Seller's Guide

"Getting a house is an extremely daunting process and I really didn't know where to start. Initially I was connected with a Zillow agent and had a strange experience where I felt pushed into things. I told a friend and they recommend Claudia. It was amazing working with her. She listened to what we wanted, explained things we didn't know, and showed us what to look for when we were going through open houses. She never pushed us to up our budget, we did end up with something over what we initially wanted but it ultimately was our choice. I appreciated her input and feedback as we went through this process. It took us a while to find a place but we found a good one and Claudia made the process as stress free as it could be. Thank you for all of your help!"

"Claudia's magic is her experience marketing high-end real estate, her constant attention to every detail, and her unwavering pleasant can do attitude. Yes, do hire her! If you are selling a home in San Francisco you will quickly find out that this is a complex endeavor and as the homeowner you will need an experienced professional sales agent who is keenly in touch with the pulse of the market to guide you through the process. Claudia Siegel is such a professional and she excelled in every aspect of our sale. We were patiently guided throughout the process - including the daunting number of disclosure statements and inspections. Where to start? Presentation is most important and you will need help preparing your home for market. Claudia has an established business relationship with a remarkable list of service vendors. From determining what repairs and cosmetic improvements must be accomplished, to immediate scheduling and supervising of the work at reasonable cost Claudia excelled in making our property market ready on a tight timeline. We were out of town owners and needed an agent who could manage the property including minor repairs of all kinds, bringing plumbing fixtures up to code, and - most important for the SF market - beautiful physical and virtual staging of the home. From listing through closing our process took less than five weeks and produced three offers above asking price. Claudia's magic is her experience marketing high-end real estate, her constant attention to every detail, and her unwavering pleasant can do attitude. Yes, do hire her!"

"So grateful for Claudia- she helped us get our first home, and it was the first place we put in an offer for! She's extremely knowledgeable about the area and has great instincts. Claudia was always there to answer any questions and help us understand the process as first time home buyers. We love our new spot, and we're amazed at how easy Claudia made the whole process!"

"I loved working with Claudia and highly recommend her! I was a first time buyer and looking on my own - I was intimidated by the SF market and really didn't know where to start or understand what I could afford. I remembered meeting Claudia years ago at an open house where she was the sellers agent and remembered liking her vibe so much that I kept her business card for years! What I loved about working with Claudia is she's extremely patient, really well connected (other agents know her and like working with her, which actually matters a lot), truly works at understanding the picture of your ideal home, and never pushed/pressured me into putting in a bid if I wasn't sure or ready. In contrast, I have experienced a realtor before who really laid on the pressure, saying things like, "This is such a great deal, but you need to put in a bid now!" Because of her experience in the SF market, Claudia has a good sense for what homes are truly worth. What's more, I can tell you that Claudia truly cares about her clients and forming long lasting friendships with her clients. It has been 4 months since I bought my home and Claudia still calls me to check up on me."

"Claudia made the process of searching for a home as easy as it could possibly be in the competitive market of San Francisco. She took lots of time to understand exactly what we were looking for, and helped us find a home that not only met but completely exceeded our expectations. We so appreciated her attention to detail and the thoughtfulness and kindness with which she guided us as first-time buyers throughout every stage of the process -- from searching to writing a competitive offer and closing. She is truly exceptional at San Francisco real estate and we could not recommend her more highly."

"Claudia is an experienced and resourceful real estate agent, with an extensive network of connections. Need something fixed in the house? She has the person to do it. Don't want to work with that painter? She will find you three others to choose from. When we were doing an emotional sale - she rolled with all the emotions. She also answers texts and phone calls in minutes - if not seconds. When we were trying to decide paint colors, she was right there beside me with a paint brush. You could not ask for a more dedicated guide and partner in selling your home."

"Claudia proved to be just the right choice. She is extremely knowledgeable and experienced with San Francisco real estate. Furthermore, she is caring, honest, and responsive. Claudia has an eye for interior design, staging, and photography, and she called in the right experts to make my house look stunning. She maintains excellent working relationships with a vast list of contacts which enabled her to swiftly address any issues that arose throughout the selling process. Claudia stayed on top of what seemed to be an endless list of little details while keeping the big picture and end goal visible. I felt like I was her only client even though I know that wasn't the case. Claudia was a joy to work with; she is a super nice, calm, and fair person with a great sense of humor. At the same time, I observed her willingness to push to make sure my needs were met. She does not back down and is able to effectively negotiate while maintaining positive relationships. I feel lucky to have found her and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her services to anyone. Final result - I followed Claudia's suggestions and received multiple offers, all over asking price."

"We were moving across the country but only knew the state, nothing more. Leaving our house in Claudia's hands was a decision we didn't take lightly but we knew we made the right call. She isn't opposed to getting her hands dirty and is all in to get the job done. She is professional, thorough, helpful, resourceful, kind, personable, and has your best interest in mind. We have stayed in contact across the continent after 8 months of leaving our house to for her to show and ultimately sell, and sell she did! It closed in record time and over asking. Don't hesitate to use her for her skills, knowledge and expertise."

"Claudia Siegel is a great realtor! She has a keen eye for value, timing and all the resources needed to make the sale of your property seamless. She treats you respectfully and warmly to make the process easy for you. I highly recommend Claudia Siegel for selling your property."

"I recently worked with Claudia to find and purchase a condominium in San Francisco. She is a gem- competent, thorough, energetic, and an expert on the San Francisco market. She took all the time I needed, and patiently showed me numerous properties until we found the perfect place. She informs herself about every detail of the property, raises important questions, and has contacts to help with every aspect of the process, from inspection to closing. If you need an excellent, knowledgeable, personable and reliable realtor, go to Claudia. I recommend her without reservation!"

"Claudia did an absolutely amazing job of selling our home on Potrero Hill. It was a complicated home and property to sell (especially because we had already moved to San Diego) and Claudia helped us navigate all of the steps necessary - from doing the desired upgrades to the older home, to staging, to a fantastic marketing process which led to MULTIPLE OFFERS above asking price, to then negotiating and closing the transaction. Excellent communication every step of the way, a true professional, and a really nice person. We have bought and sold many homes over the years and Claudia is at the very top of realtors we have worked with. She is an absolute 10 out of 10!"

"When I think of the process I had to go through to sell my house, it reminds me of the red "EASY" button. It was an easy process, but all due to the fact I had a FANTASTIC agent. Claudia Siegel is the top of her class in this profession in my opinion. From start to finish, she conducted the entire process with professionalism, tact, courtesy and style, as well as speed. The house sold fast. So appreciate all she did and would definitely recommend if anyone is looking for an agent. Well done, Claudia"

"Claudia helped us sell our home in San Francisco when our jobs moved us out of state. She managed extensive details and logistics to help get our property ready and the results were far beyond our expectations. She managed every step of the process efficiently and got us top dollar! She knows what to do to get a house ready and how to get it done. She is professional, practical and incredibly well-informed about the real estate market in San Francisco. Claudia's communication and advice throughout this process were excellent. Working with Claudia eased any stress we felt about moving out of the state and selling our home. Claudia truly has her clients' best interests at heart and we highly recommend her to anyon"

"Shout out for Claudia Siegel's extraordinary representation during the process of selling our home. Claudia is attentive to every detail regarding the process of listing and selling a home. She is passionate about her representation for her clients. From the start of the home selling process to the very end Claudia is: Cordial, patient, professional, available for answering questions, and went beyond to make sure the process went unhinged. We are so grateful for Claudia's outstanding commitment to her clients and finding a buyer for our home. Also we have gained a new friend too, Claudia! Thank you Claudia!"

"My wife and I could not recommend Claudia Siegel more highly. We met Claudia over two years ago, when we wandered into an open house in Noe Valley for which she was the seller's agent. We loved the house, but didn't yet have our finances in order and weren't sure when we might. But we both really liked Claudia. She seemed very nice and down to earth, with a very practical and sophisticated sense of the San Francisco real estate market. We liked Claudia so much that we asked her if she would mind helping us to learn about the San Francisco Real Estate Market by educating us and showing us other homes. We were sheepish asking because we were nowhere near ready to buy, either mentally or financially, but she worked with us with great energy and patience. Over the next couple of years she emailed us options regularly and often met us at open houses when we went to look. She would share very seasoned opinions about each place and also participated very generously in helping us to brainstorm about the right size of home and about steps we needed to take to get our finances in order. After all of this slow and steady progress, Claudia helped us identify what felt like our dream home. When we found it, we still were not ready financially, but felt that we might be able to get ready with a little time. Claudia helped us make an offer, negotiating for a 40-day close, which gave us time to raise the necessary money and get a good loan. In that period, she was on the phone with us every day and facilitated the process, managing the paperwork, connecting us with the mortgage broker who finally made us the loan, interceding with the bank on our behalf when there were hiccups in the loan process, advising us wisely on making sure that the home was delivered in good condition, and making sure we stayed on schedule with all that was needed to close. Anyone seeking to buy or sell a home would be lucky to work with Claudia. She is a true professional who more than earns her commission with her energy, generosity, wisdom, and can-do practicality. We will always feel deeply grateful to her for helping us through one of the most important transitions in the life of our family."

"It was definitely a stroke of luck meeting Claudia earlier this year at an open house near our rental home - she will be your best friend when looking to buy a home in San Francisco. We hit it off right away, and we started working together to purchase our first home during SIP- not the easiest thing to do even in normal times! I honestly cannot imagine a better partner than Claudia throughout this process. She is extremely knowledgable about the San Francisco market, and hit the perfect balance between being supportive but not pushy when we were looking for our new home. As SIP was enacted, she stayed on top of the new regulations and got us in to see homes efficiently, and when it came time to write offers she was very responsive and easy to work with. Once we had our offer accepted for our new home (that we are absolutely in love with), Claudia remained staunchly on our side, ensuring we knew what we needed to do as first time home-buyers at each step. She really fought for us to get the home in the best possible shape, going over every detail, educating us, answering our endless questions, and providing referrals. We are beyond excited to move into our new home, but will miss our time with Claudia - she really is the best you can get!"

"I met Claudia almost 10 years ago and just recently had her assist us in selling our home in San Francisco. I remember how her first impression was friendly, personable yet strong and confident. Those qualities left a lasting impression on me and I always held her in high regard when thinking of someone whom would be best to assist in the possible sale, if ever of our home in San Francisco. It was a difficult decision to sell our home in San Francisco and Claudia was always supportive of either direction we chose. We finally decided to put the house on the market and are so happy that we had such a great agent assisting us. Claudia's sales and marketing strategy enabled the sale to far exceed what we expected in profit. She was direct yet caring in her approach on matters and always offered her helpful opinion. She was also a great help with everything an old 1906 home in SF would need help with, she even took some repairs/care into her own hands to help get the home ready to show! Our neighbors came by and met Claudia during an open house for the home and they even complimented me for choosing such a delightful agent to represent us. I highly recommend Claudia. She will be a strong agent for your sale also lovely and easy to speak with. We felt entirely in great hands with her and I would recommend her to anyone selling a home. 5 Stars all the way."

"After a great experience buying with Claudia in 2008, and a long drawn out process building our new home, Antje and I were finally ready to sell the house we'd lived in for fifteen years. Claudia was the best partner we could have asked for throughout the process of selling our home and earned every dollar of her commission through hard, thoughtful work: + She provided guidance on where we'd get the most value in pre-sale upgrades and where we could leave things as-is. + She referred us to stagers, painters, gardeners, plumbers, and inspectors to get the place ready, and was intimately involved with planning out the details with the stagers. + She is on top of the market and tapped into her network of other agents to price the house just right. + She arranged the photographer, coordinated the shoot, and got a website up for the house. + In addition to Sunday open houses, she held an evening open house for after-work viewing, and met with potential buyers for private showings in between. In the end, we got 13 offers, all over our asking price, and got more than we had could have imagined for our house. And she's a lot of fun to work with to boot! Four thumbs way up for Claudia!"

"Claudia is simply an excellent real estate agent. She is knowledgeable, detail oriented and knows the city and the intricacies of the local market. Her network and reputation with other agents is remarkable. We were first time home buyers and a friend recommended Claudia to help us - we couldn't be happier with the outcome. She was patient and really got to know us, rather than rushing us into a home that would not have been a match. Her ability to share her unvarnished opinion in a thoughtful way was tremendously helpful. We sincerely enjoyed working with her and would recommend her without hesitation."

"I've worked with Claudia on 2 real estate transactions - buying a home in a very competitive market and selling that home when a job took me out of the Bay Area. She is an excellent real estate agent and I highly recommend working with her. She is knowledgeable, helpful and easy to work with. She provided great context and information to inform the initial purchase and the sales process. Excellent overall advice backed up with thorough reports and research on specific issues. She was helpful throughout the process, which aids with the stress of buying and selling -- and went above and beyond to help take care of details while I started my new job in a different city. And she has a nice easy, matter of fact manner that makes working with her a pleasure. 5 stars!!!"

"I serendipitously met Claudia at our dog park, and developed a close relationship as she became our real estate agent. She was always on point with price predictions, very knowledgeable about the market, and key- everyone knows her and wants to do business with her. Claudia is THE reason why I ended up closing on my first home in sf. She went above and beyond, she always had inside info and early. We had a competitive bidding process and I believe her representation was what got me the house. She always gave sound advice, and helped me through the entire process- what to look for in disclosures, sf regulations, laws, walk-throughs, financing, closing etc. I always felt she was on my side to help me get the best price and dream home (which I was not expecting as a first time buyer in sf). We ended up closing in 15 days! Post closing I still can rely on her for help and referrals for repairs, contractors etc. I highly recommend her - she's trustworthy, communicative, knowledgeable and fast. If I could buy and sell more homes I'd do them all over again with her in a heartbeat!"

"Claudia Siegel is thee best......here is our story - We returned to the Bay Area after living in Boston for a few years. We previously lived on the Peninsula but decided to live in San Francisco this time around. We took a condo rental so we could get a feel for different areas. We looked around and explored different areas of the City. Fast forward to late last year - I was in line at the lady's bathroom (at an undisclosed location) and started a conversation with a very nice woman (as often happens with someone in line, since there is no where to go so you just start talking). Well, it turned out she is an agent here in San Francisco. It was Claudia! She gave me her card (because I asked) and about 3 weeks later I gave her a call....oh my gosh...it was instantly simpatico! We got together and she showed my husband and I several properties - never never never any pressure. She wanted to get a sense of what we were looking for. Additionally, and a big plus, Claudia has lived in San Francisco her entire life. She knows EVERY street and alley (not kidding - I was walking and called her for best route to my destination, she gave me turn-by-turn directions), The fact that she knows the City so well is an asset to any client because she can match the area to their style/desires. Claudia does NOT oversell - doesn't try to talk the client into a property that might not suit them...in fact if there is a negative issue, Claudia will point it out and help us to see the property in every light, both good and bad. Again - no pressure. We finally found the area and home for us. We just closed on thee perfect place in Pacific Heights - new and light and beautiful, all the elements we were looking for. Claudia made the process seamless. She is so knowledgable regarding forms, State and County laws, etc. My husband and I have purchased several properties over the years and I can honestly say this has been thee most stress-free transaction we have EVER been through (minus my self-induced freakout). We are just so pleased and content (thrilled) with our home choice.... If you are looking for an excellent agent that will work for YOU, look no further. Do not even hesitate.....Claudia Siegel is thee best !!!!"

"Loved working with Claudia. One of our least favorite parts about buying or selling a house is how slow and arduous the process can be but Claudia was fast-acting, decisive, and made quick work of any challenge that arose. If you want a no-nonsense, get sh**t done type of partner (like we did) then you won't do better than Claudia."

"A few months ago I decided to start the tiring task of shopping for a condo in San Francisco. From coworkers and friends, I've heard that this process is extremely challenging. The real estate market in San Francisco is one of the craziest in the country. Then, I was referred to Claudia, and I am very thankful that I was! Claudia and I had a conversation where I shared with her all the important things to me when shopping for a condo, along with my nice-to-haves. In the end, Claudia was able to get me into my dream condo, within my budget, and it included all my nice-to-haves! Time is one of the most important items when house shopping in SF and Claudia was always prompt and on time. This includes meeting to view a property and drafting/submitting an offer. Also, Claudia is very friendly and knows exactly what she's doing; she knows about properties and the city inside and out. Claudia made condo shopping in SF a pleasant experience. If you're looking for an agent, or even just interested in viewing some properties, I highly recommend contacting Claudia!"

"Working with Claudia was a dream. We had to sell our condo on short notice after we moved away form the Bay Area for work. Claudia was communicative and she made us feel confident everything needed for a successful sale was happening even while we were 600 miles away. This included overseeing cosmetic touch ups as well as more substantial enhancements to a partially enclosed back porch and storage closet with multiple contractors. Claudia helped guide us on how best to position our property in a changing market that resulted in multiple offers well above asking and a straightforward closing. Although our scenario was somewhat unique, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Claudia to anyone looking for a realtor."

"Claudia did a fabulous job for us selling a condo in Dogpatch. It was a very positive experience, and she clearly has in-depth familiarity with the SF housing market."

"Claudia is brilliant! She really listened to us, went the extra mile, (no! many miles!), for us, understood what we were after, showed us many places that did fit our very particular requirements, while filteriing out a lot of rubbish, and worked incredibly hard to get us into the house we set our hearts on. It was a complicated deal, with three owners who didn't agree with each other, but she a great negotiator, treated everyone well, and managed to make it happen. She's really on top of everything and is organized, which is good because I'm not. She has a ton of experience and it shows. Oh, and she's also really nice."

"I can't recommend Claudia highly enough! She is a big reason why we just got keys to our new place! Yippee! Claudia worked with us for two years (!) to find the perfect place. We got the first place we put a bid on (!!!), and the selling agent told us that a big reason she selected our offer was that she thought our team knew what they were doing. This was a complicated transaction, and Claudia was absolutely tireless in shepherding the process through. She is extremely personable, established great working relationships with everyone involved, from mortgage brokers to inspectors to the selling agent, and stayed on top of everything and everyone to make sure nothing was falling through the cracks. If you're thinking of embarking on any kind of real estate adventure, you'll want Claudia on your side!"

"I can't say enough good things about Claudia and how she helped us find our forever home in a very competitive market, and more importantly, how her service level went above and beyond what we have previously experienced with a couple of other home purchases. It isn't easy buying a place in the City of San Francisco, and Claudia's knowledge of the City, and great re pore with selling agents made the process run smoothly. Furthermore, we were involved with a tricky transaction that we could not have managed without Claudia's expertise and experience. We highly recommend Claudia to anyone looking to purchase a condo or single family home (what we bought) in San Francisco"

"Claudia is the best Real Estate Agent we have ever worked with! We have bought and sold property in three states and found our experience with Claudia to be truly outstanding vs previous agents. We worked with Claudia for 7 months. During this time she helped us quickly learn the unique SF marketplace. Claudia helped us find our dream house, on-budget and within the neighborhood we wanted. Claudia had our backs the entire way and was a highly skilled partner through the ever stressful negotiation and closing process. She is even pointing us in the right direction with contractors, repair services, and more to make the place our own after close. If you are considering real estate in one of the most difficult markets in the country, you want Claudia at your side."

"My husband and I worked with Claudia Siegel over the better part of a year to find and purchase the perfect home in San Francisco at a reasonable price. Sound impossible? The journey was long and definitely involved a number of disappointing failing bids. But working with Claudia helped us find AND finally purchase a beautiful home in a wonderful neighborhood, at a price significantly below asking. Less than a month later, Claudia helped us sell our condo in Mission Bay for well over what most comparable units were going for, on price per-square-foot basis. The offer? A preemptive bid offered prior to our first open house! Would I recommend Claudia to a friend? Absolutely. In fact I already have and will continue to do so. Claudia has extensive experience in the San Francisco market and an obvious understanding of its many neighborhoods and unique architectural styles. I cannot understate the importance of this when you are new to buying real estate in the city. She is a true professional in her field. Even though my husband I were very discerning in our preferences, and possibly came in with expectations that were too high for this market, Claudia was absolutely supportive of our aggressive approach to the bidding process. It certainly paid off for us in the end. Claudia was also extremely responsive. Emails and phone calls were almost always instantaneous answered and she was even able to manage one bidding process while she was away on vacation. (Not that we would have planned it that way, but it goes to show her ability, commitment and professionalism). I was also impressed at how well connected Claudia is to individuals who offer quality, pertinent services. During the course of our several week long home inspection Claudia was able to provide us with excellent recommendations for general contractors, engineers, and architects. Now that we're in the home, she has put us in contact with the painter who we have since decided to hire for a significant project. She also provided a great reference for a home stager who did a wonderful job in the marketing of our condo. All this AND she was wonderful with our one year old who adores her. Looking back on the past year, I can't imagine having gone through our major purchases and sales without Claudia's help"

"We just closed on our condo in SF thanks to Claudia Siegel with Zephyr Realty. She was amazing and I know we got the top price because of the excellent job she did. From writing up the description of our place, which captured every detail we put into remodeling, to pushing through until the deal was closed and recorded. I cannot say enough great things about Claudia and her efforts to get us the best price for our condo. If anyone is thinking of selling call Claudia, she will not only get the job done but will get you the best price for you place! "

"If you don't know Claudia, you should. I mean even if you aren't buying real estate, seriously, she is awesome. With all the apps and easy access to listings etc. it often begs the question of why have a broker. Coming from NYC, where you don't need to review 500 page disclosures before making an offer, and the offers are not way above the list price, this was a learning experience for us. Claudia was all over the details, read disclosures, pointed out risks and often challenged us as to whether the place was really right for us. It can be exhausting chasing a place in SF and at times you feel like you should just make an offer on something. Claudia understood what we wanted and what we did not want to compromise on and a few times she talked us out of making offers because she did not think it was right and she was always right. Never pushed us but always on top of when things needed to happen if we were interested. Also very diligent in executing the details to inspect and land the right place and the right deal. Love Claudia."

"We had a complex deal that involved big challenges both in terms of completing the financing and also dealing with a group of sellers. Claudia worked very hard for us, providing great advice and keeping us sane. Claudia knows what she's doing, works hard, and is extremely organized. She pushed & negotiated hard for us, but also stayed fair to everyone in the process. I've recommended her to several friends and plan on working with her again. You won't be sorry :-)"

"We just sold our home in Twin Peaks under the wise and Watchful eye of Claudia and we gladly and enthusiastically recommend her for many reasons. Claudia was accessible and diligent in all of her communications with us, she is tapped into and knowledgable of the San Francisco market trends, she is a wealth of information and resources due to her time on the job here in the city and her tenacious integrity. We also simply had a great time with her which is important in the context of a major renovation and sale in San Francisco's rapidly changing and competitive market. She is a great negotiator with amazing follow through. Trust us... you will be glad that you chose to work with Claudia."

"My listing had more than it's share of tricky twists and turns and Claudia was on top of everything. I'm a real estate agent in Grass Valley and she sold my condo in S.F. and I am so glad I never considered trying to list it myself because there is no way I could have done as good a job as she did. She is a great negotiator and had fantastic resources to paint, stage and generally fix my place up. You won't find a better real estate agent than her."

"Claudia just helped us buy our next place! Aside from her real estate expertise, the thing that really helped in this and the previous purchase was Claudia's relationship with the other agent. She was able to negotiate some extremely critical seller credits and concessions as we were stretching on this purchase. Her ability to communicate and connect with people is a huge advantage for buyers in this crazy market. She was also always patient with us during the long-ish search and good about giving us needed reality checks."

"Claudia was amazing at facilitating the sale of a relative's home in SF. She expertly guided me through the clean up, repairs, and bringing the property to market. Within 5 weeks of emptying the house, floors were refinished, painting was done, appliances were installed, the garden was reworked, and the house was on the market. Ten days later, we had 8 offers, all over asking price. Needless to say, she knows the market and understands how to present a home to the widest audience. She is an expert communicator and very efficient during negotiations, besides being a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend Claudia to anyone thinking of selling a property in the SF market. "

"Claudia recently helped us purchase a 2nd home. It was outside of the city, and her usual area, but she quickly appraised herself of the local market, and got us a great price on a very desirable property. Throughout the process she was patient, communicative, and displayed a keen eye for detail, on the various questions that arose. She is a consummate professional, and I would not have wanted anyone else handling this purchase. Thank you again Claudia."

"Claudia worked diligently with me to get the house ready to put on the market. She is very resourceful and helped with the coordination of contractors, painters, plumbers, etc. to get work done on the house prior to listing it. She is an excellent communicator, very responsive, flexible and extremely organized. She is a true real estate professional who puts her clients first. She made the entire process very seamless and was a pleasure to work with. I would definitely recommend Claudia and I would work with her again!"