Colleen Cotter – Vanguard Properties

1^st time homebuyer, Colleen really helped me through the process. Some of her specific strengths include:
* She’s very well known and well connected in the industry. This helps in buying off market properties and it meant most of time the seller’s agent already knew her.
* She’s very active in the SF market and knowledgable about pricing properties based on comps, and in deciding which comps actually apply.
* She’s knows each of the neighborhoods very well and was able to point out specific advantages, local hot spots, restaurants… for pretty much every area we looked at.
* She also was good at pointing out issues with potential properties or area and helped me avoid some very bad deals I would have taken otherwise. Both by pointing out contractual issues and by ensuring I had direct access to great inspectors, etc.
* She’s also a lovely person and I had fun working with her.

I have worked with Colleen for many years now, she is one of the best in the biz. Super responsive, on top of things and knows her stuff. When it comes to real estate in San Francisco, it is important to have someone on your team, someone that is on your side, your advocate, one who truly cares about your needs, wants and desires. Colleen is that person, a true dynamo. I know when she is involved in a transaction the job gets done!

I worked with Colleen recently on a home purchase and she and her team, including Sally Thompson, were fantastic.
An industry contact introduced me to Colleen after I told her I needed someone knowledgeable about SFHs (and what it takes to fix them up) in Bernal Heights and other neighborhoods near Glen Park Bart. Colleen comes from a family of contractors, and boy was this helpful. My budget limited me to places that needed more than a little work, and Colleen was able to help me get ballpark estimates and assess risks.
In this competitive market, buyers often will not have the luxury of a home inspection contingency. This means you and your agent had better convince yourselves of a house’s satisfactory condition in the tiny time window before you have to make a non-​contingent offer. Colleen had reliable home inspectors, a mold inspector, a sewer inspector, and a general contractor on speed dial. I know because she and Sally dialed them and scheduled them, in coordination with the seller’s agent — which I certainly could not have done on a tight schedule with my full time job.
She was also able to provide sober guidance on disclosures; offer strategy including price; and much needed research from she and her team on comps. (Thanks Sally!) As a first time home buyer, this is all stuff that would have driven me batty in the hands of a less capable agent.
Some of my more cynical friends see real estate agents as providing little value at tremendous cost. I am sure there are real estate transactions that work that way, but this wasn’t one of them. I simply would not have had the resources or confidence to make this home purchase without the help from Colleen and Sally. I’ve recommended Colleen to a number of friends of mine who are looking to purchase a home, and I hope things work out for all of them too.

I’ve known quite a few real estate agents over the years and Colleen is hands down the best. She is honest and real, but also sharp and savvy… truly the perfect combination of qualities you want in someone who represents you. I’ve debated back and forth about selling my place and Colleen is always open to brainstorm with me, she sends me the latest sales comparables and always gives me her honest opinion — even if it means telling me not to sell. She is so knowledgable about the market and has amazing resources to help with anything from staging to doing a small upgrade before putting your place on the market. Most importantly, she is responsive, polite, kind, smart and cares about her clients. Colleen is one of the most thoughtful people I know and I refer everyone to her as she is, simply exceptional with an added bonus that she is actually from San Francisco so she knows the market from a professional and personal standpoint.

Colleen is wonderful! She has keen insight on the San Francisco real estate market and, being an SF native, knows about all the nooks and crannies and upcoming neighborhoods in the city. What I also find impressive, is that Colleen has very strong relationships with many people in the industry which makes every part of a potentially stressful process seamless.
Most important to me, Colleen really listens to what her clients want and works tirelessly to find the right property-​Colleen won’t waste your time. Plus, she’s a fierce and creative negotiator, which is invaluable in the current market, but also ensures that you feel confident in your purchase.
Finally, Colleen is a joy to work with! She is always responsive to her clients and I appreciate that she’s honest-​whether the information is positive or negative; you will always get a straight, honest answer from Colleen. Colleen is the only agent I’ll use in SF and I can’t recommend her highly enough.

Colleen is exceptionally knowledgeable about the San Francisco market. As a fellow native, I knew I could trust her expertise as it comes from years of experience in this ever-​changing city of ours. She really listened to what we wanted and made the entire process as stress free as possible. She is a true professional. Thanks, Colleen!

I was introduced to Colleen by a friend who worked with her in the past. Selling my home was stressful enough. But also having only 45 days to identify a new place for a 1031 exchange in San Francisco added to the stress. She was there every step of the way and made sure I was as well. Every time I would call with a question, she was one step ahead and already had everything rolling. I was so nervous that I would be unable to find a place that I’d be happy with in such a short time frame. Colleen spent time wanting to understand what was important to me and I always felt like she was working to find me a home and not just sell me property. Well, I have to say, I could not be happier with the home she found and everything went like clockwork. Words cannot describe how wonderful it was to work with Colleen. I would highly recommend Colleen to anyone looking to buy or sell a home.

Colleen is the most savvy, energetic, and brilliant agent in San Francisco! She has her finger on the pulse of the San Francisco real estate market, and she knows the city in and out, front and back. For her, the relationship with her clients is more important to her than the sale, and that’s what makes anyone in sales the best at what they do. Her connections in San Francisco are endless, and she has access to what others don’t. I look forward to doing more business with Colleen in the future, and she is my most trusted source for all things real estate; in San Francisco, and the entire Bay Area!