Client Testimonials

“We were first-time home buyers in the middle of the San Francisco home buying frenzy. We were nervous and did not know what to expect. With Vicki as our realtor, the experience was a piece of cake. Vicki was always there for us, from open houses to after-work meetings to obtaining answers to our many questions. Her responsiveness, patience and humor were invaluable to us. We feel very lucky to have had Vicki guiding us through the process and recommend her without reservation.”

- Jane and Lauri

With her amazing stager, Robin of Robin's nest, Vicki went around the house advising us of neutral colors we should use to best 'show' our property. She was very upfront about things that would be worth spending money on, such as painting our kitchen cabinets. We had thought we might need to replace our dated kitchen cabinets and were thankfully advised against doing so. She also felt we should minimize our expenditure which ended up us saving a lot of money, time and stress. Phew, thanks Vicki, because it was stressful enough as it was!

Despite what I wrote in the previous sentence, we still had a lot to do and Vicki had a great list of resources,whether it was for painters, counter top installers, floor refinishers, tax advisers or haulers (thanks Tim!!). She answered questions within an hour of writing every time (one from Times square in NYC where she was on a family vacation) and 'held our hands' throughout the whole sale process.  Our SFR in the Mission showed really beautifully and received a lot of interest, in part due to the beautiful marketing material that Vicki and her team put together, both with  web site and brochure. 

Our overall experience with Vicki was really pleasant and we always felt we were in the hands of a real professional who understood what it was like for us to sell our home, which we had poured so much of ourselves into. We were VERY happy with the sale price and the terms and the way Vicki conducted herself throughout the whole process. We also feel that she she is still very available to us for wise counsel, even though escrow has closed, which we really appreciate.

- Alan W.

You should absolutely hire Vicki as your real estate agent. She's amazing! I have not met, and cannot imagine meeting, a better real estate agent. She exceeded our expectations by a landslide.

She helped us sell our single family home for 9% above asking, but what we valued the most was her guidance, support and insight throughout the process. Here's a few specifics that jump to mind:

1. She is true partner and trusted adviser. Our sale process had a few wrinkles. At every turn Vicki helped us frame the decision at hand, think through pros/cons, think through next steps, etc. Whatever decision we made, she got behind it and worked hard to get us the best outcome. She views her work more as a consultant than a salesperson, and it shows.

2. She owns the process. Turns out selling your home is complicated, time consuming, confusing and annoying. Vicki wasn't afraid to roll up her sleeves and get sh*t done. She kept meticulous track of timelines, to dos, payments, vendors, etc; none of which we wanted to think about.

3. She has an MBA from Stanford, the best business school in the country. I'm not generally impressed by degrees, but a real estate agent with a Stanford MBA is a rare breed. She was more thoughtful, rigorous, professional, creative, etc. than any real estate agent I've worked with. I'm a trained M&A banker, and she impressed me with her negotiation skills.

4. She's incredibly knowledgeable on the SF market and real estate game theory in general. This is table stakes, but box checked.

5. She's a normal human being. Personal, professional, knowledgeable, interesting, warm, friendly, etc. She the right mix of assertive, aggressive when needed, and not annoying. She's someone you want to talk to, and is easy to trust - which is important when she's negotiating on your behalf. I've dealt with a lot of real estate agents I'd rather never see again. 

Hire Vicki - she's amazing!
- Jeff P.

I can not say enough fabulous things about our realtor. We met with her 3 months before we were even ready to start looking, when we weren't even sure we could afford a house, but wanted to know more about what we could get. She gave us an hour long introduction to house buying then and got us us all set with tracking listings on line. She didn't care that we weren't really ready yet (hadn't gotten a loan approval or anything like that) and had some good suggestions on how to get started and how much we would need in the bank. We didn't start looking until August, but that didn't seem to phase her at all. In the interim, I'd send her questions about houses I saw for sale, and send her ones that I loved so that she got an idea of our tastes. 

Once we were ready, we then really got to know her. She is smart, fun, aggressive without being pushy, and super well respected among other realtors, (which it turns out is key as unbeknownst to us realtors like selling houses with realtors that are easy to work with).  During the process, which was totally new to us, she explained everything thoroughly and we really felt like we could trust her not to be leading us astray. Living in the area she has a great sense for how much places are worth and what they will go for. She was wonderfully responsive during the whole thing and called us frequently with updates through the bidding and escrow process. 

Another great thing about Vicki is that she didn't let us overbid. I wanted to put more on the house, but Vicki had gotten the inside scoop on the number of expected offers on the house (5) and talked us down on how much we should put in. (How many realtors convince you to pay less!) She felt confident that with the range we were comfortable, the realtor selling the place would come back to us with our top offer if we were close. In the end, that proved really nice to know we had paid less than we would have been willing to get the house. Also all the document signing is done on line with Zephyr through a signature portal, which made the need to sign multiple documents through the process uber convenient. 

She was truly amazing through what could have been a very stressful process. We love our house so much and Vicki has checked in several times since then to make sure things have been going well and that we remember to pay our property taxes. :) We still regularly email her with questions and she is a great resource for all things related to home buying.

- Michelle M.

I can't say enough positive compliments about Vicki. She represented me as a buyer in one of the toughest buyer markets ever. She stuck with me for a year until I found a place I loved and she knew would be good for me. She's the utmost professional and she's a good, trustworthy person. She wasn't in it for the easy sale. She really looked out for my long term interests. All thumbs up from this buyer!!! Also she is a respected agent among her peers and sometimes that gives you the edge in this tough market.

-SFL.

Vicki helped my siblings and me sell our father's house after he died. It was an unusual situation because we had a buyer already, yet it was not obvious for a while that he would obtain the financing he needed; and he did not have a realtor or attorney working on his behalf. I approached Vicki and we agreed that she would handle the sale, without most of the usual efforts such as staging, and for a much reduced commission. This could have been risky: Vicki could have sabotaged the sale we had already arranged in order to then put the house on the open market, for a much higher (three times as high) commission for herself and her company. This was my eighth real estate transaction, and in an earlier one I had discovered that the realtor I was working with was quite duplicitous, manipulating buyer and seller by telling them different things, in order to hasten the sale. With this in the back of my mind, I was particularly attentive to the ways in which Vicki came across from the start as transparent, honest, and invested in her client's satisfaction. I came away with the following to say: Vicki earned every penny of her commission. She worked zealously to see us through the entire process; she was extremely good at communicating frequently and lucidly with me as well as the buyer, and she was proactive in making sure the buyer would be successful in getting his financing, by reminding him repeatedly of his upcoming deadlines. I have recommended her to friends in the market on the basis of her integrity and the pleasure of working with the smart, energetic, and all around pleasant person that she is, and I recommend her to you for the same reasons.

- Mia F.

Vicki helped us buy a Tenancy in Common (TIC) in San Francisco.  The process is a little more complicated than buying a condo, but Vicki made it really easy to understand and gave us guidance on things to consider.

We interviewed a bunch of agents before deciding on Vicki.  We really liked Vicki's style.  She's professional with a lot of experience, but she's got a friendly, low-pressure demeanor.  We really hate the super-salesy agents that seem like they just want to get you into anything just to make their commission.  Vicki listens well, so you feel like she can find places that really would be a good fit.

She's not shy about supporting her clients.  The seller of our place was a little slow on fixing a bunch of things and Vicki was on top of everything, making sure the seller actually finished.  She was able to apply that gentle pressure that gets things done without getting anyone upset.

Vicki has contacted us many times after our purchase just to make sure everything has worked out well.  We'll definitely use her again when we outgrow our current place.

I recommend that any prospective buyers interview a bunch of agents, and Vicki should definitely be on your list.  She's really a San Francisco real estate expert and you'll actually enjoy the home buying process.

- Drew G.

In reading all the other testimonials, I agree with many of Vicki's other clients, she is a pleasure to work with, has a great sense of humor, is highly responsive, available, conscientious, detail-oriented, but the one thing that I appreciate the most is that she listens to what I want and has respected my needs every step of the way.  Not long after we first met Vicki was sending me highly relevant listings that satisfied my criteria. There were also months at a stretch when I took breaks from my search and Vicki was engaged and available without being overly persistent.  Even as we were writing an offer(which was subsequently accepted), she wanted to make sure that I was completely comfortable.

It has been reassuring the feel that Vicki has been looking out for my best interest every step of the way.

- Sarah B

“Having represented my wife and I on the sale of our condominium, it is with great pleasure that I recommend Vicki. As our house was our largest investment, you can imagine the concern with which we approached the process. Furthermore, having moved to New York, we had to rely on our broker to handle all of the aspects of the sale. 

Vicki did an outstanding job representing our best interests. From the first time I met Vicki, I was impressed with her professionalism. I immediately felt she could be trusted. While we were clearly happy that Vicki was able to sell our condominium for over asking, the real benefit came in her understanding of the process. She was able to seamlessly guide us through the process, providing advice at critical points of the process to allow us to achieve the maximum price with the most favorable terms. 

During the entire process she was diligent and professional. I would recommend Vicki to both buyers and sellers without hesitation. She made a trying process much, much easier.”

-Michael Pratt

We recently used Vicki to sell our condo in San Francisco. It was a difficult and stressful time because we were living in Hong Kong and so had to conduct the entire transaction thousands of miles away without ever meeting the agent! I have to say we were extremely lucky and blessed to find Vicki. She came to us recommended, and she turned out to be the perfect choice. Vicki took care of everything in a professional and caring manner, patiently advising us through each step of the process. Her responsiveness and attention to detail was top notch. Despite our great distance we always felt close to what was going on, and she consistently went above and beyond to make sure we were always 100% comfortable. We went into the selling process blind, but thanks to Vicki we had a fantastic experience (and our place sold for over asking)! I cannot recommend her highly enough.

- Nina & Paul (from Hong Kong)

Vicki Valandra came to our attention from past clients and was very highly recommended.  Vicki is very intelligent, knowledgeable and well-informed regarding the Bay Area real estate market. In selling our home, she always represented our best interests and helped guide our decision-making process with her experience and insight.  When we needed time to make some tough decisions she understood and waited for us; when we needed a kick in the pants she was there again to keep us on track.  When aspects of our transaction were being bogged down by the buyer, Vicki continuously went to battle for us making sure that they met their deadlines and continued through with their end of the deal.  Best of all, we trusted her completely; it made for a really positive experience to work with someone with so much honesty and integrity.

- Rob and Marissa

When my wife and I decided to look for our first home we both agreed that finding the appropriate agent was one of the few ways in which we could get the most condo for our budget. We had a few recommendations from friends…but had little confidence their agents were anything more then proficient. Unsatisfied with our choices, we pushed ahead with our search…alone.

Every week for almost a year, we consulted the MLS and made the open house circuit. Every property came with an agent ready to guide us to salvation. My wife and I weren’t buying it. One Sunday we showed ourselves to an open house where we meet Vicki Valandra. Vicki was warm and professional (like many agents we encountered) yet possessed another quality that the other agents lacked. Vicki had integrity, Vicki was genuine and I knew we could trust her to represent our interests. Vicki helped us have a great experience and I can’t recommend her highly enough!”

- Eric F.

“As a first-time buyer in San Francisco, I found Vicki to be an invaluable help in finding and purchasing my dream home. At the start of my search, I didn't have a clear idea of exactly what locations and property types I wanted to focus on. Despite my lack of clear decision criteria, Vicki invested significant time and effort in showing me a variety of different properties and locations to help us both figure out what the right home for me would look like. Vicki never tired of helping me look and never pressured me to put in an offer unless I was 100% comfortable with the property.

When we did finally find the perfect property, Vicki saved me an immense amount of money, time and sanity! First she managed to negotiate and execute a contract directly with the seller within a matter of days. The result was I was able to purchase the first home I bid on without the property going into a competitive bid situation, a rare feat in San Francisco. She also was extremely helpful in the closing process, scheduling inspections, helping me with the paperwork and even playing a critical role in helping me get the mortgage I wanted through her financial contacts.

I recommend Vicki strongly to anyone who is thinking seriously about buying a home in the Bay Area. She is very knowledgeable, helpful and will add value every step of the way. Most importantly, she is also very ethical, personable and a lot of fun to work with, all very important factors to consider when you think about the amount of time you will spend with your agent in the home-buying process! I have recommended Vicki to all of my friends who are in home buying and selling mode and have no hesitation in recommending her to anyone reading this testimonial.”

- Tom

“Vicki was a former manager of mine at a prior company. When she moved into real estate, I couldn't think of anyone better to work with. Vicki helped us throughout our entire experience as first-time home buyers. She was very patient with us as we tried to figure out what kind of home (and in what area) would best fit our needs. All throughout, Vicki was terrific at explaining all of the paperwork, the laws, the terms, etc. at each step of the process from writing up the offer / counteroffer to the contract signing, and the title. We really felt we could place our trust in her. Vicki made our first home buying experience as painless as it could be. I would not hesitate to recommend her to any of my friends and family members!”

- Tanaya and Teera

“As first time home buyers, we learned that purchasing a home in the Bay Area can be a major challenge. We had already placed offers on a couple of homes unsuccessfully, and even had an offer on what we thought was our dream home accepted, only to fall through during escrow, while working with an inexperienced real estate agent. Then we met Vicki. We felt extremely comfortable with her from the beginning. She presented as calm, peaceful and competent.

We learned early that there are many players in the home buying game and that the person we chose as our real estate agent could make the difference at many points in the process. This was important because, for us, the process of buying our first home was a very personal and meaningful experience. We had so much to learn and Vicki was knowledgeable, informative and patient. Vicki guided us through the process with the utmost professionalism and effectiveness. And whenever we ran into stumbling blocks along the way that had the potential to break the deal, Vicki’s easiness and perseverance prevailed. We feel very strongly that we are in our home today thanks to the hard work, expertise and intelligence of Vicki Valandra.

We also received feedback from others that were involved in the process of buying our home. The escrow officer with the title company that we worked with indicated that Vicki was among the top five professionals that she had worked with in her twenty years of experience in the business.

Our new home is better than we ever hoped for and we are so happy. We are forever grateful for everything that Vicki did for us. We wholeheartedly recommend Vicki to anyone searching for a home to call there own.”

- William and James

"We were first-time home buyers, and very nervous about stepping into the San Francisco real estate market. And, of course, we wanted to get more house than we wanted to pay for. Vicki came highly recommended, and immediately explained the process very clearly, so that we felt much more comfortable right away. She let us know that there would be challenges in finding a house that met our requirements, but she was always completely supportive and persistent on our behalf, and stuck with us for the 4+ months it took to find our home. During that time we sometimes got discouraged, or were tempted to buy anything just to get it over with; Vicki helped us keep our perspective, and steered us clear of some houses that, in retrospect, I'm very glad we didn't buy. Vicki is very knowledgeable, as well as bright, funny and real, and you couldn't ask for more than that in a Realtor. If we ever sell this place, I'll be looking for Vicki to handle it for us."

- Paul

"We just wanted to write you a note to tell you how happy we were with you as our real estate agent. We were very impressed with you because in our case, we were working with a very urgent schedule. This, combined with the normal insanity of the San Francisco housing market, demanded an intense level of dedication and commitment which you were definitely able to provide. The thing that really impressed us, however, was your probing questions to make sure that we were going to be happy with our decisions. On more than one occasion, you advised against a property where you could have easily made a profitable sale. 

Although we expected the process to be demanding, we did not expect the personal attention you gave us. Unfortunately I think that this is not the norm for real estate agents. We will recommend you highly to others."

Thank you,
-Stacey and Kalt 

"I was a first time home buyer, but also a busy professional. Vicki was gracious in her ability to walk me through the completely unknown territory of home buying. Vicki was sincerely interested in understanding what I was looking for and proved to be extremely knowledgeable, resourceful and organized during the touring process. When the time came, she was flexible in preparing and scheduling the paperwork, as it was on short notice and happened very quickly. She was instrumental in negotiating and provided guidance that ultimately got me the property. Simply put, I look back on the experience and smile. Quite remarkable for a first time home purchase in San Francisco. I am delighted to return the favor and do not hesitate to recommend Vicki.  It was truly my pleasure to work with her. " 

-Kathy K, Chief Financial Officer, Wells Fargo Securities