Happy Client Testimonials
5/5
"Sona is the best!!!!! That doesn't even begin to do her justice. She is kind, savvy, smart as a whip, one of the funniest people I've ever met, and a brilliant real estate agent. We just closed on our mother's house with her. I cannot imagine doing it without her. I will forever be indebted, as will my brother, for how Sona was so caring and helped us every step of the way.
This woman is brilliant at what she does and I genuinely love her❤️
Sona, thank you a million times."
Adele Bonica
5/5
"My family met Sona over two years ago, and that was our good fortune. Not only is she knowledgeable, competent, and ethical, but she is honest in her opinions and very easy to spend time with. Since finding our daughter a home in Swannonoa over a year ago, she continues to look for us, a vacation home to meet our particular needs. She is the very definition of customer service and I would never look to anyone else for my real estate needs in Western N.C. We consider Sona and her husband Mark to be first class in every way and are proud to say that we also consider their continuing friendship to be a blessing to our family."
Andy Caldwell
Raleigh,NC
5/5
"Sona is very knowledgable of the local market and has great insinctive feel and a discerning eye for properties, inside and out. She seems to ask the right questions and follows up to get the answers to all. I admire her work ethic, quick responsiveness and dedication to her clients.
I spent quite some time working with Sona in finding a suitable house and found a comfort zone with what I will call her straight ahead, no nonsense style, and felt like I made a friend. Sona's approach may not suit every buyer, but I am confident in her abilities and honesty. I will not hesitate to call her again when I get ready to make another purchase or list my house for sale."
I spent quite some time working with Sona in finding a suitable house and found a comfort zone with what I will call her straight ahead, no nonsense style, and felt like I made a friend. Sona's approach may not suit every buyer, but I am confident in her abilities and honesty. I will not hesitate to call her again when I get ready to make another purchase or list my house for sale."
Mike Guzalak
5/5
"When I first started looking for a home to purchase I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted, Condo or House...or what location in Asheville. However, Sona was very patient with me while I worked to figure it all out. She was beside me all the way! She spent days hanging out with me driving from house to house, condo to condo showing me what was out there in my budget range. If and when she couldn't come, her lovely husband Mark would help out. Fortunately Sona has a wonderful program that emailed me lisiting for sale so I could look online on a daily basis. Honestly I just didn't find anything that felt right for me right away...it actually took about a year (me figuring things out), then one day finally I found a beautiful Cape Code style Cottage with a huge front porch in Oakley!! I fell in love instantly. I immediately got in touch with Sona. She called to make an appointment for us to see only to find out it was already under contract....my heart was broken. Sona on the other hand contacted the listing agent anyway and told them if anything goes wrong with the sale of the house to please let her know. And wouldn't ya know, the contract fell thru!!! Long story short...I own that house now aka "Sherrie's Bamboo Cottage"(...ask Tommy about my Bamboo forest that gives me so much peace & privacy). Thanks to Sona I got my house below Market Value, a New Roof, and a simple painless closing 2 weeks later!!!"
So if you're thinking that you too my want to buy a new place in the future, why not sign up for email listings and start looking now!
So if you're thinking that you too my want to buy a new place in the future, why not sign up for email listings and start looking now!
Sherrie Bergen
5/5
"Whether buyer or seller, clients who select Sona Merlin as an agent may rest assured that they've found the best real estate representation. More than a capable professional, Sona's a strategist who will work with you to achieve the most lucrative market position for any property. And with the support of Appalachian Realty Sona Merlin will assist you in finding the Asheville area home that speaks to YOUR individuality."
Mellissa Mathews
5/5
"I can't say enough good things about Sona. She is professional and dedicated and works so hard for her clients! She is definitely my go to girl!
"The thing I love most about Sona, other than her incredible knowledge about real estate and home buying, is that she gets to know her clients in order to put them in not just any house - but the right house. She had no problem asking us to question or really think about our choices and was super proactive in finding out all she could about a home prior to showing it to us, and then continuing to look for problems as we toured. Sona treats her clients as partners throughout the entire process. Its every bit as if she were buying the house herself. I can't imagine trusting another agent with any future purchases - you shouldn't either."
"The thing I love most about Sona, other than her incredible knowledge about real estate and home buying, is that she gets to know her clients in order to put them in not just any house - but the right house. She had no problem asking us to question or really think about our choices and was super proactive in finding out all she could about a home prior to showing it to us, and then continuing to look for problems as we toured. Sona treats her clients as partners throughout the entire process. Its every bit as if she were buying the house herself. I can't imagine trusting another agent with any future purchases - you shouldn't either."
Stephanie
5/5
"Finding a house that you love is not easy. It’s frustrating and a challenge, particularly when it’s a tight market. Enter Sona Merlin from Appalachian Realty. She called, emailed or texted us every single day to tell us what had come on the market that met our criteria. When there was a day when there were no new listings Sona texted us anyway. “Nothing new on the market today, guys”. After she had taken us to 10+ properties I felt like we might be too picky and asked her if that was true. She told me that we shouldn’t “settle”. You have to feel like you belong there from the moment you walk in.” “If it isn’t what you want and you have the time to wait it out, then do that”. We took her advice and it worked for us.
Sona took us through every room, closet, deck, and yard in each house we saw. She pointed-out things we might never have noticed. If there was a basement or a crawl space we checked it out thoroughly. Sona would point out potential problems and let us know when repairs might be necessary. “Are you prepared to spend $2500 to waterproof the foundation? Those stains on the floor are from a foundation leak”. “Look at the date on that water heater. You will most likely have to replace it within one or two years”. When we found a house we loved, Sona arranged for the inspection. She negotiated on our behalf with the Seller’s Agent. She knew what she was doing and what had to be done… even if we didn’t. When it was time for the closing, Sona was right there at the table, looking over the attorney’s shoulder to ensure our interests were protected. Were it not for Sona we would never have found “our” house. She is a consummate professional, a wise ally, and a straight shooter. She will tell you the truth that you need to hear, even if it’s unpleasant. Now that we are in our new home and no longer need an Agent, we have a new friend. Thank you Sona Merlin. We were very fortunate to have found you."
Sona took us through every room, closet, deck, and yard in each house we saw. She pointed-out things we might never have noticed. If there was a basement or a crawl space we checked it out thoroughly. Sona would point out potential problems and let us know when repairs might be necessary. “Are you prepared to spend $2500 to waterproof the foundation? Those stains on the floor are from a foundation leak”. “Look at the date on that water heater. You will most likely have to replace it within one or two years”. When we found a house we loved, Sona arranged for the inspection. She negotiated on our behalf with the Seller’s Agent. She knew what she was doing and what had to be done… even if we didn’t. When it was time for the closing, Sona was right there at the table, looking over the attorney’s shoulder to ensure our interests were protected. Were it not for Sona we would never have found “our” house. She is a consummate professional, a wise ally, and a straight shooter. She will tell you the truth that you need to hear, even if it’s unpleasant. Now that we are in our new home and no longer need an Agent, we have a new friend. Thank you Sona Merlin. We were very fortunate to have found you."
Stuart Frankel and Ken Leach
5/5
"I was really pleased with the help Sona provided when looking for a house in Asheville. Being new to the area, she was very thorough about telling me about the properties and gave me some good direction about the different neighborhoods. It made my house-hunting experience very positive and very easy."
Steve Obremski
5/5
"I'd recommend Sona to anyone. Once she gets what you're looking for, she searches as if she's buying for herself. She pays attention to every detail. Sona works overtime to make certain you are satisfied with the home you purchase. You're in good hands with Sona and I've never met a more ethical real estate agent."
Ray Brown
5/5
"We had worked with Sona before on the sale of a condo is South Asheville, but this time we were selling our house and hunting for a new one in West Asheville. When we started thinking about buying and selling, the first thought we had was, "Let's talk to Sona and find out what she thinks we need to do in order to get the best price for our house." We met with Sona at the beginning of December, got some good advice, and began working on the house in our spare time with the intention of finding a new house in 6-12 months and selling our current house. When we found a house we liked at the end of January, but were not really prepared to put ours on the market, we pushed into high gear to get our house ready for sale. Despite Sona's best efforts with what we felt was an unreasonable seller, the deal fell through. We went and looked at a good many houses with Sona over the next month, and worked diligently to get our house ready for market. When we saw our dream house pop up on the real estate sites at the end of February, we called Sona so we could schedule an appointment to look at it, and she moved quickly to get us in to look at the house. Once we saw the house with Sona, all of us knew this was THE house. Sona acted quickly, helping us craft an offer on a Saturday afternoon, so that we could be the first offer to be presented. With Sona's help, we managed to get our house on the market a week and a half later, and had it looking perfect. Sona put it up on the real estate sites before dawn, and by dusk, we had signed a contract for our asking price. Through the whole process, Sona kept us moving toward our goals, and helped us to get the best deals possible on both houses. She fought for us, and we knew that if there was something that needed done, Sona would make sure it was taken care of, whether it was paperwork for us, the lender, the seller, or the insurance company to fill out, Sona was on top of it."
Shaun, Leigh, and Lucy
5/5
"In 2004, I made the made the right decision when I chose Sona Merlin to help me find my Asheville home. Sona’s knowledge base of the area, diligence and attention to detail makes the process worry free. She is well known in the Asheville Community of Realtors and Attorneys. She stays on top of the closing process-leaving you to focus on the excitement of purchasing a new home, a farm, land or whatever it is you are looking for.
Sona goes Above and Beyond! Over the past 14 years she has handled the purchase or sale of 6 other properties. Our last sale was a family farm. Sona helped us with the daunting task of cleaning out, disposing of and moving 60 years of accumulated clutter. She assisted in scheduled donation pickups, rolled up her sleeves to help fill two dumpsters and even coordinated the removal of cattle to a neighboring farm.
We highly recommend Sona to help anyone to find their “Feels good to be home!” property."
Sona goes Above and Beyond! Over the past 14 years she has handled the purchase or sale of 6 other properties. Our last sale was a family farm. Sona helped us with the daunting task of cleaning out, disposing of and moving 60 years of accumulated clutter. She assisted in scheduled donation pickups, rolled up her sleeves to help fill two dumpsters and even coordinated the removal of cattle to a neighboring farm.
We highly recommend Sona to help anyone to find their “Feels good to be home!” property."
Rose Metcalf
5/5
"My family recently bought a home in Black Mountain and sold a home in West Asheville with the expert help of Sona Merlin. Buying and selling a home is a very "real" experience that is a business transaction fueled by emotion. If you want someone who understands both sides of that experience than Sona is the agent for you. Either buying or selling she works hard to make sure you get what you are looking for while protecting and guiding you through the business aspects.
When looking for or new home she was more than willing to explore new counties to help us find what we needed. When prepping our home to sell she gave us great advice about what we should leave as is and what we should tweak. Our house was seen by several buyers and was under contract in less than 24 hours and it sold for well above list price.
For one of the most "real" experiences you will have in your life, you can not find a more authentic guide than Sona."
When looking for or new home she was more than willing to explore new counties to help us find what we needed. When prepping our home to sell she gave us great advice about what we should leave as is and what we should tweak. Our house was seen by several buyers and was under contract in less than 24 hours and it sold for well above list price.
For one of the most "real" experiences you will have in your life, you can not find a more authentic guide than Sona."
Erin Carr
5/5
"Literally the best realtor I've ever had. This housing market is crazy and Sona had the patience to go through several multiple offer situations to make sure I got what I wanted. Even after we were under contract she fought for me with the sellers agent to make sure all the inspection items were taken care of. If you want a realtor that will fight for you every step of the way and get you what you really want definitely choose Sona."
Pat Johnson
5/5
"I sold my last home with Sona and had the best experience!! Sona is on top of everything. She goes above the call of duty and works for the best deal. She is very devoted to her clients and is a pleasure to work with. Sona is a professional and treats you like you are her only client. Simply the best realtor I have ever worked with and I highly recommend Sona for your realty needs."
Brandon Kerr
5/5
"Sona Merlin sold my house a few weeks ago, and I would highly recommend her. She knew the area, brought prospective buyers out right away, and had my house sold and closed in about 40 days. I'm a very satisfied customer and will definitely use her again."
LC
