Due to the tech boom, home-buying in the Bay Area feels like a contact sport. Trust me, you want…read moreonly the best, most skilled, and most experienced realtor you can find, someone who in the high stakes moments, knows how to narrow down the contingencies, who can get in touch with inspectors and contractors at a moment's notice, and who can guide you through every stage of the process, from figuring out what you're looking for to finding the right open houses to making the tightest and most competitive bids to the nuances of the closing and escrow process. For us, this was Diana Hammer, and every step of the way, she was there with us, educating us to our options and allowing us to make the best, most-informed decisions we could possibly make. When my wife and I finally did find the right home, one that we actually felt super-excited about, Diana got the jump on our competition and mobilized an inspector to tour the house before making our bid so that we could have a super competitive no-inspector-contigency bid. Thanks to Diana, we closed quickly and managed to get the house for LESS than what a competing bid offered, which is pretty amazing.
Moreover, Diana didn't just leave us with the keys. Post-sale, she continues to be both a realtor and a friend, showing us the ropes of being first-time home-owners, alerting us to all of the considerations that are new to us: property taxes, sewer ordinances, hiring contractors, etc. The challenges of owning a home have seemed daunting at first, but having Diana there, with her unique combination of wisdom, humor, shrewdness, and grace, has been incredibly reassuring.
Yes, many of her competitors have more reviews, but consider which you would rather have in the high stakes Marin real-estate market, an agent who is savvy at Yelp promotion or a consummate professional with decades of experience. My wife and I started with Yelp and only found Diana by a happy accident. We got lucky. I'm writing this review so that if you're searching for the right agent, someone you can trust, you'll know you've come to the right place.