In the summer of 2006, my family had outgrown our house in Palo Alto, and new jobs for my wife and I in the East Bay meant that a move was imperative.  Fortunately, we were put in touch with Shannon Witters.  In the age of homes listed on the Internet, some may question why real estate agents are needed at all.  Well, having Shannon as our agent saved us so much trouble, saved us money, and made our life easier, I can’t imagine buying a house without a real estate agent. 

This was our second home purchase, so we generally understood the process, but being in Palo Alto, but looking for a home in the East Bay, we needed an agent who had the skills to understand our needs, both with regard to the home itself, but also its location and its neighborhood.  From among the thousands of possible homes, Shannon was able to find us the houses with the right amount of space, near parks and elementary schools, and with a minimum of street traffic.  With Shannon’s help we were therefore able to limit the touring of houses to only those that fit our needs, and disregard those that didn’t.  When my wife and I, from looking on the Internet, proposed some houses to tour, Shannon was either happy to add them to the list, or able to politely tell us what wasn’t apparent from the listing that made the house not ideal.

And the touring took a while.  Not because Shannon wasn’t doing her job.  Quite the contrary, because we weren’t compelled to move on particular date, we wanted to take our time and find the perfect house for us.  We went out with Shannon almost every weekend in July and August.  This was July and August of 2006, when the heat was just incredible, over 105 degrees some days.  Aside from the heat, we of course had the kids in the back seat, who were not thrilled to be driving around in outrageous heat, walking around house after house.  Shannon didn’t flinch.  She kept the kids entertained with small toys and games, helped load and unload them from the car seats, kept them happy despite the heat.  She called ahead to make sure homeowners were ready for us to arrive.  She took into account out favorable and negative impressions from homes after each tour, and was able to refine the touring process on an ongoing basis, while also offering her opinion on the homes we toured without seeming to overrule our views.  She was a consummate professional throughout the entire process, acting as our agent, not imposing her views or preferences on the process. 

Finally, we whittled the list down to two or three homes.  We went for the first house on the list, even though it was on the upper edge of our price range.  Shannon helped us compose our bid, and negotiate/schedule all the necessary inspections.  When the inspections were complete, she helped us understand the results, and use those results to maximum advantage during the final price negotiations.  She helped us save thousands of dollars, and we got the number one house on our list, in the neighborhood we liked.  When we went to the title company to sign the final paperwork, with small kids, Shannon was even clever enough to bring a portable DVD player to keep the kids occupied watching “Toy Story” while we signed all the paperwork.

At that point, Shannon’s work was technically completed.  But she once again went above and beyond the call of duty.  She put us in touch with a local babysitter, recommended (and graciously paid for) a local handyman for small repair work on the house, and recommended a few stores to explore in our new town. 

“Shannon is absolutely the best……her attention to detail, knowledge of the area, and persistence to find the perfect listing were beyond our expectations.  She probably showed us 30 or 40 listings and never got impatient or pressured us to make a decision.”

“She helped us get oriented to the area as newcomers to Pleasanton.  Her knowledge of schools, neighborhoods, and future development plans really helped us evaluate locations and resale value.”

“At our first outing, Shannon prepared a welcome notebook that included an area map, market update, listing details, and general information about Pleasanton.  Her advance preparation saved us a lot of time during the search.”

I am a licensed real estate agent with the state of California.  My field of work however is in new home sales.  I chose Shannon to represent me as a seller because of her organization, attention to detail, promptness and professionalism. She was outstanding throughout the sale of my home  in all of these areas.  Shannon addressed all of my concerns immediately, was patient, understanding and worked with me to market the property.  I received regular  up-dates on market activity, always keeping me in the loop.  I would definitely highly recommend Shannon to anyone selling or looking to purchase a home.  She is dedicated, professional, and an outstanding agent.

Kelly Larsen

Feb 2006

We consider ourselves quite fortunate to have worked with Shannon.

Thank you Shannon! You not only sold our home quickly but for well over asking price. Knowing all the right people from stagers to video professionals helped to make the selling process less stressful. During all this turmoil you helped us to remain focused and within days of our home selling we were under contract for our “new” home. We are very grateful for all of your assistance. You actually made the process of selling and buying enjoyable!

Larkin & Amy Montgomery

I am a real estate agent licensed with the state of California and had been living out of state for several years when we decided it was time to sell our home in Pleasanton.

We are pleased we chose Shannon to represent us in the sale of our home. She was everything you expect a Realtor to be. We are convinced she earned her commission, obtaining a higher sales price than we would have received had I done it on my own or through other means. She was a pleasure to work with and we would absolutely recommend her for anyone with real estate needs.

Sincerely,

Roline and Brian Artist

"We selected Shannon as our Realtor because we felt comfortable with her from the first meeting.  She clearly understood our needs and objectives and gave us specific ways that she would address them.  She followed through on those promises as well.

Our main priority was making the sale of our home as pain-free and easy as possible.  Shannon accomplished this by providing us a specific calendar of events, utilizing her connections (stagers, handy man, locksmith, housekeeper, babysitter) as needed to prepare our home for sale, being in constant communication, and being readily accessible to address any questions and concerns that we had. 

We appreciated Shannon's approach to selling our home including her commitment to quality.  She demonstrated this by taking responsibility for having inspections performed prior to the open house, referring us to service providers of the highest quality in the preparation of our home, and providing a variety of professional marketing strategies and materials.  Following the open house and upon receipt of offers, Shannon presented them in a very clear and logical manner which made evaluating them easy.

Shannon takes a personal approach to realty.  She worked with us directly and often stopped by our home personally to follow up on many issues.  She went above and beyond by finding us a babysitter to watch our son when we needed to spend time preparing our home for sale.  She even took time out of her schedule to run a personal errand for us to purchase an item we needed for the staging of our home.  Shannon has kept in touch with us even though we moved half way across the country and has followed up on a variety of issues after the sale of our home was final.  When issues arose with other parties involved in the sale of our home, she made it a priority to resolve them minimizing our inconvenience and keeping in constant communication with us.

With Shannon's hard work and commitment to quality, we received 9 offers within 24 hours of the open house and sold our home for $30K over asking price."

The Embrees

"We would like to recommend Shannon Witters as a real estate agent. Shannon was our realtor in spring of 2005.

Shannon did a splendid job managing the sale of our home even through the chaos that was occurring in our lives. We found that we were being transferred out of state, our condo had termites and at the same time, a family member was losing her battle of cancer in Michigan. Erin left to be with relatives in Michigan with complete confidence in Shannon

Shannon was in daily contact with both my husband and me. The tenting for the termites had to be scheduled and papers had to be signed, which were faxed or overnighted to Michigan. Everything went along smoothly thanks to Shannon. Shannon was present at the open house, even placing fresh flowers on our door! We received nine offers and our condo sold in a few days!

Therefore, Shannon Witters would make a fine realtor. She was an extremely hard worker, detailed and meticulous in the marketing of our home, and competent. She produced incredible results under difficult circumstances and was a pleasure to work with."

Sincerely,

Erin & Jake Ostien

"We would like to thank you for the truly outstanding job you did in handling our purchase of the Pleasanton Condominium. It was a unique Experience for us to purchase property without even seeing it, except on your web site. We relied completely on your professionalism and we were comfortable with the entire transaction. Your attention to detail and communication with us by phone and e-mail was above the usual service level even if we had been present face to face. You were on top of all facets of this transaction including the inspection, the mortgage office and insurance agent here in Santa Barbara, the escrow office in Pleasanton and all the details for an on time closing.

We appreciated your method of presenting our offer to the buyer that made it stand out from the other multiple offers, so ours was accepted. Another example of service we noted was even after closing escrow, your services continued and you got us to the HOA office to complete their requirements for leasing the property.

Would you please thank those that assisted you in the Keller Williams office. They expedited the transaction and supplemented your level of service. A job well done and if the occasion arises again we would certainly call on you and your brokerage office for future real estate transactions."

Sincerely,

Dr. and Mrs. Francis Johnson

I wanted to let you know that this is the first time that a realtor has followed through after a sale and sent copies of the closing documents. It is a great help as we are beginning to assemble material for the tax year. Yes it does save a lot of time rather than go through the condominium file.

Betty and I both thank you for your excellent service and for being such a wonderful person.

Dr. Francis Johnson

"This letter is in support of Mrs. Shannon Witters.  My husband, Craig, and I had the good fortune of having Shannon as our realtor this summer.  Shannon was highly recommended to us when we decided to relocate to the East Bay.  After contacting her and explaining our needs and desires, we immediately received a package  from Shannon with important information about an area  in which we were unfamiliar.  She updated us regularly about houses on the market that fit our criteria and was flexible when it came to showing us homes as it worked into our schedule.  She was incredibly conscientious about our budget, timetable, and taste.

We worked over the course of several months with Shannon, finding her exceptionally detailed and accommodating.  She provided extra care, like holding our baby so we could better focus on homes, had cold bottled water in her vehicle for us, and even sent notes in the mail for occasions like birthdays.  She was always patient and understanding, as we searched through may houses that did not fit before finding our ideal home.  She offered her expertise to us as buyers in a seller's market, and personally delivered and put together an offer we made on a home that was due just hours after seeing the property for the first time!  She would call promptly with answers and updates as we entered the escrow phase, working late hours in order to serve us best.

As we encountered a challenging situation with the sellers of our future home, Shannon showed both grace and strength in communicating with the seller's realtor.   She battled for us and helped us reach a workable solution.  We felt she truly cared about what was best for us and not just about making a sale. Shannon flawlessly handled the big and small aspects in our buying process.  She was there with every step and continues to provide us with information when needed.  With thousands of realtors to choose from, we would gladly select Shannon Witters again!"

Craig and Mary Black

"Shannon is the consummate professional.  She is poised and polished, energetic and enthusiastic and is dedicated to putting the needs of her clients at the forefront of all negotiations.  Her mid-western friendliness and work ethic is balanced by a professional sophistication developed during her 15 years in corporate sales.  I have always been impressed with her knowledge, attention to detail and problem-solving skills.  I would trust Shannon with my personal business dealings and would highly recommend her to family and friends without reservation. With Shannon as your representative, your interests will be well-served!"

Jack Phillips

Shannon is the most dedicated, hard-working person I know.  Shannon goes above and beyond to meet the needs of her clients.  Her integrity, attention to detail and dedication to her clients ensures success with all her endeavors.

Anne Davis

Shannon Witters is a hard working professional with excellent customer service skills.  She is a patient and considerate person with whom to work.  Her attention to detail, determination, and problem solving ability make her a great advocate for her clients.

Maureen Mai