Fran and Rowena with Dave Stelmach and Robyn Evans will always be dear to our hearts. My wife and I were first time buyer in 2005. We were excited and motivated to buy our first house. My wife chanced upon Fran and Rowena's website. We were clueless about how the real estate industry worked. Well anyway, there was this nice small house in Pasadena that we wanted to check out. We called their office and we were met by Robyn Evans (wife of David Evans - who wrote 1992's Radio Flyer Movie). At that time we didn't know what the lovely lady (Robyn's) background was. She was just COOL!!! We saw more properties with her over the weekend. There were follow up calls and emails back and forth. On one of our viewings, we were accompanied by a gentleman by the name of Dave Stelmach. I knew right then that we bonded with him. He was like a father figure to me and my wife. He hates texting! He was always on time and when he promised to send you some listings at a certain hour, you can be assured it will be in your inbox. He drove us all over town. We shared stories. He introduced us to the house that we fell in love with! It was a 2 story townhouse in a gated community and it had a horse stable. It was listed for 390,000 We placed an offer and it was accepted. All through the process Rowie and Fran would constantly ask my wife and I how we were with our Lender. They were concerned because there were contingency clauses that can get us in trouble if we don't move forward. Anyway, to fast forward... our lender (that's another review) didn't deliver on time. He went past the 17 day contingency clause which meant that we really had to purchase the house or forfeit our earnest money. Well we got a bad interest rate and was set to pay over $2,500/month INTEREST ONLY on a house worth 390,000. Fran and Rowena, who were now acting in OUR BEST INTEREST didn't think we desereved to be in a bind/mess like the one we were about to be in. A day before our scheduled "move in", Rowena called me and told me that she might have found a way out of the agreement and wanted to know if I wanted to move forward or use our "trump" card. I went for the latter and asked what it was. Apparently, the owner of the property failed to disclose to us that the stable that came with the house had monthly payments on it. That was part of the deal and was actually a disclosure violation. We had just moved out of our apartment when all these things were happening. We were actually at a Public Storage facility when Rowena faxed us the documents tearing us away from what could've been a disaster up to this day. Looking back in hindsight, a lesser realtor would have thought about their commission whether big or small. Fran and Rowena thought about our welfare and our future and for that we are forever greatful! If you're ready to purchase your home, it would be in your best interest to contact Fran and Rowena. You don't owe it to them. You owe it to yourself! read more

Fran and Rowena have helped me buy two houses and sell two houses. The most recent transaction was by far the most frustrating; the majority of houses on the market were foreclosures and if there was anything left inside of them, they were disgusting. Trying to buy a house when 14 offers are submitted within two days of a house being listed meant we had to JUMP at a moment's notice. Fran schlepped me around town for months. If Fran was unavailable, Rowena was right there to step in during her absence. I was so worried and frustrated that I would never find a house and Fran was always there to reassure me that we would find the right house; it would just take time and patience. I don't want to bore you with anymore of the 6-month long details. But I do want to say that these two friendly, experienced, knowledgeable, and caring women are now personal friends of mine. I found "my" house and Fran still checks in to see how things are coming along. When you become a client of Fran and Rowena, you are a client for life, not for a sale! read more

I was looking for real estate advice in the La Canada area, and I chose Fran and Rowena based on their website. They seemed friendly and helpful, and their website listed that they pride themselves in honest and ethical business practices. I can tell you with absolute confidence that it's true! I have talked to Fran a few times now, and she has been helpful and kind. She gave me great advice, and I am so happy that I chose to contact her versus the many other realtors based in the La Canada/Pasadena/Glendale area. They will go beyond the call of duty to help you out... you should definitely choose them! read more

I've worked with Fran and Rowena for more than 5 years, and have to say that they are the most professional and well informed Realtors that I've had the pleasure to know. I would recommend them to anyone looking to buy property in the Los Angeles area. read more

Fran& Rowena have helped us so much over the years, both in buying and selling our homes. They have always done whatever is necessary and more to complete the sale and keep everyone stress free. Our home was for sale during the Station fire. We could not have completed the sale without their knowledge and persistent work. They were in touch with the state insurance commissioner to make sure the buyers were able to get insurance. They are the super stars of the real-estate business. read more

Fran and Rowena and Jennifer are a great team. With their many years of experience, knowledge of the La Crecenta Montrose area, connections with local contractors, and fitting personalities, my husband and I were able to successfully purchase a home on our terms. We are very happy with the business transaction. Particularly, what stands out in our mind is when Rowena supportively stood by our side during an instrumental part of the process and the outcome was pleasant surprise, to say the least. These ladies are professional, energetic, and you want them on your team! read more

Fran and Rowena comprise a fantastic team. They have helped my husband and me in several transactions. F/R are extremely knowledgeable, professional, and consider themselves to be in a relationship business. Hence, they touch base and keep you up-to-date on late breaking real estate information, and don't push a deal when it isn't the best FOR YOU. F/R live by the WIFM principle - What's In It For Me - the ME being you, the consumer. YOU are the reason they are there, and that is their motivation for everything they do. And if that means you won't be ready to move in a physical or emotional or monetary state for a month, year or years, they will always be calm, cool and professional every step of the way. No high-pressure tactics. Lastly, they have been in the business long enough that they have worked through the high and low markets. They have perspective on real estate trends; these are seasoned experts. I can't say enough good things about Fran and Rowena! read more

Over the years, my husband and I have worked with many real estate agents and brokers and I can honestly say, without exaggeration, that Fran and Rowena are the best agents we have ever had the pleasure to work with. They were always conscientious, available, professional and extremely knowledgeable about real estate sales and the market. In this tight economic market, they staged and marketed our home so that we had 2 offers within a few days. We would enthusiastically recommend Fran and Rowena to anyone looking to buy or sell real estate in the La Canada/La Crescenta area. We are extremely grateful to have had the pleasure to work with them. read more

Realtor team Fran and Rowena in La Canada Flintridge and Pasadena Los Angeles areas are held in high esteem by other Realtors who are members of the Southern California MLS. We send her our clients who want to buy homes in their area and the ladies always take excellent care of them. read more

Your search ends here with this dynamic duo!! My husband and I are first time home buyers. Before we met Fran and Rowena, we were having the WORST time finding a home! For starters, we are FHA, looking in the ever so popular $300,000 range, and competing in an overly competitive market. I remember going through, say, six realtors before finding F&R. Most of them took way to long to respond to my emails or inquiries. The economy is horrible, so I couldn't understand why they weren't jumping at the chance to have a new client. A couple of them showed me houses, but then were so slow in getting back to me on making offers that the house would sell before we even sat down to meet! I was BEYOND frustrated, knowing that in order to nail down a house in this market I needed a super fast, super sharp, and very willing realtor to get me through. Finally, I did some Yelp research, and decided to call F&R. Fran answered the phone, and I immediately liked her. She was so bubbly and warm, and she made me feel like I was important. She even called back after my casual phone interview to suggest a house that she saw pop up on MLS. No one else had done that for me. They all just have you sign on to their email alert systems and sit back while you frantically search the MLS daily with no help at all. Whenever I emailed Fran, she wrote back within two hours. Then I found out that if Fran wasn't there, Rowena would call me back as well. I found Rowena to be equally warm and helpful. I was never left hanging, and was always kept informed. I begged my husband to agree that we should go with these ladies, and luckily for us he did! I called Fran about a house that I saw on Redfin and we set up an appointment to see it right away. We placed our bid on it the next day, and our offer was accepted the following Monday. I was floored. I know we weren't the most attractive buyers on the market for the selling agent, so I'm absolutely positive our offer was accepted because of the reputation and presentation of F&R. Now the ball was rolling and F&R continued their fast action. They had set a fast closing date for us to make our offer more attractive, and so we needed to get busy. Everything was new to my husband and I, so it was like learning how to swim. F&R walked us through every step, and explained things very well. Fran made all these great charts and Rowena kept us updated with copies of email communication. They're both so funny and cool that I never even realized that I'd been sitting down for an hour signing papers. They even have personalized license plates! Fran's says "Fran and" and Rowena's says "Rowena." Ha! Fran said I could park next to her if I ever personalized my plate too! These two women are completely on top of things, organized, and best of all they are FAST! I tend to get anxious about things, so I loved the fact that they would take care of any issue IMMEDIATELY. They treated my husband and I as if we were buying a million dollar home. We had a few difficulties with closing, because of a very slow escrow company. Fran was on vacation in Russia, so Rowena handled everything on her own like a champ! I don't know how she did it, but she managed to get our house closed in the middle of a giant wild fire. Rowena handled all their clients marvelously- even after being evacuated from her own home! That just proved to me that these ladies can take care of business even when they are on their own! Also- we were one of the few clients able to close, because we'd obtained our fire insurance early on (at the suggestion of F&R- saved us again!). I can never thank them enough. I had been very depressed that we would be renting forever, until I met them. Now we have a wonderful new home with a huge backyard, and we owe it all to them! Thank you Fran and Rowena! You truly are the best in the business!! read more

Fran & Rowena are a great team; they helped sell my home in 2011 & did a great job. They were friendly, respectful, professional, & very knowledgeable. They even helped with small details & staging tips; I was very impressed. I was also amazed at how fast my home sold, at the asking price, & how smooth the escrow & closing process went. I highly recommend Fran & Rowena! read more