Selling SF – Zephyr Real Estate

I’d had such an excellent experience working with one of Stefano’s colleagues at Zephyr, so I was reluctant to not do so again when I wanted to buy a home last spring. That realtor happened to be the agent for the seller of the home in question, though, so he referred me to Stefano, and I am so happy he did. Stefano’s guidance through the offer process, including consideration of other options, was first rate. He was expert at putting me at ease along the way. In addition to sharing advice born of experience, he listened well and trusted my opinions and intuition. But Stefano really shone after our offer was accepted and a difficulty arose getting financing because of some unexpected technicalities related to some obscure Fannie Mae guidelines. Stefano worked closely with the mortgage broker to explore different financing options, always keeping me well-​informed. He was always responsive to my questions, understanding of my worries and trepidation at the things I might need to undertake under each scenario, and steadfast in the expectation that there was a way to complete the sale. And it paid off in a successful purchase with the preferred loan, largely due to Stefano’s work and willingness to consider unorthodox solutions. On top of it all, he is a great guy, affable and positive. I am lucky to have been able to work with him.

Stefano was referenced by three independent sources and brought a ray of sunshine into a stressful situation when selling our home of 17 years. He has a gift of listening and hearing what a client needs and wants — which is rare in my experience. We appreciated his discretion and ability to anticipate and adjust to different scenarios. Another great quality that is very important to us was his approach — not pushy and patronizing; it was a true partnership. When we are ready to buy a new home we will definitely contact Stefano again.

I will preface by saying that we did not work with Stefano on any specific real estate deals. My husband and I were interviewing real estate agents in SF and the peninsula to find one who was a good fit. We ended up focusing on the peninsula and Stefano was honest and said that his specialty is SF, so we went with an agent who focused on the peninsula.
When we met Stefano, we found someone who would be a great realtor to work with if we were to purchase a home in SF. We expressed an interest in one of the «less popular» neighborhoods in SF, Ingleside, and Stefano showed us listings in that area where he represented buyers and sellers and knew the area block by block. Many agents we met in SF seemed to only know the more trendy areas of SF and focused on condos, but Stefano has experience with single family homes, condos, TICs and everything else you can find in SF. He is transparent; you can find a listing of all the properties he helped buy/​sell on his website and he offered us testimonials from clients and asked if we wanted to talk to any client in a specific situation.
I have no qualms about recommending Stefano to any friend or family member who wants to purchase a home in SF. He has the experience you want in a realtor and a great personality that makes him someone you want to be around.

My wife and I were looking to become first-​time homeowners in a very tough San Francisco market and we were referred to Stefano by a good friend who’d just recently worked with him to buy her own first home.
At first we were overwhelmed with the level of competition but Stefano’s positive attitude, intricate knowledge of our neighborhoods of interest and real estate technicalities, and friendly, personable nature kept us motivated to find what we were looking for. there just seemed to be nothing he hadn’t seen before.
When we did find the place we really wanted, he helped us through the offer and purchase process with finesse, walking us through items we needed additional explanation for while saving us from overly excessive detail.
Now with the purchase behind us, we really can’t imagine having a better experience than we did with Stefano and would recommend him to any friend or acquaintance. He made our first home purchase memorable for all the right reasons.

I really can’t say enough about how competent, smart, personable and all-​around excellent Stefano is. Stefano shepherded us through a very complicated TIC purchase in January 2013, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.
The deal was difficult from the beginning – we were buying the home with a friend, which made interpersonal things tricky, our financing was challenging, and the sellers fought us every step of the way. Stefano was 100% right about how to approach each new challenge, and his instincts about when to push the seller for a better deal or when to back down were spot on. He took time to assess what we all wanted in a home purchase, and helped us clarify what we were willing to compromise on and what things were non-​negotiable. He talked to us at length about the hundreds of pages of confusing disclosures, and patiently answered all of our questions. He also talked us down from the ledge multiple times during the process, when we were sure it wouldn’t work out or an issue couldn’t be managed. In addition, a lot of our negotiations happened very close to the holidays and, while I’m sure Stefano had his own family to attend to, he never once made us feel like we were putting him out as we scheduled yet another inspection or called him late at night to rehash the same questions.
I know many people do not understand why it’s so important to have a realtor manage their home purchase or sale, but we were reminded of just how crucial it is dozens of times during the process of working with Stefano. I totally recommend Stefano without reservations to anyone trying to negotiate the tricky housing market in the Bay Area.

For some reason, Unilocal is not posting my review of how wonderful Stefano is. I’m writing an update in the hopes it gets posted with the update.

Here’s what to look for in a real estate agent:
1) someone you like, because you may end up spending a lot of time together,
2) someone you trust, because a) this is a really big decision and b) you end up sharing a lot of personal financial information with your agent,
3) someone gets you, and
4) someone who is well-​connected in your real estate market.
For me, Stefano was the right choice. He is responsive, flexible and really cute with my kid. My situation was complicated, and, some of it, a new challenge for Stefano (but not anymore!) — he totally handled it like the star he is.
He is very knowledgeable about San Francisco, and if there’s anything he doesn’t know, he has a great team he can resource for guidance and information.
Stefano is a high-​quality individual, and I highly recommend him.

Stefano is a breath of fresh air in the often crowded and stuffy room that can sometimes be the real estate market.

The TIC real estate process in San Francisco can be intimidating to first-​time home buyers. My husband & I had very little knowledge about the intricacies involved, until –meeting Stefano DeZerega. Greg and Emily Meyer, write this testimonial to memorialize in writing the outstanding service provided to us by Stefano DeZerega of Zephyr Realty in San Francisco, California.
Shortly after meeting Stefano at an Open House he took the time to sit down with us and really listen to (and remember) our criteria. Stefano was extremely responsive right from the beginning, was very accommodating throughout the process, and he learned very quickly how to anticipate our needs. He gave great suggestions, and also listened intently and incorporated feedback accordingly. Stefano didn’t apply a one-​size fits all approach to our relationship but took our own personal needs into consideration.
Stefano has an intimate knowledge of the different neighborhoods in SF and its properties, as well as local restaurants and areas of interest. When it came time to make an offer, Stefano quickly provided us with comparable sales in the neighborhood and up-​to date market conditions which enabled us to make our best informed decision. Stefano is also extremely knowledgeable about TIC partnerships and patiently walked us through the specifics and the offer process, in terms we could understand. Stefano never pressured us at any point, and was often at our house until late night while we were making our decisions. Moreover, we were always confident that Stefano was representing us truthfully and keeping our information confidential from competing interests.
Stefano is results oriented, and always took our requests and interests into consideration. When we needed an 8pm private showing, he made it happen. If we needed a 7am, he made it happen. When we needed a Saturday appointment for our dad’s to see the place, Stefano not only arranged for it, he sat down with us afterwards for at least an hour to describe the «foreign» TIC process to them. Both dads’, who are seasoned in the real estate process remarked, afterwards, said that we were lucky to be working with someone as knowledgeable as Stefano. If we had a question or concern, we knew that if we called or emailed Stefano, we would get him live in a matter of moments. Stefano also always maintained a sense of humor even under trying circumstances.
Greg and I were a bit sad when all was signed because it meant we weren’t going to be having regular contact with Stefano. Luckily he called a week or so later just to say hi and to see how the move was going, which a testament in itself to his follow is through and customer focus.
We love running into Stefano and his family in Noe Valley, he is an asset to the neighborhood and to the Zephyr agency. We highly recommend, and have already recommended Stefano to our friends. The next time we’re in the real estate market, we won’t trust anyone else but Stefano DeZerega.