July 1, 2009

To Whom It May Concern:

This letter is intended to convey our recommendation of our Muskoka real estate agent, Thelma Jarvis. We have spent 6 months actively working with Thelma to purchase a cottage and have recently been successful in purchasing a cottage that is well suited for our family.

We found Thelma to be incredibly knowledgeable of the area in which we were looking; she was able to connect us with another agent who knew the smaller lakes very well while we did our initial search. She was able to help us have realistic expectations of the market and our budgetary limitations and kept us informed of current activity. We were always able to reach her either by e-mail or phone with any questions.

Thelma was extremely knowledgeable as well as in all the other issues that are important in a Muskoka cottage purchase (construction, setbacks, boathouses, docks, etc.) and she was able to refer us to plumbers, electricians, carpenters, and home inspectors. She also had great ideas when it came to imagining our family in the cottages that we viewed and how the property would or would not fit our needs, such as furniture placement, small improvements, the potential for structural changes, etc. We think that she could be building, decorating, and selling Muskoka properties! Working around my husband’s work schedule was not always easy and we found Thelma to be very accommodating. She was also quite helpful and easy going as we towed our 4 year-old son and teenage daughter for long days of cottage viewing!

Thelma knew that we were interested in purchasing water craft for the cottage—she spotted a canoe at a yard sale and she and her husband picked it up for us and delivered it to the cottage for us on closing day! She has even offered to advise us after closing as we make changes to the cottage!

We can honestly say that we have been thrilled with Thelma as a professional who is very knowledgeable, helpful and has gone well beyond our expectations. We would highly recommend her to you.
Sincerely,

Ted and Lisa Gerstle