Karin Carson is a gem among seasoned professionals - lucky, lucky, unbelievably lucky us! Trying to help our daughter find a better place to live than Jersey City, after a long year of pandemic restrictions and too-high rent expenses, resulted in our brain child of becoming out of state New Jersey property owners! Bold idea in crazy times...buying a 2nd home in the form of an apartment condo could give her a secure place to be while providing us a landing pad near other family in the metro area when visiting from five hours away. The challenge was figuring out how to begin long distance. We had no experience owning/living in NJ. Armed with hours of our daughter's research on desirable communities with direct train service into the city and with specific criteria about price, HOA fees and locations walkable to the train, our geographic area of consideration spread from Montclair in the north down to Maplewood in the south. Knowing no realtors in the area I racked my brain for acquaintances who might live in the region and have a recommendation for us. I lucked into one - the only one we needed because Karin Carson is a gem among seasoned professionals - lucky, lucky, unbelievably lucky us! Karin returned my first phone call in short order. In that conversation she gathered all the information I had about our objectives and logistical challenges, gave us names of mortgage lenders to get us started and agreed to meet our daughter to start viewing properties in order to determine which would merit our making the trip north to see them ourselves. An excellent communicator, always accessible and at the top of her field, Karin adeptly, efficiently and congenially guided us through the offer process. And in this insane real estate market her expertise was invaluable when fielding unexpected responses from a seller and re-strategizing on the fly while under pressure. We couldn't have succeeded in buying just the right place and feeling confident about that decision without Karin's insight and perspective. From first look to closing took only 6 weeks! What's taken this whole process to another level is Karin's wealth of relationships with trusted tradespeople. Her long cultivated network of top notch professionals in all areas related to new property ownership has been a life saver. Clearly her reputation among this community of vital contacts has given us access to people who respect her and want to work her referrals into their highly demanding schedules. The amount of work we've been able to contract for and have completed in the apartment in a short timeframe has been amazing. Couldn't have done it without Karin and the skilled "heroes" she's introduced us to. I feel like I could go to her with any question about living in the area and she would kindly respond with helpful direction. read more

Karin changed the direction of our home buying experience. She spent the time with us early in the process to challenge our notion of what we thought was a good fit so we could find the best new community and home for our family. Her overview of the town, driving tour and packet of community information with up to date school information is priceless and so valuable. Working with Karin you will find that she listens and communicates effectively. She skillfully helps you define what is that you want and provides specific questions and feedback to keep you on that track. Or, if the vision of your ideal home evolves, she helps give guidance. Karin is able to take her deep knowledge of the market to help manage your expectations in terms of what may be more challenging or take more time to accomplish. Some of the areas where Karin was able to differentiate and provide a lot of value include possessing the strategies to execute and give the best chance of winning in a highly competitive multiple bid scenarios, having an understanding of the systems of a home beyond a typical agent, and is ready to connect you with her high quality network of contractors, other professionals and firms in the area to get you effectively through the process and situated in your our home. We are so thrilled to call Montclair home and we have Karin to thank for making it a reality! read more

Do yourself a favor and work with Karin Carson. At the beginning of our home-buying process, we completely underestimated what it meant to have a knowledgable and tenacious realtor by your side. Buying a home in 2020 (at the height of the mass exodus from NYC) was no easy feat, but working with Karin made it seamless, especially because she was highly responsive either by phone or text. Not only is she extremely knowledgable about the area we were looking in, but she's also a resident, so she really understood the ins and outs of each town, which was huge for us since we were looking in 4 different towns. Karin also has excellent relationships/recommendations: we absolutely loved our attorney and really trusted our home and chimney inspectors respectively (and would highly recommend them as well). In total, we made 4 offers on 3 different homes and on our final offer, Karin worked hard to negotiate on certain issues that we otherwise would not have known were possible which saved us a ton of money in the long run! Karin is cool as a cucumber, but our favorite characteristic of hers is her level of professionalism. The seller's agent of our home was unreasonably difficult at every turn (ultimately delaying our closing date), but Karin never lost her composure. We admire her tremendously for that! We will 100% be working with her again in the future. read more

Karin is the real deal. We have known Karin for 7 years and over this time, she has helped us through 2 home purchases and 1 home sale in Montclair and Bloomfield. There is so much competition to buy here and the sales process happens in such warp speed that when the time comes for you to make a snap decision under pressure, you will be thankful to have an agent who is trustworthy and savvy to walk you through the process. Karin is a true professional: honest, straightforward, organized, knows the market like the back of her hand and never pushy. She is on top of her stuff and thinks of just about everything. From figuring out an attractive listing price to timing the best weekend to go on market to staging and managing everything from start to finish, Karin executed everything to a T and helped us generate much interest and a great price for our home. On the buy side, she gave us honest feedback about each house we looked at, and her predictions of how much a house would go for were always quite spot on! The more we work with her, the more we can see that she is an expert in her field and a fierce advocate for her clients. I would highly recommend Karin and her team for any of your real estate needs. read more

I would highly recommend putting your trust in Karin Carson as your real estate agent. She and her team are masterful at getting to the close. We worked with Karin during one of the worst times to buy a house and we had a lot of requests. We had bought an apartment previously and it had NOT been a good experience. primarily though we did not want to rush into anything or feel in any way pressured. We were also clear that at some point we might decide to walk away and not buy anything given the current seller's market. Karin took all this in stride - spending a good hour or more initially discussing our needs and wants  and overtime becoming someone we relied on for direct, thorough and seasoned advice. She was able to quickly assess how much work needed to be done on house, was very thorough in pointing out possible issues, and above all showed a high level of ethics and responsibility. It took us a few months because we had A LOT of needs and wishes but after 4 unsuccessful bids we closed on a home we love in just over a month from bid to closing. We were either 1st or second in 3 of those five bids which I attribute to Karin's sage advice on bids and her competitive terms. read more

My husband and I recently sold our home in Bloomfield, NJ and we had a great experience with Karin, who was our listing agent. We also had great results - multiple offers, all of which were over asking, and the process went as smoothly as it possibly could have, no doubt in part because Karin properly prepared us for all possible twists and turns every step of the way. (Thankfully there weren't many, but it was our first home sale, so we didn't quite know what to expect to begin with.) Probably the most impactful element was Karin's help in preparing and staging the home so we could get the best, and most, possible offers. She is great at suggesting a wide variety of opportunities to prepare the home - ranging from tweaks to larger projects - but importantly she is conscientious to suggest changes that aren't high cost but are truly impactful. I am convinced that one ~$100 update we made resulted in thousands of dollars of value since it instantly made one of our rooms more attractive and livable. I would highly recommend that sellers consider working with Karin and trust her process because she really knows what she is talking about! read more

Karin represented us (the buyer) and the seller. While some caution dual agency, we minimized conflict of interest by having different lawyers. We actually loved our experience of dual agency and we believe our offer was picked because the sellers felt comfortable working with Karin. She is professional, quick, and has great style. The home was beautifully staged and we continue to turn to her for decorating inspiration. She is matter-of-fact in her communication. Nothing is sugar coated. We got a several thousand dollar credit for knob and tube wiring that she found while preparing to put the house on the market. She connected us to local contractors. We got our own bids also, but ended up picking her people. She is well connected in the community. We closed on our house in less than a month, we absolutely love the house, and we have a good relationship with the sellers (very helpful as we have questions about how things work and home maintenance). We attribute our extremely efficient, informed, and positive experience to Karin. Finding a good and trustworthy realtor is difficult -- you will be very happy working with her. read more

Karin helped my wife and I find our home and we could not ask for a better agent to guide us through the process. The housing market has been extremely challenging and Karin was critical in helping us persevere in the market in order to find the right house for us. She was immediately impactful as she got to know us early on and understand what we were looking for which really went a long way as she always brought us house listings that we were interested in as a result of knowing what we wanted. She has an incredible attention to detail throughout the process and we learned so much from her that we did not know beforehand. She was extremely supportive at all stages of the process, from our first meeting with her until the day of our closing. She also connected us with an extensive network of resources at various points, including inspectors, contractors and other specialists. Her responsiveness is exceptional and contributed to us always feeling 100% supported by her throughout the process. I could not recommend Karin enough and we are so grateful for all of her help. Thank you Karin! read more

I don't often write reviews but feel a need to post about Karin Carson. In this extraordinarily difficult, competitive, and fast-moving residential market Karin Carson was our secret weapon, field general, wartime consigliere, and real estate guru all in one. We considered Montclair, South Orange and Maplewood before landing a home we love in South Orange on our first offer. I can't imagine navigating our options without her. After locating her as the listing agent of a home we greatly admired (a telltale of a talented and well-positioned broker), she took us on with energy, enthusiasm, and extraordinary responsiveness. She schooled us in the communities we targeted, exposed us to all available inventory, guided us on offering strategy, counseled us through contract, inspection and closing phases, and has been an invaluable resource for excellent referrals post-closing. Karin is experienced, professional, and artful in her approach. If you are serious about purchasing a home in Essex County, we can't recommend her strongly enough. read more

My husband and I were first-time home buyers and we couldn't have been paired with a better broker. Karin was awesome! She really put in the time to learn EXACTLY what we were looking for in both a house and a neighborhood. She was patient and listened to what each of us wanted. Her command of Essex County is also second to none. She knows all the in's, out's, and details of the area...down to what street you may (or may not) want to live on. Karin is a very hard worker -- she probably showed us 25+ houses and sent us really helpful market reports every morning tailored to our parameters. Since we didn't know much about the NJ market, Karin was patient with us and really took the time to explain the different neighborhoods to us. This helped us rule in/out a slew of areas that we wouldn't have even known about had it not been for her -- including South Orange where we ultimately bought and love! If ever we are looking to buy another home or sell ours, we would definitely use Karin. read more

Karin is a phenomenal realtor, who provided answers to my real estate questions before I even knew what to ask! With Karin's expert guidance, we bought our wonderful Montclair home, and at the right price. Moving from Hoboken was a big deal for our family, and I was worried that we would overpay for a home in an undesirable location, but Karin is incredibly knowledgeable about market trends and about Montclair's particular quirks. It seemed that all of Brooklyn and Hoboken were relocating to Montclair, right when we were house hunting, and Karin kept me calm and controlled in the face of intense competition. In addition to identifying reasonable market prices for each home we saw, Karin is an expert home stylist, and has strong working relationships with contractors - I go to Karin when I need a plumber, an electrician, etc etc and she recommends a couple of great contacts each time. She's an expert in the field, and I can recommend her unreservedly. read more

When it was time to sell my mom's longtime family home in Montclair, I found a marketing postcard from Karin in my mom's mail and decided to meet with her. From that first meeting, I could tell that she was the one to work with. And I became more impressed as we went through the process. Karin is fully knowledgeable about the Montclair housing market. She is organized, detail-oriented, and works tirelessly. She knows how to prepare and present a home for a very successful sale. She is well connected with the various individuals needed to ready a home for sale - plumbers, electricians, painters, etc. She will hire and monitor the work of all trade people and ensure that projects are completed according to schedule. Karin also understands the needs of her clients and works to ensure that they are on board with all her advice. I highly recommend Karin as a seller's agent as she makes the process of selling a home both manageable and rewarding. read more

We worked with Karin to sell our home the beginning of this year. I was looking for someone extremely professional, capable and thorough. All of the positive reviews I read online are true. She is that and more. Her demeanor is always calm yet straightforward. She helped us throughout our entire process immensely. Any challenge that came up, she had ample suggestions and people to support our needs. In our particular case, we moved quickly to market and Karin never loss sight on any detail. She guided us through the offer process and all closing requirements. She also followed up and executed what was needed to get all completed. I also want to mention that Karin uses an array of marketing tools and has wide range of followers that she uses to solicit properties. Overall, like many others, my husband and I were grateful to have found Karin. She made a potentially painful process to an easy one. read more

When we decided to put our house on the market, we were not sure what kind of home improvements needed to be done because our home is a historical cottage.  It had been in our family for 5 generations so we were happy and comfortable with it the way it was. Karin Carson had a vision and assured us through the current real estate market's comps that it would be financially worth it to follow her suggestions.  Not only did she have the ideas on upgrades but she was able to find the items needed and the people to get them done - all in a very timely manner.   Her final staging and photography brought everything together for our cottage and we were able to find a buyer in record-breaking time. We would highly recommend Karin Carson to anyone looking to put their house on the market for she did a top-notch job for us.  She truly puts her heart and soul in whatever she does for you. read more

We have known Karin Carson for over ten years. She successfully sold our Montclair home in 2010 and subsequently represented our son and daughter-in-law in purchasing their first home in Verona. We recently turned to Karin for advice and guidance when we decided to come back to Montclair. Karin competently directed us through the process and in her very professional way, communicated the hard facts about the market and set our expectations realistically. Karin was our partner throughout the process, successfully guiding us through the difficult bidding decisions. We credit Karin for getting us the house we wanted and highly recommend her as a trustworthy professional who knows the market and gives solid advice in a reassuring way. These transactions can become very complicated, but Karin's calm demeanor and solid communication skills ensured that our experience went well. read more

If her other incredible reviews have not convinced you, please do yourself a favor and hire Karin! In this insane housing market she found us our dream home the second week of our search. With her superior negotiation skills, knowledge of the area and years of experience, she truly was our MVP. She advised we don't go over our budget (emotional buyers here!) and helped craft our offer to make us the most competitive, and we got the house. Karin's words, a "hole in one". We could not have had a better experience as first time homebuyers. In addition, every single person she referred, from lenders to inspectors to contractors, have been exceptional. She really is an expert with a superior rolodex of the best of the best people working in this industry. read more

We had a pleasure of working with Karin as first time home buyers and were very impressed by her expertise and quality of work. Karin spent a significant amount of time understanding our perspective and provided detailed information about the neighborhoods we were considering. What sets Karin apart the most in my opinion is her calm and collected manners which is quite rare in the industry and highly helpful particularly for first time buyers. Karin always goes the extra mile to make her client's home buying experience more pleasant and comfortable. In our case she even took over some of the responsibilities of the seller agent to expedite things and to further help us with the process. We would happily recommend Karin to our friends and family. read more

We met Karin at an open house she was hosting and 20 minutes later we knew that she would be our agent. She possesses great knowledge of the local area, the real estate market and is a great resource for local referrals. When we had our first meeting with Karin, she took the time to describe the nearby areas, the types of homes, what is currently on the market and what has recently sold. This really helped us to concentrate on a particular area and have a better sense of what we were looking for. Throughout the buying process, Karin responded promptly to every email, every text and every call. There was not a moment that we did not know what was happening. Home buying is a very stressful process but Karin's guidance got us through it. read more

Karin and Maricela were very friendly and eager to assist us with our home search. We were new to the area, so they toured us around neighborhoods we were interested in exploring, such as Maplewood, South Orange, West Orange, and Bloomfield. It really helped us to get a lay of the land, understand the current real estate market, and decide where we wanted to focus our search. They were honest and open about the competitive market and helped us focus on the right properties within our budget. They also advised us on how to craft a compelling offer to stand out in multiple offer situations. After only a few weeks of searching, we received an accepted offer, and I credit that to Karin and Maricela's assistance! Highly recommend. read more