Paul B

"Recently I purchased two adjoining properties with the help of one of your agents, Kevin Yokum. I would like to relay to you how exemplary his help was. The two properties had different owners. He was the seller’s agent for both. With his help, I first purchased a forested canyon of 152 acres with a deeded right of way for all cash. A few days later I noticed an adjoining property just had come up for sale. It was a meadowed mountaintop of 118 acres at the head of the canyon. Its north side sloped down into the canyon. The mountaintop had a huge drawback: it was landlocked and had no right of way. This didn’t bother me because my canyon adjoined it.

But I had run through most of my ready cash and needed to take out a loan to buy it. I could have taken out a bank loan against my house in the city which was free and clear, but Kevin Yokum suggested a farm-oriented credit cooperative. He pointed out that the cooperative was amenable to lending to farmers and to securing its loans against rural properties, and indeed specialized in this activity, all of which was news to me. I applied for a loan from the cooperative and was pre-approved, but then was stopped by an immovable object: the 118 acres had no right of way and the cooperative would not accept a property with no right of way as collateral. What to do?

Kevin Yokum came up with a solution: Since I just had purchased the adjoining 152 acres for all cash, and it had a deeded right of way, let it be the collateral. This was suggested to the cooperative, and the cooperative accepted. The deal was closed. I then owned the 118 acres free and clear, and owned the 152 acres encumbered by an affordable twelve-year mortgage.

What is the outcome? The strengths of the two properties reinforce each other. The two joined together are more useful and therefore more valuable than the two would be separately.

Kevin Yokum made all this happen. His contribution was well above and beyond the call of duty. Your firm indeed is fortunate to have a man of such long experience, fruitful connection, and astute judgement on your team."