Sometime in July of 2006, my wife and I decided that we needed to buy our first home and get out of the whole rental situation. We realized that while we had a good idea of what we could afford, we only had a fanciful list of things we would like in our home - and we were clueless how to go about identifying the list of properties we should go and look at, let alone understanding the nitty gritty details of assessing the property value, going through the nail-biting prospect of making an offer, and actually bringing the transaction to a closure.

Someone up there was obviously watching out for us, because we stumbled upon what we call the greatest find in real estate! This find was in the form of an extremely personable, sincere, intelligent, hard-working and a well-meaning agent named Stephanie Schley. It took us a whole of 5 minutes of meeting her to know that this was the person we were going to work with to buy our first home.

In the next 2 months, our instincts were continually reinforced as we watched Stephanie (sometimes in awe and other times in admiration) work meticulously to (a) understand our needs, (b) identify a list - always updated - of properties on the market, (c) arrange for convenient times when she showed us these properties, (d) patiently ask for our reasons for liking or not liking a particular property - upon which she would build the next set of listings to consider, and (e) work with us to sincerely go over the pros and cons of every property in an objective manner - always leaving the decision for us to make! She worked with us for over a month as we went through almost 20 different properties - either rejecting them, or putting them on hold to consider at a later time.

However, we had still to see the real Stephanie magic - and that was revealed to us when we finally selected a property (Sunday afternoon 3 pm), and realized that it already had an offer on it (Monday morning 10 am) and that if we really wanted a shot at it, we needed to put in an offer very soon - which we did (Tuesday evening 5 pm)!

Now you may ask - how do you go from seeing a property for the first time to making an offer on it within 48 hours and still not have an iota of doubt that you are doing the right thing? The answer is "Stephanie!"

As soon as she realized that we were indeed in love with this property, the first thing she did was to objectively classify its pros and cons to make sure we were not making a rash decision. When she was convinced that we really really wanted this house, she immediately started lining up the various check-points (contingencies, inspection, layout, city-plan, permits, etc.) to ensure that we would be able to walk into the offer with a very clean and a hard-to-reject contract. Stephanie herself presented our offer to the owner and seller's agent. Later Tuesday evening she gave us the good news "You got it!” We eventually hit it off with the original owner of the house (she still lives in our neighborhood), and on one occasion we thanked her for having let us have the house, to  which she immediately responded - "you owe it to Stephanie!"  Really, how many times do you hear that about a real estate agent from a seller?

Another thing we would like to mention about Stephanie is that her contacts in the industry serve very well in bringing the whole process together! If you do decide to work with her, make sure you follow her recommendations on other people to work with - and you will discover that there is no one in her network that is less than stellar at what they do. A case in point is Liz Park - the person we worked with to get our finance and mortgage. She is another outstanding person to work with for your mortgage needs, and this review would not be complete without her mention.

All the best in your house search.

-  Buyers of 5753 Chambertin Drive in San Jose
______________________________________________________________________________________

You suggested upgrading the condominium and were confident that we’d get a great price by doing so and you were right!  You coordinated everything from carpet and paint to new appliances, granite counters, a new tile shower, etc.  We didn’t have to worry about a thing!

We were extremely happy with your service and professionalism.  I have been a real estate agent for 27 years and you handled yourself better than most agents with 5 times your experience.  We would recommend you to anyone looking to buy or sell a home in your area.”

-  Sellers of 3715 Terstena Place # 411 in Santa Clara
______________________________________________________________________________________

Working with Stephanie Schley has been a true joy!  Stephanie is a sophisticated, knowledgeable, understanding, caring, patient and extremely hard working real estate agent. At times during the process, we forgot we were working with a real estate agent, as Stephanie's personality made us feel that she was our good friend helping us to find our perfect house. And she did! Our house is exactly what we dreamed of and we would not have gotten it without Stephanie's expertise. We highly recommend Stephanie to anyone looking for their dream house because Stephanie will make that dream come true.

- Buyers of 915 W. Dana Street in Mountain View
______________________________________________________________________________________

We are very happy with the end results - you did a great job!  The selling process is never easy, but we feel that you did what you could to make it easy for us. In addition, I always felt like you knew exactly what you were doing and this made us feel very comfortable. At every decision making point your input made sense. Clearly, not everyone gets that kind of service. This is exemplified with the fact that we were last on the market with a 2bd/2bath and the first to sell!

-  Sellers of 2250 Monroe Street #196 in Santa Clara
______________________________________________________________________________________

"Using Stephanie Schley for the purchase of my new home was the best decision I made. She listened carefully to my ever changing needs for a home with patience and a smile. Once I found the home I just had to have, Stephanie went above and beyond the call of duty to make my home dreams come true. Without her I know I wouldn't have my perfect home today.  She is extremely knowledgeable and professional."

- Buyer of 844 Maria Lane # 2 in Sunnyvale
______________________________________________________________________________________

"I was a first time home seller and a very nervous one at that. Having Stephanie as my listing agent, I felt at ease with the entire process. She has access to a team of professional stagers, contractors, and designers. The work was done quickly and exquisitely.  Once the house was ready to go on the market, the marketing pieces for my home looked beautiful and professional.  Once we were in contract the closing process went smoothly.  Thanks to Stephanie, I was well taken care of and looked out for."

-  Seller of 505 Cypress Point Drive # 151 in Mountain View
______________________________________________________________________________________

Our client/realtor relationship spans over a period of two years. During that time I have purchased two homes with you, one of which you also helped me sell.  Each experience went so smoothly and quickly due to the fact that you were so diligent, hard working, detail oriented, professional and most importantly you truly cared about my happiness and financial future.

I have learned so much about real estate and finances from you.  You had the patience to teach me.  Buying (and selling) a home is a very emotional experience.  And you guided me through the whole experience.  You had every detail taken care of on my behalf.  The knowledge, strategy and research you brought to the table made the transactions what they were.  And I would have to say, nothing less than remarkable.  Each transaction has a success story of its own.  And that is due to your incredible abilities as a real estate agent.

My first buying experience with you will probably go down in history in the world of Los Altos Real Estate.  Losing the bidding war on the first condo was devastating for me.  And your response, flowers the next day with a warm note assuring me that we would find something.  Months later, you unexpectedly came by my house with the exciting news that another condo unit was about to hit the market.  Within 2 hours we were in contract.  WOW...Simply remarkable work on your part!  You informed me of what we were up against once it hit the market and what I needed to do to secure my position as a buyer.  Need I not mention you had spent hours with me showing me what was on the market in my price range.  Informing me of every detail about the property.  You gave me the knowledge to make a move when I needed to.  And what true success it was.  We closed the deal on the condo before it hit the market (much to many prospective buyers' disappointments).  You were true to your word . . . You found me a place.

Over the year of owning the condo, I came to new revelations about what I wanted.  You were there to listen.  You stood behind me and took action.  Your honesty and integrity as a realtor honors you with much respect from your colleagues and most especially your clients.  We put our future and dreams in your hands because we trust you will do the best job for us.  And without fail, you always do.

In between my first and second buying experience came the sale of my first home.  Well, what can I say.  You honored my request not to put it on multiple listing.  Because of your connections and hard work it sold off market in a couple of days, "As Is", over asking price and you negotiated and incredible rent back situation for me.  Your efforts to negotiate the best situation for your clients shows how truly special you are as a realtor.

My second purchase, was a little more challenging.  Given the fact I couldn't afford to buy in Los Altos, you spent many hours showing me homes in different areas I could afford.  Again, education I couldn't have gotten anywhere else.  When the right home came along.  You again held my hand through the whole process.  Another buyer came along to compete with my offer and given your expertise you informed me as to what I had to do to get the house.  You were behind the scenes giving the sellers and their real estate agent a personal approach as to the challenges I had recently been through.  Hoping that compassion would help win them over and sure enough it did.

I have worked with many real estate agents over the years, but I have never worked with one that has been so dedicated to their clients.  Stephanie is an exceptional person and real estate agent.  I look to Stephanie not only as the one and only real estate agent I will ever use, but also a friend.  Buying and selling homes is never easy.  Emotions surface and Stephanie was always there.  I believe they are going to start requiring real estate agents to have a counseling or psychology degree due to the high standards that Stephanie has set for this industry.  I always recommend Stephanie as the best real estate agent around. She will find you a house to buy, sell your house quickly and provide you with the financial resources necessary in the funding process.  Thank you Stephanie Schley.  Your character, knowledge and efforts are greatly appreciated by me and I am sure I am not alone.

- Seller of 149 Fremont Avenue in Los Altos
- Buyer of 1820 Cottle Avenue in Willow Glen
______________________________________________________________________________________

From the very first moment we met Stephanie we knew we had found the realtor that we wanted to work with.  She was friendly, very professional, answered all our questions and provided good advice.  She made selling our home so easy and effortless.  We never had to worry about anything.  She kept us informed and updated throughout the entire process.  We had no doubts that she would do her very best to get us the best results and she did!

- Sellers of 505 Cypress Point Drive # 155 in Mountain View
______________________________________________________________________________________

Over the past couple of months, my husband and I have been going through the process of buying a new home while simultaneously selling our Rivermark townhouse. Luckily, we have had a stellar realtor to help with this otherwise overwhelming and stressful process!

Stephanie Schley has been extremely diligent, efficient and detail oriented in all areas of buying and selling our homes.

As our buying agent, Stephanie really took the time to LISTEN to what we were looking for in a new home. Before taking us out to look at several homes for the first time, she previewed over 40 homes and was able to rule out about 75% because she knew what features were most important to us. Although that left only 10 or so houses to look at, it saved us several hours of our time.

When I happened to stumble upon the house we have purchased on line, and then fell in love with it after visiting the open house I contacted Stephanie while she was away for the holidays, on vacation. She called me back almost immediately and was on the phone with the seller's realtor within hours. Throughout her vacation she was working for us and doing it happily!

When it was finally time to put in an offer, she supported our aggressive offer and paid the closest attention to ALL the details of the contract to make sure we were protected every step of the way.

As our selling agent....OH MY GOODNESS! When it was time to put this house on the market, Stephanie had the stager, drywaller, painter and photographer at the house to make it look "perfect" within 2 days of deciding to list it. Inspections were lined up next. The sign was up, the marketing was printed, and the disclosures were signed and copied a few days later. We were ready to show it within 5 days of deciding to put it on the market.

She made it a point to conduct all of our Open Houses personally. She ran ads with photographs in the Mercury News each week in addition to the Mountain View Voice.

Our house was sold by day 15 of being on MLS.

Throughout the whole process, Stephanie has been available to answer questions at all hours of the day and night. She knows that I prefer telephone or email correspondence and that my husband responds to text messaging. She has been willing to drive to each of us at our respective offices to collect needed signatures, has come to our house after the kids are in bed to discuss negotiating strategy and sign papers, and has even called us to make important decisions after hosting an evening party at her home.

In the final stages of our process she continues to make herself available to attend signings, vendor meetings and to answer questions. Not to mention, she has ALWAYS represented our needs to all parties with whom we have had to negotiate in a professional, confident manner.

For good reason, Stephanie prides herself on her customer service. As her clients, we can honestly say that we could not have hoped to have received better service from our real estate agent. She provided us with invaluable guidance, information and experience.

She has gone above and beyond the call of duty in all aspects of her job and has done a good job of alleviating as much stress as possible for us.

Finally, Stephanie continually gives back to the Rivermark Community because she strongly believes in the strong sense of community we have developed here. For the past two years she has provided free gelato at the Spring Fling and has donated all tips collected to DCSCO, she has sponsored many neighborhood parties and celebrations such as 4th of July, Halloween and numerous RMC Appreciation festivities. Currently, she is sponsoring the DCSCO golf tournament and continues to pay for the licensing fees necessary to show popular movies at the DCSCO movie night fundraisers. She is not only a good realtor, but a good and generous person as well!

We highly recommend Stephanie Schley, of Alain Pinel Realtors in Los Altos, if you are buying and/or selling your property. She won't disappoint you!

-  Sellers of 4070 Fitzpatrick Way in Santa Clara
-  Buyers of 15760 Loma Vista Avenue in Los Gatos
______________________________________________________________________________________