When our mother passed away, my sister and I were not sure where to turn to sell her house or even how to begin. We carefully researched realtors in the Santa Barbara area and narrowed it down to Michelle, not only from the great reviews we read online, but also from outstanding recommendations by several friends who had worked with her to sell their homes. We were rewarded beyond our dreams, Michelle was great! She brought a perfect combination of positive energy, sensitivity and experience to the sale and she guided us in the direction we needed to go, right from the beginning. Before listing the house, she recommended some basic upgrades that would showcase the property's most important qualities, including its fantastic view of the harbor. Michelle arranged for all of the work to be done on the house and was very accurate and transparent with costs and timing to make it happen. Everything was done well and efficiently, and the best part was that my sister and I didn't need to stress, we just sat back and let the magic happen. Michelle handled everything, keeping us informed every step of the way. New paint and carpets brightened up the house and made it shine, and new landscaping opened up the view, added color and made the entrance and all sides of the house beautiful again, restoring it to its former glory, plus everything was done in record time. When it was time to put the house up for sale, it looked incredible. For the listing, she hired a photographer that perfectly captured the beauty of the house we grew up in, and hired stagers to fill the house with furniture and artwork that perfectly complemented the rooms, giving it a warm, happy vibe. Michelle timed everything perfectly, and the online buzz around the house translated to four open houses with over 70 people showing up each time and multiple private tours, all of which Michelle tirelessly set up and supervised. The excitement kept growing and that led to multiple bids and ultimately to a smooth, successful sale. Michelle is a people person with a great knowledge of the community who knew exactly how to sell our house and how to showcase it best to a maximum number of potential buyers. She is an engaging communicator, and her honesty and enthusiasm is contagious to all who come in contact with her. Michelle Cook is amazing! read more

"Michelle Cook made it happen that I bought the perfect home, at the perfect time, and for the perfect price. I was new to the Santa Barbara marketplace and Michelle sent new listings for several months. She kept me informed about trends, unlisted properties, and nailed down what I was looking for. I let Michelle know when I was ready to make the move and she put together tours of multiple properties not just in Santa Barbara, but also Santa Ynez Valley, Ojai, and Ventura. She spent hours researching the listings, speaking with the other agents, and arranging comprehensive tours. By the time we came across the house she would help me buy, I had all the information I needed to negotiate successfully from a position of strength. As my agent, she employed great due diligence and made sure that she was representing what I wanted. But most importantly, her collegial and results-oriented communications with the other agent and attorney fostered the environment for success. Once the agreement was made, Michelle shifted gears. She was the one who kept all the other parties on track and moving forward. This was a short sale with two loans involved and on more than one occasion, someone on one of the other sides dropped the ball threatening to stall the process. Michelle was proactive in keeping that ball moving forward and we closed in less than 30 days. That would not have happened without her. Working with Michelle means working with someone who exudes high energy, high integrity, great communication skills, and genuine love for her job and the people with whom she interacts." - Charles McChesney, Solvang, CA read more

We met Michelle through our son and daughter-in-law. When we found out she was a real estate agent we told her we wanted to move to Santa Barbara to be near our first grandchild. She said to let her know when we were ready. We called to say we were coming and she put together a tour for us on very short notice. We naively started with the selling price of our house in Tucson, Arizona. Michelle was very accommodating and showed us properties in that price range. We learned quickly that Santa Barbara was a little pricier than Tucson. Michelle was very patient with us and kept finding properties for us to look at as our price range expanded and we considered other more affordable areas. We were very impressed by her energy and positive attitude. When our dream home came on the market, she jumped right on helping us get it. It was a 'short sale' and little did we know what was involved. There is nothing 'short' about it! Through the long summer and into the fall Michelle worked tirelessly to keep us informed about every tedious step of working with the bank. She kept our spirits up and didn't let us give up on the house. Finally the bank came through and Michelle guided us through the final process. She was gracious with her time and ceaseless in her efforts to help us get the house we wanted. She worked patiently, tirelessly and professionally, but best of all, as a good friend. Thank you, Michelle. We don't think we would have made it with anyone but you. read more

We first met Michelle at an open house in March 2022, and were impressed by her attention to detail and her warmth. When my husband and I decided to start looking for our long term forever home, we started working with Michelle. After a few months, we found what we all agreed was a property with tremendous location and good bones, and were able to acquire the home. Michelle has many great qualities that one looks for in a realtor. She is incredibly responsive. She is honest with what she thinks will work. She doesn't push you to do the easiest path to close a deal (ie higher price). She is patient and will make sure buyers understand the unique vagaries of real estate in California in a high fire zone with earthquake risk. She knows properties inside and out, and will immediately tell you if a property is NOT a good fit. She is a bull dog for her clients. Michelle definitely does not disappear after closing! She was there for EVERYTHING after we closed and helped me get the house to a usable state, including recommending multiple outstanding vendors and putting me in touch with an architect we ended up engaging. She has remained a valuable sounding board for all things on this house. We look forward to eventually moving to SB full time and seeing her more often! I would definitely recommend Michelle Cook! read more

Michelle was much more than an agent; she became a partner. From the very start, she was willing to roll up her sleeves (literally) and help get the property in shape for sale. She offered to meet with various subs to address items that needed fixing, work with the staging company, go by frequently to check on things and offered advice when appropriate. The property was on the market longer than we had hoped but it was largely due to the downturn in sales activity which was even further hindered by the Thomas Fire and subsequent mud flow. Still, even during the fires and mud flow event, she continued to hold Open Houses almost every weekend. Michelle was encouraging throughout the entire process and worked with buyers when creativity was needed. She was as hard-working of an agent that I've ever worked with and given that I've been through this process over 25 times as homes have been bought and sold, I have a solid benchmark in which to rate performance. She was great. read more

Michelle Cook is hands down the best agent we've ever worked with! My husband and I just purchased our 10th home, and this experience was our best one yet. She listened to our needs (this is rare!) and found us just what we were looking for on the first day! She is a shrewd negotiator, yet is fair and has strong integrity, so both sides were very pleased with the outcome. She kept it 'pain free'. She goes above and beyond, before, during and after the transaction. She knows the business inside and out and is well respected by everyone we came into contact with including the other agent, the escrow company, lender and ALL of the inspectors. We have referred Michelle to several of our friends and even our grown children and they have all thanked us over and over for this great referral. When it's time for number 11...guess who we will call??? Michelle Cook read more

Michelle Cook is a superb real estate agent. She's extremely honest, integrity filled and goes an extra 100 miles to serve her clients. Michelle scheduled as many open houses as we could stomach, but backed off quickly if we cried UNCLE! She worked very carefully on price with us and was extremely well educated and knowledgeable. She would often inform us of things brand new to the market and have us go into their first open house so as to help keep us up to date, to the minute, as to our house's value. Every agent we met always told us how much they love Michelle Cook and always went out of their way to tell us what superb hands we were in with her as our agent. I will use Michelle again and again and have already highly recommended her to others. If you are lucky enough to know Michelle Cook you are lucky enough!! read more

I would highly recommend Michelle Cook for her skill and knowledge of the real estate market in the Santa Barbara area. She has a problem-solving style that is supported by integrity, enthusiasm, and years of professional experience. The home search was something of a challenge during this pandemic time. She really listened to what I was looking for, edited those offerings that fitted my interest and budget, and then made those viewings possible. She guided me through the buying process once I had found the right home. Michelle always kept me updated and informed, all while looking out for my best interests. She even helped me solve problems by enlisting professionals to get needed improvements made before the condo was ready to move in. Thank you, Michelle, for guiding me through this home buying experience! read more

Michelle Cook represented us in the sale of our home and we are happy to recommend her to prospective clients. From the start, we found Michelle to be knowledgeable and hard-working - our home was open at least one day nearly every weekend it was on the market for several months - but it was when the escrow took some difficult and unpredictable turns that she proved to be especially valuable. In addition to the Buyers and their agent, Michelle was required to work with lawyers, contractors, and city officials to negotiate and resolve problems well beyond the scope of a typical escrow, and she did so with skill and grace. She never hesitated to go the extra mile when necessary, and, in the process, became a trusted friend. If you are looking to buy or sell a property, we highly recommend Michelle. read more

What an amazing gift and blessing! Wow! Michelle Cook made our first house purchase incredible and I'm sure spoiled us for any other home purchase experience in the future. I'm fairly certain we started with the best and it's all downhill from here! Michelle had incredible integrity. She was efficient, professional yet refreshingly personable; she was always available, extremely helpful, and went above and beyond all expectations! She made our home buying experience as easy as it can be, even FUN, and by the time we finished working with her, we felt as if we gained a lifelong friend. I can't recommend Michelle highly enough. if you're looking for an agent to help you buy or sell, look no further. You will not be disappointed! read more

Michelle loves what she does and she is GOLDEN as a realtor! She just sold our family home, and guided us through the entire process of planning, prep work, listing, running open houses, and negotiating bids with amazing communication throughout. No hurdle was too big, no question too insignificant. She keeps YOUR goals and interest at the forefront and demonstrates Integrity Always. She truly cares about her clients and the homes she represents, and is very educated and knowledgeable regarding the fluctuating market. I would recommend her highly to my relatives and friends, as she is a gem as a person and the BEST at what she does. read more

It's difficult to put into words the caliber of Michelle Cook's service without sounding over the top or excessively enthusiastic. Words like incredible, amazing, top notch, over and above, best of the best all are appropriate and describe Michelle perfectly, but also may seem too good to be true. I can assure you, they're not. After using Michelle to buy our first house and then sell it several years later, I can say without a doubt I would never want to use another real estate agent. They truly don't get any better than her. Go with Michelle for any and all of your real estate needs; you won't regret it. read more

Are you looking for a realtor who will put your first? Knows her business and can skillfullly negotiate for you? Michelle is amazing. As a fellow realtor my expectations are high. After interviewing multiple realtors to sell my mothers home in Santa Barbara Michelle came in wth her listing presentation. Within minutes we knew she was the one. It took my mother over a year to make the move and Michelle was there every step of the way. She is a great marketer, shrewd negotiator and great communicator. I would recommend her to anyone wanting to buy or sell. read more

If you are looking for an agent that will do their absolute best for you, look no further than Michelle Cook. We bought and sold our first home with Michelle and could not be happier with the outcome. She truly listens to what is important to her clients and has the smarts and people skills to make it come to fruition. Michelle is an amazing agent and person. We feel so fortunate to have met her and have her as our agent. read more

We just bought a vacation home in Montecito, near Santa Barbara CA. Michelle Cook was a fantastic real estate agent, showing us all the luxury homes and coastal property in the Santa Barbara area. She put up with a lot. If you're looking for a good Santa Barbara realtor / real estate agent (whatever you call them), contact Michelle. read more

Michelle Cook is a fantastic Realtor! She is kind, considerate and studies the area she is selling in. It doesn't matter if it is the greater Palm Springs area or Santa Barbra area. She is always reachable whenever you have a question.... She gets the job and closes the transaction at the best price! Great experience! read more

Michelle is by far the best agent I have done business with. She is extremely competent, organized and honest. I would not have gotten such an amazing closing price had she not been the negotiator. I will seek out her Real Estate services in the future and will confidently refer her to friends and family. read more

Michelle is just a gem! All around, so very helpful and knowledgeable during the pre and post buying process. I had tried working with other realtors in town and Michelle just outshined the others and was the easy choice. So very grateful for your guidance selling my condo from out of State. Thank you! read more

Michelle is an amazing realtor, and we were so lucky to have her on our team buying our home. Not only did she know what kind of home we needed before we did, but she made buying a house seen like a breeze. read more