## Review for Mike Castle - Century 21 Real Estate Alliance…read more Mike was professional and friendly throughout our interactions. He replied to my messages and calls promptly and took quick action on important matters. As a tenant on Section 8 facing legal issues, Mike's expertise in real estate law was invaluable. He successfully negotiated a HAP contract with my housing authority, where three previous landlords had failed. This saved me from having to live in my car at the last minute. I found Mike's listing on Zillow.com after trying other options where landlords required separate application fees. On Zillow, I only paid a one-time $35 fee to send my background check to unlimited landlords. Mike's listing was the first one I saw, and it was for a luxury condo on the ocean. Mike went above and beyond in every aspect, drawing on his 40 years of experience in real estate and property management. He hired painters and cleaners to make the unit look new, bought a new refrigerator and stove, and even managed to repair a 40-year-old louvre window crack by finding the exact aftermarket part and hiring a mechanic to fix the internals. This allowed the county to pass the unit, saving me. As a final touch of kindness, Mike left a week's worth of breakfast food in the fridge and toiletries for me, like a luxury hotel. I feel so grateful to Mike for his integrity and for fighting for me like attorney Larry H. Parker. If you're looking for a property manager or Realtor who will go the extra mile to ensure your success, I highly recommend Mike Castle.

Mike Castle helped me and my wife as first time homebuyers to purchase a house in Santa Cruz. Mike…read moreis a knowledgeable, trustworthy, and reliable agent and I would definitely work with him again. Highly recommended!

Karma Mortgage made my complex refinance so easy, seamless and pleasant. José responded to my…read morequestions quickly, day or night, and he explained the process in a way I could understand. He got me an amazing rate (as good as the big loan companies) plus, I got personalized service that I would never have received with one of those huge loan corporations. Best of all, he's practically my neighbor. Here's to keeping it local. Thanks, Karma Mortgage!

I recently purchased a home in Aptos using VA financing. For the longest time, the VA benefit was…read moreuseless because of the buyers market and the multiple qualified offers that were on the table. Jose knew how to process the VA loan and worked closely with my Agent, the Buyer's Agent, the Escrow Agent and the lender to get the financing. Jose was able to qualify me for the loan, locked in a loan at a very favorable rate, and took steps to process the loan so that I got the favorable rate. Thanks Jose!

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!

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

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!

The best realtor I have ever worked with. He's fantastic and has a wonderful team as well. They…read moreturned our college student rental into a gorgeous coastal gem in a matter of hours. They went above and beyond marketing it, and we received multiple offers above asking price within a day of it listing. Highly recommend.

Ben Strock was the most caring, creative and professional broker I have ever met. We watched many…read morereal estate videos and interviewed at least 7 brokers before choosing Ben. BTW, his team makes the best Real Estate videos anywhere on Youtube! When we initially interviewed him at our beach house in Santa Cruz, he brought all his key team members (not just other Realtors from his office). No other Realtor had this "integrated team approach" advantage. It was amazing to work with a professional team that all had and were allowed to provide good inputs and suggestions and handled so much of the process smoothly. Ben staged the home at his cost, made several video versions for our property (very professional and entertaining) handled all the details, found a buyer in about a month and aced the negotiations. Fantastic job Mr Strock! If you are selling or buying a home I would strongly advise giving Ben and his team the opportunity to represent your property. You will be glad you did! Five Stars!!!!!!

Dimitri is a talented and creative loan officer. He helped me to buy my first home and I give him…read moremy highest recommendation. When we started the loan process, Dimitri called me and went through all the details and answered all the many questions I had. He truly cares about his clients. The home purchase turned out to be a highly technical transaction and Dimitri handled the details with efficiency and grace. During the closing process the purchase contract was re-negotiated and Dimitri then identified an opportunity to produce a different type of loan with a better rate, resulting in a significantly lower mortgage payment. He is creative and monitors options. Timing is a key aspect of home purchasing and Dimitri is someone that will never leave you waiting. His consistent rapid turnaround on loan actions helped my purchase process significantly.

Dimitri of Guaranteed Rate in Aptos helped us secure a home mortgage in record time. Many…read moredocuments were required for underwriting. When we got stuck, he personally helped us with the process. He responded to emails promptly and his staff were also very professional. We are grateful to our realtor for recommending Dimitri.

As first time home buyers, the sheer idea of buying a house can be overwhelming. From day 1, Matt…read moreand his team were patient, thorough more than willing to help answer (and re-answer) all our novice questions. We left Matt's office confident that if/when we bought a home, O2 would be our lender. Then we found a house... It was a brand new build in Hollister, CA. The builder makes it seem like going with their lender is the only logical, economical choice because of the "credit" they give you towards your closing costs. Needless to say, we drank the kool-aid and signed on the (many) dotted lines. Matt was understanding and even offered to be a second pair of eyes if anything about the contract was confusing. What a guy! Fast forward 6.5 months, we are about to close, and I reach out to Matt jusssttt to make sure we're actually getting a decent deal. THIS CALL SAVED US $100,000. As it turns out, O2's rates were better, their fees were lower and the "credit" we thought we were getting is immediately erased by a fee they charge, so it's a total wash. Matt and his team worked round the clock to make sure we were still able to close on time, which we did. They were prompt, considerate and meticulous. My only regret is not going back to Matt and his team sooner. Whether you are a first-timer like us, or a seasoned home buyer, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND Matt Falconer, Danny Schaezlein and the team at 02 Mortgage. We are life-long customers!

Matt helped make the most important (and what I thought would be the most complicated) purchase of…read moremy life easy and stress-free. Anything I was worried or confused about was resolved with efficiency and care. Thank you Matt : )

There are not enough words to thank James Godfrey-Thomas for everything he has done for our family…read more James has been helping us search for a home for years. During that time our lives changed tremendously. We grew our family, welcomed two children, changed priorities, explored countless homes, asked endless questions, and took our time making one of the biggest decisions of our lives. Through it all, James remained patient, supportive, knowledgeable, and incredibly generous with his time. What impressed us most was that James never treated us like a transaction. He genuinely cared about helping us find the right home for our family. Whether it was showing a property, answering questions late in the evening, helping us navigate inspections and negotiations, or simply talking through our concerns, he was always there. We know we were not the easiest clients. We were thoughtful, cautious, and sometimes needed extra time to process major decisions. At no point did James make us feel rushed or pressured. Instead, he consistently offered honest advice and steady guidance that helped us feel confident every step of the way. Today we are closing on a home that we truly love, and we would not be here without him. We are so grateful for his professionalism, integrity, patience, and friendship throughout this journey. If you are looking for a realtor who genuinely cares about his clients and will go above and beyond for them, we cannot recommend James Godfrey-Thomas highly enough. Thank you, James. Our family will never forget everything you did to help us get here.

Leticia Hostins at Room helped us find our wonderful home! She was so helpful and knowledgeable! I…read morehighly recommend her to be your realtor!