Testimonials
"Barbara Cousens is consistently high performing whether helping us to buy or sell our homes, which is why we called on her again. She is exceedingly responsive, highly organized and her counsel is spot on. Barbara Cousens is our first and only contact for real estate transactions in NoVA. We are confident she will expertly and efficiently guide us to our desired goal."
- Helene"Top notch. Barbara was very professional and detail oriented. An absolute gem."
- Karen"Flawless job performance. We're very satisfied. Barbara added value numerous times throughout the entire process. Professional. She saved us money it doesn't get any better than that!"
- Mark"I have enjoyed working with you...you make it easy."
- Mark"Barbara & Jud did everything that was necessary to sell the house. It went on the market at $899,000 and was sold several hours later at $925,000. Need I say more? They did a superior job in marketing the property from every aspect, and were great to deal with. No need to improve their services. I would recommend them to family friends and colleagues."
- Ed"Barbara is absolutely everything we would want in a realtor! We used her years ago to find a rental in Old Town Alexandria, and specifically reached out to her again when we moved to the area again to search for a new house. She meticulously took the time to research and understand our desires and situation and went above and beyond to find the perfect house for us. I am so grateful for everything that she has done for my family and me. We will always consider her family after the relationship that we formed during our search for our first family home."
- Christy"Barbara is a wonderful, experienced, knowledgeable, kind, and patient real estate PROFESSIONAL. She worked with me to buy my condominium and later to sell it, and she is a great buyer's and seller's agent. Selling is a much more involved process and Barbara was so good at walking me through thesteps, advising me, and reassuring me when I made decisions. She backed everything up with thorough market research. I had moved away to Atlanta and rented out my condo for two years. When I decided to sell, Barbara supported me completely, from assisting my renters with move out to letting in workers when I put in a new carpet, had the unit painted, and had various other workers in my unit. She handled it all and I wrote the checks. I can't tell you what a help that is for an out-of- state seller. Not to mention the level of trust I have/had in her to allow someone else to be my agent. I literally did not have to fly up there once. She even coordinated all the closing paperwork and I signed all my documents securely online. On a personal level, Barbara is a special person who is very adept at LISTENING to what you what and advising you in a respectful way when she might disagree. And I found that she was right every time. I can't say enough about Barbara, and if I didn't now live in Atlanta, I'd be using her again as I purchase my home here. You can't go wrong with Barbara. Oh! And she found me a buyer at my open house the FIRST weekend it was available, because she is GREAT with marketing and encouraged me to price it right. And I think the fact that she baked her famous zucchini bread didn't hurt either. I closed in less than 30 days, partly because it was a cash offer, but mostly because of Barbara's great work ethic."
- Kate"Barbara is the optimum combination of professionalism and personal engagement. She and Jud Burke make an excellent real estate team. They guide you through the process with thoughtfulness and utmost consideration of your property - and the impact on your life. I could NOT have achieved the sales price on my home - without this expert team! And this was the 4th real estate transaction with Barbara --- so that in itself says a lot about her expertise!"
- Lynn"Barbara provided exceptional service and real estate guidance in assisting me to purchase a home in Old Town Alexandria, VA. She analyzed 10 properties to compare as comparables to determine an appropriate offer for me to make. I have purchased and sold real estate as an investor for 35 years and I have never seen an agent go to this much work without being asked. Her work was exceptional and key to having my offer accepted. She has broad knowledge and understanding of the history of home sales and prices in Old Town Alexandria. She was able to provide a list of vendors (good skills; bargain prices) for a variety of repairs from electrical, kitchen appliances, handyman, architect, designer, and landscaper. Barbara was friendly, courteous, and punctual during all our engagements. I recommend her without reservation and would certainly engage her again."
- Mark"Absolutely exceeded expectations! Barbara is the best realtor I??ve ever worked with. I appreciate all Jud's help too on the side. Barbara understood my somewhat unique circumstances, and did everything she could to make this as easy a process as possible. Can't tell you how appreciative I am of all her hard work. I already miss her phone calls/emails!"
- Ziad"Barbara was the absolute best! I've purchased several other homes in different states. This was my first time purchasing in Virginia, so I was looking for an agent with local knowledge. Barbara asked the right questions to get to know my needs and style. She was always willing to show me different properties, and presented me with a variety of options. Once I was ready to make an offer, Barbara reviewed many comps to help me pinpoint the best price, and she provided expert guidance during the negotiation process. Barbara was with me at the property for all inspections, and she was there when I couldn't be onsite. I appreciated the deep experience and carful guidance that Barbara provided. She made me feel like her only client. I will absolutely call Barbara when I'm buying or selling again."
- Max"Barbara Cousens exceeded our expectations. She left nothing to chance. Her approach was calculated, professional and tireless. She was available to us at all hours. Her attitude was unfailingly positive and professional. She is a tremendous asset to McEnearney."
- Jim & Mary"Thank you both so much for all of the guidance and effort you extended to us in the sale of our home. You made the adventure truly trouble free."
- Leo & Marty"As an out-of-state owner of a rental property which I decided to sell, I was referred to Ms. Cousens by another agent who had first-hand knowledge of her skills as a real estate agent. I found Ms. Cousens to be highly knowledgeable, and exceptionally responsive to me as an absentee seller. Her most important quality to me is her highly ethical standards. She always put my interests as a client first. She always acted in my best interest. I never felt pressured to make price or other changes simply to "get a sale." Regarding negotiation skills, Ms. Cousens actually negotiated a final price several thousand dollars above the listing price! I highly recommend Ms. Cousens."
- Lynn"It's amazing what simply doing a good job will do for one's reputation. You ROCK baby, YOU ROCK!"
- Glen & Celine"I don't know where to begin to thank you... you have been so wonderful! From the very first day, you took our hand and walked us through. You were so patient, understanding and supportive. You found the best home for us - it filled all of our 'requirements' and we truly love it! We are so happy we decided on Old Town. Thanks so much for all your hard work and dedication to us!"
- Tom & Melissa"We will always remember you! Thank you for all of your patience, kindness and support through the sale of our home. Not only were you our realtor but you are a friend."
- John & Sheila"I feel blessed that you were my agent, and I have pleasant memories of finding my home in Virginia."
- Magdaline"We sure appreciate doing business with you...Your professionalism is highly commendable."
- Rod"We were so grateful for your intervention on our behalf with your colleagues and were very pleased with the sale of our lots in Port Charlotte a very much better deal than we had ever been quoted before and I'm sure your watchful eye did the trick, we being absentee Landlords. Very many thanks indeed for your help."
- Dillys"Because of your intense hard work and persistence in finding our new home, by the unique loyalty to our family in seeing through the entire application and acceptance...the process was such an overwhelming gift to us. You went well beyond and above to help us...you truly changed our lives by taking us under your wing and finding us the right home, I cannot say it any other way except we were so blessed to have you be our advocate. We want to thank you sincerely for the wonderful gift of your time and hard work!"
- John & Megan"We did get the application approved and are moving into the house you showed us. I would like to thank you for your very prompt attention and have already recommended you to our friends as a wonderful agent to work with."
- J'nie"... I am very keen to use you as my agent. You are so professional and competent, and I really like working with you. I am going to hang on to all your information, and would very much like to go through you to buy a home when we are ready. Thanks again so much for all your helpful hints you have given me so far - I very much look forward to working with you."
- Michelle"Barbara was very professional, detail-focused and timely in all her communications. All a very pleasant experience."
- Lynne"Barbara showed exceptional care and focus on helping me accomplish a relatively rushed home purchase."
- Brandon"Excellent service. Exceeded expectations."
- Charles"We can't thank you enough for all you've done to make our first home purchase possible. You were a pleasure to work with and we will definitely give you a ring if we're back on the market."
- Charlie & Kate"You did a great job. It is always so much more pleasant working with someone who keeps the ultimate goal in mind."
- Monique"I think the key phrase (and quality that you possess) is being a high caliber agent."
- Kevin"Thank you so much for all your help guiding us through our first house purchase. We honestly couldn't have done it without you! We're looking forward to the upcoming years turning the house into a home. Let's keep in touch!"
- Wes & Jessica"Barbara is a wonderful, experienced, knowledgeable, kind, and patient real estate PROFESSIONAL. She worked with me to buy my condominium and later to sell it, and she is a great buyer's and seller's agent. Selling is a much more involved process and Barbara was so good at walking me through the steps, advising me, and reassuring me when I made decisions. She backed everything up with thorough market research. I had moved away to Atlanta and rented out my condo for two years. When I decided to sell, Barbara supported me completely, from assisting my renters with the move out to letting in workers when I put in a new carpet, had the unit painted, and had various other workers in my unit. She handled it all and I wrote the checks. I can't tell you what a help that is for an out-of-state seller. Not to mention the level of trust I have/had in her to allow someone else to be my agent. I literally did not have to fly up there once. She even coordinated all the closing paperwork and I signed all my documents securely online. On a personal level, Barbara is a special person who is very adept at LISTENING to what you what and advising you in a respectful way when she might disagree. And I found that she was right every time. I can't say enough about Barbara, and if I didn't now live in Atlanta, I'd be using her again as I purchase my home here. You can't go wrong with Barbara. Oh! And she found me a buyer at my open house the FIRST weekend it was available because she is GREAT with marketing and encouraged me to price it right. And I think the fact that she baked her famous zucchini bread didn't hurt either. I closed in less than 30 days, partly because it was a cash offer, but mostly because of Barbara's great work ethic."
- Jacky"Barbara has done a terrific job helping my buy and sell -- and rent! As properties in Alexandria, VA. I happily recommend her. She also finds and does background checks for renter's. Excellent service"
- Carl & Ann"Buying a house was a distant goal and one that was a little daunting. Barbara was amazing - she invested so much time in helping me understand the process, showed me around several geographical areas and many different types of homes to help me zero in on where and what I liked, she introduced me to an amazing mortgage broker who even came to the closing, and she helped guide me - especially when emotion might have led me to making impulsive decisions. I felt at all times that she had my best interest at heart, she was patient, she was caring, and her advice and guidance led me to buying a home much, much earlier than I had dared dream. Thank you Barbara - you are the best! If you are looking for an exceptional real estate agent to help you navigate this process - I whole heartedly recommend her!"
- Deb"Sold our home in Old town Alexandria. Great price.Provided detailed insight on the current real estate market. Two open houses conducted by Barbara were exceptional and attracted many offers, one of them ended in sale of the house. She is excellent, has wonderful sense of humor and intuition about people. Highly recommend."
- Inna"We recently asked Barbara Cousens and her partner, Jud Burke, to handle the sale of our Old Town Alexandria condominium apartment. They quickly put it on the market and expertly arranged tasteful staging, open houses, and advertising. Throughout the process, they kept us closely informed and never seemed to tire in their pursuit of the right outcome. Their efforts delivered a good, solid sale and a first-rate experience for everyone concerned. We recommend these savvy professionals without the slightest reservation and expect to return to them for any future real-estate dealings"
- Mary"Wonderful to work with! My husband and I met Barbara at an open house when we were house hunting on our own. Although Barbara wasn't the listing agent of the property, she took the time to walk with us through the entire property giving us ideas and tidbits of information about the property and the surrounding area. We liked Barbara's candid and easy nature so much that we asked her to help us find our first home. Through the entire process Barbara was professional, honest, friendly, and responsive. We highly recommend Barbara. "
"Barbara worked with us on 3 separate real estate transactions (both buying and selling/renting). She was wonderful. She did an incredible amount of research, listened to all our concerns, was patient and understanding about our budget and our schedule, negotiated well for us, and ultimately foundus exactly what we were looking for. She had great local contacts who helped us with the inspection, financial matters, and contracting work. I would definitely work with her again, and highly recommend her services to anyone in the Alexandria area. She is really terrific! Barbara worked with us on 3 separate real estate transactions (both buying and selling/renting). She was wonderful. She did an incredible amount of research, listened to all our concerns, was patient and understanding about our budget and our schedule, negotiated well for us, and ultimately found us exactly what we were looking for. She had great local contacts who helped us with the inspection, financial matters, and contracting work. I would definitely work with her again, and highly recommend her services to anyone in the Alexandria area. She is really terrific!"
- Kelly"Barbara is an excellent agent. She is very knowledgeable about her work and the market. She was very responsive to our requests and needs. Barbara is a consummate professional."
- Jim & Sharon""Barbara is a superb agent extremely knowledgeable and was always available. She has great patience and truly listens to understand what you are looking for.""
- Catherine