questions raised by potential buyers. It was great dealing with such a professional team and I appreciate everything you did during the listing and the closing.  Thanks again and have a great summer! Marg

Just a short note to say THANKS SO MUCH for selling our Cameron Lake property in less than a week! Having had a previous career in waterfront real estate sales, when it came time to sell our Happy Place we knew there was only one Sales Team to choose… The Hales.

Quite simply the Hales have the track record and the extensive client list to get the job done, although we didn’t expect it to be so easy or so quick! Ken Sr., Ken Jr. and Alley were all very professional, courteous and responsive to our needs during the process. We couldn’t be more pleased with the results. Thanks again for a very positive experience!

Dave and Diane Mitchell

"Hi Ken, 
We just wanted to thank you for your work on the purchase of our new house.  You are very friendly and easy to work with, and it was a pleasure dealing with you.  Thanks for making a relatively complicated and stressful process easy.  We believe that Bonnie and Jim Peel were very happy with you as well. Thank you as well for suggesting your wife for the sale of our home in Lindsay.  That whole process was made so much easier because of that connection.  We discussed this at length before deciding to use Joanne.  We were concerned at first but after a short period of dealing with Joanne it was readily apparent that you had made a great referral.  If any one of our friends or acquaintances should be looking to buy some waterfront property we will be sending them your way."

 Harold & I would like to take this time to express our heartfelt thanks to you, your Dad, Joanne & Alley. You made the process of selling our home on Balsam Lake seem almost effortless, due to your attention to every detail both prior to listing and during the entire process.
We had met you & your Dad a few years prior and knew then that when we eventually came to the decision to sell there would be no one else that we would consider but the Hale Team. That was the impression you made with us from the beginning and nothing since that first meeting has done anything to change our opinion of your Family.

We would without hesitation recommend you to anyone who is either looking to list or buy. It has been our pleasure to have had you represent us, and a property that we have loved for many years.
Thank you once again for your honesty and integrity.
Our Sincere Thanks,
Harold & Ruth Kaaz - Indian Point
 

"He was the other guy's agent! After witnessing the way manner in which the purchaser of my property was treated by his agent, Ken Hale Jr.,

I knew that was the way I wished to be treated.

Now several real estate transactions later with the Hales, I can honestly say I could not ask for better service. Ken is punctual and professional in his manner, returns calls immediately, honest to a fault, and points out not only the good but the bad aspects of a prospective property.

He knows the lake inside and out, is thorough in his property choice and meticulous with his transactions. Last but not least he is extremely
level headed and has a calming nature to help you through those difficult moments we all have in a transaction.

Simply put, Ken is the best agent I have ever had, or am ever likely to find."   

We would like to thank Ken Hale Jr. and his highly professional family sales team for the outstanding job in the successful sale of our Balsam Lake property.

Ken's marketing and overall knowledge of Kawartha waterfront was evident in his negotiations with the buyers that he introduced to our property. His numerous years of real estate experience and honesty helped make this transaction pleasurable for all parties concerned. A job well done and worthy of recommendation to anyone requiring professional real estate assistance on the waterfront.

"Our search for a cottage property started with viewing properties on the internet and we even visited a few on our own. When we narrowed our search to the Kawartha area It was an easy choice to work with the Hale team. The Hales know the area better than anyone else, and because of that they worked hard to make 'our dream' a reality. I still can't believe it when Ken Jr. said "I think I have found the property you will be interested in." We viewed it together and we were amazed at how we could immediately check off items on our "wish list ". Ken Jr. and Ken Sr. answered our questions, gave us guidance and offered exceptional service. A great experience and one that we would highly recommend. If you are looking for a realtor to help sell or buy a property, you just need to make one Call -the Hales.   Thank you Ken Jr. and Ken Sr. Cheers,"

"After our first summer on Balsam we would just like to say a big thank you for taking the time to work with us and find us a place that met our list of "Wants and Needs". The process of finding a cottage or house can be very stressful but your friendly, open and honest approach made the search a fun and rewarding experience. As you said during the process, not only were you acting as our agent, you were acting as a future neighbor and from the first viewing to receiving the final "you are now the proud owners" phone call it was apparent you were going to help ensure we got what we wanted, and we certainly did Thanks for all your help."

Dear Ken and your sales team,

I cannot thank you and your team members enough for your excellent service in selling my son's cottage at Pleasant Point .

With my son being out of the country you made it so easy and stress free.
Whenever I called or emailed you a question you replied instantly. 
I would be happy to refer anyone to your team and feel free to have any future clients speak to me if needed. 

Warmest Regards 

The Hales Team

We had the opportunity of having the "Hale Team" list out property on Balsam Lake. From the initial meeting when the team came to our place we were impressed. Each of the 4 member team took a different responsibility from taking very impressive  professional photos to gathering information which would help sell the property.

Within a few hours a "FOR SALE" sign was on the property and within 24 hours we had  our first showing.  Ken Sr. brought the first client. Ken was on time, well prepared and exactly what we expected from "THE HALES". The Hales were the only agents that did show the property and within two weeks there was a "SOLD" rider hanging on our For Sale sign. This was a very pleasant experience and a positive one. Well done guys!

Ken is a dream maker! I always dreamed of owning a cottage but had no idea how I could make it happen. Ken worked with me to find the perfect cottage and walked me through all the steps and things I needed to consider that I would never have thought of. It happened so fast and smoothly that I blinked and I was on my dock with a coffee enjoying the sunrise. I would recommend Ken or anyone on his team. Make your dreams come true too!

"Dear Ken,

We want to sincerely thank your for your above and beyond the call efforts in helping us find the cottage of our dreams.
As you know we thoroughly searched the Georgian Bay, Muskoka and Kawartha Lakes areas in our search as all were equadistant from our home. Many agents and agencies were involved but in the end you were the most effective, educated professional and helpful.
Our search went for months where we went out every weekend and looked at cottages and was fruitless until we found you. We trusted you from the beginning as you were willing to advise us to walk away from some properties as you felt the cost was too high. This was just one development that helped us realize you were truly interested in helping us find what we wanted and not just making a sale.
Throughout our interaction you were always available and helped us with many things not related to our actual purchase which is very rare to find these days.
We will never forget how much you have done for us. 
Thank you for everything. We are so looking forward to the summer and are so happy with the decision to come to the Kawartha Lakes instead of the Muskokas. Not only did the money buy us so much more on Balsam Lake than we could have bought on Lake Muskoka but for the same area of water we will have 10 times less traffic on the water, avoid the 400 and have a nice country drive instead."

"We have bought properties in Canada and the U.S. but have never come across any agents who have brought so much to the table in terms of experience, local knowledge, market appraisal, and willingness to help in so many ways...We think Ken Sr. and Jr. are model realtors and should be teaching the art and skill of helping home buyers and sellers achieve their goals. Many realtors seem to think they've earned their commission by mere act of completing a financial transaction. But the Hales enthusiastically roll up their sleeves, jump in, and make things happen. And they follow up to make sure the work is done properly.
We are extremely pleased with their professional service, their genuine and friendly, yet respectful, manner, and their efficiency at getting the job done. They are truly outstanding and must be recognized for their excellent performance and high standards."