In September of last year I took a job in a town about three hours drive from San Francisco...tried to do the back and forth thing, but by December it was obvious: if I was going to keep the job, which I loved, my husband and I needed to relocate. This was a life changing decision in and of itself, but complicated by the fact that we were facing either renting out our San Francisco home (even though neither of us wanted to be landlords) or selling it in what was perhaps the worst market for sellers in decades...
We decided to sell, but were very apprehensive. Next step was to find a really good Realtor, as we were going to need a whole lot of help to make our decision happen! I went on the internet, and after a bit of research came up with several names, including Danielle's.
Of the several realtors we interviewed, Danielle was clearly the best prepared: she came to our first interview with personalized information about the market, comparable prices for houses like ours, and more. The other realtors we interviewed were nice, but not even a tenth as prepared! Indeed, one of the other realtors asked my husband and me how much wed like to get for our home, and I remember thinking to myself, 'well, of course I'd LIKE to get a million dollars, but those days are gone: I was hoping you'd tell me what you think it is worth and why'. Danielle did give us her recommendation as to listing price, and most importantly, the reasons for the recommendation (with plenty of research and information to back it up): It was then that I knew: Danielle was the right choice for us!
We moved out in January, and then took a few weeks to paint, re-do the floors, and get the house 'spiffed up' for sale. We told Danielle that we were on a budget, and she gave excellent advice about where to spend money and where not to during the preparation process, and then went the extra mile to get us bids from contractors within our budget. She and her team (especially her very capable assistant Cici English) did an excellent job of managing the work and making sure that everything was done right; a very important role since it was tough to deal with while living several hours away. The end results were very impressive: hubby wistfully wished that someone could do a similar makeover for him personally!
Bottom line: we listed the house in mid-February of 2009, and within about a week we had two offers, both for over asking! The offer we accepted came in on my birthday; talk about a wonderful birthday present! In my opinion, Danielle nailed the suggested listing price. Even in my daydreams, I didnt imagine the process going as smoothly as it did.
I cannot stress enough the difference that Danielles attention to detail, computer savyness, assertiveness in representing our interests, knowledge of the overall market and micro-markets in San Francisco, and marketing strategies made in the sale of our home. Moreover, she and Cici both kept us calm during the inevitable bumps in the road (though, to be honest, even the bumps seemed very minor thanks to their professional demeanor).
We are now only a few days from closing escrow in SF, and in the process of buying a home here in our new town. We love our new home-to-be, but do have one regret: we wish it wasnt too far away to make it practical for Danielle to be our realtor here as well. Our new realtor is doing a fine job, but every once in a while hubby and I look at each other and sigh, XXX (Insert New Realtors Name Here) is ok, but she is no Danielle. I think He or she is a Danielle may become our new code words for He or she is the best.
When I say Danielle is the BEST, I mean it! I give her my absolute highest recommendation, and wouldnt dream of using any team but hers for a SF Bay Area real estate transaction.
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