Barry is a 5 star Real Estate Professional. We bought a house with Barry and several years after -…read moresold with Barry. He is the go-to professional for Groveland & PML region. He is well known by contractors, plumbers, inspectors and will insure your deal is the most satisfying whenever you are selling or buying.

What a joy to work with Lynn Bonander and Barry Scales!!!…read more We are not ones to write reviews, but we feel so strongly about our experience with Pine Mountain Lake Realty and our Realtor Lynn Bonander and Broker, Barry Scales! If you are looking to purchase property or sell property in the Pine Mountain Lake area, we can honestly say that Lynn and Barry should receive 10 stars (if that were possible)! Being a business Owner and having family in the Real Estate Business, we know what and how an Escrow should happen. Lynn and Barry showed us multiple properties and spent hours helping us get acclimated to PML before finding our new home. Their professionalism, knowledge of the area, kind heart, patience, listened to our wishes and most important, their honesty! They returned every call promptly and handled every situation that came about promptly! They went out of their way to create a smooth path for our Escrow from beginning to end and we so appreciated their attention to details. It is apparent when you first meet Lynn Bonander and Barry Scales, that they Love people and Love what they do! They will definitely be our friends for life!!! You will Love them too!!!!!!!! Nick and Aileene

If you are looking to purchase in the Sonora Gold Country, I highly recommend Dennis Dahlin,…read moreRealtor at Coldwell Banker-Segerstrom. I currently live in Oakland, CA and had been searching for a second home in the Sonora area for almost a year with little luck... I'd gotten priced out of a short sale (though mine was the first offer) months earlier with another agent, and was getting discouraged when other realtors would try to dissuade me from checking properties ("sorry, your price range is just a very competitive market") during my telephone inquiries. Often times I wouldn't even get a call back. Anyway, I'd begun losing hope. House hunting when you live 2+ hours away can be costly and time consuming, a challenge at best. One day, on one of my last trips up, I called about a home for sale by Coldwell Banker-Segerstrom that I'd just driven past. Dennis answered the call, gave me the info, and asked me some questions. Thus began our partnership in my quest for my second home. From week to week, he would furnish details about houses I would see online, and would set up many go-see appointments in one day so as not to waste any of my time. Within a couple of weeks we found the exact home I was looking for. Dennis acted quickly to submit my offer, and even though my offer came in second and lowest, I won the bid! I attribute this to Dennis' experience and his sound advice in all aspects of the purchase. He listened to my needs and kept in close contact thru the entire process, answered every question, discussed our strategy, and set up all my home inspections with vendors he knew were trustworthy and efficient. He made the often daunting process of buying a home seem straight-forward, quick and easy and I couldn't be happier! I wound up with a huge house, acreage for my critters, in a rural setting, yet close to everything... just what I'd always dreamed of. So, if you're looking for an honest, reliable, conscientious, and experienced Realtor who is also a genuinely nice guy, Dennis Dahlin is your man!

I recently had the pleasure of working with Chris Colvard from Calaveras Real Estate, and I cannot…read morerecommend him highly enough! From our first meeting, Chris took the time to understand my needs and preferences. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the Arnold, CA area and helped me navigate the market with ease. Chris was patient and attentive throughout the entire process, always ready to answer my questions and provide guidance. He truly went above and beyond to ensure I found my dream home. His expertise and dedication made what could have been a stressful experience so much smoother. Thanks to Chris, I'm now happily settled in my ideal home in Arnold. If you're looking for a reliable and professional real estate broker, look no further than Chris Colvard!

WOW! Not sure where to start! We had the greatest experience with Chris in selling our property in…read moreArnold. We Finally found out what an ''Amazing" agent is and is supposed to be.We have bought and sold 8 properties in the past and have never had the level of Professionalism, Communication, Hard Work, Stress Free level of service that Chris Provides. Never once did he not answer our phone calls or have an answer when we had questions and never had any excuses ( bad cell service, relative got sick, didn't see your call ect..) This guy is the top agent in Arnold, You owe it to yourself to take 2 minutes to call this guy and you will be glad you did. Sure wish we had found him sooner for prior transactions. He SOLD our property in 12 days for FULL price!!!! Has vast knowledge of the surrounding area and we are so grateful we found him and you will be too!! We will miss arnold and the mountains but now its time for the beach!

I am very satisfied with the professionalism Joe & Erin @ Caldwell Banker offered me during my…read morerecent home purchase! They were very accommodating from our very first interaction. After a frustrating experience with another local realtor, I was lucky enough to meet Joe & his team. During our first meeting I learned they have a 1yr home buying guarantee! I was impressed that they back 100% each home they sell. Joe's office is a no pressure, professional real estate group that also gives back to the local teen community. I highly recommend them if you plan on buying or selling your home.

I don't normally review other agents but after my recent closing with Rod I had to. We just closed…read morea home for a good friend of mine, Rod was the listing agent. He was friendly, informative, honest and excellent with communication. He helped make the process of this sale so easy for all parties involved. My client is also a lender so she and I have a ton of experience with other agents and we both were extremely impressed and would love any opportunity to work with Rod again! His local knowledge and resources have been a huge help. If you're looking to buy or sell in the Arnold/ Murphys area from another agent perspective I can truly say you will be so glad if you choose Rod. If you're an agent, watch for Rods listings because thats who you want on the other side of a transaction!

Meth House. Yep, Barry Ward rented me one then kicked my family out when we contacted a lawyer…read more Cliff notes We rented the property at 1265 Shady Circle in Arnold. Family with pregnant wife and toddler at home. Discovered it was positive for Meth Contamination (see photos). Tried to work out an amicable solution. No dice. Contacted a lawyer and was immediately issued a 30 day notice to get out. Lived in a meth house for 9 months without being notified as such, Barry Ward kicked us out when we said something. DO NOT RENT THIS ADDRESS until you have personally verified the meth contamination has been remediated and you have lab results in hand to prove it! _________ Long Story: In the Fall of 2014, Barry Ward Realty rented my family and I a home and neighboring studio cabin (1265 Shady Circle in Arnold). We have a toddler and at the time of this writing, I am currently 8 months pregnant with baby #2. Over the months, we had repeated found rusty nails, coils, and broken glass galore in the yard as well as mysterious white substances scattered throughout the soil. Tons of trash filling the entire outdoor property, much of it hazardous and dangerous for a child to play or even to walk without shoes. Shortly after moving in, we noticed that the studio cabin had bizarre industrial lab cabinets and the sink drains in the kitchen has been completely chemically corroded - we had our suspicions. Then, at about 8 months into living at this location, our neighbors informed us that the previous residents were meth users. The informed us that the guy who had lived there for many years was a heavy user and potential cooker and they even knew where he obtained meth. We contacted the landlord about this immediately and he did nothing and denied knowledge. For our own peace of mind with a child and with a developing baby, we decided to have both the house and the cabin test with preliminary tests for meth contamination (me, pregnant this whole time). We paid for these out of pocket and I put my MS Graduate Degree training to use in the most unconventional way - no longer was I running samples in a lab, I was doing it in my own house. The preliminary tests were positive immediately for both the house and the cabin (see photos). Our next step was to contact the County, who informed us that while they couldn't do anything legally because there was never a police bust for meth, it was not safe for us to be there. The state of California has a legal limit for safe habitation with meth contamination of 1.5ug/100cm2. The health department advises that once an initial test is positive, that lab testing is completed to verify that the property is habitable. Then, if it exceeds legal limits, they recommend complete remediation and re-testing to ensure the cleaning took care of the contamination. We relayed this information to the landlord, hoping hew ould be on board. He wasn't, because apparently his homeowners insurance would cover none of it because the meth contamination occurred prior to ownership. He refused to test to ensure it was habitable for anyone, let alone a child and a pregnant woman. We contacted a lawyer. Lawyer contacted the landlord. Within 48 hours, we were issued a 30-day termination of our lease and boom - pregnant lady and family are out on the streets. All because Barry Ward and friends rented us a meth house without our knowledge and we found out. We had the property lab tested out of our own pocket, see photos for results, and the studio cabin did, in fact, exceed legal habitable limits for the state of California at 2.4ug/100cm2 and 1.8 ug/100cm2. The legal limit is 1.5ug/100cm2. This is the cabin that I, the pregnant lady, used as my home office while we lived there. Despite the fact that we were rented a meth house without our knowledge, while pregnant and with a toddler at home, the landlord not only refused to ensure it was safe to live in, but also kicked us out after we raised issue. If you value your health and safety, and your family's health and safety, I would strongly advise you to not rent the property at 1265 Shady Circle until you have verified that meth contamination is cleared and you have lab results in hand to support this claim. Additionally, a county employee advised us that the soil is not safe for children to play in and the water table is also contaminated, so the water is not safe to drink. Barry Ward - test your homes before you rent them to people. While we are currently not pursuing legal action against the advice of our lawyer (mostly, because I'm pregnant and we want to get on with our lives), others will sue you and sue you for THOUSANDS. If this baby is delivered with health problems, you better believe you'll get slammed with a suit. Everyone else - 1265 Shady Circle is a Meth House, beware and rent at your own risk (P.S. Both my daughter and I experienced nausea and headaches after only 3 months of living there.)

I used An agent from Barry award to purchase my cabin in 2016 and it was awesome. As that agent…read moreleft Barry ward to pursue another area, I decided to use Barry Ward Realty when I sold. I was represented by Heidi Ward who seemed fine at first but was extremely short with me when I asked questions and she seemed not engaged with my needs. This was displayed by her always siding with the potential trial buyers for items that needed to be taken care of, putting invoices in escrow that I had already paid (these shouldn't be in escrow anyway as the agreement is with me and the company, not the escrow account), and just overall lack of concern with representing me. The cabin did sell fairly quickly and I received asking price, which was great. The icing on the cake and the evidence that supports my feeling regarding Heidi is that after the deal was finished, even with complications, I did not hear anything from her. No "Thank You " or anything. As I have dear with many real estate transactions , this seemed odd. With an 18k dollar commission paid I would think that there would be some kind of appreciation or less then a months worth of work. I will definitely look at reviews for any new purchases I have in the area. The market is hit up there, even during COVID-19, so do your research before selecting a realtor.

All of the following is my subjective opinion. I would put a…read morenegative 5 stars if possible!! Whatever you do, do not contact this agent!! She is arrogant and rude and actually hung up on me when I asked to be taken off her mailing lists, not even waiting for my name and address!! I was not upset when I initially called, as it was just a simple request, no problem with most people. We had already asked that Century 21 agents NOT contact us in any way as ours is a vacation home and a friend forwards the mail to wherever we are so it doesn't fill up our mailbox here. (I have to call in every year to remind the Century 21 office in Arnold.)There are so many century 21 agents up here that they all send you stuff fighting each other for your business! Her "zillow" bio page she directs one to in her letter seems arrogant and haughty (read it yourself) as if no one can figure out the real estate market without her. PPS: Please note that her comments to my review try to place the blame on me for complaining as some "emotional" cripple or something. Most realtors when asked not to receive their mailings would just say sure, sorry to inconvenience you and note my name and address. But she actually HUNG UP! This simple call really reveals her character, and I'm sure she must just bubble over with niceness towards those that she's making money off of!!

My wife and I have had experiences with many different real estate agents over the years, and I can…read moresay without hesitation that Sharon has been one of our favorites. During the improbably process of buying our family's favorite "rental house", Sharon helped us successfully navigate a series of obstacles such as keeping tabs on a home that was already sale-pending (but later fell through), and handling a difficult, multiple-offer situation that required a late night change of offer letter that ultimately resulted in our winning offer at a reasonable price. My wife and I often remark that we would not own the home today if it wasn't for the efforts of Sharon during this time. That experience alone is worth a positive review, but what really sets Sharon apart was her desire to make sure the "seal the deal" approach extended into happy home ownership. Sharon helped open the home as furniture was being delivered, drove by to check the driveway, secured help to clean gutters, kept spare keys to be checked out by contractors, did a security check, etc. Even a year after owning the own, we know we can count on Sharon for any referrals or to lend a helping had at a moment's notice. Sharon is truly interested in helping people find the home they love and making everything about home ownership as easy as possible. She's intelligent, hard-working, detail oriented, knowledgeable, trustworthy and a great communicator. I highly recommend her.

Carolyn and Christian were outstanding in helping me find an incredible cabin in an awesome…read morelocation in Twain Harte. I was on a tight 1031 timeline and they really delivered for me!

Carolyn Is the best realtor!!!!!…read more When we thought it was going to be impossible to buy our home sonora . Carolyn worked out everything to make our dream happen. It was such a smooth process. She kept us updated on all the progress . If you are looking for the best realtor, Carolyn will make it happen. I highly recommend her and her son !!!!!!! I am looking to do more business with her on our next investment properties .