Doug is the real deal! My husband and I are in the real estate industry ourselves, so we had exceedingly high expectations when choosing a broker and Doug surpassed them all.
We met Doug at an open house and were immediately drawn to his optimistic attitude and incredible depth of experience and market knowledge. He took the time to understand our goals and helped us narrow and refine our home search. We really appreciated his candid and honest advice – he knew just what to watch out for, and talked us out of several properties that seemed interesting but ultimately would have been a poor fit.
When we found the perfect property, Doug gave great negotiation advice, and we had our very first offer accepted over several others that were made on the home. He was a great adviser as we worked through the lending & inspection process, and ultimately, we closed early and moved in right away. We were also able to take advantage of Doug’s exceptional referral network to find some excellent contractors to do work on the home after we moved in.
Start to finish, you could not ask for a better confidant to have by your side than Doug throughout the home buying process. His knowledge and professionalism are impeccable, and he made an incredibly complicated process feel easy and even enjoyable. We are now happily settled into our home with our newborn, and we couldn’t have done it without Doug. Highly recommend.
Emily and Evan
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My wife and I met Doug and Sophia at an open house, and we hit it off right away. We were immediately impressed by their friendliness, knowledge, and willingness to answer any questions we might have (and we certainly had a lot of questions and lessons to learn along the way). Being fairly new to the area, we did not know the various neighborhoods and found it difficult to focus down our search. Fortunately, Doug and Sophia really took the time to understand us and what we wanted from our home, from local schools, walkability scores and local hiking trails, to closet space, number of rooms and bathroom sinks. When we found the right place, Doug and Sophia were fantastic at helping us to pull together our offer and we were thrilled when it was accepted. Throughout the closing process and then after we moved in, Doug and Sophia made themselves available and have shared excellent referrals.
Their knowledge and experience is second to none and they invest a lot of time in helping to make your new home a reality. If you are looking for a team to help find you next home, look no further. Doug and Sophia are excellent at what they do and helped us to find a home that takes our breath away every single day.
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Letter of Recommendation for Doug Gonzalez and Sophia Sarlo, Coldwell Banker Realty
To whom it may concern,
My wife and I talk about it often, but we could not have asked for better realtors for our first home buying experience.
Doug was recommended by a friend, and from our first long conversation getting to know each other, we knew we were in good hands. Doug and Sophia were patient, thoughtful, and thorough during every step of the process. Always answered our questions and taught us so much about the home buying process. Their extensive knowledge of the market, peninsula neighborhoods where we were searching, and even home construction, gave us confidence in our search.
We faced many obstacles in our search. Not only were we walking into one of the biggest decisions of our lives, but we also had added layers of complexity: buying in areas we were completely unfamiliar with and in a crushing market with surging prices [seeing 30+ bids and half million+ dollars over asking on most homes]. The search was more brutal than we expected, but they did not allow us to go too fast or too slow, exploring all avenues – leveraging relationships with other realtors and exploring off market – meeting us every weekend at the homes we looked at, and remaining persistent.
There were many points during the search where we wanted to give up and move away, because we did not think this was going to happen to us. And we still would have written this recommendation the same for the 6+ months Doug and Sophia helped us search and taught us so much along the way. But I am happy to share that the hard work paid off, and we did find a home that we love. It was the result of some incredible tenacity from Doug and Sophia and a home we would not have found ourselves.
We are so appreciative to Doug and Sophia and could not give a higher recommendation.
Jerome and Chrissy Goyhenetche
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To Whom It May Concern:
I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to Doug Gonzalez for his guidance through the sale process of our beloved family home in Redwood City. Our stepmom had passed away in June of 2020, and my sisters and I were left with the challenge of processing everything; going through and sorting every item our parents had in their lives. They had lived in this home for over 40 years, and they kept everything. We had to decide on matters that we knew nothing about – to donate or sell items, to keep the house or sell. It may not sound like an overwhelming task if you have not gone through it yourself, but it is more than one can imagine.
My sisters and I were working on this project when a neighbor came by one day and asked if we are selling the house, but we did not know if we were going to sell the house at this time. She suggested that we talk to the real estate guy down the street. We asked her to ask him to contact us. A few days later, Doug stopped by to introduce himself. We shared with him our thoughts and that we did not think that we would be ready to sell until 2021. Doug offered valuable information and options for us to consider with no obligations on our part. He just wanted to share information and help us as best that he could. Doug had an open door that I could call and ask him any question. We had not made him our Realtor yet; he was just being kind in our difficult situation. Shortly after meeting Doug, my sisters and I decided that we wanted Doug to be our Realtor.
Doug clearly embraced his duty as our fiduciary. One of the many ways that Doug showed his degree of fiduciary to us was his willingness to share his philosophy with our trust attorney regarding the sales process. He did not get everything he wanted, but this demonstrated again his degree of fiduciary to his clients versus worrying about building a new relationship with the trust attorney to receive referrals in the future. With that said, he was able to express himself in a way that got the job done.
Doug not only worked with our trust attorney, but he also handled all the prep work, estimates, selecting contractors, scheduling the work, and making all the right choices regarding marketing. He kept us in the loop throughout the entire process from preparing the home for the market, through the showings, and leading up to the buyers’ live video offer presentations. Doug even has this part of the process streamlined to accommodate the State and County restrictions for the pandemic! In the end, we had 11 offers and sold the property substantially over the list price. It was a “textbook transaction.”
My sisters and I would not change a thing about our experience in working with Doug. He really took the time to help us through what felt like a daunting process at first. We deeply appreciate his support and willingness to do whatever tasks needed to be done to ensure that our questions were answered, and any of our concerns were met. I would highly recommend Doug for all your real estate needs. During the process, and after, Doug has stepped up to be one of the most honest and humble people that I have worked with. I truly feel that I have a new lifetime friend with Doug.
Thank you very much,
Mike G., Trustee, Redwood City (seller)
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To Whom It May Concern:
We were referred to Doug by friends in 1996 when he helped us buy our first home. Doug was always energetic and excited about looking at houses. It always seemed like an adventure looking at houses with Doug. When we finally decided on the house that was right for us, we met with him late on Halloween night 1996 to write up the purchase offer. Doug leaving no stone un-turned had heard about an interesting house that came on the market just that day; we visited this one last house on Halloween night in the dark! Although, it was a very interesting and unique house with a huge back yard and large redwood trees, we decided not to pursue it. The point is, he is always game for one more outing to look at an interesting house, even when it was literally the 11th hour.
During the intervening years, we kept in touch with Doug. We called often to get recommendations for handymen, electricians, plumbers, and the like. Doug always made time for us and had good recommendations for people who could help us with projects for our home. Doug is always generous with his time, still excited about houses, and ever ready to be helpful.
Years passed, and we decided to retire and move to Portugal. Our first thought was to turn our house into a rental. We met with Doug several times to prepare for that. Again, Doug was generous with his time, and gave us a lot of good advice. Due to CoVid, we decided to sell our home of 24 years instead; a hard decision because we really loved the house and might have preferred to keep it. When we decided to sell our beloved home we call Doug. He feels like a trusted friend. You need a trusted and honest friend when you are buying or selling one of your most valued assets!
Doug gave us great advice about what improvements would most increase the market value of the house. We did some of the work ourselves, then we moved out and left Doug in charge of the remaining projects. He brought in people who did excellent work at very reasonable prices. There is no way we could have gotten the house into such great condition on our own. We left many of the aesthetic choices to Doug. He made great decisions and recommendations. For example, the trim of our exterior window had two colors, one light blue and another darker blue. Doug thought about the window trim for a while and knew that something about the trim was off. A few days later he suggested that the trim should be a darker blue. We accepted this recommendation. This was an excellent decision. Doug selected a beautiful interior wall color, and other wonderful details, window latches, light fixtures, floor mats, and ensured that our side fences could be constructed immediately. The house was stunning, generated a lot of interest, and we had multiple purchase offers.
In the end, it was very hard to sell a house that had been our home for so many years and that we always loved. Doug made it a lot easier. We were able to move out and focus on getting ready for our upcoming move, knowing that he would manage things and make good choices for us.
Working with Doug never felt like a transaction. It never seemed to us that it seemed like work to him. It was more like he was just doing something that he loves to do, that he is really good at.
Doug will always be a trusted and honest friend. If you plan to buy or sell a home we highly recommend Doug. He has boundless energy, knows the housing market inside out, and works with professionals through the process managing all of the legal purchase and selling documents.
With appreciation,
Patti and Jeff, Redwood City (buyer and seller)
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To Whom It May Concern,
I have known Doug Gonzalez for over 30 years. We have had six transactions in which I sold or purchased a home for my primary or rental purposes.
I am not sure that I can say anything new about Doug that has not already been said in his many testimonials. In fact, I cannot find any real superlatives that would do him justice. While he is clearly knowledgeable, and competent in all aspects of real estate, and above all, honest, there is an indefinable quality that Doug brings to the table that I have not found in any other professional with whom I have dealt over many years. Once you work with him you will understand what I mean by this.
So when I recently needed to purchase a home out of Doug’s area – some 60 miles away – I asked if he would represent me. In spite of his advising me that he might not be the best person for the job, I was already convinced that no one else would come close to being the best, and I was right.
On this most recent occasion in which I had an opportunity to work with Doug was in executing a 1031 exchange selling my rental property in Sunnyvale and finding a replacement in the Aptos area. The time was particularly challenging, as we were at the start of the Covid pandemic in February of 2020. Though we were beset by a seemingly endless stream of obstacles, including the prohibition of open homes, additional restrictions on showings, and for a short time, only virtual visits, Doug managed to get my home out on the market and sold with multiple offers in less than 10 days during a time of almost complete lockdown, and closed escrow 30 days later. The sale of my home in Sunnyvale as Doug described it, was “textbook–smooth”. But this wasn’t even the icing on the cake! What followed was an intense, action–packed search for a replacement property that had to be identified within 45 days of the sale of my Sunnyvale home and in a neighborhood some 55 miles from Doug’s home base – a neighborhood with which he was not intimately familiar. He quickly studied the area and many times came early to just drive or walk-about the neighborhood for his own education. In a time of restrictions such as PEAD forms, masks, gloves, and hand sanitizers, we managed to view over 25 homes in under than a month with the tireless efforts of his assistant, Dana. She whipped together countless forms for all the showings. After a fruitless search, Doug did a mass emailing to selected developments in which I was interested and printed over 400 flyers that were delivered to homes in Aptos. With only about two weeks remaining, we ended up searching even further out of my “preferred zone” and purchased a home in Monterey, a distance of 90 miles from Doug’s home base. From the time I called him about the home I had seen on my travels, in less than 4 hours, we had an offer presented to the listing agents. Throughout all of this, Doug was remarkably efficient, patient, always on time, not to mention, an expert negotiator. After the acceptance, he was able to renegotiate the price by $50,000.00 in my favor! In the past 30+ years, I have recommended Doug to all of my friends from San Mateo to Gilroy and he has never disappointed. I can say wholeheartedly that you will not find a better agent than Doug Gonzalez no matter you are selling or buying, and whether it be a modest single family home in Sunnyvale, or a country estate in Portola Valley, Doug is your real estate person par excellence!
Most sincerely,
Brian (buyer and seller)
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To Whom It May Concern,
My husband and I have known Doug for almost 30 years. He found our first home for us back in 1991 when we relocated to the Bay Area from Seattle, Washington. We raised three boys in this house, our youngest left for college last fall. We became empty nesters. Then COVID-19 happened, and they all moved back home indefinitely.
Eric and I did not allow a pandemic to stop us from planning our next chapter – retirement. We contacted Doug to help find our next home and he went right to work. Eric and I work opposite schedules, Doug had to put in extra effort to accommodate us. He showed us many properties during the day, evenings, and weekends. It is extremely difficult with COVID precautions to view so many homes. We get text messages and emails from him morning to night. I’ve often wondered when he sleeps.
Our situation was particularly challenging, it was a 1031 exchange transaction. He found a number of homes that were very attractive. However, HOA rental restrictions prevented us form pursuing them. Doug was under tremendous pressure to find the property we liked, allowed to be a rental property, and in a timely manner to satisfy exchange guidelines.
Doug was always early to appointments. He texted us and said, “I am standing in your new house.” He knew what we were looking for and he was awesome through the entire process. He got us our next dream home.
Doug has assisted us in finding two amazing properties. We really appreciate his work ethics, his professionalism, and his patience. We are lucky to have found him three decades ago, he is just as passionate if not more after all these years, a fabulous agent and friend.
With Regards,
Yvonne and Eric, Los Gatos (buyer)
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To Whom It May Concern,
I would like to take this opportunity to recommend Douglas Gonzalez as a real estate agent for any person looking to sell their home. Doug was recommended to me by family friends who happen to be two retired real estate agents with over 30 years’ experience in Portola Valley. I was definitely pleased with their recommendation. Doug’s professionalism and caring manner were exactly what I needed.
Selling our home after 30 years was very traumatic for me. Being a recent widow, I found Doug to be very patient and understanding as I worked through my emotions during the sales process. At no point did I ever feel pressure from him, only compassion for my situation.
Doug took the time to explain the entire selling process to me in layman’s terms. I feel that he was thorough with the plan to move forward with the sale of our home and then we were hit with the COVID-19 virus. Doug didn’t miss a beat, he found out exactly what we needed to proceed and reconstructed our plan accordingly. It was a seamless process that could have easily discouraged an agent with less experience & expertise in this profession (30+ years).
Doug managed to arrange showings in compliance with the COVID-19 guidelines and was able to sell our home in less than a month. This was obviously a new and challenging process and I am still amazed by how he diligently worked to make it happen.
Ultimately, I was extremely happy with his services. I appreciated his continued communication by keeping me informed throughout the process. Doug met all of my expectations and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a home.
Sincerely,
Janet, Portola Valley (seller)
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I have recently purchased my first home with Doug, and the experience has been perfect. He is thorough, hard-working, attentive, and communicative though the entire process. We had to make some tough decisions together, and I always appreciated his honest opinion on both houses and the market. He was a wonder real estate agent and I recommend him without hesitation.
– Brandon, San Francisco (buyer)
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To Whom It May Concern,
We met Doug Gonzalez at an open house in 1998 and hit it off right away. Our daughters, the first child for both of us, were two-years old then–and now they have both graduated from college. Also, our daughters played club soccer together, so we got to know Doug and his family very well sitting on the sidelines every weekend. We got to see how dedicated Doug is to his daughters and how much he loves to laugh. A good sense of humor is absolutely required to be a real estate agent.
Since then we have bought two houses and sold two houses with Doug. Each transaction turned out great for us, culminating in the recent sale of our home in Menlo Park for $2.5M for which we had paid $750K. Doug has been a great guide through all our real estate transactions.
Doug not only has the right temperament for a real estate agent, but he has great expertise. In our latest sale, he managed the entire process from preparing our home for sale to selling it for above the asking price. That included helping to select what work needed to be done on our house, collecting bids and scheduling all the vendors, making sure all work was done correctly, keeping a master schedule of the whole process to put the house on the market, managing all the marketing activities and finally managing the open houses and the close. Doug has a team of vendors he’s worked with over the years. They are very responsive to him because he is loyal to them by bringing them regular business. This all leads to getting the best out of this team of vendors for a very good price.
Doug has a very structured methodology that he has refined over the years. It includes everything from what’s the best day to put your house on the market to what kinds of home improvements will help to sell your house. Also, you can feel comfortable that Doug’s advice is grounded in years of experience. For example, he worked with us closely to make sure we got the disclosures right and very accurate, so that nothing would come back to haunt us after the sale. Additionally, this allows the seller to relax during this process. I was able to sit back and accept all of Doug’s advice, knowing that he knows his business, he’s been a real estate agent for almost 35 years and you can trust that he’s been through every situation you can imagine.
Doug has been our real estate agent for 22 years and we don’t know why we would work with anyone else. If you are looking for a real estate agent to help you buy or sell your home with optimal results and a virtually painless process, we recommend you work with Doug Gonzalez.
Warm Regards,
Ben and Suzanne, Menlo Park (seller)
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Dear Chris:
I wanted to send you a note regarding the performance of Doug Gonzalez. Doug represented me in the purchase of my home in San Mateo in early 2013. As a buyer’s representative, he was spectacular. He left no stone of detail unturned, organized all relevant inspections and events, and made an interesting transaction due to circumstances around the seller (the owner’s husband had a stroke while we were in escrow and decided to back out, then not back out) very smooth.
When it came to sell my home this summer due to a job change and move, I didn’t even think to contact another agent, which is saying quite a bit, because in the San Mateo Highlands Eichler community, if you want to sell your house, you call Glenn Sennett, he’s the “Eichler Guy”. I had met Glenn and was impressed with him as well, but the mark that Doug had left on me as a buyer was indelible, and I knew that he would provide the same level of intensity and service around the sale that he did in the buy.
My instincts were spot on. Especially given that I had moved out of state early on in the process, it gave me great comfort to know that my property was in excellent hands. This transaction also had “interesting” circumstances in that once in escrow, as I found out when having a county inspection on an open permit, that some additional work had to be done on the property to satisfy building inspectors. My contractor was spectacular in terms of solving the issues, and Doug stayed in the middle of the loop, keeping both me and the buyer’s agent informed of everything. We closed on the property on 10/7, and my memories of the sale are equally as positive as my memories living in that amazing home.
I’ve left the Bay Area, however, I would recommend Doug to anyone buying or selling a home on the Peninsula. He understands the market, the process, the risks that potentially can arise, and makes sure that all the players in the theater of real estate stay on point. As we all live busy lives, it’s wonderful to have an agent that cares enough to make sure that we all hit our deadlines.
Thanks and Best Regards,
Patricia, San Mateo (buyer)
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Over twenty-five years, Doug Gonzalez has helped me buy two houses and sell one. I now live in a house he found within hours of listing, we visited the same day, and bought two days later. We’re still amazed how perfect it is for us, I just want to sit on the deck and enjoy the view. In each of those transactions, Doug’s specific expertise saved a huge amount of money, or made a sticky problem go away, on more than one occasion. His understanding of ethics and legal issues makes everything much more secure. And of course Doug’s behavior is so professional and thoughtful, it almost hurts.I can’t imagine anyone better to shepherd the real estate process.
– Bill & Crisi, Menlo Park and Montara
(buyer & seller – fellow classmate since 2nd grade)
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We were a referral from a friend who Doug helped find and purchase their first home two years ago. When we first met Doug, he said something to us that truly resonated – that if he could pick one word to describe his role in our buying process, it would be fiduciary. Fiduciary means the highest legal duty of one party to another, being bound ethically to act in the other’s best interests. And that’s exactly what Doug did during the buying process with us, building that trust quickly as we found and purchased our home within 2.5 months.
If I could break down why Doug was the absolute best realtor, I’d break it down into 3 parts…
1) Subject matter expert – he’s born and raised in the Peninsula and has been in real estate for 20+ years, selling/buying over 800 homes. This guy knows what he’s doing – he knows houses (having bought and fixed a bunch of his own homes), how to negotiate, the right people (inspectors, roof/foundation/pest people, and the market (toughest one probably in the country). At the beginning, he took the time to explain to us how the buying process works and why this market is unique.
2) Strong (and urgent) communicator – we were always informed about what was going on (emails, texts, calls) and aware of where we were in the process. He took the time to explain things to us so we could make the right call, but also wasn’t afraid to play hardball with our sellers (after talking us through our choices). Plus he also has a sense of urgency which we appreciated a lot. Also, kudos to his assistant Eleni as well!
3) Trusted Advisor – he got to know us really quickly (we decided to try to put an offer in a few days after we met him). He didn’t just get to know what we wanted in our house, he got to know us as a couple. On top of that, he built trust with the people we were working with – the sellers, the seller’s agent, our loan officer, different real estate agents we met along the process.
We couldn’t have done any of this without Doug. He did the inspections with us (again his house knowledge is unmatched), helped us negotiate a lower price, lined up potential folks to get quotes for any work we needed to do, and took time out of his schedule to celebrate with us when we finally got the keys. We feel incredibly lucky to have been able to work with Doug and would recommend him to any of our friends and family.
Happy to chat with anyone interested in working with Doug if you want to know more!
– Margaret, Matt, & Cheetoh, San Mateo
(buyer – referred by their close friends)
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To Whom It May Concern,
We highly recommend Doug Gonzalez (Coldwell Banker) as the agent of choice for anyone in the mid-Peninsula buying or selling a property. Referred through friends, we recently had Doug represent us in selling our house in San Carlos, which included a 1031 exchange, a complex transaction in which Doug has both personal and professional experience enabling him to provide trustworthy counsel throughout the process.
He is professional and personable and acts with the highest integrity, making for a confident, friendly and effective working relationship. His command of the specific market dynamics in this area translated to a clear, well-founded strategy in the sale of our property. At the beginning, he took the time to frame the state of the market, taking us through the history of relevant sales in the area and the relation to the macro environment. From there, he laid out a well-articulated strategy and execution plan, from the suggested timing to get on the market, the appropriate and worthwhile preparation of property for sale–including recommended contractors and resources, to the critical milestones and the timing and triggers for each along the way.
Doug educated us upfront to the nuances we might expect with each event from listing agreement on through closing and actively stayed on top of all activities and kept all concerned parties well-informed, which ensured the plan was executed as expected–like clockwork! The value of his 30+ years of experience, his team of resources and his approach translated to a high ROI for us as clients, and we highly encourage anyone who wants a strong partner in their court through a real estate transaction to hire Doug.
– Jess & Kathy, San Carlos
(seller – referred by a fellow agent)
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Dear Prospective Client,
We are very pleased to recommend Doug Gonzalez and hope you will consider using his services!
Doug helped our family sell an investment property in 2019. The house was a rental property owned by our family for many years and, although the four of us agreed we wanted to sell, we needed lots of help agreeing on the best approach. We were very impressed with Doug’s patience through the long and emotional process. He clearly communicated our options and we felt supported every step of the way. Doug is friendly, professional, prompt, knowledgeable, prepared, and clearly communicates every step of the process. The house sold for more than our asking price and we were extremely happy with the outcome.
Doug went above and beyond our expectations and we are so grateful. We couldn’t have asked for a better agent and highly recommend him to anyone and everyone!
Best,
Megan, Michelle, Mike & Matt
San Mateo (seller – referred by a past client/seller)
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To Prospective Sellers and Buyers,
Doug Gonzalez is great! He not only pulled off a magic trick in getting us the best price possible, above asking price, in a market that changed from week to week, but it was based on a strategy that he informed us of a year in advance. He shepherded us through that process: getting our house ready for sale, on the market and sold. The last months of that we had moved out of state and he was wonderful about voice, email and text contact, and we had absolute confidence in all he was doing.
There were a number of house preparation issues for which he provided us contractors he knew well, who stayed on schedule and did their jobs efficiently and reliably. Because of his long connections with them, they went above and beyond the ordinary, making sure that things were done well and timely. Doug even stood in line at Home Depot himself to make sure that things were done correctly. He also did what was necessary to guide us through the necessary intricacies of selling a house in SF Bay Area.
Doug also was easy to work with and connected with us well. We would unhesitatingly recommend him to anyone looking to sell or buy in the Bay Area as not only in a specialist in that area, but he’s well respected by colleagues and deals go smoothly. We’re very grateful to Doug for all his help.
– Alan, Laurie & Rachael, Redwood City (seller – met at an open house, funny story)
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Mr. Isaacson –
Recently we worked with Doug Gonzalez in your office to sell our home at 1008 Sevier Avenue in Menlo Park. We purchased a Palo Alto home through Doug in 2005, when he proved to be thorough and diligent supporting us through the home buying process. When we decided to sell our Menlo Park home, we knew exactly who to call. Doug was extremely knowledgeable, professional, and handled all the inspections as well as the small repairs needed to prepare the house for sale. He presented a thorough market analysis and discussed with us his strategies and thinking around pricing and timing of going to market.
Much to our delight, the house sold for slightly over asking in one week. Although that is not remarkable in this area, it was surprising to us because there was only one offer, and the couple making the offer knew they were the only bidder. The buyers’ realtor told us that they put together their best offer because they were impressed by the knowledge and integrity Doug showed throughout the offer process. Knowing they were dealing with a trustworthy agent, they were confident that there would be no unpleasant surprises in the purchasing process, and they made that clear though their fair, clean, no-nonsense offer. We were amazed and grateful!
We really appreciate Doug for being Doug, and we thank him for all that he did to get us a great outcome!
SIncerely,
Emily and George
Menlo Park and Palo Alto (buyer & seller – known each other for 20 ish years)
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Christopher,
I wanted to let you know about our recent work with Doug in the sale of 2504 Webster Street in Palo Alto.
Doug came recommended to us from the realtor we had worked with previously when we bought our first house. While much of the sale was straight-forward we had a specific timeline that we wanted to meet, and Doug delivered.
His guidance was critical on where to invest to showcase our property, when to list the house, setting of the offer price, and how to stage the furniture. Doug, of course, handled the fliers (which looked amazing) and the open house, but it was the multiple offers where Doug’s experience brought it all together as there was a lot of information to take in. We appreciate his knowledge in the realty space and for helping us navigate these waters, and would recommend Doug to anyone looking to sell a home in Palo Alto and surrounding area.
Sincerely,
Michael and Michelle
Palo Alto (seller – referred by a fellow agent)
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Dear Prospective Buyers:
I would like to take this opportunity to write this letter regarding the wonderful experience I enjoyed working with Doug Gonzalez on the purchase of my dream home.
I still remember the first conversation I had with Doug over the phone. After describing my situation and what I was looking for, he knew immediately what type of homes to recommend to me. When we visited some properties together, I was thoroughly impressed by his in-depth knowledge of the market and real estate in general. Doug possesses all the attributes necessary to be an excellent realtor. He’s diligent, responsive, and yet very patient with his clients. Doug is both very professional and personable. He clearly takes pride in doing a good job. In my particular case dealing with a tough seller, there were many rough spots on the road and in every instance Doug was a great help.
I’m more than pleased to recommend Doug Gonzalez to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. He’s hands down the best in the business in my opinion, and if I ever need to move again he will be my first choice in real estate agents. Trust me, you need work with someone like Doug in the Bay Area market.
Thank you again, Doug!
Best Regards,
April
Redwood City (buyer)
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It is with pleasure that we share comments on our experience with Doug Gonzalez in helping us rent our home in Menlo Park, twice. We had never rented a home before. We approached Doug the first time in 2014, as he was a neighbor and a supporter of the Menlo Park City School District.
Although Doug takes on very few rentals, we received the same level of attention and detail as would a seller. The experience at each phase was superior, such as sincere efforts in finding renters, useful insights, good advice and great vetting of potential tenants. All of these tasks, whether business-related or interpersonal, were accomplished with a noticeable degree of competence, integrity and grace.
– Aarti, Menlo Park (rental property owner)
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Dear Doug,
I have been involved in Real Estate most of my adult life and have dealt with LOTS of brokers, but I can say without any hesitation that you are in a class by yourself. As the Trustee of the sale of my sister’s house, I was privy to a front row seat of how a real pro handles what ended up being an absolute mine field of never-ending issues. Murphy’s Law regarding what can go wrong does could not have been more relevant. It’s one thing to manage the sale of a home, but to throw a major remodel project on top of that with all the unpleasant surprises that bit us at every turn I was amazed at how you hung in there and delivered everything you had promised at our initial meeting, and so much more.
Everything comes down to communication and we ended up having far more to discuss and resolve than we ever thought possible. Your dogged commitment to absolute transparency and objective honesty was the only way we were able to grovel through what ended up being an incredibly challenging process. And the house sold for more than we originally thought possible!
Thank you again for everything you did and I really do hope our paths cross again someday. You were an absolute pleasure to deal with and I wish you all the best moving forward.
Sincerely,
Lincoln
Redwood City (seller)
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To Prospective Buyers/Sellers:
It is our pleasure to highly recommend Doug Gonzalez as a real estate agent for anyone looking to buy or sell their home.
We have worked with Doug several times over the past 20 years; he helped us both purchase a home, and recently, helped us sell our mother’s house.
In all of our dealings with Doug, we’ve found him to be honest, straightforward and attentive. He paid attention to our needs as both a buyer and seller, and was always available to answer our questions. He returned all phone calls and emails the same day, and we never felt neglected or unimportant. He is extremely personable with an engaging personality, which makes working with him a great experience.
During our preparation for selling our mother’s house, Doug went above and beyond as a realtor to make our job easier: he provided a detailed timeline, provided recommendations on improvements to make, and hired numerous contractors on our behalf to help us obtain top dollar for the house.
He is hands down one of the best agents in the area, and he will definitely remain our first choice in real estate agents.Regards,
Jeff & Carrie
San Carlos (buyer & seller)
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To Whom It May Concern,
It’s our absolute pleasure to recommend Doug Gonzalez with Coldwell Banker. Doug recently helped my wife and in-laws sell a property in Redwood City, CA. We interviewed several realtors and found Doug to be honest, dependable, and very knowledgeable. Beyond that, he is a fantastic communicator and incredibly thorough.
We met Doug during a difficult time, a death in our family, and he really stepped up for us and took the reigns of our entire project. We would still be waiting to go on the market today if it wasn’t for Doug and his team!
Doug was the equivalent of a general contractor and realtor on our project. He helped us gather bids, hire and manage all of the subcontractors that worked on the property. He also advised us where, and perhaps more importantly, where not to spend money.
We did all of this via calls/emails from another state and it was never a problem because there was always fantastic communication from Doug and his team. They are very thorough and we always felt like we were in good hands. Our sale closed a couple weeks ago and all the hard work paid off.
Without a doubt, we confidently recommend Doug Gonzalez and his team at Coldwell Banker for any real estate project, buying or selling. Please feel free to contact us if you’d like to discuss Doug’s qualifications and experience further. I’d be happy to expand on my recommendation.
Best wishes,
Ryan & Amanda
Redwood City (seller)
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Hi Chris,
I wanted to share with you how awesome our experience was with Doug Gonzalez, he was a pleasure to work with. Below is a review I wrote and wanted to get it into your hands. Very satisfied and 15/10 would work with Doug again.
My wife and I were first time home buyers when we were referred to Doug and to say he was awesome is an understatement, we were so happy with him from the start to finish!
Doug is very knowledgeable and honest; we felt comfortable through the entire home buying process and we still keep in touch even after we’ve purchased our home.
He met with us multiple times before looking at homes to help us get organized and educated on the home buying processes, the housing market, introduced us/showed us different neighborhoods and steps needed to purchase our first house. Doug was very patient when explaining everything to us so we could understand the most complex of situations and brought many “first time home owners” situations to our attention.
Doug is very professional, sharp, and a really great guy. Again, I could not recommend him enough and will be using him again for future home purchases.
– Michael & Courtney, Redwood City (buyer – referred by a past client and their close friends)
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Dear Doug:
I want to take a moment to thank you for a job very well done on the sale of our family’s four properties (a fourplex and three single family homes). I found working with you through all the steps of the sale to be a very easy and transparent process. You always made time to meet with me or talk on the phone to go over details and answer my many questions.
These particular sales were more complex than normal because of it being an estate sale with multiple trustees. Despite this, your planning, guidance and management of the entire process from market research, preparation of the property, marketing for sale, and negotiations resulted in a final sales prices well over the asking prices.
Also, in spite of the inevitable glitches that popped up during the sales process, your knowledge and advice to me as trustee was invaluable and helped us work well as a team, including with my trust attorney.
If a potential client ever requests a reference, please don’t hesitate to provide my contact information.
Best Regards,
Don
Santa Clara and San Jose (seller)
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Dear Chris:
Two weeks ago, we closed on our home at 355 Santa Clara Avenue, Redwood City, after 23 years. Doug Gonzalez sold me this home in 1993 and handled the sale just recently.
Doug is a caring person but never forgetting about the business at hand. He covers all areas of concern, legal matters, counseled us on what should be done and not done to prepare the home for sale. We had been talking with him since January as to “timing” and when to place the home on the market. It was a “classic” SALE as he says, not a problem anywhere! The new buyers are lovely people who enjoy our home and we are happy for them. Doug saw to all of that!
I want to add that when we purchased this home in 1993, Doug paid to have our fireplaces repaired as the flew in one of them was not built properly. He goes the extra mile to see that everyone is happy and doing it all though his business experience.
His contacts with “workers” to complete any repair or job that needs doing is all in his hands. I have felt over the years that he has been a friend to me, as when purchasing this home, I lost my first husband to cancer. Now, being remarried 21 years, Doug again handled the sale of this home only now, the laws and disclosure paperwork was much more complicated. Not a problem anywhere in the process and I highly recommend him to anyone who wants a stellar guy to work with.
This is our exit from the Bay Area, as Brian and I are building a home in Arizona. As our last hurrah! Doug is a special person and I wish him the very best for the future and any recommendation he wants, he has it with us.
Best Regards,
Dr. Brian & Carol
Redwood City (buyer & seller)
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To Whom It May Concern:
I give Doug 5+ stars out of 5 stars. I’ve worked with other Realtors in the purchase of two prior homes and the sale of my parents’ home as well as through other professional associations who couldn’t hold a candle to Doug. I met Doug at one of his open houses in the spring of 2013 when I was looking to buy a house in Redwood City. He wasn’t pushy and cheesy like I’ve found many realtors in their open homes. Instead, he was highly knowledgeable of the area and the house. I did some research about him and found many unique qualities about Doug. He’s been in business for over 30 years as opposed to trying out the real estate field in between other professions. His website is helpful. And he works with a reputable real estate firm.
So far, Doug has been my realtor through the acquisition of two homes. One in Redwood City in 2013, which I lived in for 3 years and now rent out, and another in Campbell, which I purchased in June 2016. I appreciate Doug’s highly professional, knowledgeable, and friendly approach. His approach is truly unique. He spends time up front to really understand the features his buyers are looking for in a home. He actually challenged me a few times regarding whether some homes I wanted to see would meet my objectives (and he was right). He pointed out attributes and detractors rather than only highlights of homes and neighborhoods. He strongly insisted on having inspectors review the house as an opportunity to identify any issues as well as a way to learn about the house. Prior Realtors I used made no such recommendation. He made sure I understood all the contracts and disclosures. He was very patient with me as I honed in on Campbell. When I was looking for my second home purchase with Doug, I was open to San Mateo to San Jose. Doug was very patient with me as he showed me homes in a number of different neighborhoods. I truly trust Doug to act as my agent. I would definitely hire him again and look forward to the opportunity. I also found his assistant highly professional, responsive, and helpful.
In addition to my experience in working with Doug in purchasing two homes, I’ve had a chance to see Doug at work in selling homes. I stopped by a few homes where he was the listing agent in the course of his preparation of those homes for sale and saw how professionally he handled that process.
Moreover, Doug has been very helpful in a number of areas. He has helped me decide whether certain remodeling ideas make sense regarding the perceived value on the part of future owners of my homes. He has referred me to service providers as I have sought to make my homes my own including contractors, HVAC, electricians, etc. He has provided me a number of very helpful ideas regarding securing renters for my homes and preparing homes to rent. He has also shared changes in laws and market trends regarding real estate with me over the years.
I don’t think you could do any better than relying on Doug as your realtor for either an acquisition or sale.
Sincerely,
Robin
Redwood City and Campbell (buyer – met at an open house – 3 transactions together)
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Dear Doug,
Buying and selling a house in the Bay Area is certainly an adventure. I can honestly say that working with you made the process so much easier.
Although I had bought and sold a couple of homes on the east coast, I needed to be totally re-educated on the process in California. With great patience, understanding, and wisdom, you guided me on that learning curve. You respected what I wanted and needed in a home, and steered me on the right course to finding the perfect townhouse! Your understanding of the market, insight on housing price points, and skill in negotiating a strong offer were amazing. I was able to purchase a home I loved at a price I was comfortable paying. Every step of the way, I was confident that I was working with an expert in the field!
When the twists and turns of life wooed me back to the east coast 16 months later, you were there once again to facilitate the process of selling my beloved home. Again, you were the consummate professional: patient, respectful, well-informed, and oh-so organized and detail-oriented. You guided me through the process of pricing, marketing, reviewing offers and ultimately finding the perfect buyer with the perfect offer for my home. I could not have hoped for a better outcome.
We spent so much time together over the two and a half years of buying my home and then selling it, I felt like I had made a friend……not in a shallow sort of way, but of the most sincere kind. You genuinely cared about what was important to me, and it was just as important to you. Through the sale and even after, you assured that every detail was addressed and that all aspects of the process proceeded flawlessly.
When moving to a new place, it can be hard to know who to trust in making what is one of the most expensive decisions in life. I am truly blessed to have had you as my realtor. Thank you for everything!! I would recommend you highly to anyone who is looking to buy or sell a home in the Bay Area. Please do not hesitate to use me as a reference.Most sincerely,
Lisa
Mountain View (buyer & seller)
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Doug is a gifted, knowledgeable, patient, kind, diligent, and ethical agent. This is a review I’ve wanted to write for a long time, but I didn’t want to jinx our buying process by writing it before we closed escrow on our new home!
Shelly and I began looking for a house about fourteen months ago. If you know the Bay Area real estate market, you know what a long and frustrating process this can be. Doug learned what we were looking for and the way we operate. He supported us when we needed it, and set us straight when we were being unrealistic. He challenged our thinking and encouraged us to revisit our preconceptions about certain locations.
During this process, we placed seven offers before finally landing a home. We burned countless hours of Doug’s time on ultimately futile efforts. Doug never showed an ounce of impatience or frustration. He never tried to push us to make an offer. He would tell us when he thought the price was getting too rich, condemning himself to more months of working with us when he could he have talked us into a higher offer.
Doug was our real estate agent, therapist, confidante, and friend. He is an incredibly hard worker and made himself available whenever we needed him. Doug operates with the highest level of professionalism and business ethics. His only interest was finding us the right house at the right price, and he never seemed to have any hidden agenda or interests of his own. We are thrilled with our new home, and Doug has earned our business for life.
– Steve & Shelly, Saratoga (buyer)
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To Whom It May Concern:
I’ve worked with Doug Gonzalez as a realtor for nearly ten years, and he’s helped me with four transactions: 3 purchases and one home sale. I’m looking forward to doing many transactions with him in the coming years, and I highly recommend him.
As a homeowner and real estate developer, I’ve worked with a number of different agents and have consistently found that Doug adds significant value to every transaction. It sets him apart from other agents:
- He’s a man of great personal integrity. In a field that’s filled with agents who seem to be willing to cut whatever corner they can, Doug stands apart as someone who represents me with a sense of honesty and straightforwardness that I truly appreciate.
- He takes the time to understand my needs. Other realtors bombard me with listings, leaving me to sort through them. Doug takes the time to ask thoughtful questions about what I’m looking for and then shows me only the listings that meet those needs.
- He understands the market and is exceptionally good at tailoring offers to win properties. It’s a competitive market and Doug excels at understanding the market and each individual listing in a way that allows me to make just the right offer that secures the property without overpaying.
- He sweats the details. On every transaction, I know that Doug is going to put in the time to be sure nothing is missed. As a result, transactions go smoothly and my interests are protected.
Doug is a terrific realtor, and he would be a great choice to help you buy or sell your home.
Sincerely,
Rich
Burlingame (buyer & seller – 8 transactions)
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My wife and I were thinking about buying a house in Menlo Park in 2011/2012. Since I am a commercial real estate broker I was planning on doing it myself without bringing on an agent. We met Doug Gonzalez at an open house and were extremely impressed with his knowledge of the schools, neighborhoods, which side streets were not good to live on with kids since they had high traffic counts, etc. After speaking to him for 5 minutes I knew he would be excellent to represent us in our search.
It was our first home purchase and it took us a year to finally make a decision. We ended up buying in the Easton Addition in Burlingame. Doug was extremely patient and showed us almost every sub-market from Palo Alto up to Burlingame. We only wrote up 1 offer and it was accepted even though there were 5 other offers on the house (1 at a higher price). The selling agent told us after the deal was done that she knew of Doug and that he had an excellent reputation, and that helped her influence her buyers so that we would be able to complete the transaction. Five years later, we moved out of the Bay Area and Doug was just as professional and fantastic when he helped us sell our house. I have nothing but praise regarding Doug as a person and as a Residential Real Estate professional.
– Justin & Alisha, Burlingame (buyer & seller)
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Dear Doug:
We want to thank you again for your superb work on our behalf during the process of selling our house in Menlo Park last month. You are a true professional in every aspect of the residential real estate business, and it was a comfort and pleasure to have you representing us.
From the first meeting discussing our selling plans to a celebratory toast after the closing, you were the best imaginable partner for someone contemplating a real estate transaction. Based on our successful selling experience, we found your portfolio to consist of:
- Detailed local market knowledge
- Excellent communication skills and responsiveness to our questions and preferences
- Complete and effective preparation pre- and post- listing with careful attention to detail
- Comprehensive knowledge of real estate documentation and associated legal issues
- Excellent negotiation skills
- An extraordinary work ethic
You are our realtor for as long as we remain on the Peninsula, and we would not hesitate to recommend your services to friends or family. Feel free to use us as a reference.
Best Regards,
Verna & Tom
Menlo Park (seller)
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Hello Doug,
This is a letter to express our sincere appreciation for the wonderful job you did in representing us in the marketing of our home at 1805 Oak Avenue in Menlo Park. From the beginning, you were a steady, professional guiding light leading to the successful conclusion of the sale of the property.
With many obstacles to overcome, such as a clouded title and a house located on Stanford leased land, you never wavered in your professional approach to accomplishing the sale of the property in a timely manner.
At times we were truly stressed with the situation with all its twists and turns. Throughout, you were the captain who kept the ship on a steady course. You truly epitomize the model of a real estate professional.
If ever we can provide a recommendation attesting to your skills as a real estate professional, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Please stay in touch, we value your friendship.
– Paul & Karen, Menlo Park (seller)
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Doug:
Thank you so much for your hard work and excellent guidance in selling our home in Menlo Park earlier this month. You were a true pleasure to work with on a personal level. On a professional level, you were simply superb.
Your long term experience, knowledge of the market, attention to detail, and overall strategy and negotiation techniques were evident throughout the entire listing and sale process.
As you know better than we do, selling a home is a huge undertaking. Because we were out-of-town sellers, you managed many of the activities (such as staging, inspections and meetings with contractors) on our behalf. Everything was handled beautifully and we truly appreciate your extra efforts to make the sale a success.
In addition to being a hard worker and a smart realtor, we cannot over-emphasize how impressed we are with your communication skills. You were timely, clear and precise in all of your verbal and written communications, both with us and with other parties that you interacted with on our behalf.
In terms of price and timing, we are quite pleased with the results of our home sale. This is entirely due to you. We will certainly use you as our realtor again, and we would not hesitate to recommend your services to family or friends.
Please call us or give potential clients our contact information if we can assist you by providing references in the future. Additionally, we’d appreciate it if you could temporarily transfer to the Whitefish area so we can use your services to purchase a home here. When can you come?
Thanks again for everything and please keep in touch. We’re hoping to see you and your family here on vacation sometime.Best Regards,
Kim & John
Menlo Park (seller)
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Dear Wendy:
A few days ago, we closed on our sixth real estate transaction with Doug Gonzalez, and I want to say how great it has been to work with Doug. This will probably be our last transaction with him, as we now live in New Mexico.
Doug has always taken very good care of us. Whether it was an easy deal–find us a good duplex and get us a good deal–or a much more complex transaction–this last sale, of our home for over thirty years–Doug has done a great job. He is very professional, he is on top of every detail, he educates us on the market, he is always concerned with our interests, he deals well with all kinds of people, he is unfailingly friendly and polite. He also has contacts for any service that the property may need. Take these traits together, and you can understand why every transaction has been very smooth for us.
Doug also goes the extra mile for his customers. He was willing to get his hands dirty to get the last remnants of our thirty years ownership off of the Woodside property. He helped with solving the burglary of our classic car from the property–and rejoiced with us when it was found. He was patient with us as we struggled with the proper pricing in a difficult market. He was always available for whatever needed to be done.
So it goes without saying that we would recommend Doug to anyone who is buying or selling in the San Mateo County area.
Sincerely,
Jane & Curt
Woodside (buyer & seller)
