Laura Berman's Recommendations
She was the second Realtor we hired
To Whom It May Concern:
This is a testimonial in support of real estate agent Laura Berman, United Country Real Estate California Properties Agency. Laura was the second agent we hired during the process of selling our home in Nevada City, CA, during the second half of 2022. Had we known Laura when we first considered selling our home, we would have hired her originally, and possibly even sold our home sooner.
Due to the upcoming timing of our relocation to the east coast, we needed to be able to have an agent who was reliable and trustworthy and would keep our interests at the forefront; someone we believed we could totally rely on to sell our home and would agree to check on it weekly, since we were moving out of state. Laura was and did all of this and more.
When we first contacted her, Laura immediately answered our call, was able to quickly meet with us and provide us with guidance on the process of how to transition from the first contract and real estate agent we had hired.
Laura’s 37 years of experience and expert guidance helped us to find roofing and deck contractors to address several major issues discovered during the home inspection. Her experience and knowledge of local contractors was extremely important and were essential to our ability to sell our home. She made herself available for weekly calls once we left California and kept us informed of all potential interested buyers. Her experience was invaluable in helping us make decisions on worthiness of potential buyers. Her trustworthiness and excellent communication gave us the confidence that whatever questions or concerns arose, we would be able to address (with her help) in a very timely manner. This included things such as obtaining information on the septic or well test that was needed or meeting with the propane company to alleviate concerns regarding our gas water heater. Other items arose due to the heavy winds and rain that occurred, but Laura was able to check on our home and advise us as to any actions that we would need to take. Whatever situation occurred we were in good hands with her help.
In summary, Laura Berman is an excellent real estate agent and we were just very sorry we had not met her before we first listed our home.
We HIGHLY RECOMMEND Laura Berman to our friends and / or anyone who has a home or ranch property to sell.
“One of the best decisions we made in a long time.”
To whom it may concern. January 2021.
We were trying to sell a 5+ acres piece of land we owned outside of Nevada City, CA, for over a decade. A beautiful parcel with stunning views in a good location, but it came with rather restrictive CCRs and also it needed to have a specific type of buyer as it offered 2 building sites, so two residences could have been built there. Over the years we've listed it with 4 real estate agents (3 out of them - top producing agents of our area!), none had brought an offer. Then we saw Laura's sign and decided to give her a try, as she specialized in land and country properties. Honestly, we were skeptical that we could ever sell our land, after all these years of failures, and especially now, during the COVID (it was summer 2020). But we reached out to Laura and that was one of the best decisions we made in a long time! We listed our property with her and in 3 (three!) days she brought us the most perfect buyers who fell in love with the land, and a solid offer with a very fast closure (15 days, cash).
We were so impressed and (needless to say) grateful to Laura, that when the time came for us to sell our house next we already knew that it will be Laura and her "magic touch". She guided us through the process of preparing our house for listing, and she helped us select the right strategy for our particular situation. Within first few days of showing we had 5 solid offers, all very beneficial to us. The sale process was streamlined, easy to understand, on time. Many of the papers were signed over the internet, which added to the ease of the process. All communications with Laura were easy, clear, straightforward, timely, and very courteous. All the promises Laura made, she kept. Laura does truly care for her clients, and stands guard to protect their interests. We had the smoothest close of escrow and generally, sale of our house of 16 years.
When working with Laura, not only you get yourself a brilliant, utmost professional real estate agent with an impeccable work ethic, you are also being treated as a dear friend, with Laura going out of her way to help you iron out all the wrinkles and pesky problems that may occur during and/or around the process.
And when the time came for us to leave our former house (and state), Laura reached out to her personal contacts in our new state where we were headed, and she personally selected and interviewed at length the best real estate agent at our destination, the one who would work with us (and we - with him) the best, since Laura already knew our needs, personalities and styles. Not only that, Laura also kept in touch with him about our whereabouts and well-being while we were on the road from West Coast to East Coast and were out of communication, and even later, when we were already waiting for the purchase of our new house to be completed. Yes, Laura truly does care this much!
Today, we are in our dream house, dream place and are looking forward to our best life ever. A lot of it became possible Thanks to Laura Berman, who helped to make it happen. We sometimes joke that we only wish we had more property to sell, so that we could get more wonderful experiences working with Laura again!
Thank you Laura!
Always grateful to you,
Frankly, we had lost our faith in Realtors.
Just wanted to say thank you and let you know how much we appreciate in finding our new home in Grass Valley, Ca. From the beginning, we had thought that purchasing property in Nevada was going to difficult, particularly since our dealings with other prominent local agents had fallen well short of our expectations. Quite frankly, we had lost our faith in Realtors. Whereas previous agents were plain sorry, showing only their listings, and not providing information we considered essential purchasing horse property, you and your colleagues stand out as the exception. As you know, our relocation represented two houses coming together, from as far away as Boston and as close as the Bay Area. During the process you gave us your undivided attention. How you were able to do it, we don't know. Even with your other clients, you made us feel we could contact you at any time.... Yo did an incredible job of keeping the momentum going, even getting the seller to come down on the price in a sellers market. We are so grateful to for your patience, persistence and availability. Your confident, professional manner, knowledge of the area and commitment to achieving the right outcome, are the reasons we would not hesitate to recommend your services to anyone else.
Laura was amazing!
- Overall rating
- Market expertise
- Responsiveness
- Negotiation skills
- Professionalism & Communication
everything happens for a reason
We generally live by the notion that "everything happens for a reason". So it was no accident we "stumbled" across you while looking for our retire property in the Grass Valley area. Our first meeting showed us our no-nonsense approach in telling it like it is. Rather than just telling us what we wanted to hear. your explained the pluses and minuses of all the properties we looked at. You allowed us to explore each potential property to the fullest... Rather than rushing us in and out. you gave us all the time we wanted without pressure. And being new to the rural setting, we threw a lot of questions at you - from septic tanks to tractors, you had the answers right off the top of your head, and the one or two you weren't sure of, you had the answer in less than a day. In addition, your thoroughness and knowledge of larger properties also saved us from potential problems and additional future costs on the property we purchased. We have already told family and friends, and will continue to tell everyone we know, "If you are looking for property in the Grass Valley area, we have your realtor.
Besides being a joy to work with…
This letter is my personal recommendation for Laura Berman. I found her to be diligent and hard working, using all resources and technology currently available. Tackling every aspect of the job with dedication and a smile. Besides being a joy to work with, Laura kept me informed of what was happening in the market and always returned my calls promptly. Laura's communication skills are excellent!. She always had good ideas and choices on helping me to make the right decision. She is an asset not only to the Grass Valley community, but to the Real Estate Industry as w hole. I highly recommend Laura for any Real Estate business, as she made my moved an enjoyable event.
…Thank you for providing me with the best real experience I have ever had…
...From the first time I first contacted you two years ago until you found my dream ranch, you have been exemplary. I am so impressed with your professionalism, your high standard of excellence, your unwavering ethics and of course your patience with me. You truly set the standard by which all realtors should be judged...You are second to none. As such, as my friends and colleagues begin to retire, I intent to send you a lot more business.
“We highly recommend her”
Recommendation for Real Estate Agent Laura Berman
Laura Berman was our real estate agent for the recent sale of our property. She was outstanding, a true professional, extremely knowledgeable and very hard working. Our property was relatively specialized. A gentleman’s farm in the foothills of the Sierras near a small town, it had over a hundred acres, with 25 acres in walnut groves, and an upgraded house. It was one of the more expensive properties on the market in the area. Laura understood who would be potential buyers and had the skills and connections to market the property effectively, particularly to out-of-area groups. The marketing package she developed was excellent with outstanding photos, video and descriptive material.
Laura was very honest and realistic with us about the potential difficulties of selling the property. Based on her thorough knowledge of the real estate in the area, particularly country property, and her understanding of the market, we were prepared to wait for a good offer. It did take quite a while to sell but Laura never pressured us lower the price of the property. She was straightforward with her analyses of the changing market and the value of the property and made sure that we understood and were comfortable with the decisions we made about price. We were very impressed with Laura’s patience and positive, encouraging attitude. Selling a property can be a harrowing experience. Laura was extremely responsive. She always kept in touch and readily answered our questions, and there were many, as we had little experience selling a property. We learned a lot about real estate from Laura, which was very helpful when we recently purchased our new house.
When we did receive an offer on the property, Laura proved to be a skilled, tenacious negotiator. She was very professional and responsive with the buyer’s agent but knew when to keep the pressure on. It was a difficult closing but Laura navigated the issues skillfully, always kept us apprised of the progress and helped us remain calm.
Most importantly, Laura is ethical, honest and trustworthy. We rate her local knowledge of real estate, expertise, responsiveness and negotiation skills as excellent. Laura is also very personable and has a great sense of humor. We really enjoyed working with Laura and highly recommend her.
Susan Swarbrick
Gillian Swarbrick
Your wisdom in making our dream come true.
We want to thank you for your wisdom in making our dream come true. We know that if you were not our real estate broker that we would not be developing the 120-acre Ranch in beautiful Grass Valley, Ca. Honestly, you went way beyond the call of duty in every aspect of this deal - from walking the site us, qualifying our NID rights, relentless pursuit with the Title Company, and the negotiation on the Contract. What we admired most was your professional conduct when in an adverse situation - you made everyone feel like a winner. It is a pleasure to refer you to others and to tell our friends about a real estate deal that went well. Thank you for everything.
“Great Experience”
2014
I wanted to say what a great experience I had working with Laura to sell our home. Laura
was very easy to talk to and wonderful at listening. She also was very knowledgeable about
the market and forthright with information that helped me price the home so that it would
sell vs. just sit idle. I felt like I was speaking to someone who was genuinely looking out for
my best interests during the sale of our home. She was with me the entire process and often
times would take time out of her schedule to meet people at our home when I could not
make it there. She helped identify issues during the sale of our home and then provided
solutions to them (for example, scheduling and arranging to meet contractors at my home).
This was an incredible help and a huge relief to me. She took care of many loose ends during
the process and even followed up with me after the sale regarding things that other agents
would have likely ignored or skipped altogether (for example, making sure I was properly
compensated for left over propane).
To sum it up, working with Laura made what could have been a very stressful process a very
positive experience for me. I would highly recommend her for any real-estate related
matters.
As a couple transitioning from city life to the mountains.
As a couple transitioning from city life to the mountains, my partner and I had countless questions about utilities, maintenance, and the unique aspects of mountain living that would come with purchasing a home in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Laura Berman was truly a standout guide throughout the entire home-buying journey. Her extensive knowledge of the area, combined with her local expertise, made her the perfect choice for us as first-time homebuyers in this region. From the very beginning, Laura was incredibly attentive, providing clear and insightful answers to all our questions. Her deep industry connections were invaluable, streamlining everything from mortgage lending to our complex set of thorough home inspections. Thanks to Laura, what could have been a stressful process turned into a smooth, enjoyable experience. Her recommendations for contractors and local experts have been top-notch, making the move into our new mountain home seamless. We couldn't have asked for a more skilled and personable agent. Laura's dedication and professionalism made our dream of owning a home in the Sierra Nevada foothills a reality, and we wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking to make a similar move!
..We spent over two years working with Laura.,
- Overall rating 5
- Market expertise 5
- Responsiveness 5
- Negotiation skills 4
- Professionalism & Communication 4
Smoothing out the Bumps
Laura Berman is my number one choice as a realtor in Nevada County
for both buying and selling properties. I have had the pleasure of
using Laura for several transactions over several years, and each one
had a successful outcome for me as well as the other party.
Laura has great depth of knowledge, as she has been in the real
estate business for more than 40 years! This expertise comes shining
through whe
n she runs into any rough spots during a transaction, and
we all know they can happen. Laura is calm, focused and just stays
the course until the bumps are smoothed out, and she always does what
she says she will. Laura is honest, straightforward and very helpful
in making certain the clients on both sides know what is expected of them.
Laura has the kind of integrity that is hard to find these days, I
could not recommend her more for all of the reasons I noted above and many many more!
Phyllis
I hope a lot of people looking for a Realtor see this
Laura is the best. Thank you, Laura, for all the help you have given to me and my husband. This letter is to tell anyone who knows Laura or does any business with her that is an amazing women and Realtor. She is so professional and very knowledgeable. Laura saved us from many problems. She found out that someone was pretending they owned our property. If it was not for Laura, we may have lost our property. She made sure that the authorities knew about this and I am sure she has saved others. Laura covered everything with speed and perfection. If we lived closer, I would tell everyone about her.
Thank you again, Laura, for all you have done for me and my husband.
Sincerely, Dianne and Edward
No other realtor in Nevada County who knows rural real estate like you do…
...My two past home purchases where condos which required a minimum amount of inspection. Country property is different and requires a myriad of inspections. You provided competent and thorough inspectors who spent a great deal of time going over our property. Additional you shared a wealth of resources to guide and assis us in managing the property, which ensured we didn't fall behind on critical maintenance issues. This critical information came at the right time to keep us ahead of the spring growing season.... ... You are a professional, knowledgeable, thorough and persistent realtor. It was my pleasure to have you represent me and as far as I'm concerned ther is no other realtor in Nevada who knows rural real estate like you do. You knew our needs and steered us to the right property. The best part was that we didn't realize the property for the horse would contain such a beautiful house to book! Thank you so much.
..we will not consider using any other realtor..
It was our fortune to have been referred to you. We found our search for the right property for our somewhat unique needs have been a very pleasurable experience with you. Your scope of knowledge and expertise in commendable. Your patience and guidance were most helpful. We will not hesitate to refer you to anyone that requires the best a realtor has to offer. Additionally we will not consider using any other realtor in our future purchase. Thanks again!
Laura went above and beyond to sell our home…
Laura went above and beyond to sell our home this year in Grass Valley. Since we live about 300 miles from the listed home, there were several instances that we counted on Laura to make improvements that normally would be made by a licensed contractor. Improvements such as adding carbon monoxide detectors, installing guard railing at the back pouch and even week eating the yard were performed by her. She also coordinated the removal of down trees and other maintenance issues with a gardener of our choice. Laura worked tirelessly to keep our home in an up-to-date condition leading up to the closing. She did all this in a very volatile housing market. I would recommend Laura Berman to be your next real estate agent. Thank you Laura for all your efforts.
Number One Choice
Laura Berman is my number one choice as a realtor in Nevada County
for both buying and selling properties. I have had the pleasure of
using Laura for several transactions over several years, and each one
had a successful outcome for me as well as the other party.
Laura has great depth of knowledge, as she has been in the real
estate business for more than 40 years! This expertise comes shining
through when she runs into any rough spots during a transaction, and
we all know they can happen. Laura is calm, focused and just stays
the course until the bumps are smoothed out, and she always does what
she says she will. Laura is honest, straightforward and very helpful
in making certain the clients on both sides know what is expected of them.
Laura has the kind of integrity that is hard to find these days, I
could not recommend her more for all of the reasons I noted above and
many many more!
Phyllis Murdock
Laura Berman is a great listener.
Laura Berman is a great listener. Why do I put that first? Because it is paramount in a "people job". We looked at a wide variety of options and in doing so, she was able to make suggestions for the properties that might interest me. She found me exactly what I was looking for! She got me through escrow and into my house with as little weight on my shoulders as possible. Any time a situation presented itself as a potential challenge, she came to me with suggestions and we quickly came to resolution. She has excellent contacts all over the county to help with inspections, and any reapairs or improvements to make the house my home. She is a strong advocate and excellent negotiator. She has integrity and so much experience, I doubt there is anything that comes up that she hasn't seen before. But if there is..I am certain she will work it out. She is easy to laugh, doesn't take herself too seriously, but definitely takes her job seriously. She is also a nice person. She represented me as a buyer, if the time comes for me to sell, I will call on her to list it. She started as my realtor and now a friend. I highly recommend her for your real estate needs.
You competently represented both buyer and seller in this transaction
While it is true I came across you quite by accident - you happened to be the listing agent for a house I saw online and liked - I certainly could not have been luckier in stumbling up an agent. ...you never pushed me toward your own listing over any of the others. You explained the pros and cons of each property, and willingly agreed even when I asked to see places that you must have known were unsuitable. I purchased your listing simply because it meets my needs and I love it. ...what impressed me the most about you as an agent was how incredibly hard you worked and how honest you were during the inspection period. When I got in a hurry and said I wanted to waive one of the inspections, you advised me against doing that. And, your instincts were correct - this was the one inspection that uncovered a somewhat serious problem that needed to be addressed. Because I live a considerable distance away from the property I purchased, you took responsibility for arranging the work that needed to be done, coordinating with the seller about paying for it, and keeping me informed at every step of the way as the worked progressed. You very competently represented both buyer and seller in this transaction, which I do not think just real estate agent could do. As the buyer I am completely happy with the end result, and I would be willing to bet the sellers feel the exactly the same way!. Thank you for your support, encouragement and hard work
She came with comps, plot map and soil report
My wife Jane and I were very grateful to have Laura Berman as our real-estate agent to help us successfully market our beautiful estate situated on ~12 acres of pastoral land in Penn Valley, CA. We interviewed several realtors, and many were very good however Laura came to our first meeting not only with comps for our house but also a plot map and soil report. Laura inspired confidence from the get-go by displaying a professional attitude and competency in her field. Her knowledge of all types of real estate is impressive. She made sure our property was well exposed and advertised to grab the attention of a maximum number of potential buyers. Those buyers are typically well-off retired people from the large metropolitan cities wanting to live in a calmer and bucolic environment. Our property was a haven of peace and quiet that needed to be discovered by the right people and Laura knew how to reach that audience. Laura’s skills were very helpful during the negotiation process with interested parties. When we ended up with multiple offers, she quickly evaluated the offers and explained the pros and cons of each offer and the best scenario to counter each offer. She was totally supportive when we refused offers that were less than a fair price. In a very short time, we were able to accept a decent offer for our property, the paperwork went smoothly and with no surprises, thanks to Laura. If you are reading these comments and are looking for a professional efficient real-estate partner to sell your property, don’t look further, Laura is the one!
You Were Awesome
Laura – You were awesome. We have bought and sold properties on the east and west coast and so are experienced home owners. You are the Gold Standard in the field of real estate. You were always available for questions & guided us through the process seamlessly. Even after closing you stayed in contact and helped us through an issue with the transfer of personal property. Thank you for everything.
…Up and down dirt roads…
We wanted to thanks you for all that you did for us in getting established with our property. Now that we are "coming out of the curve" and settling in, we are very happy with the property. We appreciate all the time you spent with us, going all over the County, up and down all the dirt roads. You showed great patience with our often shifting wants and desires. We are happy that we stayed with you and that you stuck with us through to the end. Also, I wanted to thank your husband again for his time, equipment donation, and his enjoyable character. Cedar and I are elbows-deep in tearing apart the tractor engine and are excited at getting it in good running condition. Thanks for holding onto it for us and gifting it to our farming cause. If ever you need honey or figs, just let us know.
It takes a unique agent to risk not making the sale
... I was determined to build on that lot. You were determined to enlighten me to the several significantly negative aspects of the property.... It's a very special type of Realtor who can be openly forthcoming enough with their client to take a stand saying "You really don't want to buyer this piece of property" especially against the (and in my case, obstinate), desires of that client. It takes a unique agent to risk not making a sale rather than make a bad sale because the client is not savvy enough to recognize the potential problems associated with the property. At that time, we were virtually strangers to you. You could easily have said, "OK, let's go make an offer," and moved on knowing your client was an idiot. But you didn't. Yo placed us before the commission and continued to instruct us on what to look for and what to watch out for in a property.... we've been forever thankful for your candid honesty with us when we were little more than off-the-street buyers.
You have restored my faith in modern day R.E. Brokers!
I have had the pleasure of working with Laura Berman of United Country R.E. Recently and can only say my experience was, indeed, a pleasure. Previously I had listed with a “Premier” real estate agency in Grass Valley and was sorely disappointed in their representation and exposure of my property. Many promises were made at the time of listing but almost none of the requested avenues were used for advertising my ranch in Penn Valley, nor were my wishes followed regarding showings. After three months, and very little advertising, I cancelled my listing with them. I had interviewed Laura Berman at that time and am sorry I did not list with her in the beginning. When the opportunity arose to put my property back on the market, I called her without hesitation. It has proved to be the wisest choice ever. Her many years of experience were invaluable. Immediately, during the worst time of year, Laura set her plan in motion with mass advertising, personal contacts and out of area connections. I experienced far more showings, both local and out of area during the three months of marketing. Laura’s advertising is unsurpassed as far as reach and frequency. My buyers actually found her ad in the Bay Area themselves and reached out to their out of the area agent to show them the property. During a very short timeline for close, Laura always acted in the most professional manner and dealt with quick responses immediately and in my best interest. She followed through on every detail and left no holes in the process. Laura was very easy to work with and at times, her expertise went beyond real estate to therapist. Thank you, Laura.
Let’s Title it “Efficiency”
It's what we are all looking for in our real estate agent. It's one of the most important transactions that we will undertake in our lifespan! so, when looking for an agent that has integrity, transparency, and an understanding of the local area, Laura Berman was definitely that agent! I might add that we have to remember all transactions are not the same, some complications can arise, Laura Berman was there for those times for us. Sometimes even a lasting friendship may develop as is the case with us.
Sincerely Darrell and Barbara DeMontes.
Thank you for all your effort
We certainly understand the challenges this property presented due to the nature that these were 2 homes, one stick-built and one manufactured. For a buyer to secure lending on this property was difficult in itself due the change in laws in 2010. Not only was a buy found, but we closed escrow in six weeks. You were excellent at keeping n informed on the progress of the property, from the day it was listed to the day it closed. You provided us with all the information to make informed decisions along the way. You represented us very well. Laura, we are very appreciative of you and how you represented us in the sale of our property. You are an asset to the real estate industry in Nevada County
“Highly recommend Laura Berman”
When my husband and I needed a realtor to help us sell our home and buy another one, we decided that looking close to home was the best way to find one. We chose Laura Berman and we were not disappointed. Her knowledge of the area, of horse properties, of what was appropriate for our needs was right on. She actively marketed our home and it was sold quickly. The paperwork was so organized it was easy. We highly recommend Laura Berman if you need a realtor.
..good at land type projects like this one…
- Overall rating 5 Stars
- Market expertise 5 Stars
- Responsiveness 5 Stars
- Negotiation skills 4 Stars
- Professionalism & Communication 5 Stars