I am now thrilled to be a first time buyer. You are a prince and a mensch among men.                         

Louise S, Novato condo buyer represented by Herb Bass

Your excellent service selling our house in Woodacre is very much appreciated, as was your previous service in 1984 when we purchased it and sold our previous home in San Anselmo.

By way of reference, we have appreciated your knowledge, attention to detail, frequent communication, and cheerfulness during the entire process.  You were very thorough in your appraisal process to find the correct listing prices. You made the transactions much easier for us. We would gladly recommend your services to others. Thanks again for all your help.

George and Lois D, San Anselmo home seller and Woodacre home buyer and seller represented by Bob Friestad

We would like to share our experience in listing our Fairfax home for sale with Katie Hogan. From our initial meeting with Katie, we were impressed with her thoroughness and professionalism in presenting and explaining the complexities of real estate matters.

We had never sold a home before, having lived in Fairfax for over 30 years.  We were thankful to Katie for taking the time to assist us in becoming knowledgeable in the details, forms and legalities involved.

Being over 30 years in the home had both positives and negatives concerning it’s condition. Some realtors we spoke with focused on the negatives and, accordingly, suggested sales prices at lower amounts.

Katie, however, looked instead at all the unique aspects of the architecturally designed house with great views and pleasant location. She was in agreement with the listing price we felt was appropriate. For marketing our home, Katie created an outstanding brochure that highlighted all its best features.

In just one month after listing, Katie brought us an all-cash offer that we immediately accepted. She did an outstanding job for us throughout the entire, complex closing process. We are very grateful we chose Katie as our realtor.

Tom and Nancy S, Fairfax home seller represented by Katie Hogan

We cannot thank you enough for your patience, guidance and support. You make buying/selling a house a little less stressful and always put our best interests and protection to heart., especially when dealing with difficult sellers. We appreciate your flexibility with our difficult schedules and your constant open communication. This move would not have happened without you, and for that, we are eternally grateful.

Jason and Jill W, Novato townhome buyer and seller, and Sonoma home buyer and seller, and home buyer in Sonoma represented by Sandy Mahoney

My wife and I recently bought a home in Mill Valley with help from one of your agents, John Skinner. I wanted to let you know how delighted we are with both The Madison Company, and particularly, John Skinner.

Moving across the country under a tight timeframe—with two little children in tow—can and should be a harrowing experience, but John made the entire process as seamless as possible. He is patient, highly-knowledgeable and the consummate professional. He not only found us a dream home, he was able to navigate some difficult waters in the process.

What impressed me most with John, however, is what he did for us after the close of our home. Whereas in my experience I've never heard from previous brokers after closing, John went well beyond the call of duty. Whether it was helping us find a school for my son, driving me around prior to our move to help with assorted pre-move errands or watering our plants until we completed the move, John proved to be a reliable and trustworthy friend and quite frankly, we're not sure what we would have done without him.

Howard S, home buyer in Mill Valley represented by John Skinner

I am at a whole new level of appreciation of what you do, Nancie. I wouldn’t be able to do it – on top of all the little things you have to coordinate and negotiate, you have to be quite a psychologist, too, dealing with all kinds of people, foreseeing all sorts of moves, and diffusing first time home buyers like ourselves :))))

Mashka V, Marin first time home buyer represented by Nancie Bottmeyer

I have worked with Susan Rowan a few times in the past. She sold a four-unit house and an empty lot on Grand View Avenue in San Francisco for me. Back then she went out of her way to get the best price. But not only that, Susan maneuvered me through the complicated situation of selling a house for an estate that was tied up in Court.

Of course, I asked her again for help and support when it came to selling and buying a new home in Oakland. Again, Susan went out of her way, did her homework to find out everything about the areas, the prices in the neighborhoods, the houses, and helped getting one house ready to put on the market and to put in the winning bid for the other one.

In all my dealings with Susan, she was always accessible and supportive, found the right answers, even for the most unusual questions. And she kept calm in the difficult times.

I couldn’t be happier with her approach and her success. I can highly recommend Susan as a real estate agent. 

Arndt P, San Francisco home and lot seller and Oakland home seller and home buyer represented by Susan Rowan

In the sale of my house, you had a unique manner of low-pressuring suggestions for resale improvements; yet abiding by the basic rules of respecting owner’s endearment for treasured house and furnishings & all the memories that go along with it. …Job well-done.  Thank you!

Betty O, San Anselmo home seller represented by Bob Friestad

Katie has worked with us in buying and selling both single family homes and multiple residential units. She is responsive and thorough in her real estate dealings with us and those I have referred her to. She often has generated comparables and corresponds well with attorneys, 1031 exchange officers, escrow officers, etc., as required to complete these transactions.

She has a easy-going way about her, which makes dealing with the myriad of challenges in real estate transactions a smoother process. Katie isn’t afraid of giving her opinion even if it means she won’t make the sale. Her vast experience helps her see the big picture in buying and holding investment properties.

Katie gives practical advice and has plenty of drive without being too aggressive. If you want it sold or exchanged, or aren’t sure what to do with a property, don’t hesitate to call Katie.

Neal and  Barbara G, Tiburon home seller and San Anselmo home buyer represented by Katie Hogan

Thank you so much for helping us sell our place in the Canal. You were the man for real, because of your character, your level of integrity and communication. I just knew you would get it done. I like your attention to detail and your regular check-ins. I never felt like you were too busy and that was nice.

I also appreciate how willing you were to be around our kids with our hectic schedule; you were very accommodating, and that made such a difference.  You just have a really down-to-earth demeanor that created a comfortable atmosphere to make solid choices. When I had to make some sound decisions you filled in all the blanks. And your Spanish is so good! We will be sure to recommend you to all our friends.

Frank and Cindy G, home seller in San Rafael represented by John Skinner

This letter will probably come as a surprise to you, but I couldn’t retire without acknowledging how grateful I’ve been that you took me in as a novice Realtor back in 1990 for approximately four years. I know you didn’t benefit too well from my efforts, and my frustrations sent me elsewhere to work and somehow, the change perhaps, made me try even harder to reach some financial satisfaction. But it was all due to your efforts at the onset.

You made a very comfortable office for me there – I so enjoyed your events, the camaraderie of the then colleagues, and the ambience you created for that office, from the sage smoke spiritual evening to correct difficult times to the wonderful Christmas dinners.

It’s been the best job I’ve ever had, bar none, Nancie, and it all started with you – so thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Mavis M, Madison Realtor from 1990-1994, now retired, thanking Nancie Bottmeyer for her first real estate job

Selling a property is never easy, and doing it as a short sale is even more difficult and stressful than a normal transaction. Besides the purely financial issues, which are hard enough to deal with, there are also a lot of emotional and personal traumas for the seller to overcome. I was depressed, confused, uncertain, and facing grim prospects about the future.

Fortunately, there was a bright light in my situation. Namely, I was lucky enough to obtain the services of Katie Hogan as my real estate agent. When it comes to handling short sales in Marin County, I can’t imagine I could have found a better agent. Not only did she handle the intricacies  and complexities of the short sale with expertise and sharp focus, her calm demeanor and straightforward, honest approach helped me keep my calm as well.

Katie is smart, sharp, personable and energetic – everything you could want in a real estate agent. I highly recommend her services to anyone who finds their circumstances similar to mine.

Grant C, Seller of short sale condo in Sausalito represented by Katie Hogan

“The one constant in all my previous endeavors is now one of the main benefits I bring to all my buyer and seller clients. Unwavering client service. I listen and I perform."

I copied that sentence from Susan's website, because it's so exactly, perfectly, completely on target. Whether you're buying or selling, Susan will be your unwavering champion. She listens and she performs. I was and still am so incredibly impressed by Susan's commitment to doing what's best for her clients (I'm one of them!). After more than a year of Susan working so hard (and being always unflaggingly cheerful) and showing us everything in our price range that met our many requirements, we'd given up. But, she hadn't.

She was never ever impatient. Never even a teeny-tiny bit of pushiness to get a sale. It was the opposite, in fact! Susan talked us out of a couple of places we might have bought (we were tired of looking), because she knew that something wasn't quite right about them or that they wouldn't suit us in the long run. Basically, she knew that we were tired and so she saved us from ourselves! From the get-go, she kept saying that we needed to be patient and wait for the right one. She’s a wonderful cheerleader. So, we did. And, we did. Until we didn’t.

And, then I met her for coffee and told her we were finished. To stop looking. After a lot of emotional soul-searching, we’d come to terms with not buying in Sausalito. We were going to buy in downtown Austin instead. I have family and friends there and have always loved Texas. We went to look at places there and found so many options! I picked out the location I wanted, the building I wanted and the condo floor plan I wanted. I was just waiting for the right unit with the right view to come available. It was decided. We were leaving. Susan didn't hesitate for a second. All that hard work down the drain. Endless hours of driving us everywhere in the Bay Area, and she never blinked, because it absolutely didn't matter. As long as we were happy, she was happy. And we are very happy. Even after we called it quits, she didn’t.

A quiet, gentle, no pressure email arrived saying that while she knew we weren’t looking anymore, since we were still in town…did we want to see this place that just came on the market? Yes, we did. And, then we bought it. Susan is steadfast. She doesn't waver. She's the rock you need to stay on course in rocky waters loaded with sharks. Her breadth of knowledge and understanding of the details and minutiae about all things real estate is really astounding. She’s also forthright. If she doesn’t know, she’ll tell you that straight out. And, then she’ll go find the answer. She gets it done.

R & E Friedberg, Sausalito condo buyer represented by Susan Rowan