I've worked with many realtors over the years - No question, Spencer Hays stands out as singular. He's a rare professional and person who made buying a home a pleasure. Spencer's exceptional across the board. He's extremely intelligent, curious and self motivated. He has a strong work ethic and genuine desire to be of service to others. He's passionate about his work and wants to expand his skills and knowledge in every way possible. He frequently made notes on topics he planned to explore in his free time (although it's hard to believe he has any!) Spencer's interested in learning about everything - from local politics, laws, pending changes in law, zoning, has housing regulations, new technology, materials and resources, qualified professionals to refer to, prices, community resources, demographics ... all aspects of community life which touch home &/or quality of life. He made a point of showing me around, helping me feel welcome in the community. Spencer worked in housing construction prior to real estate and uses his skills in his real estate practice. He provides detailed and thorough house reviews, and likes to see for himself how a house is built. He brings his expertise to clients, and patiently taught me to observe things for myself. I learned a lot spending time with Spencer, and felt empowered in making decisions on my own. Spencer's attuned, and knew exactly when to step back and let me make big decisions on my own. He never told me what to do or pressured me in any way. Spencer gives far more of himself than required in any job, but seems invigorated by it. He works tirelessly day and night, yet is consistently upbeat, enthusiastic and positive. He might be doing something for a past or current client, a friend, another professional, colleague or a family member ... I saw Spencer go out of his way often to help someone else out - he's still stepping in to help me a month after my house closed! This isn't something Spencer will tell you about himself but I will! It's no surprise that Spencer has an extensive web of professional resources. It's obvious he's well liked and respected in the community. His name opened doors as if by magic - top professionals were immediately available to me, going out of their way to provide me with exceptional prices and quality services. Spencer's relaxed yet precise and efficient - he didn't miss a thing. He's personable and easy to relate to, always courteous and respectful of everyone. Calm under pressure, he navigated the tensions inherent in buying a house thoughtfully and strategically. I credit him for my successful home purchase, in spite of multiple offers. He provided me with a clear perspective and thoughtful strategy which helped me find my own answers, and peace of mind regardless of the outcome. He helped me set my price limit before I made an offer, so I wouldn't be pulled into a bidding war. From the start, I felt I could trust Spencer, and I was right. I recommend him at the highest level! Margee read more

We recently purchased a home in Santa Cruz and had the best experience working with Spencer. We live on the East Coast and had only one day in town to house hunt. Spencer devoted the day to us, took us all around the county looking at many places and giving us invaluable information about the local real estate market. Spencer was always available to answer our many questions. He is always responsive to calls and texts. Spencer has excellent knowledge of the entire Santa Cruz County area and local neighborhoods and was able to help us navigate the entire purchasing process remotely. He has built relationships with many other locals that he could also refer us to during this process--contractors, handymen, mortgage brokers, etc. We would not have been able to purchase our home as easily as we did without his help! We would absolutely work with Spencer again and feel very lucky that we found him. We recommend him highly to anyone looking for an agent in the Santa Cruz area. Lisl & Stoehr Sukachevin read more

I would highly recommend Spencer Hays as your realtor, for anyone looking to buy in Santa Cruz county. Spencer is always available, and his expertise and experience were crucial for us to purchase our home. During our time searching for homes, Spencer knew every realtor and helped us understand the entire process as first time home owners. He has great relationships with seemingly everyone in the real estate business. His professional knowledge was the key to us being able to buy our home. Spencer gave us sound advice, and in the end he helped us bid the exact right amount, so that our offer was accepted. I cannot say enough good things about Spencer as a person, and as a realtor. You will be extremely happy working with Spencer, as we were. He will work tirelessly for you, and help you accomplish a huge life goal! read more

It is with great pleasure that I write this recommendation for Spencer Hays. Spencer represented me on the purchase of my primary residence in Soquel, CA, which closed on 11/30/18. The purchase was a 120 mile relocation for me and although I've visited Santa Cruz County many times over the years, visiting and living permanently are two different things. In light of this, Spencer took extra special care in sharing insights on the local landscape and making valuable introductions that saved me time, money and added major convenience to my transition. Furthermore, he moved mountains to prudently advise me every step of the way in the purchase, sparing no effort or sincerity in delivering a wonderful experience on all accounts. From start to finish and thereafter, Spencer Hays is the "Real Deal!" read more

Spencer helped my husband and I purchase our first home and after working with him we would give him more than five stars if we could. Buying a home can be a stressful time, especially to new buyers who don't know the ropes, but Spencer was infinitely patient and thorough with us. He took his time showing us many homes, and helped us to land the one we fell in love with. Throughout the escrow process Spencer went above and beyond with helping us through the inspections, loan process, and signings. He even stopped by when we were moving in to make sure we had all the help we needed and to bring us a house warming gift. We would highly recommend Spencer to any home buyer, he is an expert realtor and his experience in building and construction also helped tremendously when viewing homes. read more

Spencer is not just a good real-estate agent because of many years of experience in the field,he is a person with great integrity! We worked with Spencer a good year before we purchased a condo in Santa Cruz.It was an insane experience with a sellers market to deal with.What I most appreciated during the transaction was Spencer human side before anything else.Nothing more but fair, nothing more but calming and gave us some good advice that we took seriously. Selling housing is an interesting profession and difficult one.I want to thank Spencer for never loosing it with us and always trusting our instinct and respecting our choices!He is a person with great integrity and will ask for his services again if we ever needed him! All the best to you Spencer you deserve 5 stars! read more

Strock Real Estate came highly recommended to us from a friend, who had recently used them to purchase a home. When we contacted them, Spencer quickly phoned us back and arranged to meet with us. Spencer was excellent at preparing our home for sale, using top quality people for staging, photography, detailing, and brochures. Spencer was also very attentive to our wants and desires for a new home, and helped steer us towards properties that best fit our criteria. The end result was that we were able to sell our home after the first open house that Spencer held, and he then guided us through a difficult short sale process in the purchase of our new home. We highly recommend Spencer Hayes and Strock Real Estate, and we will be using them again in the future. read more

Spencer is a top-notch real estate agent. He recently assisted us in buying a condo in the Santa Cruz area. Spencer is everything you want to see in an agent; he is personable, knowledgeable, reliable and thorough. He patiently showed us property after property and looked out for our best interests every step of the way. Never once did he try to smooth talk or pressure us into something that was not right for us. Ultimately, he helped us secure a property during a very competitive time in the marketplace. He persuaded the seller to choose us over several other buyers. He promised to bring our deal "home" and that is exactly what he did. If you are looking for an honest, sincere, hardworking agent, then Spencer is your guy. read more

Definitely "As Good As It Gets!" It was just a year ago that my husband and I purchased our awesome home in Aptos, steps from Rio Del Mar State Beach! Spencer Hays made it happen for us and we could not be happier both with Spencer and with our new home and life at the beach. We had never met Spencer before but liked him immediately and he hasn't let us down since! Spencer took all our angst in stride and kept us focused all the way through both buying our new home and simultaneously selling our former home. Spencer is a true professional and handled everything like the expert Realtor he is. We couldn't be happier and absolutely recommend him to anyone looking for a top notch realtor! Bill and Betsy Hare Rio Del Mar read more

Spencer was great through out the whole selling process, from start to finish. Not having anyone to help me move, I was loathe to start, yet didn't require the "professional 18-wheeler approach". Spencer lined up people that he knew, who hauled stuff as I was ready, on my schedule. Once I was out, he coordinated all the repairmen and contractors - with virtually NOTHING for me to worry about! How simple is that? I didn't even look at the house again until it was ready for sale! You hear people talk about buying "a turn-key house", where all you do is turn the key and walk in. Well for me, this was a "turn-key sale". I wouldn't hesitate to use Mr. Hays again, and highly recommend him. read more

I can't say enough about the outstanding work Spencer performed on a difficult piece of property in Aptos. Spencer had to work relentlessly with the county clerks office for a certificate of compliance. This feat took him over 90 hours to complete. This process was so drawn out by the county that we lost 3 offers because of the time delay. Never the less Spencer stayed by our side and didn't waiver in his believe that he could sell the property. He is the reason that the property sold after previously trying for 8 years. Spencer's positive attitude, strong work ethic and deep knowledge of real estate made him a joy to work with and I highly recommend his services. Thank you, Carol Dunn read more

World Class Service! When I received a cross country transfer in late 2012, my wife and I were in need of a quick sale of our Denver home. Despite nature's best effort (a neighbor's tree fell across our property opening week), Spencer teamed up with a Denver broker and had our home sold within 3.5 weeks. Best of all, he took ownership of the process allowing us to focus on our home search on the east coast. We highly recommend Spencer over other realtors due to his business acumen, creativity, network, and track record of success. He is a true professional that delivers results. Thanks again Spencer! David North Molnlycke Health Care USA read more

Spencer handled the sale of my property with nothing less than complete professionalism. It was a lengthy and complicated deal, due to it being a short sale, but throughout the entire process he displayed nothing but integrity and his incredible work ethic. He expertly managed the entire transaction from start to finish and truly deserves the title of 'full service agent.' He even cleaned up after my tenants who left the property in a mess after it had sold! I would highly recommend Spencer because of his true professionalism as well as his unbeatable service. His dedication to his clients is unparalleled and he delivers results. read more

Spencer Hays of Strock Real Estate orchestrated the selling of our home from beginning to end. Spencer's experience and professionalism made us comfortable and confident that he was the best person to do the job. He followed through in every detail: getting the house ready to sell, planning the inspections, arranging for a photographer and getting ready for an Open House. Spencer helped us prioritize our offers and select the one that led to a quick sale and closing. He was always available for questions and he explained the process as we went through it. We were fortunate to have Spencer as our agent. Jim & Shirley Catto read more

We are so lucky our good friends recommended Spencer to us. He is very personable and knowledgeable about the local area. Drawing on his own home improvement experiences, he was able to visualize how a property could work (or not) for our family. He was excellent throughout the entire negotiation process, from determining offer prices, addressing contingencies and when to counter or not. Ultimately we scored an excellent home and Spencer continues to check in with us to see how we are doing. He is also a great resource for local contacts regarding all things construction. We highly recommend his services. read more

My wife and I were tasked with selling her mother's home through probate. The whole process made us nervous due to not knowing any real estate agents in the area. Our attorney recommended Strock Real Estate and we made an appointment with them. That is how we met Spencer who from that point forward was our agent, counselor and friend. Spencer's knowledge, transparency and caring make this an easy review to write. I truly can't say enough about him. He made what could have been a miserable experience fun. We closed quickly and efficiently and we can now start to move on with our lives. Thank you Spencer! read more

What a joy to have found Spencer as our realtor in the Capitola / Aptos locale! He was extremely knowledgeable on the area, our specific property and provided valuable insight that helped us secure our dream beach getaway! We'd highly recommend Spencer to anyone looking for real estate in the Santa Cruz County area. He responded during all times of day and over the weekend ... just what we needed with our busy schedules. Thanks again for your dedication - it was a pleasure working with you! read more

Spencer was my agent and helped me purchase my home. Very personalized Service and really knew the ins and outs of the real estate market, current trends and the latest technology. He went above and beyond to make sure everything was perfect for my home and helping me secure a good mortgage. I would highly recommend him as an agent as his personality and amazing service help me get the home of my dreams! read more

Spencer Hays is an excellent realtor choice for finding you a home. He is incredibly knowledgable when it comes to home construction, repair, landscaping, etc., and had a team of very highly recommended professionals to recommend to us when needed. We were so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him while finding our dream home. His insight and experience is unparalleled. Thanks, Spencer! read more