Testimonials

"Shirley and Scott were our real estate agents for our first sale. From the first moment we met with them (before hire) they approached the opportunity with candor, openness and quickly became trusted advisors. They spent 1.5hours with us just in the initial meeting before we even hired them patiently answering all of our questions, especially given our newness to selling property and how it all works. Once we hired them, first step was walking through the property and determining what to fix or change to help make the property more attractive. They approached the process of collecting quotes and evaluating the value of a given project as if it were their own and never pushed us or asked a 2nd time to get anything done if had already decided against it. Additionally, they had a network of painters, handyman, landscapers, etc they reached out to to help us get quotes and make sure work would be completed quickly. They also acknowledged our ability to DIY select items and allowed us to handle those items ourselves, completely trusting us. Once we begun such work, Shirley and Scott were excellent project managers making sure which worker was in there doing what especially if there were dependencies (example: carpet cleaners done before stagers go in).

They managed the time very well making sure everything was done in time for our target weekend including photos and flyers. They utilized their strong network to make sure other agents knew this property was coming up for sale. And they leveraged our discussions and notes to highlight differentiating factors of the house and especially the upgrades we had made during our time in the house. This especially helped as a couple houses in the neighborhood had been up for sale over the 6 months prior to our sale. Buyers were comparing those recent sales to our house for comps. But Shirley and Scott ensured that the buyers and agents knew how this property had more features, allowing for us to actually reach some record breaking numbers in terms of appointment bookings pre-open house weekend, number of families visiting during open house, number of offers and the final offer we accepted being one of the highest seen in the neighborhood. They followed through with all this work by helping us evaluate the offers in the end, reviewing any potential pitfalls in offers, and helping us secure a back-up offer in case of any issues.

In short, we highly recommend working with Shirley and Scott. They listen to you, work with you patiently and support you through the process. We would gladly list our next property with them. We believe our former neighbors are also very happy with Shirley and Scott as they elevated the value of the neighborhood in total!"

Avani & Bhavin Rokad | Seller

"Considering all of the real estate transactions we have done, hiring Scott and Shirley is the BEST move we ever made. We interviewed a number of agents and felt Scott and Shirley's professionalism, keen focus on ethics and constant transparent communications reassured us through the entire home sale process.

We hired them to be consultants on how to get the most for our home. Then we followed their advice to the letter and they sold our home for about 132% of the listing price ($2,578,000 list price and $3,417,000 final sold price). The same floor plan, next door neighbor sold 2 months before us for $2,800,000 and we would have been happy with the same price. Scott & Shirley selling ours for $617,000 MORE than the neighbor really knocked it out of the park for us.

Everything they promised to us, they delivered. They got us immediate access to contractors to do upgrades, advised us on exactly what upgrades to make, developed a gorgeous custom website, and executed a well planned sales / negotiated strategy. Honestly we should have paid them more."

Vern and Faith Andresen | Seller at 464 Bunker Lane, Pleasanton

"Since we met eight years ago, Scott and Shirley have been our real estate agents for 5 total transactions (buying and selling primary residences) and trusted advisors on other real estate opportunities. Scott and Shirley were referred to us by two sets of couple friends who worked with Scott and Shirley as their buying agents. They are truly experts in the Tri-Valley area (Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore, San Ramon, Castro Valley), and their cumulative experience and knowledge over the decades is immediately apparent when you meet them. They listen to your wants and needs. They are patient and do not pressure you (so important, especially since buying/selling a home is already a stressful situation!). They are thorough in explaining and helping you navigate the entire home buying and selling process step-by-step. They come to every phone call or meeting prepared, armoring you with data and ready to answer any questions that will help you develop a strategy that is competitive.

They have an extensive network of contacts: they connected us to lenders who are very responsive and offer competitive rates, and to service providers such as stagers, contractors, and landscapers that are affordable with high quality work that showcases your home for sale and maximizes its offer potential.

In addition, from a buyer's perspective, having Scott and Shirley as your agents gives your offer credibility. We honestly believe that in our most recent home purchase, our offer was accepted partially due to their solid reputation even within the real estate community in the Tri-Valley.

Not only have we have kept coming back and working with Scott and Shirley over the years because of their track record - they get results! - but also because they are a warm, genuine team who truly values their clients. Even after working with them, they have continually provided after sale customer care and support. They’re always there to listen and problem solve for us whether it’s giving us advice or sharing a contact or vendor who can provide quality work.

As their clients, they work tirelessly for you - and you truly feel like you are their priority or only client!"

Kim & Baron Geluz | Seller & Buyer

"I called Shirley Yang & Scott Bennett initially to find out how they sold my neighbor’s home for such a great price and very quickly. You see, my home, which is located in the same desirable neighborhood, was on the market for several months with another agent and it did not sell.

I was immediately impressed with Scott and Shirley after speaking to them and decided to give them a shot at getting my home sold. They quickly executed a plan of action which transformed the look and feel of my home, captured amazing photography, and networked and marketed the home to no end.

The end result was amazing! My home sold quickly and for a great price!! Shirley and Scott went above and beyond. I am telling everyone about this husband & wife team. They helped me with every last detail and made the process seamless."

Venkat Krishnamurthy | Seller

"I was referred to Scott and Shirley by two very close friends who were very satisfied with their work, and from the beginning, I could tell that they were committed to making my house searching process as smooth, painless, yet informed as possible. Through every step of the process - from nailing down my initial search criteria, to looking at homes, to making an offer, to close, and even post-closing - they were on hand to introduce me to lenders and contractors, facilitate communication between all parties involved, go over details and gotchas, and remind me of important milestones and deadlines. Especially during the offer period, they went above and beyond to gather as much information as they could on comps and possible bid ranges from other potential buyers, up until the day that offers were due. And throughout the whole process, they were very responsive to questions and concerns that I had, and very accommodating to my schedule.

I plan to call on Scott and Shirley again for any future home plans I might have, and have no qualms recommending them to others!"

Lester Forteza | Buyer

"Shirley and Scott are amazing. They were recommended to us by our dear friends who used them to sell their house and buy a new home. They are very professional and know what they are doing. They have an abundant amount of resources and knowledge of the market to help move a property along and fetch the highest bid.

We talked with them about 6 months before making the decision to sell. We never felt pressured along the way. They provided guidance to help through the stressful process. Everything they recommended made our home more marketable. They were transparent in the whole process with us. We put the house on the market in June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I cannot state how important their COVID precautions were to us. We did not feel at all vulnerable during the open house weekend. They made sure other agents and potential home buyers adhered to the COVID guidelines in viewing our home.

Shirley and Scott have an inexhaustible number of contacts. They were able to put us in touch with a lender who was able to give us an amazingly low rate on our new home loan. They did a lot of behind the scenes work to make sure we were taken care of.

When we were to sell or buy again, we would definitely seek them out again."

Felix & Jenny Ko | Seller & Buyer

"We met Shirley and Scott at an open house they were hosting seven years ago. We can't speak highly enough of our experience with them as our real estate agents. They are dedicated, seasoned, knowledgeable and have a vast network of contacts within the market they serve such as home inspectors, roofers and even cleaning ladies. During these years, we had several real estate transactions done with them. The most recent one was a 1031 exchange and we were new to this process. They walked us through step by step, made sure we knew what to expect, and offered expert advice that helped us through the negotiations in the competitive real estate market. Shirley and Scott went above and beyond. They even stayed up late to help us prepare the documents to submit an offer one time.

One thing that is notable to mention is that Shirley and Scott are strong advocates for their clients’ best interests. Selling the property in Oakland in the 1031 exchange requires the owner to hire a licensed contractor to conduct an inspection of the sidewalk and submit an Oakland City Sidewalk Certificate. Our sidewalk is in good condition and should not need any repair. After Shirley first contacted a contractor who charged $4,000 to repair the sidewalk, she advised us to ask for a second opinion. In the end, we finally found a contractor who did not do any work to the sidewalk and helped us submit the certificate, saving us thousands of dollars. During all this time, Shirley checked in with us regularly, making sure we were on the right track.

Shirley and Scott made our home buying and selling process easy and seamless. We highly recommend Shirley and Scott to our friends as their agents."

Roy & Pamela Chu | Seller & Buyer

"We met Shirley and Scott by chance at an Open House they were hosting and we have been grateful for that chance meeting ever since. My husband and I were contemplating moving to a slightly bigger home, but weren't sure if we were going to really make that move since we wanted to stay in the same neighborhood and elementary school. When we attended an Open House in our neighborhood just to browse, that's where we met Shirley and Scott. They understood that if we were to move, we wanted to ensure our kids stay at the same elementary school so our options were very limited. I also didn't know if we were really going to want to move, and they understood that and never pushed us. Shirley reached out a week later to just check in and I felt she was very professional and not pushy at all. She gave us the space but also gave us information in case we wanted to make a move.

When we finally made the decision several months later to put our house up for sale and look for another home, we reached out to Shirley and Scott right away because we felt they really knew what our needs were and were the best fit for us and our family to help us make this stressful change. We had to sell our house before we can purchase a new one, and it was very stressful. They walked us through every step and answered all our thousands of questions. They were always available for us and we felt they had our best interests in mind at all times. Our kids even bonded with them, which to me solidified our initial feelings about what great real estate professionals and people they are. Our house sale was not an easy process but we couldn't have gotten through it without Shirley and Scott. Throughout every issue that popped up, negotiating with agents and dealing with let downs, they were there for us. They also helped us get in to our dream home, making sure we found the best house for our family's needs and guiding us in making an offer that would secure the deal. Shirley and Scott answered all our questions, were always reachable when we needed and went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable with our decisions. I've dealt with agents in the past and they are by far the most trustworthy and knowledgeable agents we've ever dealt with. They put their clients first and work endlessly to ensure their clients are happy. I'm so happy we met them by chance and not only do we now have real estate professionals we can count on, we have made great friends."

Rodney & Cammie Salazar | Seller & Buyer

"Shirley & Scott are the best real estate professionals I ever worked with. My wife and I first met them during an Open House when she was a listing agent. Although that house wasn‘t a good fit for us, the conversation with Shirley immediately showed us that she’s knowledgeable about the market, professional, and very experienced. We ended up using their help in both selling our house in San Ramon, and buying a new house built by Toll Brothers.

Shirley exceeds all expectations representing us as seller. She gives good advice from prepping the house, strategizing the listing, staging the house, and selecting best offers. Our house was sold with only one Open House. She always gives candid advice backed with experience and always think from my best interest’s perspective. We are blessed that all these big transactions are guided by Shirley. Shirley made a complicated process easy and stress free. We are lucky to be able to sell our house quickly, and be able to utilize proceeds as down payment for our new house - all stress free. (Unlike the experience we see in our neighbor's home faced with the same situation).

Shirley adds tremendous value with our purchase of the new house as well. She gives advice on what to look for and upgrades that will yield higher resale value later on. She proactively fought for us and advocates my interests in dealing with Toll Brothers."

David & Lisa Chan | Seller & Buyer

"Shirley and Scott helped us find and negotiate the purchase of our home. Being this was our 2nd home purchase my wife and I did not have high expectations on what realtors actually do. BUT this time around we saw the value! Without Shirley and Scott i'm 100% confident that we would not have gotten our dream house."

Aimee Hong & Gary Yip | Buyer

"Shirley and Scott are the best real estate professionals in the Tri-Valley area. Not only are they knowledgeable experts in real estate, but they are both such warm and truly caring people who treat you like family; these are the kind of people you want on your team! Shirley and Scott helped us purchase a place and they were were so helpful and supportive throughout the entire process. If you are in the market for realtors then look no further!"

Jocelyn Tam | Buyer

"Our home was on the market for four months before we decided to change agents, and work with Shirley and Scott. Up until that point we were very stressed out about the sale and Shirley and Scott immediately put our minds at ease. We received an offer in less than two weeks and they made what seemed an impossible task, completely seamless. They communicated at every step of the process, were very effective at marketing and negotiating, were upfront and honest, and always had our best interests at heart. We highly recommend Shirley and Scott to anyone looking for agents who will go above and beyond their expectations."

Sid & Vi Villanueva | Seller