As first-time home buyers, we couldn't have asked for a better agent than Rita. We worked with her over multiple years, and throughout that entire time she was incredibly patient and supportive. At no point did we ever feel pressured to buy--she truly prioritized helping us find the right home rather than just closing a deal. Rita's knowledge of real estate, especially in the Bay Area, is exceptional. She took the time to educate us on both the big picture and the finer details--from factors that impact long-term appreciation to nuances like lot positioning, street exposure, layout considerations, foundation tradeoffs, and even practical aspects like roofs, windows, appliances, and ongoing maintenance. This gave us a level of confidence we wouldn't have otherwise had. She consistently went above and beyond for us. She stayed up late helping us prepare competitive offers and was always flexible in scheduling tours around our work hours, even on short notice when timing was critical. When it came time to make an offer, she guided us through a fast-moving process and helped position us to win in a competitive market. Even after closing, Rita continued to be an invaluable resource. She helped us navigate the early stages of a home renovation, connecting us with architects, contractors, and gardeners, and making sure we understood both immediate and long-term maintenance considerations. We're incredibly grateful for her guidance, expertise, and dedication. We would highly recommend Rita to anyone--especially first-time buyers looking for someone who is patient, knowledgeable, and truly invested in their clients' success. read more

My wife and I had the absolute pleasure of working with Rita Chao as our buyer's agent, and we can confidently say that choosing Rita was one of the best decisions we made throughout our home-buying journey. Rita is an exceptionally experienced real estate agent in the Bay Area. What truly sets her apart is her deep understanding of the region's real estate history, market evolution, and long-term trends. From our very first meeting, Rita took the time to clearly and patiently explain these broader market dynamics to us. Rather than jumping straight into showings, she helped us build a solid, high-level understanding of what buying a home in the Bay Area really means--financially, strategically, and practically. This gave us confidence and clarity early on, which was invaluable as first-time buyers navigating a very competitive market. When it came to the actual home search, Rita was meticulous and highly responsible at every step. She first helped us narrow down target areas and property types based on our budget, lifestyle needs, and long-term goals. During each showing, she provided thoughtful, professional evaluations tailored to each individual property. She would point out whether the layout was functional, whether the neighborhood felt comfortable and livable, the condition and wear of the house, and what kind of repairs or renovations might realistically be needed--both short-term and long-term. Her insights helped us see beyond surface appearances and avoid costly surprises. She patiently went through every important detail with us, carefully explaining potential risks that many buyers might easily overlook. This level of diligence made us feel protected and well-informed throughout the transaction. During offer negotiations, Rita was incredibly respectful of our emotions and priorities. She never pressured us into making rushed or irrational decisions. Instead, she advocated for our interests, helped us stay grounded, and once we were ready, worked tirelessly to secure the most favorable terms possible. Finally, what makes Rita truly special is her genuine warmth. She treated us like friends she genuinely cared about. Even after everything was finalized, Rita continued to check in, visited us, asked about our move-in plans, and offered help whenever she could. That level of care is rare and deeply appreciated. We are extremely grateful to Rita and would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking to buy a home in the Bay Area. read more

Rita is a very brilliant buyer agent. I would like to recommend Rita to all of my friends! Rita is not the type of business guy that just write an offer for you, instead, she is a very reliable mentor and sincere friend that help find the most suitable house for you that's worthy for your money. She is very knowledgeable and generous to share her knowledge. Rita gave us lessons to equip us with real estate knowledge. She took us to OH tours and trained us to have a good eye to understand what a good house look like. Not like other agents that push you to sign a BA contract, all the knowledge sharing Rita provided happened before we signing any agreements with her and all for free!! In the journey of house searching, Rita never push us. She said that it's such a great amount of money you are paying to buy a house, you have to be serious of your decision! For every house we were interested, she analyzed the pros and cons of the house and gave us her recommendations if the house is valuable for our money. I have to say Rita is very picky on houses, which is exactly the thing we want to see! We really appreciate when she pulled us back when we acted on impulse! When we consider of putting an offer, Rita went through disclosures with us in detail. She helped estimate the maintenance cost of every items mentioned in the disclosures and pointed out any concerns we should notice. Rita also went through all the contracts we need to sign to make sure we fully understand what we are signing for. As a very experienced realtor, Rita is very good at house appraisal. Rita also always proactively reached out to seller agents to get offer information. With her guidance and help, we are able to win the bid of our dream house with a reasonable price within a very high competition. Another impressive thing I found is that Rita has a really great reputation among realtors in bay area! Every time when we told other agents that we are Rita's client, they always say "Oh it's Rita, I know her. She's a very great agent!". As a first time home buyer, I was so afraid of getting screwed by any unreliable agents. But now I feel so lucky that my friend referred Rita to us. It was a very success and pleasure experience working with Rita. I'd refer Rita strongly to all of you! read more

Rita is everything you could dream of in a realtor and so much more. She is truly exceptional - world-class, deeply knowledgeable, and a master of her craft. We were introduced to her by our closest friends, who also purchased their home with her guidance. As a testament to the trust she earns, we are now one of five couples in our extended friend group who she has helped buy a home! We had our first conversation with Rita in 2022. Over the course of three years (even as we wavered on whether to stay in the Bay Area), she remained endlessly patient, generous with her time, and always supportive. Every time we sent her a listing, she responded instantly with thoughtful insight and, always, with an invitation to visit the property together. She will never try to "sell" you on a house, instead she highlights potential flaws or trade-offs and gently points out details we may have missed. Her honesty and candor are invaluable. We were constantly impressed by her depth of local knowledge, her nuanced analysis of neighborhoods, and her understanding of what truly mattered to us. Time and time again, she would remind us that the perfect house was out there and when it's meant to be, it's meant to be! That moment arrived unexpectedly, when we asked for her opinion on a home we'd visited on a whim. She toured it without us and, to our surprise, said she loved it for us. In three years, she'd never said anything like that. It meant everything. What followed was a masterful display of the rest of Rita's expertise. She guided us through the offer process with precision, sharp negotiating skills, and leveraging her relationships. She helped us secure our home against the odds and in competition with an all-cash offer! Today, we live just a short walk from our friends, and it still feels surreal. Rita is now working with two more couples we know. Her passion lies in helping first-time buyers navigate the SF Bay Area market, and there is no one more qualified. Working with her was a joy, and we feel so lucky to have her in our lives. read more

Working with Rita was a true pleasure. What truly set her apart was her exceptional communication and her incredibly helpful advice. As a first time home buyer, we are overwhelmed by not only the process, but also the responsibility that comes with it. Buying a home was just the first step - Rita also gave us great advices about home ownership during and after the house hunting. She didn't just help us find a house; she also provided invaluable insights and recommendations for our renovation / maintenance project, which was immensely helpful. Beyond that, Rita's unique knowledge of the history of the neighbors and the community provided a fantastic layer of context. She was always willing to answer our question, no matter how trivial / irrelevant they might be - I still remember she taught us facts about trees, and how some have sticky droppings and others have falling leaves all year round. Best of all, we always feel that she acted on our interest, and we could trust her to give honest feedback. Unfortunately this is a rare quality nowadays, especially in bay area. I really appreciate that Rita kept this "tradition" and shared her opinions on houses, no matter whether she's the agent or not. It really felt like she's more of a friend than realtor. As she has been in the business for a few decades now, she also has great connection with lots of listing agents. She was always proactive in sending us new listings and was incredibly flexible in scheduling showings - for example we scheduled the last house tour one hour before our ride to airport, and Rita gladly toured the house with us. In the end we bought the house, and it was the only time that we toured the house. All in all, if you're looking for a realtor who is not only highly professional but also genuinely cares about her clients, look no further than Rita Chao. read more

Rita is the best realtor you'll ever meet. 5 stars on Yelp is not enough to capture how wonderful of a realtor Rita is. She has a wealth of real estate experience, she is patient in explaining every detail of a house, and she genuinely wants the best house for you. As new home buyers, we are very fooled by a house's appearance. We wanted to buy anything pretty looking and with good schools, but Rita's experience and insights showed us other important factors when buying a home. She would point out details about the foundation, crawl space, the house's surroundings, etc., to evaluate a house's worth. Her patience and judgment are something we value! When we decided we wanted to put a bid for a house we liked, she went through the disclosures in detail, making sure we understood what we were signing up for. She studied and compare the prices of other houses recently sold in the neighborhood, so that we knew how much to bid. Moreover, Rita is very generous with her time and explanations. She would take time during the weekends to see houses we were interested in and would let us know why some houses are a hard "pass." My husband and 8-month-old daughter will forever be grateful to Rita for her kindness, generosity, and keen real estate insights. We are so happy to have found our wonderful first home with Rita! read more

Rita Chao - Keller Williams Thrive - Rita is the best! - Real Estate Agents Near Me - Cupertino, California

When we started looking for homes and saw Rita's reviews - how can everyone have so much amazing things to say - I was skeptical about how this could be possible. Fast forward three months later, and we have joined the choir. Rita and John (her husband, who assists) have been absolutely amazing throughout the entire process. Real estate is high stakes - the money, the pressure, the legal implications, the impact to living situation - and it's crucial to have someone who has your interests at heart. Whereas most real estate agents have conflicting priorities (put the client first or get the sale done ASAP and get their cut), Rita seems to live in a different world. If we showed impatience, she'd council us and slow us down. If a home wasn't worth buying, she'd straight up tell us - along with why so we'd be able to scout in the future. She listened to what we wanted and kept that in mind as we search for our dream home. (You can't find a perfect house, but at least know what you're getting into.) She also pointed out what would be valuable from an investment perspective. Rita put an enormous amount of time into educating us. We spent about 10 hours (or more) go over real estate fundamentals and learning by visiting open houses before getting more serious about putting down an offer. As first time homebuyers, this was absolutely critical as there is so much we didn't know. (There's still a lot we don't know - never assume you're done learning - but Rita can always give a good answer.) On the flip side, learning takes so much time, and when we were time crunched, Rita and John were both sensitive to the issue and came through in the clutch. They understood the need to prioritize and go fast when necessary. When you're reading through disclosures, trying to decide if and how much to offer on a house, with mere hours to decide - this is something we immensely appreciated. Due in part to the high prices of The Bay, we knew we may have to do renovations. Having a real estate professional that not only has contacts, but can give good estimates on what is possible, how much it would cost, and how long it will take while seeing homes is invaluable. Add in Rita's sense of interior design, and I can't imagine going through the home buying process alone. Oh, she also has a great reputation within the industry, which may have helped us have our offer be selected over two others which we were neck and neck with. She's earned her commission many times over - and the process isn't even done (since we're doing renovations)! Rita has been extremely responsive. She communicates well, both socially and under pressure. Rita has been and is absolutely incredible as a professional. She and John are people we hope to call friends for a long time to come. read more

Can we give her 6 stars? I don't think 5 is enough. Rita is the best real estate agent I've ever worked with! From day one, she was super knowledgeable about the local market and took the time to show us what to look for in a good house - all the free classes! She helped us figure out which areas would be the best fit and pointed out *ANY* deal breakers in the homes we saw. Her advice was spot on and made the whole process so much easier. Communication with Rita was fantastic. She was always available to answer our questions and kept us updated every step of the way. Her attention to detail and professionalism were impressive, and we felt really confident throughout the entire process. What really stood out to us was Rita's genuine care for her clients. She wasn't just trying to make a quick sale; she truly wanted us to find the perfect home. "Home finds its owners," as Rita constantly told us. She often time advised us against making offers on homes that weren't ideal for us, explaining all the potential downsides. Her honesty and commitment to our best interests were truly refreshing. Overall, working with Rita was an absolute pleasure. If you're looking for a real estate agent who combines expertise, integrity, and a genuine commitment to her clients' best interests, look no further than Rita. She's not just an agent; she's a trusted partner who will go above and beyond to help you achieve your real estate goals. read more

If you have come to this page in search for a realtor, you must contact Rita. There is no one better to help you find a house in the Bay Area. As first time home buyers, my wife and I really appreciate how knowledgeable and patient Rita was with us. As people who have recently moved here (~5 years), Rita taught us the history of the housing market here and was able to answer any questions or concerns we had about houses we looked at. She pointed out the flaws and issues of homes and what could be repaired or what we should avoid. Rita was able to clearly explain the whole complicated process of purchasing a home and thoroughly went through disclosures with us before submitting an offer. Rita is a true professional who cares about her clients and we are lucky to have met her. read more

Rita is a Godsent. We would never have been able to find our dream home without her. We also would never have realized that it's our dream home without her. She goes way above and beyond real estate agents responsibilities. She provides genuine and knowledgeable advice. Her approach is based on educating us so that we know what to look for. She took us to a few Open Houses and pointed out the good and the bad. Then we found listings on Zillow/Redfin and checked them out on our own. When we see a home we like, we texted her and she somehow managed to show up right away. One time she arrived at a property sooner than us and the first thing she said was "You absolutely cannot buy this house". She walked us through and showed us details that we wouldn't even thought of. What kind of real estate agent would spend so much effort convincing their clients NOT to buy the house. Rita would. I feel like we wasted a lot of her time but she never rushed us. She was way more patient than us. Eventually we did find out dream home and she helped us go all-in. She helped us shop for a lender. She spent hours educating us on the disclosures and everything around the purchase process. She is so knowledgeable of the overwhelming information on the inspection report. It was invaluable that she immediately told us what was a big deal and what could be fixed with a rough estimate. After we purchased the home, she hooked us up with a good contractor and she hand held us until we officially move in. Home buying is very stressful but having Rita has made a huge impact. read more

Rita helped us to get the house of our dream - a large and beautiful house in the Cupertino High School district despite the fierce competition from the market (the house had 23 offers!!). We cannot thank her enough and we are extremely happy with her service. 1) When we started the process, Rita took the time to explain to us the market condition and the local geography, including which areas are desirable and will appreciate over time. We did not start to see houses for a long time, but we checked in with her quarterly to understand the market and she answered all our questions patiently. 2) Starting in July 2023, we started to look at houses more seriously. She helped us to identify houses that are suitable for us and also helped us to avoid houses that were in undesirable location. When touring the house, she educated us on all the necessary topics (layout, neighborhood, location, different construction approaches, building materials, kitchen/bath renovations, etc.) 3) Once we have identified a house we wanted to bid on, Rita helped us to study comps, go through the disclosures and inspections and write a strong offer. She went and inspected the house and talked to the listing agent. She introduced us to a few loan agents and a reliable contractor. 4) Overall, Rita was extremely supportive and always available for questions throughout. She gave us great advice throughout and worked magic to help us get the house. I always remember what she told us "You are not just looking for a house. You are looking for a home!" We came in with some experience as second-time buyers and we were truly impressed by her. We only wish we had found her to help with the first house as well. read more

Our home buying experience with Rita was truly amazing. We feel extremely fortunate to have worked with her for our first home. The expertise and knowledge Rita possesses was very evident at our first meeting. Through Real Estate 101, she immediately opened our eyes to the workings, challenges, and expectations of the Bay Area Real Estate Market. Despite our numerous questions, she took the time and effort to help explain things in a clear and concise manner. Rita's approach of understanding the different types of single family homes available, their neighborhoods, studying and identifying the 'deal breaker' issues, etc. gave us a holistic view on how to intelligently analyze the housing market. When it was time to select our dream home, Rita had embedded in us the skills to correctly identify the important aspects. Rita's honesty and sincerity also resonated with us deeply, oftentimes helping us identify key issues which may not be easily ascertained at first. Rita is always available to answer any questions and is more than happy to help even at late hours of the night. Her dedication to her clients is beyond measure. Not just her clients, Rita also takes the effort to build meaningful relationships with all parties involved in the process. This facilitates a very seamless transaction. We would highly recommend Rita if you are looking to dive into the crazy world of Real Estate in the Bay! read more

Rita is the the best realtor we've ever met. I was refered to her by my sister when we bought our condo back in 2017. At that time, we know nothing about home buying and she really help educate me and my husband to understand the market in Bayarea. When we decided to get a single family home this year, and we know we will work with Rita to help us with the process again. Bay area market is a different beast than any other area in the US, with so many competition in getting a house, we know we are in a good hands and true enough, after only one failed offer, we were able to find our dream home in 3 months since the start of the process. When you are ready to start an offer for a house, she will meticulously go over the inspection and she will tell you her honest opinion about the property (whether it is good or bad). With her long exeprience in Silicon Valley real estate, she really understand the area and will also help you determine what is the reasonable price to pay for a property. When we went in to contract for our house, she was able to help us negotiate with the seller and we ended up paying $18k less than what we were willing to pay for. We knew if we were to work with any other agent, this will not be the case. Rita is really professional and your relationship with her will last even after you closed your escrow. She is not only your agent but also a friend. read more

How do you write a review for someone as exceptional as Rita without it sounding hyperbolic? That's how fabulous she is--I'm struggling to express myself so the truth doesn't seem ridculously overblown. Thanks to the pandemic, I'd already relocated to tend to my remaining parent, but needed to go through decades of accumulation and sell in a reduced time frame. I figured I'd hire the neighborhood specialist, but wanted to interview a few realtors before choosing one to list my longtime home. A dear friend told me, "Once you talk with Rita, you won't need to talk with anybody else!" and I mentally rolled my eyes--it sounded like hyperbole to me--but also considered the source, someone I respect and trust who is direct and not prone to overselling. My meeting with the agent who handled most of the area listings went well--he was professional, friendly, and prepared, and I felt confident the sale would go smoothly with him/his firm. My meeting with Rita also went well, but it was different--she genuinely seemed to want to get to know me and understand my goals. She listened. She was also very effusive about the neighborhood specialist, telling me I couldn't go wrong listing with him. She said she would focus her efforts on marketing my property, not on marketing herself: she suggested I read her Yelp reviews to get a feel for how her clients regarded her. If you're reading this, you've no doubt already read a number of the myriad positive reviews on Rita. I read all of them, and every single rating was the maximum five stars. I had a slight concern was that most of them were as a buyer's agent, but I noted that many of the people who'd used Rita to find their first home used her again to sell that one and find their next home. She inspires loyalty, and I value people with integrity. Obviously, I ended up choosing Rita, and it was absolutely the right decision. I think she was correct that I couldn't go wrong with the other guy, but she was the BEST! My other hesitation was that the local agent had a large team at his disposal, so I wasn't sure she'd be able to move as quickly as he would, and wanted to make sure she wouldn't be overloaded. Other than meeting with Rita a few times before the movers packed up my life and again the night before I left, we managed the entire process together while 2500 miles apart. She had things fixed that I'd had on my to-do list since I bought the place 21 years before. Her gardener replaced the section of fencing that had broken and perked up the yard. She organized the inspections. She worked with me remotely on the disclosures and other paperwork. She had the house cleaned and nicely staged. It even made the "Hot Homes" online! Rita held an open house weekend and went through every offer with me, discussing the merits as well as the cautionary flags. She negotiated with the buyer and we agreed on a fair price (over asking, which we expected in a very hot market, but not obscene or unrealistic). And she even good-naturedly challenged the buyer's lender to close in under four weeks (he rose to the challenge). My entire experience with Rita Chao was positive; I can whole-heartedly recommend her. She's honest, hard-working, thoughtful, professional, kind, organized, funny, a shrewd-but-fair negotiator--I'm back to where I started: How do you review someone this outstanding without it sounding fake? Hire her and you will be lucky enough to have the same problem. read more

Rita came highly recommended to us from a close friend of mine, and we couldn't be happier. As first time home buyers, my husband and I were not the sharpest tool in the shed when it came to real estate. Rita guided us the through the entire journey from beginning to end and really made buying our first home a smooth and enjoyable experience. During the pandemic and the real estate craze, we were only allowed 15 minute time slots to see a home before the next group of potential buyers arrived. Rita is quick and observant. I appreciated the fact that she pointed out both the pros and cons of each property we saw to help us make a thorough and well-informed decision, all the while working with the limited timeframe. When we were ready to make an offer, Rita walked us through the disclosures meticulously and provided us with comprehensive sold comps of recently sold properties in the area. She also educated us on how to read inspection reports and gave helpful advice when it came to writing an offer letter. After 6 months of looking at a myriad of homes, we decided to officially submit our first bid - and we got it! Rita also stepped up and helped us find a good contractor and referred us to some reliable home repair services. We are so delighted with the home that we bought, and we can't wait to show it off to our family and friends. We are extremely grateful to have Rita's hard work and support. She is professional, accountable, clever, hardworking, patient, and always prompt. We highly recommend Rita Chao! read more

Rita is the BEST realtor out there! She came highly recommended by a couple of friends who have purchased houses in recent years, and we could not be happier that we were lucky enough to be introduced to Rita as we started our house search this summer. Initially, my husband and I did not think we were ready to purchase a house this year. But with all the changes that have happened in 2020 with the pandemic and the favorable interest rates, we thought it might as well make sense to start searching now. After all, it could take a while to figure out what we liked and to actually find something suitable for our needs and financial situation. In enters Rita, who is very knowledgeable and skilled at working with first time home buyers. She spent a few hours upfront walking us through the lay of the land that is house shopping in the bay area (aka it is BRUTALLY COMPETITIVE) and imparted a lot of wisdom on general things to understand about the housing market here. We then went through a thorough "hands-on" exercise where we went to see a few example houses that were on the market, and Rita pointed out to us live what were important things to watch out for / red flags and what makes a home "good" and worthy of its market value. This latter point took me a number of weeks and many house tours to understand - the idea of matching the price / bid for a house to its underlying VALUE. All that's to say, my husband and I were clearly newbies who didn't understand what we were doing at all. And Rita was patient week after week in answering our questions and offering her professional opinion on every property we went to see, even when we didn't know the right questions to ask. She also walked us through the practice of reviewing inspection reports and prepping us for the process of writing an offer letter. Which turned out to be really helpful.. because after about a month of searching, we found ourselves sitting down to write our very first offer with Rita for a beautiful home that both my husband and I fell in love with (which was rare, because as we discovered, we have very different styles and priorities when looking for a house). When we went into contract on the house, we couldn't believe it. How is it possible that we got the very first house we bid on?! I'll tell you how - BECAUSE OF RITA!!! One thing that we learned through the process is that having a stellar realtor makes all the difference in the world. Someone who is able to establish a good working relationship with the selling agent and who uses her deep professional expertise to assess the property value and "read between the lines" of what the sellers / selling agent are looking for in an offer. That's how you win. We literally could not have done it without Rita. And her services and professionalism don't stop after escrow is closed. We still call and email Rita all the time for her advice on home renovation questions and referrals to different contractors for both home repairs and future home maintenance. In speaking with friends who have used other realtors for their home buying experiences, I can say that this type of end-to-end service is truly one of a kind. We cannot say it enough - Rita is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! And you can bet we'll be recommending Rita to all our family and friends for their future home buying needs. read more

Rita completely redefined our expectations for what a world-class realtor looks like. She is far and away the best realtor we have ever met. We were referred to her by some friends from Google who she had helped buy houses and who raved about the experience with her. We had our first conversation with Rita ~18 months before we actually bought our house. It was long process for us and we were worried that we were so slow and so picky that Rita would get impatient with us. The opposite was true: Rita was not only patient, but encouraged us to take our time and wait for the right house. She was our advocate in a way that went well beyond her best interests as an agent. Throughout the entire process, Rita would provide insights and suggestions that surprised us -- from her knowledge of structural components of the houses we looked at, to perceptive reading of inspections & disclosures on hour-long calls with us, and her insistence that we did thorough homework before writing an offer. No question we had was too basic -- she reminded us that this was likely the largest purchase we'd ever made, and we wanted to resolve any nagging questions or detail. We found her impeccably thorough and valuable in analysis of locations and homes, and she built trust by demonstrating accurate analysis time and time again. Overall, she put in time and quality work far beyond what we expected out of a realtor. Our friends were shocked at the amount of time and energy she expended in analyzing houses we were interested in. When we made our offer, we saw yet another side to Rita: top-notch negotiation skills and long-standing relationships with other agents that she was able to use to understand how to craft an appealing offer. In the end, we were able to get our dream house even though we were not the top offer. (We only bid on one other house, and in the end were very glad we did not get it). If you are looking for an agent who you can absolutely trust to be an advocate for you and your interests, pick Rita. She has her pick of clients, so if you get to work with her you are very lucky. read more

Rita was amazing! She came highly recommended from a close friend and we can see why. As first time home buyers she was incredibly patient with us and took the time to educate us on our options given our budget and preferences as well as some basics of what to pay attention to and how to evaluate different options. Rita applied absolutely not pressure for us to buy, she was totally driven to make sure we we able to make the best decision for us on a the timeline we were comfortable with. She would spend time walking us through each of the houses we chose to see and would even find comparison houses for us to view so we really understood what our options were. Once we were in Escrow she sat with us and walked through all the next steps and inspection reports, ensuring we new exactly what needed to be done and what was important to think about. There are a lot of relators we met who were just in it to sell houses, Rita was clearly in it to make sure our family got the perfect house for us. Given all the stress that can come from buying your first house having Rita truly made the process manageable and helped us get our dream house. We have recommended her to all our friends who are in the market to buy. We cannot recommend her highly enough. read more

For first time homebuyers, there is a lot to learn about houses and the housing market in the bay area. Realtors that we have used before will typically send a list of properties that they believe are suitable for you and then you select the ones you like. The main problem with this system is that you as a first time home buyer have no idea what makes a house worthwhile for its price. The correct thing to do is to first learn how to properly assess houses and then start selecting properties you like. But what realtor agent has the time to teach you how to assess houses? Well, the answer is Rita! Rita took us through 3 separate mini courses on how to assess homes in the bay area. These courses are not for casual buyers. They are long and exhaustive meant for serious buyers looking to buy not just a home but also a sound investment. This is the major difference between Rita and other realtors, she will teach you how to become an intelligent buyer or seller. You won't have to just depend on your realtor, she will teach you to make informed decisions yourself. From our personal experience, 4 months after meeting Rita and completing the courses we were able to close on an amazing home. Rita guided us throughout the home buying process. Walking through every step and every document. All in all, if you are a serious buyer looking to buy not just a good home but a good investment, you need to work with Rita. She will push you hard and you will have to do your homework so be prepared. The reward is totally worth it! read more

Rita is absolutely amazing!! A couple of my good friends had used Rita for their home purchases, and sang her praises. The second we met with her, we knew she was the one we wanted to work with. As first time home buyers we had endless questions, often asked multiple times. Rita was always patient and extremely thorough. She also always does a "Real Estate 101" and "201" for first time buyers just to educate you on the Bay Area real estate market and its history. This alone was so valuable. A few other things that truly stand out about her: (1) Honesty and Integrity: She will never push you to do anything just to make a dollar, and we always felt as if she had our best interests in mind. She was clear where decisions were our own, but always gave us her honest opinion of the situation. We really felt like we had a trusted family member in our corner advocating for us. (2) Responsiveness: The bay area market is just nuts. Crazy. Wild. You need an agent that is right there with you, and Rita was always there for us. Quick via email, texting and calling, and always staying on top of everything. This is invaluable when you go from viewing a property to offer, to offer acceptance in as short as 24 hours. (3) Emotional/Mental support. As mentioned above...its NUTS out there. There were homes we got attached to and lost, sometimes by a LOT. And Rita was always there to console us (mainly me) and reiterated to us constantly that it will happen for you if it's meant to be, and that home buying is spiritual. It ended up being so true for us in our case...we got an amazing place where everything just magically fell into place for us. It took us many months to get there, but Rita was always so supportive and patient, even when our plans changed several times. (4) Knowledgeable and so good at "the game": Rita knows what she's doing. She knows the psychology behind sellers, sellers agents and buyers. Despite feeling like an Auntie who believes that home buying is spiritual, she can absolutely get in there with the other agent to create relationships (if she didn't already have one) and will make sure you have the best shot you possibly could. read more

Our friends highly recommended Rita, and we are so happy with our experience. We've highly recommended Rita to our other friends. We reached out to Rita a few times over the years as we were exploring the idea of purchasing. We weren't ready yet but she invested time with us and we never felt pressured. When we were ready, she walked us through the entire process, including reviewing all the inspection reports and documents with us - pointing out red flags and where to pay attention. She even called and spoke to the inspector. She's knowledgeable and well connected. She looked after us, and we still reach out to her with questions. The more we talk to other friends and colleagues about their experiences buying a home, the more grateful we are that we found Rita. Again, we highly recommend! read more

Highly recommend. With Rita's guidance and advice we made our informed decision and found the dream home. My wife and I are first time home buyers, and we knew nothing about the broad knowledge required to find a good home that fits our needs. Rita is the most knowledgeable person we have ever met about home buying, in terms of both depth and breath, and she is so patient and willing to share it with us. Without her, it can feel quite overwhelming. With her guidance and advice we made our informed decision and found the dream home. Here are examples (they are just a few; you will learn much more if you work with Rita) : 1. Rita visited many houses with us and shared in detail for each house it's location, condition, floor plan , appreciation potential, extension potential, etc 2. Rita worked us through every file in the disclosure report of each house we considered making an offer, and answered every question we had. She had great attention to detail. We usually spend 2+ hours on each house. This is extremely important because the disclosure reports are very lengthy and complex for first time buyers and we tend to miss important details about defects/caveats of a house. 3. Rita isn't the kind of realtor who tells you only the good things about a house so that you quickly make purchases and save a realtor's time. She spends a lot of time with us explaining the downside/defects/caveats of each house that you may face both right after you buy it and many years after you buy it (e.g. roofing is too old; floor plan / concrete slack is hard for extending / remodeling). Her opinions are independent of how we liked a house, which sometimes ended up letting us not consider some house anymore - this is extremely valuable, because they always provided new perspectives that we weren't aware of, and it helped us make informed, non-emotional decisions. Her service also goes far above and beyond. After we moved into our new home, Rita continued to be helpful and very responsive in answering our questions about maintaining the house and fixing small issues in the house (plumbing / electricity / gardening / etc). Again, without her, it can feel quite overwhelming. Rita is pretty much our Realtor and friend from now and on. read more

When I started to seriously look for a house last year, Rita Chao was recommended by two of my previous colleagues. During the past year, she helped us see at least 20 houses and eventually we got our own home in this chaotic time. If you are eager to buy a home but don't know where to start with like I did, Rita is your choice. What do you want from a real estate agent? Now retrospecting my home buying process, I believe a good agent is a tutor, advisor and friend. Rita is all of them. Rita didn't just arbitrarily tell me to buy this or that. She spent a long time educating me and my wife to understand a house and the buying process, and let us choose which house to pursue. I had some immature opinions at the early stage. She used tons of time and cases to help me correct them. Buying a house is a long and tedious process. You may not be able to find a good candidate month after month. You may be outbid on your dream home. When I get this kind of frustration, I always feel there is a strong agent on my back. One more thing I have to mention is Rita's personal connection, which played a critical role in our final case. Working in this realm for decades, she always knows the right person and asks the right question in whatever scenarios. Rita Chao, 5 start agent! read more

Rita is an amazing realtor who truly helped us every step of the way during our recent home purchase! She was knowledgeable about all aspects of the home buying process including market trends, location estimates, housing values, etc. She provided us with valuable insight throughout the process and gave us her honest opinion even if it meant passing on a house. We were incredibly grateful to have someone who treated us like family instead of someone who was only looking to make a sale. Rita was able to build a close relationship with the seller's agent, and Rita's professionalism and proactive attitude helped us win our home without any counteroffers from the seller, even though there were multiple close bids. She kept us and the sellers constantly updated on the progress of the close to ensure that there were no surprises to either party. Even after we finalized the purchase of our home, Rita continued to help us with fixing up our old house so that we could rent it out. Rita took time out of her busy schedule to walk through our house and give us advice on what should be updated to maximize rental potential. She also had a list of trusted contacts readily available including a gardener, cleaner, contractor, tree specialist, etc. She made the renovation process of our old house completely stress free, and she did all of this in her spare time. Overall, we would highly recommend Rita as a realtor to anyone who is looking to buy or sell a house! We consider her a close friend, and we will continue to stay in touch with her even though we have purchased our forever home. We have worked with multiple other realtors in the past, and none of them compare with Rita's expertise and personal connection during the house buying process. read more

Albert Einstein so brilliantly stated, "The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe." This summer, I chose to believe it in a good way. I was so lucky to meet Rita as my buyer agent. She was recommended by my friends, but I felt she had to earn my trust. Rita listened to me very carefully about all my goals, and encouraged me to buy a house instead of a townhouse or condo from the investment perspective, but I soon realized that my budget didn't give me much room to bargain on the market and I was depressed a lot. However, I still went to see properties with Rita per my choices and her suggestions since I could learn and benefited from the visits. As a first-time home buyer, I had so much to learn; and Rita patiently went over every single item with me. She gave pros and cons of the locations, overflow parking concerns, neighborhood and all those concepts of how to judge a house. We went to open houses and she went over seller disclosures and inspection reports with me for those properties I liked. She explained everything in the report to me, e.g. home structure, foundation and bugs stuff, etc. She NEVER pushed me to buy the home as soon as possible. She pulled me back from those terrible houses and kept encouraging me that I would definitely find better ones. She promised that we would find one in a good location and told me to believe in fate. I trusted her and that was the most valid decision that I have ever made. Rita cared about my budget and wouldn't raise any single unnecessary penny on the offer. It was unbelievable that Rita tried so hard to keep the price as low as possible for me which meant that her commission would be lower. In the end, the bank appraisal came out much higher than my offer price. I found my dream home and paid less than appraised value. Rita went far above and beyond after the offer was signed and accepted. She cautiously ensured a smooth escrow, homeowner insurance, home warranty, etc. As a first time home buyer, I knew nothing about how to manage a new house. She proactively reminded me to set up home utilities and county registration, and went over how to maintain my new home in details with me. With Rita, I felt confident to overcome any obstacles. She is trustworthy, reliable, thoughtful and above all, cared about me as a person not just a transaction. I could feel that she was looking a home for me just like she did for herself. She is the best choice and you would never regret it. read more

Rita helped us buy our first home in the bay area. Rita came to us highly recommend via our friends. However, we wanted to do our due diligence so we did interview a couple of agents before deciding to move forwards with Rita. My husband and I are data driven, we do our research and know what we want. The other agents we interviewed seemed to want to rush into selling mode, we found that despite telling them what we wanted, they wanted to "guide" us into what they thought would be best for us- that just does not work for us. We started looking for our house pre-covid, paused for 9 months due to covid and eventually bought in Q1 2021. Rita was extremely patient while we worked through our needs to find the correct house for us. We don't believe in dream home philosophy but we wanted a home that was a correct fit for us. Rita cares that her clients are truly happy with their purchase, she will guide you but not push/rush you- this is extremely rare in the industry. When we did find the correct fit home, she was firm in giving us her thoughts and help preventing us from dithering. We bid once and we bid to get, even then you never know on this market, but we got lucky and got it! We have now been in our house for over 6 months and are extremely happy. If you are looking for an agent, we would highly recommend Rita. Rita keeps her clients for life, so you know with her that she it's not there for a quick sale but for the correct fit. read more

Rita Chao - Keller Williams Thrive - Our sanctuary, our backyard. No noise and can't even see the neighbors with the trees! - Real Estate Agents Near Me - Cupertino, California

We enthusiastically recommend Rita Chao if you need an agent with integrity, professionalism and efficiency. We have been working with Rita for a long time. Actually she helped us buy our first single family house back in 2014. She gave us a housing market 101 lesson, explained to us what kind house we should look for, and convinced us to be patient on the market. When the chance showed up, we acted quickly because everything was well prepared. We won the deal without being the highest offer, the listing agent said he loved working with Rita. We happily moved in our first house and loved every inch of it all these years. Six years later, we decided to upgrade to a bigger house and we called Rita without hesitation. Next day Rita showed up at our door and gave us a list of things to prepare. Rita helped us scheduled jobs of gardening, painting, cleaning and staging. And we just needed to pack things up. Everything got done in just two weeks! We had one weekend open house and soon sold the house at the record price in our neighborhood, with a two-month rent back for free. Then we started to search for our new property. That went quite smoothly because again, we were well prepared. We did our inspection review, researched the sold prices in the neighborhood, and understood our position to win the deal most efficiently, all within only a couple days. The seller's agent was so impressed by Rita's professionalism and efficiency, that she decided to work with us even though we didn't send in the highest offer (sounds familiar?) So within three months, we sold our previous property and found a newer, bigger, brighter new house back to back. And through the whole process, we had our minds peaceful, we moved steadily, and always knew what's our best options, Looking back, everything looked quick and frictionless. But I have to say, selling/buying a house is complicated. We're blessed to have Rita on our side, especially during this special time. The timeline of our story was between Feb and April 2020. Covid-19 came, SIP started. The closing of our sale had some hiccups as the buyer's lender was panicked and hesitated to prove the loan. As first time sellers, we had doubt and wondered if we should back out. Again, Rita was there with us, gave us daily calls, shared with us she's working closely with the buyer agent and the loan agent. And she assured us, given the options we had, what moves we could make in the worst case. Technically things were not in anyone's control, but trust me, in that kinda situation you would want your agent to be always on your side and really care for you. Hope you enjoyed our story, and I highly recommend you to send Rita a message when you are in a similar position. read more

This review is long overdue. I knew Rita through my landlady who sold & bought houses with her help. It was back in 2010 when a lot of foreclosure, short sale etc were happening. We were first time home buyer and had no single clue what to look for etc. Buying a house is definitely not as easy as it seems. There're strategy involves, and many trivial/hidden things that you can only learn from a good educative realtor like Rita. She always like to have a first meeting that might takes a couple of hours before you guys decide that you'll move on with her. She's very responsive and not at all pushy. A little hands-off according to some of the people I know because she'll educate you and once she knows you're well-equipped with all her wisdom, you are encouraged to explore many many open houses on your own. I love this practice because I get to check out the many listings she emailed out on my own schedule + get to see more places. We have limited budget and Rita was very supportive & understanding about it. After only 2 failed offers, we managed to score a foreclosed house before it even had the Open House because Rita is that good! The place is like an unpolished diamond that could easily be overlooked by a layman like me. You can't tell that my place is almost 50y/o after a bit touch up. As others have said, Rita's job doesn't end once your offer is accepted. She helped us looked at the fengshui, talked to neighbors, checked outstanding lean on the house, recommended mortgage broker+gardener+handyman+home inspection+termite inspection+you name it, provided info to set up PG&E+water+garbage account, helped with any related rebates/tax credit (we got $10k state, $8k federal, $500 PG&E rebate for new fridge, $125 per toilet rebate), recommended all natural ingredients for cooking, household products, restaurants, etc etc. She is like another mom that you will be glad you have. I'm not sure if other realtors also provide these types of service but as a first time home buyer, I felt safe and taken care of. I have since introduced Rita to all of my friends that are looking for new places. All of them are now happy home owners. Just in my circle, our Rita family tree has almost 20 kids (+grandkids) & still growing. I highly recommend Rita especially if you're first time home buyer. Trust me, you won't be disappointed. read more

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Rita is the best real estate agent I've ever met. Being a first time home buyer, I knew nothing about buying a house. Rita patiently explains the process to me and after I get pre-approved, off we went looking for houses! Rita is very nice for allowing 6-8 of my friends to open house everytime we go! She is very knowledgable. She explains what we should look for in a house. More than just an agent, Rita has become a friend. Whenever I have problems with the house, Rita always have all these people she knows for everything: plumbing, handyman, insurance, you name it! She's in the all in one business!! I've recommended Rita to many of my friends and I know all of them have been successfully purchased their dream home with her. When I am ready for my 2nd home, Rita will be the first person I call!! read more

Undoubtedly five stars. As I read through all the reviews written by Rita's former clients, I totally agree with them: most of the excellent home-buying experiences happened to other people also happened to me in a similar way. If you choose Rita as your agent, she will probably offer a tremendous amount of help, all the way from teaching you basic RE knowledge before house hunting, to advising you on how to remodel and maintain the house after closing the escrow. This is extremely useful for first-time home buyers. You possibly won't get such a great service from most other real estate agents! Of course, you can always first get in touch with Rita, listen to her great RE101 course, and then decide. The chance is that she will totally earn your trust at the end of the course! If that happens, congratulations to you because your dream new home is already on the way! read more

This is going to sound like an ad for Rita, but it is all from true experience. I have purchased 5 properties, sold 2 in my lifetime, and worked with countless realtors, and I have never worked with a realtor who is as diligent, knowledgeable, compassionate, and detailed oriented as Rita. She educates you on the market first and really gets to know so you are both clear-eye before the search begins. My father tried to purchase a house in 2015 which did not yield any purchase due to the competitiveness of the market and my father's personal situation. Rita put in countless hours for us and I felt bad that no deal went through. Alas, it was not mean to be. However, this year, I ended up moving back to Oakland from the east coast and we were able to successfully purchase my perfect little house. Rita always has your interest in mind. She will take a lot of time to get to know the selling agent and gather all the necessary information so your well prepared offer will always be the best one presented. Even though my offer was not the highest, it was accepted by the buyer. i truly believe that it was due to Rita rallying the agent for me. Never have I had an agent read through the minute details of the disclosures and inspection reports first and then go through every paragraph with me. I had total peace of mind knowing that she made sure I was protected. In short, Rita is an amazing person; whip smart, kind, honest, low key, and most importantly, she truly represents her clients as if they are her family. read more

Rita Chao - Keller Williams Thrive - Thank you Rita! - Real Estate Agents Near Me - Cupertino, California

My friend recommended Rita to us 4 years ago. We first met Rita in 2021 when she gave us her famous 'real estate 101' lecture with in depth market history and regional analysis. However, we were not ready at the time, Rita didn't push us or anything. One year passed by quickly. In Spring 2022, we were mentally ready after seeing many open houses ourselves. Rita took us to many houses as lessons to prepare us for finding our dream house. She is firm and knowledgeable, caring and sincere. Always give us the best advice, even after the deal closes, we still reach out to her whenever we have any questions. We are lucky to have her as our agent! read more

Rita is an outstanding Real Estate agent. I was introduced to Rita through a good friend and with Rita's help, I was able to successfully close on a purchase of a new home in the competitive South Bay area in under 4 months. When I was first introduced to Rita, I already had talked and semi-worked with an agent. I wanted a second opinion on a few purchase options that I was considering. Rita received me warmed and provided a free Real Estate 101 class to show me the history and data of Bay Area real estate. We discussed a few of my concerns in depth and Rita was able to offer very convincing advice on those. I took home with materials to study and after a week, I made up my mind to work with Rita (and I am glad I did). When we were just shopping open houses, Rita helped me to really understand what is good about a SFH and develop a well-rounded appreciation of homes. I felt that a lot of real estate agents would be too reliant on a customer's own preferences in picking the targets to bid on. Rita took into consideration both my own living situation, preferences and influenced me on her opinions (I highly wanted anyway) based on her 20 yr+ experiences in buying homes. There's really a lot technical details involved with buying a home and an experienced, trustworthy real estate agent is critical for you to make a sound decision. After we found the target to bid on, Rita was very strategic and proactive with the communication and handling with the seller's agent, ensuring we are well positioned. She is also very hard-working to ensure we have a streamlined process to go through all the paperwork. I am really grateful for the outcome and I would recommend Rita to people who are interested in purchasing in the competitive market in south bay. read more

We strongly recommend Rita when you need an excellent listing agent! It's so relieved to have a trusted and professional realtor who has been looking after us since 2016. Rita was our buyer agent when we bought our first home. She patiently worked with us for almost a year and we left the market due to low budget. Then we came back to buy with more savings. She advised us where to go and why and we took her advise. Fast forward, Rita is our listing agent for the house she helped us to buy a few years ago. We lived there happily but was too small after our baby came along. We immediately contacted Rita and started to plan our listing. She went over all crucial points about timing, preparation, budget, financials and advised us to talk to our tax CPA as well. We are the first-time home seller. It was quite emotional to sell the house that we had lots of good memories in it. My wife and I have never expected the transaction could be so smooth and stress-less. We were mentally prepared for a long and complicated process. Due to COVID-19 and owner occupied, we were very concerned about showing vs. our safely; but we knew that we were in Rita's good hand. Her guidance and market information was very clear and helpful in assisting our listing details and preparation. We have demanding jobs and a toddler so we completely relied on Rita to do most preparations. She always gave us at least 2 quotes for all jobs. It only took her around 10 days to prep the house and listed on MLS for showings with NOT a single day delay. After two and a half days showing. She was professional, pleasant, well-prepared, energetic, and patiently answered every single question from buyer agents. We really appreciate her hard-working and caring for our listing. She helped us to sell the house at the price that both us and buyers were mutually happy. Above all, we didn't loose sleep from day one until we close escrow. I still cannot believe the whole process was so smooth. We enjoyed the most in working with Rita was she always responded to our questions and requests either immediately or within an hour. It eased our mind so much! Thank you, Rita, you're our realtor for life! read more

I've known Rita for more than 12 years as a friend, not a Realtor. She cares about others very much, smart and honest as a friend in my opinion. Last summer, I was looking for a small home in South Bay so Rita naturally came to mind as my Realtor simply I trust her. At first, I prefer Santa Cruz mountain since my daughter and I love redwoods and trees. Rita didn't object to it but it took her weeks to guide me on how impossible for me to take care of a mountain property. A big wake-up call for me and glad she did it patiently. I finally realized that my dream home was far from reality. Then, she sat me down and started showing me possibilities within my budget for me to consider places I would like to settle for long and good. She had in-depth knowledge of locations and neighborhoods. She also paid attention to safety, convenience and appreciation. In short, she thought of everything more than I could think of. What a wonderful payoff to having a good friend who also is a great Realtor! I knew that I was in her good hands. When we went to open houses and viewing vacant properties, she would show me everything she saw about the property until I understood her points; again, very patiently. It was so helpful for me to learn about my future home. She also listened carefully about my preferences and what I desired for my home. When I saw the house I liked, Rita would go to see it first and then went over all disclosures and reports with me in detail; and made sure that I understood what I was about to buy. She would also meet with the listing agents with me at the open house and assisted me to ask all the questions I had about the properties. Then, we would study sold comparisons to come up with market value vs my offer price when I was ready to write an offer. By doing so, I was very clear and confident about my offer in a tough competitive situation. So much to learn, so much to know, so little time and so much to fear for; but Rita held my hand to surf through the complicated process without a blindfold. She always told me that "when you buy a piece of real estate, you need to be able to see the value 10 years down the road, plus you'll live there happily". It was a very helpful statement! Rita was very strategic, sincere, skillful, and professional in working with agents on the other side. She made sure that the listing agent knew who we were when he/she saw our offer. So she made me felt like a person/buyer, not just a transaction. She also worked very hard to explain every document I signed. After I got in contract, she would guide me step-by-step until the close of escrow. Furthermore, she would advise me on how to take care of my house in her after-sale services. I'm writing this review at my cozy beautiful home I adore so much. I'm very grateful to have a nice property in Silicon Valley. Above all, I know that I couldn't do this without Rita's help. Buying or selling a house in Silicon Valley is a huge decision, it's extremely important to work with a professional whom you can trust to protect your best interest. I strongly recommend Rita and you will be very happy after you settle down at your new home with her help. read more

We first knew Rita from one of our friends, who also purchased and sold their first house with her. After working with Rita, we realized she is such an experienced, competent and the most patient agent we've ever met or heard. She spent hours teaching us some basic housing buying/selling knowledge and gave us a good understanding of the real estate market in the Bay area in general before sending us to tour houses. When showing a property, she is always generous to share her professional opinion of the house and allows us time to figure out what kind of houses fit best with the needs of our family. With her great work, we were able to sell our townhouse in 5 days with multiple offers. It's a tough journey to buy a house in the current market. And having a strong and reliable agent like Rita absolutely makes us feel much better. read more

Rita is the best realtor we've ever met. She was working with us several years ago when we got our condo. However, buying a house in south bay area is an entirely different 'beast' this time around but with Rita, we're in a good hands! This is what we really like about Rita, if you scour through other reviews you may have already notice that she will give you RE101 or Real Estate 101. Very valuable lessons about what you can expect regarding the housing market trend, budgeting, etc. Definitely ease you up in this brutal market. She is very honest and upfront with you. Then the next time she meet you she will give you RE102, which educate you about what to look for/avoid when you're getting a house; Things like water damage, foundation issue, etc. Not many realtors do this! A lot of times Rita calmed us down and does not push or rush us to make an offer just so her job is done. Her motto is 'Don't worry! if the house is meant for you, you will get it'. For first few offers, she will go through and study inspection report for hours with you in person and educate all the -too sophisticated for regular people- real-estate terms until you're comfortable. This helps you greatly in making calculated judgement before truly making an offer on a property. After 6 months, we are so happy that finally got our dream house. Rita will be with you through ups (avoiding house with so many issues) and downs (losing offers). Now even after we got a house, Rita is still helping us with the small projects we need to do before we can finally move in. she's definitely an all star agent and you won't find anyone better than her! read more

I HOPE I CAN GIVE FIVE MORE STARS FOR RITA! To be frank, I am a very skeptical person on making decisions. But having Rita with us is just that amazing and a choice we won't never ever regret. I will highly recommend Rita to anyone who's looking for a dream house. Rita delivers her professional and confidence as a real estate agent. She taught us a lot through RE101, gave us a high-level overview of current housing market. She never hides her knowledge but tries her best to share her rich experience in both commercial housing and residential housing. She knows every detail of the market, from the structure & architect of a house itself, to the housing trend and economic world. Rita dares to tell you what NOT to buy and when you should bid, which is the most adorable among all other agent. By visiting more and more open house, sometimes you got confused what you really want, and sometimes you might hesitate about what to buy. Rita did her study and went back to the house with us telling us this is the right / wrong house to buy. I really appreciate her attitude and confidence in today's market. Also, she listens to us, if we have any opinion, she would like to take and explain to us her perspective. She is much more patient than us to wait our dream house. Rita is always there and reachable any time. You can never imagine how anxious we are when there's no ideal house on the market, how nervous we would be when no results back from our offer, and how upset we got when our mortgage is still pending. There has been many tough days we went through along the way, but the best thing is Rita is always there, feeling the same as we felt, understanding our anxiety and comforting us with her experience. There has been some day we feel so exhausted and when a message comes from Rita "There is not much to see this week, there will be more listing in April", that makes us feel much better. After we got our offer, Rita also helped us a lot on dealing with the loan agent, negotiating the remodel with architect and contractor. She also suggests a lot on our remodelling. Rita said until we moved to our new house, her job can be regarded as done. She's doing much more than an agent, like a teacher, a parent also a trustworthy friend. Buying a house is one of the most important things in our 20's. We are so grateful that we met Rita and have her along the way. read more

This is a long over-due review. If you're looking for a professional, honest, ethical and hard-working realtor to advise you buying a nice property, Rita is the one. Rita is a friend before she became my realtor. In 2013, my parents would like to buy a house where is close to me and kids. So I knew that Rita could help us. My parents came from Canada, didn't know much about Silicon Valley. I was hectic with work and kids. Hence, we all relied on Rita to help us making the right decision in spending my parents' life-long savings for buying their retiring home. Rita was extremely patient and methodical in showing various locations and neighborhoods within the budget for my parents to feel the connections. Due to their very limited budget, we couldn't find anything that could work. So we anxiously watched housing price went up on monthly basis from 2013 to 2014. The worst part was we didn't know which location we would like to go. We were so confused. Finally, Rita advised us to adjust our expectations and make sure we were ALL on the same page. So we did and followed her instructions to view open house in those locations/neighborhoods with great potentials but not on our initial preferred areas. In hindsight, she was so right about the potentials. We found a solid, nice, original beautiful home with 3 bedrooms and 1 bath. She told us to add a half bath with permit to make it 1.5 baths if we got it. The multiple-offer competition was very tough. My parents were so nervous after losing a couple of offers. Rita told us if the house meant for us, it would come to us. My parents were so happy when they heard that we got the house. We cannot thank Rita enough for all she did to help and calm us down in finding a dream home for my parents. And my kids love grandparents' house very much too. For those buyers and sellers who are looking for an excellent agent, sit down with Rita first then you'll know. read more

My husband and I are relatively new CA resident and first time home-buyers. We talked with several real estate agents before finally referred to Rita, and we are very happy with this choice! To start with, Rita is very knowledgable, every time we went to open houses, she was very honest and told us all pros and cons. And we decided whether we would like to make the compromises, if there is any. And later on, we are more and more experienced at where to look at during open houses, and how to make the trade-offs. In such heated housing market, it's very difficult to be patient, persistent and optimistic for buyers. So we are so lucky to have Rita, as she patiently guided us through the whole hunting process, talked us away from any rash decisions and kept us calmed down. I really appreciated when she told me definitely NOT to buy (even it seems appealing), which potentially prevented us from making big mistakes. Every time we decided to bid, we sat down together to go over the house inspection, which I don't think every agent does. After ~4 months, we successfully bid our dream house in San Mateo. After that, we paid very minimal effort into how to put up a strong offer and close the house, Rita thought about everything and took care of it for us. She also sent us contact for free termite inspection after we moved in. We felt very secured during the whole purchasing process, which could be really overwhelming and intimidating for first-time buyers. Overall, we are really grateful to have Rita as our agent for this huge decision. We would definitely want to work with her again in the future, and we would highly recommend her, especially to first-time buyers! read more