To Whom It May Concern:

                This letter is to recommend Kathleen Clifford to any individual or family that is considering a residential real estate transaction in Southern Marin County.  Kathleen assisted me and my wife in both the selling of our previous residence and the purchase of our current home.  Since Kathleen’s knowledge and experience came into play in so many ways, I will break out the components of the transactions in the paragraphs below.

Assessment and Preparation of the Property to be offered for Sale

                When Lynn and I began interviewing agents to help us determine whether it made sense to list our house in Mill Valley, we were immediately impressed by Kathleen’s extensive knowledge of the market place and her ability to help us evaluate the value of our home, both in its original condition and in anticipation of various contemplated improvements.  Kathleen was instrumental in helping us to decide what modifications we should consider and she recommended one of the top stager/contractors in the area to bring our ideas to life.  With Kathleen’s help, we settled on a home improvement plan with a budget of approximately $68,000.  We received a tremendous amount of value for our improvement dollars which we later estimated had increased the value of our home by over $200,000.  The modifications included opening a wall between the family and dining rooms, updating the countertops and appliances in our kitchen, a rebuild of our master shower and tube and bathroom countertops, painting and finishing touches throughout the house and extensive landscaping of our half acre lot.  Also included was the cost of staging.  Astonishingly, this work was accomplished in one month’s time, entirely on budget and on schedule. The timing of the project was a critical aspect of Kathleen’s strategy for selling our house, which was placed on the market at the very beginning of the peak selling season.

                Another important aspect of Kathleen’s marketing program was the four page colour brochure that she developed for our property.  The brochure was beautiful, with absolutely superb photography.  Since the house could not be photographed until all of the work was completed and the price established, Kathleen somehow managed to have the brochure printed overnight, to be ready for the broker tour the following morning.  It is this attention to detail and the ability to move the project forward that sets Kathleen apart from anyone we have worked with before.

                With regard to setting the selling price for the property, Kathleen’s approach was both creative and effective.  She provided us with preliminary pricing information throughout our negotiations and then refined the price as our improvement and staging projects neared completion.  To lend credibility to the value, Kathleen then solicited pricing proposals from six other agents from various offices in the area, all of whom visited the property within two days before it was to go on sale.  Of the six proposals, three were identical to Kathleen’s price, one was higher and two were lower.  In the end we agreed to offer the property at the price Kathleen had originally recommended.

                The broker tour was absolutely jammed with agents as Kathleen’s popularity among the broker network immediately came into play.  We received an offer for the full asking price within three days of the broker tour, which we accepted.  The house closed within thirty days.  Thinking back on this transaction, Lynn and I could hardly believe how smoothly everything had gone and how well we had done in obtaining an optimal price for our property.

Identification and Transaction of New Property

                Kathleen’s insight and skill were well in evidence while we were searching for a new home for our family.  Lynn and I had established a long list of features that we considered important and we were aware that it might take a considerable amount of time to locate the perfect house in the ideal location.  Of course, with such high buyer expectations our agent had to be infinitely patient.  Kathleen carefully culled possibilities from the various listings in five southern Marin communities and would alert us to houses that were feasible, given our criteria.  Over a span of ten months, we visited over twenty-five houses and considered many more on line.  In several cases we made multiple visits to the same house as we considered various potential renovations.  In the end, we selected a beautiful view home on the middle ridge of Mill Valley.

                It was exciting to locate the perfect house for our family; however, bringing the transaction to closure was no simple matter, given the complicating factors that we imposed on the transaction.  Lynn and I learned that California Proposition 60 would allow us to transfer the tax basis of our previous residence to the new property, subject to a hose of qualifying conditions.  One of these conditions caused us to seek a delayed close on our new home in order to conform to the Prop 60 rules.  We also wanted to establish a lease option on the property so that we could move into the house during the waiting period.  This arrangement involved careful and sustained negotiations with the seller of the property and a relatively complex escrow.  Kathleen must have placed over a hundred messages and phone calls to keep the deal on track.  There is no doubt that without Kathleen’s persistence and expertise, we would have lost our home to the more attractive back-up offer that was waiting n the wings.

                Another strength that Kathleen brings to the table is her affiliation with prestigious and highly successful Morgan Lane Real Estate.  Time and again we consulted with Kathleen and owner Mark McLaughlin on a wide range of technical issues ranging from the feasibility of buying a lot and building a house to the various practical and legal implications of the deal we eventually closed.  The depth of experience and expertise that the Clifford/McLaughlin team provides represents an incredible advantage to anyone seeking to sell or purchase a home in today’s challenging real estate market.

                In closing, I want to emphasize two of Kathleen’s many attractive attributes.  The first is her reputation for integrity that extends throughout the Northern California real estate market.  When other agents would inquire as to whom we were working with, they would inevitably relay ‘Kathleen is one of the best.’  The value of working with an agent that is both respected and well liked by other real estate professionals cannot be overstated.  The other attribute is Kathleen’s impeccable honesty and transparency in all of her dealings.  I consider her one of the most competent and ethical persons I have worked with, not only in real estate, but in any service industry with which I regularly conduct business.

                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                Dale W. Schultz

Kathleen,

I hope all is well.  Sorry that it has taken me so long to get around to writing this recommendation (see below).  I've also sent the recommendation via Linked-In if you wish to use it there as well.

Recommendation follows ....

In my experience there are agents that must be carefully managed, and then there are those that are simply "unleashed".  Without a doubt, Kathleen Clifford was a force of nature that, once unleashed, was able to sell a challenging property in a market that was circling the drain.

From the very first meeting we knew that Kathleen was a different agent from the rest.  She not only came prepared with "comps"; but she had taken the time to understand the value of our home.  Before meeting us, she took the time to view the property and formulate a marketing plan that would target the demographic most likely to be interested.  When she showed up in the meeting, she was all business (something I found refreshing) ... she was not there to sell us "the dream", but to give us the facts and a realistic set of expectations.

As our agent, Kathleen was a consummate professional.  When she gave her word, she held to it ... when she set a time ... she showed up 5 minutes early. 

Before marketing, Kathleen solicited multiple bids from stagers in her network, and negotiated with the most suitable for our house and budget.  She was careful to work with the stager to highlight our homes strengths, and diminish its weaknesses.  The week prior to getting posted on MLS, Kathleen had already reached out to other agents in her network looking for potential buyers. 

While on market, Kathleen gave us just as much attention as other higher value homes in her portfolio.  She held broker tours and was even able to get three regional managers from different brokers in the area to attend.  Each time, Kathleen or someone on her team was on hand to speak with buyers and agents; understand what they liked about the property; and follow up with anyone she thought might submit an offer.

Our home was a particular challenge to sell.   Initially we listed with a different agent for months with no offers at all.  Kathleen, however, was able to get us multiple offers.  She handled the process of negotiating the offers as professionally as ever; which, given the general lack of professionalism on the part of the the buyer's agents, was a huge relief.

Without a doubt, I plan to work with Kathleen again in the future.  I can't imagine working with anyone I trust more to handle all my real estate transactions.

Cheers,
Rodney