Dan Dodd Reviews
- Dan Dodd| 126
01/06/2011 - markdonsky
Bought a Condo home in 2009 for approximately $650K in Hayes Valley, San Francisco, CA.
Four years after my search begun and three real estate agents later, I finally was introduced to Dan through a friend. Within three weeks of meeting him, I was in contract to buy a place -- and got it even though it was a multiple bid situation.
I moved to the Bay Area several years ago. Back home, I am connected with many family friends who are real estate agents. I trust them, and I know that they will do their best for me. In California, I struggled to find someone who came even close to this until I met Dan.
What makes Dan different? Well, first off, he gives NO pressure at all. Each of the previous real estate agents were pressuring me into buying places that had significant flaws and didn't offer any insight into the property beyond what was available on redfin, mls or cleanoffer. Dan, on the other hand, knew the inside scoop on everything we looked at. He knew every detail about every building. His passion for real estate is very clear. Dan knows every real estate agent he encounters very well. He makes sure that the transaction goes smoothly.
Despite looking for a place for so long, the whole real estate transaction remained very mysterious to me. Dan walked me through every step of the way and made sure I knew exactly what was happening.
It is kind of ironic that with such a low-stress, low-pressure agent, I bought a place so rapidly. It's also ironic that I ended up buying a place that was almost the opposite of what I had started out looking for, but it is exactly what I want. Dan's patience and ability to listen allows him to fine-tune your search and show you amazing properties that you never would have considered in the first place.
I can't just say I highly recommend that you work with Dan. Instead, I'll say you're a fool if you work with anyone else.
01/04/2011 - CristinaLovesCecil
Sold a Condo home in 2008 in Eureka Valley / Dolores Heights / Castro, San Francisco, CA.
Dan is an absolute master at what he does, and is unique in that he's a killer at both representing on the sell side as well as the buy side. I came to Dan during a very difficult time in my life to sell my home during probably the worst time in the market (April 2009). He went well above his Realtor duties to help me get my house in optimal condition to sell at the highest possible price. He brought in experts to offer home improvement advice. He gently but firmly kept me on a project schedule and constantly kept me updated on any movement in the market as well as optimal open house weekends. When my home was ready for listing, Dan meticulously researched comps and used his insider knowledge to strategically set my home price. Then came the relentless marketing. Dan went above and beyond our agreed upon contract and marketing plan to get the word out about my home (and didn't limit himself to traditional SF ways to market a house). Dedicated website, fliers, craigslist, SF Chronicle listings, MLS was the tip of the iceberg and then you add in his extensive word-of-mouth marketing. The man knows EVERYONE in the Bay Area - and you can see that when it comes to selling your house. He's super aggressive when it comes to tapping into his network to get the word out.
My house went on the market on a Thursday (in time for the agents tour), and my first (and last) open house was that Sunday. Despite the freak rainstorm that Sunday, I had 1 offer before it hit the MLS, 200 people come through for the open house, 7 offers (all over asking), SOLD within 36 hours of the open house. Just like that, all due to his aggressive marketing. I won't go into financial details, but let's just say I was more than pleased with the winning offer (well over comps).
I was thankful when my house sold, but also had a "oh no, I'm homeless" moment, considering the market, I expected it to take much longer than 36 hours. Without even skipping a beat, Dan turned up the volume on my new home search. He kept in mind the sensitivity of my transition (down sizing, huge life change) when presenting me with possibilities. He is not only a relocation expert, but an investment adviser, keeping in mind that every home he presented me with had to have a strong resale value. Again he kept me educated and in the loop on market changes and the unique nature of the San Francisco housing market. He applied the same aggressive attitude when he sold my house, to looking for new home for me, leveraging the power of his network to extract as much information as possible in every home I considered. He advised me on all aspects of each investment and helped keep me reasonable and practical. I was extremely picky & spoiled (because I was downsizing), busy (because of my work schedule) and anxious (because I was technically homeless). Dan stuck with me, never showed any irritation, was constantly hustling to bring me options, showed absolute flexibility to show me options and NEVER ONCE pressured me into anything. With all my wacky requirements, he had me sitting pretty in my new condo (paying way less then I expected) exactly 30 days after I gave up the keys to my old house.
I would not recommend being on the other side of the table of Dan in a negotiation, and my thought when it comes to Realtors, is, the cost is set - so why wouldn't I go with the very best I can find - maximizing the cost/profits of selling/buying my home?