Murray Lampert Construction Review

Murray Lampert did an amazing job for our family.  We added a second story with two bedrooms and two baths and couldn't be happier.  The job came in under budget and was completed a month early...yes that's right....UNDER BUDGET AND FINISHED EARLY!

Don, our foreman, and his crew, showed up every day and worked the entire day then cleaned inside and outside,  every single day!  Don was full of good ideas, things we probably would have overlooked otherwise, and several of them actually saved us money.

We started our job during winter and they went out of their way to make sure our home was functional during Christmas even though the entire back of our home was wide open.

The true test came when we had a series of storms while the roof and entire back wall of the house was gone.  They said they couldn't guarantee a dry house but would do their best.  Well, not a drop found it's way into our home.

I'd be happy to post before and after photo's so you can see our wonderful addition.

3545 Camino Del Rio S
Ste C
(between Scheidler Way & Mission City Pky)
San Diego, CA 92108
Serving San Diego and surrounding area

(619) 285-9222

Emerald Pacific Electric Review

I highly recommend Emerald Pacific Electric without reservation.   I met Mark and Chris at a Home Depot while cruising for various home improvement stuff.  Mark was kind enough to help me figure out which switches I needed for my specific issue. I got his card and emailed later that night and asked for a quote for various projects, he promptly responded with a very reasonable quote.  I have a lot of experience hiring contractors as we did a whole house remodel several years back. I've had quotes from contractors that jack up the price once I tell them I live in La Jolla.  Once I received his quote I knew I didn't have to get a competitive bid.

They were on time, professional and did work ranging from installing a fancy Euro chandelier to changing a few three way light switches.  I was going to change light switches myself as I normally do but of all the home improvement projects, the ones dealing with electricity are ones that I most worry about so I just added them to the list. The chandelier installation went perfectly as did everything else.

San Diego, CA 92109

(858) 412-9278

Saffron Realty Group Review

After being first completely blown off by big local firm, I came to Yelp, who sent me to Saffron. And Saffron sent me to Jennifer, who is the most awesome real estate agent a first-time home buyer can ever hope to meet.

I keep rewriting this part, hoping I can succinctly put down just how damn lucky you're going to be if Jennifer is your agent. Jennifer is a first-time home buyer's savior. She took all of my neurotic questions, anxiety-ridden emails, endless rehashing of information we'd already gone over in stride and never made me feel like I was an idiot or a pain.

After an informational meeting at a coffee shop in our neighborhood (to accomodate our schedules with a baby -- at her suggestion) we embarked on the Search. I think we looked at about 25 houses, if not more. It might be closer to 40. It's all a blur. And from the word Go, Jennifer had me pegged. Looking at the houses, I knew she knew what I wanted to find, and that was great.

It seemed like our process on the house we actually ended up buying ran into a few snags, but then they always do. Here Jennifer really went out of her way, procuring vendors and doing whatever necessary to help us out.

So, I hope you've gathered that Jennifer is awesome. And you will not go wrong with Saffron Realty.

2538 W Chicago Ave
(between Rockwell St & Maplewood Ave)
Chicago, IL 60622
Serving Chicago and surrounding area
Neighborhood: Humboldt Park

(773) 496-4111

Best Chicago Properties Review

If you are looking for a property in Chicago, Chuck Gullet from Best Chicago Properties is the answer to all your prayers.  I hate real estate brokers.  I mean, REALY hate working with brokers.  My experiences with them while renting in Manhattan were horrible.  Chuck has changed my mind.

We recently relocated from NYC to Chicago.  Chuck showed us 40-50 properties, helped us with several offers that fell through until we found the winner in the South Loop area.  Chuck was always very professional, personable, honest, patient and hard working.  He was quick to respond to any and all questions, even while on vacation!  He steered us away from buildings that he knew had issues, regardless of whether he could get an easy sale out of us.

He always worked very hard on our behalf and should have earned the seller's commission on our property.  The seller used Scott Graden from @properties.  DO NOT EVER use them - he swindled the seller out of money for marketing and pictures that were never provided and did NOTHING to help sell the property.  Chuck made up for every one of Scott's faults and helped us find a property that I am very excited to own.

Again, I cannot say enough good things about working with Chuck.  He made a long, hard process much easier to handle and survive.  Now we are first-time homeowners with our dream loft condo.  If you are looking to buy, don't waste your time with other brokers.  Call Chuck now.  You will thank me for it.

847 W Monroe St
Ste 1A
(between Green St & Peoria St)
Chicago, IL 60607
Serving Chicago and surrounding area
Neighborhoods: Near West Side, West Loop

(312) 563-5300

Faye Dibachi - Zephyr Real Estate Review

Although I worked with Faye three years ago, it never occurred to me to write a Yelp review, as I've only written one before (Mike's Bikes - yay!). But given what Justin K. has written about her, I am moved to write a mini essay  to balance the books.

Faye was my realtor when I bought my beautiful TIC unit in Hayes Valley three years ago (yes, the same one as Tarina S. down below, she is my next door neighbor!), and she was so smart and competent and cool and knowledgeable that she ended up representing three of the four people in our group.

Faye expertly navigated us through the difficult negotiations and meetings and legal mumbo jumbo involved in such a complex transaction, and also managed me and my rather hyper expectations of a short closing date with considerable aplomb. In fact, she did so with so much class and confidence that she is now my good friend as well as my realtor.

Now that I am building a house in Pacifica and thinking about selling my delightful TIC (did I mention how nice it is?), Faye is the realtor that I have turned to for advice and representation, and I recommend her with gusto every time anyone asks me if I know a good realtor in San Francisco.

2523 California St
(between Pierce St & Steiner St)
San Francisco, CA 94115
Neighborhoods: Lower Pac Heights, Pacific Heights

(415) 577-0050