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Ellen E.
We recently closed escrow on an unusual home sale in the Santa Cruz mountains and our Realtor®, Sam Bird-Robinson, deserves special acknowledgment for helping us complete what was a pretty complex deal. The home had been unoccupied for over 2 years when we made the decision to sell and as a result, it needed a lot of work and upgrading. This was a pretty big job to start with, but complicating this was the fact that we live in San Diego and all of the work had to be done with a minimum of our physical involvement. Sam did a superb job of helping us find consultants and contractors then helped coordinate the work, which included clearing the home and lot, removing the old carpet and installing new flooring throughout, replacing dated light and plumbing fixtures, and a complete interior and exterior paint job. When we couldn’t decide on colors or materials for the interior and exterior before we met Sam, he effortlessly brought the consultants together at the house, and they came up with a perfect palette for everything. Sam kept us well informed of progress as we worked towards listing the property and helped navigate us through inspections and resulting repairs/upgrades. Sam put together a very effective marketing strategy and helped guide us through the pricing process and in the end, his advice was absolutely spot on. Despite the physical distance from each other, we never felt as though we had been forgotten. In fact, Sam made a point to check in frequently just to see how we were doing and advise us of what was happening. He anticipated our concerns and questions before we had a chance to even raise them. He was extremely easy to work with, very professional and focused, and highly knowledgeable of the overall process as well as the local contractor and professional resources. Trying to fix up a property and then sell it while living 500 miles away could have been an exhausting, stressful and miserable experience, but Sam made it seem almost routine. We would work again with Sam without hesitation and highly recommend him to anyone looking for working with a real estate professional.
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Seller, Bonny Doon
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Erin & Blair W.
Sam and his incredible team made our families housing dreams come true!! We were looking to move our family to the Westside and sell our home in Scotts Valley when COVID-19 hit. Suddenly our teenagers were remote learning and my husband and I were working from home due to Shelter-In-Place. Our home became everything. Sam was so responsive and supportive during a very challenging time. There were so many unknowns in a very competitive and uncertain housing market. We appreciated Sam’s local knowledge and attention to detail. We appreciated Sam’s frequent communication and support of our family during many challenges. He listened to our needs and recommended a wonderful lender, Joe Hutson. While it took some time to find the perfect house, Sam was on top of it the whole time. We made a failed counteroffer on our dream home, but Sam followed up with the sellers to find that the original buyer backed out and the house was ours! Sam called us with the great news, and we could not be more thrilled!! Following the purchase of our new home, Sam and Savannah were extraordinary in helping us orchestrate improvements to our Scotts Valley property to prepare it for sale. Through family health emergencies, fire evacuations, SIP and COVID-19, Sam and Savannah were there through the entire journey, providing excellent communication and resources, marketing and personal care. After the smoke and ash cleared, our property sold within one day of being on the market, with multiple offers and over asking price. All the hard work and Sam’s advice had paid off! We were relieved and thrilled a new family would be able to enjoy the improved property. Our family cannot say enough about Sam and Savannah—they have been there for our family every step of the way. They made all our housing dreams come true during an extremely uncertain and challenging time. Thank you, Sam and Savannah for everything. Our family is forever grateful to you both.
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Sellers & Buyers, Santa Cruz
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Andrew & Diane R.
Sam was awesome! My wife and I contacted Sam when we were looking to buy our first house. Before meeting Sam, we really didn’t know anything about the process of buying a home, and were to say it mildly, found the whole idea daunting. "Right off the bat, he set up a time to meet with him in his office where he really took his time to get to know us, who we are, what our expectations were and what we wanted. He also broke down each step of the process and equipped us with the right knowledge of what to look for, how to write an offer, how to meet the seller’s agent, what budget we should expect, what order to get things done, etc. We left that meeting feeling like a) he was an absolute expert and b) that he had our best interest at heart. From that point on we felt we could fully trust him. "He then showed us properties based on what we communicated. He took his time explaining the good and the not so good of each property. He was never pushy, we never felt uncomfortable. He found properties in our range we wouldn’t have even known to look at if it wasn’t for his recommendations. He was always available to answer any questions we had and periodically checked in just to say “Hi” and give us status updates on properties. "Once we found a place we loved, he helped us write an offer that was accepted under ask. He set up our escrow account and a to-do list. He worked with us and our mortgage broker to make sure financing was moving along smoothly. He set up ALL the inspections. He renegotiated an even better deal after inspections (which we totally weren’t expecting). He helped us finalize the deal with escrow, mortgage broker, and seller. "Long story short: We aren’t millionaires, so our budget was limited, but he went above and beyond and worked at getting us a house as if we were. "Thank You, Sam!
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Buyers, Santa Cruz
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Marilyn C.
Sam was a tremendous help in finding a home in a city we knew nothing about, in a tight real estate market, and that met all of our requirements. We went from visiting Santa Cruz for the first time to making an offer on a condo in less than a week. We couldn’t be happier with the help that we received from Sam Bird- Robinson and our home in Santa Cruz. Sam provided excellent guidance and help in finding a new home on a short-time fuse. He pointed us to the right neighborhood for a student at UCSC to live, within just a few blocks to the entrance to the University and on the city bus route. We had done our homework, looking at properties available on the internet real estate websites but we weren’t seeing a lot of properties and we were leaning toward properties that, unknown to us, would have been an onerous commute. His local knowledge helped steer us in the right direction. Probably most importantly, he found properties that had not been listed yet and/or were about to come on the market for us to look at. In the end, we purchased a condo, that arguably was among the nicest ones in a condominium complex that was financially healthy. Although we have bought and sold houses in three different states, we found that the process in California was different. Sam guided us painlessly through the negotiations with the seller and closing. After the closing, Sam continued to help us with finding essential services and tradespeople in the area to install a new furnace and French doors!
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Buyer, Santa Cruz
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Austin R.
Sam Bird Robinson was a huge help with my move up north. I called Sam before I even sold my house in San Diego and let him know my situation. I trusted him about giving out my financials, income, etc. He immediately started working for me. I would see homes online while in San Diego and send them to him. He would give me his honest feedback, which was super helpful and appreciated. Once I moved up to Santa Cruz County, I was very eager and Sam was there to help. He gave me honest feedback and time expectations which I really appreciate. He was on time and extremely responsive. We ended up seeing a few homes, some I was initially interested in and Sam would tell me why he honestly thought it wouldn’t be the best house for me or what type of expenses would eventually come up. After sleeping on Sam’s feedback, the next morning I was in total agreement. We eventually found a perfect fit and Sam helped big time on closing the sale, especially in such a competitive market. I was pumped! I recommended Sam to a colleague and Sam ended up finding a home for her as well. My parents will most likely retire in Santa Cruz County so I’ve already let Sam know to be on the hunt. Sam has continued to help after I’ve lived in my house for over a year. With recommendations, plumbers, gardeners, what have you. I’d recommend Sam to anyone. Thanks, Bird!
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Buyer, Scotts Valley
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Kacy B.
My fiancé and I worked with Sam to buy our first home and we couldn’t be happier! As a Bay Area Realtor® since 2010, I had wanted to represent the two of us on the purchase of our first home but came to realize I truly didn’t have the time, bandwidth, or the local knowledge I needed for us to have success. We heard glowing reviews of Sam from a colleague who had worked with him, so when we finally felt we wanted to turn up the search, we gave Sam a call. He got back to us immediately and even met us at a home to preview within 20 minutes of that call. He helped us discern what was really important to us, was never pushy, and was always fun to be around. His responsiveness and communication were excellent and he always made us feel like he had time just for us. When he encouraged us to look at a home we had previously dismissed, we saw it and fell in love. The next steps in getting our home included his expert negotiation skills, handling all paperwork and transaction coordination, and making a very stressful time feel relatively stress-free. Sam continued their support after COE as well and absolutely gave us the confidence that they had our backs. It’s rare in Real Estate that you find a professional like Sam. I will be absolutely recommending him to all our friends and family.
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Buyer, Santa Cruz
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Elana T.
Open, Flexible, and has the client in mind at all times! This was our second time around with Sam Bird-Robinson. He helped us buy our first condo and now, two kids later, our townhome. Sam is a great listener and really hears what you are hoping for in a property. He works tirelessly, whether you are spending a few hundred thousand or millions! He's connected in the local community so when it came to fixing up our old place to sell he had painters, contractors, cleaners, all lined up and working within two weeks to get our home on the market. He made buying our new place a breeze, easing our anxieties by always responding to texts and emails when we reached out. On top of that, he made sure to keep in touch with us and let us know where we were at every step of the process. Sam is a great, likable guy and easy to get along with. We personally have seen and truly value his professional development over the years, and if you are looking to get plugged into your dream home in the Santa Cruz area, Sam is your guy. Enjoy all the love and tenderness he will provide every step of the way. Buying property is stressful and Sam makes it fun, exciting and is there with you until the end. He even has kept in touch with us all these years and just so appreciates that!
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Buyer and Seller, Scotts Valley
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Susan V.
I had the pleasure of working with Sam on the sale of my condo and purchase of my new home. Sam listens. Then, he makes recommendations based on the situation. He gave me a list of suggestions for staging my condo, helped me decide on when to put it on the market, and then had multiple buyers lined up before we listed. We had multiple offers after the broker tour, one I accepted without having to do an open house! He has his finger on the pulse of the market in Santa Cruz and uses his network to your benefit. When it was time for me to buy a new home, he looked at many with me and was a great sounding board in that process. He would point out things I might like or dislike about a property without pushing an agenda. When I was ready to make an offer, he jumped into action. I wrote multiple offers with him in this competitive market and was so impressed with how his insights about the property, seller, and situation put me in the best position possible. Sam’s experience and knowledge of the market are spot-on and I highly recommend him. I trust him completely and will go to him with all of the real estate-related questions or transactions I have in the future!
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Seller, Santa Cruz