I can't say enough good things about Matt & Mandy Draper. They were simply amazing during the entire process. Their strategies were spot-on and it made a huge difference in getting my home sold quickly and at a great price. What really stood out me, in stark contrast to many realtors I've had, was their integrity and professionalism. They genuinely cared about making sure the outcomes that affect me would be positive, like I was a family member. Plus, they're the kind of people you'd want to grab a coffee or a beer with. If you're looking for realtors who truly go above and beyond, I highly recommend. read more

Matt Draper is a fantastic realtor. People say sometimes , my so and so went the extra mile and Matt really did during our sale. He went so far above what realtors ordinarily do that he hired contractors to get our house ready to inhabit. He also was there daily monitoring work being done to fix many issues we had with the home. He was always available and fast to respond. This was our fourth home sale and Matt was far and away the best realtor we've dealt with. Make sure you meet him before deciding on whom to use. You won't be disappointed. Quality guy! read more

To say Mandy Draper and her team went above and beyond to sell our house is an understatement. Not only was the marketing of our home both top notch and affordable we got advice on everything associated with preparing the home and our move. In the end we took an approach of "let's just do whatever Mandy tells us" as her advice and strategy were always spot on. We were not easy client, with our decision to sell a difficult one, but she was endlessly patient over a period of many months. Most importantly we really think we got the best price possible for the home thanks to her preparations and negotiations. read more

Community Real Estate has taken care of us with their extraordinary service. In October of 2019 Sue Draper found a beautiful home for us when we moved back to Santa Cruz. Her knowledge is amazing covering all aspects of the purchase. Matt Draper just sold my mother's home in San Jose two months ago. We were going to be in New York for extended stays and Matt handled everything without me lifting a finger. Painting, hardwood floors, landscaping and more. The sale was stress free and the house sold quickly with bids over the asking price. We highly recommend Community Real Estate for your purchase or sale of a home. Matt, Sue and Mandy are simply the best! read more

Mandy & Matt Draper guided my extended family through what could have been a nightmarish scenario - (a probate situation with a relative who passed away suddenly) - with kindness, patience & an unparalleled level of resourcefulness, considering the circumstances. When presented with challenges, they pivoted without skipping a beat & all with good humor. The entire enterprise was seamless. When an occasional hiccup occurred they were on it, instantaneously. This is my first experience with a real estate transaction & Matt & Mandy thoroughly explained every step, always offering the up & downside of any potential decision. I would work with them again in a heartbeat! Thank you for all that you have done for us. We are no question, in your debt. Alex L. read more

If you are looking for someone to take care of all the details so you don't have to, then I think you'll love working with Mandy. Not only did she give us great advice on everything from timing to list the home, pricing strategy, and sorting through multiple offers - she was able to plan and coordinate all the work that needed to be don't to prepare the home for market. Being able to tap into all her resources from painting, cleaning, gardening, and everything needed for inspections made our lives so much easier. I can't speak highly enough for the service we received from Mandy and all the folks at Community Real Estate, which is I suppose is why we've used them in the past for the sale of our parents home, the purchase of a new home, and then the sale of this home - all three times have been delightful experiences. read more

Matt and Mandy Draper with Community Real Estate represented our family on the sale of our home in September 2017. In December 2017, we were notified that the buyers of our home filed a lawsuit against us for $85,000 stating we knew at the time of the sale that we had a septic system that would fail after we closed on the sale of the home and moved. They have never returned a phone call since. The only email Matt ever returned was to tell us to get in touch with his mother regarding this matter, who had nothing at all to do with the sale. They never attended the mediation in June 2018, despite being asked to attend due to being named on the complaint. We would have expected them to support their clients in this situation. Instead, they publicly called us liars and trashed our reputation in our small town. After three long years of defending ourselves, dealing with financial destruction, we never lost or had a judge rule and file a judgment against us or even got in front of a judge because we could no longer afford to try to get there in order for justice to be served. If you have the Drapers walk you through the real estate process and happen to find yourself in an unfortunate situation like being sued at no fault of your own, because it clearly does happen, expect them to pretend they never knew you. Expect them to take zero responsibility. And once it's all over and you've lost over $300,000, deciding not to sue them for attorney's fees because you just want to get on with your lives, expect to get a letter from them that says this: "Dear Steve and Courtney Leonard, We understand that with the passage of time, the stories we tell ourselves become our reality. Maybe you truly believed that your septic system was not failing. Maybe it was just the heavy rains of the previous winter or the type of toilet paper you were using. But the truth is all powerful and will prevail. In our case, we are grateful that the truth has come to light and that justice has finally been served...Dealing with you has also been one of the most transformative experiences in our lives and our careers. We are stronger because of you. We are better because of you. We are more supported and more successful because of you. So, in a funny twist of fate, we are forever grateful to you. While we cannot condone your behavior, we do wish that you find health, happiness and peace in your lives. Take care of yourselves, The Draper Family" read more

Mandy and Matt are awesome! They helped me sell my father's house, which had not been updated in 50 years. They provided some suggestions for improvements to maximize value. Since l live out of town, they also help coordinated the work that needed to be done...I was so grateful. Also, communication was prompt and thorough. We own a rental home in the area and if we were to sell, I would immediately list it with Mandy and Matt. read more

Mandy and Matt Draper at Community Real Estate are consummate professionals who provided expert guidance at every step of the way in selling our property. We had inherited the property in terrible shape, and Mandy and Matt helped us with everything from complete disaster clean-up to landscaping in order to prepare it for sale. They were thorough and thoughtful regarding every step of the process, communicated clearly and kept us informed, and had the highest level of integrity. They dealt creatively and professionally with a couple of unanticipated glitches that arose during the closing, and the property ultimately sold for a price well above the listing price. I cannot speak highly enough of the dedication, skill, and professionalism of Mandy and Matt at Community Real Estate. Their service was exceptional! read more

Not all real estate agents/agencies are created equal so why roll the dice on the guy or gal with their face on the most yard signs or ads in the local paper? Real estate transactions are the most important, most complicated transactions most of us will ever make, and one wrong move by an inexperienced agent could be expensive or impossible to correct. The Draper Team helped us with 3 uniquely different transactions and quickly earned our trust and respect with their expertise in market research and trends, market prep, marketing strategy, timing, negotiation, financing, estate and tax implications, rental prep, inspections, and the potential legal ramifications of each decision we made. I couldn't imagine buying or selling real estate without Matt or Mandy guiding us. read more

Fantastic performance. We had a complex transaction involving an estate property whereby the home was not kept in even legal condition. Helped get the property up to a condition where it could be sold "as is" and navigated through marketing and a complex sale and got the estate a top price with multiple offers and navigated title complications with ease. Great real estate agents. read more

These are the sharpest agents I have ever worked with. I have been fortunate to work with great real estate agents! However, I have never seen an approach like what they did with aquiring our house. WOW! Great Job! read more

I can't say enough positive things about the Drapers! I began the home-buying journey with a lot of skepticism about the process and distrust in the motives, but with their patient, invaluable guidance, we've now purchased our primary home and first investment property. Mandy and Matt will listen to your needs and work out the structure of your offer together, setting boundaries ahead of time within your comfort zone. Your offer will be made stronger by the fair and honest mindset that the Drapers bring to the party on the other side of the deal. Inspections and any inevitable twists in the process are handled amicably, and should you need help with any repairs, they'll work around your occupancy schedule to put together a tidy timeline. Even after everyone is paid, the Drapers always make themselves available for questions and advice, or to even meet with a contractor on your behalf. I know your experience will be as good as ours have been, whether you're buying, selling, or both while under a tight deadline! read more

Words cannot describe how lucky I was to work with Mandy!! I would highly recommend her to any and everyone! She has been an absolute pleasure. I am 23, a first time home buyer, and we spent about 6 months searching for the perfect first home. Mandy was incredibly patient and understanding. She educated me through the entire process, made it very fun, and became a great friend! I am so lucky to have had Mandy and then entire Draper Family help with this purchase, they are an incredible team and anyone who has the pleasure of working with them is very fortunate! Mandy- Thank you for everything! You are the BEST and I am so lucky to have been able to work with you, it has been so fun! Thank You!! read more

Where to begin. The Community Real Estate team -- Sue, Mandy and Matt -- is an amazing bunch. They look after you like part of their loving family. They live in the community they work in. They are parents who know the needs of parents. They helped steer us on the community up in the Santa Cruz mountains region, and they have decades of experience in the area and know everyone. They are an absolute delight and are the best ally you could imagine in your corner. We started to move on the wrong house by our own (mine) bad judgement, and they gracefully steered us away to an amazing home that was in far better shape, with tons of sun, land and beauty. They work insanely hard and are motivated only by reaching the ideal outcome for you. This is notable because along the search we ran into plenty of agents who were clearly more about the sale than the happy outcome of their clients. We are forever grateful, and I can't imagine doing better than working with Sue, Mandy and Matt. read more

We can't say enough about Matt and Mandy Draper of Community Real Estate. In past years when we attended various open houses, we ran into them several times and were very impressed with their expertise, professionalism and friendliness. Fast-forward a few years when we made a commitment to look for our forever home and we turned to Matt and Mandy to represent us. Right from the start, we knew that we had made a very wise choice. They walked us through the process of prepping our house for sale and the purchase of a new home. With both Matt and Mandy's extensive construction backgrounds and ability to coordinate various projects, we felt very comfortable when repairs or updates were necessary. We always felt that they listened to us and had our best interests at heart through every step of the buying and selling process. All communications were clear, productive and timely. We highly recommend Matt and Mandy Draper to anyone looking to buy or sell property. read more

Mandy was fantastic to work with. She couldn't have been more knowledgeable and responsive, and truly had our best interest at heart. She more than exceeded our expectations and we couldn't have been happier with the process and end result. I would give more than 5 stars if I could! read more

Their name speaks volumes. Do you want an agent that knows your community and will always put their community first? Look no further. I've worked with countless agents in the area and I can say without hesitation the team is seamless with every transaction. Sue, Matt and Mandy are a joy to work with and will put you and your home first as a seller. As a buyer, they know the ins and outs of every nook and cranny in this county. As a seller they are experts on every single neighborhood bringing you top dollar. My only regret is not hiring Community Real Estate first. read more

The Draper team sold our home for us just last month. We worked primarily through Matt but it was a team effort. They were expert in every phase of the process from prepping, staging, listing, showing, negotiating and closing. I'm 65 and have owned and sold several homes over the years. I have never worked with a more professional, effective and personable team (second place isn't even close). They kept us informed constantly, helped out with numerous tasks that weren't really their responsibility, gave great advice, and managed the process to maximize our sale, minimize our time and effort. I couldn't rate them more highly. We consider ourselves very lucky to have had them list our home. They are literally the best real estate team I have ever encountered in my life. Really. read more

The epitome of white-gloved service. In a crowded industry, Mandy and the Draper team truly stand out far above the rest. What is so unique is that between their own background and their strong network of craftspeople, they provide the knowledge, guidance and execution support to improve the value of your property significantly. From the initial walkthrough and recommendations to the roll-up-your-sleeves project work to the contractual due diligence, Mandy and her team are by your side throughout the process. This level of service simply doesn't exist elsewhere in the industry, and the stress it relieves is priceless. We have worked with them for years and just finished our third transaction, this time on an investment property, that simply would not have closed without their incredible attention to detail, market savvy and laser focus on customer satisfaction. Positive, experienced, patient, hardworking, communicative and ethical, the Community Real Estate team is simply the best! read more

It was such a delight working with the Community Real Estate team! Matt, Mandy and Sue are experts when it comes to knowing the market and kept us educated and up to date at all times throughout the closing process. I highly recommend this team...you will not be disappointed! read more

The Draper Team is fantastic! My husband and I contemplated selling our home ourselves and Mandy was kind enough to provide us with tips and referrals to local businesses (real estate photography, etc.). When we realized we did not have the band width to do it on our own, we called her back. It was the absolute BEST decision we made. She did everything, and we just followed the calendar she provided. The entire process from list, contract and close was seamless. Our house was under contract and sold above list price after just one open house. If you want to relax during the stressful time of selling, choose the Draper Team at Community Real Estate! read more

The Draper Team truly are the definition of what it means to be full service. We made a contingent offer on our forever home. Both Mandy and Matt made a what would be stressful process look seamless. They helped us from start to finish including getting their hands dirty beautifying our backyard to make it presentable for show. Mandy also worked diligently with both title, our loan department, and both the buyer and seller to get us the best and most secure offer. It gave us a lot of relief not to have the hassle of dealing with all the logistics. With Mandy's thoughtful advice we put our house on the market and within one week we had accepted a great offer. We are so grateful to them for everything they did to get us into our new home. We highly recommend them to anyone and are already spreading the word to family and friends! read more

Mandy was wonderful from start to finish! She called us back promptly when we first reached out to her office, and spent quite a while listening to us, getting a sense of who we were and what we were looking for. On our first visit to the area, she showed us several different neighborhoods and different houses to help us better nail down our parameters. Her intimate knowledge and love of the area showed clearly during the tour - she's lived in Scotts Valley all her life. Soon afterwards, she identified the perfect house for us! She got us through the offer process quickly and professionally, and once our offer was accepted, she was happy to schedule most of the inspections for the same day so that we could be present for them. In addition to her efficiency and excellent communication, her warmth and friendliness made her a pleasure to work with. While we hope not to have to buy a house again anytime soon, we would work with Mandy again in a heartbeat! read more

Terrible experience, one of the worst I could have ever imagined, especially in our small community. Their glaring 5-star reviews sound curiously alike - 'going above & beyond' and 'roll up their sleeves', a 'dream team'. 'used them before on the sale of another house', 'smoothly walked through process' - word for word. If that did happen for you, I'm so glad because it wasn't the case for us. Once we signed on the dotted line with Community Real Estate, the Draper Team 'Dream Team' seemed to whither away. Matt Draper initially had his game face on, but all bets were off after we signed. Talked a great game, mainly about going above & beyond, giving back. I'd say just give because you want to in order to be kind, not because you want to be seen giving and then to be heard telling everyone how much you give, how much you bend over backwards. They, as a team, were convincing.They seemed nice, eager, sounded great, what a nice couple. Reality set in quickly and we're still paying for it today. They talked about how they have this down pat, that they have so many local connections after being here in town forever. They take care of those odds and ends, get the house ready. They promised a comprehensive list of what to expect in the next day or so w/the process, next steps. Never got that, let alone their connections of workers working. One guy was scheduled who did our bathroom counter, didn't finish. We paid him and he didn't come back. Sue Draper came by once to do a 5-minute glance. She was to be part of the 'staging team' b/c she had a great eye for what would need to be done. I never met Sue, she never came back. After we signed with Matt, the only list I got was not a checklist or calendar or next steps, but name of a painter who took off to Tahoe for the summer, some handymen we never met, a lawn guy who tried charging us $2,500. Before signing, a relief! After? What they claimed was 'their specialty' became ours. The minute we signed their contract, we had that list of painters & 'his people' he said he knew, that he'd line up. He said 'here, call 'em. Leave 'em messages. Tell 'em we're working together.' We didn't need much work done, but even the smallest things became bigger than they needed to be with them. We're working full-time, have kids, sports, we're calling his guys between work meetings. I could have called a handyman alone without an agent. Dropping my new real estate agent's name all over town to get a call back for five odd jobs was the first red flag. We gave him the benefit of the doubt but it continued - he'd say he was going to do something & just wouldn't. Start, wouldn't finish. The was a constant throughout our work together. More importantly, he confirmed - assured us - more than once he'd list our home under the correct district code, specifically for our very desirable school district. Huge selling point. We were listing the house before school started and put the house on the market, checked the sites, it's wrong, doesn't fall into the proper district. He told us 1) Mandy has been working hard all day with tech support to fix. Then he said 2) I never said that & we don't even have an account with that 'xyz realtor' site. Wait? You confirmed several times, this was a plan we talked through, you said Mandy is 'fixing' the mess up with the site you don't have an account with, and that you posted incorrectly on. Which is it? 'I never said that.' But we had other people who heard us talk about it? 'I never said that.' OK, well let's move on from the social media marketing mess up. Each step we'd put something behind us. We wanted to hire a stager, they said that's what we do, 'the team!', we will run marketing with well-known social media sites with the right school district (that never did get fixed), and stage your house! Staging entailed slightly shifting my stuff. They brought old, dirty flower pots to put around our pool deck that looked like they were laying on their sides in a wet dirt garden. They brought 2 old worn out looking lawn chairs from their backyard. We're trying to sell our home in a nice neighborhood, a nice home, it was odd. Matt's guy never finished the bathroom tile, so Matt bought floor tile, cut them in half for our countertop, which we already paid his guy for. Matt & Mandy took home the new remaining stack of tiles, new tube of caulking & tool, all plants, any new pots (not old), flowers from the 'staging' outside, then sent a $400 bill with the receipts for the things they took home. We explained this was ridiculous. They agreed(?). Also said pool didn't need a pool fence. We thought it was the law. Nope, new law. Day before we're moving, they slip into an email that they need a fence guy for the pool, do we know who we used 10 years ago. Stressful scrambling. 'I never said that' was echoing again. But you did. Those glaring 5-star reviews after the date of the sale of our home are pretty unbelievable. Beware, Community Friends. Would not recommend. read more

When I landed a new job in the Bay Area, the prospect of finding a home for our family to relocate to from Southern California seemed dire. My wife and I had fallen in love with the Skypark neighborhood in SV and knew it would be the perfect fit for us and our children, ages 2 and 4. But being new to the area, and without a roadmap of where to start, we felt overwhelmed. That all changed when my wife and I met Matt Draper for the first time, our primary point of contact with the Team. Matt has a keen ability to truly listen to others and assess how to meet their needs in a thoughtful and professional manner. Matt is very personable, understands the unique circumstances that each client is dealing with, and will always be there when you need him. He talked us through each and every step of the way, answering all of our questions, and made sure we understood everything and were comfortable proceeding. As far as my wife and I are concerned, without the knowledge, experience, and expertise of the Draper Team, we would not be living out our dream in our perfect Skypark home at this very moment. We are so very pleased and thankful, and would highly recommend him to anyone! read more

The Draper Team is a truly special team. My wife and I wanted to move our family from Washington to California on an extremely short timeline (my wife was 6 months pregnant when we were referred to Mandy, we hadnt even started looking at homes, and our goal was to move before our new baby was born). Mandy made the home search process extremely simple despite initially being out of state. She helped us line up a bunch of homes that fit our requirements so that we could tour them when in town, and worked super fast to coordinate with the listing agents to set up viewings. During the viewing process, I was super impressed by Mandy and Matt's incredible depth of knowledge about home construction as well as the history and economics of the market we were buying in. They would frequently point out important considerations that weren't immediately obvious (i.e. build quality of remodel jobs) and help us weigh the pros and cons of everything holistically. The best part about working with the Draper Team was that we knew they had our backs. From very early on in the process, it became clear that their goal was not simply to help us close on a house -- their goal was to help us close on the RIGHT house for our family, and they did everything in their power to make it happen. Eventually, thanks to Mandy and Matt's knowledge of the market, strategic thinking, speediness and incredibly hard work, we were able to close escrow on our dream house in under 30 days. Our baby was born at a local hospital and we moved in to our new home the day we brought her home from the hospital! We still can't quite believe we were able to make it happen, and there's absolutely no way it would have happened without the Draper Team. read more