I recently moved from Santa Cruz and wanted to buy a home in the Chico/Butte County area. I read lots of reviews for different agents and decided to work with Sarah. All the reviews I read were great and my personal experience was even better. Sarah is very efficient, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to work with. She has great negotiation skills and will get you the best deal possible. She takes her job very serious and doesn't skip any steps. Sarah recommended outstanding people to help us including our home inspector, well inspector, roof inspector, pest inspector, HVAC company, and title company. She was able to anticipate hold-ups before they became problems, and helped make this an incredibly easy process. She made my experience very pleasant and smooth and I couldn't ask for anyone better to work with . At the end she was just as happy as I was when I go the keys to my new home. I would highly recommend Sarah to anyone who's looking to buy/sell a home and is looking for a personable, professional and knowledgeable agent. Thank you so much Sarah for making my first time home buying experience such a smooth and enjoyable one! read more

Sarah Nielsen, broker and owner of Independent Realty Group represented my husband and myself in a new home purchase. We started working with Sarah over a year ago in Chico. She guided us through the local real estate market, provided expert assistance in our purchase, and helped manage the sales process all the way to the closing. This was unexpected, since this was new construction and the builder also had an agent to work with us. We feel Sarah consistently went above and beyond her job responsibilities. She was always available to help us with every small detail, or question. Sarah is an outstanding agent, and we highly recommend her! read more

My wife and I were looking for a house in Chico, and we accidentally stumbled across Sarah Nielsen (the owner and operator of Independent Realty Group) when looking at a property on Zillow. Wow. I'm glad we did. It's no stretch to say that Sarah is awesome at what she does. She is courteous, professional, and knowledgeable about the real estate market here in Chico. Above all, she is honest and friendly. She knows her stuff, and will aggressively work for you during the process of finding a home, negotiating for your home, and closing. I will recommend her to everyone I know; she made the process of buying our first house incredible! read more

Thank you, thank you, Sarah, for all you did to help us sell my dad's home! My dad moved into an assisted living facility almost a year ago. It was very hard for him to make the decision to sell his home of 46 years. The home he shared with my mom and us four kids. Once the decision was made we met Sarah Nielsen. She was so professional and kind we were happy to work with her. From day one until the day escrow closed Sarah was more thoughtful and helpful then we could imagine. She did extra footwork meeting with my dad since he no longer drives and I live 90 miles away. Through all the bumps in the road, Sarah worked tirelessly, always with a positive attitude. I would recommend Sarah to anyone and everyone. If you need a realtor...call Sarah at Independent Realty Group. You won't be sorry! read more

We were fortunate to find Sarah through her Yelp reviews and I'm so glad we did. She managed to make the somewhat scary (but exciting!) process of buying our first home seem easy. We were moving from San Diego, so I contacted Sarah through the form on her website one evening. The next morning she gave me a call and we discussed my situation (husband already temporarily housed in the area, kids and I still in San Diego). She listened and offered some great suggestions on how to phrase our needs so that we'd get more hits on what we were looking for. This alone made a tremendous difference in the search. Immediately following the call, Sarah set up an MLS portal for us and our home search was official. When the time came for me to fly up to Chico and actually visit properties, I let Sarah know my schedule and she made sure that she had large blocks of time set up for us on both Saturday and Sunday, as well as during the week. This was so reassuring to us, because flying back and forth wasn't going to be an option, so knowing that we'd be able to get a lot done in the week we had. Sarah had us create a list of favorites and we worked from there. Initially our plan was to see half on Sat. and the other half on Sun., but 3 of the houses on our list got scooped up before Sat. so Sarah called us and said that if we were up for a long day, she was willing to spend all Saturday covering every house on our list. How amazing is she?! As she drove us from house to house, she gave us information about neighborhoods, Chico in general, the local schools and even restaurant suggestions. She was able to answer all of our questions and let us know that she had local contacts for a variety of our possible needs and concerns as we moved forward. We landed on our final choice after a long day of looking. Sarah was back with us on Sunday working to get the paperwork started and us moving in the right direction. Her negotiating skills are second to none and we were given far more than we'd have gotten on our own. She asked for things we didn't even know we could ask for and then got them! We are due to close on our new home in the next week or so and in the time between choosing and closing, Sarah has been in contact checking in with us and making sure we're doing okay. At one point, my kids and I considered the possibility of taking an apartment in Chico instead of waiting in San Diego. I contacted Sarah and (not surprisingly) she was on it. In no time she had a suggestion for an appropriate place that would even keep us in the same schools as where our home would. We did the walk through of our new home and Sarah was there, making sure to keep the contractors on point and giving them the chance to correct any flaws (many of which we would have overlooked due to our excitement). And of course, it's worth mentioning that as this comes to a close, we've seen a slow down in the processing of our paperwork on the end of our lender. Sarah asked for the names and numbers of all those involved so that she could call and help to move things along. This is a woman who gets things done. My husband and I have been so completely impressed with Sarah. She is 100% professional and at the same time manages to be so approachable and down to earth. Not once did we feel as though we couldn't ask her a question, which was really important because this is our first home buying experience. I would recommend Sarah without hesitation. If ever we find ourselves in the position to sell or are looking to buy again, Sarah will be our first (and only!) stop. Do yourself a favor, if you're looking for a realtor in Chico, look no further. read more

I have waited to do this review as Sara has received so many wonderful reviews. What can I add? We had a very difficult sale with gramma and she was the most patient, understanding and professional agent ever. Do yourself a favor and give her a call. You won't regret it!! She will get it done! read more

Sarah is great! Very quick to respond via email and her co-workers are fast too! The loan officer she referred us to Ben was great as well! He gave us lots of information and worked within our budget! Highly recommend these people! read more

Sarah helped us find and buy our first home. Sarah figured us out, knew what we would like, and when houses weren't quite perfect, had the wisdom to tell us to just wait a little longer. And we didn't have to wait long until THE HOUSE was on the market, and when it was, she called us immediately. She kept us informed, she kept us happy, and she kept us SANE! I couldn't have dreamed of a smoother escrow. I highly recommend her! read more

My husband and I were so lucky to work with Sarah when buying our first home. I can honestly say that we probably would not have gotten the home we have (and love!)without her help. Sarah goes the extra mile in every aspect of the transaction- from house-hunting to answering questions after the sale. She worked around our crazy schedules by taking us house-hunting on weekends and evenings, and when we found the house we just had to have she presented our offer in person (actually that same night). As it turned out, that made a huge difference- someone else had put in a very competitive offer on the house and because the owners liked us, they chose to sell it to us. She was also fun to work with and very knowledgeable. Even with our small budget, she took care of us and made sure we got the best deal possible and was always quick to respond and look into things when we had a question. We can confidently recommend Sarah to our family and friends (at least the ones we like ;)) and would highly recommend you seek her out if you are in need of a real estate agent. read more

Laura Is AMAZING! Probably the best business transaction I've experienced since moving to Chico. And I don't mean best real estate transaction, I mean best transaction period. I met her looking into income properties and she wowed me with her knowledge of the market and personality. I didn't end up buying any property, but when it came to getting an agent to help my parents buy a house in Chico, she was on the top of my list. She helped my parents purchase a nice house in Northern Chico and seemed to care more about satisfying my parents than anything else - which is how business should be done. A true professional, she's accommodating, pleasant and easy to deal with. She listened to us, understood our goals, and got us what we wanted. Very on top of everything. All future real estate transactions for my family will be through Laura. read more

When my husband and I started our home search in Chico and I found Sarah at Independent Realty Group online I was amazed at all of the wonderful reviews. And then we worked with her and every wonderful thing written about her made perfect sense. We had the most amazing home buying experience and could not have done it without her. She went more than above and beyond and was truly a pleasure to work with. She is responsive, reliable, honest, and all around awesome. We first met with her on 1/29 and signed the final papers to our dream house on 3/19. If you are buying or selling a home I would highly recommend her, we feel lucky to have found her and are so happy with our new home. read more

Sarah is an incredible professional and I cannot recommend her highly enough. She helped me purchase two multi-family investment properties in Chico this past year, and her local knowledge has been invaluable to me as an out-of-area investor. I found her through Yelp and was so glad I did! Sarah is super friendly, easy to talk with, and explains the whole process clearly. She would always get back to me right away (email, phone, text) and answer any questions I have. Whenever I had a problem with any aspect of the process, no matter how small, she would come up with a solution so that my needs were met. Her negotiation skills in the buying process really impressed me. She always had great suggestions for how to negotiate the purchase price and repairs requests once we had a property under contract. Since I couldn't be in Chico for all of the inspections or signings, Sarah was great at coordinating everything. She would go to my home inspections for me and have me sign all paperwork online through DocuSign. All in all, working with Sarah is a great experience. She makes the buying process virtually painless and really makes you feel like you're her only client. I look forward to working with her more in the future. read more

I purchased a new construction home and the process was very long and arduous. I am a very organized and detail oriented person in all things...pretty annoying to most. I find it very difficult to find people to work with who are organized, punctual, thorough, detail oriented, and professional. Sarah is all those things and more. She was an amazing partner in my home purchase. She was assertive on my behalf when I didn't feel comfortable being assertive. She was calm and collected when I found myself frustrated and angry. She actually even went to the City of Chico on my behalf to move obstructions. I took her advice over my own on MANY occasions and after living in my home for the last 6 months, I find myself turning a corner and silently thanking her for her input. I honestly wish I could consult her before purchasing ANYTHING in the future. I cannot recommend her enough to anyone looking to purchase a home, she truly is invaluable and I am genuinely grateful for all her help with EVERY SINGLE step of the way. Lastly, she was so prompt to return calls and was so flexible for meetings, that I forgot she actually had other clients. I really felt like I was her only client. Get a buyer's agent; you truly need an advocate working for you and Sarah will work tirelessly for you. read more

This 5 star rating is for the sweet and amazing Laura. She helped us sell or old house and purchase our new one with ease. She was very accommodating and worked around our crazy scheduled to get it done. Just when we thought the experience couldn't get any better she made a house visit after we moved in with a house warming gift that was so personal to us which truly melted our hearts. Can't say enough good things about her. If you are looking to sell or buy she is your girl! read more

This is the second home we purchased using Sarah. She is amazing! We were in constant communication and all of our questions and concerns were thoroughly addressed in a timely manner. Sarah knows Chico real estate and we truly felt like she had our best interests at heart. I can't recommend Sarah highly enough. read more

Sarah is wonderful. She met with us before we were ready to buy to show us the area and what was out there at that moment; we were trying to decide if we wanted to move here. She gave us tons of information about Chico and really went out of her way to show us around as we were looking at listings. A couple months later, we sold our house and came back to shop. We fell in love with a place, she got the deal done within hours, and was helpful every step along the way. I would give her more stars. read more

Sarah did a great job of helping us find our first home. It took us a long time to find our home, and Sarah was very patient and understanding. She genuinely cared about what our needs and wants were in finding a home. If issues arose during the process, she was quick to act and take care of them. She is very knowledgeable regarding the process and is happy to impart any knowledge that you request. She is a great agent and down to earth person. We fully recommend Sarah!!! read more

Sarah Nielsen guided me through the process of purchasing my home. She is smart, experienced, hard-working and resourceful. I thoroughly recommend her, whether buying or selling in Butte County. read more

I feel so very blessed and fortunate to have found Sarah Nielson on Yelp. Being unfamiliar with the Chico area, and trying to find a safe area for my disabled, adult daughter, I was totally impressed with Sarah's understanding, patience, and knowledge of the home buying experience as well as the hurdles. I just cannot give her the high accolades she deserves for the hardworking, professional, and kind person Sarah embodies. I trust her completely, and would not only recommend her for the buying/selling process, but would not hesitate to contact her again for my real estate needs. read more