SERENO GROUP

My Mother passed away a few months ago. I am her "successor trustee" [which is like an executor of an estate but for a living trust] and I had to sell her house. I wanted to sell it quickly--as is--and I was not concerned about making the most money. However, as the successor trustee, I was legally required to get a fair market price. I had experience with a real estate agent one other time--when I bought my own house. That was a horrible experience. I felt my agent did a terrible job and I felt the sellers were dishonest. Based on that experience, I wanted to be scrupulously honest and forthright with the sale of my Mother's house--partly for my own peace of mind and partly so no undisclosed item would come back to hurt me later. David Lewis lives in neighborhood where my Mother's house is located. She knew him through her daily dog walks. She liked him and wanted him to handle the sale. I did my consumer due diligence--I checked the California Bureau of Real Estate for a valid license in good standing, I checked the local BBB for the Sereno Group where David is a Realtor, and I checked online reviews. There were no red flags and the reviews were positive. From the very beginning, my experience with David, compared to my prior experience, was one of day and night. He walked me through the process, clearly explaining what I needed to know. He explained not just what, but why. He kept me informed, including with an online calendar, so I always knew what was happening and when it was happening. Things also progressed in a timely manner. He lined up good home inspectors, including whole house, chimney, roof and termite. They came back with every little thing wrong with the house, far more than I was aware of--and just what I wanted. He did convince me to have the house thoroughly cleaned, painted inside and out, and have basic repairs done. I was amazed at what the house looked like afterwards. When we finally got the house on the market the process went quickly. David sat down with me and went over the strategy for selling. He went over what he thought the house would sell for in the current market and how to price it to bring in an optimum number of potential buyers. I was skeptical on what he thought the house would sell for—especially for fall. But when the whole process was done, his prediction was on the money. When a professional anticipates a particular outcome, and is confident enough to tell you what he thinks that outcome will be, and the outcome matches the anticipation, it is a good indication of the competence of that professional. Compared to all of the professionals I have ever worked with, in any capacity, David Lewis is at the very top. He listened, he explained, he is competent and professional and he is a genuinely good human being. He was a pleasure to work with.