Lota de Castro, Realtor

So, I finally got over my laziness to write my first Unilocal review! Unilocal virgin no more, voo-​hoo!
My wife and I first met Lota when were looking to rent a condo for which she was the listing agent. While, we didn’t choose to rent that specific condo, our 30 minute interaction with Lota made quite an impression. She patiently understood what we were looking for and made alternate suggestions to help us. An year and a half later, when we were ready to buy, we short listed a few agents and Lota of course was one of them. After a round of meet-​and-​greet with each of the agents it was clear that Lota was the best fit. Her past experience working as a Civil engineer for the city, extensive knowledge of the city neighborhoods, her ability to listen and understand what we wanted, and her all-​round affable personality made her an ideal choice.
During the course of finding and closing on our home, which was a harrowing experience (does anyone have a good experience buying in the city?), mostly because we were dealing with a half-​mental sellers agent, we obviously got to know Lota much more and were extremely happy to have her on our team. You will need a mature and stable hand at the wheel to safely navigate the SF real estate scene which is just as bad as traffic in downtown Bangalore. You will need someone who knows how to deal with a crisis situation and can constantly think of possible solutions. You will need someone who has the right connections/​contacts/​friends within the industry (be it lenders, escrow office, other agents, inspection agents etc). Lota was all of that and much more. She understands the psyche of a first time buyer and knows exactly what to say and do at the right time. She spent endless hours explaining every last detail about the home buying process to us. No matter where she was and what was going on in her life (like holidays and such), she always got back to our email/​text/​call within 30 mins. We bought our home in december, and though Lota was away overseas holidaying with her family, she was always available.
Lota went above and beyond what we asked of her. Due to some mis-​communication by the sellers agent, we were in a situation of being homeless! We had given up our rental condo (we gave notice and it was re-​rented to new tenants) and wouldn’t get the new place for another couple weeks. Lota offered to put us up in an temporary condo at no cost to us. It didn’t come to this, but her offer meant a great deal and it was one less thing for us to worry about. She stepped up and did several other things — picking/​delivering keys/​documents to us, working with the pervious tenants of the new place to get the mailbox key (which the sellers agent failed to do), working directly with the HoA of the new place to setup a move-​in slot over the holidays, scheduling movers etc — all of this so that we could focus on the most important pieces while she dealt with all the other chores.
Have no hesitation in working with Lota… you will be in good hands.

We have bought and sold a couple of houses in the past but working with Lota was by far the most pleasant experience we have ever had. She is extremely flexible, sincere and had our best interests in mind at all times. Buying and selling real estate is generally a stressful experience and lot of work so working with Lota, someone we could trust and rely on, was a very satisfying experience. Even after she helped us buy the property, we have been in constant touch and she has been extremely helpful in some of the follow ups; it felt more like a relationship versus a one-​off agent-​buyer transaction, where we would definitely like to use her for any future needs and would recommend her strongly to our friends and acquaintances.

We first met Lota at an open house in SOMA, and we were so impressed with her professionalism that we asked her to be our realtor when we decided to purchase a unit in the area. She was always available to answer any questions that we had and helped us through the complicated process of buying a home. With her guidance, we felt confident that everything was done correctly. We are so happy with our new home.

Lota is a true professional and definitely the person to call if you are looking in the SOMA/​South Beach area! She is very knowledgeable and plugged in to the market, what’s on it and what’s coming on it, just the kind of guide you need. She was always easy to reach and deal with, extremely patient and upbeat, and managed to keep us on a steady course in a market that feels out of control in terms of both price and process. She is someone you can trust and will enjoy working with.

Lota helped us buying our first home which my wife and I still live in today.
We were working with an agent outside the city when we met in an open house at the BEACON. Lota graciously shared a lot of useful information for buying a home in the city and clearly showed us how she could make the process different. Hence we started working with Lota for house hunting in SF.
In the hunting process, Lota gave us a lot of suggestions while we also visited many open houses from Redfin and ask Lota for opinions. Lota impressed us by her wide knowledge for many properties. For example, she was able to find out if the property was in any doubtful condition (e.g. noise, litigation, neighbor) and gave us a fair guidance of the property valuation. Lota help was very appreciated given that we had no experience at all.
On the other hand, Lota clearly knew the difference of buying a home in the city and helped us accordingly. One good example is that Lota tried really, really hard to shorten the close date by accelerating the loan process, removing some contingency and working very long hours to handle all the documents.
All in short, we are very thankful for the Lota’s help and very appreciate her profession.

Lota helped me sell my condo and worked tirelessly to find the perfect house in San Francisco especially in such a crazy market! Met Lota through a referral from a friend who is also a repeat client of Lota’s which is also a testament to her service.
She was able to suggest ways to tidy, stage and present my condo for sale as well as coordinate with the photographer and create very professional brochures for the open house. She hosted all the open houses personally as well as met potential buyers by request and even helped with small things during a chaotic time such as deliver boxes so we could move things into storage. After a quick sale with great results she worked all hours to find a great house and prepared and presented numerous offers since it is such a hard market for buyers right now. She was able to offer great advice and was very responsive through all forms of communication during this time. Great realtor and would definitely use again in the future!

A colleague of mine referred me to Lota, and I’m so glad he did! I was looking for an apartment in San Francisco with a very specific set of requirements. Lota was able to very quickly find a set of awesome properties that matched my needs, and I ended up signing for a gorgeous apartment (my first choice within the set) only about a month after meeting her. Talk about efficiency! Especially with the current state of the market here. She’s extremely responsive, super friendly, and she knows all the strings in this very competitive environment. I will *absolutely* get in touch with her again for anything real estate related in the area.

We met Lota in an open house six months before we want to sell our condo in San Francisco near AT&T park. Key reason we chose Lota was the fact she follows up and stay in touch with us offering her advice and about the housing and rental market. When we decided to sell in 2012, she was our representative and the place was sold within 30 days in a very competitive price.
We just bought another investment property with the help of Lota, who had been helping us to find the right property in the right place, and of course, the right price. She is diligent, fast and responsive, and most important of all, genuine. She has consistently helped us in all aspects including helping us to secure a new tenant to our investment property, and identifying reliable contractors.
In summary, she is our agent of choice, and we are working with her for another opportunity. We recommend Lota with our action: keep working with her repeatedly!

Lota De Castro is a real estate warrior. As soon as you sign with her, she puts on the gloves and gets right to work, fighting to not only get your place sold, but sold for the best price. And she doesn’t stop until that happens. We had two buyers fall through for our condo in the Beacon, but she was never deterred. She recommended we wait until the market was right. And when she said it was right, well, it was really right. The third buyer she found no only closed, but closed for our asking price plus some to cover all the other costs.
Beyond her incredible work ethic, she is also a wonderful human being. Always friendly and always patient, which is a great quality when you’re dealing with someone like me who has very limited knowledge of real estate and is always asking questions. She immediately returns texts and emails and we’ll talk you through something for as long as it takes until you feel comfortable.
And lastly, my favorite quality of Lota is her honesty. She is the first agent that gave it to me straight. Even when the news wasn’t great. And in those times, she always had a solution. And most of the time, that solution was to work even harder until she got what I was looking for.
I couldn’t be happier with the experience. If the rating system had another star to give, I’d give it.

I met Lota at an open house at the Beacon near the Giants stadium in early 2008. Through her help, I bought an investment condo at the same building a few months later. Lota’s service did not end after she handed me the keys. Up to this date, she keeps a watchful eye at my investment and remains in contact with me about local market trends. When real estate values took a dive a few years back, Lota helped me with negotiating a reduction on my property taxes. She also helps in making sure that my investment continues to generate the most income and alerts me to potential issues that may affect my property. She is genuine in her ways and one can count on her sincerity and integrity. I definitely recommend her service to anyone that need a true partner that cares.

Trying to buy a home in SF (or the Bay Area in general, for that matter) right now is like entering a war zone. You have to be equipped with the right tools. You have to have extensive knowledge about the battleground. You have to have a strategy that will give you the edge against the opponents. Lota will be your key wartime advisor, and will help you get the house you want.
Lota was recommended very highly from my friend who just bought a home through her. I was clueless about the home buying process, but Lota was able to explain to me all that I needed to know, and I was able to get an awesome place! She’s always responsive and answered my hundreds of questions immediately, and gave me great advice throughout the whole process. I could not be happier with the whole process, thanks to her!

I met Lota when she was selling the unit next to mine in a condo building near AT&T park. I had already half decided to sell my place and downsize my life a bit. She did a great job on getting multiple offers on the property and eventually closing one of them.
Meanwhile, she’d found a place for me to live temporarily in a short-​sale property that was tied up in bank decision making. A one bedroom apartment in San Francisco for $ 1000/​month is a steal.
Next we found a place I wanted to buy, another short sale with multiple offers, and came up with the winning strategy. So I ended up buying the first place I put an offer in on.
I would recommend her unqualifiedly.

We met Lota at an open house in the city and she was very personable, making us feel at home. Later on she showed us several properties, one we ended up buying as part of a short-​sale which is a notoriously tricky process. Her knowledge really shone throughout the whole process and we always felt like she was available for even the most basic questions. A first time buyer couldn’t do any better!

We met Lota at an Open House when we were «just looking» and not really feeling very serious about buying. A few days later she showed us a property that we ended up buying.
As first-​time buyers we were completely clueless and anxiety-​prone but Lota was our fearless guide through the whole process. She kept us informed (she’s NEVER away from her Blackberry), took the time to explain all the crazy legal stuff, met with us at all hours even on weekends, and handled many tough negotiations (competing offers, extending contracts, etc). She seems to be very well connected in the Real Estate world (including inspectors, mortgage brokers, etc) which helps make everything go smoothly and is completely INVALUABLE should some unexpected problem arise.
When we had a last second crisis with our mortgage broker, she completely rescued the situation. She connected us with other mortgage brokers and lenders who were able to rush through the process. She kept cool and organized through all the chaos. And she placated the seller so that we didn’t lose the whole deal. Talk about earning your commission! We truly couldn’t have done it without her.

I met Lota at a First-​Time Homebuyer’s workshop at the end of 2007. There were few other Realtors there, but she stood out as the most professional and knowledgeable in the group. I had no idea where or how to begin the homebuying process, but Lota helped me each step of the way. I never felt pressured into making any decisions and she was very patient with throughout the entire process. She took the time to answer all of my questions and made sure that I truly understand the answers. Like her previous client, I continue to refer friends and family to Lota and would call her to represent me again in a heartbeat.