• I will meet with you to discuss what you are looking for in a home and discuss
  your preferences
  
  
• I will educate you about different SF neighborhoods and what kind of home you can get in your price range, always sharing my honest opinions; we will look at MLS (multiple listing service) listings together so I can show you examples of available homes for sale
  
  
• I will walk you through the home buying process step by step
  
  
• If you are not yet pre-approved for a home loan, I will put you in touch with an excellent mortgage broker who will educate you about your financing options
  

Working together to find you the right property

• Given your preferences, I will set up a search in the MLS (multiple listing service) and if you'd like, I can set up the system to send you an automatic email every time a new listing comes on the market that meets your search criteria
  
  
• We will go to open houses together to view available homes for sale – this outing will give me an even better idea of what features are most important to you
  
  
• I will view new listings for you on Tuesdays during the broker's tour and will email you timely feedback on the homes I have seen. If I see anything that I think you should see and you cannot attend the next open house, I will make a special appointment for you to view the property at your convenience.
  
  
• On Wednesday mornings, I will preview new Zephyr listings before they hit the market and will let you know if I have seen anything that looks like a great fit for you. Oftentimes, I can arrange for you to be one of the first buyers to see such a listing.
  
  
• Friday at noon is the deadline for new listings to hit the MLS in order to be included on the following Tuesday's broker's tour. After this noon cutoff, I will email you those listings that meet your search criteria, along with viewing recommendations. If you cannot make it to the open house, I will preview the property for you and let you know if I think
  it's worth your time.
  
  
• Eventually, we will find the right property for you. There is no formula to determine how long the process will take but I will do my best to weed out those properties that are not right for you and to ensure you know about the best properties so that we are making the best use of your time.
  
  

Making an Offer

• Once we have identified a property that you are especially interested in, I will talk to the seller's agent to find out why the seller is selling, when they are taking offers and how much interest there is in the property; I will also obtain the property disclosures for you.
  
  
• We will review the property disclosures and I will give you information on comparable properties that have recently sold.
  
  
• If you decide to bid on the property, we will strategize your offer, taking into account not only your offer price but also the terms of your offer which in many cases are just as important to the Seller as the price. We will work with your lender/mortgage broker on determining the most realistic financing terms.
  
  
• I will help you write a personal letter to the Seller and will include my own personal letter to the listing agent, highlighting your strengths as a Buyer. We will also include a pre-approval letter from your lender/mortgage broker.
  
  
• When it comes time to submit your offer, I will promote your strengths with the seller's agent and will provide you with prompt feedback on where you stand. If it's looking like your offer is not the top offer, I will determine if there is any way to put your offer into contention.
  
  

Managing the Escrow Process through Closing

• Once you have an accepted offer in place, I will begin the escrow process and be your advocate through the transaction.
  
  
• I will give you, the escrow officer and your mortgage broker a written timeline of all contingency/closing dates to keep everyone on track.
  
  
• I will schedule and attend all property inspections, including any necessary follow up inspections, and I will closely review all resulting inspection reports.
  
  
• I will provide your mortgage broker with any information they may need in order to
  get your loan approved.
  
  
• I will closely monitor all contingency dates and make sure that all the necessary paperwork and information has been submitted throughout the transaction.
  
  
• I will schedule and attend the signing of all your escrow/loan documents at
  the title company.
  
  
• I will coordinate a final walk through and key exchange at close of escrow, when you become the official new home owners!
  
  

After Close of Escrow

• I am not going anywhere J I will still be here to answer any questions you may have and to trouble shoot any problems that may come up.
  
  
• I give all my clients a list of my favorite contractors (painters, floor refinishers, gardeners, etc) and can provide you with any other resource suggestions you may need for fixing
  up your home.
  
  
• I will stay in touch and let you know about recent comparable sales in your neighborhood, keeping you up to date on what's going on in the SF real estate market.
  
  
• I especially love visiting clients after they've made improvements to their new homes. It's really exciting to see how far they've come since we started the home buying process!

Success stories

"Laura is absolutely fantastic.  She has gone above and beyond what we ever would have expected from a real estate agent.  We are first time homebuyers and were a little intimidated by the process.  Laura's knowledge and diligence helped make us feel comfortable throughout the entire process from start to finish.  Her dependability and honesty sets her apart.  We always felt like she had our best interests at heart, which really allowed us to trust her advice.  She was always available to discuss any aspect of our purchase, or to answer questions.  Since moving into our house, when we thought her job would have been done, she has continued to help us as we get settled into our new home. We feel very lucky to have met and befriended Laura and would highly recommend her without reservations."

DAVID CHANG AND LAURIE BROWNE

"After bad experiences with two other realtors, I called Laura after a referral from a friend.  She was immediately helpful and willing to work with me and my limited budget.  During the entire process, Laura explained everything clearly, gave excellent advice, and asked questions about properties that I would have never thought to. She was present and helpful every step of the way and very easy to communicate with.  Laura helped me purchase my first home and I am so excited and grateful!  I definitely recommend her." 

ANGIE PFANHL

"Laura was a completely committed advocate for our first home purchase. She accompanied us to showings, assisted with financing contacts, kept us up-to date with regular phone calls and emails, attended inspections, and got us into contract although a higher offer was outstanding. We found a home within our price range that exceeded our expectations, and the entire process from start to close took less than two months. A few years ago during our first foray into the real estate market, we had an agent who pushed quick-sale new construction condos even though we wanted a single family residence. 

Working with Laura is an entirely different and lovely experience.  She not only respected our wishes, she convinced us to aim higher.  If we were wowed by a home's exterior, she would remind us to check the its internal systems. Laura wanted us to have a perfect home more than she wanted a sale, and her attitude helped us to be patient and wait for the right property.  Instead of the fixer upper we first considered, we now have a fully renovated and move-in ready home within the same price range and neighborhood. We are very excited!!"

NATE FAEBER AND MARTHA WHITE

"Working with Laura was great.  The thing I like the most about her is her determination and perseverance.  I was a first time homebuyer and I had a very difficult time deciding in which neighborhood I wanted to live.  Laura was very patient with me.  She really took an interest in what was important to me and spent a lot of time with me touring the various neighborhoods to help me narrow my search.  I also really enjoyed Laura's honesty and integrity.  I never felt that she was out just to earn a commission. Instead, she always had my best interest in mind.  There were many times when Laura told me something was not worth the price or that the house needed too much work or was not in the right neighborhood.  It was great not feeling pressured into a huge purchase."

JOHN CARR

More success stories