My partner and I were first time homebuyers, and Darin was an excellent guide throughout the entire process. He listened to our needs as homebuyers, gave us practical advice throughout, and never pressured us to do anything we weren't comfortable with. He has deep knowledge of all aspects of the San Francisco residential real estate market, was always available to answer even the smallest questions, and was very detail oriented, picking up on little things at every property that would matter for a long-term homeowner. Highly recommended. read more

If you're buying a home in San Francisco, Darin is your guy! As a first time home buyer, Darin coached us through the full process including some great recommendations for lenders, inspectors, and insurers. He was extremely flexible and knowledgeable about the SF market, and was not shy about giving honest opinions. 10/10 would work with Darin again. read more

Darin helped us multiple times with both buying and selling our house/condo in the past 10 years, and we couldn't be happier with the outcome from each experience. We've also worked with other real estate agents before meeting Darin, so we know the experience with Darin is far more pleasant than with the other agents we worked with in the past. We knew we wanted to move to a different home, but didn't know how/when to make it happen. We just knew we would be happier in a different-sized property in different neighborhood. We casually texted Darin to talk about it, and after 4 months, we're living in a place that's perfect for us, in a neighborhood where we never thought we could live in. Darin guided us all the way from nothing. There were multiple items that had to be resolved before getting our house ready for sale. Darin had all the necessary resources to resolve every thing. Darin knows how to read the market and strategize the pricing to maximize the sale price. We had some very difficult situations during our purchase process, and we know some agents couldn't handle it and deal fell through for them. But Darin was so diligent and determined to make it work for us. His negotiation skills are the best and we trust him so much, we believe he can work things out with almost anybody. Darin is extremely easy to work with. Home buying/selling is usually pretty stressful, but he makes the process so much fun. read more

Darin is an exceptional realtor and has went above and beyond for us from day 1. As first time homeowners, we are extremely grateful to have Darin by our side as he kept us reassured and confident with his guidance throughout the entire process. We saw many houses in different neighborhoods/price points and put in many offers. He was there every step of the way and provided invaluable insight from his many years of experience and pointed out things that we missed or were not aware of. He is patient, extremely knowledgable of the market, responsive, and an absolute pleasure to work with. We highly recommend Darin to anyone and everyone, and will definitely be in touch for any future needs. read more

Darin has just helped us close on our first home! We owe him so many thanks for making it a reality. We needed a lot of hand holding and really just basic education into everything. Darin was so patient and we looked at a lot of houses and put in lots of offers. Darin knows San Francisco real estate and helped us navigate the whole process. He is well known in the industry and when we were looking at houses with potential "red flags" he facilitated getting inspectors/contractors and even an architect to offer input. We crawled around a lot of dusty crawl spaces with him and looked at a lot of foundations and wiring in these old San Francisco houses. We looked at some funky places and he was able to point out concerns that otherwise we would never have caught. From the very beginning when we were not sure what neighborhood, price, or type of house we were looking for to the time he handed us the keys Darin was there like our Sherpa of the SF real estate world! We never felt rushed or pressured and we had a lot of figuring out what exactly we wanted and also could afford before we found "the one" ! I definitely won't say that it was an easy journey, but I would say that we couldn't of landed the house we are so happy with without having gone through the learning and guidance from Darin. Also, all the work he'd done and all the homework he did for us as we don't have much free time/flexibility during work hours kept us and our time focused on the most promising houses for our likely price point. Darin was recommended to us by a friend and we would definitely recommend him to any friends as well! So many thanks Darin! read more

Darin Holwitz is the real deal. He helped us get 32 offers--many of them non-contingent--and close to 70% percent over asking on the sale of our home. No, that's not a typo. From start to finish, Darin is a true expert. He helped us understand the psychology and strategy of home pricing and select a list price that got our house noticed. He knew what we needed to do to prepare our home for broad appeal to a wide variety of buyers. He brought valuable relationships with contractors and professionals to actually get the work done. He was completely hands-on, partnering with us on decisions great and small. He had great intuition for when to list our house and how long to keep it on the market, with a clear strategy to encourage multiple strong offers. When it came time to negotiate, he really shined. He secured a sale price that exceeded our dreams, and ensured that a tricky sale successfully went through. If you have a chance to work with him, jump at it. His expertise made all the difference for us. read more

Darin and his team helped me through a complex home sale in San Francisco, and they out performed my expectations. We surpassed our target sales estimated price. Skeptical at first about their successful formula but it worked as planned. Darin is knowledgeable in all aspects of real estate and walked me through every step. Communication was outstanding, suggestions and recommendations were spot on. I need to mention Simon Lo/Compass who took control of marketing, sales and engaging potential buyers. Simons recommendations and suggestions helped us achieve our goal of selling the property. Would recommend, will hire again. read more

Darin has helped me find my TIC in 2005 and sell the same property in 2016. Like other reviewers listed, his best attributes are that he is highly competent and relaxed at the same time making selling a property way less stressful. He performed magic when it involved getting my property into ship-shape condition and finding very reasonably priced stagers and inspectors. His contacts alone are indispensable. Darin is a great guy and a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend him. read more

I first posted a review in 2014 and now I'm writing again. It's seven years later and Darin has been great. My partner and I are return clients. We've sold two properties and bought two properties with Darin as our key agent! And, wow, we think he has been a godsend! As a refresher, I should write that six/seven years ago, Darin helped us sell a fixer-upper in the Excelsior district (that we had spent a few years fixing up) and move across the freeway to Sunnyside/Glen Park. He gave us the courage to take some risks, and we are both so glad we did. Fast forward six years ago, and Darin has done it again. We sold our Sunnyside house, taking a risk that we could find a new place, with his guidance and advice. And sure enough we did. We've ended up in a very desirable, spacious Victorian flat in a charming neighborhood close to the city center. So what brings us back to Darin for four transactions and what will bring us back to him again. Let me summarize. 1) The results have been excellent in so many ways. 2) Some of this has been the market working in our favor. But I should quickly add that we don't have deep pockets--and have had to carry hefty mortgages. So in fast-moving market like SF, we have often found ourselves at a distinct disadvantage. Darin has a savvy understanding of where we find ourselves and has strategized ways for us to flourish, even against the odds. Darin's strategies have never been outlandish; rather always very practical and working within the limits we have. 3) Darin has excellent connections. I need to say that five times. for each of the sales, he has introduced fast, careful, and also style-savvy workmen and stagers. Each time, we strongly considered staying in our home--and not selling, so we were glad his team was never slipshod. 4) Darin was always honest. Darin never hesitated to share his frank opinion about problems, places, and people. We appreciated his honesty. 5) Darin never imposed his taste or opinion on us. He took the time to consider what we were really looking for. 6) Darin was tireless. He was always willing to look at a new place, and though we walked his legs off, he never complained. He always wanted to be there with us, never passing us off to others. 7) Darin was an emotional stabilisier. Home selling and buying is really stressful, and it's easy to imagine disasters lurking with one bad move. Darin kept us on track--and when things got dicey, he always kept his feet on the ground. 8) Darin knows how to negotiate with people in compassionate and successful ways. We closed on a place that had a lot of issues attached to it--including damage and legal issues. Darin negotiated us through each of them. 9) Darin is a laid-back and fun guy. He always brought lightness and joy to the situation. The pizza lunch in his old 'hood was fun. 10) Darin is super-fast. Everything was done lightning quick! read more

Darin was referred to me by a friend who observed Darin's professional client focused behavior representing the selling party (my friend purchased the property). I was looking for someone who would be hungry for business and work hard to make sure we ware taken care of. There are a lot of celebrity type agents out there who friends have recommended, but the problem is despite talking to a few other referrals, we found they were less flexible on some things that mattered to us. We have Darin to thank for our house, which we absolutely love. Lots of people say that, but in our case, it's true. We found this house on the internet, but after seeing 100 agents' cards in the bin and the "bidding process" the seller's agent was conducting, we felt we had no shot of getting the house. In fact, we were not even going to bid on our house and go down another path, but Darin convinced us that we needed to bid on it. This may seem like a self serving move for a hungry agent, but in fact, Darin didn't have anything more to make not this house versus our alternative option and taking this bid in fact added both extra work and put himself out on the limb with the selling agent. Darin just felt like this was a better house for us, and he was right. I've never had a full appreciation for the role a good agent can make in the house purchasing process. Darin helped us through the standards of presenting an offer and inspections, but he also kept a very realistic level headed approach to renegotiating to remove contingencies. This was in the face of an agent on the other side who was giving him a difficult time about the inspection results. So, it all comes back where we started. My friend found that Darin represented his client extremely well, and we found the same. I think that's fundamentally what you want in an agent. read more

Honest, thorough, knows his stuff, professional (without the suit), has YOUR best interest and on top of that - friendly! Darin has helped many of my colleagues purchase their home. I was referred to Darin by co-worker (Googler). When going on tours, Darin would point out many things that I wouldn't notice (small cracks in floors, impact on foundation, etc) and really helped us understand all the ins and outs of buying a home. He wasn't pushy, he was very patient and would give us good advice. This was my second home purchase and I plan on using Darin for all my real estate needs. Highly recommended. read more

Darin is not just a "natural" as a real estate agent, but he's a good all-around person. I have known him for many years and he's always provided trusted, thoughtful counsel. When I am looking to buy a home, I want someone focused on my requirements rather than pushing their own interests or agenda. I want someone who can quickly glean the top priorities of BOTH my "better half" and I, and who deeply understands the market and the most effective strategies for getting an offer accepted. Darin brings all these things and more. As we begin the search for a new family home (just moved back to the Bay Area), we are turning to Darin because of everything I've already mentioned--as well as his detail orientation, his broad connections and the bonus fact that he's really great to spend time with. read more

When it became clear it was time to sell our home, we were filled with dread. The idea of getting our yard cleaned up, our home ready to show, and then packed up all with a newly crawling baby was overwhelming to say the least. Luckily we listed with Darin. He immediately hooked us up with his handyman and his stager and offered advice and a helping hand throughout the whole process. It was basically effortless. All of this in addition to getting us an amazing price for our home and never pressuring us on any decision from the smallest to the largest. Darin is organized, knowledgable, competent and yet most notably, totally relaxed. He was a pleasure to work with and we would absolutely recommend him to any friends or family members looking to make sense of and perhaps profit from this crazy San Francisco real estate market. read more

My husband and I met Darin when we wandered into an open house in our neighborhood. He was our type of person -- down to earth, not too slick, but extremely on the ball, professional, and knowledgeable. Plus he has a good sense of humor to boot. We didn't end up buying a new house in San Francisco, but we did put in a few offers, and Darin helped us get the offers together on really short notice. He also went way out of his way to help us find a good real estate agent in Sonoma County when we decided to buy a place there (which we finally did). I would *definitely* recommend Darin! read more

We've used Darin on two home purchases, the most recent one in Noe Valley. The Noe purchase was a complicated transaction with a lot of negotiations required and Darin did a fantastic job, getting us the property about $30K below where we expected. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to purchase in SF. read more

Darin obviously has the knowledge and experience in real state. He suggested several things to make the property look appealing to potential buyers and I just went along with his ideas, also got all the legal aspects covered. He is honest, friendly and trustworthy, very easy to talk to. He has all the qualities you would want of a Real State Agent. read more

Everyone would agree that selling a long-time family home is an emotional and stressful process. I was fortunate enough to have Darin recommended to us. He is knowledgeable, thorough, extremely well-informed and authentic. He kept me updated every step of the way and provided us with excellent, reasonably priced workers to get our house looking better than ever and expertly staged for sale. Our many conversations felt more like I was talking with a close, smart and trusted friend rather than a business associate. There was never any pressure from Darin concerning work that needed to be done, pricing strategy, market timing, staging, etc..etc.. Rather, just thoughtful suggestions which we hadn't considered and which always made sense. I most highly recommend Darin if you are looking to buy or sell a home in San Francisco. In fact, even if you are just considering or on-the-fence about whether to buy or sell a property in The City I strongly encourage you to consult with Darin for his expert and knowledgeable insight. read more

Darin is great! He helped us find our current house. He was patient, knowledgable, and honest. After 5 years in our current home we are using Darin again to help us sell our current home and buy a new home. That is a testament to how good he is. We are definitely repeat clients because he is a great agent! read more

Thanks to Darin and his know-how, we were able to buy our first S.F. home in a very tight, low-inventory S.F. market--and we could not be happier with the house or the neighborhood. Darin knows this business inside and out, has built a great rapport with other agents, has invaluable advice and strategies that helped us get our dream place, and gave us great referrals for inspectors, lenders, etc. During our search, he was so on the ball and responsive that he was often the first person I exchanged emails/calls with early in the morning and the last person I corresponded with late at night. And most important, he is such a nice person, with a great sense of humor, that we actually miss him (though we're glad to be out of the housing hunt)! Highly recommended. Thank you, Darin. read more

We highly recommend Darin Holwitz with Zephyr West Portal. Darin was our selling and buying agent--he successfully negotiated the sale of our TIC unit despite a terrible economy, and discovered our current house--which at the time was a "diamond in the rough" short-sale. We are so grateful that we found Darin. Not only is Darin a real estate pro, but he is also a truly nice guy. He is patient, extremely knowledgeable, and friendly. read more

THE BEST!!! I met Darin during an open house I went to and he was the selling agent. As a first time homebuyer, I was just trying to get an idea of how much real estate goes for in the San Francisco Area and compare the pros and cons of different neighborhoods. Within a brief conversation, I immediately stopped talking to all the other real estate agents I had been in contact with and worked with Darin from that point on. Compared to the others, I found Darin to be so much more relaxed and down to earth. He was very easy to talk to, answered all my questions, and most importantly, HONEST! Darin did not pressure you into bidding on something that didn't quite fit your needs and when you were unsure about a property he made sure that you held off unto you felt completely comfortable with your decision. He would point out all the caution signs such as noise or crime, and had your best interests at heart. He found a great condo for me in the location I wanted at a very competitive price and I can't thank him enough. During inspections, he asked all the questions I wouldn't have even thought to ask. The entire process only took a few months and it was smooth sailing, even when two other condos had to close with mine at the same time. On top of that, Darin purchased a year of home warranty for me as a gift for closing. I highly recommend Darin and I still call him years later to answer real estate questions because he is well connected within the community and he is always happy to help. He is a family man and overall great person. read more

Darin helped us tremendously in finding our first home together. We spent many months working with Darin and he was always patient with us, specifically me as I was very picky. We even changed our minds in terms of location and were looking on the peninsula and Darin shifted his strategy to find us homes out there. Ultimately Darin was able to find a home for us in the initial area we were looking that was available but not yet on the market. It was a great layout and an awesome location. We ended up buying that home after many months of looking and he was there every step of the way. He is great to work with, not aggressive, and listens to what your needs are and executes. When we were looking to rent out this home, after a bad experience with a property manager, we turned to Darin who pointed us in the right direction and gave us insight on rental pricing etc. Again, a huge help anytime we reach out to him. read more