Paul Sliwka

“When we were looking to find a new condo in DC, Paul quickly developed an understanding of exactly what we were looking for; as he described it, he is “helping his clients find a home that they will be happy in for years to come,” and that became clear as we only saw units that fit those needs and price range.

Paul understands the metropolitan DC real estate market, knows the developers, as well as the history of buildings and neighborhoods. He is also a keen negotiator, recognizing the balance between negotiating price and terms. We were able to obtain a great new penthouse condo at significantly less than asking, and also got the pick of parking spaces in a new building. Paul sold our previous condo quickly, and within a few thousand dollars of asking. He helped provide connections to have a few things upgraded in advance of the sale, and advised us on how to upgrade for maximal benefit at lower costs.

When we needed to rent out our unit for a brief time, his property management staff dealt with a challenging tenant, and took away my headache of having to manage the condo from 2500 miles away. He and his team provide exceptional service for buying, selling and renting real estate.”

“Paul Sliwka helped me purchase my first apartment. It’s the perfect place in DuPont Circle and has everything I was looking for in a home. I was not an easy client and looked at dozens of places throughout Washington. Even with all my demands, Paul was patient and supportive throughout my search. Never putting any pressure on me to buy and only wanted me to find the perfect place for me.

Paul has a wealth of knowledge about neighborhoods and buildings in the Washington area and also advised me on refurbishments and rentals. Even after buying my apartment many years ago, Paul continues to be an invaluable resource to me as a home owner in Washington. I recommend Paul without hesitation.”

“We could go on about how Paul knows the Washington area real estate market better than anyone, how he expertly helps clients find the house they they’ve always wanted, and how he shrewdly negotiates with sellers. But consider this – six years after Paul helped us buy our house, we’re still talking about him. We still remember the sage advice he gave us, the time he spent taking us around to what seemed like hundreds of houses, and the number of times he looked at a house and said, “here’s what’s wrong with this house and here’s how much it’ll cost to fix it.” We were first time home-buyers and we were skittish about buying in what seemed like a volatile market. Paul was patient with us and led us to a house that we’ve only come to love more and more with each passing year.

We’ve lost track of the number times we’ve recommended Paul to friends who were looking for a house. It doesn’t matter to him whether you’re a millionaire or a government employee who is new to the area – Paul simply loves the real estate business, and he loves serving his clients. There is absolutely no question that when it comes time for us to upgrade, we’ll be asking Paul to represent us.”

Working with Paul and Central Properties has been a fantastic experience.  Paul was a wise and extremely knowledgeable guide throughout my extensive housing search.  His expertise and knowledge of all aspects of buying a home was indispensable in ultimately finding the house that perfectly fit my (admittedly) exacting criteria, saving me money in the process.

From the outset, Paul was great at understanding what I was looking for.  And he was extraordinarily supportive and steadfast throughout what proved to be a very long search, visiting countless properties.  Even early on in the process, when I, as a first time buyer, did not yet know the right housing terminology, he got exactly what I was looking for.  This proved to be extremely important through the process; when I became frustrated and was tempted to compromise on some of my core search criteria, he gently kept me on track.  In the end, I found a house that fit exactly what I wanted all along, in the neighborhood I wanted.

Paul’s understanding of what I wanted also saved me money. When I wanted to put in an offer on a house (that fit most of my search criteria) at the top end of my range, his objective advice led me to decide against it.  When I finally found the perfect property (on the same block) a couple of months later, Paul was available around the clock (which proved to me essential for me since I was traveling overseas) to help me pull together the offer documents and advise me on the process.  And when there were some hitches in the process, and I was ready to put in an offer several thousand dollars above the list price, he advised a lower figure (just above that price), and my offer was accepted.

Paul’s deep knowledge of the housing market and the DC area is phenomenal.  I once called him to ask about a specific address in Capitol Hill, and he immediately knew the block I was talking about, in detail.  He also has an astounding breadth of knowledge on technical aspects of home construction and design, and his assessments of the many properties we viewed were essential.

Paul and Central Properties have continued to provide advice and support after the purchase, as I plan for renovations and deal with other issues.  I could not be happier with the support, advice and guidance Paul provided throughout this process.

“We can’t say enough good things about using Paul Sliwka as a real estate agent. We worked with Paul in 2006 to buy our current home in Takoma Park, MD, and then again in 2012 to look for a home for our aging mother. Paul is a treasure and unusually well-qualified in the world of real estate agents.

First of all, there is his expertise: he has a depth of experience that allows him to realistically assess the value of a property and give you an on-the-spot, well-founded opinion. But not only that. He also has great expertise in conceptualizing fixes and remodeling that would adapt any given home to the best needs of its inhabitants, whether it be how to turn a dusky basement into a great rec room; what would be involved in having a backyard pool if you’ve got a young child; or what to think about for improvements to a home that would needed down the road to shore up its resale value.

Second, there is his objectivity: on both occasions that we worked with him, Paul guided us away from properties that were more expensive than we needed, even though we could easily have been pushed in the other direction and he would have made a higher fee. There’s no greater testament to his professionalism.

Third, there is his personality: he’s easy to work with, serious and measured, and yes also has a good sense of humor. We love working with Paul and have recommended him to friends and colleagues for all the reasons stated above”

“Paul Sliwka is easily the best realtor we’ve used in 25 years of buying real estate. My wife and I had an excellent experience with him and his team when we had to sell our Potomac home. He was highly professional, easy to work with, and dealt with the issues that came up calmly and effectively. I appreciated how well he kept my wife and me in the loop, explaining the possibilities and probable outcomes. We always felt like we were in good hands. After interviewing several realtors before we met Paul, he was the obvious choice.

I have recommended him to my friends and will happily continue to do so.”