Claire M. Chessen – Zephyr Real Estate

Now, I seem biased because Claire is my sister, but her professionalism and honesty while helping my wife and I buy our first home transcended familiar relationships.
Our search for an affordable home spanned 9 months and much of the Bay Area. We started looking in San Francisco, which is really Claire’s specialty. She knows the SF housing market inside and out. But soon, we realized our size needs were not going to be met within our budget unless we moved across the Bay. We finally settled on Berkeley and Claire steered us through countless property viewings, advising us constantly in plain English about the many pitfalls, benefits, and complications of each home and home-​ownership in general.
When we finally settled on a house, Claire battled on our side and made sure we got the house for what we wanted to pay and not a cent more.
My favorite part of working with Claire was when we were physically signing the mountains of paperwork. The signing process had always worried me and stressed me out. The idea of signing away my financial future, understandably, worried me considerably. What if I missed some small print? What if I really didn’t understand something I thought I understood? But, the actual signing process was quite a relief after Claire went through paragraph after paragraph, page after page, explaining each and every important detail. She really put my worries at ease. I felt comfortable and confident as put pen to ink (at least a thousand times).
My wife and I couldn’t be happier with our house and how almost painless Claire Chessen made the process of buying it.

Buying a home in San Francisco is not fun. Everything is too expensive, loans are next to impossible to find, and having a 110 lbs dog doesn’t exactly expand your options. Luckily for me, Claire Chessen is my realtor.
It’s been almost 3 years since I first told Claire I was ready to buy my own place. I was a first time home buyer with big expectations and a small budget. We’d look at places within my price range, I’d get frustrated and tell Claire I’d save more. Every six months or so the cycle would repeat. I did my part by saving money, watching HGTV and browsing Zillow & Redfin. Claire did her part by sending me a listing every month or two that might make a good match.
Eventually, we found a bank owned foreclosure that had potential. It was priced out of my range but had been on the market for months and was recently reduced. I told Claire my price ceiling and that’s when she really went to work.
Claire laid out a negotiating strategy and my offer was accepted — 58k below asking price and within my budget. That’s when disaster hit. My «pre-​approval» was reneged by one of the big banks even though my credit was excellent & money was in the bank. Apparently, California is a declining market (as if they didn’t know that when I was pre-​approved). The clock was ticking but Claire hooked me up with CJ Kerls who had me approved for a loan in days with less down and over a percentage point below the previous pre-​approvals interest rate.
To make a long recommendation longer Claire took care of all the BS. She walked me through the process and explained everything step-​by-​step. I’m now the proud owner of a single family home on the panhandle and couldn’t have done it without her. I can’t recommend her enough. Thanks Claire!

I just came up on the 1 year anniversary on my new place and I have to say, I couldn’t be more happy with my new home and the process and it’s all thanks to Claire!
Overall, I couldn’t have asked for a better agent than Claire to help me find my first place. During my search, she was enthusiastic, patient, and honest. I started my search back in September 2008 and the climate in real estate and the economy was insane. The stock market did something different every day, the housing market changed, but Claire was there helping me along every step of the way. She helped me cut through the noise to decide on what was important to me as well as understanding and recognizing what fit my situation. In the end we found an awesome condo in soma that has become the perfect home at the right price.
I would have to say that Claire is the definition of a Web 2.0 agent. Initially we spoke a lot on the phone, but quickly we started to really click (in a client/​agent way) via text messages and e-​mails. This was convenient and helpful during escrow where it was useful for short quick communication back and forth and have frequent updates. Between the powerful online tools that Zephyr provided, and Claire’s in depth knowledge of both San Francisco I always felt empowered and informed during my search.

I almost missed seeing our perfect place. There was something about this flat, something beyond the hardwood floors in the photos and my cherished Panhandle location. I didn’t know why, but I HAD to see it, but I was runnning late this Sunday afternoon, coming from an appointment up north. I frantically called my realtor’s phone, knowing that she was showing a place that afternoon. «Please, Claire, I really want to see this place, but I’m running late,» I pleaded to her answering machine. She called me no more than five minutes later, having talked to the other agent and cajoled him into waiting around a little longer for me. The next Tuesday, after Claire and D had both checked out the place, she pulled some similar magic to get our late bid in.
Long story short, after many speedbumps, small and large, literal and figurative, we ended up with our perfect place, and Claire was there every step of the way. She saw us through the not-​so-​good places, and the way-​out-​of-​our-​price-​range places, and she very honestly told us if something was overpriced or had some hidden fault.
Claire helps with every aspect of buying a place, long before and long after the actual purchase. Beyond her love and knowledge of San Francisco history and real estate, she always has a good recommendation for a painter, mortgage broker, etc, and if she doesn’t have an answer readily available, she is always quick to research until she finds the best answer. She has a genuine enthusiasm for San Francisco, and she genuinely wants her clients to get their perfect place at a price that they’re comfortable with. Highly recommended.