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!

Working with Nick Bailey was hands down the best decision we could have made when buying our home…read more From day one, he went above and beyond for us -- showing up early to every tour, walking through inspections in detail, helping us get estimates for repairs, and making sure we fully understood every step of the process. He's incredibly knowledgeable about the market and always gave us honest, thoughtful guidance on pricing and offers, never pushing us but always keeping us motivated and confident. What truly sets Nick apart is his dedication. He always made himself available -- taking our calls or texts at any time of day, even when he was busy -- and we always felt like we were his top priority. He's positive, patient, and genuinely cares about the people he works with. Even in a competitive market, he never lost momentum or enthusiasm and helped us stay encouraged until we found our dream home. Closing day was such a special moment, and Nick celebrated right alongside us -- it was clear he was just as excited as we were. He made what could have been a stressful experience smooth and enjoyable from start to finish. Nick is a top-tier realtor and an all-around great person -- professional, personable, and truly invested in helping his clients. We feel incredibly grateful to have had someone we trust guiding us through such an important milestone. We'd recommend him to absolutely anyone looking to buy or sell

We loved working with Nick on finding a house in Santa Cruz county. He worked hard for us and…read morehelped us through the process buying our first home! We really felt like we were a priority for him and his attention was on us. He negotiated well, gave us good recommendations, was there at the closing table, and helped it all happen really quickly and smoothly. We look forward to working with Nick on our next property!

This is my second time using Mike Bloch's services. First time was like 15 years ago. So many…read morepositive things to say. First, off, we had been looking for a new house for a few year, and he was always so patient with us and never got any pressure. He is down-to-earth, very honest, straight-forward, great communicator, and just a super great guy. He did such a great job marketing our house to be sold and advising me on how to fix it up to sell quickly and for the right price. What a great partner. Thanks Mike.

What did not go well? I interviewed several realtors prior to Mike. I was so impressed with his…read moreknowledge and calm attitude that it was a simple decision to have him handle the sale of our home. Yes we experienced challenges but Mike was more than willing to work with us to come up with solutions. It's a big decision to sell a home you have occupied for 29 years. We wanted a clean deal that was good for both the buyer and the seller and Mike delivered. He is one of the best if not the best in our area.

Horrible experience and terrible customer service! We stayed and the Manresa Meadows property which…read moreis dog friendly. The dogs got so many ticks and the ticks made it into the house. My husband got a tick bite. Kitchen was not clean or up to day. Called to complain and also wrote a letter and never got a response. I thought they would offer something for all the stress I went through! Never again useing this management service.

It's with great appreciation that I share this review of Jo Ellen Smith at Bailey Properties. 3…read moreyears ago I was searching for a rental property near the beach. Based on her experience and reputation she was able to find a great opportunity two blocks from the beach and I bought the house prior to the MLS listing and bidding frenzy. After some repairs were completed I secured a long term renter who just renewed for a third year. In the current market of 2020 it would be impossible to find a similar opportunity, and I applaud Jo Ellen for her foresight and experience.

Hiring Brezsny Associates to sell my home was one of the best decisions I've made in ages. I was…read moreblown away by how far my expectations were exceeded from day-one through the close of escrow. Brezsny Associates set me up with a skilled Team of experts who accomplished a huge amount of work in a very short time. Thanks to my Team, my house sold in 3 days for considerably over its asking price. My Team offered: - Unparalleled communication - Task lists and schedules for me to follow, with daily check-ins - Professional (no fee!) staging of a 2400 SF home that looked beautiful, modern, warm and impressive - All inclusive marketing -- photos, video tour, drone footage, and a 'featured home' news story - A quality side team of workers who did everything from hauling to repairs and aesthetic clean-ups In my experience, Brezsny Associates' expertise is unparalleled. Unparalleled communication and trust. I highly, highly recommend Sereno Group's Brezsny Associates! Thank you Tom, Terry, Scarlett and Daniel!!

This group out of SOQUEL sold two other homes in our neighborhood quickly and with minimal hassle…read more The five stars is for the agent not the office. (They don't answer the phone and fail to connect properly if you use a cell phone) We had moved out of the area and could not prepare our house for sale. Our agent Cheri Nillson handled all of this: everything from nosy neighbors to rude competing agents. She highlighted local businesses and found a local buyer, making the escrow close in 30 days. Cheri herself is easier to contact than the office. Would recommend only contacting the agent directly rather than trying to use the endlessly ringing and then disconnecting office number.

If you are looking for an agent who truly *cares* about you, choose Paul. My daughter lost…read moreeverything in the CZU Complex fires in August 2020 and along with everyone else, was seeking a new place to live. Paul located the perfect spot and and went the extra mile to negotiate just the right deal. He even offered to assist by donating and delivering furniture and other items to help her recover from the total loss. I have also worked with Paul in his capacity as a real estate agent and can honestly say he's top notch. If you want honesty, integrity and transparency - look no further.

Since we've been looking at properties in the Santa Cruz mountains, Paul has been a godsend. He's a…read morehappy, friendly, knowledgeable guy, and a great real-estate agent to boot. He's the definition of local. He's full of great advice and delivers it with a smile. He's gone above and beyond the call of duty, including showing us properties in the rain. We refer Paul to our friends and family. He comes with our highest recommendation. Thanks Paul!

Where do I begin? Joe Heller from Shoreline Property Management is, by far, the most…read moreunprofessional, unreliable, and unpunctual realtor I've ever worked with. Joe seems to hate college students as both times we tried working with him he ended up blocking us midway through communication for seemingly no reason, I say this because as I was texting him it would say sent via rcs, would get read receipts and calls would go through, however after a random point on a Friday afternoon texts weren't being responded to, they were being sent via sms, and calls went straight to voicemail, all classic signs of being blocked. As college students, we would much rather him say sorry, we don't work with college students, rather than waste almost a month of our time. Finding housing in Santa Cruz is a very stressful situation especially with finals coming up soon and thanks to Joe we had a much harder time for the reasons said before. Our recommendation is to avoid Joe Heller at all costs if you are a college student as he hates working with college students. He is horrible at his communication skills with him not responding, leaving us on read, or simply blocking us both times we tried working with him. Find someone else for the sake of your own sanity.

Joe helped my wife and I find our dream home, despite the truly difficult housing market this…read morespring and summer. He is an amazing real estate agent and a wonderful person. He knows all the other agents around town and will help you every step of the way. He will also work around your schedule and make sure you feel confident throughout the house buying process. If you're looking for someone with immense local knowledge, wonderful relationships with agents and contractors around town, and a keen eye for the kind of properties that you'll want to see then Joe Heller is your agent.

We've recently listed a condo with Michele and she is the whole package. Knowledgeable,…read moreprofessional, well informed and a delight to work with. Her communication is superb! Highly recommend on any real estate adventure!

Three years ago, my wife and I purchased our first starter home with Michele. She was able to find…read moreus a great home we could afford, OFF-MARKET, when we were at wits end, fighting tooth and nail at open houses with no luck. It was a fantastic home and we really made it our own. She stayed in contact with us in the years afterwards, and when our family grew and we needed to move, we didn't hesitate to call her. She handled the sale of our home expertly as well as the simultaneous purchase of our second home. We have recommended her to our friends, and I wouldn't use anybody else. Michele is candid, has a deep local knowledge, and she's patient. I've never felt pressured to jump into anything I didn't like, she knows a ton of trustworthy local contractors, and is responsive and prompt. I don't plan on moving again, but if I do, I know who I'm calling.