As the top-producing Exclusive Buyer's Brokerage in the Washington, DC, Area, we're privileged to serve clients who prioritize working with Realtors exclusively dedicated to homebuyers. Since 1991, our real estate company has pioneered exclusive buyer broker services in the DMV. Our agents provide dedicated representation to all homebuyers, ensuring a fiduciary relationship free from conflicts of interest. We expertly guide clients through property search, evaluation, and negotiation, providing invaluable insights to navigate volatile market conditions effectively. Our consumer-oriented approach guarantees homebuyers in Maryland, Virginia, and DC receive dedicated, seamless, and advantageous support throughout the home buying process.

OWN Stephen Carpenter Israel #1 Best BuyersAgents.com Buyer's Edge Real Estate Tina Krohn Photography.jpg

Stephen Carpenter-Israel

President | Broker

Broker@Buyersagent.com

301.657.1475 (o) 301.873.5130 (c)

Stephen Carpenter-Israel launched Buyer’s Edge in 1991, creating the first real estate firm in the Washington, DC Metropolitan area to exclusively represent home buyers. The idea grew from conversations with his family and friends who were buying their first homes about the shocking lack of representation for buyers in home buying transactions. He founded the Buyer’s Edge to provide a consumer-oriented approach to home buying, eliminating the implicit conflict of interest when two agents from the same firm are representing the buyer and seller in the same transaction.

A licensed broker in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC, Steve has spent the past 46+ years in the real estate and construction industries. Before founding Buyer’s Edge, Steve spent ten years working in the commercial construction business as a project manager and then running a small company specializing in shopping center construction and high-end office remodeling. Steve has had his real estate license for 45 years. Born and raised in Washington, DC, Steve grew up in a real estate household where his father was an appraiser. He currently lives in Bethesda, Maryland, with his wife. 

TESTIMONIALS

“Stephen Israel is a consummate professional and his staff is courteous and attentive. We only visited homes that met my criteria. For every home we visited he quickly had a profile on the neighborhood and gave me on-point commentary about the advantages and disadvantages of the home and property relative to my specific needs. I was amazed about how in-depth his real-time observations were. He exceeded my expectations regarding serving my specific needs. He was instrumental in securing and negotiating a home I love; I otherwise wouldn't have found or wouldn't have been able to negotiate the terms of the agreement without him. I can not imagine a more effective and personable buyer's agent in this area and would recommend him to any of my friends or associates that need to find a home”.

Client: Gilles B

“Look no further than Steve Israel and Buyer's Edge. We can't recommend them more. We had a very tight timeline and fairly exacting parameters and Steve exceeded all our expectations. Every day I look around my home in gratitude to Steve. It's exactly what we dreamed of and he made it reality.

Before we found our "one," we looked at about four others. Steve was always immediately responsive and ready to meet us for a tour even with short notice, even far away. Once there, we appreciated Steve's expert insights gleaned from years of experience in real estate and a background in construction. We are also grateful for the extensive time Steve dedicated to debriefing each tour and decision point with us.

Steve was our best advocate. Our closing was a "close one" so to speak, and I know it was Steve's deft negotiation and communication skills that got us here: home.

Steve, truly, every day we look around, can't believe we're here, and think, thank you forever, Steve!!!

With gratitude,”

Client: C, M, and A

"Buyer's Edge and Steve Israel did an incredible job helping us find our first home. Steve or his team were always available for our many tours, and were always educating us during the process. We've referred Steve to many friends, and hope they will soon buy from Buyer's Edge."

Client: A

"The best!  We have already recommended Buyer's Edge to friends and will continue to do so.  It is a top-notch professional outfit, and our agent (Steve) was perfect.  He looked out for our interests; he brought a wealth of practical knowledge about houses and construction and upkeep; he clearly loves his job so we had a lot of fun (which I wasn't expecting); he said the right thing to keep us as calm and sane as possible throughout the process; and he made the entire search effort and bidding process as easy as possible."

Client: A

"We've used Steve Israel at Buyer's Edge twice for home purchases. Very satisfied."

Client: A

"Fantastic! Home buying can be tough, but they made the process fun. Steve is a star. We always felt that we were in good hands and that we could trust his judgment. We liked that Buyer's Edge only represents buyers while also having in depth knowledge of the "seller's" side of things. They were responsive, provided us with everything we needed to know to make an informed decision, and were clear about when we should consider pulling back on conditions etc. Would recommend them in a heartbeat."

Client: A

“Working with the Buyer’s Edge team was a fantastic experience! Steve Israel was extremely knowledgeable regarding the different neighborhoods’ pros and cons and evaluating the value and likely repair, remodel and upkeep potential of each location. He emailed new listings that fit my specifications regularly and quickly responded to my questions or requests to view listings. As a first time home buyer, he helped me understand and feel comfortable with each step of the buying process and he and his staff responded quickly to each of my many questions. I would definitely recommend Buyer’s Edge to anyone looking for a new home”."

Client: C Rodgers

“Stephen Israel is a consummate professional and his staff is courteous and attentive. We only visited homes that met my criteria. For every home we visited he quickly had a profile on the neighborhood and gave me on-point commentary about the advantages and disadvantages of the home and property relative to my specific needs. I was amazed about how in-depth his real-time observations were. He exceeded my expectations regarding serving my specific needs. He was instrumental in securing and negotiating a home I love; I otherwise wouldn’t have found or wouldn’t have been able to negotiate the terms of the agreement without him. I can not imagine a more effective and personable buyer’s agent in this area and would recommend him to any of my friends or associates that need to find a home."

Client: Gilles B

"Steve Carpenter-Israel was recommended to us and after our great experience, we highly recommend him to anyone buying a home in the Metro DC area. We were moving from out of state and needed to find a home quickly. Steve took time to clearly understand the “must-haves” for the house we were looking for. His extensive knowledge of the area helped us narrow down our geographic choices. He then laid out the pros and cons of each of the houses we saw and his extensive knowledge of home construction allowed us to eliminate houses that were not up to standard. Steve found our dream house and we are so grateful to him. In addition, he negotiated such a great price for the house that our neighbors routinely grumble about what a “steal” we got. We recently recommended Steve to a friend who was moving from out of town and he did the same for them – finding an amazing home at an amazing price in less than a week!"

Client: Teri and Tim K.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

OWN HD Valerie Winebrenner #1 Best BuyersAgents.com Buyer's Edge Real Estate Tina Krohn Photography .jpg

Valerie Winebrenner

Vice President | Associate Broker

valerie@buyersagent.com

301-657-1475 (o) 301-775-6737 (c)

Valerie is a licensed broker in Maryland and a graduate of the Real Estate Institute. She has been with the Buyer's Edge for 27 years.

Prior to a career in real estate, Valerie was a registered nurse and is retired from the Army Nurse Corps. She has a master's degree in psychiatric nursing and practiced as a nurse psychotherapist.

Due to her love of architecture, neighborhoods, and houses, Valerie chose real estate as her second career. She actively listens to each client's needs and begins an avid, yet patient, pursuit of finding the right home for each client. She combines her skills in interpersonal relations with her knowledge of real estate to assure a smooth, successful home-buying process.

Valerie has lived in the Washington, DC area for 43 years after growing up in Boston. She and her husband live in Howard County, Maryland.

TESTIMONIALS

“We worked with Valerie from the Buyer's Edge for about two months and secured our dream house, thanks to her. Being first-time home buyers, Valerie answered our many questions. Valerie asked great questions to understand our must-haves versus desires in a home. From then, she only sent listings that fit our needs. During open houses and visits, Valerie pointed out many valuable observations to consider (ex., potential problems down the road). Her contract experience was very helpful as she walked us through what each section of the offer meant in layman's terms. In today's competitive market, Valerie used her extensive experience to provide recommendations that solidified our offer as the most competitive offer while staying within our comfort levels. We were able to secure our home due to her advice. Up to closing, Valerie communicated with us continuously to ensure we completed all the documents and other steps in preparation for settlement. What started as a complex, hard-to-understand, and scary process ended with us closing on a house within 30 days, a smooth settlement day, and a home that met all must-haves and desires. Valerie was with us every step of the process. Valerie has astounding professionalism, excellent communication skills, is detail-oriented, and has extensive experience. We would not have gotten the home of our dreams without Valerie, and we could not recommend Valerie and the Buyer's Edge enough. Thank you for all of your hard work!”

Client: Josh and Mia

“When we began our search for the right house that would give us the space to combine our two families, we knew we would need a Buyer’s Agent with the experience to help us navigate the very competitive housing market of 2021.  We knew Valerie Winebrenner from a previous homebuying experience. Once again, she was exactly the right agent for us, and we would not have been able to move into the house that we did without her help. We were working within a limited geographical area that further reduced the number of homes we could consider. Valerie helped us prioritize the “must haves” over the “nice to haves” and kept us updated with a list of candidate houses as soon as they hit the market.  Valerie kept us focused on our priorities as we visited the homes on our list.  We were worried when we found a home that we loved that was at the top of our price range, but Valerie connected us with a lender who sourced a fixed rate loan that easily met our budget.  We knew that the house that we were bidding on would receive multiple offers, and Valerie worked with us on coming up with terms that she felt would best meet the needs of the sellers.  We were thrilled when our offer was accepted and later found out that while we weren’t the highest offer, we had the best terms for the very opinionated sellers.

Valerie came through again with a set of inspectors who found some issues that would have prevented us from moving forward with the purchase.  Valerie negotiated with the sellers and they fixed some of the issues and gave us credit so that we could arrange contractors to address our other concerns.

Even after closing, Valerie helped us through the challenge of keeping the sellers motivated to remove all their belongings from the property.  There were a significant number of machines, tools, and vehicles stored in the barn on the property that needed to be moved, and we gave the sellers 45 days after closing to clear everything out.  As the day approached and it was evident that the sellers weren’t going to meet the deadline, Valerie worked with us and the sellers on a daily schedule of what needed to be accomplished.  Once the sellers’ remaining possessions were finally gone, Valerie ensured that we received the rent back fees that we were entitled to from the settlement agreement.

Valerie is an extremely knowledgeable agent and is a joy to work with.  She is an exceptional communicator and always made sure that we knew what we had to do every step of the way. She recommended excellent lenders, inspectors, and contractors to help us through a very complicated home purchase.  We give her our highest recommendation and will refer friends and family to use her if they are buying homes in Howard or Montgomery Counties in Maryland.

With happy greetings from our new home,”

Client: Nat and Alex

“Valerie Winebrenner truly represents what it means to be a buyer's agent. She guided us through each step of the way in buying our first house, and protected our interests when dealing with other agents, inspectors, and companies. Valerie's years of experience, practical and compassionate nature, and follow-through made our big decision into a smooth and peaceful process. She gave us great advice that only comes from experience, and helped us to see our purchase as long-term investing. Valerie really got to know us throughout our time together and this personal touch helped us when we got discouraged in our search. She was very easy to work with and talk to, and was always available and attentive to our needs.”

Client: Ann and Robert B.

“I’ve hired at least six real estate agents in the past and Valerie is by far the best. I have yet to meet an agent that I liked and trusted as much."

Client: Mia

"We hired Valerie Winebrenner as our Real Estate agent to assist us in finding and buying a house in suburban Maryland. This was a very challenging undertaking given our many criteria (price, schools, commutes, etc). The process took several months. Valerie's patience, professionalism, and knowledge of the real estate market in this area helped to make our house search ultimately successfully. We would recommend her without reservation and would use her again if we once again needed to relocate."

Client: Steve and Ann

"My wife and I hired Valerie to help us with the daunting task of finding and purchasing a house. We didn't have a good idea about the type or location of our ideal home, yet Valerie was very accommodating about showing us houses all over Montgomery and Howard County. She gave very honest assessments of each house's strengths and weaknesses and helped us evaluate the best choice for our growing family. Valerie is an excellent negotiator and helped us buy our new home for $30K less than the original asking price. In her role as an exclusive buyer's agent, Valerie represented our interests and made sure we were happy with the outcome of every part of the transaction. We give Valerie our strongest recommendation. Working with her was a true pleasure.”

Client: Nat

"Valerie Winebrenner's knowledge, friendliness, expertise and calm demeanor is why we recommend Valerie at Buyer's Edge."

Client: A

”Buyer’s Edge helped us every step of the way in buying our first house. Our agent, Valerie, took the time to understand our needs and walk us through the process. She was very available to us and made buying a house much less overwhelming. Valerie was professional, very knowledgeable of her field, and was able to help us get the house for $14,000 less than the listed price. We’ve even kept in touch after moving in. We would definitely recommend Buyer’s Edge to anyone looking to buy a house in the area.”

Client: Kevin and Allison