Caroline Dinsmore Reviews
- Caroline Dinsmore| 20
01/19/2013 - user9589807
Sold a Single Family home in 2012 for approximately $1.525M in San Carlos, CA.
I found Caroline on Yelp, and after meeting her, my husband and I hired her over other realtors who'd been recommended to us because she seemed dedicated, trustworthy, a perfectionist and moreover, a warm and funny person. In fact, she's all that and more. We had a very short timeframe in which to pack up and sell our house, and Caroline facilitated the process at every step, working around our hectic schedules and those of our three children, down to bringing us packing boxes late at night. She arranged for and oversaw all the home inspections, took care of repairs that needed to be done, and best of all, sold our house in a pre-empt for more money than we expected to get! SHE IS THE BEST! She's also calm, pleasant, and fun to be around, as well as a shrewd negotiator. Thanks to her, what could have been a very stressful process was smooth sailing. This is the first public review I've left, because Caroline is THAT good. If you want a realtor who knows her stuff and will produce top results, call her!
12/21/2012 - bryanck
Bought a home in 2012.
My partner and I were looking to buy our first home in late 2011 on the Peninsula. We had lost out on some houses in multiple offer situations with another realtor, and were feeling defeated. We turned to Caroline for help given her great reputation.
Caroline helped us navigate one of most difficult purchases I can imagine. The house we wanted was a short sale with a complicated financing history. Also, it was a fixer upper that required a special loan. In addition, the market was extremely competitive and multiple offers were the norm. On top of it all, Caroline had to handle all of the baggage that comes with first time home buyers.
First and foremost, Caroline has flawless integrity and a deep knowledge of real estate. She lead us through all of the complexities of our home purchase, from comps and price to the short sale process to the special loan. More importantly, however, she has patience and an ability to connect with people that is truly unique. We felt instantly comfortable with her, and I firmly believe that without her, the negotiations with the seller would not have been successful.
The end result of it all is that Caroline helped us get a fabulous home in a great area for an exceptional price during an extremely challenging time for buyers. We can't recommend Caroline strongly enough!
Caroline helped us navigate one of most difficult purchases I can imagine. The house we wanted was a short sale with a complicated financing history. Also, it was a fixer upper that required a special loan. In addition, the market was extremely competitive and multiple offers were the norm. On top of it all, Caroline had to handle all of the baggage that comes with first time home buyers.
First and foremost, Caroline has flawless integrity and a deep knowledge of real estate. She lead us through all of the complexities of our home purchase, from comps and price to the short sale process to the special loan. More importantly, however, she has patience and an ability to connect with people that is truly unique. We felt instantly comfortable with her, and I firmly believe that without her, the negotiations with the seller would not have been successful.
The end result of it all is that Caroline helped us get a fabulous home in a great area for an exceptional price during an extremely challenging time for buyers. We can't recommend Caroline strongly enough!
09/06/2012 - Lafi123
Bought a home in 2012.
We were first time home buyers and we were fortunate to end up having Caroline as an agent. We wanted to buy in or close to Redwood Shores and she has a lot of knowledge about the area. In the end, we got ourselves into a buying a short sale property which turned out to be a horrible experience. However, Caroline did an excellent job and went above and beyond to make it happen. It took six months before we finally closed the deal and we would never have been able to do it without her. She kept our spirits up and were always on top of the situation, easy to reach and never failed to answer our questions (and we had a lot). We highly recommend Caroline to anyone who needs an agent. Thanks Caroline for getting us our perfect home!
08/17/2012 - erights
Bought a home in 2012.
Getting to close of escrow is hard work. There are many moving parts, multiple-parties, and critical timelines that must be coordinated.
During the escrow period Caroline was focused and tireless. Nothing was dropped; nothing fell through the cracks. She kept us on track with simplified todo documents. All questions were answered immediately; potential problems were dealt with tenaciously.
For us, this period was especially stressful because of property contingencies. The sellers' inspection reports indicated the possibility of a serious problem. We had just a few days to do our own property inspections. The reports would determine whether we bought the house or just walked away.
Caroline shifted into high-gear. She was on the phone immediately setting up back-to-back inspections. She knew the best. By the property contingencies deadline, we had credible reports from highly-respected contractors. She had command of the technical as well as the strategic significance of the problems revealed by the reports.
Caroline is always playing the long game. She treats everyone with respect and earns their trust, because that's what gets her more clients in the future. She gently talked us out of a short-term gain that would likely cause bad feelings and retaliation down the road.
She's a skillful strategist who knows the game and the incentives of the various players. She keeps her cards to her chest.
But, did she get us a good deal? Yes! She sure did! She represented our position perfectly and negotiated a reduction in price that a month earlier, no one would have thought possible.
We got a great deal. We are first-time buyers and we have our dream home. We all worked very hard but I simply cannot imagine it turning out this well without Caroline on our team.
During the escrow period Caroline was focused and tireless. Nothing was dropped; nothing fell through the cracks. She kept us on track with simplified todo documents. All questions were answered immediately; potential problems were dealt with tenaciously.
For us, this period was especially stressful because of property contingencies. The sellers' inspection reports indicated the possibility of a serious problem. We had just a few days to do our own property inspections. The reports would determine whether we bought the house or just walked away.
Caroline shifted into high-gear. She was on the phone immediately setting up back-to-back inspections. She knew the best. By the property contingencies deadline, we had credible reports from highly-respected contractors. She had command of the technical as well as the strategic significance of the problems revealed by the reports.
Caroline is always playing the long game. She treats everyone with respect and earns their trust, because that's what gets her more clients in the future. She gently talked us out of a short-term gain that would likely cause bad feelings and retaliation down the road.
She's a skillful strategist who knows the game and the incentives of the various players. She keeps her cards to her chest.
But, did she get us a good deal? Yes! She sure did! She represented our position perfectly and negotiated a reduction in price that a month earlier, no one would have thought possible.
We got a great deal. We are first-time buyers and we have our dream home. We all worked very hard but I simply cannot imagine it turning out this well without Caroline on our team.
07/16/2012 - user6527460
Sold a Single Family home in 2012 for approximately $825K in Southeast Hillsdale, San Mateo, CA.
We found Caroline through Yelp and are glad we did. Caroline was helpful, knowledgable, professional and efficient in handling the sale of my mother-in-law’s house. Caroline was very patient in explaining each step of the process to her elderly client. She also made great suggestions about what work we should do to get the house ready to show: work that would more than pay for itself in the increased sales price.
As with any real estate transaction, there were a few glitches. But Caroline handled them quickly with a very positive attitude. We feel fortunate to have been able to work with Caroline.
As with any real estate transaction, there were a few glitches. But Caroline handled them quickly with a very positive attitude. We feel fortunate to have been able to work with Caroline.
05/16/2012 - clee50841
Bought a Single Family home in 2012 for approximately $875K in Southeast Hillsdale, San Mateo, CA.
I found Caroline on Yelp in January 2012 (we had been searching for homes since Oct 11 with no luck). We decided that we needed a real estate that specialized in the area and turned to Yelp. I saw that Caroline had great reviews and after contacting her, I totally see why. We decided to work with her and Debbie Bidwell (see her review, she is awesome too!)..they were co-agents and boy, did we luck out!
They were both so easy to work with and very responsive to our emails and phone calls. They both have a great sense of humor and are just so easy to talk to. They always explained everything to us and were always patient. We wanted to see so many houses and they never told us they couldn't. They showed us every single house we wanted to see (and there were a lot). They helped us find our dream home in April...we honestly dont think we could have done it without their expertise. They have a lot of respect from other real estate agents and I think that goes a long way when you submit your bids.
The best part was that most real estate agents would probably run if they heard we were going to use a VA loan, not Caroline and Debbie...they never ever made us feel like we weren't as important as their other clients. They recommended an awesome mortgage broker, Stefani Hartsell, and we closed with a VA loan in 30 days....which is almost impossible to do!
I would recommend them both in a heartbeat..you wont regret it.
They were both so easy to work with and very responsive to our emails and phone calls. They both have a great sense of humor and are just so easy to talk to. They always explained everything to us and were always patient. We wanted to see so many houses and they never told us they couldn't. They showed us every single house we wanted to see (and there were a lot). They helped us find our dream home in April...we honestly dont think we could have done it without their expertise. They have a lot of respect from other real estate agents and I think that goes a long way when you submit your bids.
The best part was that most real estate agents would probably run if they heard we were going to use a VA loan, not Caroline and Debbie...they never ever made us feel like we weren't as important as their other clients. They recommended an awesome mortgage broker, Stefani Hartsell, and we closed with a VA loan in 30 days....which is almost impossible to do!
I would recommend them both in a heartbeat..you wont regret it.
05/15/2012 - user000797
Sold a Condo home in 2012 for approximately $625K in Foster City, CA.
Caroline Dinsmore is not only a great Realtor but a great person. As a first time home buyer, I was wary and cautious of Realtors. Are they interested in their commission or are they interested in the needs of their client. I did my research on Realtors and Caroline's name was always rated high. Serendipitous is how I describe our initial meeting. Everything just clicked with her. Caroline will always have the best interest of her clients. She is someone you can trust. She is full of knowledge and is patient in answering all my questions. Caroline will ask her clients their wish list in a home. She then will match up your needs with homes listed or some cases going to be listed. She is always punctual and prepared for meetings or showings. After 4 weeks working with Caroline, I now own a home. She is a great negotiator. I got the home I wanted. Is home buying this easy? It was for me with Caroline. I am now a believer in serendipity. Thank you Caroline.
12/04/2011 - gbraje
Bought a home in 2011.
As a first time buyer, I was a bit apprehensive as I began to look for a house. However, Caroline quickly put me at ease by demonstrating her strong knowledge of both the market and the process. She spent quite a bit of time with me upfront to understand my priorities, purchase parameters, lifestyle needs, etc. to ensure that the process went smoothly.
Caroline’s deep knowledge of the market coupled with the fact that she really listened to what I had to say led to a very efficient process. She quickly identified a home that met my needs/wants perfectly.
Caroline was able to negotiate a great deal for me and get me the house that I wanted at a price that I was very happy about. She was available to me throughout the process, provided constant insight and was extremely patient.
From day one, Carline said that she wanted to find me a house that I was excited about. She worked very hard throughout the process to ensure that happened. Caroline is extremely trustworthy, patient, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and fun to work with.
I would highly recommend Carline to anyone looking for a knowledgeable realtor who cares about her clients.
Caroline’s deep knowledge of the market coupled with the fact that she really listened to what I had to say led to a very efficient process. She quickly identified a home that met my needs/wants perfectly.
Caroline was able to negotiate a great deal for me and get me the house that I wanted at a price that I was very happy about. She was available to me throughout the process, provided constant insight and was extremely patient.
From day one, Carline said that she wanted to find me a house that I was excited about. She worked very hard throughout the process to ensure that happened. Caroline is extremely trustworthy, patient, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and fun to work with.
I would highly recommend Carline to anyone looking for a knowledgeable realtor who cares about her clients.
09/26/2011 - Donna R.
Bought a Single Family home in 2011 for approximately $625K in San Mateo Village, San Mateo, CA.
Caroline is the best Agent I've ever worked with!
I've bought and sold several houses on the Peninsula in the past but the current real estate market is a totally different ballgame!
Caroline was able to help me navigate through all the changes and really worked and fought hard for me to get me a great house!
She is trustworthy, patient, knowledgeable and super responsive. I couldn't have asked for better...I got the best!
I've bought and sold several houses on the Peninsula in the past but the current real estate market is a totally different ballgame!
Caroline was able to help me navigate through all the changes and really worked and fought hard for me to get me a great house!
She is trustworthy, patient, knowledgeable and super responsive. I couldn't have asked for better...I got the best!
07/29/2011 - AnnaPleikis
Bought a Single Family home in 2011 for approximately $950K in Redwood City, CA.
We met Caroline accidentally during one of our open house visits. At that time we did not have an agent who could help us find the right house. We spoke to several agents and all of them offered us their help. But there was something special about Caroline, which we later confirmed on multiple occasions.
She is a very knowledgeable real estate agent who is never tired to answer tons of questions that we as buyers have. She is always prepared and very proactive, understands customer needs and concerns with a great tact.
She is honest and always behaves in the best interests of her customers, never forced us into making decisions. There was a situation when inspections for the house we were planning to buy came out negative and she was understanding and supporting us in the stressful situation when we had to decide to get out from the deal (during contingency period).
Caroline is very responsible and reliable in everything she is doing. She is never late, always provides you information that you are asking for, even if you asked for a tiny insignificant detail she always remembers about it and gets back to you very quickly.
Besides amazing professional skills Caroline is also a wonderful , warm, approachable and open person. She has a very positive attitude, smiles and make you feel comfortable.
She helped us with the mortgage brokers, gave us tons of useful information about builders, plumbers, house cleaners, etc, which we as a newcomers to the area appreciated very much.
We were very fortunate to meet Caroline and most definitely recommend her as a real estate agent for anyone looking to buy or sell a property. She helped us find our dream house that we are sooo fond of!
She is a very knowledgeable real estate agent who is never tired to answer tons of questions that we as buyers have. She is always prepared and very proactive, understands customer needs and concerns with a great tact.
She is honest and always behaves in the best interests of her customers, never forced us into making decisions. There was a situation when inspections for the house we were planning to buy came out negative and she was understanding and supporting us in the stressful situation when we had to decide to get out from the deal (during contingency period).
Caroline is very responsible and reliable in everything she is doing. She is never late, always provides you information that you are asking for, even if you asked for a tiny insignificant detail she always remembers about it and gets back to you very quickly.
Besides amazing professional skills Caroline is also a wonderful , warm, approachable and open person. She has a very positive attitude, smiles and make you feel comfortable.
She helped us with the mortgage brokers, gave us tons of useful information about builders, plumbers, house cleaners, etc, which we as a newcomers to the area appreciated very much.
We were very fortunate to meet Caroline and most definitely recommend her as a real estate agent for anyone looking to buy or sell a property. She helped us find our dream house that we are sooo fond of!