Chris DeNike – Zephyr Real Estate

I enthusiastically recommend Chris. We worked with Chris to purchase and recently sell our home. He is exceptionally professional, courteous, responsive, knowledgeable, and organized. Most importantly, Chris listens to clients and develops a plan to help them achieve their goals. Five years ago, he helped us find our home within weeks by quickly understanding our top priorities and steering us towards a neighborhood we had not considered that we absolutely loved. He more recently helped us sell our home after just one open house when we decided to return to Southern California. Ideally, we would never work with another agent! You can’t go wrong entrusting Chris with the purchase or sale of your home.

I cannot recommend Chris highly enough. He helped us during a particularly challenging two-​year long home search in Mill Valley. He never gave up on us, even though we had a limited budget in an insanely expensive market. We had to bid on six houses before getting one, and he even talked us out of making a few bids. He was never pushy and always supportive, trying to boost our spirits when we kept losing to all-​cash buyers. He is professional and very patient. Chris explains everything very clearly for first-​time buyers and talks you through every step of the buying process. Do yourself a favor and hire Chris if you want a home in Marin!

I’m sorry ignore my last misplaced nasty review– wrong company

My broker had recommend Chris to me. Chris is very professional, ethical, courteous, non-​pushy, strong in his trade… all of the above, but what really stood out to me about Chris was that he cared that I as a buyer got into the right house. I had told him in the beginning that it may take a while due to my limited budget. It did, but Chris never left me hanging. We went to many houses, some I fell in love with instantly, but Chris would sit down, go through the disclosures, look at the house inside and out and tell me why I shouldn’t buy this house. He steered me away from many home purchases that would have been costly, and demanding. Finally it happened, I got a house, and I’m thankful for all. Thank you Chris.

Chris just sold our Mill Valley house. He was really easy to work with, very responsive and caring. His knowledge of the Marin market, professionalism and experience were the key factors in pricing and marketing the property according to the current market conditions. We sold our house in one open house, and could not be happier with the results. We would highly recommend Chris to anyone who plans to sell or buy in the Marin county. Now, Chris is not only our real estate agent, but he is also our good friend.

Chris was incredibly helpful and patient while walking us through the process of purchasing our first home. He made us feel comfortable all the way through what was long and at times emotional process. We are incredibly happy with our home. Many thanks to Chris, would highly recommend!

Chris was great to work with, easy to communicate with and promptly replied to all of my many many many calls, emails, and questions. Through the process he was not only great in providing information, but more importantly his knowledge of the area, and experience, was helpful in creating a strategy that helped us get the house we really wanted. We are ecstatic with the end result and happy that we chose to work with Chris.

Chris acted as the purchasing agent for our new home in Marin Co, Ca. He provided a very valuable professional service to us. He made our home purchase as stress-​free as possible. The negotiation was handled expertly and quickly. We were ushered through the process smoothly. We now enjoy the home of our dreams thanks to his help. My wife and I wholeheartedly recommend using his real estate prowess when purchasing your home in Marin.

We can’t say enough about Chris DeNike. He just helped my mom purchase a beautiful waterfront home for a fabulous price. He was kind, patient while being completely professional and responsive. Buying and selling homes is stressful and It really made a difference how he smoothed the path and made it so easy for her.
After that, he found a fabulous, one of a kind house with a stunning view for close friends and now he is helping our son and his wife find their first home. There is no way we could work with anyone else in Marin or SF.
He is at the top of the business in terms of professionalism, contacts, resources and service, while still presenting a kind, calm and nature. If you select Chris, you will be getting someone who will work hard for you without being pushy or overbearing. We couldn’t make a stronger recommendation.

I couldn’t have been happier with Chris’ work when we moved from SF and bought our home in Larkspur. I’m even more grateful that he’s become a really great friend since then. Buying or selling in Marin just amps up an already stressful decision-​making process, and Chris really helped sort through the differences between the various towns, their personalities, micro-​climates, schools, restaurant and bar scenes, traffic patterns, etc. He just knows the area inside and out. He was also a great resource as we worked through remodeling ideas and options. He took care of all the details, and his calm and confident demeanor helped us stay focused on what was most important. It’s an easy call to recommend him when you’re buying or selling a home.

You’re going to end up spending a lot of time and sharing a lot of personal details with your realtor — probably more than you think. You need someone who’s not only great at his job, but also trustworthy and fun to hang out with. Chris DeNike is all of the above. He blew away every expectation we had about working with a realtor, and became a friend along the way.
A few things set Chris apart: 1) He provides exceptional client service. As first-​time homebuyers, we cared a lot about this. Chris told us what to expect and helped us make the right decision at every turn, and always seemed energetic and excited about our house search. We felt like Chris was a true partner, as invested in the outcome as we were, rather than simply an intermediary.
2) Chris knows Marin inside and out. He’s lived and worked there for many years, and is full of great information about everything from the personalities of different towns to where to buy foam to make new cushions for a window seat. (Answer: The Foam Store in San Rafael.) Local knowledge of the Marin market was a must for us, since we were moving from an apartment in San Francisco to a house in Marin, and we needed lots of guidance!
3) Chris takes the time to listen to what you want and is good at asking thought-​provoking questions and helping you weigh trade-​offs. And if there’s no possible intersection in your set of preferences, Chris isn’t afraid to bring that to your attention! Chris is also incredibly patient if you change your mind — once or many times. When we began our search, we were focused on Sausalito. As the months went by, we broadened our scope to Tiburon and Mill Valley, then we narrowed it again to Sausalito, before finally reconsidering Mill Valley when a particularly cool property came on to the market. Chris weathered our indecision with equanimity.
4) Chris’ follow through is amazing. Even after we’d closed on our house, Chris continued to offer his support during our early days of homeownership. Whether that meant connecting us with a guy to fix a window, going out of his way to have an unwieldy piece of debris removed from the property, or simply taking an active interest in our renovation plans, Chris was there for us. He didn’t simply disappear once the deal was done.
5) Chris’ experience and attention to detail help him notice things that many buyers might miss, from a shaky foundation to a neighbor’s tree in the path of the afternoon sun to the transformative potential of knocking down a wall to open up a room. Chris helped us see what already was and what could be.
We can’t imagine having had a better experience with our realtor, and we’d recommend Chris to anyone who’s looking to buy a home in Marin!

If I could have given more stars I would. Chris sold our Mill Valley home for us and did such an awesome job, far above my original high expectations. He was completely transparent and helpful, he advised us on the right price to sell at (and judged it just right), he produced some amazing marketing materials and got the home sold. He goes above and beyond, for example, his wife Lisa is a very talented designer, Chris introduced her to us and she gave advice on how we could set the house up to make it more attractive for buyers. He also happens to be an absolute pleasure to work with.
Chris is a great guy and he does an absolutely tremendous job, I couldn’t believe how patient he was with us and how incredibly helpful he was. If you pick Chris to be your realtor, you will not be disappointed.

Looking back, our house hunting journey was quite an experience. As first time home buyers there was a lot we did not know, and that was hard to comprehend. Luckily, Chris was able help us figure out how to navigate the market and determine what we really wanted and how to get it.
Not only am I a smarter home buyer now, I am also a happy homeowner. And I thank Chris for getting us there.
I highly recommend working with Chris if you are buying or selling your home in Marin. Its a no brainer.

The difference between a good realtor and a bad one is not as significant as the difference between a good one and GREAT one.
A bad realtor is easy to surface quickly, avoid and then move on. A good (but not great) realtor is more painful and damaging. You miss critical alerts, can’t get the edge on a trending market, have poor representation of your offer or listing and end up missing deals or once in a lifetime opportunities.
Chris is a great realtor who KNOWS Marin, has the RELATIONSHIPS with other agents that matter and has CONFIDENCE to craft a winning offer… even in a hot market.
My wife and I are unconventional buyers — we had a unique strategy that Chris supported and worked with us to become successful in finding a property off MLS and bringing the winning offer to the sellers when 4 other offers (3 all cash) were on the table.
If you want to END your property hunt and start living in your dream home — give Chris a chance to earn your business. I’m not easy to work with… but Chris set me at ease and navigated a tense time to help us land our 20 yr home.
Break up with your poor and good realtors, you deserve better. Call Chris.

After months of searching for homes on our own, a stroke of luck brought us to Chris. We have had some seriously bad realtor experiences so we were extremely gun shy about hiring a realtor. Chris immediately put us at ease. He took the time to listen to to all of our needs/​concerns and encouraged us to look at several neighborhoods we hadn’t considered (or even knew about). He was extremely knowledgable about areas, schools, and demographics. Chris was extremely flexible with viewing times and was amazing about working around our schedules.
Once we found our dream house Chris was really terrific during the buying process. He was available any time we needed to reach him and was great about calming our nerves during stressful times. He personally supervised all of our inspections and arranged for top-​notch people to come out and see the house. His love of his profession and clients definitely shows.
We highly recommend Chris!!!

Chris was recommended to me by a friend (Tor S. – who also reviews Chris) when I was searching for an Eichler home in Marin. He really listened to my needs and was able to schedule viewings quickly and efficiently. I never felt pressured or rushed in the process of buying a house. He is very patient, takes time to explain things, and communicates effectively. Besides all of this, he is a really nice guy and shows that he cares for his clients. Highly recommended!

I completely would recommend Chris DeNike to anyone that was asking and have already to plenty of friends about him… saying that I got a guy in Marin if they are looking to move that way.
Chris listened to our wants and needs, and throughout our whole housebuying experience we felt no pressure from Chris and felt comfortable asking any questions and believed his honest opinion on all properties we were looking at.
Thanks Chris. We really enjoyed working with you!

If you’re looking for a realtor who knows Marin, is patient, skilled, works hard, and listens to his clients, then Chris is your guy!
We first met Chris at an open house he was hosting in Mill Valley when we just started our housing search. After reviewing our wish list with Chris, we felt he understood our needs and felt comfortable asking him to show us a few places. Within a few days, we reviewed listings and Chris pre-​screened them to ensure efficient use of our time.
On our first trip out, we checked out several homes and based on our feedback Chris urged us to check out a listing that just hit the market in an area we had not considered (Lucas Valley). We immediately fell in love with the completely renovated Eichler and neighborhood. Before the listing’s first scheduled showing, Chris had already shown us the house three times and other Eichler listings in the area to solidify our decision that this was the home for us. We made an offer that was accepted ahead of other interested buyers.
During escrow, Chris regularly communicated with buyers, sellers, escrow, inspectors, etc. to ensure a timely closing. He even managed to schedule a last minute, unexpected furnace inspection with only hours remaining on out inspection contingency. He drove into the city several times to secure signatures and escrow deposits.
In short, we cannot say enough about our exceptional experience with Chris. He exceeded expectations throughout our buying process, and we feel very fortunate to have worked with him.

I highly recommend Chris DeNike. He knows the market, is easy to work with and can manage complicated transactions. Chris has been our realtor for two home purchases one home sale and a referral to a family member for their purchase. We couldn’t be happier with the results of each purchase/​sale. A++++++

Chris was great. We thought we were fairly educated about Marin based on houses we saw through Open Houses and Redfin, but Chris helped us see more with each house and helped us refine what we were looking for. He would always check in after house to see what we thought and to learn what was important to use; he would also point out work that may need to get done on a house, some subtle good and bad things about the house etc. We never felt pressure /​rushed to pick a house — he was very patient and spent the time need.
More importantly, once we found our dream house, he was available all hours of the night to discuss offers, counter offers, inspections, credit requests, etc. We have a toddler so we could never really talk until he was down and we had dinner — so we usually spoke at 9 or 10pm. He was always available to discuss and brainstorm next steps.
Even after the transaction completed, Chris has still been great; from the various referrals in the area to taking down a TV mounted on the wall that the previous owner left.