In June 2025, my sister and I made the decision to sell the rental property we jointly owned. Since…read morewe had never sold a home before, we were on unfamiliar territory. We interviewed four different realtors, and honestly, they all appeared to be trustworthy and knowledgeable individuals who could guide us through the sales process. After narrowing down our choices to two realtors, we requested proposals for selling our house from each of them. These proposals included information about the costs of necessary repairs and upgrades as well as estimated selling prices. During the interviews, it became evident that we were entering a buyers' market, which may limit our ability to achieve the desired selling price. In the end we chose Kaelin. Her proposal kept us within our budget for repairs and upgrades, and she was confident that she could sell the home for its fair market value. Our other 'finalist' was not so positive on achieving those goals. One of the daunting aspects of preparing to sell a home is finding reliable and trustworthy contractors to undertake the necessary work to prepare the property. Once you have these contractors, you need to ensure they begin work as soon as possible. Additionally, you must closely monitor the progress of the work to ensure it is completed on time and in the manner you desire. This becomes particularly difficult for owners selling a home that is located far from their primary residence, making it challenging to meet with contractors and monitor the progress. Kaelin truly shines in this role. She already knew the contractors we needed and managed to get them to provide us with quotes. Once approved, she swiftly put them on the job and ensured timely completion of the work. Initially, the ambitious goals we set together at the project's beginning seemed a bit too demanding, but we managed to meet them. When a buyer wanted to make an offer before the house went on the market, she made sure it was a strong and compelling offer that aligned with the high end of the sales price range she had specified in her original proposal. She also didn't hesitate to incur the cost of staging the property (she pays for this), as this demonstrated our readiness to proceed with other offers if theirs wasn't satisfactory. Long story short, she made it happen. We ended up putting in less money than we planned in repairs and upgrades and sold the property right at the high end of what she said she could do. We found Kaelin very easy (even fun) to work with over the 2.5-3 month timeframe as we went from planning and starting repairs & upgrades to closing escrow.

Kaelin is an outstanding real estate agent. She knows the market and can guide you in what to do…read moreand what not to do in preparing your house for sale. I can't speak highly enough of her integrity and doing whatever needs to be done to sell your home. In our case, we were not able to do the upgrades, as we had left the area. Kaelin jumped in and lined up contractors, supervised their work, and beautifully staged out home. She was always present at the Open Houses, followed up on leads, regularly communicated, and kept our best interests foremost in her thought and actions. I highly recommend her and her team. They kept us appraised the dates for the work, Open Houses, and any bills. Simply a wonderful, warm, and engaging agent with a dynamic team who will work with and for you!

Please let this be a WARNING to all future tenants. I know it's hard to find housing in this town,…read morebut please do not rent from RE 831! The owner Suzie does not think of you as a person you are just a pocketbook to her. I lived in my apartment for five years and it was so sad to see neighbors come and go so frequently due to the yearly 10% rent increase. I have plenty of stories about Suzie and her employee Lisa acting as though they are beyond superior to me and my other neighbors. Stories Including the owners coming onto my property and going inside without asking, I know a few past tenants that have had to take her to small claims. But here is my doozy of a story. Buckle up because it's a good one, I have attached screenshots of emails of proof of this happening. When I moved in one of my neighbors that I had shared a wall with were sadly using drugs heavily, and there was a lot of domestic violence going on. They eventually moved out. About a week later after them moving out , I heard and saw one of the old tenants coming and going showering and bringing people over in the middle of the night while the house was empty. I called the police and emailed Suzie about this multiple times and in her emails she states that she DOUBTS I am hearing and seeing this man coming and going in the middle of the night to an empty house and squatting. Let me tell you, I spoke to him one of the mornings when he was leaving, I have video of him coming and going, and yes, I had made two police reports about this. She still "doubted" that I was seeing and hearing him. I was concerned for my neighbors safety and myself. I was shocked at the carelessness and heartless manner that Suzie was handling the situation. I'm just beyond words that people like her even exist on this planet, so please , if you want to be treated like a human being and that your concerns and money mattertake my story as a warning and do not rent from RE 831. Edit : After posting my original review above, I decided I wanted to add the screenshots of Susie and Lisa trying to cover their steps after admitting that the owners had come into my apartment with no prior communication. Mind you, they came into my apartment while I was moving out. The screenshots for this incident are from my email with the little moon symbol so you don't get confused of the two events. Sorry if they are posting out of order! Also, my building was falling apart! The termites are running rampant in this building, and Susie was notified of this matter multiple times and nothing has been done. You can hear rodents running through the walls, my light fixture stopped working because I believe rats probably ate through the wiring in my ceiling. The only time you'll ever see Susie is when she zooms up the driveway in her Porsche Cayenne to collect change from the washer and dryer that barely even works.

They were within your guided hours. Opinions have nothing to do with your company's poor service…read moreand experience. Happy to never do business from you. lol I see you still haven't rented out the place either they must read the reviews and how you seem to always have an excuse and a reason for your terrible service. The place still vacant speaks for its self. Suite yourself if you want to keep going.

Had an unfortunate experience during my move-out process after my landlord changed property…read moremanagement companies and Rasmussen took over handling the transition. During a disagreement regarding move-out expectations, I did not feel the communication was handled in a calm or professional manner. Due to the interaction, I felt it was necessary to contact the landlord directly and have a third party involved to help complete the process. I was surprised by the difference in communication style, as previous interactions in other settings had been more composed and professional. I understand move-out situations can involve differing expectations and interests. My hope is simply that all residents are treated with professionalism, respect, and calm communication throughout the process, especially in a small community.

I have been working with Dana for more than five years. We own a townhouse in the area that we rent…read moreout long-term, and Dana has always helped us find the right tenants. She is professional, reliable, responsive, and hardworking. Every time we need to find new tenants, we confidently return to her because we know she will do an excellent job. This time, I had a tight deadline before traveling overseas, and Dana went above and beyond to make sure everything was taken care of before I left. She even continued to assist me while I was out of the country, making the entire process smooth and stress-free. I highly recommend Dana to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, dedicated, and trustworthy real estate professional.

I have been a client of High Tide Property Management for a few years - they manage several rental…read moreunits for me and do a fabulous job. I have been super impressed by their professionalism and responsiveness, which keeps both tenants and property owners happy. I want to give a huge shout out to Eduardo, who coordinates all the maintenance and work requests. He does an amazing job coordinating landscaping, pest control, and a variety of repairs that come up unexpectedly. His clear, logical communication helps me understand exactly what is going on and also gives tenants confidence that all maintenance matters are being addressed thoughtfully and thoroughly, and in a timely manner. I also really like that he is considerate of the expenses that owners and renters may incur and provides options when appropriate. I also want to thank Cory for going above and beyond to help me with a property that has been particularly difficult. Between Eduardo and Cory, I feel like my property is in great hands. They work very well together and have great communication and a great attitude. I highly recommend High Tide to anyone looking for a rental or looking to manage a rental. The whole team is stellar, from leasing to maintenance, they have you covered! Also, a shout out to Marley and Drew on the leasing side, and Kaicie who runs the show! Together they are a dream team!

Do not ever trust these people. They would sell your soul if it made them 10 more dollars. They…read morerented us out an illegal unit & we had to move. When we moved in the fridge, water heater, & oven were all broken. Oven leaked gas, water heater was leaking everywhere, & fridge was also leaking. It took them 20 days to give us a working water heater, and they actually didn't even respond to me for 9 days. When I became more concerned and begged for help they called me pushy for asking for a working water heater. Complete slumlords, really scary that people like this exist. Just no regard for others & very cruel. Also not LGBT friendly, always awful about my girlfriend being trans & purposefully not acknowledging we are a couple calling us roommates etc. Do not rent from these people

Jim and Pauline Zenner were an amazing team to work with. My brother and I have been working with…read morePauline for over 3 years as a property manager when our mother's health began to decline. Pauline worked tirelessly to find the right family to rent to. After mom passed and we decided to sell the home, Jim and Pauline made everything so easy for us. Within a few days, their cleaning, repairing and inspection teams went to work. Along with Pauline's wonderful staging talents, the house was immaculate and ready to sell. With Jim's skillful negotiations, we had many offers and sold well above the asking price and all within a 7 day close. Both Jim and Pauline returned all of our calls and explained the many processes with each step of the way. I highly recommend Jim and Pauline for all of your real estate needs. They were simply great! Rhonda P.

Jon Lundgren and Stephan Karon were both a disappointment regarding my recent experience as a…read moreLandlord for a single family residence. Mr. Lundgren assured me that he found a most qualified tenant because of his experience with them as an existing Lessee for a Karon Properties managed property. They both had good jobs, were most quiet and always paid on time. They just needed more room. He thoroughly endorsed them in every way. The following things were done incorrectly: No application. The previous Landlord's app was used (after the fact) in error to show employment. Month to Month Rental Agreement only signed by one spouse. Month to Month Rental Agreement was a 25 year old one and 1/4 page exhibit with few landlord protections (Agreements for most Tenents are usually about 4 pages (DRE forms) with protections built in). He said that they always paid current. They paid 15 days late until we put a stop to it. Jon called it a game. Never ordered credit reports and refused to provide one later on. Never inventoried the rental house for a list of personal items to be provided on the agreement. Jon Lundgren refused to do a walkthrough when the renters left. Communicated only by phone and US Mail. E-mails and texting were not permitted. He once received a tenant payment, put it in Karon Property Mgmt Trust Acc't. and then MAILED a Trust check to the nearest Chase office near his house (thinking that the endorsement would be read by Chase people and deposited that day)! Who does that? The Banks is not set up for that. Mr. Lundgren uses a Scotts Valley address for Karon Properties, instead of Santa Cruz. We gave the Tenant a 60 day notice for reasons besides the above. We were fortunate that they left on the 60th day. More problems were anticipated but did not materialize. Mr. Stephan Karon defended his agent in every way. Jon Lundgren is slick. He makes everything sound smooth and reasonable. We do not recommend using him for property management.

Jessyka is a pleasure to work with! She is beyond passionate about what she does, is extremely…read moreknowledgeable, and always has her clients best interest in mind. Highly recommend!

Jessyka made selling our family home such a positive experience! Professional, well~informed and…read moreresourced, compassionate, caring and a major hustler~ she will dig in to get the job done with a smile on her face and sincerity in her heart. She truly goes the extra mile, and is a team player till the end. Jessyka cares about her client's experience, even when the last papers have been signed. She's a strong communicator, thorough and goes out of her way to offer support through the entire process. I recommend her wholeheartedly and would definitely work with her again.

Rob represented me as a buyer. I didn't get exactly what I was looking for but instead I got…read moreexactly what I wanted. Realtor recommendations might come a dime a dozen but what makes Rob Ross stand out is that he is a true conduit for what you want. He is diligent with the tasks you need him for and respectful of your desires even when what you are asking for might be unorthodox to the real estate world. For example, I made a couple offers that were probably laughable low but he followed through with them and gave them the legitimacy which led to good bargaining. Also, there were some houses I was interested in that were not conventional and Rob went through the appropriate effort to find ways where I could have a valid position to get them. ( For instance a 203k FHA loan offer. ) These are strange market times and Santa Cruz is a strange housing market in general. There were a few times when I wish that Rob would just give me the right number to offer etc.. but he was good about not being a direct market influence on my pricing and instead pulling from me what I actually felt I wanted to pay for a property. All the while offering advice that he and his family has gained over their years of being active members in both the real estate and rental markets in Santa Cruz. This is a huge bonus for buying, where you need to know if you are buying an investment or just a place to live. Additionally, he knows exactly what paperwork to unearth to make sure everything is on the up and up. What earns Rob the fifth star is that he hasn't abandoned me now that we've gone through my transaction. He continues to check in on my needs and is a trustworthy e-mail correspondent when I have homeowner questions, recommending quality professionals and giving me an idea of what to pay so I don't have to learn by being a sucker. All in all, I'm very happy and will use Rob again when it's time for my next real estate action.

We just purchased our first home with Rob as our real estate agent and were impressed at every step…read morealong the way. Rob's deep understanding of the market and good relationships with other agents allowed us to succeed in getting the home we were looking for in this competitive Santa Cruz area. His great communication skills, professionalism and responsiveness helped us to manage the ups and downs of the home buying experience. We would recommend Rob Ross and his team to anyone looking to buy a property. Buying a home can be a stressful experience at times and having an agent with integrity that you can count on to represent both your interests and your values makes all the difference. Whether developing bidding strategies on competitive properties, trying to navigate short sales, or understand the potential of fixer uppers Rob was always on top of the situation and able to help us understand our options. We ended up getting one of our favorite properties even after being out bid because Rob took the time to follow up with the selling agent and make sure we were in position when the original high bidder deal fell apart. Rob also walked us through the county assessor and city planning office on multiple properties to help us ensure that we were getting the property we thought we were and what potential restrictions there would be. On top of Rob's expertise and ability to deliver results he's also a really nice guy. He's a devoted father who makes it to his kid's soccer games and works with his parents in the family business. He's a great listener and took the time to understand our family and what we were really looking for in a home. He's a great communicator, always helping us to understand our options and how the real estate market works. He's very responsive, answering technical questions and calming frayed nerves in a timely fashion over text, email, telephone and in person. Thanks Rob for helping us to find a wonderful home and giving us an education to last a life time about real estate!

Recently Escrow Officers at the Old Republic Title Company assisted me in two different real estate…read moretransactions in Santa Cruz. It was a very productive and educational experience for me. We sold our family home of 39 years. Then I bought a condo in Capitola. Our Escrow Officer was Kim Scadina for both of these transactions. My realtor was Huve Rivas. They both did an amazing job of informing me about each transaction and provided support and assistance every step of the way. Amber Hughes, Escrow Assistant, kept me up-to-date, up-to-the-minute, which is invaluable when time is of the essence. Jamie Smith, Escrow Officer, provided great assistance when I needed to wire funds and meet deadlines. Stephanie provided excellent communication skills through telephone calls and messages. As a whole the Old Republic Title Company is an amazing team of high powered and hard working individuals who pay attention to detail and follow through in all the necessary ways to bring a transaction to fruition. They excel at managing complex real estate transactions, acting as a neutral third party, and they ensure that all legal and financial conditions are met before and after the transfer of property ownership. I feel very fortunate that my transaction team and my Escrow Officers were so knowledgeable about the different aspects of the real estate transactions and that they were able to easily explain and provide detailed information to me. I am forever grateful. If you need a Title Company, then Old Republic Title Company is the Team for you! Be sure to let them know that Susan in Santa Cruz referred you to them!

As a realtor, I've worked with many title companies over the years and Old Republic in Capitola is,…read moreby far, my favorite. Everyone I've ever worked with over there is awesome. I always know it will be a smooth escrow with them!