We recently sold our family home in Goleta after 50+ years and Jon and the ZIA Group helped us with the entire process from start to finish. When we first met Jon, prior to selecting an agent, I honestly thought he seemed almost too good to be true. Warm, extremely knowledgeable about the process and the area, super sharp and with a real sense of integrity and earnestness. We did our due diligence and talked to several other agents before deciding and again, Jon was consistently fantastic. And now a few months later, a week after close of escrow, after handily navigating the many unforeseen challenges that come up in any sale (ie. unknown water damage, long distance communications, etc) I can honestly say he exceeded all expectations and made the sale of our family home an incredibly painless process. I don't write many reviews at all and it's sometimes easy to be disappointed in people or service. What's really hard is to impress so completely that you have to let people know - I stand impressed, and very grateful! I'd highly recommend Jon and the ZIA Group to anyone considering a real estate transaction at any level. Again, a week or two after close and I just sent him the email below, unsolicited. Thought I'd share it too. Hi Jon - Hope you are doing well! Just wanted to drop you a quick line and thank you so much for being the exact right person to help us through that whole process. Your consistency, thoughtfulness and quality work shone throughout the whole process and for that, our family is eternally grateful. Hope you have a great long weekend ahead of you! Thank you!! Best, John read more

I'm fortunate that an online inquiry into a Zia Group listing connected me with Jon Gilkeson. I began my home search in Santa Barbara without much structure besides knowing that I wanted to buy something. Jon provided the best approach I could ask for, simply by asking me what could he do to help gather information and answers that might be helpful. It was proactive, patient, and of genuine concern for me and my interests. That's Jon's approach to helping his clients. Even better, he goes way beyond that with an acute knowledge of the ins and outs of the home buying/selling process. His first impression was so strong, that I insisted he work with me when I broadened my search to Los Angeles, where I ultimately bought my home. Jon voluntarily offered to connect me with local agents he felt comfortable recommending. I spoke with them, but they still couldn't capture what Jon brings to the table. He was a skilled negotiator and never pushed me to decide something I was uncomfortable with. For most, the home buying (and selling) process has some emotional component to it, and when I lost out on the first home I made an offer on, Jon was really encouraging and just a thoughtful human being. Working with Jon means you have a true professional representing you and speaking on your behalf - and I can say that with pure confidence after the long, drawn out escrow rollercoaster I experienced! It was stressful, but Jon always kept his cool and exceeded expectations. I can't say enough about Jon, and will jump at the chance to work with him again. read more

Jon Gilkeson & this team (Nova & Bill) at Zia Group were fantastic to work with. We were from San Jose & looking for a vacation home in Santa Barbara. We felt the entire experience was truly enjoyable. First, we noticed that the team really had their ops buttoned-down. Nova worked behind the scenes in scheduling & coordinating while we were on the go, while Jon and, when Jon was away, Bill tag teamed in making sure we got access to as many homes as possible during our short 2--day trips to Santa Barbara. We used large spreadsheets where we kept status of each home, Jon's commentary on the homes/neighborhoods, and times of open-houses/appointments. Jon's referral network has been pretty powerful as well. His insurance agent referral beat even our current home insurance premiums - and we have switched over to their umbrella insurance across the board. We also walked away from signing on our first home after 3 visits and an entire weekend of looking at a house we had liked - and Jon handled that very professionally. We never felt rushed or talked into anything. I also felt everything was being shared transparently at all times - there were no surprises. Overall, if you would like to maximize your odds of finding your dream home - I highly recommend Jon@Zia Group! (We found them online because of numerous reviews like this one :) ). read more

I highly recommend Jon!! I come from a family of realtors and contractors so Jon had tough shoes to fill, but he was phenomenal from day 1. He was always patient with us which was key as the picky home buyers my wife and I were. From dragging him to who knows how many home showings, to educating us on the home buying process, to negotiating our contract, all the way to paying our down payment Jon was side by side with us. Having his council and advise was integral in our overall home buying process. In the Santa Barbara market where a buyer can go through losing as many as a dozen home offers before they finally get one, Jon was a tremendous help getting us into the right house and ahead of the market overall. On top of everything, I was out of town on business while we went through contingencies and escrow, though felt at ease knowing Jon was there to help my wife through out all of it. He went as far as finding the right experts in the area and scheduling appointments to help see the inspections through seamlessly. We feel we got a great deal on the price, navigating the contract, contingencies, and escrow like a veteran and finally ended up in the home we wanted and more! read more

I can't recommend Jon Gilkeson more highly. He owned the search of a new home for me in SB after having sold a beloved city condo owned for many years in the Bay Area. He is an extremely good listener as well as a savvy and creative trouble shooter. Which was essential in the challenging and ever changing Santa Barbara market. His keen understanding of the area combined with his honest and charming work ethic made him a huge asset in my search. Buying a home can move at a very fast pace and I think he really set me up for success on more than one occasion. He helped me think through all the pros and cons of "the timing" and financing several times even when I postponed or got cold feet. He also contributed with several out invaluable local resources. If you are looking for a trustworthy, knowledgeable, respected and patient Santa Barbara real estate expert - look no further! read more

We recently purchased a home and Jon was our realtor. He's the first person we'd call to buy/sell another home. As first time home buyers, and new to the area, there were a lot of things we didn't know about real estate. Jon was adept at telling us what we needed to know when we needed to know it. This included broad questions like "which neighborhoods should we be looking at" and extended to finer points of real estate transactions like "what does this line mean on this contract". Jon has also been an incredible resource in ways that we didn't expect. He introduced us to contractors, helped us manage minor repairs to the house, and offered lots of great advice. To our delight, he still checks in and offers help or support, long past the close of escrow. Jon is great. We highly recommend him! read more

We felt very fortunate to have found Jon Gilkeson with the Zia Group to assist us with our home purchase. As we were house-hunting from afar, we relied on Jon immensely to find out information about the house, answer our questions, and provide a virtual/facetime tour. He quickly learned what we were looking for and our tastes and could anticipate our questions when we were interested in new a listing. He was accommodating with our schedules and provided honest advice as we navigated the complicated housing market in Santa Barbara. Jon and his team were also extremely helpful once we were in escrow, providing contractor recommendations, setting up appointments and facilitating inspections. We are so pleased with our house and could not recommend Jon more. read more

We had a wonderful experience working with Jon on buying our first home! He was knowledgeable, kind, and patient throughout the process. As first-time buyers, we had many questions, and Jon was always responsive and clear in his communication. What stood out the most was how supportive he was - he listened to my worries, eased my fears, and made sure I felt comfortable every step of the way. His local expertise was a huge plus, and even after closing, he connected us with trusted people to help with work on the house. He even went above and beyond by handling things he didn't have to, which we truly appreciated! Overall, we're very happy with the outcome and would highly recommend Jon to anyone looking to buy a home! read more

Jon Gilkeson made it possible for me to leave Santa Barbara and get to my Dad in Florida faster than a speeding bullet! He IS Superman. Dad had just turned 97. I realized that if I were to spend these last days with him, I had to move to Florida. I found Jon on the internet and trusted the great vibe about him to make a call. Jon sold my SB home with a 14 day escrow, and I was on my way to Dad in Daytona Beach, with cat in tow. My Dad is so so so happy I am now here with him. I am so so so happy I am here with him! Jon was kind, fast, fair, and fun. And he enabled my Dad and I to have this most precious time together. I cannot rec. Jon highly enough, He is a very good person and I swear Angels surround him. read more

I met Jonathan and before deciding to use his service he all ready gathered information on his own time for me to begin making decisions regarding the home. Jonathan Gilkeson went beyond what he had to do as a realtor helping the process I needed to accomplish closing the estate. He communicated quickly and checked in often to make sure I understood everything I was signing and needed to do. Even after the sale of the home, he was and is there to help with any follow up on the house. His honesty and integrity is worthy of excellent reviews. I recommend anyone needing a realtor to meet Jonathan Gilkeson as he made my selling experience the easiest and most pleasant possible. read more

If you are looking for an agent who is hardworking, diligent, and can listen to you in all stages of the home selling process, Jon Gilkeson at The Zia Group will be of extreme benefit to you. He listened to my desires in the selling process and at the end of the day, he achieved my expectations. He helped me every step of the way and responded to all my questions with straightforward and honest answers. He and his team helped make the process of selling my home with as less stress as possible. I was armed with all the facts and got good direction prior to hitting the market. I would definitely recommend him to anyone buying or selling. read more

my wife talked to jon and had him come into the house and take a look and see what needed to be done to sell the home jon was very nice and walked thru out the house and property and told her it was one of the cleanest homes he had seen and also stated we should sell it as is so he returned with all the paper work and we let him put it on the market he left the house on Thursday evening with a price and called the next day with a buyer offering more than we had settled on jon was happy with how the sale went jon was great and hope his success in selling homes will continue he was and still is a great guy bill and Kaaren smith read more

We had a great experience working with Jon! We've used him as a buyer and then most recently as a seller. Thanks to his guidance, we made some key improvements to our home that increased it's value, and helped it sell quickly. We were first time sellers with many questions, and he was extremely patient in walking us through the process. We listed our property in early March and were closed by the end of April - we were so grateful for the quick turnaround and the ease of process provided by Jon and the Zia Group! read more

Jon and his team at Zia Group are simply great! Always on top of everything and getting things done. With him we were able to purchase our first home and re-sell it (due to moving to a new city) in less than a year with a great markup. He made every part of the process as stress-free as possible for us and always respected our needs and situation. I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a home in Santa Barbara and wants an amazing realtor! Thank you Jon for everything. read more

John is a real go-getter. He walked around the neighborhood knocking on doors, and mine was one of them. He and his agency are the leading realtors in our part of East Side Santa Barbara. When it came time for me to sell, Jon was a no-brainer for my choice of an agent. He was always there with answers, and we sold the house, and closed on it, about six weeks after it went on the market. Jon's also a personal guy. I'd choose him again, or recommend him, anytime. read more

Jon was incredibly professional, knowledgeable and easy to work with. He helped us navigate this insane market and was with us every step of the way. From the initial discussions, finding a lender, going to numerous open houses, finding an off market listing, guiding us during the escrow process and even helping us with our remodel, there's nobody else that we would have wanted to work with and we would recommend him to all of our friends an family. Thank you Jon! read more

Thank you so much for such a great job on selling our family home. It was so hard to let it go, but I couldn't of asked for a better agent. You are an amazing young man! I'm so impressed with your professionalism , honesty, promptness and the list goes on and on! I will highly recommend you to anyone and everyone! You'll be my first choice if I need an agent again. Thanks again, Lisa Tonello read more

I've worked with Jon professionally on a handful of transactions. Jon is a not only a fantastic realtor, but a great person. Jon is warm and kind, but don't let that fool you. He has a very high level of expertise, tact, work ethic, communication skills, availability, and most importantly selflessness. I've seen first hand that he puts clients above himself and works hard to achieve their goals. read more

Jon is the whole package: responsive, trustworthy, knowledgeable, and thoughtful. With Jon we put in 5 offers over an 11 month period and his balance of kind and helpful yet sharp and 'wanting us to win' were consistent every day in between. The place we ended up in is BY FAR the best for our family and we are so grateful we had Jon coaching us the whole journey. read more