Eric & Zari Hunter

Where were you living prior to your current home, and how did you begin your house hunting process?

Prior to living where we live now, we lived in an apartment close to here. However, we began looking for a real estate agent and company before moving to Charlottesville, and after Eric accepted an offer from his current job—that was in 2018.

What drew you to working with Story House Real Estate?

When Eric accepted a job in the area, we decided to look for houses in Charlottesville that were close to all the action (shopping, etc.). Because we had never lived in Charlottesville, we decided to ask around for recommendations from others who have either worked with a real estate company, or knew of anyone that could be patient and understanding of our needs as we were moving from a house that we had custom built and were not sure how to go about neighborhoods, schools, and a potential house. After asking around from numerous people that Eric works with, Story House Real Estate was mentioned to us repeatedly. So, we took the recommendations and met with Errin Searcy, who has been just incredible to work with. Errin has put up with our indecisiveness since before we moved to the area, and has been so patient and insightful as we have looked at numerous properties in over 2.5 years. She has an excellent knowledge of the area, is very responsive to emails/texts/calls, and very accommodating.

What made you choose Charlottesville?

As mentioned, we decided to move to Charlottesville because of job changes for Eric.

How did you discover the neighborhood (where you eventually ended up buying), and what did you love about it?

When we moved to the area, we looked for a potential school for our kids and through the school visits and drop-offs/pick-ups, we began to learn about the neighborhood that the school is in and thought that “this would be a great neighborhood to raise a family.” However, we were not yet ready to buy a house even though we had looked at several properties before that….well, not until the pandemic hit and we were all stuck in an apartment. However, towards the end of 2020, both Eric and I found ourselves wondering about purchasing a house. So, we contacted the amazing Errin, and she showed us a few places that we had seen online, but nothing really excited us. So, we took a short break and then saw a few potential houses that was in our price range and kind of near the areas we liked online. However, the day before Errin takes me on a tour of several properties, we saw our house on the market, which is in the same neighborhood as the school, and I texted Errin if I could see this house as well. She said yes and showed the house to me the next day. I immediately loved everything about the house, especially the two fireplaces, the doors and the amount of natural light inside the house. The next day Eric came to tour the house and we decided to put an offer.

What was your experience like working with the Story House Real Estate team?

It was the best experience we ever had with a real estate company and agent! Story House has incredible professionals, who make buying a house very simple. We still can’t believe how little we had to do in regards to paperwork, finding the right law firm/lawyer, inspectors, lenders, contractors, negotiation, etc. All the paperwork was sent to us online, so it was very convenient because we didn’t have to leave the apartment every time we had to sign a document. Also, every person we worked with, was easy to rich on the phone if we had any questions or concerns about the documents, etc. This is the third property we have bought, so we have had other experiences with purchasing a house, but none were this amazing and convenient.

What was your journey like buying/selling your home?

It was very easy, smooth, and productive. All thanks to Story House staff!

What was the most stressful part of the real estate process?

Finding the right house, in the right area, for the right price.

What was the best part of the real estate process?

Working with Story House and Errin Searcy. Also, the numerous congratulatory treats and gifts we received. Our favorite story is the day that the closing was finalized, we came to the house hungry and tired with all three of our kids. We hadn’t packed snacks because it had been a busy day, but we wanted to see the house so the next day we knew what was needed to bring along for cleaning the house in order to move in, a few days later. When we entered the house, there was a box on the kitchen counter, which was filled with a variety of local goodies. We appreciated the thoughtfulness greatly and celebrated our new journey with the unwrapping of those goodies. We continued to receive other gifts like Tiffany Champagne glasses, and other amazing treats—so it was a fun process and the celebration lasted for a while.

If you had to describe your real estate experience to friends and family what would you say? 

It was the best experience we had, and we recommend Story House to EVERYONE!

If you had any advice to give first time home sellers/buyers what would it be? 

Especially if you are new to the area and have a young family, work with agents and a real estate company that can relate to your circumstances so they can help you not only with finding a house, but also can recommend pediatrics, a dentist, physicians, schools, neighborhoods, etc., and understand your financial ability and respects your likes/dislikes with properties.