May 29, 2015
Michelle Nguyen
Finance
I was looking for a condo for three years before I met Cristina and her sister, Amparo. I was mainly window shopping and wasn't sure if I wanted to buy a place since the bidding wars deterred me. I was going to open houses, but there was nothing to push me. The time just never seemed right. Then one Sunday, I went to an open house and talked to these two friendly agents. Most of the agents I had met had told me everyone else would outbid me either with all cash or better priced/contingency offers.
Cristina and Amparo told me something different. They said I should start the process and get the ball rolling even if it was a competitive market. They said they will find me a place. I was still hesitant, but took their cards anyway. The following week, Amparo called me and connected me with the loan agent they work closely with, Thancy at Wells Fargo to make sure I had solid financing in place prior to making any offers. They also said they could close in less than 18 days, which was unheard of. It was almost like a cash offer. I was pretty excited, but we still had to find a place to bid on at a reasonable price.
After I started the process, I was browsing through the open houses on one of those real estate apps with not too much luck. However, Amparo set me up with the Intero Listing update and I was getting emails every single day. Cristina and Amparo helped me make 2 offers initially, each in Fremont and Union City, which of both had much higher bids. I wasn’t deterred (but a little sad) as I expected it in such a competitive market. They were still optimistic for me and knew they could help me find a place. I figured since I kept getting outbid, I expanded my search to the Hayward Hills. Amparo took me to 5 showings in 1 day and we saw 2 properties we liked. She particularly thought the condo with the pool had so much potential for me. Going by the recommendation of my agents, with their hard work and market review and strategy, I was able to land a nice condo with a pool below max budget in the hillside near downtown. There was no need to negotiate/haggle back and forth with the sellers and their agent. The offer was solid to begin with. The home inspection was quick - the same week as the offer was accepted. The loan process was pretty smooth as communication was constant. We closed in the expected time frame. I was even able to take a vacation out of town for a week and come back and sign afterwards. They even picked up my keys, dropped it off at my workplace and even followed up on some HOA outstanding items that needed to be completed after I had already moved in.
Overall, it was a great experience. My agents put me first. I would have not had a better choice for agents. They worked for me and did what great agents would and should do. Cristina and Amparo were in constant communication, answered all my questions, knows the business, puts their clients first and are very friendly and easy going. I would recommend Cristina and Amparo to my family, friends and anyone looking to buy. I would use them again as my selling agents when I sell my condo.
Great job, ladies. You are the best! Thank you for giving me that little push to achieve my dream home. I really love the place!