Willem De Ridder

Willem De Ridder is hands down the best real estate agent we have ever worked with.
We initially met Willem at an Open House he was hosting and immediately noted his polite, professional and approachable demeanor. When we mentioned we were looking to sell and upgrade to a larger home, he inquired if we had a real estate agent yet. We said we were looking for one and he immediately offered his services. Not only was he completely prepared with a full on printed out PowerPoint presentation on his qualifications as an agent, but he even gave us a list of current homes in the area. He was approachable and REAL — none of that fake, salesperson-​y type stuff, just a genuine person. He said there was no pressure and we could contact him if we would like a market analysis of our current home. We appreciated it, but after a ***horrible and traumatizing*** previous experience with our real estate agent when buying our first home, we wanted to meet a few other agents before making a decision. We met with multiple other agents and no one even came close to being as prepared, knowledgeable of the area and generally awesome as Willem.
We were ready, so we asked Willem to come over so we could discuss the «possibility of listing» (he had no clue we had actually already decided on hiring him) and he did not disappoint! Not only was he prompt and mannerly, but completely prepared (big surprise!!! Ha) with a full on analysis of the current market in our area and a report for our house! We hired him and toured our first house shortly afterwards.
Fast forward to us listing — Willem handled everything and we got a full-​price offer on our second open house. He was constantly promoting our property and utilizing his extensive network to get us maximum showings. We had at least one showing daily from the time we listed. Through an extremely difficult escrow in which the buyer’s agent was grossly unprofessional, he kept us informed and kept everything on track, having all the «hard talks» that no one else wanted to take care of all while keeping the mood light. I can’t tell you the amount of times I had nighttime calls with him, totally and completely stressed out about the process and ready to back out. He always managed to calm me down and get me refocused, constantly forging ahead and handling business. He negotiated everything on our behalf and, in the end, even took a huge cut himself just to get us into our dream home.
Speaking of dream home, we also purchased a home with him simultaneously. To say it was stressful was an understatement (we fell out of escrow 2 times due to issues out of our control) but once we got the ball rolling, he went above and beyond. He meticulously wrote all Offers, Counteroffers and Requests for Repairs. He took time explaining the process and going over any document we didn’t understand, without being belittling or patronizing. Since both my husband and I work, he even made himself available for all the home tours we wanted at the oddest of hours and the numerous inspections on our new home (s) once we were under contract. He consistently maintained open dialogue at all times.
Willem also made himself available practically ²⁴⁄₇ for showings for our own home, was flexible with our schedules when it came to open houses and even went to showings of our house because we have large dogs. He unfailingly kept the lines of communication open and provided frequent status reports with important dates, deadlines and events or both homes in escrow (selling and buying). He fought for us when we were both selling our home and buying a new one. He truly went above and beyond.
Willem is an exceptional Real Estate Agent that upholds only the highest standards of integrity, communication, and professionalism. I cannot recommend him enough. If you are looking for a knowledgeable and quality individual to represent you, fight for you and help you get into the next phase in your life (home-​speaking, of course), Willem is your guy.

Willem was responsive to all our needs as we prepped and sold our house in record time… Offers on the first day and in escrow by the end of the week. Hardworking, honest, helpful and bright!

This is a broker that is changing the standard for how you buy/​sell a home. Willem has great understanding of the market, value consideration in a home, surrounding area and contractual process.
When considering a new home in San Diego area we were recommend to work with Willem as he had been practicing and lived in the area we were looking. He went to great length to find and show every available home in the area that met our requirements (we were very specific). When we couldn’t find anything in la Mesa, we looked north and although We weren’t in his backyard anymore, you could tell. He knew the neighborhood, city projects that were planned, tax implications of the area and surrounding schools. AMAZING
Once we found our home we were challenged by a seller agent that was very hard to work with. She lacked communication skills and had no knowledge of the property she was overseeing. Willem took it upon his self to completely manage the process, help the seller deal with issues and repairs that were the seller responsibility and made himself available at all time to be present at the property to insure the sales process moved along smoothly.
There are not enough words to express my gratitude for the work he did and time he put into getting us our home.
If I ever buy or sell a home in San Diego I will use Willem. I strongly recommend him!

I want to take a moment to say how much I sincerely appreciate all the hard work and long hours you spent with me. I’ve heard first time home buyers can have a challenging and stressful experience. Well not the case for me! Your willingness to help, honesty from the very beginning and passion for what you do made this experience extra ordinary special. This is one of the biggest decision of my life and thanks to you I feel I made the right choice for me and my family. I love my new home! Thank you so much Willem
Sincerely
Vera Contreras

There aren’t enough words in the dictionary for us to express our gratitude for all of Willem’s efforts. He did not just find us a house, he found us a wonderful home. Hes the epitome of professionalism. There were many of times where I didn’t know what I wanted but I knew what I didn’t want. I was determined to get the best deal possible, with the best Agent possible. Low and behold, Willem came into our lives. As someone in the Mortgage Industry, too many times you hear of stories of people claiming that they got too far over their head, and bite off more than they could chew. I was determined that this was not going to be us. We were going to stay in our means and only take on what we could handle, and Willem kept us on track. He got to know us personally and provided tips and pointers on projects that were in our means versus home repairs that screamed «walk away.» We moved from San Diego to Temecula; regardless of the distance Willem freely gave up his weekends to make the long haul with us to ensure that we never missed out on an opportunity. He is 100% real, he treats you not like your his only customer, but he treats you like his family and he will do anything for you to ensure that you get the best experience. He even went as far as educating the seller of the property on short sales, which turned into a win-​win situation for all parties, as it was the fastest most thorough short sale that I have ever seen. All of my mortgage industry friends, especially the ones with short sale knowledge, were impressed. We are so thankful that Willem came into our lives, as we now call him our friend. If we ever decide to sell or buy again, Willem is the first and only person that we would call. I recommend him to everyone.

I bought my first home with Willem. He was great. San Diego is a very competitive market and if you do not have a responsive and aggressive agent you will never get a good property. He showed me dozens of places and was always pleasant, fun and professional. He really understands his business and cares about what fits. I wanted to put offers in on lots of things and he would show me where a house may need a repair or how difficult the fixer upper would be. I felt like he really wanted to help me find the perfect place and not the one that earned him the most commission.

Willem has been our agent for both a purchase and sale. Willem carried us through each transaction with equal enthusiasm, dedication, consideration and efficiency. His knowledge, sincerity and availability put us at ease throughout the emotional process of a real estate transaction. We felt like his only client! In fact, on several occasions, we brought our newborn along to view homes and Willem was always there to assist and entertain the baby so we could focus long enough to look around. Now that we found a home, we are sad we no longer need him as our agent, but are happy to have gained a friend.

I have worked with Willem to purchase a couple of investment properties as well as a condo for my mother in law and each experience has been terrific. It is rare these days to find people that are willing to go above and beyond and go the extra mile for their clients but Willem is always willing to do so. I have been skeptical of real estate agents in the past but that problem is now solved.

I was recommended to Willem by a close friend, that worked with him when she bought her house. Willem and I worked together for about a year and it paid off when I finally closed on a great place, all thanks to his guidance and expertise! I couldn’t be happier! There is no doubt that I will call him again when I’m ready for something bigger!

Willem was awesome to work with — he is approachable, professional and prompt with responses. He really valued and listened to our must-​haves and preferences. He really took his time explaining all the terms and paperwork that can be a nightmare for any prospective buyer! We believe customer service is #1 in real estate and Willem was friendly and diligent but never forceful with our search. WIth Willem, we found a wonderful home in San Diego and we love it here!