Testimonials

I am pleased to write this letter of recommendation for Janet Akin. In later 2011, I engaged Janet to represent me in the sale of my parent's house in the Rose Garden area of San Jose. At our first meeting, Janet presented me with a detailed comparative market analysis providing information on recent sales of other homes near my parents' house. That analysis included a recommended listing price for the house. In addition, Janet discussed with me at that initial meeting her firsthand knowledge of the other houses in the area that had sold in recent months, as well as provided me with information about the houses that were then on the market. I was impressed by her comparison of the pros and cons of my parent's house to those houses that had recently sold or were on the market. She pointed out features in my parents' house and other houses that distinguished one house from the other and helped me understand why she was recommending the particular listing price for my parent's house. Her “inside” knowledge of the comparable homes was very helpful in enabling me to have realistic expectations as to the likely range for the ultimate sales price for my parent's house. Janet and I discussed what repairs and upgrades to the house would likely facilitate a quick sale and maximize the sales price. She also recommended to me a handyman, painter, and gardener who assisted me with the repairs/upgrades. I was very pleased with the quality of the work they performed. Once the house was ready for sale, Janet brought in a photographer who provided pictures that were used for a flyer and an internet virtual tour that showed the house in the most complimentary way possible. Without hesitation, Janet committed to holding open houses every weekend until the house was sold. Following the conclusion of each day's open house, she called me to provide a status report and to share with me the number of people who came to the house and what comments they made to her. Fortunately, within three weeks of the first open house and after receiving several offers, I accepted an offer from the couple who became the ultimate buyers. Once that offer was accepted and the house was under contract, Janet prepared a written chronological schedule of key events that would take place between that date and the close of escrow (such as the dates for removal of contingencies by the buyers, the expected date for the buyers' loan documents to be in escrow with the title company, and the expected date for the close of escrow). This schedule provided a very handy frame of reference for me, the buyers, the title company, and Janet. I was very pleased when the escrow closed on the very date outlined in Janet's schedule, without any complications occurring along the way. I am convinced that the ease and smoothness with which the sale of my parents' house proceeded was due in very large part to my high level of experience and competence, meticulous attention to detail, and very warm and outgoing personality possessed by Janet. To say that she is the personification of the perfect Realtor® is not an exaggeration. As stated at the beginning of this letter, it is indeed a pleasure for me to recommend Janet Akin for your consideration when looking for a Realtor® to represent you on the purchase or sale of real estate. I am confident that you will be very satisfied if you make the wise decision to engage her services She is truly one of the best professionals with whom I have ever dealt.

I cannot recommend Janet Akin highly enough for her services as a real estate broker. She has made the process of selling and buying our homes effortless. She's smart, experienced, and extremely hard-working. My wife and I first met Janet in the fall of 2010. At the time, we were living with our 3-year-old son in a townhouse in the Japantown neighborhood of San Jose. We both worked at Stanford and were interested in buying a home closer to the campus. We sat around our dining room table with Janet for at least two hours and were amazed at the patience and thoughtfulness with which she answered our many questions. Since then, I have come to realize that this is just the way Janet operates, she always makes time for us, responding to every question we have, even trivial ones, quickly and thoroughly. She is a superb adviser, the ultimate guide through the byzantine world of real property. With her help, we subsequently found our dream condo, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, overlooking the water in Redwood Shores. More recently, when we decided to move back to San Jose (to be closer to family and a private school in which we had enrolled our son), she helped us get a superb offer on the condo, for about $41,000 above our asking price and about $106,000 more than what we had bought it for a couple of years earlier. (We are currently in a contract with the buyer and scheduled to close in about two weeks.) Now, this is where Janet shines. As we initially contemplated selling, it felt daunting, like preparing to scale the Matterhorn; with Janet's help, it was like taking an escalator the whole way up. After working with her to establish a strategy and asking price, and Janet, by the way, is extraordinarily attuned to the psychology driving the Bay Area housing market, we were able to leave everything to her, preparing documents, meeting inspectors, etc. I'm still amazed at how fastidious she was at staying on top of all those deadlines and paperwork. She took control of staging our condo, which we were still living in, evaluating its look and bringing art and other decorative items to complement it. Just four days after our open house weekend, we had five offers, all above the asking price. And this is another area where Janet shines: evaluating offers. She is very shrewd at identifying potential complications or soft spots in an offer. We didn't take the highest offer after Janet pointed out a suspicious date and lack of identifying material on a gift letter one of the prospective buyers had proffered as evidence of his ability to pay. Likewise, she spotted other subtle but potentially serious obstacles, such as a surfeit of contingencies, with a couple of the other offers. Please don't hesitate to call me or send me an email if you have any questions.

Janet Akin represented us in both the purchase and sale of our condo in San Jose, California. We found that her knowledge and professionalism were an extreme value in both situations. For the most recent sale of our condo, we had to move our family across the state and deal with Janet remotely. Working with her long distances has been easier than working with most other agents locally. She is responsive, dependable, and accommodating. She has helped schedule painters, home inspectors, cleaners, and repair work, and it has been such a relief to have someone you can count on when you can't be there in person to oversee these things. We count on her expert counsel to help us navigate the sale process and trust her to work as an advocate for us. Her research is comprehensive and her advice is solid. She also understands the mindset and demographics of Bay Area buyers, which helps in pricing and marketing your property appropriately. Fortunately, we never got to see Janet's marketing plans for our unit go into effect because she brought us a qualified buyer who wanted to make an over-asking offer before our home ever went on the market. Our building is in litigation and finding buyers who are willing to pay a premium for units there can be a challenge; findings buyers who can get financing is even more difficult. Janet has an expert network throughout the Bay Area, and she was able to make an off-market deal for us that was much higher than we expected. She also made sure that the agreement kept moving forward to close quickly. Moving is stressful enough and Janet has helped make things a little easier for us. We would recommend her to anyone in need of a Bay Area real estate agent. I can't express how much we appreciated her attention and updates throughout the process. We never were left wondering what was happening with her property even though we were hundreds of miles away. She stays on top of everything during the buying and selling process and will ensure you get the best deal possible on either side of the transaction. If you have any specific questions about our experience working with Janet, please feel free to contact me. I'm happy to serve as a reference for her and only have good things to report.

Now that things have settled down a "bit” we have time to reflect. We would unhesitatingly and enthusiastically recommend Janet Akin to anyone to sell a home in the Rose Garden. She carried us through the process of selling our parents' home; they had lived in that home for over 53 years. To us, 819 Morse Street was more than a house and she knew that. She sat down with us, explained how it would all work, allowed us to moan and comment, and then explained again. We were calmly and efficiently led through every legal hoop. She was always available by phone or email with answers. Her contacts in the real estate world of inspections, staging, decorating, etc., pulled all the strings together smoothly and relatively painlessly. When complications and anxieties arose, she was our investigator and stress reliever. She always had ideas and advice when problems arose. She kept a close look as the uncertain housing market went through its spasms and finally set a price and schedule that she felt would be attractive and workable. All of her recommendations paid off, and all her contractors went smoothly into operation, painting, fixing, staging, and cleaning. By that time we had no fear that any detail, down to whether or not a ceiling fixture was needed, would be overlooked. Our parents' house was in her care and it couldn't have been in better hands. And it all came together. After just one weekend of the open house, we received a great offer, well above our asking price, and closed in just a week, wow! I am convinced that no one else could have handled things so well. I know there are many competent Realtors® out there. I'm just glad Janet was ours.