Jim and Pauline Zenner were an amazing team to work with. My brother and I have been working with Pauline for over 3 years as a property manager when our mother's health began to decline. Pauline worked tirelessly to find the right family to rent to. After mom passed and we decided to sell the home, Jim and Pauline made everything so easy for us. Within a few days, their cleaning, repairing and inspection teams went to work. Along with Pauline's wonderful staging talents, the house was immaculate and ready to sell. With Jim's skillful negotiations, we had many offers and sold well above the asking price and all within a 7 day close. Both Jim and Pauline returned all of our calls and explained the many processes with each step of the way. I highly recommend Jim and Pauline for all of your real estate needs. They were simply great! Rhonda P. read more

Jon Lundgren and Stephan Karon were both a disappointment regarding my recent experience as a Landlord for a single family residence. Mr. Lundgren assured me that he found a most qualified tenant because of his experience with them as an existing Lessee for a Karon Properties managed property. They both had good jobs, were most quiet and always paid on time. They just needed more room. He thoroughly endorsed them in every way. The following things were done incorrectly: No application. The previous Landlord's app was used (after the fact) in error to show employment. Month to Month Rental Agreement only signed by one spouse. Month to Month Rental Agreement was a 25 year old one and 1/4 page exhibit with few landlord protections (Agreements for most Tenents are usually about 4 pages (DRE forms) with protections built in). He said that they always paid current. They paid 15 days late until we put a stop to it. Jon called it a game. Never ordered credit reports and refused to provide one later on. Never inventoried the rental house for a list of personal items to be provided on the agreement. Jon Lundgren refused to do a walkthrough when the renters left. Communicated only by phone and US Mail. E-mails and texting were not permitted. He once received a tenant payment, put it in Karon Property Mgmt Trust Acc't. and then MAILED a Trust check to the nearest Chase office near his house (thinking that the endorsement would be read by Chase people and deposited that day)! Who does that? The Banks is not set up for that. Mr. Lundgren uses a Scotts Valley address for Karon Properties, instead of Santa Cruz. We gave the Tenant a 60 day notice for reasons besides the above. We were fortunate that they left on the 60th day. More problems were anticipated but did not materialize. Mr. Stephan Karon defended his agent in every way. Jon Lundgren is slick. He makes everything sound smooth and reasonable. We do not recommend using him for property management. read more

If Debra Wallace is your property manager, then read no further. Debra is absolutely amazing - she made my first apartment welcoming and comforting. She is extremely professional, friendly, and caring. 10 stars if I could! This is by far, the most critical review I have ever written here on Yelp. Not only am I completely unsatisfied with the property manager, Pauline Zenner, but there were many legal issues presented while under her management. Pauline Zenner took over after I had been with the wonderful Debra Wallace for over a year and a half. Given the immaturity and lack of professionalism from Pauline, I decided to reach out to Stephen Karon himself for advice on how to proceed. Below is the link to my email. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwGvMudi6HA6UW4xcEFsLXgyM2s/view?usp=sharing After sending this email to Stephen Karon through LinkedIn, I did not receive a response, but within 2 days, was informed that Pauline was harassing my previous housemates. This was extremely frustrating since I purposely reached out to Mr. Karon in hopes of receiving professional assistance with this matter; if I wanted Pauline to have the letter, I could have just sent it to her myself. The fact is, Pauline has created an environment where I am uncomfortable reaching out and confronting her about these problems, so imagine my surprise when I expressed this to Mr. Karon, only to have him do everything I tried to avoid. Well, Pauline emailed my housemate directly claiming I sent her a mean email that insulted her. Calm down, I haven't had direct contact with Pauline since July 2015, before I moved out. It is now September 2015. That's a lot of twisting of the he-said, she-said. Aren't you like 60, Pauline? Talk about being a high school girl spreading rumors, right? Additionally, she informed my housemates that I am subletting my place in the apartment. Subletting would require me to sign paperwork to allow the new tenant into the apartment - although being very uninformed during this move-out process, I never signed anything, so any paperwork regarding this would have been forged. I never heard from Stephen Karon after sending the above message, however, within the following week I received my safety deposit in full. Unfortunately, my loyalty is not bought with money, so I am continuing my review. Since I care for my previous housemates, I am completely appalled by the way management handled this situation. To send my email directly over to Pauline was highly unprofessional and her following actions were even moreso. That said, I will not be sharing any more information regarding the incompetence of Pauline Zenner for the safety and privacy of my friends (Hey, Pauline! THAT was a stab at you, unlike my written email). Sadly, they still have another year with her, but I'll be more than happy to share more details when the year is up! Yelpers should know, however, Pauline has not changed at all after receiving this criticism and that Karon Properties is not taking any action to better their property managers to avoid situations like this in the future. You would be a masochist to read this email and still proceed with Pauline Zenner. As for Jim Zenner, marriage bonds you two as the dynamic duo of the century - I'll just let her bring him down on her own. Although, Yelper Tashina's review makes it sound like you two are equally as damaging; you guys must be perfect for each other. Yelpers: DM me for my email. This way, you can contact me directly regarding any of this if you have further questions. I can also forward any emails as proof. A note to Karon Properties: I would be more than happy to update this review if proven that Pauline Zenner is undergoing training/being mentored, under supervision, or removed from Karon Properties entirely. Until then, I will be sharing my review, letter, and photos to several other sites as well. Hope this helps and happy renting! read more

Karon Properties - Pauline said we had MILDEW NOT MOLD growing in our bathrooms. This is an at-home mold test from Home Depot. - Real Estate Agents Near Me - Capitola, California

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Jim and Pauline Zenner, We just want to thank you so much! What a pleasure it has been working with you over the years. We have done 3 transactions with you so far and everyone of them has turned out great! Not only did you secure the highest price in the complex's history for our size condo, you also helped us select the right buyer that was sure to close. Regarding the purchase of our new home, you went the extra mile for us. You always had the time to show us properties and you educated us about the different districts. Living and working in Santa Cruz over 40 years has served you well. We highly recommend anyone looking to buy or sell, to contact Jim and Pauline first. They are realtors of integrity and we look forward to using them again in the future! Sincerely, Mark and Bernice Los Altos, CA read more

Jim and Pauline Zenner are the most professional and competent real estate team my husband and I have ever worked with. They are charming and easy to work with. We have sold a number of properties over the last many years, the last 2 properties with Jim and Pauline. We couldn't be happier with their work. Pauline beautifully and inexpensively staged the last 2 houses we have sold. Her low pressure approach during open houses was wonderful. Jim helped tremendously in preparing both properties in advance of listing them on the MLS - recommending repairs which really paid off. Both of our properties sold for all cash, well over asking price, with short escrows. And both sets of buyers were quite happy - a testament to Jim and Pauline's skill before listing, while the houses were on the market, and at closure of escrow. We will use them again. read more

We bought and sold our house in Santa Cruz through Neal Langholz, of Karon Properties. Neil is a low-pressure kind of guy and really helped us navigate through buying our first home. I felt like he gave honest advice and shared a lot of wisdom about the market. He did not try to up sell us, and really listened to our wishes with regards to finding a home. He took us to many properties with no hesitation. There was never a part of the process where he left us stranded, but also never put undue pressure on us either. Neil also owns a lot of properties in the area - so has been a valuable resource in recommending handymen, painters and other services. read more

I recently rented a house through Debra at Karon Properties and couldn't be happier with her service. Everything has gone so smoothly. The house was a total mess when the previous occupants moved out, and Debra made sure that it was spic and span for our move in date. I noticed a problem with the plumbing in the shower and emailed her late Sunday afternoon. By early Monday morning she had arranged for a plumber to come out, everything was taken care of so swiftly, I was very surprised by how organized everyone has been on every level. Besides being organized and getting the house and paperwork ready for us with no snags, Debra has just been the kindest, sweetest woman. She really seems to care about her clients. I highly recommend Karon Properties. read more

Working with Jim & Pauline was such a pleasure. My husband and I have wanted to move to the Santa Cruz County area for many years. With our kids now grown, and in this juncture of our lives, it seemed it was the right time to make our move. In a historical time when the real estate market is very competitive, Jim & Pauline never let their foot off the gas. They are both very professional, accomplished, and proven in the field which ultimately gave us the confidence, and stamina we needed to navigate the market. With each new listing, and challenged we faced in the process, we always felt that they were looking out for our best interest, treating us as they would family. We finally made our dream come true, and it would not have happen without the Zenner team. Jim & Pauline thank you so much. read more

Is it possible to even state how AWESOME Karon Properties is? Especially one of its most respected agents, Neal Langholz? I have known Neal for years through open houses and from around town, and I have always respected how he has represented clients. When it came time to sell my own house, I called Neal without hesitation. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. I have one piece of advice for you. Actually two. The first is call Neal. The second is listen to whatever he says. Just do it! He helped me get my house ready for sale, and there were many things that I initially did not want to do. But Neal guided me through the preparation process, and his 30+ years of experience really helped the sale pay off for all of us -- literally. Wish I had another house so that I could have Neal sell it for me! Maybe . . . read more

Jim - thank you for the respectful and kind care you showed to me as a tenant for my year in Capitola. Your help, good attitude and humor are very much appreciated. Karon is a very fair and responsive team who had an immediate fix for any small issue. Moreover, I always felt treated as an honest and responsible human, even on the occasion when I made a late payment when i was traveling for work. I'd highly recommend them and encourage fostering a good relationship with this solid and helpful team. read more

Jim and Pauline Zenner helped me during the period 2012-2014 when a problem arose with the sale of my Santa Cruz rental home. As property managers, they had been prompt in taking care of problems that came up and they hired vendors that didn't drag their feet. Pauline was especially tactful in handling tenants, and she could be firm when necessary. Prior to my contacting them, my luck with property managers in Santa Cruz hadn't been positive. The strong real estate market suggested it was a good time to sell the rental house (which was well designed and in a good location). So it should demand a top dollar price, correct? Then came the awakening. The tenants hadn't abused the place, but the structure needed better than $100 thousand in termite and dry-rot repairs--which sent most buyers on their way. Jim Zenner's approach puzzled me at first but I gradually came to realize his judgment was correct. Complete disclosure was his main point. Let additional inspections reveal everything that needed to be done so that contractors could warrant that satisfactory results were possible. The couple most interested in the house spent many weeks considering various bids, persevered in investigating everything themselves, and demonstrated that they were savvy. I was grateful, because following the sale, there would be no loose ends in terms of legal issues since Buyers were acknowledging and signing off on everything the inspections revealed. The final result was, despite the serious damage, a reasonable drop in price covered most of the repair expenses. My thanks go to the Zenners for providing good advice and having enough people skills to bring things to a satisfactory conclusion. A.R. Saratoga read more

Wow, all I can see is don't go near this place especially if they employee people like Jim Zenner. What an arrogant liar and very poor at getting his facts correct. Definitely on the lazy side and not a person of his word. I am a resident of San Diego and was asked to move to Santa Cruz to help with rent on a property that is a tenant of Jim Zenner. So the tenant didn't hold true to his word on his end of the agreement, basically I walked into a nightmare trying to be the good guy. However I have tons of evidence and documents proving otherwise. So Jim calls up the other occupant on the lease after the lease was expired, even though this occupant tried to contact him a couple of times prior to the lease ending. His poor excuse was that he was out of town, I suppose if it were a million dollar deal he would have returned the call. He proceeds to tell this mother of two young children that this tenant that had an agreement with both of us, that he has vacated the property. That she must move in four days or get a motel for $40.00 a night. He verbally said he was going to come on the weekend to check on the property never called never showed. Now we are involved in a lovely lawsuit and he doesn't even have the knowledge or skill to present the correct information to his attorney. Nope stay away, unless you love drama! read more

Stephen Karon and Beata Willison are a dream team. From the first day we signed with them to sell our Santa Cruz home of thirty years, they were with us every step of the way. If you want a full-service realtor, we cannot emphasize enough their 100% willingness to get in the trenches and work with us to get our home ready to sell. They did a hundred things, big and little, to make our sale go smoothly. They have subcontractors at the ready to take care of anything and everything that needs to be done, whether it is a massive exterior four-color paint job, or just needing a new doormat before the first Open House. And they supported us throughout the entire four-month process. Our house sold two weeks after they listed it. Hire them! You won't regret it. read more

I have worked with Karon properties to find a new home in the Santa Cruz area for last 6 moonths. The agents Jim and Pauline Zenner were always available to look at properties with me. They were very patient with me and when I finally chose the home I wanted they made the process smooth,quick, and easy, Thank you Jim and Pauline for making my house purchase a great experience. Rebecca Williams read more