kind words spanning three decades of incredible clients and professional partnerships
Of all of the many decisions involved in selling my house, choosing to partner with Deb was the best and most critical I made. Preparing my home of 25 years for sale was arduous and a process several years in the making. With Deb's expertise and calm professionalism each step was managed and well-planned.
Knowledge of the nuances and details of selling a home was accessible to me thanks to Deb's preparedness and explanation. She answered all of my questions - and there were many - with wisdom and patience. From market analysis, staging, landscaping, city and county compliance, negotiation, documentation control, etc., she is an expert with invaluable experience.
Deb listens and took time to understand who I am which allowed for important and difficult tasks to be accomplished efficiently. Because she's so skilled and has a keen sense of humor, I was often amazed at the fun we had while working so hard. Deb made me feel like my home sale was the most important on her schedule and that she only had my best interests in mind. It seemed there was almost nothing she wouldn't do to help me in the process of selling my home - "above and beyond" doesn't quite measure her efforts. The difficult and sometimes overwhelming decisions were mine, but I felt as if I had a team of 10 supporting me all embodied within this one truly remarkable person. The house got sold…and I got a new true friend.
There is no one else I would consider working with when selling or buying a home and you will find yourself in a most fortunate position if you choose to work with Deb. She's simply the best at all she does.
Laura P
Fairfax Seller
My husband and I have known Deb for many years and knew we were in good hands with her, but we had no idea just how speedily and seamlessly she would deliver an outstanding result on two counts. Deb handled the sale of our home in San Rafael in a record 5 days on market - achieving over the asking price, together with the simultaneous purchase of our new home in Novato. She synchronized the transactions to close in parallel with a chain of three parties involved - an amazing feat. We are thrilled with how the transactions went and can't thank Deb enough for her 'emotional intelligence' and real estate 'smarts' throughout the process. Her eye for detail is extraordinary and an added bonus is she is a wonderfully warm and clever advisor.
Charles and Kathryn Hardeman
Deb has helped us buy and sell a few houses in Fairfax and San Anselmo. She is our go-to agent and we cannot say enough good things about this agent. She is so professional and responsive and at the same time, she is so personable, fair and makes every step of the way pleasant. Some of our purchases have been from afar and she made the process easy. She definitely was born for this profession which we witnessed many times when she went the extra mile for us. We look forward to moving back to the Bay Area and using the services of Deb Mainas once again!
Sandy Harford & Rob Kabus
San Anselmo Homeowner
Debora Mainas was our agent in selling our house and buying another last spring in Ross. We were the sort of annoying clients who constantly vacillated about selling. We told Debora we’d sell only if we could attract a high enough price to make it an easy decision. Debora understood and never pressured us to sway from our objective. She advised us on ways to make our home more attractive to buyers, setting us up with wonderful handymen, cleaning people and decorators who whipped the house into shape – at very little costs to us. (When she retires, her Rolodex surely will go to auction).
When Debora found a potential buyers for our house, she negotiated endlessly to work out an agreement amenable to all, something we thought impossible at the time. She explored all the angles, finally cobbling together a complicated deal that allowed us to sell our home at a great price and buy a wonderful home a mile away.
Debora’s greatest asset in negotiations, I think, is not her intelligence, experience and wit – though they are essential. What sets Debora apart and inspires so much trust is her integrity and patience. She understands that her job is not just about selling floorboards and patios and crown molding. It’s about the intangibles – a sense of space, an indefinable feeling of comfort, perhaps a memory from childhood.
If we ever move again (Lord help us), we would enlist Debora’s help once more. I wouldn’t trust the job to anyone else.
Sincerely,
Joan Ryan
Ross Home Owner, Columnist for the SF Chronicle
Debora, Just a note to thank you for your generosity in always being willing to share knowledge, brainstorm and cooperate with your fellow agents. You are a credit to our industry! Thank you for assisting me more than once.
Isobel Wiener, Realtor
RE/max
Deb Mainas has been an outstanding real estate agent for us. She has incredible amount of experience in real estate and knows the area that we were interested in (Kentfield-Greenbrae) inside and out. She is well known throughout the community and has an excellent reputation. She was always very responsive and listened carefully to what we wanted. Deb is a skilled negotiator so we always felt she represented us in very effective manner. In addition, she has an A-Team of professionals she works with. Deb referred us an excellent contractor, Julio Sanchez of Universal Construction who did an excellent job of remodeling our bathroom. He did it very quickly and absolutely beautifully with great attention to detail. We are now living in a beautiful home, customized to our needs and this would not have been possible without the help of Deb Mainas.
Take care,
Sandy Sary
Greenbrae Homeowner
We were so blessed to work with Deb to purchase our first home in Marin. She is super knowledgeable, especially in regards to school districts, home improvements and the real estate market. We couldn't have been happier with the outcome of our home search.
Travis & Ella Day
San Rafael Homeowner
I highly recommend Deb Mainas as a realtor in Marin. I first met Deb when at the suggestion of our home designer, we brought in Deb to provide us with her take on the market value of our home. (We had been considering selling our home and moving in the same neighborhood, but eventually decided hold off on a sale.) I found Deb to be extremely professional, approachable, market savvy, and sharp. I immediately liked her style and her charming, honest personality. Several months later, I approached Deb to help with a residential investment property purchase. I needed to make a 1031 tax exchange on an investment property and in order to defer taxes, had to find a suitable replacement property in 45 days.
My budget for the investment property was relatively low for Marin home prices, and I know Deb had other clients with multi-million dollar budgets and projects. However she made me feel as important as any of her clients, and stayed focused on my real estate needs. Deb scoured the market for appropriate homes for my review, and with her own experience as a rental-property owner, was able to guide me to find properties that would maximize my return and minimize initial workload. Deb spent countless hours showing me properties, some of which we both decided would be unsuitable, and others we pursued. The real estate market in Marin was in a crazy boom period during this time, and inventory was remarkably low, especially in my price range. We had a few frustrating experiences when preliminary inspections eliminated a target property as good investment for me. Deb was amazingly patient as I sorted through my sometimes wavering investment objectives, and was a steady and calm sounding board whenever I needed her (often). Week after week, Deb was flexible, resilient and encouraging, keeping me on track and assuring me that we would find a property. She also showed great professionalism with the Realtors we met at open houses and in negotiations, and has a rare ability to communicate openly and directly, yet with tact and diplomacy. She knew the right questions to ask, and I was comforted that she clearly had my long-term goals in mind and was not merely in it for the one-time commission.
When we finally found a property that would meet my needs, Deb led me through the offer process, making the whole transaction as smooth and simple as possible. She was always reachable for my questions, and she represented me and my interests at all times. Deb was an invaluable resource to me throughout the months of searching, and I am sure I could not have located and secured the right replacement property without her help. Next time I need a real estate professional, I will absolutely call on Deb.
Cynthia Kula
Los Angeles Investment Property Owner
Debora Mainas was the seller’s agent on a house my wife and I sold last Fall in Ross at 8 Fernhill Ave. In the course of the sale we worked with Debora to handle a large number of issues as they came up. She helped us with pricing, with determining what cosmetic issues should be resolved before going on the market, with staging the house, with timing our entry into the market, with determining what offer to counter and to accept, with negotiating with the buyers over the givebacks, and, after the sale, with providing the buyer with information about the house.
As in most real estate dealings, not all moments were easy. Debora was able to keep her focus and our spirits positive during the adverse moments. She has a rare mix of experience, intelligence, motivation, professionalism, and social skills. She is extremely agile at adapting to the sudden changes in direction that a deal can take.
On top of everything else, Debora is a consummate net-worker. She is the agent in Ross that other agents rely on to sniff out what is happening Is the market. We nearly sold our house before it ever got onto the market because of these contacts.
In summary, I would say that Debora was both a delight to work with and a navigator to a deal at a very good price. In my mind, you need both to make the wrenching experience of selling your house tolerable.
Nick Robins
Novato Homeowner
I have known and been associated with Debora Mainas for several years not only as a fellow Realtor, but now as her Managing Broker. Her reputation in the community is impeccable. She is ranked in the top 5% of all Coldwell Banker Agents in Northern California and she has attained the designation of international President’s Elite, Coldwell Banker’s highest award.
Debora’s ethics are above approach and she is one of the major reasons our office has become the Number One office not only in Marin County, but in all of Northern California Coldwell Banker Offices.
We look forward to many more years of being associated with Debora.
Paul A. Lehman
Managing Broker
Coldwell Banker Residential Mortgage
I am writing this letter regarding Debra to attest to her abilities as a fellow agent. I have been involved with Debra over the past six years and just as recently as last month, completed another deal with her resulting in a very successful and satisfactory conclusion. Her clients, the sellers should have been ecstatic regarding the price she obtained for them, and my clients, the buyers could not be happier with their new home. In this day and age of all too many lawsuits, it is a real pleasure to deal with another agent who is calm, well informed and a professional in every way.
Debora and I, along with a few others are involved in a very special network group of agents who deal almost exclusively in “high-end” properties and who represent buyers of impeccable taste and high expectations. The purpose of our group is to network with other agents knowing there will be a strong sense of professionalism and camaraderie which will help to keep us abreast of listings and buyers in our respective offices and all over the county.
I know she is an exceptional listing agent as her track record shows.
Karen Plastiras
3rd Generation Marin Realtor
Pacific Union Residential Brokerage
Over the past ten years Rob and I have sold and purchased four homes. We have had a wide range of experiences with Realtors. Not until our relationship with Debora has there been such a complete “package” within one person. Her attention to detail, knowledge of the marketplace, negotiation skills and most importantly to us, her integrity and calmness she brings to the transaction.
Debora has been an advocate for us as both the seller and buyer of multimillion dollar properties. In each case our transactions went smoothly and all of our needs were met…..and then some!
Erin Becker
Marin Multi Homeowner
I don’t know even how to begin to thank you for all your help you been to Terry and I in buying the house! We truly would not have done it without you – and your tact and ability to talk to Terry and understand how we felt – really got us through the last few months! Hopefully, by this Spring, our yard will look like the picture on this card! Please, I hope you’ll be over for visits a lot! I too feel like we’ve made a real friend – once again, thank you!
Pat Keats, Managing Librarian
San Francisco Historical Museum
Deb has a calm and collected personality and she is also very personable, gracious and fun. She has been great with us as we've gotten our family beach house ready to sell. She has been very sensitive about our sentimental attachments and has never pressured us.
Stephen and Karen Clayton
Oakland Homeowner
It’s been fun working with you on your marketing projects. Very refreshing to have a client with creative/artistic abilities, photography skills, and visualization talent. Your ideas are very original and unique. I look forward to more projects in the future!
Nancy Norstad, Marketing Director
Kismet Adventures, San Rafael
