A Few Words from My Clients About Their Experiences
I've done my best to demonstrate my knowledge of the Oakland Hills real estate market, my record of success, and my professionalism. Along the way, I've laid out a few strategies that will help you make it through the often-challenging transaction process with the lowest possible stress levels.
I can only do so much to persuade you to give me a call or email. But perhaps a few notes that fellow clients have shared with me over the years will convince you that I'm the right partner for your real estate transaction.
"YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE MARKET WAS THE SINGLE BIGGEST FACTOR IN SELLING THE HOUSE IN ONE WEEKEND WITH A SELLING PRICE CONSIDERABLY OVER THE ASKING PRICE."
March 3, 2007
Dear Kurt,
Thank you so much for all your help in selling the Las Aromas house.
As you are well aware, it has been a long haul from the days a year and a half ago when we needed an appraisal for estate purposes through getting it emptied and prepared for market to actually selling it. We feel very fortunate that we saw your newsletter and contacted you in the beginning.
You have been there for us throughout the whole process and you
made everything so easy for us. When we didn't know where to find people
to take care of the painting, landscaping, carpets, window washing, and
staging, you took care of it all for us. You hired and supervised everyone; all
we had to do was sign authorizations and write checks. When we needed to
find people to appraise the house, do home inspections, set up an estate sale
and haul away a huge amount of trash, you told us where to turn. You took
care of the smallest details - even making a special trip to the house to make
sure that the windows were all closed when it threatened to rain. When we
were totally confused by the amount of paperwork involved in the sale, you
made everything clear and easy.
All this is to say nothing about the situation with the buyers when it came time to close. Your optimism kept us on track and in the end everything went very smoothly. You truly went above and beyond the call of duty, and we are very grateful. We had heard so much about the market changing and homes going down in price and taking forever to sell, we were kind of discouraged that we had taken so long to get the house ready. You told us not to worry, February is a great time to put a house up for sale, and you were right. Your knowledge of the market, including timing, target audience, and pricing, was the biggest factor in selling the house in one weekend with a selling price considerably over the asking price.
It has been a real pleasure working with you. You have always been friendly, upbeat, knowledgeable, and thoroughly professional. We would highly recommend you to anyone needing a real estate specialist in the Oakland/Berkeley Hills area.
Sincerely,
Wade and Dorothy Ritchie
"...A MASTER OF DIPLOMACY AND KINDNESS."
Kurt Buchholz sets the bar of excellence for real estate brokers. He is client-focused, diligent, and has an incredible penchant for detailed follow-up. Kurt is charming and flexible in his style, enabling him to work with all types of personalities and client needs.
I was amazed that Kurt was able to persuade the previous home owners to list their house a month earlier than planned, get me into the home for a viewing, virtually unannounced, before they had even listed their home, and complete the offer/acceptance process...all in a matter of 48 hours. Additionally, Kurt facilitated a protracted escrow period to satisfactory completion, and went above and beyond the call of duty on several occasions to make sure I was satisfied with the condition of the home while keeping the previous homeowners content. He is a master of diplomacy and kindness.
It has been a complete pleasure working with Kurt and I consider myself fortunate to have him as my broker.
--Viki Bernholz
"...BY FAR THE BEST REALTOR I HAVE EVER WORKED WITH IN ALL AREAS OF THE TRANSACTION."
I apologize for taking so long to let you know how much Don and I appreciate the extraordinary job you did in selling our home in the Upper Rockridge area of Oakland.
As you know, I have a great deal of experience in buying and selling homes. From the time we began our professional relationship with you, you continued to exceed our expectations. You were by far the best realtor I have ever worked with in all areas of the real estate transaction.
Your extensive research in helping us price the home, the creative marketing plan you created, your professionalism, follow-through, creative strategy at the time of the sale, and follow through after the sale, were all the best we have ever seen.
As well, everyone we talked to about you had nothing but praise for your integrity, skills and professionalism. It is clear the reputation you have gained in the Bay Area with your peers, inside and outside of your firm, helped sell our house more quickly and for the best possible price.
I can only say that any other realtor we work with in the future will have some very large shoes to fill. I just wish we could take you with us to Las Vegas and Southern California, Kurt. We wish you all the best in your future, and send you our deepest gratitude.
-- Nanci Bellante &
Don Watkins
"...HE DID A GREAT JOB OF LISTENING...WE'LL WORK WITH KURT AGAIN. "
As first time buyers, my husband and I needed lots of help. Kurt did a great job of listening to our questions and to what we had to say about the properties we saw, and in the end he was able to guide us to the right home for our needs. We'll work with Kurt again because of his knowledge of the area, but also because of his thoughtfulness and professionalism.
-- Shelly and Tom Rose
"...YOUR ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND OUR NEEDS WAS VERY HELPFUL TO US... "
We wanted to drop you quick note to let you know how happy we were with your service. As you know we were very stressed about purchasing our first home. We felt that your professionalism, knowledge of the market, and ability to understand our needs was very helpful to us throughout the process. We love our home and we thank you for guiding us through the competitive market.
We appreciate your hard work and honesty, and we will certainly use your services again. Thanks again, Kurt.
-- Joel and Jessica Kelly
"...KURT MADE OUR DECISION TO MOVE JOYFUL AND PAINLESS"
It is difficult to make a move after living in a home for 19 years. Kurt Buchholz of the Grubb Co. made our decision to move joyful and painless. Both the selling and the purchasing experience with Kurt were seamless, efficient, and most of all fun.
From the day that we made the offer on the house that Kurt sold us, we were moved in within two weeks. The buyers of our 19-year home were moved in within three weeks of making their offer. Most of all Kurt was there for every small detail both before and after the sale. We will never forget the little things, like Kurt offering to be there for the cable guy or any service people so we didn't have to leave work. He has extended himself beyond our expectations, which has made our experience a wonderful one.
-- Clair Moreland Girma and
Ellias Girma
"...HE SINGLE-HANDEDLY CHANGED OUR PERCEPTIONS OF REALTORS"
My wife and I feel very fortunate to have met and worked with Kurt. Candidly, he single-handedly changed our perceptions of realtors. When we met Kurt, we were at the point of despair based on several weeks of searching the East Bay for a home as we transitioned in from the Pacific Northwest. We faced multiple offers, bidding wars, arrogant, disinterested or rude agents and were frankly down on the whole experience.
Then we met Kurt.
I am quite confident that we would neither have enjoyed the experience, nor been successful in buying our new home had it not been for Kurt's deep knowledge of the area, useful network and relationships with the selling agents representing several firms, sound, practical and ultimately correct advice on what to do next. His determined, creative approach is what got our sellers to accept our offer even in light of a cash offer submitted at the same time.
Kurt came to our temporary home at all hours to accommodate our schedule, he personally attended the inspection, the appraisal and the closing event. On the rare occasion that he had a conflict, he pre-arranged another Grubb Company agent and ensured they were fully briefed on all the details of our search and buying process.
Kurt managed our expectations exceptionally well with a refreshing blend of openness and encouragement.
I have and will continue to recommend Kurt to anyone I hear about seeking property in the areas that Kurt serves.
-- Paul and Amanda Raknes
