In June 2025, my sister and I made the decision to sell the rental property we jointly owned. Since…read morewe had never sold a home before, we were on unfamiliar territory. We interviewed four different realtors, and honestly, they all appeared to be trustworthy and knowledgeable individuals who could guide us through the sales process. After narrowing down our choices to two realtors, we requested proposals for selling our house from each of them. These proposals included information about the costs of necessary repairs and upgrades as well as estimated selling prices. During the interviews, it became evident that we were entering a buyers' market, which may limit our ability to achieve the desired selling price. In the end we chose Kaelin. Her proposal kept us within our budget for repairs and upgrades, and she was confident that she could sell the home for its fair market value. Our other 'finalist' was not so positive on achieving those goals. One of the daunting aspects of preparing to sell a home is finding reliable and trustworthy contractors to undertake the necessary work to prepare the property. Once you have these contractors, you need to ensure they begin work as soon as possible. Additionally, you must closely monitor the progress of the work to ensure it is completed on time and in the manner you desire. This becomes particularly difficult for owners selling a home that is located far from their primary residence, making it challenging to meet with contractors and monitor the progress. Kaelin truly shines in this role. She already knew the contractors we needed and managed to get them to provide us with quotes. Once approved, she swiftly put them on the job and ensured timely completion of the work. Initially, the ambitious goals we set together at the project's beginning seemed a bit too demanding, but we managed to meet them. When a buyer wanted to make an offer before the house went on the market, she made sure it was a strong and compelling offer that aligned with the high end of the sales price range she had specified in her original proposal. She also didn't hesitate to incur the cost of staging the property (she pays for this), as this demonstrated our readiness to proceed with other offers if theirs wasn't satisfactory. Long story short, she made it happen. We ended up putting in less money than we planned in repairs and upgrades and sold the property right at the high end of what she said she could do. We found Kaelin very easy (even fun) to work with over the 2.5-3 month timeframe as we went from planning and starting repairs & upgrades to closing escrow.

Kaelin is an outstanding real estate agent. She knows the market and can guide you in what to do…read moreand what not to do in preparing your house for sale. I can't speak highly enough of her integrity and doing whatever needs to be done to sell your home. In our case, we were not able to do the upgrades, as we had left the area. Kaelin jumped in and lined up contractors, supervised their work, and beautifully staged out home. She was always present at the Open Houses, followed up on leads, regularly communicated, and kept our best interests foremost in her thought and actions. I highly recommend her and her team. They kept us appraised the dates for the work, Open Houses, and any bills. Simply a wonderful, warm, and engaging agent with a dynamic team who will work with and for you!

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.

Jayson Madani is an animal. I have never worked with anyone in any field, not just real estate, who…read morehustled as hard as Jayson. Our mountain home was tough to sell due to rising interest rates. It had been listed with another realtor and sat for six months. We were starting to lose hope and wonder if it would sell. We found Jayson and put it back on the market. Two days after listing, interest rates skyrocketed again with the war in Iran. But he had idea after idea to keep the listing front and center: live social media streams, cold calls, consistent follow-up with every lead until he had an answer. His energy never stopped. After 3 weeks, Jayson called us from his family vacation to say we had 3 offers, and that he was going to make 30 additional cold calls to solicit as many additional bids as possible. By the end, we had 7 competing offers. While we weren't happy he was missing part of his vacation, it was a testament to Jayson's willingness to go above and beyond for his clients. And after entering escrow, he secured 2 backup offers in-case it fell through (it didn't, and we actually closed early). Special shoutout to his team as well, who seem to work just as hard as Jayson does. Thank you guys!!!

I just finished buying a home with the awesome Gina Odom. From the very beginning she asked…read morepertinent questions to make sure she understood my needs. She was thorough and thoughtful throughout the entire process. She made great recommendations yet it was always driven to meet my needs. If you want a knowledgeable and seasoned professional...... Gina is that and more. She and her team were kind and generous every time we spoke or met. I highly recommend you give her a call.

From start to finish, Gina and everyone at GRO were fantastic! We needed a house that would be big…read moreenough to accommodate a family but stay strictly within our budget. With her patient guidance, Gina helped us navigate the housing market in Santa Cruz, and after a few *fun* offer adventures, we landed a fantastic house for our growing family. Even after the closing date, she and her team have been extremely helpful, connecting us to local contractors and providing guidance to us as new home owners. Thank you Gina!

Jen has been our agent for two sales and one purchase, and each time she was outstanding. She is…read morevery dedicated to her clients, highly knowledgeable of the local market and how to close the deal, both as a buyer and a seller. If you want to partner with the best in Santa Cruz County, she is the obvious choice.

Jen is one of the best real estate agents anywhere. It's not overstatement: she makes her work an…read moreart-form. She made the purchase of our home here such a pleasure--personal, responsive, local, fun, deftly communicative, and she deeply listened for our property wishes. While extremely patient in an extensive search process, once offers were going in, inspection time came, and escrow opened -- she was a complete go-getter with contractors, inspectors, with great local referrals to other professionals, from legal to financial. She even took a water sample to the lab for analysis! Who does that?? (Jen) We will be forever grateful to have had Jen's support and guidance in such an important life decision.

Speaking from satisfied customers of 13 years, Gina Carling is a professional, she is…read moreknowledgeable, considerate and very helpful. She helped us find our first home and now our dream home. She is patient in working with her clients. Selling and buying was less stressful knowing she was there every step of the way to answer all of our questions. She made sure that we understood everything and that we felt confident in our decisions. Gina has great connections with an amazing lenders and property inspectors, she will get you the best of the best not to mention she is the best. We are once again happy and satisfied clients. Gina, thank you so much for all your hard work. We really do appreciate you! - Janet & Jesse M.

Gina's genuine desire to help you sell your house is what I liked. She made suggestions, yet allows…read moreyou to make all the final decisions. Rob, her husband was helping fix things, on the weekends, or anytime when needed. This was crucial, cause things needed to be done. Gina's professionalism, shows as well. From creating the listing, everything in between, to the final sake. She's there for you all the time, as you go threw the process of selling your house: Your not alone, and she's there to guide you, inform you, help you, and just be your friend. It's a good feeling knowing your cared for I highly recommend Gina if you want to feel secure about everything as you sell your house

Matt Draper is a fantastic realtor. People say sometimes , my so and so went the extra mile and…read moreMatt really did during our sale. He went so far above what realtors ordinarily do that he hired contractors to get our house ready to inhabit. He also was there daily monitoring work being done to fix many issues we had with the home. He was always available and fast to respond. This was our fourth home sale and Matt was far and away the best realtor we've dealt with. Make sure you meet him before deciding on whom to use. You won't be disappointed. Quality guy!

I can't say enough good things about Matt & Mandy Draper. They were simply amazing during the…read moreentire process. Their strategies were spot-on and it made a huge difference in getting my home sold quickly and at a great price. What really stood out me, in stark contrast to many realtors I've had, was their integrity and professionalism. They genuinely cared about making sure the outcomes that affect me would be positive, like I was a family member. Plus, they're the kind of people you'd want to grab a coffee or a beer with. If you're looking for realtors who truly go above and beyond, I highly recommend.

Cristina was amazing to work with during the sale of our home. From the moment she joined the…read moreprocess, she was organized, proactive, and incredibly helpful. She helped coordinate inspection-related repairs and managed all of the contractors, which was a huge relief since we work far from home. Once we moved out, Cristina jumped into action handling final fixes, cleaning, staging, and photos. Everything moved quickly and smoothly, and our house was listed within about a week. She helped coordinate multiple private showings and open houses, and we ended up with multiple offers, ultimately accepting one over asking. Cristina was professional, responsive, and kept us informed every step of the way. She made a potentially stressful process feel easy, and we would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking to sell their home.

Working with Cristina and Julie was THE BEST experience! They took care of every single detail with…read moreregards from pre-market prep to closing. They really know how to navigate the changing Bay Area market, and with their talents and advice, I was able to sell at the price I was hoping AND after only one weekend of showing the home. They made a stressful life transition feel smooth and manageable. I cannot thank them enough!

We worked with Scott to find the forest cottage of our dreams! He was incredibly patient,…read moreknowledgeable, and flexible as we worked through multiple iterations of what we were looking for. Initially, we were looking for land to build a tiny home. After more research and discussions with Scott, we realized a small cottage on land would be a better fit. This entire process took 18 months of my husband and I evolving our thinking as we learned more. Scott was an integral resource throughout the process and very understanding. Ultimately, he flagged a property for us one Friday morning and it was a perfect fit from location to price to vibes! We had an offer in within days and Scott continued to be an excellent explainer and advocate for us. We also appreciated how organized and professional Scott was as the house buying process is such a blur of paperwork. We couldn't have done this without him and are so grateful to have him as our real estate agent! We would (and already have) recommended him to our family and friends!!

I'm glad I found Scott for my property manager. He is organized, attentive, friendly and…read moreprofessional.

Nicki is the absolute best real estate agent and this is why:…read more -Her and her team are ON IT in EVERY WAY (My husband and I are first time home buyers and knew little to nothing going into this adventure. Nicki was so kind, patient and detailed with providing information, clarifications and guidance.) -She is a badass at her job and is there for YOU and finding what best suits your needs and budget. Nicki's experience shows and she never acted like a sale's person, she is honest and straight forward. -Nicki is a straight up awesome person with a great sense of humor and it was a joy hanging out with her during the home hunt! Thank you thank you Nicki and all of team Banucci!

Nicki has helped purchase multiple properties within our extended family. She is super friendly,…read morestraightforward and an excellent guide for your real estate transactions. Nicki turned out to be super lucky for us as we ended up purchasing the first house we bid. She was super patient, never pressured us in anyway and gave her honest feedback. Her timely advice to us about purchase vs sale and timing worked in our favor. She is always there to answer questions any time of day. Nicki is an excellent resource on san jose neighborhoods and she knows a lot about specific sub areas and their characteristics. She would even knock doors and talk to neighbors to get a sense of the community around. With Nicki, you will honestly feel she is giving you her 100%. We are so grateful to Nicki and her team for helping us purchase our beautiful house.

Ryan is truly the best and a master at his craft! He helped us both by selling our house and…read morepurchasing our new (dream) home! From start to finish, Ryan was there to support and guide us: initial conversations, staging, listing, receiving (MULTIPLE) offers within hours of listing, handling all documents and paperwork (the transaction management team he uses is also amazing, and extremely organized) - selling our house was a breeze. But it didn't end there - Ryan helped us find and put an offer on our dream home (offer accepted)! Again, Ryan and his team made the entire behind-the-scenes tasks simple and organized. I couldn't imagine working with anyone else. Excellent communication, extremely professional, and all around great guy.

Ryan is a great real estate agent to work with. He is knowledgeable, reliable, and friendly. His…read morecommission is very reasonable especially in the California real estate market. We worked with him to sell our condo and buy a single-family house. Ryan managed to find the right buyer for our condo and close the escrow on our new home within a short time frame. In my opinion, the communication is very important when it comes to buy/sell property. Ryan always answers his phone or returns calls in a short time. He even went above and beyond our expectation by working remotely, when needed, even though he was on vacation.