:: Dana Harkin and Todd Calsyn ::

This may sound like a cliche, but Amy Pell was much more than a realtor to me during our house-hunting process. I was a native Pennsylvanian dragging my feet about moving to the big city to be with my now-husband, and Amy helped me see how I could feel at home in Los Angeles---this was a great gift to me. We met Amy at the first open house we attended, and after almost 6 months of searching for houses with her, we ended up right back where we started---we bought that first house. But, Amy was utterly patient with my need to see various areas of L.A. and explained the geography as we drove around. I knew the moment I met her that I wanted her on my side. Knowing who to trust in real estate can be difficult, but Amy exudes a genuine warmth that is completely appealing, and I needed that kind of personal connection. The fact that Amy is an animal lover and hails originally from the east coast sealed the deal for me---she was my real estate soul mate! She also excels at reading personalities and knew exactly when and how to guide us, without pressure or her own agenda. Her kind nature aside, she goes to bat for her clients with great tenacity. A hard worker, she was always totally organized with a list of houses for me to see whenever I was in town from PA, and made herself available to my traveling schedule and my husband's work schedule. Amy helped us keep a wary eye out for any undesirable qualities in the houses we saw, with the mantra that she wanted to put us in the right house. And that's exactly what she did. We are completely in love with our little place on the planet.

:: Elizabeth Newman ::

Until I met Amy, I had no idea what a real estate agent could do! I thought that the agent was just the buffer between you and the person on the other side of the transaction. But Amy showed me that the best agent does much, much, more.

Every house has its problems, but Amy didn’t just tell us what the problems were. She offered practical, cost-conscious solutions to them, and she did the legwork to put them in place. I lost count of the number of times I heard her say, “Let me get another estimate, and I’ll call you back.” From plumbers to stagers, Amy had everything under control. She treated the house she was selling for us as if it were her own, and she was as serious and careful about our budgetary issues as if they were her own.

One of the reasons that Amy was so good at putting solutions in place was that she is a superb negotiator. A bull-headed, hard-charging agent can’t persuade the way she can. She has an uncanny ability to enter into another person’s point of view, which lets her present her position from within that other person’s outlook. Her negotiation style doesn’t feel adversarial, because the other side feels that she’s negotiating within their framework. We saw this again and again in our transaction, and we reaped the benefit of it again and again.

Buying or selling a house is an emotional experience. Amy really understands that. She’ll talk seriously with you about all of the aspects of this house or that house that make it, for you, something so much more than just shelter. She’ll talk with you about how those things should or shouldn’t affect the sale price. With her, we ended up asking a price for our house that was substantially higher than the price that two other agents had suggested. Our house sold for its full asking price after just one day on the market. We were thrilled. We are lucky to have had Amy as our agent.

:: Danny Holt ::

Amy Pell made the home-buying experience a joy. She is smart, savvy, and resourceful. Rather than pushing me, she listened to me and helped me make the best possible decisions, helping me explore all my options.

As a first-time homebuyer, I had many questions. Amy was an invaluable resource, always answering my questions promptly and thoroughly, referring me to others when appropriate, and even researching and finding answers to complex questions that arose throughout the process.

The amount and quality of attention that I received from Amy far exceeded my expectations, and it was a great comfort to know that she was always so genuinely invested in helping me. She went above and beyond the call of duty on numerous occasions, from the very beginning through escrow and, indeed, beyond closing.

Amy is a skilled communicator, always polite and respectful, but still willing to fight for her client when necessary. She strikes the perfect balance between being compassionate and aggressive.

It was a pleasure working with Amy and I can’t imagine having survived the real estate rollercoaster without her. Prospective homebuyers should jump at the opportunity to work with Amy Pell.

Danny Holt [holtdc@yahoo.com]

:: Raye and Joe Mathis ::

Amy Pell: A Real Estate Broker for the 21st Century

We are in our 70s and live on the east coast. Our son and his family live on the west coast. When we decided to search for a condo near our son for more extended visits, we had the good fortune to find Amy Pell to help us in our search. After several months of searching by Amy and our daughter-in-law, the "right" condo appeared. Although we saw photos, due to our obligations on the east coast we were unable to go to the west coast to see it for ourselves at any time during the sale or closing. After a series of offers and counter-offers, an offer was accepted with a 30-day close. Amy sent us a detailed time-line with the steps to meet this closing and, with us on the east coast, she managed everything on the west coast. We obtained our loan from an online loan company and the paperwork for the closing was done over the Internet. Amy stayed on top of each step, during the entire 30 days. She phoned us daily, and sometimes several times a day, with the exception of two days when she was going to be unavailable about which she told us ahead of time.

This was the first time we had bought a home in 20 years and the requirements and paper work had changed drastically. Due to the complex terminology, we would have been lost without Amy. In spite of the multiple pages of forms and documents Amy had an incredible ability to keep up with all of them.

One of us is a retired NASA engineer and wanted to read and understand every line and had many questions about details of the documents. Amy patiently answered these questions to our satisfaction. No matter what day of the week or time of day, she kept in touch with us about the status of the process. To her credit, Amy kept things moving at a fast pace, yet we never felt hurried, rushed or forgotten during the process.

We used every capability we had with computers, smart phones, scanners, Fed Ex, and the US post office to transmit documents back and forth to be signed. We are still amazed that we could buy a condo on the opposite coast without ever leaving our home. We give Amy a large measure of credit for that.

We recommend Amy Pell very highly, even, and especially, if you're looking to buy a home at a distance.

:: Sean Xia ::

Dear Buyers & Sellers,

As a happy new home owner, I’m very pleased to recommend Amy Pell as your real estate broker. I spent almost two years searching for my new home and Amy was there throughout the whole journey. I can say I got to know Amy pretty well. I know Amy’s sweetheart is her dog and she hates people cruel to animals. I know Amy loves flowers and plants and is very knowledgeable about them as well. I also know Amy’s favorite shopping center is the Super King market and she drops by every chance she got. What else do I know about Amy? She is a great broker who will take care of you.

I’m a real estate broker myself, on the commercial side. We do billions of dollars of transactions every year. When I say Amy is super at transaction management, I mean it. She knows legal language very well, so you will be protected throughout the process. Amy reads everything thrown her way and she can answer any question you might have. When you have to sign hundreds of pages of legal documents with strange terms that you don’t know much about, you want a trustworthy advisor to help you out. Amy is that person.

Amy is also very well organized. The whole complicated transaction appears super simple and easy to her. We were under pressure to close quickly in less than 30 days and Amy made the whole transaction smooth. She was like the conductor of a whole orchestra. She manages all types of inspections and works with consultants, loan officers, escrow, seller agents, etc. All the messy legal documents ended up in a simple binder, well labeled and well organized. This is the third place I bought and I’ve never seen a real estate broker so well organized before.

Amy is very patient and professional. She will advice on your interest and she will never try to persuade you to buy something quick, so she can collect her commissions. This is pretty hard to do, especially in this economy.

When you add up all the professional skills and highest ethics together, you get the picture of Amy that I’m trying to describe. If you need someone to take good care of you, give Amy a try. If you still have any doubt, please feel free to email me any question at zhenyu_xia@yahoo.com.

Good luck and happy house hunting!

- Sean

:: Robin & Allan von Halle ::

Amy Pell is an amazing realtor. She is delightful to work with and goes above and beyond her job description.
She did an incredible job helping us stage our property in a very cost effective manner. Her guidance throughout the myriad of decisions we had to make was right on. In a difficult economic climate we received four offers at the end of the first week that the property was on the market and escrow closed within a month.
We think Amy is the best and we highly recommend her.

:: Jennifer and Jeff Lehman ::

To Whom It May Concern,

I am most pleased to write a reference letter for Amy Pell.

You think YOU'RE picky? My husband and I easily looked at over 100 houses before finding the perfect home. Amy was patient and understanding and we never felt any pressure from her while our search went on, and on, and on.

Once we found our dream home, Amy made the buying process stress free (as stress free as buying your first house can be). She was always available by phone or e-mail to answer any questions. Even after we had moved into our home, Amy still made herself available to us for questions, concerns and anything we needed. She checked in with us from time to time to make sure all was well and we really appreciated that.

Our experience with Amy was great and we would highly recommend her to any of our friends looking to purchase their first home or any home.

I would be more than happy to speak further on how great Amy was as our realtor. I can be reached at jennifer.lehman3@gmail.com.

:: Lilly Hecht and Mike Wunsch ::

Amy was indispensable to us as first time home buyers. She helped simplify the process for us and took the time to explain anything we had questions about and more. At first we weren't sure what we were looking for exactly, and she was always patient and helped us refine our thoughts and eventually find a home that was perfect for us. She made herself very available, and we really appreciated her hard work and calm, knowledgeable attitude throughout the entire process of multiple offers, counteroffers, paperwork, escrow, everything. She is an honest real estate agent and we plan on going back to her for all our future real estate needs.

:: Crystin and Ian Cox ::

When we prepared to buy our first home we were nervous, luckily we found Amy. Through the entire process Amy was always there with sound advice, lots of options, and a sense of humor. The house buying process can be confusing, especially in this market, but Amy made us feel confident and informed. It is not an overstatement to say that without her, we could not have made our purchase. Not only are we thrilled with our new home, but we can look back on the entire process fondly because Amy was such a pleasure to work with. We would (and have) recommend Amy to anyone in need of a real estate agent, she is honest, caring, and hard working. We know that when the time comes to move on to our next home, Amy will be the first person we call.

:: Debra Slabo and Eric McAvoy ::

Buying your first home can be a daunting and discouraging process, but Amy was very supportive and always made us feel important. With Amy’s impeccable grace and guidance we were able to successfully purchase our first home. From our first meeting up to the present, Amy has always been willing to give her advice and sound guidance. We began our process with little hope for a house but because of Amy’s knowledge of the San Fernando Valley and diligent searches, she was able to match us with a house that fits our needs and our price range.

She was very patient with us and never made us feel rushed, pushed, or unimportant. In fact, she very clearly pointed out the pluses and minuses of every house we looked at. At no time did Amy ever force us to look at a property. Moreover, she even told us when she thought a property was not a good fit for our needs. Amy is very well versed in the San Fernando Valley real estate market. Amy searched thoroughly for us. We felt that there was not a property in the locations, price or within our needs that we did not look at. Amy’s focus is matching people with the properties that will make them happy and satisfied.

Once we decided to make an offer on the property we actually purchased, Amy carefully explained the entire process to us. We felt very safe that she would take care of all of the issues that arise in the escrow process. She successfully negotiated a fair charge-off for us and made sure that escrow closed on time and correctly.

Even after we had purchased and moved into our home, Amy offered her support with recommendations for gardeners and housekeepers to help with dealing with neighbors. We know if we ever had any problems arise with our home we could call Amy and she would gladly help us with advice and support.

When we ever have a need for a real estate agent in the future, without question we would go with Amy Pell. We would recommend her to anyone who wants an honest, positive and hard-working agent for any real estate transaction.

:: Dana Landis and Sandamal Silva ::

I wanted to thank you for the terrific job you did in helping us locate and buy the perfect house. You listened very carefully to the qualities we were looking for in a home, you sent us a range of appropriate listings that we would not have found on our own, and you were patient with and respectful of our decision-making process.

You were so well attuned to what we were looking for that our first outing with you was very encouraging. And as you know, we found our new house that day. From that point on, you were a source of honest guidance and sound advice. You helped us through every step of the buying process, which turned out to be far more complicated than I had anticipated. The entire process was made easier by the fact that we could really trust you to advocate for us when we needed you, and assist us when we felt overwhelmed. And through it all, we never felt that you were pushing us or selling to us. You were our trusted advisor. And we feel very thankful to have had you in our corner as we ventured into the complex and unfamiliar process of buying a home.

We spent our third night in our new house, and it’s been wonderful. Both Sandamal and I want to thank you again for helping us buy our dream home. We honestly couldn’t have done it without you.

Please know that you are welcome to visit any time (you know where we are!), and we very much look forward to working with you in the future.

:: Anita Reetz and Jim McGiffert ::

Dear Amy,

This letter is belated, but a heartfelt thanks for managing the sale of our home in Los Angeles this summer.

Throughout the process, from first meeting to final goodbyes, you were understanding, cooperative, and helpful. Your advice on pricing was just right. We were thrilled that bidding and final sale price exceeded our asking price. You gave us very effective suggestions on preparing the place for showing. You were there for all the open houses and generated a lot of buyer interest in our home. All of the endless paperwork was appropriately explained to us and you oversaw all the escrow details. We very much appreciate your getting a good escrow deal for us.

We highly recommend you as a realtor. You\'re top notch and terrific to work with!!

:: Nancy Berman & John Goudreau ::

Amy Pell is a real estate agent and fairy godmother all rolled into one! Her respect and understanding of our needs meant that she knew the right kinds of houses to show us. In addition to having an unending supply of patience and good humor, she also has a designer\'s eye which is especially helpful when you\'re looking at houses "with potential." Once we cleared the hunting hurdle, Amy provided an invaluable service by guiding us through the horrific and overwhelming jungle of paperwork. Three months (throughout a very hot summer) and 70+ properties later, we moved into a wonderful house which met all the criteria we had listed before we ever started looking. My husband and I cannot imagine going through this process with anyone else!

:: Demetrio Cuzzocrea ::

Dear Amy:

As you know, we\'ve been in our new home for several months now - and wanted to be sure to write you to wish you Happy New Year and to let you know how great a part you played in ensuring this will be our happiest New Year yet...

We simply cannot say enough about how wonderful it was to have you as our realtor, particularly since we were in the market for our very first home. Your enthusiasm about our individual search and your knowledge of the area were invaluable to my fiancée and me. You were willing to check out any and every whim we had, as we zeroed in on the kind of home we wanted (and could reasonably afford) and where we wanted to live. We ended up with a long list of attributes we hoped would be met in our first home - but were somewhat skeptical it would happen given the real estate market. How thrilled we were to find a home with everything we wanted in the exact area we wanted. Making that first bid could have been completely nerve-wracking, but you made us feel comfortable and confident that our bid was at a price we could afford - and then to have it accepted first time out of the gate and get the house! We couldn\'t believe it.

Not only did you successfully guide us through escrow, you did so in a way that our eyes were open about improvements needed down the road so we could plan ahead to increase the value of our home - and even helped us get our closing costs covered by the Seller!

Now we\'re first-time home-owners, married, settled into our new home, and absolutely love our new place! By the way, the appraisal from our mortgage company came back significantly higher than what we paid for the house!

Amy, thanks so much for all of your efforts on our behalf last year. Please let us know if we can ever help you with a reference or recommendation to future clients lucky enough to have you on their team.

All the best in the New Year!

:: Mr. and Mrs. Rege ::

To Whom It May Concern:

We purchased our first home in July 2005 and our agent was Ms. Amy Pell. We were very satisfied with her assistance and guidance during the home search process. She navigated us through the home selection process by explaining to us all the details involved when starting to look for a home.

Every week and almost every weekend during the search period, she would drive us to locations all over the valley and Los Angeles. At each home, she advised us of things to ‘look out for’ that we would not have thought of ourselves. Amy really spent time learning about our needs and concerns so she could be as helpful as possible.

We were able to narrow down our search and finally decide on a home. She even guided us through the escrow process and negotiated on our behalf with the sellers. All this made the final stages of the buying process run very smoothly.

Amy really understands that buying a home is not only a financial decision but also an emotional one. It is a process that cannot be rushed because when you find the perfect home, you will be happy and satisfied.

We would recommend Amy Pell to anyone who is looking to buy or sell their home. She is very professional at the same time personable and caring. Amy really works hard trying to find the “perfect” house for you.