Wow, just wow. The Salem Real Estate Group is just a gem of a team here in Salem. Home buying can…read morebe a very daunting process, especially during the first time, but this team made it so much easier. Communication was top-notch from beginning to the end and they were so patient with our endless questions. We moved here from out of state and worked with them mainly remotely due to Covid and it could not have been more stress-free and seamless. The Salem Real Estate Group had our best interest from the beginning and we are so thankful we chose them. Special thanks to Kellie, Katy, and Dewey for helping us find our first home! You are all rockstars!

We sold our home with Salem Real Estate Group. I would be hard pressed to recommend them. It took a…read morevery long time for us to get our home sold. My husband and I had to be very proactive in dropping the price instead of being advised. I would recommend shopping around for a more responsive realtor when selling a high end property.

Brenda was actually not our first realtor. The first showed up at our door with an interested buyer…read moreat a time when we weren't ready to sell, but was polite and kept in occasional contact for months until we were. My wife had mentioned to the gentleman that it would be nice to be able to sell to the buyer they had and not to have to put the house on the market, but at no point did the realtor suggest that it may not be in our best interests monetarily to sell without putting the house on the market. When it came time to sign the contract retaining the realtor, I had a couple of days before fallen and would later find out fractured two of my ribs. I was in a lot of pain and not exactly thinking clearly, but the realtor made my wife and I feel pressured to sign on the spot before going to urgent care that day. We were also shown a CMA that estimated the value of our house more than 15% below what it would ultimately sell for, but "coincidently" was the amount the buyer they had was willing to pay. The relationship quickly soured and after a couple of weeks of back and forth which included the realtor's very condescending superior telling us she had worked on the CMA and our house was actually worth even less and that they had valued it generously, they finally let us out of the exclusivity contract. I only bring that all that up in our review because working with her was an absolute night and day difference. At no point was she ever pushy like the other realtor or condescending like his superior, and she just had a trustworthy vibe that the previous realtor, although polite, did not. Brenda came and took a look at our house, worked up a far more comprehensive CMA that came in much higher than the other realtor's CMA, and after having some other members of her team come take a look at the house actually suggested we price it even higher than the CMA indicated. We were a little bit nervous that maybe things had swung too far in the opposite direction and we were asking too much in the current housing market, but it turned out Brenda and her team had nailed it. The house went up on the market, we had a few showings, and offers came in very quickly; several which were quite a bit higher even than the already raised asking price. We went with an offer that wouldn't close for a couple of months thinking it would give us plenty of time to find a new house to move in to. During this time, Brenda's colleague Leslie was our buyer's agent. We were using the internet to find homes we were interested in, so we didn't need that part of her services but still wanted an experienced agent to help make sure everything went smoothly and it turned out we would have been in big trouble without her! In the process of finding the house we would buy, Leslie drove well out of her (as far as I can tell from a quick web search at least) normal service area on at least one, maybe two different occasions to view houses with us. She never complained or even mentioned that she usually doesn't go out that far. We settled on a new construction house that required non-refundable earnest money. We had no reason at the time to think that there would be any problems, but just three days before closing the person buying our house backed out with no warning and by then the other offers were no longer on the table. It was obviously not Brenda's fault, but we were absolutely crushed because we couldn't imagine getting such good offers again, especially since we would have to sell very quickly to close on the house we wanted to buy. On top of that, we would lose the earnest money. Brenda and Leslie sprang into action, with Leslie managing a very busy open house and convincing the notoriously inflexible new construction company to agree to push back the closing date not just once, but twice, and Brenda lining up several private showings in a very, very short time frame. Once again, we had several offers above asking price. In the end, we came out with almost just as much as the initial offer that had fallen through and were able to get the house we wanted. Throughout the entire messy process, both Brenda and Leslie were very patient with our constant questions and always got back to us very quickly even on weekends and at times we would not have expected such quick replies. They went above and beyond and treated us like family in a way that may have been more common decades ago but seems very rare these days, and their supportiveness and quick action really got us through the period where it felt like everything was falling apart. I honestly can't think of adequate words to express how grateful we are and can only hope that this review will bring some business their way because they deserve as much as they can handle.

Leslie was amazing to work with start to finish! She helped us craft competitive offers, even in…read morethe heat of the 2021 housing market, and eventually land our dream home in far less time than we expected it to take. She was always responsive, knowledgeable, professional, kind, cheerful, and incredibly helpful. We couldn't have asked for a better or smoother experience!!

Fantastic service and expertise in real estate. They help you navigate the process with ease!read more

Lexi helped us buy and sell and we cannot say enough about how amazing she was every step of the…read moreway!! Her communication exceeded our expectations and her professionalism was top notch! She went above and beyond in every way and had our house sold in just 3 weeks and found us our dream home we didn't even know about! I cannot recommend enough and we would gladly work with her again. Thank you so much for everything Lexi!!

Colleen helped me find a great house with absolutely no stress. From day one, she made the entire…read moreprocess smooth, organized, and even enjoyable. She really took the time to understand what I was looking for and guided me through every step with patience and honesty. What I appreciated most was how knowledgeable she is about the Salem area and how much she truly cares about her clients. She answered every question, gave great advice, and always made me feel supported. Buying a home can be overwhelming, but with Colleen, it felt easy and exciting. I'll definitely be working with Colleen Benson again in the future. She's trustworthy, professional, and hands down the best agent you could ask for in Salem. If you're buying or selling a home, trust her with your house--you won't regret it!Best real estate agent in Salem, Oregon - Colleen Benson!

The absolute worst. Only cares about making their $$ not about the clients they work for. Would do…read moreanything to make sure they get their money even at the behest of their client. Find less desperate agents with integrity!

The purchase and/or sale of a home is one of the biggest financial transaction most of us make in…read moreour lifetime...It can be a very stressful and arduous process that can be very painstaking to say the very least... Hector made this process for my wife and I relatively simple and stress free...He was very professional in the way he guided us through the process. Being that he was raised in the surrounding Salem area, his general knowledge help guide us to specific areas. With his previous work experience in the building industry, he provided us with expert knowledge of materials and craftsmanship, that only a few Realtors would be able to provide. Most importantly, he was very patient with us throughout this Real Estate transaction...he was never pushy and provided the both of us with the necessary information to make sound decisions... With the transaction finalized, my wife & I would definitely recommend Hector for any of your Real Estate transactions in the Central Willamette Valley area... On a whim. we chose Hector because of his humorous John L Scott webpage photo...We now consider him a great friend...

My husband retired and we decided to move to Oregon where our oldest daughter had just moved to…read more Amy recommended her realtor, Hector Garcia whom we decided to work with and are so happy we did! For the following 6 months we were impressed by Hector's knowledge and connections over and over. We were not easy clients being older with all that comes with it! Number one on our list was a single story home with some space. Elbow room plus storage for our 10 Tons of possessions! This we got and more! This was to be our final home, hopefully and Hector in the following months educated us about things we had no idea about, like sewers and water rights. We saw so many houses we lost track of how many but through it all Hector patiently guided us through it! Hector is so knowledgeable about so many things, from windows to roofs! Being local to the area Hector knew people and assisted us getting inspectors, negotiated repairs and even got us a mountain of firewood to get us through the winter in our new home. Throughout the entire process Hector assisted and guided us. Thank you Hector for your excellence and professionalism. We love our forever home and it even has a river running through it!

Vera Stanley has been my agent for many years, and I can't imagine buying or selling without her…read more My latest purchase was a tough one. Inventory was low, prices were high and interest rates are very high. Vera wrote 5 offers on my behalf, 3 were multiple offer situations, and 4 were accepted. One I terminated before receiving a response. The conditions of the first 3 properties caused us to terminate but lucky number 5 is my beautiful new home. Vera has sold 2 personal homes for me and a rental property. My 2nd home received multiple offers during the Christmas holidays, and she worked tirelessly to negotiate the best offer which we accepted Christmas night. She has the technology, staff and energy to do the hard work that is required to close deals. I highly recommend her regardless of your budget or needs because she works as hard for the first-time buyer as she does for more seasoned folks. When I mentioned to her, I was maybe interested in selling my rental she pulled from a list of previously interested commercial buyers and had an offer waiting for me when I listed. Thank you, Vera, I love my home.

I wouldn't give 1 star if I had a choic…read more DONT WORK WITH HANNAH FOUTS!!! Hannah (who works for HomeSmart Realty) rendered horrible service and did not follow through with her promises. As if packing up a 5 bedroom house and moving from Las, Vegas, NV to Salem, OR isn't stressful enough-- we were given the keys to a home that smelled like dog/urine and was disgustingly dirty. The oven and microwave were absolutely filthy too. When the house was shown to me, I mentioned the smell and I was told the house would be "professionally cleaned" upon arrival and retrieval of the home but that wasn't the case. When I text messaged Hannah pictures and complaint, she had the audacity to recommend I try and use the "self cleaning" option on the stove. To my dismay, the stove that came with the house DOES NOT have this option. This house should have been cleaned, ready for move in and it wasn't! Also, the previous owner left several things, including 2 large trash bins FULL OF GARBAGE. I was told he'd stop by to pick them up and that hasn't happened either. The grass in the yard was up to my knees so it doesn't surprise me that the owner left things this way. Fair warning, DO NOT USE HANNAH FOUTS. I don't recommend her.

HORRIBLE TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE My amazing father has dementia…read moreand my family is dealing with the many challenges that come with this disease including the loss of his drivers license and the decision that he can no longer care for himself. It was time to sell his home and he would move to a place where meals are provided and other care that he needs is available. Mind you my parents have only purchased 2 homes in their lifetime and still reside in my childhood home. They are not savvy or knowledgeable about anything related to selling a house. I was ultimately referred to the realtor's broker Melina who contacted me about my requests for fliers and/or a QR code and using social media to promote the house and specifically that in the walkable neighborhood of Englewood where my dad's house is located is a great way to inform people about my dad's remodeled and quaint home. I was told that fliers, social media and other suggestions for advertising were NOT within the advertising agreement that my dad signed with my mom present. They are responsible for signing the agreement but they also didn't know that for the agent/broker commission that all they would essentially receive is staging for a tiny 2 bed 1 bath home, pictures of the property and an open house (neighbors by invitation) the open house was self serving as a way to meet new potential clients and let looky Lou's snoop around the house. I was appalled and shocked no hustle, no strategy whatsoever to make this house move quickly. I believe the house had been on the market for not even 2 weeks and when Melina the owner of this company spoke with me she was a NIGHTMARE think Devil Wears Prada Linda Wintour kind of pompous, rude and condescending. I was hurt, felt disrespected and very upset by her actions and how she treated me. It led to a total breakdown in trust and confidence in her and her agent. I'm not sure if she had even the slightest twinge of care about my family and caregivers fatigue from caring for a family member. Selling his house included the dismantling of my dads home, belongings and it's a painful experience for him and our family. Hiring a realtor and a broker is supposed to take the responsibility and stress away from the family turning it over to "professionals" who happily collect commission and that is when we decided this was not a safe or honorable place to place our trust. The worst part is that I informed Melina owner/broker that my dad didn't have a copy of his signed contract nor did my mother. The broker said that it must be in a box from his move....ummm....No. Electronic email is standard for sending a contract. I did speak to Melina/owner-broker again and I was hoping for a chance to move forward and unfortunately I was again met with a communication style that was abrupt, harsh and her goal is about winning and being right instead of seeking to understand and find common ground. On the complete opposite spectrum our agent remained positive, kind, caring and compassionate. I highly recommend her and hope she's able to find a brokerage firm that matches her energy and professionalism. We appreciate her dedication to our family.

If you are even considering buying a home in Salem/Keizer, I need to tell you a story about an…read moreamazing woman and realtor - Melina Tomson. My Mom recently passed away from brain cancer. It was my job to "handle her affairs", one of which was to sell her home. We interviewed several people based on YELP reviews. We chose Melina to sell Mom's home. We had NO IDEA what a good choice we made. She staged the house just beautifully. Within days we got our first offer. But there were problems on the horizon. Essentially, my Mom's home (which looked beautiful) had a fair amount of deferred maintenance. Here's what we faced 1) sunken oil tank, 2) old roof, 3) heater air-conditioning needed to be replaced, 4) water main to the street needed to be replaced, 5) electrical panel needed to be replaced. That, combined with clouds on the title and some other "issues" meant that we had two "failed sales". Through all of this Melina was "as cool as a cucumber". She always had the answers. More than that - she always knew exactly the right person to call in to help. And, since she's worked with all these contractors before, she was able to get them to do the work with the expectation they would get paid at closing. She did all this with a super positive attitude. The house sold in a fairly short period of time considering the challenges. I don't live in the Salem/Keizer area so there is just no way we could have done this without Melina's finesse, knowledge, and hard work. If you are considering buying or selling a home in the Salem/Keizer market, your first move should be to pick up the phone and call Melina. I'm not a huge referral person, but I would take a phone call from anyone that has any questions. Melina is a rock star! Thanks! You are a friend of the family...