I wanted to share how fantastic my experience was working with Stephen on my recent home purchase in San Jose. From day one, he proved why he is considered a go to realtor in San Jose. When it came down to closing the deal, Stephen truly is an expert in negotiation. He was sharp, strategic, and made sure my interests were protected, leading to an incredibly smooth transaction. What really impressed me was the behind the scenes work: his team's commitment to preparing the property for the market was superb. This level of dedication shows how much they care about professionalism and results. Combined with his excellent marketing approach, Stephen makes the entire buying process feel seamless and confident. I absolutely recommend him to anyone looking for the best service in the area! read more

Stephen is AMAZING!! He is a true professional, and knows just how to add value. Sometimes that means being reassuring, sometimes it means taking action (lining up stagers, trusted do'ers, contracts, researching, following up) and he knows instinctively which one I needed. We have done several real estate deals together and I trust his opinion in terms of setting the price for the market, finding a match between buyers and sellers and optimizing the property with footage, drones.. interviews, you name it! He's a great partner in and a fantastic resource. Highly recommend Stephen. read more

We couldn't have worked with a more stellar realtor than Stephen Husted. We were referred to Stephen through a mutual connection and off the bat, we knew that working with him to find our first home in Silicon Valley/Santa Cruz Mountains would be a top-notch experience. He first leaned in to understand us personally, our goals, must-haves, nice-to-haves, and our budget. Stephen is a wealth of knowledge in the real estate realm - he truly acts as an advisor for his clients. Given that we were first-time home buyers, we had a lot to learn and he was right by our side the whole time. When it was time to submit an offer, he ensured that we were fully prepared to be competitive (within our means) and ready to pivot at any time. This landed us in a position to have our second offer accepted. His anticipation of potential challenges through the offer process, along with his expert negotiation skills put us in a very competitive position, even during this crazy market. From beginning to end, Stephen's communication was prompt, clear, frequent, and organized. We couldn't recommend him more as your next realtor! read more

Stephen had already come to us by a strong recommendation from a friend that recently just sold their home. Stephen was beyond great!!! There was so many aspects of selling the home that me and my sister were really not aware of, but he took care of ALL the details. Remodeling, painters, locksmith, hauling, HOA notification, tax liabilities . . . everything. I cannot say enough good things about him. There is no way that if somebody is looking to sell their home, they can't get anyone better than Stephen. Stephen, if you're reading this, thanks again. J & C San Jose, 95136 read more

Stephen really puts the client first. My husband and I just bought our first home! We had a lot of *VERY* different ideas of what our first home should entail, where it was almost impossible to compromise. But with the help of Stephen, we were able to find a home that we both could agree on. It took some time, but Stephen was patient and never gave up. He was always available to answer my questions, educate and re-explain the terminology, the plan, and so forth. I can attest to his work ethics: Stephen works very hard to ensure his clients are happy. He definitely valued our time; he never showed us homes that were not our ideal, instead he listened to our needs and met all our expectations. I will definitely refer Stephen to my friends and colleagues. He is a true professional. read more

Wow, wow, wow! I was a first-time home buyer trying to escape the ballooning rental market. The first realtor I engaged basically told me I was a lost cause, what with my low price point and need to use FHA financing. Not Steve... Steve seems to take pride in helping out the underdogs in the real estate market. (Indeed, I was referred to him by a friend who was also a first-time FHA buyer.) In one of the toughest real estate markets in the country, his was a steady hand at the wheel. We wrote seven offers over five months before one was accepted. Steve listened carefully to what I was looking for in a home yet was realistic with what I could expect at my price point, and was a voice of reason when I was starting to feel desperate. His sense of urgency, outside-the-box thinking and keen sense of timing helped me into a scenario where the sellers never even had the opportunity to accept other offers. (How did he do that?!) The escrow period was not without its dramas, but Steve had my back when we had some miscommunications with the sellers. This review would not be complete without a shout out to Bryan Russell of Fontis Group. He was (is?) Steve's preferred mortgage broker, and I can see why. The two of them were totally in sync, taking care of details in direct communication so I didn't have to be bothered. In fact, the two handled the whole process so effortlessly, I can't imagine having gone through it any other way. Can't thank you enough, Steve. And I'll be calling you when it comes time to sell!! read more

Steve helped me and my husband sell our first townhouse, a stepping stone into a single family, which then allowed us to buy our 2nd home with him as well... the journey was intense, quick, and aggressive...Steve did everything in his power to sell the townhouse for every bit we could squeeze from it, capitalizing on a peak in the market.  We jumped in & rode the wave, cashed out which allowed us to be able to afford our new home. With his connections & relationships within Sereno Group, we not only had a quick & easy sale, but found a killer deal on a home off-market, in the fire storm of a seller's market. We were so blessed to have met Steve and so happy we made the decision to go with him for both selling and buying our new place. His personality paired well with my husband's & it made for a great experience from start to finish. We love our new home & not sure we would be where we're at without his help. read more

Working with Stephen was a great experience. While we are experienced home buyers/sellers, that doesn't stop the process from being stressful and emotional. Stephen was super supportive and always knew when we just needed a quick phone call. The process could not have gone better from start to finish. Stephen set expectations, communicated often, and saved us from doing any unnecessary work or improvements, which saved us time and money. He was knowledgeable about the state of the market and what was most important, which in our case was timing. He's very easy to work with and ultimately brought us multiple offers well over asking price, and not an artificially low asking price. We could not have asked for anything more and would recommend Stephen to anyone. read more

Stephen handled the sale of my home after I had relocated across the country. He worked with me at every step to minimize the hassle involved and kept me in the loop at all times. He took on the burden of dealing with all the banks involved and just emailed me the documents to sign off on. Can't recommend him enough. read more

Stephen is not just an awesome realtor but an all around great guy to work with. We first listed our condo with a different realtor two years ago and it sat on the market for almost 120 days with no bites. After recuperating, we decided to work with Stephen to list it again this past January. Due to his efforts and his network, the condo didn't even make it to market, and sold for well over asking without us even having to hold an open house. It was a night and day experience. Given that, we obviously had to go with him to purchase our new home. It was a grueling 3 months searching in South San Jose, but Stephen kept our spirits up and were able to point us towards homes he knew we would like. After many unsuccessful bids, during which time he kept us from the brink of desperation and throwing money at homes that weren't worth it, we decided to search in the East Bay. Even though this was a complete 180 and we were looking in a place he wasn't familiar with, he worked with us with no complaints, and even began making connections there. Once we finally got an offer accepted, he connected us with his preferred mortgage broker, Bryan Russel, who was great to work with as well. They worked together to walk us through the whole escrow process and made it super easy on us. Once we closed, he even recommended a great contractor who we are working with now. Stephen is the complete package--easy to work with, great communication, and an expansive network. He has a great eye and good instincts for whether or not a neighborhood or home will meet your needs, and won't hesitate to let you know if he thinks you're on the wrong path. I can't recommend him enough! read more

I was extremely pleased with Stephen and highly recommend him as an agent. He is very knowledgeable about the real estate market. Despite the fact that my home had some shortcomings he put together an incredible sales package and did an amazing job of marketing it. Stephen did an outstanding job of negotiating the sale of my home and got us the best price possible. read more

Stephen was a true professional in handling our short sale. He went above and beyond what would be expected for a house in our neighborhood, got us a really great offer, and when their loan officer started causing problems, still managed to save the sale before the bank started foreclosure. The sale wound up going from a 30 day escrow to almost 90 days because of this person's inability to do their job in a timely manner, but Stephen hung in through all of it and got the sale to closure. I would highly recommend Stephen for any real estate transaction you need. He's skilled, professional and gets the job done. read more

I've worked with Stephen over the past 5 years with helping me buy and sell my homes. He is an amazing agent, who will work hard for you. Your needs and priorities are important to him. The process of buying and selling a home can be stressful; Stephen does everything possible to ensure your experience is a good one. He is transparent and up front with expectations. I trust Stephen completely with taking care of me. I highly recommend him AND any of his affiliated partners per his recommendations. Thank you for helping me find my dream home Stephen!! read more

Stephen did an exceptional job helping us sell our condo. He advised us on what to have done before listing it and helped get things done for us, since we had already moved from the south bay to our new home in Washington. Even though we were going through the COVID-19 crisis, he was able to complete the sale, getting us more than the list price! If you need to sell your home (or find a home), Stephen is the man to get things done! read more

In this crazy competitive real estate market we are in, Stephen helped us find a killer home. He helped secure financing, and connect us with the right people to move a pre-qualification through in a few days. Given our demanding jobs and little time to find a good fit, Stephen sent listings that were right on the money. Once we found the right place, he submitted an offer within hours and personally presented the offer to the buyer which was the crucial factor in winning the bid. Ours was not the highest, and there were 10 other offers. In all that he was easy to communicate with, and always personable knowledgable and persistent. He even helped us with a contractor to do some work on the home. He is awesome! read more

Stephen did a great job in helping my wife and I find our new home. Both of us in high demanding careers and both daughters full force in activities provided limited availability for viewings and active "shopping" which is necessary in such a competitive home buying market. Stephen was extremely flexible and tried make the home buying process as easy as possible for us. When we arrived at the point of placing a bid against many other bids, we were confident Stephen would work his magic for us. He advised what we needed to do to "win" our home. He even made our premove-in process much easier by referring services and scheduling appointments for items and remodels we wanted to complete. Great personality, knows the market, knows how to win, patient and flexible...we'd highly recommend Stephen to friends. read more

Yeah, I know. ANOTHER five-star review. What gives you might be asking? Truth be told, I *rarely* write reviews on Yelp (It's true, check out my profile!) Steve deserves a review though, and he gets a big fat 5 stars. That's right folks, 5 Jumbo, Red Giants. Not some subpar brown dwarfs. Why does he receive such acclaim you may ask? Let me tell you a brief story..... We recently accepted a job transfer out of state and as luck would have it, the transfer took place over the holidays. Logistics worked out in such a way that we had to put an offer on our other house, prior to selling our lovely pad in San Jose. As such, we were under the gun to not only sell our house, but sell it at a certain price and do it all without any hitches. Steve guided us through the process and although I was a bit skeptical on a few details (really Steve, you want me to repaint what??) in the end not only did his vision come together, but we received multiple cash offers, without any strings attached, and all significantly above listing. Did I mention he was able to handle 99% of the details while we were out of town? Oh yeah, he even stopped by and helped sweep the floors the night before the open house. Swept the floors and washed windows. Yep, he's that kinda guy. The happy end to this story is that we couldn't have pulled it off without Steve's expert guidance and market know-how. Would i recommend Steve? Unequivocally and without question. You can't get any better, I promise. read more

this was a very interesting choice for us, as we purchased our first home with a family member. despite the difficulty in breaking assumed chain of events, after meeting Steve, we knew he was the man for the job, in both selling our house for top dollar but also thinking outside of the box in today's market. ...we had to do it. him and I are very much alike and it's why my wife & I choose him as our agent. he's aggressive, smart, quick, assertive, and always in contact...it's a refreshing thing to see nowadays. he's on the clock at all times, alway accommodating, and he's been a real pleasure to work with. from showing properties at all times of the day, to his e-signing & email communications, it's just easy & instant. the sale was an interesting one and his negotiation skills were showcased. our required terms for the sale were by no means standard, but it didn't hold us up one bit. he protected us and worked on our side, getting us every bit we could to put towards our new home & did so with tact. we are more than satisfied with our sale, both with our net & the experience we had w/him. as for the buying side, he really went the extra mile. from in-person offer submissions, orchestrating lender, title, and other party phone-calls to listing agents prior to offer to strengthen our deal, to truly unconventional ways of putting me & my wife's offer in the strongest light possible. he bent over backwards & did things a "normal" agent wouldn't think as doable. a creative, go-getter is how I'd characterize him as a buying agent. we want to thank him for everything and plan to recommend him to ANY one we know buying or selling in the Bay Area. he's a fun, easy going, all around good guy, I'm proud to now consider a close friend. thanks again bud, -a read more

Having bought our home two years ago with Stephen, we always knew he would be our first call when it came time to sell. Stephen worked with us to get our condo on the market and sold within a matter of weeks for the price we had hoped for in an unpredictable market. We're looking forward to continuing to work with him as we look to buy a new home! read more

Stephen Husted is the best Realtor ever! I have never seen a Realtor work harder for his clients. He worked tirelessly to find the perfect house for us and was very patient and worked really hard even when we were being slow and unsure of moving. He not only found us our dream house that also happened to be a great deal, he managed to sort out our super complicated short sale purchase and get it closed in record time. Without Steve we would have walked away from the the purchase because all the details were so overwhelming. To this day I still don't fully comprehend all the work Steve did. He is a brilliant negotiator and manages to make everyone happy. I'm not sure I can ever express how grateful I am! read more

When my husband accepted a job out of state, we thought we would have a difficult time selling, and would be lucky if we could negotiate a short sale. On the recommendation of a friend, we hired Stephen Husted. He was proactive, detail-oriented and professional. I really felt that he worked hard to get the best outcome for us, not just to close the deal quickly so he could get his commission. I was stressed because we had to move in a fairly short timeframe. Stephen set our minds at ease in so many ways. He was able to get our home clean and ready for the sale. He also dealt with the banks, and although I am sure it was not easy he made it seem that way. Although the dollar amount of our transaction was small compared to many in the area, Stephen gave us all the care and attention we needed, and never made us feel that our sale was small or unimportant. He also handled the process with a human touch and a great sense of humor. Due to an improving market and Stephen's skill, we just closed our sale as a regular sale. He turned what I thought was an impossible situation into a "win." I am so pleased and grateful at the wonderful outcome. I would highly recommend Stephen to anyone looking to buy or sell a house in the South Bay! read more

Stephen is a great realtor. He has been helping me and always stand by my best interest. During the past 6 month he has been working diligently to find a " THE" home tailored for me, the style, the space and price etc. He made the whole package the best out for me. I am a first home buyer. His professional realtor knowledge and resource around financing were tremendously useful to me. I gradually and rapidly grew trust to him. We become friends during this journey. I have landed on my dream place meets all my criterions. The closing process is the most frustrating stage of the whole experience. He has eased out for me very well. Overall I have to say if you want a place for you meet your lifestyle, meet your budget. Stephan Is the guy. I would highly recommended. read more

I was recommended Stephen by my loan agent and enlisting Stephen's help was hands down the single best decision I've made in this process. He was (and still is) very responsive to my questions and worries as well as extremely communicative throughout the entire home buying experience. He clearly has a gift for lining up a buyer with the perfect home. After a few initial viewings he had a strong grasp on the types of things I liked/disliked and helped me solidify what I really wanted. While I tried to pour over dozens or even hundreds of listings in my own hunt, he sent me a few cherry picked listings that weren't even on the market yet that were clearly better than anything I could have found on my own. After only a few of these viewings he found me a perfect and extremely well maintained house. He worked his magic and managed to get me from open house to "in contract" in just 6 hours! In the end, from first viewing to last was only a few weeks. I am entirely confident that I would not be living in my own house as of this writing if it weren't for Stephen's natural instincts and hard work. read more

Excellent Realtor. Very knowledgeable. Great Service. It was more like working with a close friend or family member. Would highly recommend to anyone. Thank you Stephen! read more

Steve helped my wife and I find and purchase our first home about a year ago. At the time, the market was moving fast, and we were worried that we'd be priced out of our target neighborhoods before we got an offer accepted. Fortunately, Steve was extremely proactive about hunting for property in our range, and super communicative so that opportunities weren't missed. One year later, we're still overjoyed with our new home. Thanks, Steve! read more

Having purchased a home over 10 years prior in a different kind of crazy market, I was in essence a new home buyer. Doing it this time on my own, I was completely out of my depth. I had so many questions about what I could afford, what I could get for what I could afford, process questions, expectations questions... Stephen was amazing. He educated me, helped me secure financing, and helped me find the perfect place at just the right time for the market. Since then, he's become a trusted resource and partner, helping me with investment properties, random home owner needs, and I've referred him to friends with equal satisfaction. Awesome! read more

Steve did a great job assisting my family with a complicated sell of my father's home. Steve is completely focused, motivated, and available anytime to answer questions and address concerns. The family was very pleased with the sale price that was reached. Steve provided expert advice and made the process easy! We will go back and work with Steve anytime we are looking to buy or sell a property in the future!! read more