I worked with Alla Gershberg at Paragon Real Estate for the sale of my 3 bedroom condo in Pacific Heights. She handled everything to do with the preparation and sale of my home with the utmost of professionalism and skill. I have had a decent amount of experience with real estate agents, having been through 5 buy/sell transactions (plus my mom is in residential real estate in New York), and I can say with absolute confidence that Alla is the best of the best!
Here are the key reasons I say this:
Integrity:
Alla is completely trustworthy. Her actions are focused entirely around her client’s goals and the end result.
Preparation and project management:
Alla and Dale had a complete and detailed plan regarding every inch of space in my home and everything that needed to be done pre- sale. This was a huge part of getting maximum price in the end. Alla coordinated all aspects of home repairs, painting, staging, and appliance replacement (basically a mini-remodel). She had all the right contacts and resources to get stuff implemented efficiently and cost-effectively (eg the stager, the painter, the handyman, the cleaning crew, etc.). Her attention to detail is fantastic. It made all the difference when it came to buyers’ excitement about my home. As she said, something like…. “2 months of preparation and 1 week of selling, rather than 1 week of preparation and months and months of selling”! The first scenario was what we implemented and it maximized the sale price (and our confidence that we all did our best).
Whatever-it-takes attitude:
There was nothing I could not ask Alla to do during the time we worked together. She coordinated and met with all the folks who prepared my home for sale… I was not living in San Francisco full time during the sale time so she was always the one “on the home front” making sure the work that needed to be done got implemented in a timely fashion… and with quality results. She or a member of her team even went over to do “gardening” and plant watering to make sure that my outside spaces showcased beautifully during open houses and showings!
Pricing and negotiation:
Alla and Dale know the market and have fantastic instincts when it comes to setting price and then negotiating. Alla also has a background in marketing and business and she certainly leverages those skills to a successful transaction. I am confident that the price she got me for my place was at least 5-10% more than others would have been able to achieve.
To top it all off, Alla is just a great person all around. She is extremely warm, friendly and fun to be with. This is important since of course the daily conversations and decisions are sometimes emotional and stressful – and its easier to work through those decisions with someone you like and trust personally.
Dawn K.
