Philip was instrumental in helping us find and purchase our first home in Alameda. He was helpful and patient while we checked out homes in a range of price points before we decided on our comfort zone. He responded quickly to phone calls and emails and always had good suggestions of things to look into (like getting the old laminate floors tested for asbestos before ripping them out and replacing them). He encouraged us to check out different cities and neighborhoods, which helped us really determine what we were looking for. He is extremely knowledgeable about home maintenance and talked us through many of the items of the home inspection which he had set up for us with a reputable contractor. We were able to tour our home with him before the first open house, which allowed us to be prepared with our offer early. Philip encouraged us to write a personal letter to the sellers telling them about ourselves and our neighbors have told us that this letter helped us beat out another offer. We are extremely happy with our home, the ease of going through the buying process and having all of our needs met and questions answered, and would recommend Philip to anyone looking to buy or sell real estate in the Bay Area!
- Hester & Arturo Perez Alameda, CA.
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Philip Kaake as my realtor, was beyond reproach. He handled the sale of
my property at 813 Haight Ave. in Alameda while I was in southern California.
He handled it all with great professionalism.
He hired people for me, to make the necessary work
on my home to prepare it for a presentable sale.
He always kept me informed, almost daily, on how things were going, and
the things that had to be done. His advice was impeccable.
From the time it was first shown, the house was sold and it closed within a
month.
Thank you so much....Philip Kaake....
Your grateful client David Tofanelli
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A whole lot of praise and thanks goes to our Realtor, Phillip Kaake for selling our house at 1801 Central Alameda. He was always courteous and so very helpful to us. He gave us very good advice on ideas to improve our house to make it more marketable. He pointed out improvements that would help sell the house. He gave us names of good craftsmen that would do the work needed. We were thrilled with the man that refinished the hardwood floors. The floors looked as if they were brand new at our 74 year home, thanks to Philip’s suggestion. When we called Philip and left a message, he always responded back quickly. When we had questions he answered them or found answers for those he wasn't sure about. We always could count on him being there for us. We were not always in Alameda as our primary home is in Arizona and we reside in Colorado six months out of the year (we are snow birds). With many phone calls, emails and by faxing back and forth, we got the process taken care of. Philip made an outstanding video of our house and yard so people were able to check the house out on the Internet. Also he had a beautiful picture of the house on the front page of the local paper, as well as a very nice write up that brought many people to the Open House. He was very professional in the whole experience in selling our house.
Many THANKS to Phillip Kaake for a job well done.
Most Sincerely,
Jerry and JoAnn Ballou
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Philip stuck by us as we looked at houses for nearly two years in Alameda. Most realtors would have probably given up on us long ago, but Philip is not like most realtors. He found us a perfect house that was priced to move and helped us come up with a strategy that helped us beat out five other suitors without overpaying. And then once we were in escrow, he proved his value even more. On his own initiative, he brought in another expert to inspect the foundation, even though we already thought we knew what there was to know. Then he used the evidence he gathered to get us a sizable amount of money back from the seller as a credit. It was a classic example of how Philip did the little things that ended up making a really big difference. For his patience, curiosity, wisdom and follow through, you couldn't ask for a better person to help you find a home than Philip Kaake."
Eric Antebi and Marla Kolman Antebi
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I chose Philip to represent us with our first-time home purchase due to my sense of his professionalism and integrity. This being my first house purchase, I was very pleased at the wealth of information and guidance Philip provided us each step of the way.
As we got serious on two houses that we were looking at, Philip was able to draw up offers customized to the houses and situations we were bidding on, the whole time educating me on the details and market. In a multi-bid Alameda environment, our bid was accepted. My belief is that Philip helped structure and present our winning bid in such a way as to give us the best advantage possible.
What came next was even better. Because of his knowledge, experience and Realtor relationships, the process was very smooth and timely. For every issue or wrinkle that came up, Philip presented the options and recommended the best course of action. Any little hiccup along the way was resolved to our satisfaction or better, culminating in a 30-day close on a house that we love.
I would highly recommend Philip to any buyer who wants an effective, very responsive and knowledgeable Realtor who will steer the homebuying process along a smooth and transparent path.
--Steve in Alameda, CA
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RICHARD AND CAROLYN HELMUTH
Costa Mesa , Ca.
Mr. Philip Kaake Bayside Real Estate 1812 Santa Clara Ave.Alameda, Ca. 94501
Re: 1159 Regent St., Alameda, Ca.
Dear Philip,
Just a note of appreciation for all of your fine work on the sale of our home in Alameda. As out of town sellers we were in special need of a realtor who was willing to go the extra mile and we found the right one in you.
From the very start you tuned into our concerns to get the best price possible in a market that was rapidly softening. You wisely advised us on the changing market we were in and through your detailed market analysis we were convinced of setting an asking price that would best reach our goal of attracting offers and closing escrow in a reasonably short period. In two weeks from going on market, we accepted one of two offers you presented and went on to close escrow in a month. We were very pleased.
You were most helpful on advising and arranging for pre-market up-grades such as interior painting, cleaning, front landscaping and furniture staging. Your photographs for the flyer and internet were especially good. Thank you for arranging both property and termite inspection reports, even getting the cracked window glass replaced. This would have been difficult of us to accomplish from long distance.
The largest surprise during escrow was the possibility of an underground gasoline tank in the back yard. We were unaware of this when we purchased the house in 2000. You found a consultant who performed a hightech x-ray of the back yard to verify no tank present. This helped persuade the buyer to proceed and close escrow on time.
We thank you and wish you all the best.
Dick and Carolyn
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A note of thanks to Philip Kaake at Bayside Real Estate for the successful sale of my Townhouse in HarborBay.
From the very beginning Philip took charge of the situation and made sure we stayed on schedule to prepare my home for sale. He made excellent recommendations for clearing out the personal effects that he felt would distract buyers. He even helped move things to make room for the staging and organizing my garage so we could put things temporarily. As a single mom I appreciated his willingness to roll up his sleeves and just take care of whatever was necessary.
The staging and presentation were exquisite, my home never looked better. The Townhouses look very similar from the outside
the only difference in each unit is the interior. I had done many upgrades and Philip made sure the staging and presentation helped showcase these features. His marketing both on the internet and the printed flyers were all very professional and gave a great first impression to interested buyers.
My transaction went very smoothly even though at the time we were in the middle of a special roof assessment that made negotiations at times a bit tense. He successfully negotiated a compromise and in the end I received a full price offer in a market that was beginning to soften slightly.
I would highly recommend Philip as a Realtor. Someone who has integrity and keeps focused on the important details.
Sincerely
Janet Bellenger Alameda , CA .
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I would like to thank you for your hard work in the preperation and selling of my home in Alameda.
I approached hiring an agent very thoroughly and carefully and was very impressed with Philip's responsiveness and his energy and enthusiasm. Philip and his support team were essential in positioning my home in a market that was experiencing a slowdown. With their guidance and supervision, the inside of the home was painted, new carpeting and flooring in the bathrooms were installed and the garden was cleaned and landscaped. The house looked fantastic and I know Philip and his team received many compliments from other agents
and people who came through the open houses.
At the time my home was on the market , homes were taking much longer to sell than in months past. Nevertheless, with some quick adjustments in the asking price, we did sell relatively quickly and received multiple offers. His skill at negotiating and making sure I had the strongest offer possible facilitated a quick close of escrow without any problems.
At the time the home was going on the market, I was not able to be around as much as I would have liked. Philip and his team, however, made sure the improvements to the home were proceeding on schedule and that the home went on the market as soon as possible.
I would highly recommend Philip Kaake to anyone who wants a Realtor who is responsive, energetic and is willing to go the extra mile and do whatever was necessary to get the job done.
David Marchant
Alameda , CA .
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My husband John and I would like to thank you for your efforts in selling our home in Harbor Bay.
Living out of the area we were totally dependant on you to take care of the necessary details for the sale. After taking over you transformed the look of the place on a very limited budget.
The staging looked fantastic and we would have never thought to remove the dated carpeting and linoleum. You were able to bring us 3 offers within 20 days and the home sold for over
Asking price. Thank you again for your hard work and creative vision to get our home sold.
John & Christina Chute
Hawaii
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