Rachel was responsive and concerned about what was important to us. She was the first realtor we…read morecalled that asked what was important to us in a realtor (our response - easy going, sense of humor, working on our schedule not hers). She assigned someone who ticked the boxes

How often have you heard these statements: "Buying our home was a delightful experience. I would…read moredo it again in a heartbeat! Our realtor was the best!" Um, probably never. Home buying/selling consistently rates as one of the most stressful experiences in a lifetime behind #1 losing a loved one and #2 being diagnosed with a terrible disease. Well, I am not sure exactly where it falls on the top 10 of most stressful experiences, but it is certainly up there. And I am convinced this is due to the lack of Rachel Schaden's in the world, because if there were more Rachels around, home buying/selling would be a delight. Or at least as delightful as the banks would allow it to be. :) Rachel is a gem, pure and simple. She was our realtor in Portland when we recently bought a house in SW. I moved a lot growing up, so I already had a lot of experiences with realtors (read: mostly bad experiences). My husband and I continued the moving tradition recently, and Rachel was the one bright spot in the whole mess of selling our old home and buying our new one. And when I say mess, I do mean an all caps M-E-S-S. The realtor selling our home (NOT Rachel) could have taken notes from Rachel (I wish she had!)...no follow through, no professionalism, flaking out at inappropriate moments. (!) But despite the unevenness of the professionals that we paid to sit around while my poor husband and I were forced to do their jobs for them, Rachel was the one person who we knew we could count on. We knew if there was a deadline, she would be all over it. Not on vacation. Not pawning it off on her assistant. Not out to lunch on the inspection report, buyers addendum, or counteroffer documents. Our poor buyers were made to wait (and stress!) about the outcome, while we waited and stressed, and the sellers in Portland that we were trying to buy from waited and stressed. Lots of waiting and stressing. I wish Rachel had been our realtor for the whole process. It would have eliminated a lot of waiting and stressing. Rachel was the one person who followed through exactly as she promised she would. I am convinced we never would have gotten our current home without her professionalism and attention to detail. She went above and beyond in every respect, even helping the realtor selling our house (!) manage that aspect of the deal. She never once dropped the ball during the entire process of trying to buy our house in Portland (and we had a pretty convoluted journey). And she ALWAYS did what she said she would do. Even the sellers of our current home were impressed with her (and they had their own agent!). I am sure when word gets out about how good Rachel is, she will be inundated with clients, and she certainly deserves the recognition. She is uncommonly good at her job. Probably because she actually cares about her clients. I don't get that feeling from most realtors, but I felt it the minute I met Rachel. I regard Rachel as a friend, and I would recommend her in a heartbeat to anyone looking for a reliable realtor (believe me, this is NOT an oxymoron). Based on my experiences I believe Rachel is a diamond among a lot of carbon copies out there. She is the real deal and deserves to be celebrated for her impeccable level of professionalism, kindness, concern, and service. Buying/selling homes will probably always be stressful to some degree. However, if everyone were as committed, professional, trustworthy, and reliable as Rachel, I think people would have fewer horror stories about the misadventures they had on the sale/purchase of their home and more stories about how streamlined and easy the process was because they had a Rachel in their corner.

Mike was the absolute best. He helped me and my wife every step of the way. We were moving from Los…read moreAngeles to Minneapolis, which made this process pretty complicated. But Mike made it so easy and stressless. I truly had no concept of the home-buying process. But Mike made everything so comprehendible. He was an absolute dream. I would recommend him to anyone. I'm sad I don't get to work with him anymore now that we got a house!

Mike was fantastic as usual on both the buy and sell side. He's worked with us on several home…read moresales over the years and wouldn't recommend anyone else. He's incredibly responsive, professional, and takes care of all the details throughout the process. The additional services he provides separates him from the other realtors I've worked with in the past and always results in a quick sale and smooth buying experience.

Sam did an outstanding job helping us prepare and sell our mother's townhome! His deep knowledge of…read morethe real estate market guided us in making smart pricing and preparation decisions. He helped us transform the townhome and personally managed cost-effective enhancements to showcase it in the best possible light. Sam's marketing campaign was excellent - we received an offer on the first day the home was listed and just completed a successful sale. Most impressive was Sam's professionalism and ability to effectively communicate with four siblings settling an estate. He was clear, responsive, and provided valuable guidance throughout the process. We're very grateful we chose Sam and would recommend him in a heartbeat for all of your real estate needs. He went above and beyond every expectation our family had. Sam's the BEST!

From the owner: Sam Schoenborn is 4th Generation, Minnesota and Wisconsin Real Estate Agent, a Residential, New…read moreConstruction, Commercial and Relocation Specialist with Coldwell Banker Realty and the Nyberg Group. He also graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Stout with a Major in Real Estate and Business. Growing up, he has learned an incredible amount from constantly being around the business. He has benefitted greatly from the mentorship within the Nyberg Group. Sam's background as a fourth-generation real estate agent has instilled in him a strong work ethic and a true understanding of the industry. His great-grandfather, grandfather, and uncle all worked as real estate professionals, which has given him a unique perspective on the business. He has inherited a deep understanding of the real estate market and its trends, which he uses to help his clients make informed decisions.

This review comes a little late, but we love our house!! Taylor was patient and lovely throughout…read morethe whole process. We are first home buyers and she made the experience fun and memorable. We saw many houses till she helped us found The One. She is fantastic! 2 1/2 years after moving in and we could not be happier. 10/10 she is the best

We worked with Taylor on selling my Dad's home. She was available to meet with us and go over any…read morequestions we had. We were able to sell the house without any problem, it was a smooth sale with Taylor on board!

Karen was invaluable to our process. It takes great skill to lovingly and respectfully deal with…read moretwo individuals going through a divorce trying to sell a house. She did so with utmost grace. While working with us, she served on the local realtor's ethics board and nourished active relationships with pet shelters. When the seller desired it, which was the case for us, she set it up so a dog would be shown on a video alongside our house... So, if someone was interested in buying the house, they could reach out to Karen and if they wanted to adopt the dog, then they would reach out to the partnering shelter organization. Her background on ethics was highly important to me because our experience was not a good one when we bought the house. That time, we barely saw that realtor and was passed around to other team members. With Karen, though we interacted with others, it always felt complementary to the work she was doing with us. S Throughout the process, Karen was responsive and communicative (sending weekly update emails). A great teacher with much patience, she educated us on all the steps along the way. Her immense research, experience and skills allowed us to trust her even when we didn't trust each other. Karen is a blessing to the industry and I will absolutely return to her next time I am needing a realtor.

My wife and I were first time home buyers, and are now proud homeowners thanks to Karen! As first…read moretime home buyers, there is obviously a lot to learn, and Karen taught us so much. Karen always remained optimistic for us, which really helped us through. We felt she was always open and honest, and did all she could to help us get our dream home! We are so appreciative of all she's done and grateful we met her! We will definitely be referring Carriage Realty to friends and family!

Nancy was awesome to work with! She was always on top if things and made selling my home a breeze!read more

Nancy and her partner Ta were an incredible asset to us in buying a home. We were so impressed by…read moreeach of their knowledge of various parts of the houses (their condition, need for maintenance, cost to replace, etc.). They also had extensive knowledge about each of the areas we were looking to buy in, including potential taxes and other useful insights about each neighborhood (schools, local stores, access to public transit). They were extremely responsive - getting back to us often in less than a few hours or the next day - and helped us set up showings that worked for our schedules. They answered every question we had and made sure we felt confident and comfortable with every step of our home-buying journey. We could not have asked for a better set of Realtors!!

We had the pleasure to sell our home in Saint Paul and purchase a home in Wisconsin with Stephanie…read moreReineck and Richard McDonough. To say we are happy would be an understatement. Stephanie helped us find the perfect home. Stephanie always made us feel like we were her only client, available any time there was a house to look at. She suggested we look at the area in Wisconsin across from downtown Stillwater, with the new bridge it made sense. In selling our home, Stephanie was always available for showings, open houses, and our many questions. Stephanie and Richard are very knowledgeable about their industry, the real estate differences between the two states, and how to market our home. Stephanie eased us through the many steps needed to sell and buy a home: truth & housing, mortgage certification, home inspection, radon testing and radon mitigation systems, well certification, septic inspection, title company,......the list seems endless. We were in great hands.

We started working with Stephanie a month before moving to the Twin Cities and she was able to help…read morenarrow the search before we moved. She really understood what we were looking for and worked hard to check homes even when we couldn't be there. She is really motivated to help and take the client through the step by step process. When we need help updating the house after the sale she was still there to assist. I would say after buying three homes, she has been one of the most honest and detailed agents we have worked with. She knows the business of real estate and truly has the clients best interest at heart.

The best service requested ever The best value ever and the…read morebest requested service ever They did a good job on the service requested

Recommendation for Zac Bidelman/Keller Williams Preferred Realtor/Huerkamp Home Group…read more I first met Zac Bildelman after inquiring about a property that I was interested in. He made an appointment and showed me the property that same day. My first impression was that he was knowledgeable and able to answer my questions readily. I realized over time that because of all his additional attributes (Professional, always responsive, and very patient), he was the perfect realtor. It had been over 30 years since my husband, and I had previously scoured the cities in search of that one perfect realtor to help us find the house that was perfect for us at that time. Zac Bidelman patiently spent at least two years showing me various properties. He quickly fine-tuned the amenities that I was in search of until it basically came down to 3 or 4 properties. Once the perfect location came on the market, he helped me create an offer that he presented immediately. His quick action was the sole reason that I was able to buy the property that was perfectly suited to me. The second phase of my quest was to subsequently sell my house. During that process Zac assisted me with the preparations of getting the house we built 33 years prior ready for sale. His company hired an inspector and then advised me how to prioritize what to repair from the inspector's list. Zac had a "Stager" available to me who helped me get the house aesthetically ready to be viewed. The professional photographer that he used took exceptional photographs that helped present my house in the best possible light. This also included drone shots which helped highlight the fabulous view from and around my home. Regarding setting the sales price of my house, he listened to my input of what I felt the price should be set at - given that I knew my property and adjacent locations so well after living in the house for over three decades. Because of his skills as a realtor, my home sold in one day. For any and all of the above-stated reasons, I wholeheartedly recommend Zac Bidelman and his very accomplished assistants and team. Zac's contact info is as follows: (612) 712-9936 zac@hhgus.com

Steve is a great realtor. He is extremely knowledge and patient AND cool to hang out with, which is…read morecrucial when you look at 60 homes like my husband and I did. I would recommend Steve to anyone!

Steve is a great realtor, and has become a very good friend. My husband and I were first-time home…read morebuyers with some lofty goals and a small budget. We wanted to stay as close as possible to our current intersection in NE Minneapolis, but we wanted a home that was move-in ready and affordable. Steve found a house ONE BLOCK away, and negotiated his butt off to get the house for us. I know that we probably weren't the easiest clients, but Steve worked tirelessly to make sure we got the house we wanted. He is smart, knowledgable, funny, patient, and an all-around good person. He's also a great trail running buddy. I would recommend him to anyone, anytime. Thank you, Steve, for everything!