Stricker/TenBroeck Team – Alain Pinel Realtors

I was referred to them through a realtor-​friend from the East coast who interviewed about 10 RE agents for me. They were in the top 3 for her. I then interviewed them myself and ultimately chose Jeff and Steve b/​c of their credentials/​track record, their ability/​willingness to «just do it» and get things done so we didn’t have to deal with the mundane (we basically just had to say «yes» or «no» to a series of questions), and, finally, their «bedside manner» (this was our first sale, so we didn’t know the process). They (and their team) really took care of everything from cleaning/​staging and landscaping/​resodding to marketing through to the close. They delivered ~75 interested parties each day over the open house wknd, we received a dozen bids by Wednesday after that wknd, and ultimately accepted a bid that was 30% above our asking price. Granted, I think our list was low, so adjusted for that, I think they helped generate a final price that was a healthy 12−15% above what we expected.
I would certainly hire them again to sell my next home.

If only we could give six stars! Jeff was recommended to us by a close family friend and was a phenomenal advisor throughout the entire process. From finding great properties, helping us narrow down our search, patiently walk through the process, and providing great negotiation advice, we felt we always had an edge in a very dynamic market. Even after the ink dried, however, Jeff’s passion and expertise showed through as he was super responsive and gave us terrific recommendations for home improvement professionals and other vendors. We would not hesitate to work with him again, and have already recommended him to close friends.

Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, the Peninsula real estate market, particularly Palo Alto and Los Altos, is dynamic and challenging with competitive multiple offer transactions being the norm. To be successful requires representation by a realtor (s) that know and understand this market, that are well connected and respected by their colleagues, that are strong negotiators and that are hands on and completely conversant with the details of your transaction. Jeff and Steve are consummate professionals and fit the bill in all respects. They provided us with a detailed analysis of the market and a marketing plan that resulted in a sale price well over asking and which exceeded our expectations. They provided us with a cadre of experienced subcontractors with whom they’ve worked with for many years, which facilitated the preparation of our house for sale. They are easy to work with, always accessible and quickly respond to questions and concerns. Whether the issues are legal, financial, marketing or emotional, Jeff and Steve were always there for support and counsel. Our transaction went very smoothly from start to finish in large part due to their efforts. Jeff and Steve have our highest recommendation.

After going through 3 previous subpar realtors, I was referred to Jeff and Steve by a co-​worker, and immediately, my husband and I could see the huge difference in quality between the previous realtors and Jeff. We had been planning on putting down an offer on a house that no one seemed to want in downtown Mt View; I had a feeling that it was worth $ 50k less than asking, and the previous realtor was pushing us to offer more. To my surprise, Jeff stated that it was worth $ 80k less than asking and visited the house within 2 hours of my call with him. He had a list of 10 things wrong with the house and encouraged us to wait 30 days to see if the price did drop. It did indeed drop $ 80k to the price that Jeff said it was worth, and I knew then that Jeff would be the right realtor for us to work with.
We passed on that house for all the reasons that Jeff listed, and he helped us see many more houses after that over the course of 9 months or so. Throughout it all, Jeff was patient and always answered all my emails and calls immediately. Being first-​time homebuyers and looking for a single unit house in a competitive area, it was important for my husband and me to have a real estate agent that we could always reach and could walk us through the process. Jeff would always point out many more things about a house than we would notice on our own and be able to tell us how much work would be need to be done when moving in, giving us estimates that we could take into consideration. He and Steve’s great reputation proceeded them when we visited open houses as selling agents would recognize their names right away.
Also, because Jeff was previously a lawyer, he was able to translate a lot of the paperwork and disclosures for us as well as generally being very thorough.
Even now, after we’ve purchased our first house with their help, Jeff still always checks in and answers any questions that we have immediately. They sent us a gift card within the first week! Through the ups and downs of our first time buying a house, we were always thankful to have Jeff as a dependable source of knowledge and support that we could always count on. We’re really glad to have met Jeff and Steve and highly recommend them.

We recently purchased our first home through Jeff & Steve, and cannot recommend them enough.
Jeff is really a pleasant person and a great friend to have during an otherwise emotionally intense transaction, which can also get stressful at times. A few aspects about Jeff & Steve set them apart from most other agents that we have met over the course of a year or so. (We met with 2 other agents before going with Jeff & Steve).
My wife & I met Jeff & Steve at an open house they were running. Both of them were very honest and upfront about everything regarding the house. We didn’t get the house (went through an online agency & had bid much lesser than asking as per our affordability), but we decided to work with them instead.
I am a hands-​on guy and pored over every aspect of the transaction. Jeff showed immense amount of patience as I asked him a million questions (down to some small aspect of the contract). On some days, I must have called Jeff a dozen times. Jeff always pointed out things that we may not have even thought about like the wooden siding of a home that was not in its best condition. He would actually ask us to walk away from some houses because of their location and not get caught up by the super-​duper interiors. Also, he did not push us to increase our budget beyond what we had originally stated.
I really appreciated that Jeff would give me the facts and his opinion, but would not influence me. In the end, we ended up purchasing a fabulous home at a reasonable price well below asking. He was present for all the inspections and orchestrated all the work behind the scenes. Finally, Jeff has been attentive and responsive to us well after we moved in.
One great benefit of working with Jeff & Steve was their network of allied service partners, like the mortgage bankers and insurance agent.
After thousands of calls, 40+ houses, 8 months, 2 offers and 1 home purchase, I consider Jeff a trusted advisor and see this as a long term business relationship.