14940 Budwin Lane
Poway 92064

SOLD for $262,500 MORE Than Zillow Said it Was Worth! 

Sold Price: $1,312,500
Sold Date: 6/1/2021

This home belonged to long-time clients, who had purchased it, through me, in 2015, for $750,000. The seller contacted me and told me that a neighbor had approached them, and wanted to buy the property from them. He asked my opinion, of the offer, which was in the million-dollar range?  I checked Zillow, at the time and they had the value very close to the neighbor's offer. I told him that, I felt we may be able to do a bit better than that, through Digital Marketing, which I specialize in and have authored a book on.  I also mentioned that I believed that, in the event that my plan did not work out, the neighbor's offer would likely still be there. So, they decided to move forward. We executed the marketing, and received 72,000 views, from the paid ads that we ran on Facebook.  Perhaps the greatest features of this property are the park-like setting, which included a seasonal stream, and rock outcroppings, on the property. The sellers rented this property out for years, and the tenant, unfortunately, did not leave it in good shape when they moved out. After walking the property with the sellers, I recommended that they hold off, and instead, make some specific home improvements that would increase the desirability along with the sales price. I referred them to several landscapers, and contractors from our 'preferred vendor' list. After six weeks, or so, all work was completed. Once we put the property on the market, we were able to generate a good 15+ offers, and the property ended up selling for $1,312,500-or $262,000 MORE than the neighbor's offer-or what Zillow, at the time, said it was worth! Needless to say, the sellers were elated!!

3118 Denver Street
San Diego 92117

Sold Price: $1,180,000
Sold Date: 4/13/2016

We sold this home during a slower market. The sellers had already purchased another property in Kensington, so needed to sell this one. The problem, however, is that the sellers had spent over $700,000 on quality upgrades, so needed to sell for a price that would provide a return on their investment. They had previously listed with another agent, for six months, and paid thousands extra for professional staging. Nonetheless, the property did not sell. The Sellers were referred to me, by a friend of theirs. Within 2 weeks we received a great offer, however, the Buyers, in our opinion, were very difficult and demanding. Since we were receiving top dollar, I recommended that we do not 'rock the boat' and risk having the sale fall apart because we may not be able to sell for the same price, again. Lots of problems arose and had to be dealt with. Based on my experience of successfully selling over 2,200 homes, I knew I could help my sellers to navigate this and achieve a successful outcome for them, which we did.

In fact, here is the seller's customer review:

 "Don and his team did a terrific job on the sale of our home. In my opinion, he sets the standard for integrity, transparency, and responsiveness.

We had our house listed by another agent for many months, and although it sold twice, it fell apart twice. When we decided to change agents, I interviewed others, all very experienced and with top reputations. I wanted to hire an agent who not only was effective but was committed to straight talk and prompt response. Don was willing to invest 2 hours of unrushed time talking to me about his approach, strategies, and values. He was also willing to take the risk of losing the listing if he could not sell the property within a reasonable period of time.

I was impressed.

Don got the house sold, at almost our top asking price, in two weeks. What was more important was that he got the deal closed, with difficult buyers and a difficult buyers’ agent. The buyers had failed to get a lowball price (thanks, Don) tried to get it all back with aggressive actions during the inspection process (our house is high-end, very tricked out, and in great condition). Don counseled us through that icky process, keeping our blood pressure down, our wallets still in our pockets, and to successful completion of that part of the deal.

Then the buyers’ loan took two extra weeks, and this caused lots of complications with their very difficult agent. Don got our carrying costs covered, and to a smooth if delayed closing.

Through the whole process, Don and Gerri (and Tim) communicated with us promptly, confidently, and important to us, kindly. He gave us real advice, not just choices, without attempting to strong-arm any particular decision along the way. His knowledge of the inner workings of the process gave us confidence and kept us, patient, when we were losing patience.

Don’s TC and the team handled all paperwork and external process accurately and quickly. They took care of all details that they could, making an otherwise difficult process easier.

Thanks to Don, Gerri, and the whole team. Very highly recommended."

 Keith & Jo

10240 Parkdale Avenue
San Diego 92126 

Sold Price: $1,150,000
Sold Date: 9/13/2021

The sellers were referred to me, when they had purchased the property, with me as their agent, just 18 months earlier, and had paid $844,000, at the time. They contacted me in July 2021 and told me that they were relocating out of state. So, I put them in touch with an agent in their new area, who helped them to find a great home for their family. Once they secured their next home, we got busy getting their home ready for the market. I had some concerns, however, because they had owned it for such a short amount of time, and their closing costs on the sale would absorb a good amount of their equity. So, I recommended some cost-effective home improvements, such as adding sod to the backyard, trimming the trees to enhance the beautiful canyon view, finishing one bath that was in the middle of a renovation, and more. I believed that these improvements would dramatically increase the sales price. We then employed our digital marketing strategy, which less than one percent of agents utilize, or even know about, running multiple paid ads on social media platforms, which received over 62,000 views, prior to going on the MLS. Additionally, I syndicated their MLS listing so that we could put their home in front of 60,000 agents in four counties, including San Diego, L.A., Orange County, and Riverside County. The combination of home improvements, coupled with the massive exposure, from digital marketing, and MLS syndication, worked. We received multiple offers, and sold their home, in 5 days, for $1,150,000. That's $306,000 more than they paid for it-just 18 months earlier! The sellers were very pleased!  Their home sales price was the 4th highest recorded price, in the entire zip code for the year. 

7211 Hamlet Ave, Del Cerro 92120

7 Offers-SOLD for 100% of Full List Price $1,050,000

Sold Price: $1,050,000
Sold Date: 5/6/2022

Our Sellers were looking to downsize since the home was now more home than they needed. When I initially met with them, I made a number of recommendations for cost-effective improvements that I thought would provide them with a great return, and significantly increase the value of their home. 

At the time, the comps in the neighborhood were all in the high 800K-low 900K range. When it came time to sell, we ran some paid ads on social media sites, ahead of going on the MLS, on sites such as Facebook and Instagram. We initially received over 58,000 views, creating a ton of exposure, resulting in multiple offers in just a matter of days. Once the Buyer completed their home inspection, however, several concerns, regarding structural issues, came to light, resulting in the Buyer canceling the escrow. The Buyers agent, unfortunately, contacted a random 'slab contractor' who she met, on another job, as she was going to our seller's property. She pulled over, after seeing the sign on his truck, and asked him, on the spot, if he could do a structural inspection, on our seller's property, which was just up the street? He stopped by and proceeded to find as much work, as possible, for himself. Then, he generated a 'report' that recommended $112,000 in repairs, along with another 60K to 'renovate the kitchen', for a total cost of $172,000!! I let the seller know, that this report by the contractor, was a major concern. On the one hand, they would lose $112,000 if they moved forward with the current buyer. If we went back on the market, he would have to, by law, share the damning report with the next buyer, since it was now a 'material fact', who very likely would have real concerns. I advised them that they should cancel the current escrow, under the circumstances, which is what happened. Fortunately, after nearly 40 years, in this business, I have some of the best professional contacts in all of San Diego. So, I made some calls, to a soils  engineer, and a client, and we had two engineers come out and provide engineering reports, along with manometer readings, to address the slab contractors' findings, (who was NOT an engineer!) At the end of the day, we were able to sell our client's home, for a price that was much higher than they ever expected!

4639 Lehrer Dr
San Diego, Clairemont, 92117

SOLD for a Record-Breaking Price!
Sold Price: $1,010,000
Sold Date: 4/4/2022

The owner of this home was a friend of mine. When she passed away, after a long illness, her family contacted me to sell her home, on behalf of her estate. She had pride of ownership, and always took good care of her home! She loved to garden in her extra-large backyard. In an effort to sell her property, in her honor, for the highest price the market would likely pay, I decided to capitalize on the fact that, in this ideal location, the value-add of being able to build an ADU, was a big deal! Her lot, with 8,800 flat, useable square feet, making this the perfect opportunity for the new owner! So, I ran ads on social media sites, using filters, to try and put her home in front of the most likely buyers, willing to pay, her heirs, the highest price. Additionally, to increase the exposure, even more, I syndicated her listing to not only the San Diego MLS, but also to Orange County, L.A., and Riverside County, putting her property in front of over 60,000 Realtors, along with their Buyers. The end result was multiple-offers and we ended up selling her home for top dollar!!

14671 Mussey Grade Road
Ramona 92065

Sold Price: $950,000
Sold Date: 12/3/2019

The Sellers of this property, in Ramona, was retiring and moving out of state. This unique property had been in the family for over 55 years, so there was, understandably,  a lot of sentimental attachment. Also, in more recent years, it was the home of 'Seven Meadows Winery', a boutique winery that produced several wonderful varietals. Additionally, there were approximately 125 fruit trees, as well.

Because of the uniqueness of this property, situated on 11 acres, and the amount of labor that would be involved to maintain it, we had to seek out a very specific buyer. As digital marketing experts, we knew that the best opportunity to find the perfect buyer for this winery, and home, would be through paid ads on various social media platforms. This strategy worked well, based on the massive exposure the property received, we were able to sell it for top dollar and within a short amount of time. 

1386 Tierra Bonita Place
Chula Vista 91910

SOLD for $100,000 MORE Than the 'Model Match' across the Street'!
Sold Price: $800,000
Sold Date: 3/11/2021

We marketed this home with filtered 'Coming Soon' ads, on social media, and received over 42,000 views, in a matter of days, followed by multiple offers. Through negotiations, we were able to sell the home for $44,000, over the full list price, and for $100,000 MORE than the model match, across the street, that sold during the same time period. The agent you select makes ALL the Difference!

6026 Cirrus Street
San Diego 92110

SOLD for $30,000 More Than 'Model Match' Comps!
Sold Price: $605,000
Sold Date: 9/20/2019

For me, the sale of this home was bitter-sweet. The owner, now in her 90s, was getting ready to move into a Residential Care facility. Her mom, was my very first client, when I first got into real estate, nearly 40 years ago! Ever since then, her wonderful family has been lifelong clients of mine. So, needless to say, I wanted to derive the very best outcome, that I could, for her. Her home was impeccably maintained, and my goal was to showcase that, along with putting her home in front of the very best buyers, via Digital Marketing, in an effort to achieve the very best results for her, which is precisely what happened. We ended up selling her home for $30,000 more than similar comps in the same complex!

1316 Monument Trail
Chula Vista 91915

SOLD for $75,000 More than Model Match Comps!

Sold Price: $480,000 
Sold Date: 5/6/2021

The sellers of this condo had previously purchased the property, through me, as their agent, a number of years earlier.  The family was growing and they needed a yard for their son. When we first put their condo on the market, it seemed as though it would sell for around $405,000-based on comps in the same complex. However, the market conditions were good, and there was presently a shortage of homes available on the market. After analyzing the local absorption rate, and knowing that this particular price point had the most pent-up demand from home buyers, based on affordability, I devised a strategic marketing plan, that I believed would derive the very best outcome for my sellers. In a short amount of time, we received multiple offers and found a buyer willing to pay $480,000-which was $40,000 above the full list price, and $75K more than comparable homes sold in the same complex. The sellers were extremely pleased with the outcome that we were able to orchestrate for them!