For Buyers: 6 Homebuying Tips

“I didn't know anything at all about the home buying process and really wanted to find a realtor that I could trust to guide me through the process and look out for my best interests. I definitely found that in Melissa!

Melissa took the time to understand my needs and was a strong advocate for me from finding homes to tour to negotiating contract details. She was on top of every single step of this process, very responsive, and always ready to explain things to me. I could really tell that she knew exactly what she was doing and that made me feel so much more comfortable.

Melissa sets a high bar, I will definitely be turning to her for any of my future real estate needs. I couldn't have asked for a better partner or experience.”

Natalie Kerr, Peoria

“Melissa was very patient with me on my first home purchase so I wanted to continue to use her real estate services whenever I sold and purchased again. She's very knowledgeable & understands the unique needs of older houses and provides awareness of pros & cons to buyer and seller very clearly.”

Anonymous Old House Lover, Peoria

“I recently bought my first house and there was a lot of factors when looking for a perfect home. I was able to tour my home with Melissa and she was quick to respond with any questions I had, she had great knowledge of the area and gave helpful advice. When I said I wanted to make an offer, she was ready to get that process started right away and talked me through everything to make sure I understood. She kept in contact and was always available to answer any questions during the entire buying process all the way up to closing. I would 100% go to her again in the future and will recommend her to any friends or family looking for their future homes.”

Quinn Weber, West Peoria

“Melissa was the best realtor we could've asked for! She was so patient with us in our journey and we would recommend her to anyone we know who is looking to buy/sale a house!”

Isaiah & Shcoria, Peoria Illinois

“Went much faster than we expected.

Couldn't expect anything more from her.

Thank you Melissa”

Victor Johnson

“Melissa was a great agent. She helped me narrow down my list of "must haves" to focus on getting the house I needed at a price I could afford. Her knowledge of the surrounding neighborhoods helped me to avoid areas that were not in alignment with my lifestyle and guided me to a safe neighborhoods that were at my desired price point.

It was a long voyage, but we got there in the end. I will be recommending Melissa to my friends. She is aces!”

Nancy R, Peoria

“This was the sale of my late parents' house and was pretty emotional for my sister and me. Melissa was very patient and didn't rush us into making a decision about when to list or how much to list for. She waited patiently while we considered our options and was very quick to respond anytime we had a questions. We received multiple offers on the property, indicating she had priced it correctly. She helped us go over the offers and make informed choices. Overall, we had a great experience and would strongly recommend Melissa to others.”

Melinda Febus

“This was my first time selling a house, Melissa answered all my questions promptly, very knowledgeable. Highly recommend.”

Wesley

“Melissa Stevenson made selling my parent's home effortless. She is very understanding and knowledgeable. Melissa took the time to explain the process and helped me navigate through the financial process.”

Suzanne

“My house sold in 22 hours with one showing. Melissa told me it would go fast! The photography and presentation of the property was outstanding. I would definitely work with Melissa again.”

Toni Gallagher, Peoria, IL

“My wife and I were first time home buyers and were nervous about finding a home in our price range without making compromises. Melissa made the process very easy for us and explained each step along the way. She was available for our questions and addressed our concerns at all hours of the day. We were both very satisfied with the service we received from Melissa.”

Brady Bunton Peoria

“Thanks Melissa we love our new home and plan on staying for years to come!!”

Tammy Lobdell - Peoria

“Melissa not old knew the market in our neighborhood but was able to help is negotiate. She represented the seller that we bought from and when it came time to move we knew she was the right person for the house. She was direct, organized and sensitive to everything we needed. On top of that she was accessible and quick when we needed to communicate with her. So grateful for her!!!”

Carol Torok

“I worked with Melissa during the purchase of my first home. It was an easy choice to make after hearing first hand how happy her other clients were with her performance. Melissa exceeded my expectations in every aspect. Quick to respond, understood my needs, met with me every time i requested her to. The whole experience with her was as wonderful as I hoped it would be. I can't say enough good things about her!”

Samantha McCabe, Pekin IL

“Melissa has helps me with other house sales and has always done a great job for me.”

Art Young 5014 W Chippewa rd Peoria il

“Someone who previously used Melissa referred me. She was great! She responded immediately to my phone call and set up a time to view the house. I had pretty much made up my mind, so I made an offer right away, and I got the home! Melissa scheduled all the inspections for me and kept me up to date. I would recommend Melissa to anyone.”

Nicholas Witmer

“Melissa Stevenson has been a friend of our family for 20 years and has always been wonderfully kind and helpful. Melissa is very knowledgeable about the Peoria aera. Melissa has helped with the sale and purchase of a few homes and will continue to use her services in the future. Thank you Melissa!”

John Cravens Peoria Illinois

“Very fabulous to work with!”

David Burkitt Sylvania Ohio

“Melissa made the experience of selling my first home extremely easy. I was in a hurry to sell, and Melissa worked with me to meet my timeline and answer all of my questions.”

Erika, East Peoria

“Melissa Stevenson is hard working and knowledgeable. She out did our expectations for competence and professionalism. We feel lucky to0 have chosen her as our agent.”

Jo Ann and James Thomas Traverse City, MI

“Melissa's professionalism and personal interactions are exactly the right combination to make this sales experience easy and successful for me.”

Linda Gren, central Illinois

“Melissa Stevenson has helped me sell and buy properties since 2009. She always brings the highest level of knowledge with her and makes me feel very confident about all the decisions we make in the process. I have always found success in all my real estate needs with Melissa and will continue to use her in the future.

She has also always been willing to help with all my real estate questions whenever they come up. Definitely an asset to my team.”

Aaron, Bloomington

“Melissa Stevenson is the most professional and down to earth agent that i've ever worked with. She was with me every step of the way and helped me throughout the process. I recommend Melissa 100 percent!”

Jeremy Armstrong, Brooklyn, NY

“Wonderful to work with.
Very knowledgeable.
Always accessible.
Lovely person.”

April Pierce Peoria IL

“See above”

Tim Kelly

“I couldn't have asked for a more patient, understanding, and caring person to handle the selling of my parents house after they passed away. Melissa held my hand throughout the entire process and helped to make what was a very difficult and emotional journey for me as easy as she could. Because of her expertise, openness, honesty, and professionalism I knew that everything would be taken care of and I did not have to worry about a thing. Because of everything that Melissa suggested and did, my parent's house sold in record time and for more than asking price. I am so grateful for all of her help and for making things go so smoothly and stress free!”

Kelly Thompson - Peoria

“Melissa was absolutely wonderful. She answered all of our questions in detail and timely. She provides professional advice that was helpful. We always felt comfortable to ask any question we had. I would recommend Melissa to all my friends and family.”

Jill Vaughan - Peoria, IL

“As a first time homebuyer, i had a knowledge deficit coming into the buying process that was a little scary. Melissa totally took that fear away with her constant education and support about every step of the process. She answered every little question I had - and helped me come up with and answer questions I didn’t even know to ask. I was referred to Melissa by a family member, and I would refer her again to any of my family or friends in the area. I can’t give enough praise or say too many thank yous to Melissa!”

Amanda Dahlquist, Peoria IL

“Melissa Stevenson was wonderful for us to work with throughout the home hunting/buying process. Her knowledge of the market and expertise during the contract negotiations were amazing. We are so grateful her patience, guidance, and professionalism that allowed us to purchase our dream home. Thank you Melissa!”

James and Sara Vershaw, Morton, IL

“I would highly recommend Melissa Stevenson for both sides of any real estate transaction. She treated us like we owned a mansion on Grandview, even though our listing was a condo. She gave her honest opinion as well as options, and allowed us room to learn and try new things, like creating a virtual tour. Melissa is a practical and hard-working professional with a great sense of humor, who knows her market and the people of Peoria.”

Dennis and Wendy Merdian, Peoria

“Melissa is so patient, professional and great to work with. Her knowledge of the community and people to assist with the home buying process is top notch. We can say with 100% certainty that we will never use another local Realtor to buy or sell our home.”

Jill & Tim Wright, Peoria, IL

“Melissa is the best. She handled all aspects of my sale like a pro. The marketing of the property drove lots of traffic to the house and ultimately to an offer. She is an expert negotiator and helped facilitate a quick and equitable agreement. The final steps were a breeze thanks to her planning and organization. I would highly recommend her to anyone who wants to sell their house. Thanks Melissa.”

Kurt, Peoria IL

“Melissa Stevenson was great to work with again.
As always, she is very knowledgeable and in-tune with the local and broader real estate market.
She communicates frequently and provides excellent guidance.
I highly recommend, particularly if buying or selling in the Peoria area.”

Tem Akinlua, Peoria

“Melissa does an excellent job of marketing property and getting it sold very soon after listing it. . I was very pleased with how quickly my house sold!”

Peoria Sharon Schneider

“Mellissa Stevenson goes above and beyond when purchasing a house. She is very personable and knowledgeable with many aspects while looking for a house. She always responded back quickly and would find the time to show me the multiple houses I requested to see within a day or two. I would recommend mellissa Stevenson to anyone looking to purchase a house!!!”

Jennifer McDonald, Peoria

“I was extremely pleased how smooth everything went throughout the entire process. i strongly recommend Melissa to any and everyone. The level of professionalism and dedication, i felt, was second to none.”

Brandon David, Canton

“Melissa did a great job with the sale of one property and purchase of another. She made it as smooth and as stress free as possible. She handled all the difficult & overwhelming details with patience and professionalism. We are an older couple who don't want to stress about such things anymore. Melissa understood our limitations and helped us understand everything clearly. Would highly recommend to others. Everything went as near perfect as possible.”

The Lanes - Peoria

“She didn't leave one stone unturned and made me feel like I was her only client even though I know she was busy with other clients... I appreciated her honesty and loved working with her!!”

Becky...Uplands

“I had heard that Melissa resided in my neighborhood, but went with another recommended realtor... Wish I had not done that.. When I connected with Melissa about taking over the sale if my house, I was nothing but totally satisfied.. She really seemed to appreciate my 125 yr old home and immediately used all the tools of social media, etc., to give my home the exposure it needed and deserved!! Melissa help to make the whole process of selling and buying as stress free as possible!! She NEVER made me feel like I was inconveniencing her or annoyed with my phone calls”

Rebecca..Peoria

“Simply, Thank You!”

John Kinning

“Melissa is a full time, hard working, friendly and very knowledgeable Realtor.
She is great at walking through all the details with you. Readily available too. She is well connected in the community and works well with others. Great at focusing on facts and taking out the feelings that can get in the way of a business transaction.”

Peoria

“I was new to buying a home and couldn't have asked for a better realator. She listened to what I wanted, she was patient with me, she helped point out issues with houses that I wasnt aware of, and she helped us negotiate a price and repair amendments. Really glad she was with us through this experience

Shes the best”

Dustin Tucker

“Melissa was extremely knowledgeable and kept us informed about all things as we moved through the process. She made herself available to us and worked with our schedules whenever we were interested in seeing a home or needed guidance throughout the process. We really appreciated her honesty and tokens of knowledge when we walked through the homes. It gave us great insight for the little quirks about each home and important things to know. She made us feel comfortable and was so excited right along with us as we made our decision to purchase.”

Paige Sims, Peoria, IL

“Beginning our journey into purchasing a new home left us with a sense of wandering. Once we met Melissa Stevenson it turned into a sense of wonder! Thanks to her insightfulness, professionalism, and empathy, we have become enamored with our home each and every morning, noon, and goodnight!”

Todd & Sabrina - Peoria

“Melissa captured the essence of the home we had lived in for 13 years. She clearly presented that feeling in the written description of our property and the on line Facebook teaser. Also adding the additional sign with the for sale sign to the front of our home was clever and drew added attention. She also did her required comparison to price the home fairly. We'd use her again in a heartbeat”

Dan Butler, Peoria

“Excellent service!!!”

John Stodgel

“Melissa was fabulous. She listened to what I wanted and delivered just that! Above all this was my first time purchasing a home and I virtually knew nothing. Melissa was so knowledgeable about the entire process. I learned so much working with her and it was a pleasure to get to know her.”

Marnie Koeppel, Bartonville IL

“I have known Melissa for roughly 15 years and have seen how focused on serving her customers she has been. I consider her a friend and someone that I can trust with one of the most important business dealings in my lifetime.”

Les, Dunlap

“I have known Melissa for roughly 15 years and have seen how focused on serving her customers she has been. I consider her a friend and someone that I can trust with one of the most important business dealings in my lifetime.”

Les, Dunlap

“If you wish to have a caring, professional person handling your home , Melissa is the lady you will want one your side .”

Ronald Springer