Michael Galli

Let me preface this lengthy review with the following disclaimer (which will hopefully lead you to read it in its entirety): my husband and I have had the pleasure to work with Michael Galli not once but TWICE over the past few years and I cannot emphasize enough his consummate professionalism, his knowledge and expertise of the Bay Area real estate scene, AND, most importantly (well, in my book anyway), just how truly kind-​hearted and caring an individual he is!
When we were finally ready to take the plunge into the intimidating world of first-​time home ownership, we weren’t exactly systematic in our initial approach — we just attended as many open houses in the Mountain View/​Sunnyvale/​Los Altos area we could squeeze into any given Saturday/​Sunday and figured we’d eventually stumble upon a home to call our own. This went on for a couple of months, and while helpful in formulating concrete criteria as to what we did/​did not want in a home, it also ended up tiring us out prematurely and left us feeling more than a bit overwhelmed… cue Michael! What we thought would be another run-​of-​the-​mill open house turned out to be the game changer: being warmly greeted at the front door by a genuinely kind and personable realtor, one who took the time to answer MANY questions during an open house he himself was hosting, we recognized almost immediately just what a rarity Michael was.
Now, a word or two about Michael’s dedication to his clients: he goes above and beyond to help ease what is arguably the most stressful financial undertaking in a person’s life. I’m not sure how he does it but he makes you feel like you are his first priority though he easily has a million things going on all at once between other clients and his lovely family. Michael has the uncanny ability to anticipate needs/​wants you may have been unaware of until, with his intuitive sense and years of vast experience, they are subtly pointed out to you. He is intelligent, patient, reassuring, responsive and well-​connected, all requisites in a market as hyper-​competitive and demanding as this one is. He is also easily accessible via phone, email and/​or text (except for a dedicated couple of hours every night for his family… like I said, the man knows how to prioritize!); and when he sees a property with you, he will pore over every last detail of that house, pointing out great selling points and deal-​breaking flaws, sometimes spending HOURS there with you (essentially donning his quasi-​therapist hat) while you agonize over the property, its merits and whether or not it «speaks to you.» Did I mention his infinite patience?!
After helping us find our perfect home in 2011, we went right back to Michael when my parents decided to move to Mountain View from NYC in 2015. Needless to say, he made what could have been a nightmarish situation not only pleasant but relatively pain-​free. As my parents’ proxy/​POA here in California, we had to take care of EVERYTHING ourselves, hence going through all the stress of buying a home all over again?! Michael and his dedicated team paved the way to ensure that everything was executed perfectly and in a timely manner to boot. Michael spent countless painstaking hours poring over disclosure docs, HOA docs, reports, etc. for both properties with us; he was present at both closings; he was right there the entire time in the title office (again, both times) to answer any questions and offer his opinions on any unforeseen issues; and he goes the extra mile — something as seemingly simple as sending out copies of closing docs and HUD statements in early January to help facilitate the dreaded chore of collecting tax-​related documents speaks volumes to his thoughtfulness.
Let’s keep it real… there’s a vulturous disingenuousness, a smarmy pushiness about many realtors that is thoroughly off-​putting. Suffice it to say that everything about Michael, his approach, his demeanor and his attitude stand in stark contrast to these less-​than-​flattering stereotypes: after our first day of seeing properties with Michael in 2011, we knew we’d found an amazing real estate agent; after going through it all over again in 2015, we could rest assured in the knowledge that we not only had a super-​competent agent by our side, but a friend who had our best interests at heart — enough said.

I had the opportunity to work with Michael Galli on both buyer and seller side. Michael is so professional, knowledgeable and pleasant to work with.
On the buyer side, Michael helped us find our dream home and compete against 10 other offers!
On the seller side Michael was superb as well! He walked us through the whole process with easy. He suggested we did staging and landscaping and took professional photos for the web. In the end, the house showed really beautifully, we had a really busy open house people and we only had to show it one weekend. We had 21 offers and it over 40% asking price!

We worked with Michael for several months in what initially seemed like a fruitless quest to buy our first house. We had a limited budget and a long list of wants and needs for our property and Michael worked tirelessly to try to get us what we wanted. He was eternally optimistic, funny, and positive about the whole process.
We made several offers that were outbid by others by as much as $ 50,000 on several occasions and were ready to give up. Michael’s determination and encouraging demeanor kept us trying and trying, despite our previous fails to purchase homes.
When we finally succeeded, it was due entirely to Michael’s swift moves to snatch up a house that had fallen out of contract before others got to it. Our offer was made and accepted in a matter of hours. The house that we ended up purchasing had not only all our needs met, but also many of our wants.
We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Michael to anyone who was looking for a hardworking realtor that has his finger on the pulse of the Bay Area real estate market.

Our experience working with Galli was great. He and his team are very prompt in doing all the paperwork and fulfilling our requests for disclosures, comps, etc. The best thing about Michael was that his price estimates on the houses we bid on, were right there, we missed by a slight margin on a couple of occasions and mostly to casj offers; and then we decided not do a counter offer in another case.
He is very prompt with emails and makes himself available to you all the time. We never felt rushed in to making any decisions and he also asked us to pass on some properties rather than pushing us to buy something that we didn’t like much. His idea was to get us a house that we loved rather than just buying a house.
We ended up finding a deal with our close friends, but still have only positive things to say about Michael and his team.

I can’t recommend Michael highly enough!
As first-​time homebuyers, we had a million questions and concerns about every aspect of the homebuying process. Michael was always extremely responsive, even answering late-​night calls, and immensely patient and informative as he walked us through every step. He’s super knowledgeable about all kinds of auxiliary information about homes in the Bay Area, too – schools planning to redistrict, zoning information that would affect renovations, chemical spills in the area, etc. If there was ever something he didn’t know the answer to immediately, he was always happy to research or check with an expert (and often did that anyway just to double check).
He had really good feedback about remodeling, and he was also always happy to bring a general contractor to come look at properties with us, both to look over the inspections and point out anything the inspectors might have missed that might end up being costly, and also to talk through what could be done to the property in terms of renovation and what the cost would be like.
I also felt that he was really transparent – when we went to properties together, he was extremely thorough and detailed about strengths and weaknesses of each one (and was able to point out many things we never would have noticed or thought of ourselves). When we were particularly excited about one property, he came and spent two hours with us there on a weekend, and was able to point out many aspects of it we wouldn’t necessarily have considered. We appreciated him pointing out the downfalls that we hadn’t seen on our own.
I also appreciated how willing he was to invest time in just showing us as many homes as possible in a wide range to get a sense of context, and how he never put any pressure on us or made us feel like we were wasting his time. But, when we found something we liked – he sat out on the lawn with us for an hour or so to get a sense of the neighborhood and whether we could see ourselves there – he went all out to get us the place. He was extremely hands-​on with all aspects of the process (with the lenders, etc.) to make sure everything was running smoothly and that all our questions and concerns were taken care of.
We didn’t have a huge budget and – knowing how insanely competitive it is in the Bay Area right now – were expecting the whole process to be a long and demoralizing one, but in less than a month we were able to close on a home that saw nine other offers, including all cash offers and offers with more money down. I really think a large part of that had to do with the listing agent’s confidence in Michael’s reputation («Oh, Michael! He’s a very good agent,» she said, when we were at the open house) and the way he was able to present us as buyers.
Besides that, he’s a pleasure to work with – easygoing, friendly and easy to connect with, and has the gift of making every client feel like a top priority. I’d love to work with him again someday in the future!

Michael is a great agent. He knows the Mountain View market and what is going on in the town very well. He is also very responsive, professional and goes above and beyond.
When we were in the market for a new home, we initially began working with another well-​regarded agent. After awhile, it became clear that we needed to find someone else to help us out since the agent was showing us properties that weren’t really what we wanted. Michael really understood our needs and worked hard to find us the right place. He was extremely patient with us as well, while we hemmed and hawed on various properties and considered remodeling/​construction options for several properties. Michael was always able to provide his professional advice, and if something was beyond his knowledge base, he would call in an expert to help us out. In fact, we continue to turn to Michael for professional referrals and the folks he recommends have yet to disappoint.
Michael genuinely cares about his clients and seems to really enjoys his job. We recommend Michael to all of our friends looking for a new home in the area.

Worked tirelessly to help us find our home. Didn’t hesitate to go above and beyond to make the process easier for us. He knows the Mountain View area well and he brings in all sorts of experts to help make sure this major decision is made well. Can’t imagine buying a house without him.

Michael is amazing. The best agent in Mountain View, and actually probably the best I have ever worked with. He helped us find our house in Mountain View last year after selling our townhouse in a matter of days. He was extremely helpful and attentive throughout the process, always honest and he truly cares about finding you your dream home. He is also incredibly well-​connected and knows of every listing (many that don’t ever go on the market) which is huge in a competitive market like the Bay Area. I can’t recommend him enough.

We recently closed escrow on the sale of our home working with Michael as our listing agent. I must echo many of the same sentiments shared by other Unilocalers who have also worked with Michael – he is extremely knowledgeable, keeps everything on track from start to finish – without a hitch, and everyone we talked to during the process from our lender to the painters all reiterated that we were in great hands by working with Michael. We received first-​class treatment in the preparation, staging, and marketing of our home – which ultimately led to receiving multiple offers. If you are thinking of buying or selling a home – Michael is the best!

We contacted Michael while still abroad, and the first video conversation with him left us very impressed. The communication was very efficient. He listened carefully to our needs and expectations and explained very clearly the process of making an offer and buying a house. He answered all of our questions and immediately gained our trust. After the video call, Michael started sending us examples of listings. He asked our feedback on each, to learn our taste better.
Then we came to Mountain View for a house hunting trip. Michael showed us about 10 houses during this trip. After the house hunting trip we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted.
A month later we relocated to Mountain View, and about 10 days after arrival we saw a house we were ready to make an offer on. Michael went with us over the details of the disclosures documents, and went with us to the house so that we can see exactly what the disclosure docs were mentioning. Michael said that the house was great and he encouraged us to bid for it, and yet he made sure we are aware of its weaknesses too.
The listing agents of the house knew Michael and reacted very positively when they heard he’s representing us. We heard such positive reactions from several listing agents we met at open houses. Our impression was that Michael is very well connected and known. He receives a lot of information from his network, information that was otherwise inaccessible for us.
Two days before we made our offer Michael connected us with a great mortgage banker (Cammie Brodie from everbank), who preapproved us in a day and committed to a 14 days closing, which was twice as fast as our previous lender. The fast closing and the connection Michael had with the listing agents strengthened our offer a lot, and indeed our very first offer was accepted, which is almost unheard of in the Mountain View real estate market. The house was appraised for the price we paid, and a look at some comps left us with the feeling that we paid a fair price. In this crazy Seller’s market, 24 days after arriving at California, we had the keys to our new house.
After we won the contract, Michael connected us with many conrtactors. He called them for us, and scheduled visits in the house. We did not yet have keys to the house, but Michael opened the house to let the contractors in. We got quotes and hired some of the contractors, and some of them started working almost immediately after we got the keys.
Michael is ultra-​responsive and has a lot of patience for endless questions and house visits. He is very friendly and attentive. He responds to emails and phone calls immediately, is very professional, and we felt that having him on our side significantly increases our chances for a successful purchase. We strongly recommend him.

Michael is amazing on so many levels! Where do I start!!!
For the year 2012, we worked with a different realtor (we did not yet know Michael) in search of a house in either Mountain View or a couple of other locales. Our search was unsuccessful. During that year long process, we learned the import of having an agent who knows everything about the area is which you are searching. And that is Michael!!!
We were very set on getting a house in a small grid in downtown Mountain View. Period. We were pretty inflexible and had pretty much given up on our hopes of getting a home in Mountain View. One Sunday, we walked through an open house on a nearby street and met Michael.
Within a few weeks of that meeting, Michael showed us an off-​market house right in the middle of our grid. WOW!!! He has his finger on the pulse of Mountain View and his clients truly benefit from this.
The day that Michael showed us the house, he came prepared with an offer for us to submit to the owner. He knew that we needed to make an offer fast in order to prevent the owner from putting the house on the market and, as always, he was prepared.
During the whole process, Michael was advisor, therapist, and friend. He truly wants his clients to be happy with their decision and is willing to take those late night phone calls to listen and advise. After we purchased our home, we needed to renovate it and Michael shared with us all of his preferred vendors… all of which have jumped through hoops to help us when we mention that Michael referred them to us.
In addition to being a stellar agent and consummate professional, Michael is a truly caring, genuine, honest guy… one of those people that makes the world a better place for all who know him.
We love our house and are truly delighted with our decision to enlist Michael as our agent. We could not have asked for more in an agent from our initial meeting to discuss our wants/​needs to searching for a home to making an offer to close to renovation. Michael is the absolute best and I would (and have) recommend him to friends in a heartbeat.
I give him the highest rating and recommendation imaginable!

When you go looking for a realtor, ask around and get some suggestions from friends and colleagues. Then go talk to Michael and I bet he’ll impress you. He’s smart, he knows about the local markets and he understands the industry. He’s also a genuinely nice guy, which makes him ever more remarkable.
We were buying our first place and he made sure everything went smoothly, which is quite a feat in this market.
His network is excellent and everywhere we went, people seemed to know him. Everyone he recommended was top notch, and you’ll quickly come to trust his judgement and recommendations. He also works incredibly hard and really goes the extra mile when it matters.
It’s easy to see why everyone likes working with him.

After interviewing three agents in the spring, we chose to go with Michael Galli on our first home purchase. We started looking in early April, and we just went into contract (June 2013) on a townhouse in Mountain View, mostly due to Michael’s expertise and good advice.
A few highlights from our experience with him:
1 — Super responsive — he always calls, emails or texts us back, sometimes within minutes.
2 — Very knowlegeable about Mountain View especially and the Bay Area in general — he knows a lot about particular complexes and streets, and gives good advice about location.
3 — Friendly and genuine, and a consummate professional.
4 — Expert at the offer process — he made putting in offers easy, and I’m sure that his organization and presentation got us the property we bought. The whole process, beginning to end, was smooth and easy.
If you are interested in Mountain View, I think he’s got to be one of the best agents. At almost every open house we went to in Mountain View, when we said our agent was Michael Galli, the selling agent was like «Oh, Michael! He’s great.» or «Fantastic! I’ve known him for years.»
In this insane real estate market, there is nothing like having someone on your side that can help you get a place and give you his honest opinion and guidance on what to offer. I’m quite sure we would not have gotten our place without him.
Thank you Michael — you are amazing and we’ll see you at the housewarming! :)

My husband and I were convinced there was no way we’d get into Los Altos with Los Altos schools at our price range. Well, we did. Michael Galli worked his magic, and my head is still spinning trying to figure out how he did it. What I saw him do was use his tack sharp intuition and skill in timing our offer, pricing our offer, but most importantly: selling us, as a family, to our seller. Many deals boil down to a few critical hours and Michael knows exactly how to handle those negotiations to get you what you ultimately wanted — not only as buyers but also as sellers. His intuition in helping us time and price the sale of our San Jose home is what allowed us to get the home of our dreams in Los Altos. Not only is he a closer, but he also has a vision: he sees improvements, potential upgrades, possible liabilities, things that as buyers we can sometimes gloss over. Michael is a professional, classy, super responsive, well connected and talented guy. I wholeheartedly recommend him if you want your bid to come out on top in this crazy market.

Michael helped us find our new home and we could not be happier with the whole experience. He has many years of experience in the business and knows the area well and also knows many of the selling agents. He is very responsive whether by phone or email, gives good advice, does a super job of following up and really takes the time to understand what you would really like to have in a new home. He also has a good understanding of general construction having pretty much rebuilt his own home and can give great referrals to get whatever job you need done. Even though its been several months since we bought our home, Michael will still call to check in with us to see how we are doing when most other agents would take their commission and you never hear from them again. We have already referred friends to Michael and will continue to refer friends because we know they are in good hands. If you are looking for a new home or looking to sell a home in the general Los Altos, Palo Alto, Mountain View, Cupertino and Sunnyvale areas, I would give Michael a call.