Now three home buys and two sold, I am happy to recommend Gentry Real Estate for all of your home buying/selling needs. At this point, every real-estate transaction I have ever done has been with the incredible guidance and work put in by Chisholm Gentry. Chisholm is smart, kind, and incredibly knowledgeable about real-estate. Every time I have bought or sold a property, he has been there step by step to both explain important details, and strategize the best next move. Each and every time, the experience has been as painless as I could imagine. For years now, whenever I am ready for the next big step, Chisholm is the first person I call. I don't anticipate that changing any time soon, and I urge you to give him a call in the strongest terms! Thanks for everything Chisholm! -Michael and Cathy read more

Chisholm has been there for us. Many conversations, decisions, and new decisions were all part of the process. He is a patient man. Chisholm helped so much with market conditions and our readiness. Together we would brainstorm ideas on how best to accomplish each step. Getting ready to sell was the major hurdle we had to overcome. He listened to our thoughts and needs and helped us to see what we needed to see. The technical side of the process was a piece of cake. Chisholm's experience and his contacts for escrow were flawless. Thanks very much, Chisholm! read more

Chisholm was referred to us by Quicken Loans. He sat with us and noted down all our needs. We ended up buying a house which fit everything that we were looking for. He guided us through the entire closing process and made it look like piece of cake. He protected us from the crazy bidding wars and made sure that we place reasonable offers. Also saved us from hard-to-see flaws in couple of houses. He's readily available to go check out any house we want and we being first time home buyers made sure that we understand the buying process end to end. His negotiation skills are amazing and has magical powers to sniff out what sellers are expecting. That shows how experienced he is in the business. He is a 5star agent for us and would surely work with him again. read more

Our loan company referred Chisholm Gentry to us as we were selling our current home and purchasing a new home in another city. We used Gentry Real Estate for both transactions. He was great! We (me) wasn't the easiest to deal with as I was a ball of stress. He was calm and guided us through everything! We wouldn't be where we are today without all of his help. He really knows how to deal with the market, his clients and other realtors to make everything come together smoothly. Thank you! read more

Just had the pleasure of working with Chisholm Gentry for the first time, and he was fantastic. We were referred to him by Quicken Loans and he's hands down the best broker/agent we've ever worked with. What should have been a super easy closing turned into a bit of a headache, as we ran into some unexpected hold ups. If it weren't for Chisholm, I would have felt extremely nervous and worried; but he took charge of the situation and really pushed on our behalf. He was on it! Super responsive, friendly, always professional, great communicator, and really knowledgeable about the real estate market. He gets an A+! The place we just purchased is in a high demand location and had multiple offers within hours of listing. We knew we only had one shot and needed a strong offer. Chisholm worked his magic and helped get us the place of our dreams! read more

Chisholm Gentry was my realtor for a home purchase in the Santa Cruz area. He offered great support, providing helpful input at every step of the way, pointing out prospective risks of some properties to consider, working with the selling agent, and helping move all the documentation along. Having just closed on the house today and got the keys, I can't recommend him highly enough. read more

This is my first yelp review that I am writing in my new house. What else do you need to know? Let me tell you that going into the house hunting process my fiance and I were inexperienced and naive as to what it would take to purchase our first home. The first thing that Chisholm did was sit us down and say that his number one goal was to get us in a house that we loved for a price we could afford. He is a man of his word. We learned a TON from him. He never lost his cool, even when we did. He was always focused on the goal, even when we lost sight. He prevented us from making mistakes, even when we were convinced they were the right thing to do. When there was something to worry about, he did the worrying for us. He rolled with the punches, and reminded us that the market was crazy, and helped us make a strong move at the right time. He was professional, compassionate, understanding, and friendly. Purchasing a house was one of the most difficult things my future wife and I have ever done together. If it wasn't for the guidance from Chisholm, I'm not sure we would be where we are today. I can not thank him enough. I love my new home. (We are already missing our weekend outings with him) read more

During our first home buying experience, Chisholm was extremely patient with us. Especially during COVID. He worked hard with us and the lender to make sure things were running smoothly. We highly recommend Chisholm if you're looking for someone honest and dedicated to your needs. Great service, personable and charismatic! Highly recommend! read more

We were referred to Chisholm through Quicken Loans for our first home purchase. Chisholm really tried to understand what we were looking for and what parameters we were willing to compromise on (and which we weren't). After about a bit more than a year of looking, we found the right house at the right time and Chisholm helped us through the purchase process (some of which had to be conducted from across the country because of our prior commitments) and after the contract was signed, he went above and beyond, helping us find contractors for the work that needed to be done (some of which we used, some of which we didn't -- but it helped us get a baseline for comparison). Every interaction I've had with him was cool and professional. I would definitely recommend him to someone looking for a buyers agent in the Bay Area. read more

We were referred to Chisholm by our Mortgage Banker as we were looking at buying our first home and I am so very glad we were introduced to him. Chisholm is a very good humored, knowledgeable, calm, and patient man that took the time to evaluate our needs, listen to our concerns and answer all of our questions as a friend would, even if we were asking about something for the second or third time. All this while being extremely responsive and proving to be an effective negotiator. With his guidance, we closed a fair bit below the asking price on a house we are still very happy with, in an area where demand continues to be stronger than supply. To keep it short, if you are reading this and you need a trusted advisor to coach and guide you through the complexities of buying or selling a property, you must add Gentry Real Estate to your interview list. I strongly recommend them and would definitely work with them again. Charles read more

Chisholm is trustworthy and experienced. If you're a first-time buyer, there are three main benefits to working with him. First, he knows how homes are built. He can explain what's broken, whether it matters, and how much it'll cost to fix it. Second, he is both accessible and patient. He was always responsive to my questions, and scheduled 12+ weekends of open houses without once pushing me to make an offer. Third, he builds a decent working relationship with everyone involved in this process -- your lender, your title & escrow agent, your HOA, the seller's agent... which means, when you make an offer, it's painless. He transparently drives them all towards their deadlines. read more

It took ten months and three offers, but I finally bought my first house -- with plenty of professional, friendly assistance from Chisholm Gentry. All along, I was impressed by Chisholm's willingness to drive over from San Jose to view homes in the Santa Cruz mountains. He didn't lose patience when I ended up abandoning both my first and second offers due to issues revealed in the inspections. In the end, we got the right house in the right place at quite a significant discount from the original asking price. Chisholm helped me through the various chutes and ladders of the closing process, and even made me the gift of a home warranty that I was too cheap to get for myself. I would (and maybe will in several years) work with Chisholm again to buy and sell real estate. read more

Chisholm worked with us tirelessly throughout a year-long house hunt, eventually finding the right house for us. Every interaction with him was professional and friendly, he always answered any question we had, and if he did not know the answer right away, he took care of following up with occasionally unresponsive sellers agents, and reporting back to us. Chisholm took time to educate us about the how real estate transactions work in California, and pointed out things to be aware of with each particular property. We would definitely recommend Chisholm for anyone buying property in the South Bay. read more

We highly recommend Chisolm Gentry for all your real estate needs, even though we only used his services to help us buy a home. He is very knowledgeable and traveled from the South Bay to the East Bay to look at homes with us. We really appreciate all his help. read more

Chisholm assisted me in the purchase of my first-ever home in San Francisco. He sells and shows homes for others, but worked with me as a "buyer's rep:" an agent responsible for acting in the best interests of the buyer, as opposed to the listing agent, who represents the seller. NAEBA referred Chisholm, and I hired him after interviewing three other candidates, including a C.A.R. instructor. I'm glad I did. I'm not sure that I ever would have completed the home buy without Chisholm's help. I buy big ticket items carefully, and a home is as big a ticket item as items come. I read every word of what I'm asked to sign, am skeptical of verbal assurances, and, invariably, have lots of questions. I think I asked Chisholm hundreds. My wariness might have worn another agent out, but he answered every one patiently and completely. Some of his answers came at 10:00 and 11:00 o'clock at night, and this was when I discovered one of his strong suits: Chisholm works constantly. One could reasonably argue that he works too hard, but that's a matter to be decided between Chisholm and Chisholm. As his client, I knew that my questions would be answered promptly, and that I could always count on him to get back to me. I came to think of him as an island of reliability in an unreliable world. Weaknesses? I bought in San Francisco, and suspect he knows the San Jose market better than the market up here. Please don't get me wrong: he does work with plenty of homes in S.F., but (I think) is more of a generalist than are some other agents. Some agents seem to have some San Francisco districts down cold: they know every block and every corner in Mission Terrace, or Glen Park, or Sunnyside. That said, I still might seek out Chisholm if buying in Nevada or Eureka or Alaska, for that matter, if he were licensed to broker homes there. He is simply an ideal match for the wary first time home buyer, who needs lots of attention to feel comfortable with the biggest purchase of a lifetime. I recommend him to others in that position. read more

A few months ago I entered into the odyssey of house hunting. It is quite overwhelming and more than a bit scary. I'm staring down the barrel of retirement and just now trying to buy my first house. So,armed with little knowledge and much trepidation, off I went! Thank goodness I was referred to Chisholm Gentry, or I would still be floundering my way through Chapter One of some "How to for the Clueless" book! I have dealt with Realtors before but none like Chisholm. He is very knowledgeable and takes the time to educate you as well, He is amazingly quite intuitive about discovering what your taste is (even if you are not sure). He will help you to understand your financial options and sort out your priorities realistically. Here is a person who knows how to listen and presents properties which are within your parameters.Chisholm brings a much needed sense of perspective, calm and humor to what can be a daunting process. He also makes sure that you know about important issues that are a part of the process but might be unfamiliar to you. Chisholm explains these, why they are important and what options and resources are available to you. He is great with rookies whose non stop questions might drive a less stable and humane Realtor right over the edge! All questions are answered patiently thoroughly and graciously. By nature and occupation I'm a suspicious skeptic. Chisholm's actions not just his words have proved to me that he actually DOES have his clients best interests at heart. He doesn't just want to sell you a house but genuinely wants to see you in a home that fits you well and makes you happy. In Chisholm Gentry old fashioned principles and integrity are alive and well and outweigh just making a fast buck! I would recommend Chisholm without reservation to any prospective home buyer. For first time buyers I would say he is a necessity. SO, forgo that ulcer,avoid that nervous breakdown. Do yourself a huge favor and call Chisholm! read more

Chisholm helped us get our dream house. He answered all our questions in a timely manner. He promptly solved many issues in the closing date and after we moved in. We definitely would recommend him to our friends and relatives if they need a realtor. read more

Chisholm was referred to me by Quicken Loans, and although I was looking in the Santa Cruz area (and he's based out of San Jose) I decided to engage him as my agent after our first meeting. I cannot say enough good things about Chisholm. Over a period of six months Chisholm exhibited absolute professionalism. He was always available when I had questions or concerns (usually within minutes) or wanted to view a candidate home (even though he had to come over the 'hill'). The entire offer to closing process was virtually painless (and mostly online) with explanations/clarifications every step of the way. At least from a buyer's perspective, you'd be lucky to having someone as competent, honest, efficient and conscientious as Chisholm on your team! read more

I have been investing in residential real estates for the longest time (may be decades?) and have worked with many many realtors all over the country. In June 2013, I completed a purchase in Palo Alto CA with the assistance of Gentry Real Estate. Without equivocation and with definitive certainty, I can say that Chisholm Gentry is as good as they get when it comes to the realtor's profession. There should be an extra star (the sixth star), just for him. He advice was very professional and right on the mark. He is honest and very helpful and responsive. This is my first purchase in CA and not familiar with the CA system. Chisholm was extraordinary patient in explaining things and helping me along. He is the kind of realtor that would go the extra mile (may be even two miles!) in making the deal works. Example is that he even found a great tenant for my investment property after closing even though he is not required to do so. What amazed me was that prior to settlement, he quoted rent that I might be able to get (and we all thought that was a little on the high side), and actually delivered a tenant at that rent.... It was a real pleasure to work with Chisholm. Always upbeat and able to solve problems. Unfailingly diligent and follow through. One cannot ask for a better real estate agent. I am very lucky to have bumped into him and have his assistance. There is no question that if I need to make another real estate investment, I would definitely seek him out again. I highly recommend Gentry real estates and you cannot possible go wrong. read more

We were referred to Chisholm through the NAEBA after going through a couple of other agents. Chisholm was extremely helpful from the beginning of the process to the end and was able to get us into an excellent home at a good price and great location. As first time buyers purchasing a short sale, it was important to have a reliable agent who knew the ends and outs of the process. Chisholm helped us get to our close on time while explaining each step of the process along the way. We'll definitely look to Chisholm again when we start looking for our next home. read more

Our first mortgage broker referred us to Chisholm. Choosing him as our buying agent was the best decision we made when buying our new home. He is extremely knowledgeable, very calm, has a nice sense of humour and is able to communicate very well. All of these traits were critical in our house buying experience. With Chisholm's guidance, we were able to find the home that met all of our wants and needs & got it. Due to complications with the property (mainly seasoning and condition), we had several significant challenges to overcome. Chisholm's knowledge of the process, ability to find out key information, negotiate with the sellers, and his attention to detail enabled us to close on the property. Every step of the way, we knew where we were and what we needed to do next. Chisholm does a great job of telling you the truth about the situation or the property. Chisholm's advice and negotiation skills helped us salvage the deal despite a lender who failed to perform two days before closing. Without hesitation, I would select Chisholm again. read more

I highly recommend Ranon Luy & Gentry Real Estate as they exceeded my expectation, which for me speaks volumes. When Ranon and I met in mid June for a meet & greet I informed her that I would not be an easy client; as I tend to have significantly higher expectations than the average person & I analyze everything. Ranon took the time to ask me questions after viewing each property which assisted her in honing in on the properties that met my must haves & what my heart wanted. When I ask a question Ranon didn't know the answer to she was awesome about saying let me look into that. Ranon always got back to me with an answer. Ranon went above and beyond when it came to researching properties and questions; she always got back to me in a timely manner. Ranon displays high ethics, is detailed orientated and reliable. At a certain point Ranon, had to step away from assisting me at which time Chisholm Gentry stepped in to assist with the finalization for my property. The transition was absolutely seamless to me I found this even more amazing as I was the buyer. The professionalism, customer service & ethics are at the top of the ratings. I will be recommending them to friends & family; as well as utilize their service when I am ready to do this again. read more

If you got a form letter in the mail from Chisholm Gentry, you might want to consider it seriously. I did and Chisholm succeeded at what four other Realtors failed to do before him - he sold my condo in Oakland for a price I could accept! Thank you, Chisholm. read more

The broker is a total scam and delivers the worst possible experience to us. We worked with a rookie agent in Genry Real Estate and as a result, she has to work closely with Chisholm for most of the issues. During our initial meeting, Chisholm promised us two things: keeping us from crazy bids and protecting us. We are very pleased with his commitment and has been absolutely loyal to them, despite the agent being relatively inexperienced. In the end, he was the one doing the exact opposite things 1. He asked us to offer $1.18M for our house, we offered $1.11M and it was immediately accepted by the seller. 2. During the subsequent transactions, he only protects his agent and the seller, and cares not even the slightest about buyer's interest or feelings To explain the second point, let me enumerates some neglects my agent has made: 1. The disclosure she sent to us is missing one important questionnaire, which discloses things like noises, insurance problems, etc. When we digital sign the 450-page disclosures, she added the document without telling us so that we signed something we are totally unaware of. All those problems start to surface later. 2. Without consulting us, she signed a rent back contract where the seller only need to put down nominal deposit. Neither did she educate us about risks involved in rent back or options to hold the money in escrow, which in the end causes endless troubles. 3. We asked her explicitly to check government records to see if the room numbers disclosed are correct. She answered that she checked and it is accurate. We later found from the same source she used that city record has 3B/2B instead of 4B/3B as disclosed. The reality is, she didn't check it for us at all and just take it for granted. 4. Neither Chisholm or his agent would read through the documents for us and warn us of any caveats. Even after we pointed out, they are still have difficulty finding them. I show great understanding to my agent's mistakes as she is a starter. But we are totally pissed off by her adviser, Chisholm's attitude: 1. He instructed his agent to get as little involved as possible, and not even answer my calls, in order not to take any responsibility 2. He denied any mistake he made and the facts, again to avoid assuming any responsibilities. Conversations with us are filled with lies and excuses. 3. He accused us for caring about noise, permit and insurance that "nobody else care about" (there were disclosure issues in these aspects). Yes, you don't care because you don't live in the house. 4. Despite our politeness, he claimed that he has already run out of patience for us. He refused to speak to us because we "accused" him. No, he shouldn't be accused for any mistakes. 5. He falsely accused us for "harassing" his agent, and claimed "those tricks won't work on" him. The fact is, we were only calling my agent when we discovered more and more problems and consulted her about what to do to remedy our loss. And we were angry because we learned she was advised by Chisholm not to help us with anything, in order to escape his responsibility. 6. Whenever I pointed out facts not in his favor, he will always interrupt me with "enough!". He will always control the conversation in an atmosphere that he can easily bully or insult us. 7. When we discovered the permit issue, he advised us just to ignore it, and refused to do anything to help because I am "the homeowner". He and his agents' names are not on the title or the contract. 8. During the transaction, our agent is on vacation and Chisholm is the one who takes care of us. We almost experienced the nightmare having to deal with him as well as seller's problem. Endless delays and no disclosures. 9. In reply to our BBB complaints, he blatantly lied even to the facts we have email / text message as evidence and still refuse to apologize for any mistake he or his agent has made, and groundlessly conclude the incident as our way of blackmailing him for rebate. In fact, we have never asked him for rebate during the whole transaction. If you are impressed by his negotiation skills and positive attitude like me, think TWICE. Once your offer is accepted, watching your broker turning into a totally different person who only uses the same skill to bully and betrayal you is so disheartening. Before you choose this broker, beware of the truth he will only tell you when the deal is sealed, using his own words: 1. "Your agent/broker only relays information. If something wrong is in the disclosure/contract, it's your fault because you signed it. If there is a lie in the disclosure/contract, it's your problem to deal with the seller. We won't help you in either case." 2. "But you promised ..." "Enough!" "We trusted you so much ..." "Enough!" "Your agent said ..." "I believed she didn't said that" 3. "I have been too patient with you." "There is no worth in talking any more." I despise this dishonest business and this hypocritical businessman. read more

Chisholm helped me purchase my first home in September 2017. As you can imagine, purchasing a home is a big investment and a bit of nerves. With Chisholm's many years of experiences in the real estate field, I knew I was in good hands. Confidently speaking, Chisholm has a honest streak. If it wasn't a good buy, he would let me know. He answered all my questions and walked me through the buying process. Along with my loan officer, I am now a first and new home owner. read more

Chisholm helped us get our first home. We only did a couple weekends looking at open houses when we put an offer in on a house. And with Chisholm's expertise in knowing the market he knew this house was overpriced. This house was the one that gave us "that feeling". We compared all other houses we looked at online and in open houses to this one. But it was over our budget. He talked with the other selling agent and got a feel for the situation. We put an offer in at $30,000 under asking price and we got it!! We were thrilled. He had prepared us from the beginning to be patient cause the market is tough. Chisholm was honest and had our best interest the entire time. He was available to take our calls and texts whenever. Very on top of everything when it came to talking with the lender and selling agent. And keeping us in the loop the entire time. We were very clueless before starting this journey and we are so happy that we had Chisholm to guide us and help us get our first home. read more

We were referred to Chisholm by Quicken Loans and even though we went with a local lender in the end we stayed with him. We had a complicated(at least from my perspective as a first time home buyer) contract and escrow due to VA requirements and he helped us get those taken care of. His willingness to drive over the hill to the San Lorenzo Valley really made me feel good about the process and I will be looking to him should we decide to sell or buy again. read more

We asked colleagues for recommendations for a realtor who would be patient with us as we searched for a home, since we weren't familiar with the area and didn't know where we could afford to live, and were given Chisholm's name. During our first meeting with Chisholm, he focused on getting to know us and our lifestyle, and was more than happy to be patient with us as we navigated the area. He zeroed in pretty quickly on our style, and focused our first few trips on showing a range of homes, neighborhoods and prices, which helped us understand which neighborhoods we actually liked and could afford. Turns out, we found a home within two months of working with him, despite thinking we would take forever! Chisholm is professional, honest, direct and was always accessible (he took way too many late night phone calls from us!) when we were putting in offers. When we were looking at the home we ultimately purchased, instead of pitching us on all of the ways we could renovate the house to make it our dream home, he actually gave us more practical advice about how to prioritize improvements, which reinforced how he had truly gotten to know us and wanted to make sure we had the proper expectations of our home. He didn't just tell us what we wanted to hear, which is a quality I really appreciated, given the crazy prices in the bay area. When we won our home, we actually weren't going in with the highest bid initially, but because of Chisholm's homework getting to know the other realtor, we amended our offer at the last minute and were able to secure our home. Oh, and he continues to send us advice on contractors, which is much appreciated. Thank you, Chisholm! read more

In 2009, Chisholm Gentry helped us buy our first residence, a condo in Los Altos. We were clueless first home buyers in a very difficult market. Some would say it was an easy market, with abundance of foreclosures and depressed home prices. But the scare was in making a wrong choice and investing in a house that would continue to lose value after we bought it. Chisholm helped us greatly, he very patiently educated us about the process and our options, carefully listening to our desires, keeping our expectations in check with reality, and tirelessly going around town with us to show as many places as we wanted to see (and we wanted to see plenty!) Looking back to that time, we feel that Chisholm truly and honestly put his customer's interests above all, and with him around, we felt "protected" from the potential pitfalls and mistakes that a buyer can make. That experience made it an easy decision to pick Chisholm again, this time as our sale agent. Just recently, in 2012, we had to relocate to the East Coast, and needed to sell our condo. Actually, we already relocated by the time we made our decision to sell. Thus, we were "directing" our condo sale process over the phone and email, and Chisholm was handling the entire process on our behalf. At some moments in this process, we were even traveling abroad. We had complete trust in our agent and the process could not have been smoother. For us it literally amounted to a few phone calls, and a few clicks in iPhone to electronically sign all documents. Of course, it helps to sell into the heat of a nice seller's market, but even so, the negotiation of the final price with the buyer was a challenge, and Chisholm fended our interests perfectly. It was exciting to see how he could sometimes foresee the "play" of the buyers' agent a few steps ahead, something that only a professional with long experience can do. Big thumbs up !! Would definitely repeat business with Chisholm Gentry. We wish he expanded his coverage to New York :-) read more

I was linked up with Gentry Real Estate through Quicken once I was pre-qualed, I felt very comfortable with Chisholm from our first phone contact. I could tell right away I was in very good hands; his knowledge, experience and market insight was above and beyond. I met Chisholm at my first place of interest and knew if anyone could get me into my first home it would be him, he was very professional and a real nice guy. My options were limited and I had my doubts that I would be able to find anything in the South Bay so we moved our search to the east. The first place we found was ideal but needed some work and I had some reservations but moved forward regardless. Chisholm advised a reasonable counter which would work for me and made it happen. I was thrilled with the prospect of owning the place but was still having doubts that I would have enough funding left to take care of the necessary repairs. After voicing my concerns to Chisholm, he even went one step further and negotiated a credit which helped immensely with the much needed upgrades. Chisholm was there through every step and made the process very smooth with very little down time for me, he made sure I was keeping up with the loan process and even helped with a remodel strategy and brought valuable advise and contacts. I've been in my condo now for almost 3 months and couldn't be happier. Chisholm still checks in to see how I am doing and how the place is coming along. read more