Testimonials

I recommend Rick van der Wal, without reservation and with the highest confidence, to manage the critical and often nuanced work of selling a home. Rick was recommended to me by a friend; she had chosen Rick to assist her in buying her first home in Marin. I was impressed when she described how he made a visit to investigate the property under contract after the area had just endured a bout of heavy rains. Just prior to the close of escrow, Rick's visit revealed that the basement crawl space was flooded and in need of immediate remediation. Remedies were requested and performed prior to the close of escrow, much to the buyer's relief. I first spoke with Rick by phone conversation and was quickly struck by his well-tuned communication skills and his accessibility. After speaking with a few other real estate agents prior, I was happy to discuss my home-selling needs with an agent who was a…

I recommend Rick van der Wal, without reservation and with the highest confidence, to manage the critical and often nuanced work of selling a home. Rick was recommended to me by a friend; she had chosen Rick to assist her in buying her first home in Marin. I was impressed when she described how he made a visit to investigate the property under contract after the area had just endured a bout of heavy rains. Just prior to the close of escrow, Rick's visit revealed that the basement crawl space was flooded and in need of immediate remediation. Remedies were requested and performed prior to the close of escrow, much to the buyer's relief. I first spoke with Rick by phone conversation and was quickly struck by his well-tuned communication skills and his accessibility. After speaking with a few other real estate agents prior, I was happy to discuss my home-selling needs with an agent who was adept at listening and responding with precision and consideration. After the information exchange, Rick offered to meet with me in person in a very timely manner, which was important to me as I hoped to sell my home in a relatively short period of time. When we met in person, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Rick was especially careful to observe all county and real estate policies in place to safeguard the health of the community. Our discussions in that meeting were very productive as Rick came prepared with a list of relevant home comparables, a list of contractors who might be needed to ready my home for market, and listing agreement forms. He explained pricing strategies and marketing strategies. He was patient, flexible, and made it clear that he would do his best to help me achieve my goals for selling my home. Next came inspections, fixing a few items, staging, and photography, all of which Rick facilitated or helped with by providing referrals. This process took 2 weeks, which, in my opinion, was very efficient. Most communication between Rick and me was via real-time text messages and voice calls, with follow-up through email for detailed written information. Again, Rick was readily accessible throughout. Rick kept me informed of the feedback he was receiving from prospective buyers via their agents during the home showing phase. While waiting to receive offers, which was a stressful aspect of selling my home, Rick convinced me to be patient, demonstrating his experience with clients and the process. When offers came in, Rick was a great negotiator, and he kept me completely informed, sending a spreadsheet that captured all of the relevant variables to consider. After deciding on the offers, I was completely happy with the outcome and felt that my home-selling goals had been achieved. Summation: Rick van der Wal is a consummate real estate professional with the highest ethical standards. He is someone you can trust, and you will be very glad you chose to work with him, whether you are selling your home or buying a new home.