Patricia Paul and Ed Dabagian – Alpine Terrace, Ridgewood

At a time when the market was very bad, and during the absolute worst time of year to sell a home- right before Christmas- Al gave us invaluable advice about how to stage our home, and his efforts brought a huge amount of traffic to the home. Thanks to Al, we had an offer days after putting our home on the market, and we accepted the offer, which was very close to our asking price. Al was also invaluable in providing advice every step of the way.

If I had a close friend putting their home on the market, its not just that I would recommend Al: I would tell them it would be a serious mistake to use anyone else.

Bill and Susan Horne – Ridgewood via London

Al’s sales approach demonstrates his integrity – he provides detailed and balanced information to his clients and allows them to make the decisions, without being pushed. This is such a rare skill and was much appreciated during our home purchase. He is a professional who knows how to work with other professionals.

Our relocation from overseas seemed daunting until we started working with Al. He provided constant information on listings that met our criteria, followed it up with pertinent details that would help our decision making, and always followed through (no matter what the hour!) on the dozens of questions we threw at him. By the time we arrived in the USA, we were so prepared with information in advance that we made our housing decision within a matter of days. The transaction flowed seamlessly thanks to Al’s diligence and his ownership of the process from end to end.

Not only did I get a great house and neighborhood as a result of meeting Al, I’ve also come away with a great friend. Al has continued to support our family with friendship, information and advice long after the sale. He is a true gem and I can offer my highest recommendation without hesitation.

John and Ginny Fitzgerald – formerly of Fairway Road, Ridgewood

In recently selling our house in Ridgewood, New Jersey, we were extremely fortunate in finding Al Donohue as our Realtor.Al has been a real pleasure to work with. Not only is he a consummate professional, but he went out of his way to make what is usually a painful process quite the reverse. He is industrious, knows his business, innovative, totally honest, and keeps you fully informed. I can’t imagine that anyone does it better than Al does. On top of all this he has a great sense of humor !!!

Al gave us great advice in how to prepare our home for sale and as a result the house sold in 17 days for the price we wanted…what more can you ask?

We would be more than happy to provide more information and to verify the above in person or by telephone.

This is one recommendation for which we can be totally honest…..Al is a great guy who does his job just the way it should be done……a true professional.

Pat Brawley and Joanne Chase – Alpine Terrace, Ridgewood

Al Donohue is truly the role model for all real estate agents. Al genuinely cares for the clients he works for and cares for the community. Whether you are selling your house or buying a house, I would not want any other agent working for me. Al is an expert in  the community and prepared an honest and realistic approach when it came to pricing our house for sale, as well as giving sound advice throughout the entire process knowing what was in our best interest.

Our personal experience with Al started with a visit to our home to explain in detail every aspect of his services; Al viewed the house to give an accurate assessment of the property, and gave an honest price range that the house would probably sell for. This part of the service is crucial, too many agents tell their customers what they want to hear, and it is not always in the client’s ultimate best interest. Al has the best marketing plan I have ever seen, and I have worked with many agents in the past.

Al gave recommendations to prepare the house for sale and set the date.

After one open house, and one agent tour, we had an offer on the house. Al set the pace for the marketing and selling price, which was right on the mark. This is what you want in an agent, who truly has your best interest in mind.

If you are looking for the full package with an honest approach and excellent communication, then Al Donohue is, in my opinion the most qualified agent in Bergen County.

Steve and Achong Miron – formerly of Spring Avenue, Ridgewood

A belated thanks for the great job you did for us. We appreciate the tremendous work that you and your team did for us. Achong and I feel very fortunate to have worked with you (for the second time!). We wish you, your family and colleagues all the best.
Sincerely,
Steve & Achong

Alicia Abdoo and Anthony Inzerillo – formerly of Richards Road, Ridgewood

“Let me just start by saying…the only realtor you should use to sell your house is Al Donohue. We want to take him with us to our new location so that when we sell there, he could be our agent. Now let me tell you why we think Al is unsurpassable as a seller’s agent.

Process: Al took us through the process of getting our home on the market – pricing, timing, marketing approach, preparation and staging with efficiency, professionalism, empathy and thoroughness beyond any realtor we have ever done business with. Al far exceeded our expectations and left no stone unturned.

Tools: Al applies technology to the greatest advantage of his clients. From his well designed websites, to his leveraging of wireless communications, to his internet statistics which give you a real time update of how many people are looking at your home via his website. With Al’s use of technology nothing is overlooked and you get maximum exposure to the right buyer which is critical in the current market state.

Results: He sold our house in a “buyers” market in 3 days for well over asking price. The asking price he suggested and we agreed to was above what we originally thought the market would warrant but Al’s expertise and savvy educated us and proved to be right on target.

Al Donohue is everything his marketing literature advertises. He instills confidence, integrity, expertise, honesty and sold our house in a difficult market in what we considered record time. Thanks Al.

Brian and Dianne Belski – Ridgewood

Life has its interesting twists and turns, and the Belski Family has certainly experienced our fair share. While the majority of our family’s existence has taken place in Minnesota, we are relative veterans of relocating, including the ownership of five different homes and prior stops in Los Angeles and Kansas City. But a move to Jersey ? come on!

After one year of commuting between New York and Minneapolis for job purposes, we decided to take the plunge. We initially focused our search on Essex County, when another realtor there referred us to Aloysius. We decided to meet at Starbucks in Ridgewood on a cloudy Saturday in June. As we pondered aloud whether or not we would ever see the sun in New Jersey, Al calmed our fears.

Al came prepared – including an itinerary for the day and literature on each scheduled showing, as well as Ridgewood propaganda and sports information for our kids that we requested. However, we pre-warned Al that we were “speedy house reviewers – even with our children along.” Al “claimed” he shortened the time between showings, but we were quickly ahead of schedule. He was shocked, so I snapped-back an obligatory “told you so.” Al immediately went into “Jersey Mode” and felt comfortable enough to chide me right back. We loved it, especially the “Jersey Talk” accent and all! The next time we got together for showings, Al was even more prepared. He shortened the duration of showings (we still ran ahead of schedule) and increased his “comedy output.”

Al quickly discerned what we were looking for and tailored the search accordingly. As we narrowed down our choices, Al only interjected when prompted, and was very respectful to our ongoing family dialogue about each property and all associated details. In between, Al did his best impression of the mayor, city councilperson, goodwill ambassador of Ridgewood, by showing us the sites and providing us with data, background and propaganda. As a result, Ridgewood quickly surpassed Essex County.

After an exhaustive search of over 40 homes, we made an offer, rescinded an offer, and found ourselves back in Minnesota with limited visibility on our future. It was Al’s care and concern that helped us weather the storm. Al put Plan B together and Dianne flew back out to New York to spend a day in Ridgewood and one in Essex County. Needless to say, we never made it back to Essex County. Al flexed his Ridgewood muscle and mystic and we ultimately found the right property for us. However, we can not over-emphasize Al’s care and patience (especially during the late stages of our house-hunting). We have encountered several realtors during our nomadic existence, and Aloysius is by far the most consistently caring and proficient.

Contrary to the majority of other realty professionals, Mr. Donohue’s relationship does not end once the transaction ceases. That is where the value add begins! Al has been increasingly gracious toward our family and incredibly helpful in topics ranging from doctors to shopping to insurance to restaurants. This speaks to his commitment to you as a client, and ultimately as a friend (whether you like it or not).

So, if you are looking to move to “Joizee” – look no further than Aloysius Donohue. He exemplifies the “Four C’s” of any good realtor, let alone person: Calm, Comfort, Competent and Caring.

Flavio and Andrea Paparella – Ridgewood via NYC

We can’t say enough about how great it was working with you, Al. We had confidence in you from the start because it was clear you knew every inch of Ridgewood and you had honest, no-nonsense answers to all our questions. Your responsiveness was incredible. We couldn’t believe how quickly you responded to our many emails and calls. I guess you must sleep with your Blackberry. Actually, what has impressed us most has been how your commitment to us, as clients, has continued long after our closing. You have been an invaluable resource for referrals and town information. And we were so grateful to be invited to your client appreciation BBQ so we can get to know some of our neighbors here in Ridgewood. If you ever need a recommendation please feel free to give out our number.

Tom and Debra Curley – Ridgewood via New York City
We feel very fortunate to have had Al as our realtor. He is a true professional in every sense of the word. He was extremely attentive to detail, always available at a moment’s notice and kept us on an even keel through out a rather trying process.

My wife and I felt we need to find a “professional” realtor who took our transaction as seriously as we did. Al did that and more. He is always available with terrific advice for anything you could imagine and he made our transition to Ridgewood as smooth as possible.

Simply put, he exceeded all expectations and I would not hesitate for a moment to refer him to family and friends considering the move to Bergen County.

Kevin & Suzanne Gagan - Ridgewood via Belvedere, CA
Al Donohue possesses the three most important characteristics in any real estate professional: he is extremely knowledgeable, hardworking and trustworthy. We recommend him very highly.

When we were transferred to Bergen County, NJ we knew we wanted to live in Ridgewood but we really did not know very much about the town. Al helped us quickly determine the Ridgewood neighborhoods and homes that would be good options based on our criteria, and he provided an informed perspective and essential information about schools, recreation and town services that helped us quickly determine exactly where we wanted to buy. After we selected a home, we had to coordinate our purchase from California. Through his hard work and attention to detail, Al helped orchestrate everything to make this the easiest real estate transaction we have ever participated in. As a former Wall Street professional, Al understands the demands of working executives and the challenges of moving an entire family across the country, and he worked tirelessly to accommodate our unique needs and schedule. And his honest, forthright manner made Al a trusted advisor to us from the start. We had to make many significant financial decisions in a short amount of time with limited knowledge, and Al gave us very balanced advice on Ridgewood comps, a potential purchase price, contract terms, and financing options. Al also introduced us to other service providers that he had vetted for quality and customer service so we knew we could rely on his advice and referrals.

Most of all, Al was very enjoyable to work with and we look forward to getting to know him and his family as neighbors in Ridgewood. Al’s professional yet easygoing style was a perfect match for ours, and he made what could have been a stressful process both memorable and fun. We will definitely use Al for all of our real estate needs in Bergen County and we recommend him highly, especially to anyone who is transferring from out of the area. Thanks for everything, Al!