Testimonials

We bought our first home! YES! Our dream came true because of one brilliant realtor, Ben Olsen. When we started on our journey, we knew absolutely nothing about real estate, loan applications, home inspections, construction, etc. From the start, Ben was very accommodating and in tune with what we were interested in. It was definitely a challenge to get us what we wanted in our price range and within our loan constraints, but Ben took it on with ease. He was very responsive to any questions (be it big or small) via phone, email, and text! Very convenient for our busy lives.

Ben knew what would work for us even before we did! We ended up buying the first place he picked for us after looking at dozens of places we found on the internet.

After getting into escrow, we used all of Ben’s recommended inspectors…they were fabulous and affordable. Now that we own our home, we are using contractors recommended by Ben, as they have given us a much better price and time frame than the other companies we were looking at. The bottom line is, the Olsen's know this business backwards and forwards, and we will be using them from here on out for all of our future home purchases and recommending them to everyone we know.

Thanks Ben!!!

-Team Griffith...Amanda, Dan and Kate

My office worked with The Olsen Team recently on the probate sale of a home, and was very impressed with their knowledge, hard work and professionalism in all aspects of the preparation and sale of the home. They delivered everything they promised, and then some, including efficient, clear and effective electronic communications with our out of area executor.

The Olsen Team obtained competent, reasonably priced and professional contractors, to put the house in saleable condition and then managed and expedited the clean up, inspections, repairs, painting, carpeting and more. When the house was ready, it was beautifully staged, professionally photographed – the virtual tour was superior - and then expertly marketed. They generated terrific interest in the property, and sold the home quickly.

When asked to appear in court at the probate hearing for confirmation of sale, - this was a contested sale - Ben spoke for the team with knowledge of the market, the property, and the probate process. His responses and comments to the Commissioner were succinct and confident and helped gain the court confirmation.

I would gladly recommend The Olsen Team to anyone, and particularly anyone who wants a full service team that can get things done efficiently and quickly.

Guyla W. Ponomareff, Certified Family Law Specialist
Roslyn K. Rosen, Certified Paralegal

Ben Olsen is knowledgeable and professional in his field; he is also an all-around nice guy. The perfect combination you need in your real estate agent. He never tired of our questions and concerns - no matter how insignificant. He always accommodated our schedule and in the end, when we found the right place, he helped to make the paperwork and transaction seamless and painless. He was also a wonderful resource in helping us identify various services to assist in our move - loan broker, movers, locksmith, cleaners, handyman, etc. - all of whom were excellent. We will certainly be using Ben again.

Ali and Minh Reza

Sue Olsen was the lead person on the sale of our house. She was professional in every sense of the word. She was totally and promptly responsive to every question we asked. Her managing of the preparation to sell (removing some old, outdated wallpaper and painting several rooms, installing a glass shower door in one bath) and staging processes was perfect. She and the folks working for her made the house one that appealed to prospective buyers--and they responded. Lara and Ben also played valuable supporting roles along the way.

We sold in a little over two weeks after the place was open to the public--in fact, we had two competing offers. In going through this process we had to realize we were not selling "our" house but rather A house that would attract buyers--and it did.

We unqualifiedly recommend Sue and her team as folks who really know how to prepare, market, and sell a house in these challenging real estate times.

John and Ann Cooper

Hi Lara, Thanks so much for helping our family both sell our home and find a wonderful new one. Your commitment and professionalism were evident from the moment we started working with you to the day we moved into our new house. Never in our wildest dreams did we think you would be able to find a buyer for our house within a week of putting it on the market, particularly in these difficult times. Your knowledge of the local market, as well as the support of the entire Olsen Team made the transition from our old house into our new home about as smooth as we could have ever imagined.

Thanks again for all your help. We would definitely recommend your services to anyone interested in buying or selling a home in the Lamorinda area.

Vickey and John Campbell

Many thanks for all your help through this process. You have been a wealth of information and continue to be a great resource who we trust. Alex and I have enjoyed working with you and are thrilled it worked out the way it did. We’re excited to get settled and look forward to seeing you around town!

Robyn Rogin

 

 

We had the fortune to run into Ben Olsen at one of his open houses the very first time we came to Moraga to look at homes.  We were immediately struck with his sincerity and willingness to help us in our search for a new home.  We knew we would be taken care of and dealt with in a honest, professional and caring way during our home buying experience.

Ben held our hand patiently through the entire 5-6 month long search. We relocated from Oakland where we had owned a home for 14 years that we were very attached to.  He calmly led us through many homes in Moraga and Lafayette and honestly pointed out what was right and wrong about the homes we looked at.  We even had to encourage him to take us to listings that he felt weren't good homes for us (he was always right!).

Ben has a long history in the area and has many connections that helped us  during the negotiating and inspection process.  We are thrilled with our new home!  The Olsen Team even organized a "Welcome to the Neighborhood Party" for us and all of our new neighbors.  Additionally, he helped to introduce me to some new friends at the Moraga Community Garden where I now volunteer.

We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ben and The Olsen Team to anyone looking to buy or sell real estate in the area.

Lisa and Wayne Verdon

The Olsen Team is much more than just a real estate team to us.  With our age, health concerns, and fact that we had lived in our home for almost thirty years, the prospect of a move was overwhelming.  But we were directed and led through house preparations, the sale and the move itself, all with a gentle and supportive attitude.  Having a team work with us, someone was always available with competent assistance.  We came through the move, and also came away with some new friends.

-Marge Williams

The fact that it’s been over a year since we worked with you to purchase our home and we’re just now writing this letter says two things.  First, that we procrastinated way too long to tell you these long overdue words; but more importantly, that the feelings we had about our experience just after closing escrow on our home in Moraga still resonate as strongly for us as they did a year ago.  Not only was working with you successful, it was truly a pleasure, and we wanted you to know just how grateful we are for the relationship we developed with you during that time.

Our dual purpose for writing this letter is also to provide you with something you can share with other prospective clients in the future, because we feel strongly that others should know just what a difference working with you made for us.  And as you know, we have probably one of the more unique perspectives that one could have on the difference, since we started out our search (and even our attempts at purchasing the home we have now) with another agent.  We chose to reach out to you because of the strong impression we had of you from viewing some of your very professionally presented listings.  We wanted to work with the best in the area, and now after our experience, can affirm that we were right in our selection.

For those prospective clients who may be reading this, we would strongly recommend that you choose Sue and her professional team.  If you want a team that knows this market thoroughly, is organized, prompt and connected, and will take their job of going to bat for you seriously, there is no better choice than The Olsen Team.  Our experience is a case-in-point. 

We made an offer on our home through another agent before coming to Sue.  Our offer was significantly below the asking price, which we felt was unrealistic given the current market conditions, and it was rejected pretty much outright.  Our agent was unable (or unwilling) to take it any further, so we reached out to Sue.  Sue took another approach, tenaciously working with the listing agent over the course of several weeks to negotiate down the seller’s expectations, ultimately to a figure that was fair and agreeable.  The battle was extremely hard fought, but we really loved this house, and Sue recognized that and wouldn’t give up until we were successful.  Don’t be fooled by her gentle demeanor, she’s tough when fighting for her clients!  And this is to say nothing of the ease of all the rest of the million details that went along with the transaction, every one of them coordinated among her team and dealt with as though completely effortless. 

We can say with certainty that we will always enthusiastically recommend The Olsen Team to our friends and family, and when that time comes, will absolutely list with them as well.

We worked with Ben and The Olsen Team to purchase a home in 2008.

Having a number of friends who are real estate agents and brokers, we struggled with making a decision regarding who we would like to represent us in the sale of our home.  After interviewing the prospective alternatives we cautiously proceeded with Sue Olsen since we felt that she was the most market knowledgeable, but knew we would offend our friends.  Wow!  Immediately we were convinced that we had made the right choice.

Sue acted as a general contractor, orchestrated many resources and served as a well informed, professional counselor.  Her team sprang to action, staging, marketing, inspecting, communicating, and caring for us throughout the process.  Sue’s staging and landscape staff were incredible.  The art and special touches were marketing genius.  The advertisements, virtual tour, photographs, and flyers were all professional and expeditiously produced and perfectly choreographed.  Schedules were met and we are pleased to say that Sue under promised and over delivered on every small element of her services.

The personal concern, humble yet professional approach, thoughtfulness and graciousness were ever present in literally every interaction.  Sue also made it easy.  She scheduled, arranged, and changed any plans to fit our needs.  She never bothered us with unreasonable requests and empowered herself to simply deal with minor and petty issues which can be so burdensome through out this process. 

Lara, Thanks so much to you and the Olsen Team for helping to make the purchase of our first home such a positive experience.   We can’t thank you all enough for being so generous with your time and letting us learn about houses and the market at our own (slow) pace. 

You were always a pleasure to work with, and I’m sure your easy charm helped smooth negotiations.  It is a testament to your knowledge of the market that every one of your predictions proved right-on. 

And your perseverance was truly remarkable.  There must have been a million balls in the air during escrow, what with the unusual number of inspections, repairs and follow-up work in a compressed timeframe.   I still marvel at how you managed to keep every detail organized amidst the commotion.

I’m sure it is rare indeed for one agent to combine all your terrific skills. It was also great to be able to call on the resources of the Team: Sue, with her depth of experience on questions of strategy; and Ben, with his great eye and willingness to pitch in.  There was never a moment when someone couldn’t handle our needs virtually immediately.   And the great service didn’t stop when escrow closed.  You’ve been a great help getting us oriented and the house ready to move into.  Every one of the trades people you recommended has worked out great.

The Olsen Team worked with us throughout the process. They went above and beyond expectations throughout the process. They made it as painless as possible.

On a personal level, they were great to work with. They got a good price for the house we sold, and a fair price for the house we bought. If we were to buy or to sell a house again, there is no question, I would call the Olsen Team.

 

 

 

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Chris and Holly Erickson-King

We have worked with many Realtors in the Bay Area. Last year we decided to move from San Francisco to Moraga. The Olsen Team fundamentally understood what our young family needed. Lara openly gave us her professional opinion on properties if they were not the right fit. I completely trust and value her professionalism. She sent us personalized emails revealing what was on the market and specifically, why it might be the right property for us. She shared information that we couldn't pull off the Internet. The Team exceeded our expectations on every level: from showing us homes, handling the transaction, to closing with inspections. In a hundred years, I never expected to have such a positive experience. We feel Very lucky.

We were new to Lamorinda, moving from San Francisco, when we started working with the Olsen Team. We bought our home with Lara Olsen Williamson last July.

Lara was great about finding us a perfect home - and it wasn't on the market yet. I can't say enough about Lara and the help she provided my family. She isn't pushy and she is not judgmental...she is extremely bright and patient. She took the time to zone in on what we wanted and get us our home for the right price.

After buying our home, we decided to do a remodel. Lara was more than a Realtor to us.  She did more inspections then required...and she steered us in the right direction for contractors and subs. Based on my previous experience, she went above and beyond what typical Realtors provide. Not to mention you have the benefit of working with the Olsen Team. Lara's mother has sold 100's of homes in Lamorinda in the last 30 years. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me...I would be happy to share more about our fantastic experience.

Working with the Olsen Team was an extreme pleasure.  They made selling our home, which can be a stressful event, a very smooth process.  During these difficult economic times, especially for the housing market, the Olsen Team streamlined the sale of our home with the proper pricing and their excellent marketing skills.  Our home sold in 10 days with 2 offers and we received our asking price.  We would like to thank Sue, Lara and Ben for making the sale of our home a very enjoyable experience.

 

 

We didn't really know Sue Olsen personally when we contacted her about listing our house. Her reputation is what drew us to her. We saw her around the club occasionally, often hosting an open house for sale. She was always informative and friendly and we had said for years that we would call her if we ever decided to sell. Now the sad part is that we are moving out of the area and we can't develop the friendship we made throughout our transaction. She worked with us 24/7 and that entailed a lot because we had some issues with our inspection to be dealt with.

With her contacts and knowledge of the area, especially Moraga Country Club, she was invaluable. I think we spoke everyday by phone or email for quite some time, even after the house had sold and closed. We had things taken care of in such a timely matter that we don't feel that could have happened with someone who wasn't an expert in the club like Sue is. We will miss Sue and her team (Lara and Ben) and would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone looking to sell their home in the Moraga Country Club or surrounding area.

Dear Sue, We are very happy in our new home.  Thank you for all your hard work and help getting us here.  We also appreciate your patience!

Sue, Lara & Ben:  We're pretty much settled in on the East Coast now and wanted  to thank you again for your outstanding team approach in providing a most professional service. This surely facilitated the successful sale of our Country Club home in a challenging real estate market! We really appreciated the kindness, attention and advice you all gave. We are still congratulating ourselves on our good fortune in picking "The Olsen Team" to be our team!! 

Sue, Lara and Ben:   Thank you for finding our forever house in Moraga.  Our goal was realized only because of your unparalleled knowledge and connections, which enabled us to buy a house not yet on the market.  Thanks too for patiently stewarding our house-hunting trips to CA, for listening between the lines to ferret out exactly what we dreamt about in a home and for caring about us as both clients and people. Your professionalism, courtesy and good humor were a blessing in the tight spots and made the search enjoyable.  Finally your attention to detail and willingness to be of service in every part of the process sets the highest standards.  It would be our pleasure to recommend you at any time.

Congratulations on a job well done. Your professional handling of the sale of 3 Carolyn Court was terrific. Having worked with other brokers in the past, it was a pleasant surprise to find that this process could be made to seem so effortless. Again, many thanks for all of your attention to detail, well thought out planning, action, and making sure the outcome was right for everyone. We enjoyed working with you and would be happy to recommend you to anyone looking for a quality broker. Congratulations on a job well done. Your professional handling of the sale of 3 Carolyn Court was terrific. Having worked with other brokers in the past, it was a pleasant surprise to find that this process could be made to seem so effortless. Again, many thanks for all of your attention to detail, well thought out planning, action, and making sure the outcome was right for everyone. We enjoyed working with you and would be happy to recommend you to anyone looking for a quality broker.

Please find enclosed a token of my appreciation for the job you did selling 655 Augusta Drive in Moraga.  I have been a real estate Broker for over 20 years and I have never encountered the level of service that you provided this transaction.  I thought that I was good and would go over the top to assist a client.  You, Lara and Ben showed me a new level of service.

If you ever wish to use me as a reference please do not hesitate to have your clients call me direct.  I truly appreciate what you proposed to do for this transaction and how you over delivered, in Spades.

Again, Thank You and your excellent team for a job professionally done.

R. Jeffrey Martin, Broker, 101 Green Valley Drive, Gilroy

Alice and I want to express our appreciation for the outstanding way you assisted us in marketing and selling our home at 1798 St. Andrews Dr. in Moraga.

From our very first “strategy” meeting, where we decided what investments should be made in the home, then the regular supervision of the improvements as they were being made, to the staging and presentation of the home, and finally the tactical approach to competitive pricing, we feel assured that we got “top dollar” for our house.  Your strategies developed not three, not five, not seven multiple offers, but  nine offers for what had to be described as a very average house in our neighborhood.

 

Most telling was the offer from a couple who were the winning bidder for a similar model home only a week earlier, who saw our house and liked it so much better that they bid strongly for our house!

Your experience, advice, strategy, and hard work make the Olsen Team the most competent realtor with whom we have ever worked.  Thank You! 

We used Sue Olsen and the Olsen team of Village Associates in Orinda to sell our home in the Moraga Country Club.  Sue’s years of experience, industry contacts and extensive knowledge about the country club proved invaluable when some thorny problems arose.  She is very hands-on and willing to do what it takes to move things ahead - even to the point of crawling under the house to understand some of the inspection issues.  In addition, the team effectively project managed a bathroom remodel, upgrades and staging.  We received good value for our home and we’re glad we worked with Sue, Lara and Ben.   

Great things happened because of all the behind the scenes work that you did.  I truly appreciate your communication and follow through. 

Thank you so much for representing us on the sale of our home in Moraga.  You have an excellent reputation in the real estate community and now we know first hand why.  You were our partner all the way through the selling process and your excellent relationships with contractors and inspection companies allowed us to put our home on the market quickly and keep us in the driver's seat all the way through accepting offers and closing on our home.

With the assistance of you and your staging professionals, our home never looked more beautiful.  No wonder we ultimately obtained such a great price for our home—a price that was well above list price and higher than our wildest dreams.

We are thankful to Lara and Ben.  You have a terrific team—crucial in the real estate market where the selling process enjoys such a short time line.  Lara and Ben were always available to answer questions and handle the detailed logistics from the time our home begin the process of preparing for market. 

I am so thankful that we chose you as our agent.  We could not have been as successful in selling our home for the price we obtained without your experience, advice and instincts.  If I can find another Sue Olsen in New Jersey to where we are relocating, we will consider ourselves very lucky.

The McGonigles

Wow! What a team! Lara and Sue, you two are amazing!

Both of you were instrumental in the successful sale of our house and the purchase of our newest home. Your ability to get our house "market ready" was phenomenal - you both truly have an eye for what makes a house sell.

We were nervous to begin the process of selling and buying, yet you two guided us effortlessly throughout the entire process (in addition to getting us top dollar for our house). It constantly amazes me how you are able to keep on top of every detail, provide great insight and advice AND make everything seem easy. Your dedication to getting things done smoothly, efficiently and accurately coupled with your unbelievable expertise in the Lamorinda real estate market has made the process enjoyable. You guys were able to tolerate my thousands of questions and phone calls and keep us both laughing along the way.

We have recommended you both to all of our friends emphasizing that through Sue's unparalleled Lamorinda expertise and Lara's unbelievable attention to detail and follow through, you two are THE team to help anybody with their real estate needs.

Doug and I want to thank you for your expertise and service in selling our house. Your suggestions definitely maximized our profits on our home!  Your suggestions on updating our home and spending the $10,000 to spruce it up were worth every penny.

The stager did a great job!  I am so glad that I listened and let her do her thing, and at times it was a little difficult because I did not always agree.  But, everyone who came in and saw what she had done loved it!

I also wanted to say a special thank you to Lara and Ben.  They both were great, very professional and super to work with!  You are lucky to have them.

The crew you brought in to do the work was great.  I can’t believe that you and your team spruced up this house in a week.  They were neat and timely – it was amazing.

It was a pleasure to work with you all, and if you ever need a reference, I would be happy to give you an excellent one.

I will never look at the color orange the same way again orange will always bring a pleasant thought of you!

Thank you very much for helping us to maximize our profits, we are smiling all the way to the bank.

Dick & I want to express our appreciation to you for the outstanding service and professional expertise you provided as you helped us sell one home and purchase another. Your valuable suggestions for preparing our home for the best sale were right on target...When we began looking for a new home, you listened well to what we wanted, saved us many hours by screening what came on to the market, and inviting us to see only those homes that met our criteria. You preserved until we found exactly what we wanted...Through it all, you maintained your integrity, professionalism, and your wonderful sense of humor...We look forward to returning to you as clients someday. In the meantime, we will give you our highest recommendation to others. With many thanks.

This is a note to formally thank you for all of your assistance during our purchase of our new house. It was a pleasure to work with you. You added value during every step of the process: selection, evaluation, negotiation, inspection, financing, and closing. We had complete confidence in your advice. We especially appreciated the numerous occasions when you alerted us to deal opportunities or potential problems or which we were not even aware; you were actively watching out for us. We will certainly recommend you to any of our friends contemplating a move in Contra Costa County, and we would be pleased to sing your praises to any potential clients.

Thanks again for your assistance in locating, purchasing and getting started in our new home. Annette and I could not be more pleased with this house and our decision to relocate to Moraga. As we reflect on our search process, we obtain a greater appreciation for your knowledge of the market and how you educated us without pressuring us to buy too quickly...To show our appreciation for all that you have done for us, and to give proper recognition to our confidence in your professional abilities, Annete and I offer to act as references for any potential clients that wish to speak with us.

It gives me great pleasure to take this moment to thank you for a fine job done. In the 20, plus years my wife and I have been married, we have purchased and sold in 28 real estate transactions to date. I'm pleased to say that our most recent transaction with you has been the best. You were the quickest to respond to calls and requests for information. You went out of your way to see that our interests were paramount. You even posted a for rent sign on the premises after close, found us a tenant, and made several long distance calls to Chicago to work out a deal for us without any additional compensation. Thank you for all your help. I would not hesitate in recommending you to anyone who needs a professional real estate agent. You are simply the best.