Stephen Pringle

Stephen is the real estate agent you want! My husband found Stephen on Unilocal.We interviewed 3 different realtors but went with Stephen because of how knowledgeable he is and his warm personality. Buying a house is stressful and we were so glad that Stephen was our agent. He’s honest, straight forward and the best part about him is he educates you into being a better buyer. He knows what he’s talking about and there were many a times where he talked us out of buying a house. He’s not about just getting you into a house, he’s all about getting you the right house. Patience is key though when looking. I think we looked around for 6 months but it was totally worth it. The house we ended up with is by far our favorite and we couldn’t be happier :)

Stephen did an excellent job for us selling our home in San Anselmo!
Sorry for the long review! To summarize, if you are looking for a no-​nonsense, honest, and attentive agent, who treats you like a human being and not a commission check, Stephen is your man! If you want the details, keep reading!
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We first met Stephen as buyers at an open house he was putting on for a seller at the time. We were really turned on by how forward he was with not only the positive aspects of the home he was showing, but also the aspects of the home that needed some TLC. He seemed very honest in a way that would benefit both the buyer and his seller in coming to a fair deal. We ended up putting an offer in on that house and losing out, but we walked away knowing that the next time we were in the market to sell a house, we were going to give Stephen a call.
So that’s exactly what we did when it came time to sell our house in San Anselmo a few years later. We met with Stephen at our home a few months before we were ready to put our house on the market. He consulted with us on the market, our house, it’s condition, and the improvements/​maintenance we should complete prior to listing the house.
This being the first house we have sold, we had a zillion questions, we had a ton of anxiety, and we needed someone to closely guide us through the process. Stephen was always there to pick up the phone or stop by the house to cure whatever was ailing us! We ended up getting an offer on the house, over asking, the first week on the market!
He guided us through all of the details of the offer and we accepted the same night! Stephen really respected our right as a buyer to make our own decision but was there for us to provide his advice on all of our options when asked.
So…we thought we were done. Not yet. Buyer inspections…
We had done pre-​inspections at the advice of Stephen, which is a great idea especially in the San Anselmo/​Fairfax area where the majority of the homes are really old and all come with some unexpected faults. Our buyer ended up deciding to do their own inspections to double-​check ours. They had a structural engineer come out and crawl under our house to inspect the foundation. That engineer raised concerns about our foundation to the buyers. The buyers also did their own pest inspection and their inspector claimed to find an alleged additional 9K of wood rot/​termite damage in our crawl space. Needless to say, the buyers were a little more than freaked out (they were first time buyers too).
Stephen CRAWLED UNDER OUR HOUSE and did his own visual inspection of our sub area!!! What Realtor does that? Stephen did. He did not agree with the findings of the buyers inspectors, so he called in the professionals to get us second opinions. Not only did he coordinate with our pest inspector (Company = NBI = awesome) to come out and do a second inspection, he got them to agree to complete all of the recommended work that the other inspector was recommending even though they didn’t agree — for free! He also coordinated with another structural engineer and drainage expert to come inspect our crawl space.
In the end Stephen just wanted to get the facts so that he could negotiate a fair deal for all parties involved, which he did. He was an excellent negotiator (he ended up potentially saving us thousands) when it came down to it and we ended up sealing the deal with the buyers — all thanks for Stephen!

It doesn’t look like Stephen needs more 5 star reviews, but we were so happy with his help and expertise that I want to leave another one anyway. In short, it comes down to trust — we have worked with several realtors in several locations over the years, and I now see the difference between a normal /​good realtor and someone great like Stephen. He is not only very knowledgeable (we were looking in San Anselmo and Fairfax), but he is very honest — he actually convinced us to not move forward on a few houses because of concerns with the resale value. I was ready to make an offer and he convinced us to wait. His philosophy is to help you to make the right housing decision, even if that outcome doesn’t benefit him personally. I was amazed — there were several times where he actually helped us write offers for free. Every other real estate agent I have worked with, while always nice, seemed to simply push us to close in order to get a commission. He does not do this. Stephen is also a very nice guy, great at handling what sometimes can be stressful situations. Highest rating possible.

Steve is flat out excellent. Put up with me through a stressful process and helped us find a great home. Super patient, super professional, and someone who I felt purely focused on our needs. Thanks Stephen!

I must disrupt the flow of the perfect 5 star reviews for Steve and here is why. Steve will pretend to have your best interest at heart, but in reality he is just like any other real estate agent, anxious about his big commission. It’s true that he is flexible with his time (as a real estate agent should be) and has a good network (again, as a real estate agent should). Steve will work with you to prepare your house for MLS, however he is a poor negotiator when it comes to offers, driven by fear of having the sale go amiss. I’ve spoken to others that used him (post transaction, unfortunately) and all agreed that Steve is weak when it comes to getting you the best price (buying or selling). As a seller you will not get top dollar (Steve will convince you that you did) and as the buyer you may have to go at asking or above even when it’s not necessary to do so. This is also because Steve does not do enough of his own research about the other party when representing buyers or sellers. Deep inside Steve is afraid to loose his commission if the sale falls through and that is what drives his agenda which he does, using every real estate agent trick. If you are going to use Steve, you will pretty much need to be your own negotiator if buying or selling. The question is why would you pay someone that much commission if you are going to do all the hard work yourself? My advice — do not let Steve (or any other agent) derail you from what you want and make real estate agents like Steve work hard for their commission. If you are having doubt about selling, DO NOT SELL even after listing the property. If, as a seller you want a higher price, DO NOT SETTLE for less because Steve tells you the economy/​real estate is about to go south. Most importantly remember that NO agent has your best interest at heart, only theirs.

Stephen sold my house in Marin and I can’t recommend him highly enough.
I had to coordinate the selling from a distance since I live in the South Bay but Stephen made it easy.
We did as much as we could through e-​signing of documents, emails, and phone calls.
Mine wasn’t any easy case for Stephen I’m sure, as I had several stressful situations happening at the same time as the selling. This caused delays in my responses and other small tangles.
But Stephen showed nothing but patience, flexibility, and professionalism.
He rolled with the delays and couldn’t have been more accommodating.
I am very happy with the final price of the sale.
Many thanks to Stephen and his contractors who helped spruce the house up.

Stephen was the real estate agent of our dreams.
We contemplated moving to Fairfax years earlier and I tried to work with another agent who lacked enthusiasm and we ended up staying where we were.
Fast forward a couple year when the market is far tighter and the prices higher. I found Stephen on Unilocal and interviewed him about moving to Marin and he proceeded to make me fall in love with Fairfax (based on who I am and what I was looking for in a town). He drove me around regularly, made me familiar with the different neighborhoods, was frank when he thought a house had issues, as other reviews said crawled under the house with the inspectors to check out the foundation. He helped us in every respect — from repeatedly bringing us back to look at our house while I tried to convince my husband to move to Fairfax, to negotiating a good deal on our house and closing the deal. When we were rejected from the preschool we wanted to go to, Stephen, whose kids it turned out had attended there, made a phone call and got my daughter in. He had recommendations for me in getting settled here, from restaurants to our dentist to my hair dresser. He loves Fairfax, for good reason, and it is contagious. We can’t believe we live in this beautiful house in this amazing town and we definitely owe it in large part to him.

My sweetheart and I first worked with Stephen Pringle as buyers over a dozen years ago, when we found him to be an engaged, dedicated, heartily capable agent. Working with him as sellers more recently was all that and more: not only does Stephen bring warmth and enthusiasm to the table, but a depth of experience and insight that only comes from many years in the business.
Specifically, Stephen helped us to: prepare our home for sale under a short timeline, including identifying items needing fixing and the people to fix them, even to the point of supervising some of the work; make decisions about what financial and time investments to make before listing and which to skip; and present our home in the best possible light, inclusive of dynamite promotional materials, both hard copy and online, highlighted by professional photography. Stephen gave tremendous thought to the best listing price and coached us both realistically and aggressively to arrive at the right number. Stephen hosted all our open houses personally; provided updates along the way; and always helped us keep our eye on the big picture. Ultimately, Stephen’s tenacity was paramount when it came to accepting and closing a deal under terms which delighted us.
Selling or buying a house can be an incredibly stressful time. In this sense, perhaps most important, Stephen helped us to keep laughing and when needed, met us with understanding when our frustrations rose to the surface.
I cannot recommend Stephen highly enough, for both his spot-​on intuition and stellar counsel.

Stephen helped me determine a fair market rental price for my property. He was very prompt in answering my emails. I believe his 5 star reviews on Unilocal are justified. Thanks Unilocal for helping me find a knowledgeable realtor.

It has been four years since my last review.
Last time, I reviewed Steve as a buyer, but today I am doing as a seller.
If you are looking for someone who knows what he is doing and work hard, Steve is the one!
Since this is the first house we sold, we did not know what is the best way to show the house. Steve came to our house on Sunday (yes, he has very flexible schedule), and told us exactly what we needed to do to make our house looking beautiful in small amount budget we had.
Since we were preparing opening our San Jose practice at the same time as selling the house, we could not stay in Marin when we were selling the house. Steve is so amazing. He helped us with everything, and I mean everything. He helped us selling our old futurities, making sure the house look great, even scheduling the donation pick up for our stuff. We cannot ask for a better agent than Steve.
The MOST important thing is that we got multiple offers, and we sold the house in the price that we are very happy with.
Once again, thank you, Steve!

Stephen recently helped us purchase the house we were renting in The Valley. Coming from the city, we were apprehensive about some of the peculiarities of the properties in this area. He patiently walked us through the process, which included several hours at the county office reviewing permits, septic issues, etc.
The funny part was he wasn’t our agent! We met Stephen at an open house for another property. He realized our best bet was to stay where we were and offered to help us with the buying process for free! His only request was that we donate a bench to the local elementary school.
Thanks to Steve’s knowledge, patience, and kindness, we were able to confidently and happily purchase a wonderful house for our family.
We highly recommend working with Steve. His positive, generous, and friendly approach makes the process of buying a home a lot less stressful and a lot more fun!

Working with Stephen was a wonderful experience. My situation is unique in that one day while looking for homes my brother called me about his neighbor selling her house «for sale by owner.» The location was ideal and the asking price was actually in my price range. I called Stephen and he confirmed the house was not listed on the MLS. He encouraged me to contact the seller and set up a time to walk through the property. Stephen met me at the home and to my surprise it was exactly was I was looking for.
Here comes the curve ball… the seller was adamant she would not work with a real estate agent and wanted to work directly with me. The home was significantly underpriced for the neighborhood and condition it was in, so I was nervous forking over my life’s savings to a possible scam. Stephen provided me with support, guidance and reassurance throughout the process. He worked quickly and had an offer prepared the following day. His expedience allowed us to snatch up this home before it ever hit the market, sparing me from a dreaded bidding war. He provided me with all the necessary paperwork and reviewed the contract every step of the way to ensure I wasn’t getting taken advantage of. Stephen even answered my numerous freak out and melt down phone calls and kept me sane during the home buying process.
Stephen, you helped me buy my forever home. I am grateful for your hard work and dedication. We did it!

Steve is pretty much all that people in these Unilocal reviews say — solid, easy to work with, very much knows what he’s doing, strongly represents his clients while being realistic, honest, responsive, down-​to-​earth, knows the market well. I don’t have much to add except yet another perfect 5-​star review.
There is one tidbit I suppose I could add that doesn’t seem to be represented in other reviews. Like you, before engaging today’s crazy real estate market, I poked around the Internet looking for the right broker, read Unilocal reviews, looked at broker websites and such. Steve, as you’ve probably already found, shows very well on all these counts, however I did get the impression he was a more upscale broker, meaning he seemed to be mostly involved in mid-​to-​high end, pristine homes. The was certainly not what I was putting on the market; I was selling a pretty serious fixer upper with septic issues, incomplete foundation and pest problems in the San Geronimo Valley. I understood going in that I was not gonna get top-​dollar for my house that needed some «TLC» as they put it in the industry and I thought, given what I read about Steve, that he may not be the best representative for what I had to offer the market. Even though he was rated very high, he didn’t seem like a match for my situation. I was wrong; Steve is the kind of person who is a match for any property and probably any person.
Steve was all those things people said about him even with a challenging property like mine. Perhaps his usual is the more mid-​to-​high value property, but his working with my TLC-​house was equally stellar. I’d also like to add that Steve surrounds himself with people who match his attitude and approach. My situation required some seller-​side, pre-​showing home inspections and septic reports and, of course, Title people were involved as things moved along, etc. Won’t be reviewing them all individually here, but Steve has built an excellent support-​team around him.

Stephen will help you find your house. Read again. He will not sell you a house… he will help YOU find YOUR house.
We had always lived in the city (SF) and knew very little about the north bay. Stephen gave use the tour and showed us lots of different areas. By the time we finally bought our house in San Rafael I felt like I knew the north bay like the back of my hand.
He’s not pushy, but at the same time he will tell you like it is. At the end of the day he really does want to do right by his clients, not just make a buck, which is key. The reality is that, ironically, he will make more money that way. But not all people in sales understand that. If you are ruthlessly protective of your clients best interest it will pay off in the end — and he is.
Hey may try to talk you out of a deal if he thinks it’s going to be bad for you… and guess what, he’s probably right, and just helped you dodge a bullet. He could take the fast money and just let you make your own mistakes like many agents would, but he doesn’t, even though that means more work for him, and no guarantee of commission. That’s a huge risk with the commission involved in a real estate deal — but that’s just Stephen.
He’s always super responsive to requests to show houses, etc and knows the north bay very well — especially with respect to good areas for young families, since he has a family himself.
If you are looking to buy a house in the north bay, he’s your guy.

Look no further for a relator in Marin!
We found Stephen nearly by accident. My husband and I had found a house that we wanted to put a offer on, so we needed to enlist a realtor. We had no connections to realtors in Marin County and decided to look on Unilocal versus pull a name out of a hat. If I recall there weren’t many listings, but we chose to call Stephen. No one had a bad thing to say about him.
We weren’t looking to buy a high priced home, for Marin standards, so we felt like we might get brushed aside a bit with a realtor, but Stephen was the most helpful resource we had through our entire home buying experience. He listens, he takes time to help you and he understands the process well.
He has bought and sold homes for himself as well and had a lot of valuable referrals for home improvements that helped us a lot.
He really digs in and isn’t afraid to get dirty. When we first saw our home with him he even crawled under our house to check it out a bit and was very knowledgable during our inspections. He held our hands every step of the way.
We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Stephen and will certainly be bugging him once we’re ready to sell our current home and find another. He’s great at his job!
Thanks, Stephen!

Stephen found the perfect house for my family in our favorite part of San Anselmo. We were so thrilled with how flawlessly he handled the purchase and how involved he was with the inspections of the new house that we asked him to be the selling agent on our old house. Saying that Stephen worked along with us to get our home ready to sell is an understatement. He guided us through the repairs and changes we should make to show our home in the best way possible. When we had to leave town for a week Stephen and his team finished the work for us! He made sure the house was perfect for the opening. He printed a beautifully designed 3-​fold brochure about our home AND a separate brochure that featured photos and info about our neighborhood.
Stephen and his family are a part of the San Anselmo community so he knows all the different neighborhoods really well. What stood out the most about working with Steve was how well he got to know our home and us. My husband and I put a lot of work into our house over the years and were very proud of it. I imagined the questions I would ask if I was at my own open house and I wanted Stephen to answer them confidently. Stephen was able to tell prospective buyers details about all the improvements we had done, about the veggies in our garden, about the schools and parks in our neighborhood, and about all the great families that live nearby. Stephen is a sharp and knowledgeable real estate agent but he is also a warm and genuine person so I always felt good knowing he was representing us. Stephen brought in multiple offers over our asking price.
We had such a positive experience working with Stephen. I still send him email updates about how much we love our new home!

Stephen Pringle is a gem. He listens and quickly understands exactly what you are looking for. I got lucky and was only looking for about 4 months before finding my place, and I have to say it made me sad that I wouldn’t be able to drive around with him anymore! He is sincere, straightforward and no bullshit. As soon as we would get to a house he would go right underneath and check the foundation. I felt safe being in his hands, knowing there was no way he would let me make a bad decision.
His knowledge of the Bay Area real estate market is incredibly thorough, he knows all of the hidden neighborhoods in Marin, their ins and outs. He found my parents their place in San Anselmo, working with them for SIX years (they are very particular), and I knew he was my guy when I started looking. I can’t sing his praises more. When I’m ready to sell and buy another place I will be going right back to him without question.
Thank you Stephen!

Stephen is awesome! We were first time home buyers and called him after having a tough time with a realtor that was not knowledgable at all. We were impressed from the first phone call on. He seems to know everything about houses and home buying and talked us out of buying a money pit in Novato. We felt so confident with him on our side. He knows which houses make the best investments and all about the schools and neighborhood. He is also really funny and keeps you laughing and having fun through the process. He even had snacks for us so we wouldn’t get «cranky» during a long day of looking at houses! He is a great negotiator as well and saved us lots of money on our place. Most importantly we got a wonderful home at a great price and he is still responsive to our needs with referrals for service providers. If you call Stephen he will knock your socks off. :-)

Stephen Pringle is one of my proud examples of finding something really great on Unilocal by filtering for a service with the «most best» reviews. I’ve been in and out of the housing market since 2005 waiting for prices & rates to hit bottom. That afforded me about 6 long years worth of meeting way-​too-​many real-​estate agents. Some of them were stinkers (especially at the height of the bubble), some of them were good, but Stephen was faaaaar and away my favorite agent. Honestly, there was not even a close second.
When I first met him, he struck me as professional, knowledgeable, and relaxed (something I learned to look for in a real estate agent). He seemed like someone that was taking my best interest to heart. As we started shopping (everywhere from Petaluma to Sausalito) that first impression turned out to be spot on. He even helped talk us out of buying one of the first places that we liked (He was right btw. We really dodged a bullet with that one. To name just one of the problems, we viewed it after a big rain and the foundation was a flooded wreck. It was basically poorly done flip with a deceptively nice interior.)
He has also been around for a while. Wherever we looked, he seemed to know something about the story behind the neighborhood, the soil, and where the community was heading. We viewed some fixer-​uppers and bounced renovating ideas off of him. When it came time to signing, he hooked us up with a loan officer (at my own bank) who found me a lower rate that I was able to find anywhere else on my own.
honestly… can’t say enough here. He made us really confident we were getting the best deal we could and made everything as easy as I think it could have been. 5 stars Stephen. Thanks for all the help.

What an excellent realtor. Stephen was fantastic. If you are looking for a Realtor in Marin County, you can do no better than Stephen Pringle. The most important aspect in real estate is location and Stephen knows the neighborhoods very well. He will find you a place tucked away from the masses if you want. He will find you the best commuter home. He knows the areas that people want to live in, whether for good school systems, proximity to a highway or for its «small town feel».
He gets to know you very fast and doesn’t waste your time with looking at places that don’t fit. He is as concerned with spending your money as you are. I never once felt like he was pushing me towards something more expensive. In fact, he ended up landing me an incredible deal due to my financial circumstances.
The experience was so stress-​free, it was like shopping for homes with a good friend. I will certainly have Stephen find my next home and recommend him to all my friends and fellow Unilocalers.