Jed Lane; Fog City Guide

"Get a good real estate agentFor most of those two years we had a real estate agent who didn’t do much for us. We found all the listings ourselves, went to all the open houses ourselves, and she helped us write two bids. We finally switched agents, two days later he chose four houses for us to look at, and less than a week later we put a bid on one and it was accepted. Maybe a coincidence, but for us this new agent just clicked better. Don’t be afraid of changing agents if you don’t feel like you’re getting much out of yours. You’ll feel obligated to stay with them because they’ve already done some work for you, but really you have no legal obligation to them. We asked ours to switch and she recommended a co-worker, from whom she got a referral fee. If you go to a completely new agent you could ask them to pay your old agent a referral fee too, but of course they could refuse. In any case, it’s not a good enough reason to stay with an agent you feel isn’t getting you closer to buying a home. If you don’t have an agent, think twice about hiring an agent you meet at an open house. That agent is selling the house, so they may be more of a seller’s agent than a buyer’s agent. They’ll take you on, but they may not actively help much. It’s better to get an agent who specializes in buyers. Get recommendations from friends. We definitely recommend ours (Jed Lane). From a blog in 2005 http://www.teamten.com/lawrence/writings/buying_a_house_in_san_francisco.html"
Lawrence Kesteloot Tue May 10, 2005

"As most of us know, deciding to take the plunge and enter into the housing market can be daunting. There is so much to know and then realizing how much you don't know about what you are entering into can be paralyzing, especially in the San Francisco market. For this reason, as we found out very early on, it is imperative to have a well-rounded agent working by your side. An individual you can entrust to take you through the complicated journey of buying a home. That being said, we feel we were two of the lucky ones who had that agent. Jed Lane was there for us every step of the way. Jed came on board with us after months of frustration with someone else and at a time when time was of the essence. He jumped in headfirst and made himself available without missing a beat. He was able to answer our many unanswered questions and worked hard to find out any infonnation we needed. He started early and ended late depending on what the situation called for and always put our needs first. If need be. he drove long distances to get signatures from the both of us and when that was done would smile and end with and acknowledgement of "Good Luck" as he drove off to submit our proposal. Moreover, Jed proved he has the knowledge and expenise of how to really listen. What a talent and skill that is especially when you're dealing with two people making the biggest investment and decision of their lives. We concluded that we were dealing with a real pro. Additionally. Jed was friendly and thoughtful. There were times when personal experience was the best example and Jed would take the time to share some of his helping to give a broader and not so isolated picture. Our experience with Jed Lane was nothing but positive and we feel he is quite an asset to the Coldwell Banker team and the company should feel nothing but pride for employing someone of his stature. In conclusion. many thanks to Jed for making this huge step in our lives as painless, smooth and safe as any individual could."
Lori Maurer Mon Dec 22, 2003

"Dear Jed, Now that life has settled to a somewhat manageable pace I am able to send this overdue thank you for your able and professional assistance in selling our San Francisco home. We were pretty sure when we met you that it seemed a good idea to have you sell the house, but when was all said and done we were so very impressed. Your calm manner and frank observations about what we needed to do in order to prepare the house kept us on track. Your willingness to answer all our questions, research the answers when needed and be available to us made the process very efficient. I also really appreciated your sensitivity, knowing that it was difficult to leave my long time residence. Anita and I our enjoying our new home and will always be grateful to you for a pleasant experience in making the move. We will undoubtedly recommend your services to any of our friends who need real estate services. Continued success to you in your work and don’t hesitate to call us if you come north!"
Mary Anne O'Shea Mon Oct 22, 2007

"Dear Jed, I want to thank you for all your assistance with the sale of our property in San Francisco. Your advice on how to enhance the curb appeal and first impressions of the house through landscaping and work on the bathroom and kitchen was both helpful and played off financially in the final sale. Your understanding of the market, of the place of the house in that market, and how to handle the complexities of selling a house in San Francisco reflects your impressive expertise in real estate. I also found it helpful that you know the details of the regulations and tax implications involved in a sale. I have also appreciated the care and energy you put into the sale. It was good working with you."
Martin Lowenthal Sun Feb 19, 2006

"Jed, I want to thank you on behalf of my family for the incredible way you decide to remodel our house or move to a larger home to accommodate our family. At our first meeting it was clear that our interests were primary for you. Your background and experience gave us valuable insight into the process. We were able to weigh the financial and emotional costs and you were ready to help with referrals of professionals from your network and then to review their advice with us. After we decided to move up to a larger home, you really stepped up helping us prepare and market our home, getting us top dollar in a very short time, even though other houses in the neighborhood were languishing. You showed us your dedication and marketing skill exposing our house to the market. Preparing the house and the marketing you did brought us a competitive offer from really nice people. Your communication and negotiation skills made the contract ratification process smooth and successful. Your understanding of the market was invaluable in helping us know what to ask for and helping us decide what to accept. So in closing Jed, I want to thank you in behalf of myself and my family. We are very happy in our new home and we are very glad we had you on our side."
Jeff Corvi Sun Jan 28, 2007