Urban Durham Realty

Fantastic experience: Pete Eisenmann was amazing to work with while looking for a new home. He answers any questions you have in a timely manner, is very quick with setting up viewings and genuinely wants you to find your perfect home. We will be working with them again whenever the need arises!

Fantastic experience: Pete Eisenmann was a wonderful guide through our journey of buying a new home! He answers any questions you have in a timely manner, is very quick with setting up viewings and genuinely wants you to find your perfect home. We will be working with them again whenever the need arises!

Fantastic experience: Working with Urban Durham Realty was truly an amazing experience from start to finish. Nikia Wilson was professional, calm, diligent, hardworking, and incredibly easy to talk to throughout the entire homeownership process. She was highly educated in our investment home-buying process and made sure that we were equally knowledgeable and fully understood what we were getting into every step of the way. She took the time to explain everything thoroughly, answered all of our questions with patience, and made sure we felt informed and confident in our decisions. At no point did we feel rushed or pressured. Nikia genuinely cared about helping us find the right home and ensuring we were comfortable throughout the process. She showed us every home we were interested in and even provided valuable suggestions, tips, and insight on what to look for and consider as homeowners. Her professionalism, transparency, and dedication truly went above and beyond. I highly recommend Nikia Wilson and Urban Durham Realty to anyone looking for a trustworthy, knowledgeable, and supportive real estate team.

Fantastic experience: We couldn’t have asked for a better real estate partner! They guided us through buying our first home, helped us sell it, and then supported us in finding our new dream house. Their support went above and beyond every step of the way. They are deeply connected in the community and truly understand the nuances of the market. Thanks to their expertise, our home sold in record time despite a tough market, and the entire process was a joy from start to finish.

Fantastic experience: We had an absolutely wonderful experience working with Monica Evans. From start to finish, she was knowledgeable, responsive, and truly dedicated to helping us find the perfect home. She made the entire buying process smooth and stress-free, always keeping our best interests at heart. Her attention to detail and commitment to excellence really stood out. We are so grateful for her guidance and would highly recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell a home!

Fantastic experience: Zuri is an amazing realtor. Over the course of our multi month search, Zuri proved indispensable. Time and again she helped us navigate the market, ask the right questions, answer questions we’d never think to ask, and so much more. We can’t imagine working with another realtor.

Fantastic experience: Alice Sharpe is a genius! She knows the Durham area so well and was an absolute delight to work with from start to finish for both buying and selling. She made some difficult circumstances we encountered feel easy. We are so grateful to her and highly recommend her for anyone seeking a dream home (or selling a dream home) in the Durham area!

Fantastic experience: When we decided to move back to Durham we knew we wanted to work with an agency that had strong connections to the local community. With that in mind, Urban Durham Realty was the obvious choice and we are so happy with them, in general, and our agent, Marcelle Thomas, in particular. It was not our first time buying a house, or buying long distance, but it was the first time buying a house in NC, with its unique real estate customs, and Marcelle walked us through it all with patience and grace. She listened carefully to what we were looking for, even as we knew that finding the full package - our unicorn house, we called it - was going to be a long shot. We came up for what we thought would be the first of several weekends house hunting and by the end of that first day had found our new home. Marcelle guided us through the offer, the contract, and the few hiccups with the out-of-state closing and was very responsive whenever we had questions and made sure to keep us up on where things stood at all times. Marcelle was an absolute delight to work and tour houses with. Highly recommended.

Negative experience: We drove 64 plus miles round trip to visit an open house. It was scheduled for 11:00am-1:00pm. We arrived at 11:33a. The house was dark and no car in driveway. We immediately sensed something wrong. Having lived in the triangle for 30 years and having bought and sold 13 homes open houses and dealing with realtors is very routine for us. Another couple arrived in about 10 minutes. We all discovered a sign on the door saying the event was cancelled and the house under contact. This was a very poor way to deal with this event. Most triangle realtors looking to make a good impression and grow their business would have conducted the open house, explained the situation and told folks they would be notified if backup offers were needed. Realtors looking to go business would have offered to help us find another home, obtain our information and built goodwill with her and her brand. None of this was present. A couple of clicks in on her phone could have cancelled this event in time to save our trip and others. We pulled up the listing while we were on the property and it still indicated the house was for sale and the open house was occurring. There is no excuse for this poor performance. If the agent was out of pocket she could have sent an office person to cover and represent the firm. The pic below is all we got. (pic not posted due to new google pics only policy; not storing pics on google)

Fantastic experience: I bought and sold a home with Urban Durham and it's been such an easy and stress-free experience. Their expertise and timely actions made the transactions so streamlined and easy to understand, especially for those who may be unfamiliar with the home buying/selling process. I would highly recommend Urban Durham for any real estate needs!

Fantastic experience: Pete Eisenmann at Urban Durham Realty helped us navigate the process of selling our house as first-time home sellers. Pete took the time to listen and understand our situation and our needs before giving advice. He worked with us from the very beginning, helping us decide whether or not we wanted to sell, getting the house ready to put on the market, bringing in a stager to make recommendations for staging, and arranging professional photography for listing. Day or night, Pete was there answering our questions whenever we needed! He helped us manage the showings and sale process even as we traveled out of town. Even in a tough market, our house sold immediately, thanks to Pete's experience and advice. If you choose Pete as your agent, you're in good hands!

Fantastic experience: I had a great experience working with Pete as my real estate agent. He was professional, communicative, and always made time to work around my schedule. Pete helped me close on my home in just one month, which was a huge win. He also worked seamlessly with my lender and recommended a reliable inspector and attorney, making the entire process smooth from start to finish. I highly recommend him to anyone looking to buy a home with confidence and support.

Fantastic experience: I am moving to Durham from Ohio to be near my two adult daughters and their families. While exploring downtown Durham, we popped into Urban Durham Realty as we just happened to walk by. Lucky for us, Pete Eisenmann was there and gave us a great overview of what was available. Over the next few months he showed us (sometimes just my daughters, sometimes when I visited) multiple properties, but we were really waiting for the perfect new home. Once we decided to put in an offer on a condo downtown, he guided us every step of the way. Especially since I lived far away, I needed someone who would stay on top of things and have the ability to keep things running smoothly. He knew who to use for all the services a buyer needs. Pete was always available, very knowledgeable, and is an all-around great human being! Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Susan Herst @ Urban Durham was such a joy to work with for our first-time home buying experience. She has such deep knowledge of the Durham market, and it's clear that she really enjoys helping people find the home of their dreams. Susan is extremely diligent throughout the entire process to make sure the home buyer is comfortable from start to finish. I highly recommend her; if the rest of the Urban Durham team is even half as good as Susan, you'll be in good hands.

Fantastic experience: I would recommend Urban Durham Realty to anyone looking to buy or sell a house. Terra VanBeek helped us buy our house amidst the chaos of the 2021 housing market and then sell it 3 years later. Through both experiences we were incredibly impressed by and appreciative of her professionalism, knowledge, organization and communication. We attribute our success with both buying and selling to her skill, and even more importantly she helped us get through both processes without any unnecessary stress. From the very beginning we had the feeling that we could trust her implicitly with all facets of the process and this proved to be true.

Fantastic experience: We are incredibly grateful for the care and expertise Christina Chenet of Urban Durham Realty brought to our recent townhouse sales experience. Since we had not sold a property in over 20 years, we relied on Christina's knowledge of current market conditions and the unique characteristics of the Durham market in listing our property, and we were thrilled when an offer came in within a couple of days of the listing going live. Christina kept us updated and gave us expert advice every step of the way from pre-listing prep to closing day, taking the stress out of the transaction for us. Her kind, calm demeanor complemented her reliable, skillful approach, making this a very pleasant experience, We highly recommend Christina and Urban Durham Realty for your next real estate transaction.

Fantastic experience: Working with Christina Chenet at Urban Realty was a seamless and enjoyable experience. Christina is very knowledgeable and answered my questions. She also quickly identified what options would work for me and asked questions herself which helped guide my decision.

Fantastic experience: I had a wonderful experience with Terra VanBeek at Urban Durham Realty! She was extremely knowledgeable, prepared, organized and enthusiastic about getting my downtown condo listed and SOLD!! She even went so far as to go to the store to get batteries to replace a chirping smoke detector when I couldn't get there! She handled every aspect of the listing, sale and closing with professionalism and a smile!!

Fantastic experience: I had the absolute pleasure of working with Pete Eisenmann on my home purchase in Northgate Park; I cannot say enough good things about him! The entire process was so well executed -- from looking at the house, inspections, negotiating with the seller, and closing. He made recommendations for excellent providers for the loan, insurance, and all the associated tasks. He had top-notch attention to detail and was extremely communicative. I loved that he looked at the house with various sets of perspectives: what he might want in a home, what might need immediate updating and repair, and also what the overall feel might be. Absolutely hire him!

Fantastic experience: Had a great experience with a property sale working with a great realtor @ Urban Durham Realty - Pete Eisemann. He is patient, meticulous, knowledgeable and resourceful. Great guy to work with . Highly recommended. Would utilize his services again.

Fantastic experience: Terra Claire VanBeek was everything and more to us as a realtor!! From working with our budget to getting hyper-specific on neighborhoods to walking us through every aspect of a tricky deal, Terra truly went above and beyond for us and our first home. In addition to knowing everything there is to know about housing, construction, and the city of Durham, Terra is one of the kindest and most genuine people you could ever hope of having the pleasure to connect with. Working with Urban Durham Realty was a no-brainer for us, and we would recommend them to anyone who is looking to truly know Durham and be part of the community here!

Fantastic experience: Recently sold our home with Pete. He was conscientious and responsive throughout the process to make sure the sale went smoothly. Actively communicated during the entire process. By far best home selling experience I've had. Thank you!

Fantastic experience: We can not say enough about how amazing it is to work with Pete Eisenmann. We have now both bought and sold with him and each time it was a stellar experience. His kindness, integrity and knowledge shine through. He is calm under pressure and is truly a trusted ally for his clients. 100% would recommend!

Fantastic experience: Urban Durham Realty is absolutely the top pick in the area if you're looking to buy a home. I have had nothing but great experiences with them, thanks to Manfred, who is incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, as well as one of the nicest people you could work with. He always has clients' best interests in mind and I can't recommend him enough!

Fantastic experience: Pete was extremely helpful in our purchase in Durham. He made the process work extremely well beginning with educating us about the real estate process in North Carolina, followed by identifying our criteria for what we wanted in a home. Once we found a property we wanted to make an offer on, he successfully guided us through that process. He created a timeline for all the items needed to be completed prior to closing and kept us organized and on task to complete the purchase. He was very quick to respond to all of our questions and concerns. His attention to detail resulted in a number of estimates to fix what was found on the home inspection. Each and every service he recommended was very helpful and has made moving in much easier! He came highly recomended by our daughter and one of our friends. His exemplary service was above and beyond our expectations!

Fantastic experience: Pete is an AMAZING realtor and an all around stand up guy! Truly one of a kind! At our initial meeting, he radiated kindness and you could just tell he cared and listened to our concerns, he was genuine, and above all professional and thorough. Partnered with his expertise, realtor experience, and the drive to do what was right and ethical, is what ultimately drew us to him. Aside from our many obstacles during our sale, he battled multiple time zones as we had moved out of state, and did so gracefully and professionally. My family and I will forever be grateful for him and all he’s done for us, and will continue our friendship beyond our house sale. We highly recommend him to anyone looking for a home in the Triangle. You’d have a great guy on your team!

Fantastic experience: You're doing yourself a disservice by not asking for Clara to be your realtor. She was phenomenal from start to finish. She found me a home WAY under budget, saving me thousands, AND got a credit from the seller, despite it being an "as-is" sale. Clara is very straightforward and honest. She is in this profession because she loves her job and is passionate about helping people, which was apparent throughout the entire process. I had to have been one of her neediest clients, but she dealt with me nonetheless and never made me feel like my questions were silly. If not for her, I'd still be struggling to find the right house. CALL AND ASK FOR HER!!!!

Fantastic experience: Moving from Iowa to North Carolina after living in the same home for over 25 years SHOULD have been extremely stressful! However, with Pete Eisenmann as our realtor, it was truly as peaceful and worry-free as possible! Pete's attention to detail, communication skills, integrity and professionalism made our experience incredibly smooth. At each step of the process Pete kept us informed with detailed communication and valuable information. He consistently surprised us by helpfully offering to complete tasks we thought would be our responsibility. He listened carefully to our needs and feedback as we explored homes in the area. He made himself readily available and was highly communicative about times that might create conflicts for him. We also appreciate Pete's obvious love of the greater Durham area, as well as his commitment to use his words and actions to make this area of the world a better place! We hope to live in this new home for a very long time, but if we ever have family or friends looking for a new home, we will definitely recommend Pete and Urban Durham Realty!

Fantastic experience: We worked with Pete and he was wonderful! He was very attentive and on top of things. This was our first time buying a home and the process was quick and stress free

Fantastic experience: Eila Voloshen goes above and beyond for her clients. She helped us get everything we wanted and for buyers in NC that’s not so easy! We closed on our first home in Raleigh, NC and we owe our happiness to Eila. Thank you

Fantastic experience: Our experience with Pete Eisenmann @ Urban Durham started because we liked how he talked about his dogs on the website bio (okay... we did look at reviews too and saw he was rated well as a realtor)! We are relocating from Pittsburgh, PA as we move into retirement. Between mid-April and December 15 of 2023 we actually moved into a brand-new house that we built (working closely with Pete, Longleaf Builders and Sam Poole/NEST). Pete is the ultimate collaborator and communicator. We never really thought when we started that we would build a new home but Pete's skills, attention to detail, his directness and honesty, and the fact that he just knows a ton of people the area made ALL the difference. We are so pleased with how everything turned out and so much of that has to do with Pete's guidance every step of the way. My husband Ed and I give the highest marks to Pete Eisenmann and Urban Durham.

Fantastic experience: We've had two wonderful experiences working with Susan Herst, both to buy and to sell. Susan's an amazing realtor - she's incredibly knowledgeable, responsive, thorough and professional AND she is deeply rooted in the Durham community. Durham is her home and her love for the community shines through in her commitment and care to her clients. Susan worked with us to to buy our house and a few years later to sell our previous house. I also recommended Susan to help my dad buy when he relocated to Durham, because she's the realtor we trust!

Fantastic experience: We’ve worked with Pete at Urban Durham now for about 5 years. He helped us purchase our Cleveland Holloway residence, and 2 others houses in the area which we renovated and rented, After working with him recently to sell one of those former rental houses, I realized that a great review is overdue! Pete really knows the Durham area, the market, and the real estate landscape so well. He is super responsive, develops great strategies, and stays on top of all the details. We highly recommend Pete and Urban Durham to anyone looking for a realtor.

Fantastic experience: Susan Herst recently helped me to buy a home in Durham; every step of the way she was exceptionally professional and respectful. I know I can expect this high level of integrity because this is the fourth real estate transaction Susan has helped me navigate. She also has helped my family with four transactions of their own. She is caring, patient, calm, and thorough with all of us, and it's clear she always has her client’s best interest at heart. Sometimes you'll see her sense of humor when she's trying to keep stressful times light. I am thrilled to call Susan my Realtor and friend.

Fantastic experience: We’ve had a wonderful experience working with Pete at Urban Durham to purchase and sell properties in the Triangle area. He was super responsive, always answered our calls and emails, stayed on top of deadlines for us, and gave great advice. He’s professional, friendly, and easy to work with. He’s mediated situations with an unresponsive seller’s agent and aggressive attorney with grace and professionalism. I would highly recommend Pete and Urban Durham to anyone looking for a realtor.

Negative experience: We recently sold our house to a person using the services of Susan, a partner realtor at Urban Durham. Frankly, if we ever see go to sell again and see the buyer is working with her, we will likely turn away the offer. She has been unprofessional throughout the process, crossed numerous lines, and has created issue after issue for us. Her buyer may have gotten our old house, but Susan lost a ton of respect from us if there ever could have been any.

Fantastic experience: Steve Gardner helped us purchase a home north of Durham. We were relocating, and we are grateful that Steve was helpful, easy to work with, and explained things well. He got us through the buying process efficiently, including a home inspection, and afterwards he followed through by replying to our query about good local contractors. Overall, we would recommend Steve to someone who is looking for a realtor north of Durham.

Fantastic experience: Pete Eisenmann of Urban Durham was an incredible guide as we navigated the purchase our first home in Durham. Pete was always available to answer our many questions and was super patient and flexible while we figured out our changing priorities as a family with young kids.

Fantastic experience: Working with Pete Eisenmann was an excellent experience. He helped us in SO many ways with getting our house on the market and sold. He is super organized, knowledgeable, positive and always answered our questions and concerns.

Fantastic experience: We had a wonderful experience working with Manfred Franz at Urban Durham Realty. It was our first home buying experience, so Manfred walked us through all the pertinent steps and documentation from start to finish. He was thorough, professional, knowledgable, and even facilitated virtual tours over FaceTime on our behalf (we live two hours away from Durham). We would recommend Manfred to anyone looking to buy in the Triangle area!

Fantastic experience: We worked with Ellen Bell and Ryan Trecartin who were absolutely FANTASIC! 10/10 recommend. We couldn’t be happier with the process, and are so excited about our new home!

Fantastic experience: We've had a great experience working with Eila from Urban Durham Realty, she is very professional, knows the market well, she is kind and patient, also very communicative and reliable, while searching for a house, the time line matters and we were very pleased how fast she responded to us, made sure everything is handled on time, she walked us through the process from the beginning till the end, dedicated to our dream to get our house. We felt we have a partner and a friend when working with Eila.

Negative experience: They never answered the phone

Fantastic experience: Clara Harrison is a unicorn. She is professional in ways almost impossible to find, and down-to-earth friendly at the same time. She made the house-selling process not only exceedingly easy, but truly a pleasure. She always kept the big picture in mind—she has the keenest insight into the overall market—but she also had that same insight into the neighborhood level and the ins and outs of real estate transactions. Throughout the whole process, she attended to every tiny detail, always remaining cheerful and upbeat. Hire this unicorn, and you will soon congratulate yourself on a really great decision.

Fantastic experience: My wife and I moved into our custom-built, dream home in South Durham in 1993. We enjoyed 29 wonderful years at 5 Falcon Nest Court before Wynda was stricken with a fatal stroke last July. A few months later I decided to sell the house. I asked a friend, who knew my personal situation and my feelings about my home, who he would recommend to assist me in selling my home. His immediate response was “Mary Rae Hunter of Urban Durham Realty.” I did not know Mary Rae at that point. Soon thereafter, my daughter and I invited her to visit with us. I was still grieving over the loss of my soulmate at that time. After talking with her, I knew I wanted Mary Rae to help me sell my home and an adjacent vacant lot. So, we started down the path of preparing both properties for sale. At every step of the way, she made excellent recommendations and I followed them. She knew what to do that would make my home present well to prospective buyers---repainting some rooms, installing new carpet in some areas, staging with attractive furnishings, etc. Mary Rae helped me navigate the process of assessing offers after my house and adjacent lot were listed. She recommended strategic moves on each property that increased the final offers. There is an old saying, “the proof is in the pudding.“ Within five days of their initial listing, I accepted offers above the listing price for each property. Mary Rae Hunter knows the local market. She knows the process. She is personable, honest and ethical. Without any reservation, I highly recommend her for helping you sell your home.

Fantastic experience: Eila is extremely detail oriented and a wonderful advocate for her clients in the competitive housing market.

Fantastic experience: I worked with Shari Williams twice both as a buyer and a seller, and she's amazing! I definitely recommend her. 1. She makes things so easy! I bought a house in Durham when I moved to NC for my career and sold it after I moved out of NC for another job. Each time I worked with Shari. She made the process SO EASY I didn't even have to be in the state for either of them. 2. She explains things so well! Real estate transactions are confusing, but I felt comfortable since I understood exactly what we were doing. 3. She lets you make all decisions! For any difficult like the offer price, she'd give expert advice, but also she'd let you make your own decisions since it's ultimately your home. Can't emphasize enough how good she is at her job!

Fantastic experience: We had a really great experience with Manfred. He spent as much time as we needed at each home and made sure no stone was left unturned in terms of investigating every nook and cranny. This helped to assuage the fear of making a bad buy. Manfred was also very organized and great at communicating. Truly went above and beyond.

Fantastic experience: My wife and I have worked with Jakoma twice now. Both times it was absolutely spectacular. She is the hardest working realtor we have ever had the pleasure of doing business with. Her communication is second to none, and she is a strong ally to have in your corner. We were first time home buyers, and she went above and beyond answering all of our questions and fighting to get us the property we were interested in. I think the fact that we came back to her a second time says it all. We cannot recommend her highly enough.

Fantastic experience: We had a great experience with Terra at Urban Durham! She was very thorough and conservative; she made sure all of our ducks were in a row and we ended up with a house we totally love. We also love that Urban Durham donates a portion of their commission to local nonprofits. I'd recommend them to anyone in the triangle area!

Fantastic experience: As a professional land investor, I worked with Pete Eisenmann on several vacant land lot sales and I couldn't wish for more. Pete goes to great length to get all the necessary information, pushes for progress and manages to sell even difficult pieces in literally no time. We achieved higher prices in all transactions than I had originally assumed - and much faster than I thought. I admire his humble and friendly communication as well as his attitude to rather deliver than praise oneself. This is certainly an USP since other market participants are specifically good in talking about themselves instead of creating facts. He is proactively following up and monitoring the process, intervening immediately if things risk to stall (quite important in the tedious official process of a real estate transaction). On top, he's finds creative solutions if things need a different approach. Bottom line - selling with Urban Durham Realty is on the top of my personal sales experience in years of professional real estate investing. I sincerely recommend those guys.

Fantastic experience: Mariana Byrd and Amanda Masten are warm, thorough, and unfailingly a real pleasure to work with. Our recent purchase went off without a hitch, no detail overlooked, with no problems or worries. They are efficient and effective at arranging for all the work that needs to happen, and coordinating between all the involved parties. On top of a professional and community-minded business, they are just really nice people!

Fantastic experience: Ellen Bell and Ryan were an amazing duo to work with. We were relocating to the triangle and all of our work by nature relied heavily on their thorough, professional, and detailed communication. They are incredibly knowledgable and were always on top of our questions and our needs - allowing us to act fast with confidence in this market. We are so grateful to have had a team on the ground that knew what we were looking for and that we wholeheartedly trusted. We have already referred them to some of our friends and would highly recommend them for anyone in need of an agent.

Fantastic experience: Mary Hartzell of Urban Durham Realty has helped us sell a house, buy another house, and sell that house. Throughout all these transactions our confidence in her as our real estate agent has grown. We were never left wondering what was next. In each transaction, she identified what was important and what we did not need to worry about. She had great ideas about getting each house ready for the sale. She is knowledgeable about construction and landscaping and was able to give us recommendations for people who might assist us with a trouble spot. Our first sale was one that required significant downsizing. She had great ideas of how to downsize in a responsible way—donating and selling items rather than throwing things away. When we purchased a home using Mary’s services, she helped us understand the neighborhood, look at the value of this new home, and consider what modifications would make the home a good place for us to live. The worth of many of these conversations paid off when we sold this house. Mary is well prepared for her job. She is very organized. The laws and the tasks of real estate transactions are on ready recall. She clearly explains each one when needed. Every time we dealt with a closing, we fully understood what to expect. If we buy or sell again, we hope to work with Mary. Helen and Ted Compton

Fantastic experience: Susan Herst is a wizard! Even in a tough, competitive market, she helped me find a perfect home, all thanks to her experience and savvy. She knows and loves Durham, and really listened to and understood me as a client -- she wonderfully combines local knowledge and patient attentiveness to the individual. I learned so much, had great fun on the way, and am so happy with the outcome; I can't recommend Susan highly enough!

Fantastic experience: I bought a place in Carrboro with Ellen Bell's help. She is smart, knowledgeable, and has an inspector's eye when checking out property. It is such a hard market to look for a place. I enjoyed and trusted her. Oh, and bought the place site unseen by either of us. I trusted her that much.

Fantastic experience: Great experience working with Urban Durham Realty! Christina was wonderful to work with, very communicative, and helpful through every step of the process, especially for a new home buyer. Would highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Ellen Bell has helped us with 3 purchases and one sale now, and we can no longer imagine working with anyone else. Ellen's encyclopedic knowledge of every aspect of the purchase, sale, and repairs -- and her robust network of vendors -- have made every transaction as easy as possible. Would add a sixth star if I could!

Fantastic experience: Ellen Bell is exceptional! We have bought and sold twice with Ellen, and her guidance has been spot on every time. She understood exactly what we were looking for and, in partnership with Ryan, was always quick and efficient in a wild market. Her knowledge of the process, robust contacts, and advocacy for us as buyers and sellers was top notch!

Fantastic experience: Ellen Bell helped me buy my first home in Spring 2021. I can’t imagine being successful in this endeavor without her knowledge and expertise. She explained terminology to me so that I had a working knowledge of the process, which helped me truly determine what I wanted in a house. Ellen’s strong skillset and experience in the Durham market resulted in me closing on my first home during one of the wildest seasons the Triangle housing market has seen. She’s also fun to work with. I recommend Ellen and her assistant Ryan to anyone looking to purchase a home, and feel comfortable and confident throughout the process.

Fantastic experience: This was the first time I had sold a house. Ellen and her assistant, Ryan, Were very helpful, responsive to my questions and guided me through the process seamlessly with a very favorable result.

Fantastic experience: How do we possibly fit everything there is to say about our wonderful realtor, Pete Eisenmann? We first worked with Pete five years ago when my now-husband was purchasing his first home and reached out to Urban Durham. Pete guided him through the purchase of a foreclosed townhome that after five years was worth almost triple what he got it for. But our friendship with Pete didn’t stop when the transaction closed. Over the years, we kept in touch, making sure to fill each other in on life from time to time. Cue five years later, we’re married, and looking to sell his townhome and purchase our first home together. Pete was instrumental in the process, bringing a wonderful design professional to our home to talk us through how to list our house for top dollar, providing his own helpful recommendations and guidance, and lovingly pushing us when it was time to take the next step. We would have *never* thought we could list where we were at, but we trusted Pete and the process, and walked away with more than we thought imaginable. Following the close of our townhouse, we started the search for our forever home. Pete knew exactly what we were looking for and after two almost-perfect-but-not-quite showings, we found our home (that was, by the way, in the neighborhood we marked as our top choice months prior). Our offer was accepted day-of (we know that’s unheard of in this market, and we were under ask), he guided us through negotiations, and saw all details through until the “we’re recorded!” message he sent so we could finally hold the keys. We still can't believe it, and we know it wouldn't have happened without him. His pulse on the market is unmatched and his attention to detail was key in every single transaction he guided us through. I can’t stress that enough. If you’re looking for a connected, wise, and more-than-committed realtor, reach out to Pete Eisenmann.

Fantastic experience: I have never left a review before because reviewing a person makes me uncomfortable but I feel compelled to write one because of how spectacular Mary Hartzell is at her work. I started the home buying process overwhelmed and in need of consultation, guidance, and patience. Mary went above and beyond what I expected in every single way. She was knowledgeable about all steps of the process, listened to my needs in a home and my priorities, was attentive and responsive, and provided direct and candid advice. Cannot recommend her enough.

Fantastic experience: Best realtors ever. Especially Jarin!

Fantastic experience: Mariana Byrd exceeded all my expectations! And Amanda kept me well informed and organized! I highly recommend Urban Durham Realty!! They made selling my home a great experience.

Fantastic experience: Jarin Frederick is the consummate real estate professional. Jarin served as a seller’s agent for the sale of a rental property for my wife and I while we were living across the country. From our initial conversations to the final sale, Jarin was an absolute pleasure to work with. Her expert advice on how to renovate and price our property resulted in a sale that was significantly above the asking price. To accomplish this, Jarin deftly selected and coordinated all aspects of our contracted renovation work, following up and closing out every issue with exacting attention to detail - as if our property was her own. Her experience and depth of understanding of the Durham market was demonstrated repeatedly by prescient and accurate counsel on every aspect of the sale. In giving her advice she presented options, gave her best opinion and patiently allowed us to make our own decision. She never failed to answer my phone calls or respond to my text messages despite a heavy workload. Jarin’s integrity, drive and exacting standards completely earned my trust throughout the sale of our home. I hope to have the opportunity to work with Jarin again in the future. Jarin has my strongest recommendation as a real estate agent. You will not go wrong selecting her as your agent.

Fantastic experience: I worked with Christina Chenet to purchase my first home. A daunting process in a very competitive market was made much more enjoyable with her help. She was honest, kind, and helped me find the perfect first townhome for me. She was there for my inspections even when I couldn't be and was on TOP of sending me listings and working me into her busy schedule. Not once did I feel "silly" for asking probably seemingly obvious questions and she was so thorough, and prompt with her responses. I really feel lucky that I got paired up with her, and that I went with Urban Durham Realty. While I am glad the closing process is now done, I will miss seeing and communicating with Christina! I would highly recommend Christina and this group. Thank you again Christina and Urban Durham!

Fantastic experience: TL;DR: we are so unspeakably glad we made the decision to reach out to UDR. We cannot find words to express just how grateful we are to Manfred, because he was just that indispensable to our success. If we could somehow make this review more glowing, we would. Thank you, Manfred! Thank you, Urban Durham Realty! My wife and I are long-time Durhamites and were first-time homebuyers. We reached out to Urban Durham Realty as we wanted to work with a local, Bull City firm. Right off the bat, we were very pleased with how promptly they returned communication and put us in touch with our agent, Manfred Franz. Second only to having closed on a beautiful home in this absurdly competitive market, we could not have been luckier to have Manfred agree to work with us. For one, Manfred is to be commended for dauntlessly accepting the challenge of guiding a couple of first-timers through the no-man's land of a sellers' market. Manfred patiently, respectfully, and thoroughly walked us through what to know and expect for all phases of the buying process. We were truly that helpless, but it was no problem for Manfred. In addition to his crash course, he also made great recommendations as far as lenders so that we could be as well-prepared as possible in making competitive offers, but also offers we could comfortably commit to! Throughout the process, Manfred was always a text, phone call, or email away. He always got back to us in reasonable time, whether it was regarding a quick question or a blitz of properties we wanted to look at tout de suite. We understood that he's a busy guy, but he always treated us like a priority, and ultimately saved us a ton of precious mental bandwidth throughout both our search and our purchase. Most importantly of all, Manfred proved he was committed to ensuring we were making rational and well-informed decisions for ourselves. His feedback was honest and respectful, and more than once, he was the voice of reason when we needed to hear it. And if we inadvertently raised his blood pressure once or twice, he certainly never behaved any less professionally, and his optimism never wavered. Lastly, we deeply admire his and UDR's outlook, philosophy, and commitment in giving back to our community.

Fantastic experience: When my husband and I decided to get serious about our very first home search, we reached out to Zuri Williams based on a trusted friend’s recommendation. She was informative, personable, and honest from minute one. She got to know us very quickly and wanted to know what we ‘knew’ about homebuying and the current housing market; she made sure to fill in any knowledge gaps and to help us recognize how much we already know, so we didn’t feel so lost. Zuri always invited us to share our reactions, good and bad, to the styles, locations, features, etc.; she was very interested in and attentive to our feedback about all of the homes. When we found a home that fit almost all of our needs and wants, Zuri’s counsel was invaluable in determining what would make a smart and competitive but reasonable offer. In a very fast market, we were able to go from a phone call with Zuri on Saturday evening to being under contract eight days later, due in huge part to her work ethic and talent. Zuri continued to be just as attentive to our needs during the due diligence period. With each step in the process, she was able to forecast and to prepare us for what would happen next; her thoroughness was very much appreciated. She quickly scheduled all of the inspections and provided multiple quotes for any needed repairs and desired improvements. Her rapport with all of these professionals made us feel very comfortable and showed us how closely she has worked with them over the years. As our closing date was pushed back a few days, Zuri was again very reassuring and responsive. Anytime we emailed her with an urgent question or just wanting to double-check whatever small detail one more time, she replied quickly and helped us feel calmer about the whole process. While we hope to spend decades in the home that she helped us buy, if we ever need to sell or buy again in the future, Zuri will be our first call.

Fantastic experience: Terra Claire VanBeek helped my husband and I find our first home in Durham. She was a pleasure to work with throughout our search, which took nearly a year, off and on. As first-time buyers, Terra was super patient with us and all of our questions about the process. She helped us navigate changing restrictions due to COVID and an extremely competitive market. She was very thorough during showings and we felt confident trusting her guidance. I appreciated that she stayed in regular contact with us throughout the entire process and had a solid referral for any work we needed. I would recommend Terra to anyone I know looking for a house in the Triangle!

Fantastic experience: Mary Hartzell from Urban Durham Realty was a superhero and saint with helping us through the homebuying process. This was our first time going through the process and Mary guided us through the whole way making sure that we understood everything that was new to us. Her recommendations were flawless and always super helpful. She has such a good eye too during home walkthroughs to make sure that the home would be worth it for us. I would recommend Mary and Urban Durham Realty to any homebuyer in Durham!

Fantastic experience: We had a great experience with Ellen Bell at UDR, and I’m currently writing from our new home which we love so much. Ellen really has her finger on the pulse of the market in Durham, and she has deep knowledge of the whole home buying process. She worked so hard for us, was so responsive and never hesitated to set up and meet us at showings. We saw our current house within hours of listing and had an offer in the same day. She helped us make a strong offer and was there every step of the way until closing. And she’s still there for us as we’ve used her recommendations for repairs and assessments.

Fantastic experience: We had a very positive experience working with Rebecca Barbee of Urban Durham Realty. In a residential real estate deal that wasn't altogether straightforward, Rebecca was extremely organized throughout our due diligence period, strategic and pragmatic amidst negotiating, and maintained an optimistic attitude throughout. We can't recommend her highly enough!

Fantastic experience: I had an incredible experience with Terra C. Vanbeek from Urban Durham Realty. She was a lifesaver in multiple ways at multiple different steps throughout the process of me purchasing my home! I seriously don't know what I would have done without her.... I am a first-time homebuyer and I purchased a home through Durham Community Land Trustee (DCLT works to keep the West End Neighborhood in Durham affordable!). There were a lot of things that separated this process from your typical home-buying process, some of which were extremely difficult and frustrating to deal with. Terra was there for me every step of the way. She was persistent, encouraging, supportive, professional, reliable, extremely communicative and personable. She constantly made herself available to me and even I trusted her in every way. Clara is also really wonderful and helped me out while Terra was out of town during part of my Due Diligence period. Even out of the country, Terra still made herself available to me daily while Clara helped with immediate back and fourth between setting up inspections, etc. Both of these ladies are awesome!!! As a proud new homeowner, I will be telling everyone I know that is looking for an agent about Terra. Thank you so much Terra!! PS. I absolutely LOVE that the office of Urban Durham Realty features local artists on their walls!

Fantastic experience: We used them for two transactions. They are the best and Mary Hunter is on point!

Fantastic experience: I recently worked with Steve Artabane to purchase my first home and I highly recommend him to anyone looking in Durham, especially if you are looking for an older home. He knows a ton about houses and was able to provide valuable perspective on the types of issues common to older homes. He was reliable and easy to work with throughout the process and ultimately helped me find a wonderful home in a very competitive market. It was a great experience overall.

Fantastic experience: Mary Hartzell was wonderful to work with from the start. She is everything you want in a realtor: calm, strategic, fair, and quick to respond. We worked with her to sell a business/rental residential property (closed yesterday!), and she quickly connected us with the appropriate exchange services to handle our transaction (who are the best in the business - we checked around). We wanted to sell as-is, and she never tried to pressure us into doing anything else, while keeping us informed of potential buyer feedback. Since we are out-of-state, it was great comfort that Mary was able to seamlessly interface between our tenants and potential buyers, sign our paperwork, and keep us informed every step of the way. She is highly ethical and fair to her clients and the other realtors she works with as well. I recommend working with Mary whether you are buying or selling either personally or as a business investor. She explains the process every step of the way and you'll be in great hands.

Fantastic experience: Terra C. Ecker (Urban Durham Realty) was an answered prayer for me!! Terra is patient, compassionate, understanding, and caters to needs of her clients. As a first-time home buyer, Terra was there to answer every question I had and facilitated many connections and recommendations leading up to a successful closing. Terra's compassion was clear when she made herself available to help me in any way possible when my grandmother passed just a few weeks before closing. Her tenacity to ensure that her clients are treated fairly is truly amazing. There were several difficult and frustrating circumstances that we had to walk through with negotiations, due diligence, and even on the very day of closing, but Terra never gave up or let her guard down. She always stood up for me and kept my best interest in my mind. Overall, what could have been one of the most stressful processes of my life, Terra helped make it an unforgettable learning experience. I am truly grateful for Terra and would recommend her as a realtor to anyone, with no hesitation!

Fantastic experience: This was our first time buying a house and we chose Urban Durham Realty based on their reviews. We were lucky enough to get assigned a great agent, Gonzalo Arriagada, who knew how to guide first time home buyers in a seller's market. He was patient with my endless questions and ineptitude with the process. When dealing with a tough seller and an incompetent listing agent he got tough when needed to keep the sale on track. What was really helpful was his willingness to reach out to our loan officer, closing attorney, inspector or other agents to help solve issues we were clueless about. He even delivered our due diligence check for us one evening when we couldn't due to work schedules. In the end we got a home with everything we wanted, in the city limits, and only $20 a month more than we originally budgeted. Great experience.

Fantastic experience: My partner and I worked with Mary Hartzell and had a great experience as first time home buyers. She is very informed of the current market and trends. When looking at houses, Mary did not hesitate to get down into the crawlspace and check it out with us. She knew what positive and negative signs to look for in the build of the house. Extremely patient, not pushy, firm when dealing with our seller, and genuinely cares about you and what your searching for. We can't recommend her enough!

Fantastic experience: My husband and I decided to give Urban Realty a try after reading good reviews online and we were not disappointed. We were introduced to Pete Eisenmann who helped us purchase the home of our dreams! He was very thorough and detail oriented throughout the entire process. He accommodated our work schedules and showed us homes after regular work hours and even on the weekends. There was always a good open line of communication regarding showings, availability, coordinating appointments with contractors or helping us sort out information with the law firm, working with the lender, writing up a contract, and closing. Not only is he a hardworking realtor, he is also a wonderful human being - ready to genuinely listen and be there for you as a realtor and a friend. We would highly recommend Pete with urban durham realty! We love our new home and wish the best to the entire urban durham realty team.

Fantastic experience: Mary Hartzell is a phenomenal broker. She is extremely honest, responsive, caring, thorough, taking care of every detail that comes up. She is proactive in foreseeing any potential issues and immediately addressing them. In addition, Mary is extremely knowledgeable about home construction, condition, and design, pointing out details that we often overlooked or were unaware of. We have bought and sold more than ten houses, as well as being involved in commercial real estate transactions, and by far Mary is the best broker we have ever had. You can absolutely rely on anything she tells you, and that she will expertly guide you through each step of the process from searching for houses, contract negotiation, and closing. Since we were from out of town, we had to rely on Mary for a great deal of help in finding local contractors and getting recommendations, and she was always available and extremely helpful. We highly recommend her and Urban Durham for anyone looking for expert help, caring, and honesty in a home sale or purchase. Kristen Lochrie and Scott Rubinow

Fantastic experience: Just completed the sale of our Durham home. Clara Harrison was fantastic to work with! She knows the market and neighborhoods well, and works hard to make it happen. She regularly went well above and beyond to help us, since we are not local. I am a Real Estate Agent in Atlanta - so I see a lot of agents. Clara is one of the best. Importantly, she is also simply a joy to work with!

Fantastic experience: I became a client of Kelly Garcia at UDR in 2014. I’ve bought and sold three properties through Kelly and never have I felt like someone had my back more than Kelly and the UDR team. The knowledge, experience and willingness to look out for my best interest is an experience I never had before with other realty companies. Not only does UDR take care of their clients, they are also responsible members of the Durham community and give as much as they get. If you are in the market to buy or sell and you are in the Durham area, the only people to call is Urban Durham Realty. They will take care of the rest. I’ll never stray elsewhere as long as they are in business. Although I have a special affinity for Kelly, she unfortunately is not taking clients at the moment in order to spend time with her young children but Jarin, Susan or any of the other fine realtors at UDR will not disappoint.

Fantastic experience: Ms.Marcelle Thomas I was so blessed and thankful to have as a agent. Every phone call was returned immediately, every questioned answered correctly. I appreciate your hard work and the time you spent helping me look for a house. You are an amazing person to work with.

Fantastic experience: Eila Voloshen was our real estate agent. She was absolutely perfect in every way. I was very apprehensive about selling our home since we are living far away and so the entire transaction needed to be done from afar. She took all of my fears and anxiety away. She was the perfect blend of professionalism and friendliness. She was very quick to respond to questions and to put me at ease. She acted with urgency which was something I valued. I cannot recommend her more highly and I am so grateful that we chose her as our agent. She even did some minor landscaping work on our home. I cannot say enough good about her. She was absolutely perfect.

Fantastic experience: They are amazing! We have been working with Mary Hunter for almost a year - from selecting a house, through design studio appointments, until the house was fully built. She was very knowledgeable, always available, helping us all the way through the process - even after the closing. We can only say great things - working with Mary was the best decision we made!

Fantastic experience: We highly recommend Susan Hearst with Urban Durham realty. She is knowledgable about the Durham market, understanding, and a genuine person. She is responsive and communicates very well throughout the entire process. Plus, her easygoing nature and her professionalism takes the stress away from buying/selling a home. We could not have asked for a better real estate agent.

Fantastic experience: If you are looking for a Realtor who treats the selling of your home like it is the best listing she has ever had---this elegant lady is the one for you. She stays in constant contact and is truly one who knows how to emphasize the positives and eliminate the negatives in a house! She has plenty of competent back-up in Urban Durham Realty, and they go to bat for your interests always! Her advice was always on-point, and she knows where to find help in making a house show to the best advantage. In every step, Mary Rae Hunter was considerate and working for our interests. We shall always consider her a friend. Judie/Rollin Burhans

Fantastic experience: I've had the absolute pleasure of working with Mary Rae Hunter on both the sale and purchase of a home. Most recently she helped with the purchase of new construction. She was supportive throughout the process & really went to bat for me when there was an issue with my granite just before closing. I highly recommend Mary!

Fantastic experience: Highly recommend Susan Herst and Urban Durham Realty! Susan patiently answered all our questions, was flexible to tour houses according to our schedules, and walked us through the home buying process in a frothy housing market. Thank you Susan and Urban Durham Realty!

Fantastic experience: My husband and I feel so fortunate to have been introduced to Mary Rae who helped us purchase our first home. She was so wonderful to work with and was instrumental in helping us find the perfect home for our family. She is one of the hardest working individuals I have ever known and has a passion for what she does. Her warmth and dedication are unparalleled. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a home in the triangle area!

Fantastic experience: Susan is the most professional, passionate, and smart realtor I've ever worked with. She made the entire home buying process clear and stress free. You are in good hands with Urban Realty. I will definitely use again!

Fantastic experience: Susan Herst was an absolute pleasure to work with! I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to purchase a home in the downtown Durham area!! She made our first time home-buying process incredibly easy and smooth. She is invested in the Durham community both personally and professionally. She is always prompt with her responses and flexible with appointments and timing. As first time home buyers, she took time to educate us about the process and empowered my husband and I to make well informed decisions about our home. In addition to her professional success, she is such a kind, genuine person and is easy to work with!

Fantastic experience: I've known Susan Herst for over 25 years and have always admired her positive energy, intelligence, resourcefulness, and work ethic (even on days off). I cannot imagine a better professional ally for something as important as the sale or purchase of one's home.

Fantastic experience: I can't say enough good things about Susan Herst. I've known her for decades, and, during this time, she has demonstrated an unwavering commitment helping her clients realize their goals. She is a straight shooter whose personal integrity is clearly evident in all of her dealings. Anyone buying or selling a home in the area would be well served with Susan Herst at their side.

Fantastic experience: Urban Durham served me well; Susan Herst is a great realtor. It was due to her quick and creative thinking that I was able to buy a house that matched my aspirations. I had thought I would have to settle for less than I wanted; however, Susan had taken the time to get to know my exact preferences, and when she spotted a match, we acted quickly, and my offer was accepted. I feel that her low-key approach resulted in an optimal price. Her contacts with reliable appraisers, inspectors, engineers, electricians, all the folks one relies on to handle issues that come up, were invaluable. I was impressed with the respect she commands from those she works with in the field. Her word is trusted, which makes a huge difference during any last-minute haggling, since realtors and their clients sense her integrity and do not feel they are being played. I recommend Susan highly!

Fantastic experience: Urban Durham Realty is fantastic. Susan is great to work with -- her passion for the area is contagious, and she's incredibly knowledgable. Would highly recommend her and Urban Durham to anyone in the area!

Fantastic experience: Thank goodness for our agent Mariana who has patiently worked with us for a few years now. She has treated us like family, the whole UDR team has taken us in as their own. We couldn't have asked for a more supportive community when making the biggest decision of our lives!!

Fantastic experience: Susan Herst is just what you want in a realtor! She is attentive, hardworking, and caring. What makes Susan unique is her immense knowledge about the Triangle. She always strives to make sure her clients are happy, stress-free, and satisfied.