What Our Customers Are Saying
Stu Sjouwerman confirmed that he paid $7.9 million for the property, a 12,935-square-foot home with 171 feet of water frontage. The seller, Laser Spine Institute founder Dr. James St. Louis, paid $10.25 million for the home in 2008, according to Pinellas County property records. It was first listed for sale in 2010, priced at more than $14 million.
St. Louis left Laser Spine nearly four years before the company’s sudden closure in March.
“We’re not planning any changes,” Sjouwerman said Friday. “We even bought it furnished because we loved what was in there. The one change, since you’re talking to an IT guy, will be to upgrade the security — cameras, the whole package.”
The home was listed for sale by Phyllis Franklin of Stonebridge Real Estate. Stonebridge partnered with Interluxe to auction off the home in April. The home didn’t sell at auction, but the auction did raise awareness of the property, said Brian Andrus, owner of Stonebridge.
Irene Rue of Charles Rutenberg Realty represented the Sjouwermans.
“That particular property has been with three other brokers that I know of for a total of about five years,” Andrus said. “It was a nine-month effort on our part that included everything from personal showings to auctions.”
Sjouwerman said his employees have been asking about a Halloween party at his new home.
“I kind of left it open,” he said, laughing. “I’ve been told though that the initial owner — he was rumored to have parties of 1,000 people at that property, so I may not be able to say no.”
KnowBe4 in Clearwater, a cybersecurity firm, is one of the Tampa Bay area’s fastest-growing companies.
I am writing this letter to applaud the services my company, Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc, received from Brian Andrus with Stonebridge Real Estate Co. I have never dealt with a more professional, knowledgeable realtor in my entire career. And Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc has been involved in many significant real estate transactions during my 20 year tenure.
Brian worked with us on a very complex project. Brian not only found the ideal site …but also provided us with invaluable information about the site including getting us an initial zoning opinion which was critical to the project. Negotiations for the parcels necessary for the project were extensive, tedious, and lengthy. Brian took the time to fully understand Goodwill’s needs and was able to convey those to the Sellers. There were several times along the way when the deal was on the brink of collapse and Brian (in a truly professional manner) was able to stitch things back together…
Probably the biggest example of Brian’s professionalism and his sole interest in serving his client came at closing when at the eleventh hour a Seller refused to sign off. Goodwill was under a very tight timeline to bring the project online. Brian knew this and even though he had an undeniable legal claim to the well earned commission he agreed to a lesser amount to satisfy the Seller which enabled us to meet our timeline. Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc will be eternally grateful for the significant sacrifice that Brian Andrus made.
In summation, Goodwill Industries-Suncoast, Inc will seek out the services of Brian Andrus for all of its future real estate purchases. It would be my strong recommendation that you do the same.
From beginning to end Brian and his company was extremely professional and helped make this a smooth transaction for both buyer and seller and we closed on time with no problems at all. Thank you to all of you for making this transaction so smooth, being so professional and taking that extra care in making sure all was take care of for us.
I sincerely can recommend Brian and Donna Andrus and Stonebridge Real Estate to anyone looking for Real Estate in Clearwater, Florida. They are fabulous and wish them continued success!
The successful sales of our Clearwater properties have made a real difference in our lives, and we are thankful that we were lucky enough to have Meghan as our realtor.
Stonebridge recently helped us sell one condo in Clearwater and purchase another. In both transactions, they provided care and service in abundance with their advice, promotion and active participation. They walked the transactions through every step and made the process simple and straightforward for us — just sign on the dotted line. We were thrilled to have them represent us.
My husband and I just completed our second real estate sale with Stonebridge Real Estate Co. We found both transactions to be as smooth as they could possibly be in such a topsy-turvy market. Both transactions closed exactly as they had predicted in spite of many opportunities for the sales to derail and they truly performed beyond our expectations.
I wanted to thank you Brian for the good job you did for my client on selling his property. He was very impressed by you and your professionalism, which I knew he would be. I wanted you to know I appreciate your professionalism. I’m sure we’ll cross paths again in the future!
Just a quick note to tell you how we are happy with the tremendous service Meghan provides to us. We are lucky having her taking care of the house. She is priceless, and so reliable… I thought that you might like the fact we appreciate and value her very professional approach of the business, and besides, she is a very nice person which is a luxury to have when you know the profile of certain persons in the industry. Thank you, Brian, for being there for us as well.
How lucky I am to know Brian Andrus, who had the insight and forethought to show us a building that we could do anything with, would house our existing business, was flexible to give us something to grow into and is just perfect. Happy clients here!
Debra was one of the most professional realtors I have dealt with over the years. She listens to you and tirelessly works on matching up properties that will fit your needs and the services you will need to complete the sale. She is very knowledgeable about the area and field. Her expertise in property issues were terrifically helpful and really assisted me in my final property choice. She really exceeded my expectations as a realtor.
The day I talked with Stonebridge about my desire to find a house to buy we instantly found a great assortment of possible houses in my range and desire and we set up appointments to view. You can tell that my interest and my happiness was the prime focus (something that I have not found in other realtors). The focus extended through the purchase of the house and after as well. They have been there for us 100%. – K.P.
We had a nearly-impossible sale to accomplish that Brian was able to push through despite insurmountable obstacles. Brian handled it will professionalism and made it look easy. I can honestly say there was no one else that could have sold our commercial property. Thanks very much, Brian, here’s to you.
I recommend Stonebridge Real Estate as a company with which to do business. I can vouch for Brian as a great individual as well as a concerned, active citizen in his community. As far as a broker to do business with, Brian Andrus is one of the best that we have ever dealt with.
I really appreciate your patience, understanding and competence in executing the sale cycle under difficult circumstances. I would be happy to recommend your services to anyone.
My friend and I were visiting in Clearwater for a week in September. We always talked about buying a house there for our families to use and possibly move there one day. We thought it would be fun to look around.
We contacted Stonebridge Real Estate. They asked what type of place we were looking for and spent time with us all week looking at houses. After returning home, they stayed in great communication with both of us (one of us was in Boston, the other in San Francisco). She sent information on potential houses.
By November we found the perfect place, but that was just the beginning. It was somewhat complicated by the fact that the two purchasers were on opposite sides of the country. They walked us through all of the mechanics, and there are many: contacting the owners, the purchase agreement, deposits, house inspections, mortgage arrangements, title company contact, and more I can’t remember. They gently pulled the cycle along and helped us accomplish each step.
In mid-December we had the closing, and we love our purchase. They really made the whole cycle happen for us and we got a wonderful product. I highly recommend working with them, because they want to get you exactly what you want and will persevere until it is done. Thank you so much.
Brian and Donna Andrus did an amazing job helping us sell my late mother’s property in Clearwater. They took care of many details for me that I would never have thought a Realtor would do. They answered my e-mails in a timely fashion and were right on top of every little challenge. They are a hard working team.
This was probably the best real estate experience I have personally been involved with. I highly recommend Brian, Donna and the staff at Stonebridge Real Estate and would definitely use them again. Thanks again, Brian and Donna.
You and your staff provided exceptional service in every aspect of selling our house from the price, to the presentation (I loved the way you staged the property), to the repairs, to handling the contracts with the buyers and to the closing. I could not have gotten better service if I had written the ideal scene and given it to you. The best part was I didn’t have to ask for anything you just provided this service as part of your normal routine.
The final thing was that there were 5 other homes for sale in a two block radius and 30 days after our contract these 5 are still for sale and ours is sold!. My wife and I wholeheartedly recommend you to ANYONE who wants to sell or buy a home!
We had a very delicate situation and had many, many obstacles in the way and your continued perseverance made this sale happen. Of course this was during the worst economic time this country has probably seen in over 50 years or more and no less was commercial property! Again, thank you.
I would highly recommend Stonebridge Real Estate Company. I used them to sell my condo in Clearwater and there were some distinct advantages to having them on my side. Firstly, and most importantly, was Brian’s ability to deal with the buyer and buyer’s agent. He established a professional and empathetic relationship with them. So the negotiation on price was done well and fast and left both parties happy. Thereafter, every issue that occurred along the way was also negotiated in the same way. Knowing that I could trust Brian to deal with the buyer so well and so professionally gave me real peace of mind. The follow-through by the team of Donna and Linda was also problem-free. They were on the case at every point of the sale and we all worked well together.
……. And there are dozens more in our office!
Great real estate transactions don’t just happen.
They are created.