Kevin Schmidtchen

"Santa Barbara Realtor"
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  • Real Estate Professional
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  • (805) 689-6877
Kevin Schmidtchen,  in Santa Barbara
  • 28 Answers
  • 2 First Answers
  • 1 Useful Answer
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About Me
Mission Statement


My commitment is to be the best Realtor for you and to provide you with the best resource for real estate information in the Santa Barbara, Montecito and the surrounding areas. I respect you giving me the opportunity to work with you and in return I will provide you with expertise, professionalism, loyalty, knowledge, service and clear communication for all your real estate needs.

My Passions

Family for me is my first and ultimate passion. In addition to family, I thoroughly enjoy surfing, skiing and boarding, traveling, reading (although this is now harder with our little boy), the outdoors and being with friends and new people that have world travel and experiences behind them and ahead of them. Being a Realtor as a profession also provides me with a lot of wonderful experiences working with people to realize their dreams in home ownership.

Areas of expertise - Why Choose Kevin?



I have been a real estate professional with Sotheby’s Int’l Realty here in the Santa Barbara and Montecito areas since 2001.

As the result of satisfied clients, I have succeeded in building a wonderful referral base of single individuals, couples and families who are happy to recommend my services to their friends, families and colleagues. Many past and current clients express their gratitude in working with a Realtor who is a both a local and has such a relaxed demeanor in which they feel no pressure. Key also in the relationship between myself and my client is trust and understanding that the home that my client is looking at is not just another home for them. Having a client close on a transaction is wonderful, but as important, is knowing how my client got there.

Please let me know where your needs are at with regards to real estate in Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta and the surrounding areas. Buying or selling, I can assist you with luxury real estate, beachfront homes, oceanfront homes, view homes, vacation homes, gated communities, new homes, real estate development, single family homes, condominiums, town homes, income property, and land.

Who am I besides being a Realtor? - A Short Bio


A native of Santa Barbara, I grew up with a wonderful family and very involved with sports that I continue to enjoy today… surfing, skiing and snowboarding. While attending UCSB, I left to Europe for the summer after my freshman year to play on the professional tennis satellite circuit. While the tennis went well, I felt completely energized by the culture over in Europe and the opening of my eyes to so many different ways of life and thinking. I returned to UCSB and focused on my junior year in which I then studied abroad in Salzburg, Austria. Both of these events changed me and lead me to have one immediate major goal in my life… to travel around the world. Four days after I graduated from UCSB in 1992, I left on a one-way ticket back to Europe. I spent roughly the next 4 years working abroad in Austria, Germany, Japan and New Zealand while traveling often to over 50 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, South and Central America and the South Pacific.

After much adventure I returned to the U.S. and lived in Telluride, Colorado and Lake Tahoe, California before attending Thunderbird– The American Graduate School of International Management where I received my MBA in 1999. Upon graduating, I very much wanted to return home and moved back here to Santa Barbara in late 1999. I am now married to a wonderful Dutch woman, whom I met while doing an internship in the Netherlands during my second year at Thunderbird. We also have a wonderful boy born in July 2006.

Visit My Website Above (SantaBarbaraRealEstateVoice.com) to:


- Search the Santa Barbara MLS for free
- Receive Personal Listings of Santa Barbara Area Properties for free
- Learn about Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta and all our Surrounding Areas
- Learn about schools in our area, things to do, neighborhood information, market reports and more

Testimonials
"“As a first time home buyer, Kevin was very patient and thorough in answering all of my questions and keeping me well informed. Throughout the entire process, and still to this day, Kevin was always available and willing to assist me with whatever was needed. In addition, his knowledge of the city and the real estate of the city were very valuable as I was new to the area and did not know the market well. I do not hesitate to recommend Kevin for your real estate needs.” –Keala Anderson"
–Keala Anderson Wed Apr 2
"“We were very pleased with the professional service Kevin displayed in the selling of our home. As a native of Santa Barbara, Kevin understands the reality of high prices here in our town and is very capable and proactive in selling not just our home but also the overall Santa Barbara lifestyle. Through the first stages of showing the home to prospective buyers all the way through the closing process, Kevin worked hard to update us on every step and to keep it all as simple as possible. His clear communication allowed us to relax as much as one can when selling your home. We highly recommend Kevin for any real estate needs you may have.” –Bob Andrews"
–Bob Andrews Mon Jan 21
"“My wife and I used Kevin to purchase our second home in the San Roque area. We were a bit nervous because we new the prices were going to be at the upper end of our comfort level, but more importantly this was going to be the home that we were going to raise our family in. Kevin immediately made us comfortable and never once pushed us to make a decision. Kevin has successfully separated himself from the stereotypical realtor by approaching customers, as he would expect to be handled himself. His professionalism, patience, work ethic and integrity made our home purchase experience successful on all counts and we will continue to recommend his services to friends and family.” –Jay & Nicole Klanfer"
–Jay & Nicole Klanfer Sat Feb 2
"“Kevin was very accessible and proactive as we searched for a home in Santa Barbara. We currently live in Portland, and Kevin did a great job of getting us up to speed quickly on the market, and matching our needs with the marketplace. As a native of Santa Barbara, Kevin understands the market well and was a valuable coach when it came time to make an offer - even though we had “sticker shock” on California real estate, Kevin eventually got us into a comfort zone on buying our home. Kevin was very diligent during the closing process in terms of making sure that the process and documents were well managed, leading to a smooth closing process, even though we were completing the closing from a remote location. We would highly recommend Kevin and Sotheby’s International Realty for your real estate needs in Santa Barbara.” –Sam & Lillian Reinkensmeyer"
–Sam & Lillian Reinkensmeyer Tue Mar 25
"“We moved to Santa Barbara without knowing anything about the real estate market. We depended on Kevin to educate us. Kevin was very patient with us as we searched for several months for precisely the right home and investment. Kevin is detail oriented, flexible and insightful. Had he not been updated daily on the real estate market, we would not have secured our home. We saw the property immediately when it came on the market and had a bid on the property within 24 hours. With Kevin’s guidance, we prevailed over 6 bids and a counter-bid process. We are now happy homeowners in Montecito!” –Annabelle and Peter Brownell"
Annabelle Mon Apr 21
My Q&A View all >>
Kevin Schmid…'s Questions (0)
Kevin Schmid…'s Answers (28)
Kevin Schmidtchen answered:
Kat,

There would have to be 100% a catch although I don't know what it is.

Any dirt like this in Santa Barbara would be at the absolute minimum $600,000 if it was a relatively straight forward situation. - Sun Oct 19 2008, 10:28

who pays the commission to the agent?

Kevin Schmidtchen answered:
Ramy,

Pretty much everything in a contract is negotiable but there are certain things that become standard. Here in Santa Barbara the commission is 99% of the time between 5-6% of the selling price. The seller then pays for this commission through escrow. It is taken out of their proceeds. Again it is not in stone but is this way almost all the time.

For you as a buyer here in Santa Barbara, you are looking at total costs of around $2000-$3000 to close a property on average. This includes you home inspection, lending fees, escrow fees etc.

If you would like to touch base about anything else, please feel free to give me a call.
take care
Kevin Schmidtchen
Sotheby's Int'l Realty
805-689-6877 - Fri Oct 17 2008, 11:25
Kevin Schmidtchen answered:
Jason,

This is too loaded of a question for a simple email. The market is very up and down right now. There are a lot of buyers out there that are starting to buy but lending is an issue as well. Unique homes or homes priced well are going into escrow as of late.

Why your home is not selling is impossible to say without knowing the home, how it is priced, how it is being shown, how it is being marketed etc. There are too many factors to answer you without getting the answers to several questions.

I would be happy to touch base with you if you would like to.

Take care

Kevin Schmidtchen
Sotheby's Int'l Realty
805-689-6877 - Fri Oct 17 2008, 09:00
Kevin Schmidtchen answered:
Carrie,

Here is a link to the property with more information and a few pictures. This property though has closed sale in the last week.

Please let me know if you would like to talk further about the home or the area. If you want I can keep you updated with homes such as this so you do not miss an opportunity.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Kevin Schmidtchen
Sotheby's Int'l Realty
805-689-6877 - Thu Oct 16 2008, 09:22

WHy is this house only 12,500$?

Kevin Schmidtchen answered:
Deanne,

Homes in Hope Ranch start at around the $1.8 Million price point. If you ever see any price like this you know it is a rental. The cheapest single family home in our area is around $500,000 and that is a complete fixer. Take care - Wed Oct 8 2008, 09:06
Specialties
Specializing in the following areas:
- Santa Barbara
- Montecito
- Goleta
- Carpinteria
- Hope Ranch
- Summerland
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