Testimonials The Olsen Team is dedicated to our clients, and to making the transaction as smooth as possible. We work hard, and communicate well, so that you don't have to worry about the little details of your biggest transactions. Here is a sample of what our clients are saying:
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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
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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. |
 Home Sweet Home 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.
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 Updated with Ben's help For some people, finding the perfect home is easy. For us, creating the perfect home was a process. Ben was patient with us, even when our criteria was beyond difficult. Ben helped us in two ways where other realtors might view the work as beyond the scope of being a realtor.
First, Ben's knowledge of Lamorinda real estate and his experience helped us get a deal that no other buyer has touched in years. Not only did Ben bring in the right inspectors that helped us enter the purchase with our eyes open about the house's deficiencies, but Ben's keen negotiation skills gave us the money in our pockets to pay for fixing them.
After the sale, The Olsen Team helped us create the vision and connected us with all of the right people to make our dream a reality. Their general contractor created two beautiful spaces that used to be huge eye sores. Everyone who saw the house before and now has seen the transformation cannot believe how these huge eye sores are now the biggest assets of the house - the kitchen went from dark, confined 60's space to beautiful, bright, and spacious. Their custom cabinet maker created beautiful cabinetry in just a few weeks at less than the price of manufactured cabinets. With the help of Ben's fireplace contact, we had 2 fireplaces go from the 60's to the present day without spending a fortune. From the paint colors to the tile, the team has great ideas, and they are not afraid to help. To make these projects even more unbelievable is the time and cost. This amazing transformation took only 6 weeks and came in on budget.
We know of no other realtor (anywhere) that takes the personal time to care and lend a helping hand to turn a house into a perfect home. It is for all of these reasons and more that we recommend Ben Olsen. He is our realtor, our sounding board, and our friend. |
The Olsen Team got my house on the market and sold immediately. They can’t be beat!
Beyond being the utmost professionals, my experience with Ben, Lara, and Sue was just plain comforting. In time of such stress in the real estate market, comfort is a key element in surviving the process.
They got the house whipped into shape with great local contractors, they got the right inspections at the right time -- explaining the intricacies what had to be done -- and they returned the house to the loving family home it has always been in its soul.
And the team really works as a team. Ben ferried me through the shoals of home inspections, landscaping, and change orders. He made just the necessary improvements, but not the sort of excessive, costly improvements that were typical during the great boom of the past few years. When Ben suggested we make the garage façade vertical rather than horizontal, it seemed over-the-top. But the “drive-by” payoff was inestimable. That goes for every improvement we made, from bathrooms, to the wonderful garden redesign with Bert Bouler and designer Diane McGovern, to the great paint job and selections by the staging expert Tiven Racioppo. It all worked smoothly and not a penny was wasted.
Lara Olsen Williamson played a key role in the strategic pow-wows that we held every couple of weeks. She also put her management background to work in herding the resources and details with both cool and calm.
And Sue Olsen, mother of the brood, has decades of experience in the Orinda market. She hit the offering price on the head; a price which she warned had to be on the “razor’s edge”. She knew to time the house’s appearance on the market perfectly, shepherding me through all the steps involved in getting the house market-ready like a den mother, from beginning inspections, to the final effect created by the beautiful staging.
Sue's savvy in Orinda real estate led to a sale in less than a week. We chose among three bidders and were able to pick the family that would be happiest in our family home, which had never been on the market before.
In such an uncertain real estate market, the team's clear-eyed judgment of the proper price-to-market made the difference between an instant sale and an offering that could have lingered on the market for weeks, months…you can imagine the rest.
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Patrick and Kimberley Lane |
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 The Lane Family
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. Click here to read the whole letter.
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Angelica and Andy Zabronsky |
 The Zabronsky Family 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 Murphy Family 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 & Holly Erickson-King |
 The Erickson-King Family
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 The Gannon Family 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. |
 Tom and Amanda Reese |
 The Winters 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.
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Dear Sue, This note comes to you to express my thanks and gratitude for you excellent work selling my house. Given this market (and never a guarantee on outcome), the resuls were just fantastic. As I said in my e-mail, your skill as a realtor, strategy and advice were always right on. You are great! |
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Griff, Michelle and Jonathan Dow |
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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! |
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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!! |
 Kathy and Bob Miller |
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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. |
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R. Jeffrey Martin, Broker |
 655 Augusta Dr., Moraga
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 |
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Alfred W. Eames and Alice Foard |
 Al and Alice 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! |
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Pamela Fletcher and Dan Klapprott |
 Master Bath Remodel |
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