TESTIMONIALS
Joe, Star and Meiling were excellent representatives for us during the recent sale of our home in Fremont. They explained everything at each step of the way, they were available to us any time we had questions, they were very knowledgeable and put us at ease during the process. They highlighted the things they would do for us and then they followed through. They acted as true partners, advocating for our best interests, advising us of options, keeping us informed with any developments. They even explained things related to the purchase of our new home in a different area, giving us a second opinion which was very helpful.
They were each very pleasant and professional to work with and we felt like we truly had a team working for us. Highly recommended!
I highly recommend Joe Schembri and his colleague Star Santa Cruz, who recently assisted us in selling a family member's home. Joe and Star assisted us in preparing the home for sale, demonstrated a keen understanding of the local housing market when pricing and marketing the home, and helped us close the sale with a very quick turnaround. While selling a home is never a simple process, Joe and Star worked closely with multiple members of our family to facilitate a smooth and expedient experience.
As a retired attorney I have a great deal of experience with real estate transactions but little experience with marketing. I learned that Star and Joe Schembri at Coldwell Banker had repeated marketing successes where I lived, Mission Lakes, Fremont, as well as other locations in the area. I interviewed Star and we cut a fair listing deal that day at a listing price that I agreed with, all with no haggling; she was tuned in from the outset. She and I agreed to an expeditious schedule for what turned out to be a first class staging, cleaning and professional photography (at her cost), and a timely (immediate) exposure on MLS, mailers and the internet, open house and cut off date on offers. We went on MLS on Thursday, Star conducted open house on Saturday and Sunday, entertaining in excess of 150 guests. I accepted a price substantially over listing on the following Wednesday (from the 14 written offers that Star had dutifully processed for my consideration). Not only was the agreed price a very pleasant surprise but the terms were well beyond my expectation, for which Star, alone, deserves credit. Star went way beyond her duty as a realtor, negotiating terms that were customized to my needs going forward and easing the way for what, entirely because of her efforts, promised to be a smooth closing. And, indeed, the process from contract to closing went as smooth as a knife through soft butter, even though I know there were some minor glitches along the way; all of which she handled with exceptional professional aplomb. Without question Star is a pro; she handles her client with compassion, understanding and responsiveness while remaining firmly in control of the transaction. She is entirely goal oriented and gets the job done with an obvious commitment to making the process as hassle free as possible for her client, despite that no transaction I have ever witnessed is without plenty of bumps in the road. Run-of-the-mill realtors are a dime a dozen. Star, on the other hand, stands head and shoulders above the crowd.
We couldn’t possibly recommend the Joe Schembri team more. Star Santa Cruz is a gem - she’s a kind, considerate, thoughtful person who became like family to us over the years we got to know her. We first met Star when she was at an open house for one of her listings, and just connected so well on the spot that we asked her to be our buying agent as we embarked on our home finding journey. Star also helped us sell that home years later, and in the meantime, had kept in touch and shared in fun and memorable life moments. We’re extremely grateful for Star and her friendship to us, and would recommend her and the Joe Schembri team for their thoughtfulness, diligence, and integrity to anyone.
Joe Shembri and Star Santa Cruz are absolutely a great team. I have used them multiple times and they continue to be very professional, reliable, trustworthy and beyond amazing!! I made the decision to sell my current home at the beginning of this year but was doubtful on how this can be done during a pandemic. I emailed and Star called me the same day! She listened to my situation that my husband had passed away and I was looking to move. She explained how things were being done during the pandemic for real estate and did all the research of the homes within the area. We went over the stats that were very similar to my current home. She gave me scenarios on placing the home “as is” on market and doing some slight minor touch ups to increase added value taking consideration what other homes in the area were currently being successfully sold at and what price points. We got the house on the market as soon as I was ready. I was able to leave my home for a long weekend so the house could have prospective buyers come by appointment only. Appointments for showings were scheduled at back-to-back at intervals to ensure everyone was taking COVID safety precautions. They left sanitizer, masks and shoe coverings for everyone that entered the home. We received an AMAZING number of multiple offers on the house. Star gave me her professional opinion of the strongest buyer and we went into contract that evening. We met at times that worked with my work schedule and while wearing masks when needed. She really makes is work for you based on your comfort level and schedule. In the contract Star made sure I had enough time to find another home, which I am in the process of doing now!! She researches and sends me only what fits best in the area and within my new budget. I would definitely recommend this team to anyone looking or thinking of buying/selling their home. Star and Joe are honest, knowledgeable, sincere, and prompt to respond to calls, texts and emails. The entire office team is also the same, they treat you with the highest customer care. When they were scheduling inspections, they were very mindful of my kids and work schedule. Everything just felt customized to what I needed for my own situation and comfort level. Everything is streamlined so I did not have to go to their office, we used a mobile notary, and we were able to do almost everything electronically which was perfect. I also must add my relationship started about 15 years ago from a postcard my late husband got in the mail with Joe and Star’s information on it. He called Joe because we were just starting our family, were very young, and needed more space. Joe came out to the house and gave us all the information we needed to review. We had called other realtors, but it did not have the right “trust” feeling like we did with Joe. We decided to go with Joe's team and placed the house on the market at an ideal price. We had one open house back then and got multiple offers on the house. This was our first time being a customer with Joe and Star’s team. After we sold our first home in Fremont, we used them again for the purchase of our next house. I remember Star driving around with us looking for homes together until we found the perfect home with lots of space for kids. I remember we looked at what felt like a dozen houses back then (before everything was on the internet). And I have to say I have been in this house for 15 years and it has been great and a perfect fit. That was our second time using Coldwell Banker and we never would have guessed this relationship started from calling a number from a postcard flyer. When my husband passed away, I was maneuvering on my own with a very big decision. One night I googled and messaged Star. She immediately responded and reconnected. I am so glad I found their team again for my third and fourth time since I now looking for my next happy place with my much older kids now. Home selling and buying can be a very stressful point in life but I have to be very honest here, Joe Shembri and Star Santa Cruz have been fantastic to work with in the past, present and future (I have already told them when I get to the retirement stage in life and need to downsize, I will be reaching out again.) Their front yard signs say, “Bay Area Specialists” and they truly are, you can really trust them to be very honest with you about the current housing market and managing expectations with their expert knowledge and helpfulness with your specific real estate needs in mind. I would trust them with anyone in my family and friends.
This is the absolute dream team! Star is the rockstar agent of the century; if you want an agent who is communicative, honest, trustworthy and loyal to get your transaction done in an efficient time, then this team is for you. Trust me, look no further, the way that Star and the team go to bat for you day and night is amazing. We actually became great friends and will do this again over and over with them. HIRE THIS TEAM NOW!!
My house in Fremont was sold in a very short time and at a higher price than my asking. I gave the credit to STAR for her knowledge of the real estate market. Star is friendly and puts the interest of her client above everything else. If I have another house to sell, I won't think twice to engage her services again.
To simply say thank you isn't enough. It is so refreshing to work with a professional who truly delivers on promises made. Selling a home is not easy. I believe that many prospective sellers are under the impression that homes in today's market sell themselves. I believe that a good property is only part of the equation. Market and contract knowledge is a must but understanding how to execute on the correct strategy to maximize the sale is key. You delivered on all these and more. Eric and I are so pleased with how the sale progressed and having your guidance through closing is what made the experience a good one. Thanks again for all your support, guidance and friendship. We are so happy we chose you to take the home-selling journey with. All our best,
View this video link to see a wonderful Testimonial from another of Star's happy clients!
https://youtu.be/5myAgvRF1qE
To Whom it may concern, I would like to provide a reference in regards to our recent sale of our home, and purchase of our new home. My husband and I lived in our Fremont home for over 18 years. We were at a point where we were open to the idea of moving, but it wasn’t a requirement. We were very passive buyers, and knew that in order for us to move, it would need to be the perfect home, neighborhood, and location for us. I reached out to Star last spring, knowing that her family made a similar transition the year prior; so I wanted to get some advice. Star was extremely helpful, and offered to assist us with our search. Our initial thought was to relocate to the Oakland Hills (Montclair area). Star immediately started sending us listings that met our criteria. We had a fairly long list of what we wanted in a home. We wanted a 1story if possible, 4 to 5 bedroom home, with a view of the Bay Area. We found this to be more challenging than what we expected. Most of the homes in that area were multi-level, and needed quite a bit of renovation. We kept seeing homes that had some of the features we liked, but not enough for us to make the commitment. Star reassured us that she will find us the perfect home. She also recommended her local neighborhood to us, which we were some what familiar with. We looked at a few homes in that area, but still didn’t quite find what we were looking for. One day, Star was driving in her complex, and noticed an inspection vehicle parked in the driveway of a one story home. The house was beautiful, and looked to have most of the amenities we were looking for. Although the house wasn’t technically on the market, Star proactively decided to introduce herself to the onsite realtor. Upon their initial conversation, Star did ask some basic information regarding the home. Star did let the realtor know that she had some clients that may be interested. They exchanged information, and promised to keep in contact. Star mentioned the home to me, and although it sounded perfect, I didn’t want to get my hopes up. A few weeks later, Star followed up with the realtor, and sure enough they were open to allowing my husband and I to preview it, before it hit the market. We arrived at the home, and I must say, I fell in love with the house the moment I walked into the courtyard. This house had everything, and more than what we wanted. From the appliances, to the hardwood floors, to the open floor plan, and etc. We were sold. We submitted an offer, and found out the next day that our offer was accepted. We were excited, nervous, and scared all at the same time. That was the easy part. Now, we were presented with the challenge of selling our home (that was not yet on the market) and purchasing a new home; all at the same time. That’s where having an experienced realtor like Star comes in handy. Star reassured me that she will do her very best to make the process as smooth as possible. Within a few days, her assistant sent us over a comprehensive project plan. The project plan was detailed, well thought out, and had a tentative schedule of events that we could follow. The plan was executed flawlessly. We had our initial home inspection scheduled first, to understand if there were any concerns that we needed to address prior to putting our home on the market. This put my husband and I at ease, as we did not want to get too far into the process, without understanding if there were going to be any surprises on our end. Once the inspection came back clear, we then proceeded with cleaning the home, staging the home, and preparing the home to go on the market. Within a week’s time, our home was ready for the MLS. The marketing was pure genius. They captured all of our finishing’s, and upgrades that we put into our home over the past 18 years. That following Saturday and Sunday Star hosted the open house. Based upon her marketing, and network; the turnout was great. Within a week, we had a very strong offer to consider. Star reassured us that she can make the terms and conditions work with the timing of our new home purchase. We were blessed to be able to close on both homes, on the same day. Star was extremely patient, responsive, and proactive throughout the entire process. It’s not everyday that you make the decision to sell your family home. I don’t think I would have been able to get through such a smooth process without Star. I sing her praises for not only finding a home prior to it hitting the market, but handling the sale of our home so flawlessly. Best of all, we are extremely happy with our new home. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I’m extremely grateful for Star.
Star Santa Cruz is hands-down the best realtor in the San Francisco Bay Area. Star was absolutely amazing in helping us sell our home quickly and above what we expected. She was highly-attentive and communicated with us every step of the way. Star truly cares about her clients and the love she has for her profession shows. My wife and I can't thank her enough for her talent, dedication and superior results. I've worked with a number of realtors and I assure you that Star Santa Cruz is head and shoulders above the rest! Thank you again for your superb work and professionalism Star! You are a great credit to the Coldwell Banker team and a godsend to your clients!
Bakir and I would like to thank you for everything you have done with helping us buy and sell our homes. We would not be where we are today without you. You knew the market and gave us confidence that we can move earlier than we had expected. We had to buy our new house prior to selling which can be stressful for many but the process was smooth. You provided us with enough confidence that our house will sell quickly and that we would be fine. Which you were right! Our house sold within 5 days on the market and could have sold sooner but we wanted to get the right price, which we got well over! You were very professional through the whole process even when coming over at 10:00pm at night. Your team had great marketing skills as our house sold beautifully! Also, I loved how you were able to get our house ready within 3 days to market by setting us up with a team to clean and get the house Market ready.
Dear Fellow Buyer/Seller,
If I might have a moment of your time. I just want to say, You could not be in better hands. Star Santa Cruz is amazing.
My name is Kate. I grew up in Fremont and while my sisters and I moved away my mother remained, in our family home of 44 years. That is until this past summer. My mom's health issues became sever enough that my sister and I knew it was time for mom to move in with one of us.
This is when we first met Star. She was an angel and understood the journey we were about to undertake. As I mentioned, my sisters and I had moved away from the Bay Area. One in New York, One in Virginia, One in the Valley and myself in Washington. With all of us spread across the country and my mom not as spry as she use to be, it was such a relief to have Star on our side. We were able to come together and pack up the house but there were so many things we could not do as we needed to get my moved to Virginia with one of my sisters.
Star was there every step of the way. She gave us a list of things that "could be done" and "should be done" in order to get the old house Sell Ready. She never pushed but gave us her years of experience as what she believed would get us top dollar for least amount of last minute investment. It was worth EVERY PENNY!! When the house sold, (we had an insane offer one week after being on the market) it was because we listened to Star's advice.
She has an amazing group of people that worked with her to get my mom's house ready for sell. We were only able to get the house about 85% ready for sell, but there were still many things we just did have time to take care. As none of us lived in the area anymore, we didn't even know who to call. Star had her people came in and give the old house the love and care my 84 year old no longer could. One of the people that Star calls in to "stage" the house is BRILLIANT!! She took that 1970s style and ran with it. Giving it a retro pop that actually make it look fresh. The resources Star has is unbelievable; maintenance, cleaning, painting, plumbing, gardeners, stagers, the list goes on.
Star knows her market, she know what works and has a wonderful group of people that she can call on to get the job done. This is something I've never encountered before. You don't just get a real estate agent, you get an entire team of people working for you.
Did I mention that my mom was in Virginia during most of this. Some many phone calls, paper to be faxed and signed (with traveling notary). She was on top of it all. As it was hard to always get a hold of my mom she often call me or one of my other sister to get questions answered. She took our calls even though there was a time zone difference. She was always there for us. I know she had other clients during all this but somehow she always made us feel important, like we were her only client at the time.
It was a very difficult time for us but Star helped us greatly by letting us take care of mom and her health needs. Star took care of all the detail of selling mom's house.
Thank you for taking the time to ready this. You really are in good hands with Star.
Wishing you all the best.
My husband and I had the pleasure of having Star Santa Cruz represent us as our Realtor in the sale of our home in the Willow Glen area of San Jose a couple of months ago. We have bought and sold numerous homes in past years and can honestly say that this real estate transaction with Ms. Santa Cruz was the less stressful we have experienced. From the time our home was listed and until the time we had the final escrow check in our bank account, less than 30 - 35 days had elapsed. We listed the home at a price much higher than what my husband and I really thought we would receive but Star seemed confident that the price was not unrealistic. Our home actually sold for MORE than asking price....How awesome is that?!?! This sale was an FHA loan so my husband and I were a bit skeptical. However, Star was diligently doing her job every single day to make sure that there were no glitches. She kept us informed, was very professional and we could not have been more pleased with the results. If you are looking for a realtor who will works hard, knows how to sell homes and has your back, then look no further because Star Santa Cruz is the best by far.
Star, Thanks for all your help in making our "dream home" a reality. You are truly a professional.
Thank you Star so much for taking the extra effort to make our first home purchase successful. You were there guiding us through all the crucial and important steps!
In all our dealings with Realtors over the past ten years, we have never met anyone as kind, helpful and energetic as you have been. Without hesitation, we would highly recommend your service to anyone who is looking for an experienced, caring Realtor who gets things done! Thanks for taking such good care of us!
I know today is the last day my Aunt is going to be at the house so I wanted to say thank you for all that you have done and for making this process as painless as possible. You have been great to my Aunt and my Mom, too! :) I really appreciate it!
Also, thanks for keeping me updated and making me feel a part of the process! If you could send me more pictures today for the last day, I'd love it too. It'll be interesting to see what the house looks like empty and my aunt's last time in the house... I've been putting the pictures on Facebook and sharing with the family! So thank you! Everyone I know (friends and family) loved that house, I hope the new owners just enjoy it as much as we did.
Oh and here's the pic of you and my Tia! Enjoy!
Thanks again,
Dianne
Star thank you so much for your expertise and hard work! With all your added attention to detail you made selling my house and buying a new one at the
same time less stressful. I will definitely recommend you anytime I hear anyone looking for a realtor!
Dear Will and Joe,
I wanted to send a glowing review of Star to you both, I really can’t say enough good things about her. From the first phone call to Star requesting an evaluation from a flyer in the mail to the close of escrow, Star was there every step of the way. She didn’t just do a job, she did so much more. The decision we made to sell our home was a huge financial decision for us and we were not sure what the outcome would be as we had been “under water†like so many others, but we thought what the heck, let’s call a realtor. I am so glad we chose Star!!
Joe and Star came to our home and knowing we were interviewing other realtors and didn’t do the hard sell. That would not have worked for us. They patiently answered all our questions while we set our expectations of “breaking evenâ€. They expressed confidence they could sell our home. Once we made the decision to chose Coldwell, mostly based on reputation and our ease with Joe and Star, we braced ourselves for the unknown. Star had top notch people for staging and painting our house. We are so glad we followed Liz’s recommendations for packing 75% of our things! It was a lot of work and stressful, but it paid off. Our house looked amazing and all our family and friends commented how fabulous it looked. Although it wasn’t really like how we live it was still comfortable, “Thank You Lizâ€. In the end we sold our home for more than we planned, totally unexpected too!!
Star and I developed quiet the rapport and she made me laugh more than once and she was as excited for us as we were to sell our home. Star became not just our realtor but a trusted advisor and sanity saver. If there is one thing we wish, it is a clone of Star when we buy our next home in another state. Can we take her with us?
Star is truly a top notch professional and knows her business, but more than that she is genuine and it comes across in every encounter no matter how small or large.
Thank you so much to Star, we couldn’t have done it without her.
We absolutely loved working with Star. We had high expectations based on her top notch reputation and our experiences with her in the sale and purchase of our new home were undeniably effortless and stress free.
For the sale of our home, we never worried about her being overly aggressive with potential buyers and scaring them away.
She is a professional through and through with a keen understanding of the market and knows how to advise her clients into sound decision making with respect to pricing and conditions for home sales and purchases.
All our questions were answered quickly and she always made us feel like we were her top priority.