If you expect to be very lucky that everything goes smoothly on your closing, then this company is…read moreacceptable. But if anything happened, Escrow Avenue Inc. sure knows how to blame others! The company (in Arrowhead) charges a base rate for the escrow service, which is $2.5 per thousand of the sales price, plus $250 (for buyer; I suppose seller pays the same amount). This is NOT considered cheap for the escrow base rate in Southern California, so this is not because of we-are-cheap-hence-crappy-service. The closing date is 4/13. They collected prorated April, plus May and June HOA from me. However, I received a late fee notice from HOA for June. I contacted the company and was told they will research and call me back the following day. They didn't call and sent me an email 2 days later saying the seller didn't pay April HOA. So Alisa told me it's HOA's fault because they didn't provide the information. I then contacted HOA and received a full report showing the escrow company requested the information in March (hence no April HOA). After I forwarded the email to Alisa, she then blamed me not closing in time. Well, the contract signed on 3/3. Wouldn't it be closing in April anyway? As an escrow company charging a premium for your service, not taking any responsibility is unacceptable. This is not your first case. Be smart and be responsible! Not recommended. This small incident reflects their poor customer service. In my opinion they did a very poor job.

The staff at Escrow Avenue were all very polite and knowledgeable. They took the time to explain…read morethe process of buying my house every step of the way. The Ladies at Escrow Avenue stayed past their working hours to accommodate my busy schedule. I highly recommend Escrow Avenue if you are seeking caring, efficient professional service.

Michelle is amazing: your search for the best real estate agent ends with Michelle! I interviewed…read moremultiple real estate agents and Michelle stood out above and beyond as being the clear best! Michelle knows the market really well - she has a great pulse for what is going on, what each of the sub-neighborhoods are like, other lake/Association issues that might effect purchasing and selling, etc. Another great thing about Michelle as a buyer's agent is that she doesn't rush you into a home just so she can get a commission - I love how Michelle will point out negatives in a home that I might not notice (like deferred maintenance, water damage, etc. that I would not have noticed) because she truly is looking out for you and not just trying to quickly close a deal. Michelle truly cares about finding you the best home and will even wait months & months (or even years like she did with us!) and never complain about touring tons of homes with you until you find what is the best fit and checks all of your boxes. Michelle makes it her mission to find her clients their perfect home - and never settle! So here's the thing: I have an intense attention to detail PLUS I've had a real estate license for two-decades, so I have way high expectations when selecting a real estate agent to represent me and Michelle has exceeded all of my incredibly high expectations! I really appreciated how Michelle would photograph or video a home for me if one came on the market while I was out of town and couldn't make it up to Lake Arrowhead to view it - that is just one example of how caring she is! I also love how detail oriented & attentive Michelle is and she truly has your best interests in mind! We appreciate Michelle's experience and great judgment on if a property will be a good fit. Michelle also has studied interior design so she has a great eye for what would go well in a home you buy and for staging homes she sells. Michelle doesn't do anything less than amazing - all of her photos, marketing, pricing, everything is top notch! As a seller's agent she portrays your home in the best possible light and is really incredible at marketing. Michelle is an above and beyond agent! Even after the close of your home, Michelle has a great network of contractors that she can refer you to for maintenance or upgrades for your home. Everyone Michelle has referred me to has been top notch! Also, Michelle is just a super cool person - I enjoy spending time with her and during the process of finding us our ideal home she has become a friend! In addition to being privileged to work with the best real estate agent on the mountain, I just enjoy hanging out with Michelle! If the little details matter to you and you want an agent who you feel truly has your back & best interests in mind - then Michelle is the agent for you. We couldn't be happier with our experience because she found and secured us our dream home - and I gained a friend in the process!

We purchased a home in Lake Arrowhead this past October (2020) and Michelle was our agent. I…read morealready had a sense it was a competitive market and we couldn't afford to get into bidding wars so I knew we had to select the best agent possible to work for us. I did a lot of online research and sleuthing, a lot of the other agents in L/A seemed 'typical & vanilla', what I liked about Michelle was the way she put herself out there online, and appeared to have an excellent working knowledge of the area. We locked in Michelle immediately to begin our hunt. In a matter of weeks we saw over 20 places in Lake Arrowhead and Michelle was brutally honest at times, feelings had to be put aside as I realized that she wasn't just trying to get us into 'any' house and get us off her books, she didn't want to see us over pay or end up with something that needed more 'fixing' (hello, lipstick on a pig) than we could afford. After a number of weeks and many trips to Lake Arrowhead we found the right place for us, escrow was super smooth, Michelle and her team stayed in close contact through the entire process (much more enjoyable than our first home buying experience) We closed early. But here's the real magic with Michelle, she gave us SO MUCH intel on Lake Arrowhead, the pro's the con's and the how's and the when's on how to thrive and survive in Lake Arrowhead. We have friends that moved here 18-month before us and my Wife (Janeva) and I are informing them on things about Lake Arrowhead, on top of that we had new neighbors move in recently near us as a snow storm hit, and they were completely unprepared, their agent gave them no intel at all on the area. Michelle not only helped us secure our home that we absolutely love, but she gave us a head start to mountain living that has us years ahead of others. If you're serious about wanting to buy OR sell a property in Lake Arrowhead you would be a fool to not use Michelle, you will need to be realistic though as she'll most certainly be real with you. Thanks Michelle - th

Excellent agency to work with, very professional and experienced at what they do. My agent,…read moreRachelle, was very personable and friendly, extremely responsive and kept everything moving along quickly, and made they entire process easy peasy. Highly recommend working with Rachelle or anyone at Re/Max Lakeside!

Our agent, Johnny Whieldon, is truly remarkable. He goes above and beyond for his clients to ensure…read morethe real estate deal goes through smoothly and on time. We so appreciated Johnny's diligence. He is definitely our choice for real estate needs in Lake Arrowhead.

I stumbled across Brianna right here on yelp, and man am I so glad I did. All these 5-Star reviews…read moreare for a reason people! This was my first time selling a home and she held my hand each step of the way. Brianna was able to get our home sold at asking price and it was as quick and painless as can be. I would have zero hesitation in recommending her to anyone looking to buy or sell in her area.

Friendly and professional! If you need a mountain home this is your go to. She's a local so…read morefamiliar with the area and neighborhoods can offer expert advice and recommendations.

Simone (and her assistant Chelsey Carroll) won me over from the beginning as I interviewed realtors…read moreto sell our family cabin of 68 years. To begin, we share a love of this beautiful mountain and community. In addition, Simone was very professional, very organized, with a no nonsense yet extremely caring approach regarding our emotional transaction. The process couldn't have been more seamless even with multiple offers to contend with. She was involved in every detail including meeting with and recommending reputable contractors for the sale. Simone was available for any and every question too! Her integrity was matchless. Our cabin was well staged and quickly sold for above the asking price. I could not have been happier with my choice in Simone! Together Simone and Chelsey worked diligently to help the sale happen sooner and even helped me donate large items. Simone far surpassed my hope of realtors. Thank you, Simone! Thank you, Chelsey! God bless you both.

Simone is a very thorough, knowledgeable and patient real estate agent specializing in Lake…read moreArrowhead and the surrounding communities. She was very honest throughout our often rocky home sale in Lake Arrowhead. I mention this because, like all sellers, we hoped for more that the final sale produced. She was always clear with us about the changing situations and whether the offer(s), and subsequent demands from buyers were reasonable, or if we should reply, provide a counteroffer, or just say nope. Buyers, especially in the mountains, seem to always ask for more, even if the last offer/counteroffer were clearly reasonable. Even at the last minute. Simone helped us thread the needle and get the home sold. Simone constantly updated us about every showing and offer, and was dogged in her determination to get follow up from any other agent who showed our property. I heartily recommend her and her agency to any prospective seller. She will go out of her way to accommodate sellers, especially those who live full-time off mountain.

BE CAREFUL. This review was very difficult to write, but felt important to acknowledge for those…read moreconsidering working with Brian. Ironically, I bought a house from Brian 6 months ago and had a good experience. The house is great, and outside of his delayed replies that pushed the timeline back, things went well overall. However, that's when everything turned. Brian asked to stay to rent storage and it's been miserable. I never imagined 6mo later he would be the only tenant I've ever had who never pays on time, ignores 90% of contact attempts, and worst of all refuses to leave. We have repeatedly told him we have a signed lease for his space and implored him to leave, and even after 4mo straight of that, he refuses. I have tenants who signed leases waiting and upset as a result, and this is causing direct damage to my business and the relationships within. Brian is a good realtor and also very knowledgeable, like dozens of realtors on the mountain and thousands within CA. But my unique perspective has taught me that while he smiles and assures you he'll offer 5-star service, that's the side motivated by his 4-5 figure commission. When his behavior is instead influenced by ethics or character, rather than his commission. he seemingly behaves and treats people far differently. At one point when my frustration and anxiety had reached a boiling point and I told him to be professional and get out because my tenants are waiting, he reminded me of how powerful he is as a 25+ year realtor and told me he will leave on his time, not mine. I steer clear of people like this in business and in my life as best I can (albeit unsuccessfully here), and I suggest you consider doing the same.

We hired Brian to sell our vacation home this last summer. From the start, it seemed odd that he…read morehad to use his assistant to do everything. His communication was lacking, we never seemed to know what was going on in the process, nor did he when we would ask. He would end up getting back to us. The buyers had their own agent, yet during the negotiations, it seemed to us that he represented the buyer more than he represented us. Although he did end up selling our house, we have yet to meet the man in person. Not sure, but doing a search after the fact, it looks like he may live in another state. We have another house going on the market soon, however, we will not be using him again. We would NOT recommend him to others.

We contacted Ken without knowing a lot about Lake Arrowhead, but with Ken's knowledge of the area…read moreand guidance, we got our dream escape. He was always available and eliminated the property's that were a waste of our time. Great job Ken.

Ken was extremely helpful on the sale of our Lake Arrowhead vacation home. We left the state for…read moregreener pastures so having someone that is professional, attentive and honest was a must. He had the house sold in a very timely manner. We would recommend Ken to our family or friends.

My wife and I were impressed with Barry's knowledge of Lake Arrowhead and the properties he showed…read moreus. Barry sold us our commercial property www.lakearrowheadtattoo.com and a couple years later our dream home! Barry made it easy for us to buy a house with his patience and expertise! Seriously honest and straight forward, he will be selling us our next property if we so decide to buy again! Thank you for helping our dreams come true.

We don't live in the area and Barry helped us not only find the PERFECT house for us he also…read moreintroduced us to many many fantastic pieces of info as we got to know the community. Highly recommended!

I worked with William Hardwick on a vacant land purchase in Big Bear City and had a terrific…read moreexperience. As Big Bear local and native, Willie knew all the neighborhoods and provided insight that only a local can. He made himself available when new listings were available and was patient throughout the process of finding just the right lot. Once in escrow, Willie answered all my questions and made sure the process went smoothly. I highly recommend Willie and the Rahill Team!

If you're looking for a realtor who is knowledgeable, responsive, and truly cares about her…read moreclients, I can't recommend Melissa highly enough. From the moment I walked into what would become my new home in Lake Arrowhead, Melissa guided me through every step of the process with professionalism, patience, and kindness. She was always available to answer questions, provide updates, and help navigate the inevitable twists and turns that come with buying a home. What impressed me most was her genuine commitment to making sure everything went smoothly. She advocated for me, kept me informed, and never made me feel like I was facing the process alone. Buying a home can be stressful, but Melissa's calm guidance and expertise gave me confidence every step of the way. Thanks to Melissa, Sidney and I are beginning an exciting new chapter in what we've affectionately named "The Tree House." I'm incredibly grateful for her support and would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. Thank you, Melissa, for helping make this dream a reality.