I know that five stars is ordinarily the highest rating in reviews, but I would like to give Ina 10 stars because the excellence of her work and commitment to helping me find and purchase a condo in Toronto during the COVID-19 pandemic was extraordinary. And I know she’s a real estate sales professional and a hard-working, knowledgeable and thorough one at that, but I would define her as well as a thoughtful, intelligent, patient, intuitive and caring ally in my journey to finding a new home that I love at the best possible price. I wish I’d found her before I put my suburban home of 24 years on the market because the real estate sales professional I used for that had added frustration and stress to the already stressful process of downsizing. As with other real estate sales professionals I’d worked with in the past buying or selling my previous properties, he had left me with the feeling that my home and I were simply a means to the end of a nice commission with the least amount of work necessary. So when it came time to purchasing a condo—my new home for the next phase in my life—I looked for a new real estate professional and chose Ina based on the many glowing reviews she’s received and a very positive first impression when I reached out to her. Here are just a few of the many more reasons why based on my experience I highly recommend Ina: • She is very knowledgeable about neighbourhoods in the GTA & Hamilton area and researched listings before booking viewings for me. I started of not really knowing where I wanted or could afford to move to and I wasn’t every familiar with all the different neighbourhoods. Other agents I interviewed said I should narrow down my focus. She instead looked for listings across different neighbourhoods for me and explained each one’s pros and cons when I was interested in a listing in them. My journey began with me thinking I would not be able to afford buying in Toronto, which was my dream. I thought Mississauga would be the closest I could afford to that dream. With her help, I purchased a unit in Toronto that I love. • I was a newcomer to the condo world. She used every viewing to both educate me on the condo market while also listening carefully to me and observing my reactions to better understand what I liked or didn’t to help her find listings that were a good match for me. • No pressure. We viewed many units and she always said that it didn’t matter how long it took. Her goal was for me to find a place that I loved, not just one I liked. And when I did, she was genuinely thrilled. “This is the feeling I wanted you to have,” she said. I believe she would have been disappointed if I’d settled for anything less than that. • Patience and consideration. Knowing what’s involved in downsizing and packing, she gave me advice on the process and was supportive, even as I decided to stop looking for a new place for a month so I could focus on selling/giving away furniture and packing. • When I was interested in a unit, she conducted thorough research on its history going back years to help me make an informed decision on what to offer. Several times when I was contemplating making an offer she advised me that based on her research what I was thinking was too high, even though clearly a high offer would have made it a fast an easy sale for her. She had my back, in other words. I could see how much she genuinely cares for her clients and their investment. While being very astute and a strong negotiator, she's honest and has a sense of fairness and integrity. • She has an eye for the potential of space. The details. The surroundings. The little things. The bigger things. She even gave me an idea on how I could fit a dining set that I had fallen in love with and wanted to purchase for my new place but as I measured, I didn't think would fit. Well, thanks to her suggestion, it does fit beautifully. She has the imagination to look at things from different perspectives. • Purchasing a property during a pandemic can be stressful. Ina paid careful attention to COVID-19 safety protocols. She just always goes the extra mile in being respectful and considerate. My experience with Ina was so positive she singlehandedly changed the negative perception I had developed over decades of the real estate sector as a necessary evil. She made downsizing and purchasing a condo actually enjoyable during a pandemic, no less!