About Us:

Did Atlanta really need another real estate group? Well, our clients certainly think so. Red Robin Group specializes in intown neighborhoods such as Grant Park, Ormewood Park, East Atlanta, Edgewood/Kirkwood, Oakhurst, East Lake and Decatur. Why? Because these neighborhoods are special, and sellers and buyers alike benefit from local expertise.

Part of the Keller Williams Realty Intown Atlanta family, Red Robin Group was formed to provide the highest level of personalized service and truly savvy marketing expertise. Our marketing know-how comes from years in the advertising and marketing industry. Our intown knowledge comes from a combination of living in various intown neighborhoods and working with buyers and sellers all over town. Plus, we’ve even gone through some of our own renovation and restoration projects!

One of the things that make us different is our commitment to ensuring that you have a team of experts working for you. At Red Robin Group, we thrive on job specialization. We believe, for instance that working with buyers today takes a completely different set of skills than working with sellers. We’ve banked on the idea that a successful real estate group should be modeled after the mantra “do what you do best; hire an expert for the rest.” And it’s working better than we could have ever imagined:

• 60 homes sold in 2008
• #1 agent team in Ormewood Park
• #1 agent team in East Atlanta
• #2 agent team in Grant Park, up from #8 in 2007
• Quickly gaining ground in Edgewood/Kirkwood, Oakhurst, East Lake and Decatur
• #1 agent team at Keller Williams Realty Intown Atlanta, an office of nearly 175 agents
• Among the top 1% of Atlanta real estate agents

We’re proud to have developed a superior service model that is rewarding for everyone involved. And being the best at what you do makes work fun each day.

Our success is due in large part to our distinctive, hands-on approach we take with each and every client. We listen. We help. We get results. But our “thing” is making sure that you are as informed as you can be throughout the entire process of buying or selling your home.

If you or someone you know is thinking about buying or selling in the Atlanta area soon, please contact us today and let us know how we can help.

Areas of Expertise

Melissa Wakamo – Associate Broker, REALTOR®
Listing Specialist
M: 404-729-1133
F: (404)963-0669
melissa@redrobingroup.com

“My goal when I started my real estate career 8 years ago was to focus on my immediate area and get to know my neighbors. I’ve had a lot of fun helping my neighbors sell their homes and helping newcomers become a part of our community. So wherever our clients are selling or buying today, I’m committed to knowing what’s around them, as I believe community is just as much a part of a home as the house.”

A long-time resident of Ormewood Park, Melissa has a strong track record of proven results in the southeast Atlanta area. Quickly becoming the number one agent in Ormewood Park and East Atlanta shortly after getting into real estate, today Melissa knows the intown Atlanta area like the back of her hand.

Melissa’s active participation in various neighborhood organizations and charitable efforts, as well as her involvement with the Atlanta Board of Realtors, helps keep her at the forefront of what’s going on in today’s real estate market. As the Listing Specialist and co-principal of Red Robin Group, Melissa is focused on working with sellers to correctly price their homes, help get their homes ready for market, and negotiate the sale in order for our sellers to receive the highest price possible for their homes.

Rob Smith – REALTOR®
Marketing Specialist
M: 404-906-5857
F: 404-601-7480
rob@redrobingroup.com

“I got into real estate because I love people. Plus, everything I love about houses and my experience in marketing and advertising has led me to this. Now, going to work every day is something I truly enjoy.”

Handymanning with his father as a kid, Rob learned to respect a hammer at an early age. Today, working with homes is like second nature – a unique advantage that Rob has over many other real estate agents. Rob and his partner have lovingly restored their Grant Park home and their work has been featured in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, This Old House magazine and on HGTV’s “Generation Renovation.”

As the Marketing Specialist co-principal of Red Robin Group, Rob’s job is to stay on top of the latest-breaking advertising tactics for our sellers as well as develop and implement all marketing strategies for Red Robin Group.

Christina Rumbaugh – REALTOR®
Buyer Specialist
M: 404-933-4210
F: (404)963-0504
christina@redrobingroup.com

Christina has been a resident and REALTOR in East Atlanta Village since 2004. She's a neighborhood specialist who’s absolutely passionate about the virtues of intown Atlanta living.

"I thrive on developing and nurturing personal relationships with my clients – that’s what makes me a great buyer’s agent. Plus, I absolutely love the thrill of the hunt when it comes to getting my clients what they want. And negotiating a good deal really gives me a charge!"

In early 2008, Christina set her sights on finding a successful real estate team where she could dedicate herself solely to buyer clients. Her r union with the Red Robin Group as our Buyer Specialist is proving to be a win-win for everyone.

Will Rumfelt
Marketing & Administrative Coordinator
O: 404-254-5206
F: 404-963-0008
will@redrobingroup.com

As Red Robin Group’s Marketing & Administrative Coordinator, Will delivers an invaluable service helping manage our clients’ day-to-day needs. His familiarity with every aspect of the real estate transaction comes into play with contract-to-close coordination, listing management, marketing strategy and more. Will’s attention to detail, quick follow-through and, most of all, his outgoing personality are truly an asset to the team.

Testimonials

Rob & Brad

Rob Jackson says, "We were able to sell our intown home and buy our new home within a matter of weeks, and this was during the holiday season! We knew we needed a Realtor team to give us real, honest advice about pricing our home to sell quickly. They provided great ‘tough love' staging advice that got us a contract in less than 6 days in a tough market - plus, we got 98% of our asking price"

"What's more, they worked overtime to get us through two very fast-approaching closings," says Brad Cauley. They pushed every bit of the way to meet each deadline. Best of all, we were in our new family home before the New Year!"

Rob Jackson and Brad Cauley were taking a leisurely stroll down their street one Sunday when they stopped by one of our open house events. There, they met Melissa and talked about a house they'd found in Roswell. In order to get this house, they knew their home needed to sell fast.

Red Robin Group immediately went to work. They went through Brad & Rob's house and were able to point out where certain adjustments and improvements could enhance their home's salability; and they gave them a timeframe in which to get the work done. Then they developed a marketing plan for getting the home sold quickly, and helped Rob & Brad crunch the numbers for getting into that new house.

Rob, Brad and son Zach are now enjoying their new home in the Horseshoe Bend neighborhood of Roswell. Look for their old home and its new homeowners on HGTV's "My First Place" during the Fall 2008 season.

The Ilardis

Frank and Dawn were quickly outgrowing their 2 bedroom, 2 bath home in Ormewood Park. They already had their eye on a larger home in Morningside when a neighbor suggested they speak with Red Robin Group about helping them out.

Rob and Melissa met with the Ilardi's to talk about their plans, and realized the timing had to be perfect to get their current home sold and get into the next one. They decided to divide and conquer.

"Melissa immediately got our home on the market while Rob gave us great ideas to make the house ‘show' at its best," says Dawn. "Then, Melissa concentrated on selling our current home while Rob negotiated with the listing agent for the home we wanted in Morningside."

"Because of Melissa and Rob's hard work and excellent advice, our home was under contract in just 10 days," says Frank. "Plus, they both suggested we see more homes in Morningside before we got too attached to the one we thought we wanted - as a result, we found a much nicer home for a much better price."

"Melissa and Rob are a great team," they say. "Their dedication, promptness in returning phone calls and emails, plus their ability to work with each other and the seller's agent on our new house made the process a very smooth transaction. We couldn't be happier."

Frank and Dawn are currently enjoying their new home in Morningside with their adorable daughter Gia.

The Damianis

Having started a mammoth restoration project in Grant Park on a historic, 3-story Victorian, the Damiani's weren't quite ready to leave the respite of their classic Craftsman home in Ormewood Park. So while the project was underway, they marketed their home as "for sale by owner."

"We just put a sign in the yard and did a little bit of internet marketing," says Amy. "Rob & Melissa even helped with a couple of our open houses. But we found that we really didn't have time to return phone calls, much less show the house. We were just too involved in our Grant Park project."

After the Damiani's moved into their new Grant Park home, they called Red Robin Group to put together a listing presentation for their Ormewood Park home. Rob & Melissa worked with them to price their home right, which included a review of every home currently for sale on their street as well as homes they knew were going to be on the market soon.

"After the sign went up and the marketing plan started, we were under contract in three days. We even had a back-up offer after we were under contract," says Amy. "Rob & Melissa did exactly everything they said they would do and did it when they said they would do it - it means so much to be able to say that. It was also important for us to find a buyer that would appreciate and love our house as much as we did, and we feel confident that the new owners will just as happy in their new home as we were."

Amy & Gabe, along with their children Sam, Bruno and Isabel, are currently enjoying their new home in Grant Park and are actively involved in their community.

Ginny and Steve

Ginny and Steve loved Ormewood Park. When they decided to sell their home and move into a larger one, they knew they wanted to stay in the neighborhood. So they started looking for an agent who could market their home while helping them find their next one juts around the corner.

"We found Melissa and her team when we researched agents who specialize in the area," says Ginny. "We especially liked the fact that she was a resident of the neighborhood."

The thing that impressed them most about Melissa was how hard she worked to make the whole deal come together. "She listened carefully to what we wanted and found us a great home," says Steve. "We then had to put our house on the market and sell it quickly to be able to purchase the larger home, and Melissa told us exactly what to do to stage our home. It never looked better! Not surprisingly, our home was under contract for the full price in just a few days!"

Ginny and Steve realized that selling their home and buying another could be a very complicated process to keep straight. And it could have been stressful. "But Melissa worked really hard to keep things on track and kept us all calm during the whole process," they say. "We still keep in touch with Melissa and are so happy in our new home. We would highly recommend her and her team to anyone looking to buy or sell a home - she helped us do both!"

The Blockers

When Brice and Amanda first listed their home in Ormewood Park with another agent, they had just bought their next renovation project right around the corner - a duplex that they were converting back into a single family home.

Although their home had been listed awhile with another agent, things just weren't taking off the way they should have. They really needed to sell the home fast so that they could concentrate on the renovation project at hand.

They called Melissa to speak to her about having Red Robin Group market their home, and explained that they were in desperate need of professional advice on how to make the home more appealing to buyers. "We wanted someone who would be engaged in the process - someone who could get just as excited about the home as we had been, and could convey that level of energy to buyers all over again," says Amanda.

"Melissa and her team brought all of this to the table and it really paid off," says Brice. "As a result, we've referred Melissa and her team to several of our friends over the years - not just because of her actively engaged approach, but because she brings a wealth of knowledge about intown real estate to the process."

Today, the Blockers are still enjoying the rewards of their ongoing renovation with son Ben and their new baby boy Atticus.