James and his team worked with us to find our next home. From start to finish, he took the initiative to check in with us when homes were about to hit the market, he researched each home ahead of time and was proactive in getting appointments to tour asap. If we had questions about how to approach each home, James addressed each concern objectively and gave us good insight. James is reliable, proactive and professional. Would definitely recommend him! read more

James is an exceptional realtor and helped us find and buy our home in the Willows. We started working with James in 2019, he was thorough an rigorous in identifying neighborhoods that were a good fit for our family. When we realized we were not financially ready for the Willows - James worked patiently with us to help us understand the market through a data driven approach and leverage his strong relationships in the area. James is knowledgable, meticulous and warm - his work ethic is truly remarkable. I cannot recommend him highly enough! read more

James did a great job helping us buy our first home a decade ago. He helped us narrow down which city and neighborhood we wanted, sharing insight into these communities and the typical homes in them. He was very data driven is his recommendations and it paid off. We found the perfect place we were looking for. We went back to him this past year to sell that home and buy a new one. The buying experience was similar to before - he supported us with knowledge, experience, ideas, and data. The selling experience was knew and surprisingly painless. He managed the planning and execution of working with people to prepare the house for sale, advertising it, and showing it. His recommendations on pricing and handling offers was spot on. We'd highly recommend him. read more

I retained James Steele in early 2019 to sell my home in Redwood City. He was referred to me years earlier by someone I respected and trusted, but at that time I had no plans to sell. In any event, I subscribed to James's newsletter and kept him on my radar for quite a while. His newsletter was informative and helpful, and it kept me up to speed on the local real estate market and served to confirm James's deep industry knowledge and his professionalism. Fast forward, when I decided it was time to sell, James was the ONLY realtor to whom I reached out (and there are several others I know whom I could have contacted). I found James to be extraordinarily knowledgeable about the marketplace, and just as skilled at explaining everything to me. Throughout the process he was responsive, helpful, professional, and effective. I got more than asking price for my property, and James made everything easy for me! (Plus, he is fun to work with.) I cannot give a more positive recommendation than this. James exceeded my expectations, and I'm a very happy camper. read more

James and our son were close friends as children. Years later, when James went into practice as a real estate agent, he sent us an introductory letter that kindly and succinctly captured what we meant to him when he was a child. I was so impressed with his sincerity and his one-to-one marketing skills that of course we chose him as our agent when it came time to sell our home in East Palo Alto and move to New Mexico. He marketed our home just as well as he marketed himself. In a tough real estate market, we had two buyers within three weeks. Given the market, our sale was a short sale. We dealt with difficulty after difficulty during the sale. James notified us immediately of each difficulty. He walked us through each difficulty with clarity and aplomb. At times, the difficulties required him to get papers signed and people on board very quickly. He was always ready to engage in pushes like this, and never came close to complaining about the work involved. People told us James was too young to deal with a short sale. Absolutely not true. He dealt with it very smoothly. People told us we had to be in default on our home loans in order to have a short sale approved. James assured us this was not true, and in fact we were never in default on either of our loans. At the same time we were selling our home, we were also buying a home in New Mexico. Occasionally our agents in New Mexico needed to speak with James. He always made himself available, and he impressed the New Mexico agents to such an extent that they told me they would send clients moving from New Mexico to the mid-peninsula to James. James was always professional. A phone call never lasted longer than it needed to last, but he always made sure the phone calls lasted long enough for us to ask all our questions. Worry was a considerable factor given the complexity of the deal. James was always available for a pep talk to calm the worries. He always returned calls within a couple of hours at the very most. More usually, he returned the call before I had finished leaving a message. Not only would I recommend James extremely highly, but I would add that you would be fortunate indeed to have him as your realtor. read more

We connected with James as part of a collaboration our realtor team used close a transaction and leverage his expertise in a complex agreement. James is a highly energetic, reliable, and responsive realtor. His follow up is excellent and he looked out for our interests every step of the way by flagging issues early, keeping us informed of risk, ect... In addition, James also was able to provide good perspective and used his instincts to close the transaction quickly. read more

We just closed on a house and James was our agent. My coworker highly recommended him and can understand why. We liked him for the following reasons: *He is very diligent and visits all houses that you flag in the listing system. Then he provides pros and cons with his opinions. This was very helpful for us to prioritize houses to check out. *He spent the whole hour to go over the details of contract as we were the first buyers *He visited houses together with us to share info about neighborhood and answer questions that we had *He thoroughly researched the prices and his price estimates were pretty accurate for us to decide on the bidding price. We recommend James if you are looking for someone hardworking and diligent. read more

James is awesome! He recently helped my husband and me (first time home buyers) purchase our house in Redwood City. As a young couple with little real estate experience, we were more than intimidated by the competitive and daunting market of the Bay Area, but our fears were calmed after meeting with James. He did a great job educating us on the state of the market and encouraging realistic expectations. James stuck with us for close to 9 months of house hunting - ups and downs - loving houses and hating others! He was always available to show us a house (night or day) and did thorough reviews of houses we were interested in. His market knowledge and statistical analysis was invaluable to our home buying success. Even after our offer was accepted, James stayed by our side, advocating and educating us through the escrow process. Now that we're all moved and settled in, we still hear from James and he hears from us. James has become a trustworthy and reliable market resource - he's honest, thoughtful and hardworking. I truly don't know what we would have done without him. We will definitely work with James again when we're ready for the next house! read more

We just sold our house in the Bay Area while already living on the East Coast, and James made it not only possible but also seamless! We did the whole process out of state and felt in very good hands. James is knowledgeable, experienced, well-organized, patient, reliable, and an amazing advocate for his clients. His work ethic is impeccable. Everything went according to schedule (which is not easy in this industry when there are so many factors in the air). James went above and beyond throughout the process and made sure we felt good about every decision along the way. On top of being professional, he is also good-natured and kind. We felt very lucky to have worked with him, and I am sure you will too. read more

For our move from McLean, Virginia to Palo Alto James Steele was our agent, who called us within hours when a wonderful house came on the market. One week later, we and five other potential buyers placed offers. Happily, ours was accepted; we later learned from the sellers that James Steele's presentation was a major reason why our offer was selected. James is knowledgeable, articulate, and ambitious. He has a gift for remembering details which gives him command of real estate facts. We appreciated his alertness and diligence. read more

We worked with James when we purchased our first home in San Mateo. We loved how helpful and data driven he was in his approach. He gave us tons of advice, would take our calls late at night, and helped us put together competitive bids that were still in our comfort zone. Since we purchased our home two years ago, James continues to be helpful by referring great home service professionals we needed to hire. I highly recommend working with James. read more

James is a true professional and pays attention to every detail. He took us through the process of getting our home prepared for listing in a methodical and timely manner. His recommendations for painters, landscapers, stagers and other contractors were amazing and they all delivered their services on time and on budget. He gave our property total exposure to all the best websites both local and international and his photography of the home included professional interior photos along with drone aerial photos. We sold our home in one week with multiple offers. We would give James our unconditional recommendation to anyone looking for a new home or selling their home in the Bay Area. read more

James is awesome! Finding a home in the bay area is draining - but, there's no one better to guide you through the process. He helped my wife and I through an almost 6 month long search to find our dream home and we loved working with him. Being responsive and diligent are things you expect from any decent real estate agent. But, James brings so much more to the table. As first time home buyers unfamiliar with the US real-estate market, his in-depth knowledge was invaluable to us. He has detailed knowledge about the neighborhoods and an extensive network of experts for consults on various topics including foundation, roofing and pest control issues. In this market, this is invaluable as you evaluate disclosures to make competitive offers. We could tell he had our best interest at heart when he discouraged us from offering on a few risky properties; though it would have been an easy sale for him, he was more interested in providing the best long-term investment for us. His approach to determining fair market value is data driven (detailed analysis based on recent sales and market trends shared on a spreadsheet) making us confident in the offers we made. In fact, the house we ended up purchasing was actually appraised for higher than the amount we paid! Moreover, he was available at all times--even negotiating for our current home on a national holiday--and smoothed out the intricacies of the closing process. read more

We loved working with James! We knew that our growing family needed more space, but we were struggling with our options -- stay in San Francisco, which we love, but can be tough with young kids? move to the East Bay, where many of our friends live? look in Palo Alto, where we would have family nearby? It felt like a tough decision with no perfect answer. As part of our decision process, we met with James and described what we would be looking for if we moved to Palo Alto. Well, two weeks later, he found the perfect property for my family the instant it went on the market. He sent us the listing and some comps that day, we went to see it that weekend, and by Monday we were working with him to put together an offer. We felt like James really "got" us: he did an excellent job of understanding who we were and what we wanted, and found us a house that had great design potential at a price we could afford. There were several other solid offers, and our specific loan situation was complicated, but James deftly shepherded us through the process, from making and presenting a competitive offer to closing. He was of course always available to meet in person, but it was also extremely easy to work with him remotely throughout the process, via phone, e-mail, and texts. I give James my highest recommendation for any homebuyer. And if, like we were, you're looking for someone with a feel for what a young, ex-urban family is looking for on the Peninsula, I do not think you will find anyone better. read more

I feel very fortunate to have connected with James. My wife and I were very interested in moving to the Palo Alto vicinity, but had just about given up searching - nothing right for our family and price range. James was the first realtor we spoke with who seemed truly excited by the challenges we posed - in our first interview, he helped us brainstorm ideas for properties that we'd never considered. And sure enough, after just a couple weeks, James showed us a property that fit us to a T, and just a few days later, our offer was accepted. James was extremely responsive and patient with our millions of questions throughout the process. He especially shined when it came time to put in our bid - with several other interested parties, offers and counter-offers were flying like crazy, and James was critical in guiding us through. I can't say for sure of course, but my gut is that very few other realtors could have done the same. Hopefully I won't be home-shopping again for a long long time, but if I do, no question I'll go back to James. read more

We found James through our parents group where he was highly recommended. I emailed an inquiry and was so impressed by his detailed response that we chose him as our realtor. We are a young working family looking to upgrade to a larger home (to accomodate another child) and a better school district. James has an amazing knowledge of the market and excellent resources when it comes to peninsula real estate. We couldn't have been in better hands. James was phenomenal in navigating us through a rather busy market. We ended up in a house with a 12-offer situation and thanks to James, we are now the new owners. We are expecting to list our existing home with James when we are ready to sell. We would absolutely recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a home, with no reservations. James is professional, trust-worthy, knowledgeable, reliable...the list goes one. We are happy to say that James is our realtor and honored to call him our friend. read more

Oh, where to begin. James was absolutely awesome throughout my Fiance and I's purchase of our first home. Buying a house is never easy I'm sure, but in this market, it really pays to have someone who knows every intricate detail. Regardless of his age, James not only knows the individual character of every neighborhood and street, he has great contacts with brokers, inspectors, etc that can really smooth what can be a rocky road. Although James found a home that was perfect for us almost immediately (earlier than we were really expecting to buy), we went through some real challenges toward the latter end of the sale. James used his personal relationships and market knowledge to make sure that even in a situation that could have dissolved into a bidding war, we walked away feeling like we got the house wanted, and for a good price. Another plus, he provides you with more data than I could ever digest, but my Software Engineer fiance absolutely loved having all of the information and numbers to dig his teeth into. Overall, I couldn't recommend James more highly, especially for first time buyers that aren't from this area. He was punctual, professional, courteous, responsive, detail oriented, and just all around awesome to work with (EX: for each day of looking at homes he provides you with a packet per person of info about each of the houses and driving directions between properties). I've gone out of my way to pass around his name to friends, and I'm hoping he's still working in the area when we sell this house several years down the line. read more

Let's not kid, if you are home shopping in the Bay Area, you are shopping in a competitive market. You need someone on your team who is knowledgeable and organized. James is absolutely that realtor. My very first conversation with James was when he talked me out of putting an offer on a house. It would have been an extremely easy commission for him. The realtors who were selling the house in question had recommended him when I was interested in their property and was not yet represented. I talked to James on the phone in the front yard of the house. Not only did he 100% know the random neighborhood in question on a cold call, he wisely suggested that I take a walk down the block and call him back if I still wanted to make an offer. Needless to say after witnessing a drug deal on our 1/2 block walk, we weren't as keen- but at least we found our realtor! Our first meeting with James was a very helpful neighborhood tour. He gave us some data on all of the markets in our geographic range, we narrowed it down and then went on a tour. We looked at no houses- just neighborhoods. This is my fifth property and I've never had a realtor do something this thoughtful and strategic. This let us take what seemed like an impossibly large list of potential houses to a more manageable and promising set. James wants you to be prepared. He wants you to feel confident when you find your dream house. Our next meeting was to review all the standard contracts in detail. That way, when you have to make a quick offer on a fast selling home, you don't have to try to plow through 50 pages of legalese on a deadline. When we started to look at houses James had our likes/dislikes and wants down so well he accurately predicted our thoughts on every home we looked at before we ever stepped foot in there. It was impressive. In fact, now that I'm writing this, I realize the he accurately picked the neighborhood that we ended up buying in at the end of our very first phone call. Now that's talent. He's not a guy who will tell you what to do. He will give you all the data and let you make your own call. However, you will be making a very informed decision with an extremely knowledgeable guide in your corner. read more

James is the best. Super professional, very data driven in his approach. We couldn't have asked for a better real estate agent for our first home. He was super attentive, gave us great advice, and helped us craft offers that were always competitive, but never over priced. He follows through well beyond what the job calls for--he helped us figure out what to do and who to work with even after close. If you need a real estate agent on the peninsula, James is the absolute best. We recommend him to everyone we know. read more

James Steele is the reason I am writing this review from my own living room. We were lucky enough to meet James at an open house and my fiance and I were struck by his unique balance of friendly approach-ability and incredible professionalism. We found James incredible knowledgeable, always keeping up on all the latest market trends and able to break them down for us to understand. We never felt pushed or uncomfortable and in fact, we credit James with supporting us emotionally through much of the buying process. His knowledge base is truly exceptional, but it is his work ethic that I truly feel may be unbeatable. We felt amazing having him on our team and will recommend him to any family or friends happily! read more

We just purchased a home in Menlo Park and James was our realtor. He did an amazing job for my fiance and I. He is both a hard and smart worker, professional, honest, knows the industry and the markets on the Peninsula like the back of his hand, has a passion for the work, and had our best interests in mind throughout the process. He is analytical and explains well the nuances and intricacies of the housing market and individual houses. He does his homework and he thoroughly examined disclosures and provided his recommendations and observations. He is very accessible at all hours via multiple channels, which was incredibly important to us as the search for a new home doesn't stop at 5pm. We will definitely use James again and will recommend him to friends and family. He was referred to us by our prior beloved AP realtor who retired and James has carried the torch well. read more

Buying a home in the bay area is stressful to say the least. My husband and I were casually window shopping the housing market through online search. We quickly realized that an agent was needed to provide thoughtful insights, notify us of hot deals, and take us to see homes without waiting for an Open House. We met with a few agents, but James Steele really stood out to us. He is thorough, organized, and experienced in the peninsula market. After he gathers details about your search criteria he will fully explain the pros and cons of every option and point you in the direction that makes sense for you. He welcomes buyers from any price point and if the location of interest isn't within his domain he gladly refers you to other agents that can help. During the purchase process James continuously exceeded our expectations. His strategy and negotiation skills with the sellers gave us an incredible deal. His comforting words assured my husband and I through the stress of such a massive decision. James is our number 1 choice for a Bay area real estate agent and if we need to buy or sell in the future we will definitely work with him again! read more

My husband and I feel very lucky to have met and worked with James Steele as we searched for our first house together. When we met James we were casually looking for a house. He talked us through the process, gave us tons of great information about the market in the areas we were looking (Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View), and took us around to see a few places that were on our list of possibilities. He also recommended some lenders he has worked with (we ended up choosing one of them for our mortgage). As we got more serious about searching for a house, James set up a MLS search for us, checked in with us frequently, and sent us notes about the places we liked after he had toured them. We noticed right away that working with James was like a breath of fresh air - he quickly responded to our questions with great detail, making even the complex/subtle details of the home buying process clear to novices. His notes and descriptions of the houses he checked out for us were right on. He was never pushy, and always gave sound advice when needed. As we sat down to make our offers (only two, since our second was accepted), he presented us with detailed analysis of the comps and the current market so we were able to make competitive offers. In the end, his advice was surprisingly accurate and was the primary reason that we were able to buy our new home! Without his guidance and advice we would certainly still be looking, instead of moving into our new place this weekend =) James is an energetic & dedicated real estate agent - he made a daunting process quite enjoyable, even fun! James clearly loves what he does, and it shows in his results. We loved working with him, and recommend him highly to our friends that are house hunting. read more