Mary Ellen & Thomas Dickson share their story about working with Mark Thudium to prepare and sell their home in Leola.

Several years ago, a friend told me that Mark Thudium is honest, fair, and an excellent Realtor to work with to sell a home. At the time, I was familiar with Mark through our school community, but I did not need a Realtor in the immediate future.

Years later, when my husband and I were making plans for retirement and to relocate, we knew we'd need to sell our home, located in Leola's Maples neighborhood. I remembered the positive recommendation I'd received for Mark. We met with Mark in the fall of 2020 with a plan to sell in the spring of 2021. Mark was easy to talk to and extremely knowledgeable about real estate. It was an easy decision to partner with him to sell our home.

During our initial meeting, Mark guided us on the most optimal ways to prepare our home that was practical and best suited for us. We considered replacing the original HVAC systems and roof (both 30 years old), but Mark suggested that we focus on some cosmetic changes. We replaced countertops and some floors, refinished hardwood floors, removed wallpaper and painted. We didn't need to list our home till the spring of 2021, so we took the winter to work on those projects.

Instead of replacing the HVAC system and the roof, Mark suggested we have a pre-listing home inspection done to share with potential buyers. He suspected that the inspector would say that – even though our HVAC and roof were 30 years old, they were in good working order – he was right! While Mark wanted to give potential buyers an accurate understanding of the home's condition, he saved us from spending $20,000 - $30,000 on replacing those major systems.

Our home went on the market in May 2021. We wanted to price it to sell, and Mark helped us determine the best price to achieve that. Within a few days, we had multiple offers, all well above the listing price. We were blown away by the quality of offers we received. Mark discussed each offer in detail, providing the pros and cons of each. His transparency in reviewing each offer displayed his strong commitment to being an honest and ethical Realtor. It enabled us to select the strongest and best offer for us. 

Mark is extremely personable, easy to work with, trustworthy, and familiar with current markets. I have recommended him and will continue to recommend him as he is a valuable partner in selling or buying a home regardless of your stage of life.