"Whilst we were finalizing our arrangements to leave the UK, Esti patiently sent us electronic details of properties for more than a year. She then spent several entire days helping us to choose and secure our property. "More than a realtor, Esti also provided excellent relocation advice so we could function effectively as soon as we arrived" "Esti is dependable and friendly with a good sense of humor - we felt we could trust her. – FRAN & DAVID HODGKINSON

"Like so many families who have holidayed in Florida we had considered buying a second home there for several years and like so many the lack of knowledge of purchasing property abroad had made us hesitant. Having watched several television programmes and reading up on the subject, we now appreciate how limited our knowledge actually was. On looking at the property available in the areas where we were interested, it appeared that there was no end of desirable property. We now realize that this is not the case, and that the importance in choosing the correct property is imperative to the success of owning a second home abroad. We were lucky enough to be referred to Esti Baughen to whom we supplied the specifications of the type of property we were looking for. Her knowledge of the market soon became apparent and she soon identified one or two properties that would be suitable for us in order to fulfill the criteria we had set, along with her suggestions.

We invested a great deal of trust in Esti, and through her, negotiated the purchase of our villa in Bradenton. We can honestly say that the trust placed has been one of our best investments. Having taken heed of the advice given to us by Esti, owning our second home has been very successful. Having sought out a villa with numerous attributes in a desirable area we have no problem renting it out to cover the costs.

Esti took care of the legal aspects through her contacts, which made the process relatively simple.

We would have no hesitation in recommending Esti, who made the whole process a lot less complicated and decreased the anxiety aspect of purchasing a second home thousands of miles away, through her warm and friendly approach. – BOB & JACKIE COWPER

Esti made buying our house in Sarasota a pleasurable and rewarding experience. She devoted an entire week to our search, driving around various suitable areas and showing us around houses until we found the perfect one for us. Esti has a huge amount of knowledge about the area and the property available.

Once we had made our choice, the purchase was extremely simple and quick, using Esti’s many invaluable contacts. What at first seemed a daunting process, Esti made as easy as falling off a log!

If you are looking to buy a property in the Sarasota area, we can thoroughly recommend you employ the services of Esti. – DAVID & MAGGIE WREN

" Our friends recommended Esti to us. They had already bought their home using Esti's advice. We met on a Monday, she arranged for us to view homes that day, and by Wednesday we had bought our dream home in Sarasota!."

" We can't recommend Esti highly enough, she made finding and buying our home in Sarasota so stress free. Her advice was invaluable. Esti tells you how it is."

"She represents you in every part of the buying process, gives you the information you need and knows the right people to get things done" – PAUL & KYM QUAINTRELL

“We got a good, personalized service. Esti took time to understand our needs and to research properties that would meet our requirements. Her local knowledge of the Sarasota and Bradenton area was a bid advantage, and she was able to show a range of properties that really gave us a good sense of the hosing market.

She moved quickly to meet our tight timeframes and kept us updated when we were back in the UK. We now have a lovely villa in Florida that is serving as well as both a rental and holiday home.”

- ALISTAIR & HELEN LLOYD

“ Esti helped us enormously in 2003 in locating a selection of properties in the Bradenton area for us to view. She took time out to drive us to the properties and show us each one, and assisted us with the entire process after we had chosen the one to buy – from making the offer to the close.

Her attentive service was particularly comforting as we live in the U.K and Esti could take care of being at the property for surveys and the like, on our behalf. ” – STUART PADMORE

When we bought our house in Florida, Esti Baughen was the realtor who helped us find the perfect place. Esti's help was excellent, she was professional and she understood our requirements and ensured we only looked at houses that fitted our specification. Her knowledge of how the process works in the UK and the US was invaluable, and what could have been a very confusing process, was made so much easier by her expertise and advice.  

We would definitely recommend Esti. – JANE & CLIVE PHILPOTT

"Esti was a pleasure to work with. She is very enthusiastic, has bags of energy and a very positive attitude - nothing is too much trouble. She knows how the system works and puts her clients very much first.

I also liked her ability to give objective advice’’ – DEBORAH OLIVER

'Esti was absolutely amazing! In a very short time she found exactly the home we were looking for, and within our budget. Also, she helped us in so many other ways – finding a lawyer, opening a US bank account, and giving us tips on living in Florida plus lots of useful info on local shopping and attractions.

We quickly came to regard Esti as not just a realtor, but a friend. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to anyone seeking a friendly, helpful, trustworthy and thoroughly professional realtor.' – GRAHAM & PAULINE MOSES

We had looked to buy a home in Florida, but were not sure exactly where. We made it known to the realtors we spoke to that we were on "recon" only.

Despite this, the other realtors we saw applied pressure immediately, and it was clear they were only after a sale, any sale, and not necessarily the right one for us.

Esti however took on board that we were on "recon" only, and did not let this bother her. She took time to find out what we were looking for, took the time to show us around, and answered all our questions honestly. Esti was not just after the sale.

By being laid back and listening to us she found our ‘dream property’ - something that the ‘high pressure’ sales people did not seem interested in.

In short, Esti quite rightly wanted to make a sale, but she made the effort to make it the right one for us, not her.

Esti’s relationship did not end there though. She continued to offer help and advice long after the sale. – GORDON CHRYSTIE

"Having made a decision to buy a winter home in Sarasota, we met up with Esti via a colleague of hers. We had a list of criteria including budget, three bedrooms, detached property, on a golf course and close to shops and beach. Initially, Esti spent time with us to find out exactly what we were looking for and came up with numerous matches.

She then showed us a number of communities, one of which was ‘Stoneybrook’, but at that time no suitable properties were for sale.

With Esti’s help, we had at least pinpointed the golf community in which we wanted to live.

However, we had to return to the UK, but left Esti to monitor the situation for us. As soon as a suitable property came on the market (which was a couple of months later), Esti got in touch and then viewed the property on our behalf. She was confident that the house was right for us, and consequently, we flew back to Sarasota to see it for ourselves – and we loved the house!

Esti then helped us with negotiations leading to the purchase of the house, and she closed the sale on our behalf as we could not be there in person to do so ourselves.

Almost two and a half years on, we are still delighted with our home and have to say, Esti was right!” – GARY & SUSAN YOUNG

"Having taken the decision to buy a Florida home, we were lucky enough to
have Esti hold our hand throughout the whole process. From clarifying our
requirements, to identifying a suitable property, negotiating a purchase
price and sealing the agreement, Esti ensured we were able to complete our
house purchase quickly and efficiently. This took a grand total of 5 days -
including opening a US bank account, arranging a US mortgage, getting the
building survey scheduled, and being introduced to a management agent who
could look after the property in our absence. This would not have been
possible without someone who was committed to helping us, and knowledgeable
in all that we needed to complete in the short time available to us.

We would have no difficulties recommending Esti to anyone who needed to buy
a Florida home.” - MARK & ANNE WILSON

"As we only had 3 days to view properties, being visitors from UK Esti was extremely helpful and efficient and quickly assessed our needs.  She has the ability to make you feel that there are no obstacles that cannot be overcome and helped to make the purchase of our house run smoothly, even working at the weekend to make sure we completed everything before returning to UK". – BOB & CELINE STANFIELD

I live in the UK and was fortunate to be introduced to Esti Baughen when I was considering buying a holiday/rental home in Florida.  Esti‘s knowledge of the area was invaluable and her totally professional and helpful attitude at all times ensured I was able to buy my perfect house quickly and easily.

Esti has also helped with all aspects of Florida life from selecting schools, business, lawyers and helping with the many differences one has to cope with in moving to the US. Esti was available at all times to answer any queries I might have had and nothing was too much trouble. I would not hesitate in recommending her to anyone purchasing property as a holiday home or permanent move. – LOUISE COURTENAY- MILLER

I'd like to praise you on your handling of our Florida purchase last year -
we found you to be very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable on all aspects
of the purchase and the area we were looking in. Purchasing from a
distance (UK) does make it very difficult unless you can spend weeks at a
time over in Florida looking (which most people can't) and to have an agent
working whom you feel you can trust and make good sensible decisions on your
behalf does make the whole purchase a lot less stressful than it would
otherwise be. – JOHN & SARAH SLATER

'We were delighted with the service provided by Esti.

She took the time to really understand what we were looking for, and as
soon as the right properties became available Esti was on the
phone/email to us. She knew we were keen to buy a suitable property as
soon as possible and as such she treated us with a high level of
priority and urgency.

We successfully purchased our lovely villa in May 2005, and it is
everything we were hoping for.

Thank you for everything Esti!  - JEREMY & PAULA HICKLING

Buying a new home is always a stressful situation, but when you are in a strange country where you know nobody, it is even more so!

The support and assistance we received from Esti was amazing. She spent time to understand our requirements, emailed us details and got our feedback as you would expect from anyone trying to sell a house…but Esti also took the time to show us areas and estates to be sure she fully understood what we wanted and what we liked before every showing of a property. This approach meant we only saw properties that met our needs in areas where we felt comfortable…so no wasting time!

She stayed with us through the whole process and supported us after the sale too. We are happy to recommend her to anyone looking to buy a property and wish her every success. –LINDSAY & CHRISTINE CARVER

When we were house-hunting, Mike and I truly appreciated your honesty and realistic view re our final purchase. Having just moved over from the UK, it was important for us to have someone who could explain the differences of purchasing a home in the UK to the US/Florida market.  It was reassuring to have someone with this knowledge since many terms are similar but many are also different. The market at the time was very competitive for buyers and we needed to act fast.  You understood what we wanted and you acted fast and professional on our behalf. We feel this combination helped us tremendously and encouraged the homeowner to pay more attention to our offer. We are very happy in our home and highly recommend you and your services. – MIKE & JENNIFER BRADSELL

Our first experience of searching for a holiday home in Florida was confusing and pressured.

Then we met Esti, who was like a breath of fresh air. Immediately her knowledge of real estate and her honesty and objectivity helped us to focus on finding the right property. Esti then proved to be invaluable in assisting us with all aspects of our purchase, giving us no end of friendly advice, as well as many valuable contacts along the way.

Two years later we bought another property in Sarasota and again Esti was superb.

We cannot recommend Esti highly enough, nor thank her enough for all her help. – NEIL & DEBORAH HUTCHINSON

“We worked with Esti in August 2004, and flew to Sarasota in good faith that she would be there when we arrived for our next day meeting. Just as promised, she was there, and drove us around, showing properties as discussed and making us feel very welcome – in fact like old friends! Esti was so helpful and incredibly patient, as we changed our ideas and requirements a couple of times during the trip.

We eventually found the ideal property, for which she then organized a viewing very quickly, and helped us through the offer and signing of contract process.

Esti was also there for us, keeping in touch whilst we were back in the UK, to make sure everything happened to schedule, and finally met us again on the day of closing. She even had to drive round to the bank to collect a cheque for us at the 11th hour. It all happened like clockwork, and we would thoroughly recommend anybody considering the area to work with Esti and her team, as she is very knowledgeable, professional and fun to work with.

Since then we have been back to our house and had lunch with her and we hope to work with her again in the future” – ELLIOT & KRISTIN LAWRENCE

We flew down to Florida from New York for a couple of days to look at homes that Esti had selected for us. On the second day, we put in an offer, and because of having to get back to New York, Esti took care of everything else for us. From the Home Inspection to the Closing, everything went perfectly, and all we needed to do was sign paperwork and use a fax machine!

Esti also helped us with another property, but due to unforeseen circumstances, that sale fell through. She stood by us, and was utterly supportive of our decision to back out of the sale, not once complaining of all the time and effort she had to put in on our behalf.

She is a wonderful realtor, the greatest friend and a true star! – JOE & JENNY NOVIELLI