To whom it may concern:
I recommend Karen Cheong and Chris Sprague without reservation.
When a colleague first suggested I take Karen and Chris up on their free, no obligation real estate session, I had my doubts. Having purchased and sold homes in three different states, how much would I really learn? A lot.
Karen and Chris truly understand the San Francisco real estate market, which is unlike any in which I have ever conducted transactions. More importantly, they were committed to understanding me — my needs, my wants and my price range.
They guided me through the complex process of making trade-off decisions and reinforced items for consideration to ensure that I landed in a property that would be good for the short term and the long term. Karen and Chris focus a tremendous amount of energy towards developing a relationship with clients that will sustain itself over the long-haul.
Their skill sets complement one another beautifully and they value one another's expertise. Karen knows the city and can quickly size up property. She also has a vision for what something can become and where the effort wouldn't make sense. As a lawyer, Chris brings valuable skill to the table, especially considering the complex nature of HOA's, TIC's, etc.
Today I closed on the purchase of my home in San Francisco! It is an amazing property and one which I feel extremely grateful to be occupying. I don't anticipate selling it at any point in the future, but if that day should ever come, I will contact Chris and Karen. I will contact them because I respect them, I trust them, and I would rather have them on my side of the transaction than on the other!
I am fortunate to have worked with and to know Karen Cheong and Chris Sprague.
Best of luck in the purchase or sale of your home!
Regards, Ernie Ross
"We were referred to Karen & Chris by a family member who just raved about them. We were thinking of trading up from our condo into a single family home in the city and weren't really sure how to start or what our options were. We met with them for their strategy session. They really listened to what we wanted and needed and helped clarify our goals, options and next steps. We decided to work with them because we really liked their non-salesy approach and their focus on long term client relationships.
They far exceeded our expectations. We had no idea how well this process could go before we met Karen & Chris. They have thought through so many aspects of the process and bring so much of that thoughtfulness to each step of the transaction — before, during, and also afterwards. During the transaction, little touches like when they sent us a list of numbers to activate all the utilities and basic services at the close of escrow or when they outlined things that might go wrong during the transaction were really helpful. We were impressed with the way they communicated our concerns to the seller's agent and keeping everyone moving smoothly toward the same goal when some issues came up during our inspections. After the transaction closed, we were grateful for the quality of the service providers that they referred to get certain things done after we moved in.
Throughout the whole process, we found that every step was thoroughly researched and meticulously and professionally executed. We really felt that they were taking care of us. Within two months of our first meeting we found ourselves in our dream home — we feel more at home here than we ever did in our condo! We've already referred them to three people." — Cindy Schlichte & Alex Wong
"I had already been in contact with two other real estate agents, with whom I wasn't particularly impressed, before I met with Karen & Chris. I went in for Karen & Chris's buyer strategy session and decided to work with them on the spot. I went into the session as a very new buyer without much knowledge about the market or what the process of buying a home entailed. It was very informative and they spent almost two hours with me answering questions and generally educating me.
They were very honest in their feedback about properties at which we looked. Karen's experience was obvious in her ability to point out both the positives and negatives of the various places at which I looked. Chris & Karen were also incredibly patient with answering all mine and my mother's questions and addressing her anxieties when we entertained buying a two unit building together.
When I finally did get into contract on my condo (with a difficult seller no less), they guided me through every sticky step of the way and made sure that I felt comfortable with the process. I'm very excited about my new home and my plans for it. Not only do I plan to use Chris & Karen when I purchase my next home, but I would definitely recommend them to my family and friends." — Alexia Dorsa
"Karen and Chris made my first-time home-buying experience a breeze. Not only did their buyer strategy session inspire me to break up with my then-realtor (who was driving me nuts with pressure), but the entire process of working with them was fun, informative, and empowering. Chris was great at decoding all the legalese and for setting up (and attending) all of the house inspections, and Karen inspired me with her vision, creativity, and enthusiasm. I felt COMPLETELY in capable hands and am SO glad I found them on Yelp.
What's more, after the purchase itself, they have remained available to help and have offered great recommendations and resources about doing some work on the place.
Before I came to them, I felt overwhelmed, lacking in knowledge, frustrated, and frankly, a bit lost and discouraged. That they were able to so quickly bring me to a place of positivity, inspiration, and confidence says everything about their skill and commitment level. I would highly recommend them."— Maya Stein
"I was referred to Karen & Chris by not one, but two sets of friends who gave them rave reviews. I met with them for their buyer strategy session and found it super helpful because I was pretty green going into the process. It gave me information I needed, helped me understand the journey I was about to undertake, and also helped set my expectations of the market.
Throughout the process both Karen and Chris were very responsive to my many questions. As a single buyer, their opinions and input were invaluable in helping me assess my options and different properties. I could count on them to give their honest opinion and I trusted their advice. They were also great with providing resources to help me do some minor cosmetic work and even helped me pick my paint colors! The whole process was very fast for me and I love my new condo. I would definitely use them again and I've already recommended them to two friends." — Annie Freccero
"We bought our first house last summer and were terrified about the process — where should we look? What should we look for, or look out for? Which problems were surmountable and which were deal-breakers? Chris Sprague and Karen Cheong put our minds at ease by patiently answering all of our beginner's questions, and turned the process into something enjoyable. They were great communicators every step of the way, promptly responding to all of our questions by phone or email. They were honest and gently realistic about what we could find within our price range. Karen was fantastic at looking at a space and giving suggestions about which things could easily be changed, so we ended up considering houses that we might not have otherwise. Chris was great at deciphering legal jargon and drawing our attention to the important elements of real estate documents.
They expertly described the character and feel of San Francisco's many neighborhoods, and actually predicted at our second meeting that we might have good success in the neighborhood where, a few months later, we ended up buying. We couldn't have been happier with our interaction with Chris and Karen. They were clearly more interested in forging a long-term relationship than in making a quick sale. We knew that they wanted us to be happy in the house we chose. And we are!" — Kinnari & Chris Cowell-Shah
"A friend recommended that I give Karen & Chris a call to see what my real estate buying options were in this market. I went in for their buyer strategy session and loved it. I think they should charge for it — it's that helpful! After my first Sunday open housing I found something that I really liked and which had a lot of potential. Karen & Chris really helped to put all the pieces together quickly to get an offer ready and to have all my questions answered. I went in for their free accountant consultation. I found it invaluable — it clarified in hard numbers what the after tax benefit would be and what my monthly cash flow would look like. I couldn't believe it when they called and said my offer was accepted! The process was very smooth and more manageable than I had anticipated. I felt very comfortable throughout because they continued to keep me informed of what was going on and answered any questions that I had. I've already recommended them to a friend and will continue to recommend them to anyone I know interested in buying real estate in San Francisco." — Kimberly Keesler
"We met Chris at an open house and were a little nervous about the financial and emotional commitment of buying a house. We then went in to meet both Karen and Chris for their home buyer seminar and felt a lot better about the process. They gave us a ton of information not only about the process of buying a home in San Francisco but what to look for to maximize resale as well as different financing strategies. They spent over 2 hours educating us and let us determine whether we wanted to work with them at our own leisure. They were very honest about all the properties that we saw with them and we came to trust and rely on their opinions. We got an amazing house through this incredible "black belt" offer maneuver that they orchestrated — plus they guided us through every step of the transaction. We went from nervous to excited. We are recommending them to all our friends." — Ian Neumann & Letty Zazueta