"We found Chris while searching the internet for a real estate agent. It was clear from her website that she had a lot of experience and an excellent reputation and we loved the houses she found for her clients. Right from the start, we really connected with Chris, and found her to be highly knowledgeable, experienced and genuine. Chris first represented us as sellers. She gave us thorough advice on simple improvements we could make to our condo to make it more attractive to our targeted buyers. Incredibly, our condo sold in two days! Next, Chris worked tirelessly to help us find the perfect home. We always felt confident and proud to have Chris as our agent. At each open house, when we told the seller's agent we were working with Chris Cohn, we always got a positive reaction, and it was clear that Chris' reputation preceded her. She always gave us her honest opinion, and never tried to push or "sell us" on a home. She pointed out the weaknesses and strengths of potential homes, and gave us detailed input so that we could make an informed decision. After two months of intense house-hunting, Chris found us our dream home in the Berkeley Hills. We have a house that we love. Our experience buying and selling a home with Chris was perfect. We have developed a great professional and personal relationship with her, and would highly recommend her to our closest friends and family."Lisa & Nick - Buyers/Sellers
"The first indication that we had chosen a great advisor in hiring Chris was based on the reactions of her colleagues to the mere mention of her name. Her distinguished standing within the community was apparent. Still, we had no idea how truly fortunate we were until we stumbled on our dream house. Chris helped us adeptly navigate an escrow rife with uncertainty. She good-naturedly did what needed to be done and made the difficult look easy. Always available for consultation and hand holding, Chris helped us make informed decisions and kept us at ease. Her skills at negotiating, patience at the ridiculous, insightful suggestions and persistent follow-up, all ensured the deal closed. Throughout, Chris demonstrated an amazing ability to placate the seller (who had to contend with our six-page punch list) while ensuring first and foremost that our needs were met. She is an advocate, a trusted advisor, and a true friend. We were honored to be her clients." Deb & Emma - Buyers
In late 2007, we came to the conclusion that, with a new baby on the way, our long commutes were no longer sustainable and it was time to move. So on what was pretty much the spur of the moment, we decided to put our Albany condo on the market. We knew the timing was horrible - not only had the mortgage crisis just broken, but our condo association was still in the process of doing repair work on the foundation, a fact that we knew would make for a tough sell. Nonetheless, we thought we would give it a try, and contacted Chris to see if she could help us. Since Chris had helped us negotiate a substantial price reduction when we bought the condo in the first place, we had complete faith in her enthusiasm, expertise, and negotiating savvy. We weren't disappointed. Within literally a week after we told her we were interested in selling, Chris helped us get our place freshly carpeted, beautifully staged and photographed, and ready for an open house. In a little over two weeks, we had three attractive offers, and we ended up making a sale for significantly over the asking price. We hadn't been sure we'd be able to sell our condo at all; Chris helped us sell it at whirlwind speed and at a price that beat our expectations. We were amazed.Results like that speak for themselves, but we should also add that Chris made the entire experience painless by being such a pleasure to work with. She made herself available at all times to answer our questions and talk through our options. And despite the challenges we faced, she remained unflaggingly warm, energetic, and reassuring throughout the process. In short, we feel lucky to have found Chris; we couldn't have asked for a better agent.Katherine & John - 797 Taft Avenue, Albany Townhouse - Sellers Placing our Berkeley home of 23 years up for sale in the declining real estate market of late 2007 was daunting. We interviewed several fine real estate agents, but Chris Cohn exemplified all the attributes and skills we sought to the highest degree: experience, competence, and unsurpassed integrity matched with savvy. And such a pleasant and enjoyable person! Our comfort level with Chris was immediate and she had our confidence. If we felt daunted, Chris wasn't in the least.Chris clearly enjoys what she does and was eager to tackle the challenge of obtaining the best result for us given the existing market. No house is perfect, and she impressed us with her belief in the strengths of our house and in us as sellers. Our labor during process of house preparation had its stressful moments and obstacles but the steady and cheerful Chris guided us through the hurdles with resourcefulness. Chris has impeccable timing and judgment and kept us focused. More good fortune was Chris' remarkable support team from her expert color consultant and stager to referrals to skilled specialists from plumbers to landscapers. The final results were extraordinary. As opening day neared, Chris kicked-off a sophisticated marketing blitz, both traditional and on the internet. We were stunned with the results: over 1500 hits on the virtual tour, over 60 agents on the broker's tour (they know not to miss a Chris Cohn opening!) and over 200 potential buyers at the first Sunday open house, in 2-1/2 hours! The buzz was phenomenal. Serious buyers appeared in short order and we received multiple offers over asking-price.Chris guided us strategically and brilliantly through a successful negotiation, escrow, and closing, always with our best interests and wishes paramount. Our home and garden was passed to an excited new owner and we moved on to our next chapter in life as extremely satisfied sellers with our hopes exceeded. The stellar results and memorable experiences along the way were only achieved by working with one of the Bay Area's very best real estate agents who also become our gracious and generous friend. Thank you, Chris.Wayne and Gary It seems that one might want the qualities in a real estate agent that you look for in a trusted friend: Integrity and Ethics Intelligence Sensitivity Humor Patience Shared love of sushi Chris Cohn has all these qualities and so much more! She patiently endured months and months of looking for the right house with us, even gently suggested at one point that we were better off not buying, the market was too crazy. We greatly appreciated her putting our needs above the purchase of a house.But then we found the perfect house, our dream home - all 3 of us agreed it was right! Alas, 11 offers were placed on the house we wanted - despair ensued. Had we come so far only to be disappointed? Chris remained calm, confident and resourceful. We are convinced that it was only Chris's skill and experience, collegial relationships and great offer-writing talent that put us at the top of the heap: we got the house!!Thank you, thank you Chris for being an amazing agent and a trusted friend. Let's go get that tuna cucumber roll!!Lisa & Carl
"I write this unprompted letter because good news travels slowly, if at all. Earlier this year, my sister and I sought the services of a broker who could facilitate the sale of my mother's home at 1225 Monterey Avenue in Berkeley.From the outset, Chris demonstrated a number of characteristics which came promptly into play. First she had a keen ability to match the buyer with the genre of the neighborhood and my mother's circa 1925 home. She also recognized that my mother's Quaker sensibilities regarding home decoration (unflamboyant) would call for some level of interior redecorating and staging. She carried that out to a fare-thee-well in timely and efficient manner. Not ending there, she advanced funds and scheduled the various contractors, making life a lot easier for my sister and me immediately following my mother's memorial services.She had an excellent sense of the market, particularly taking into account its extraordinary level of volatility. Her pricing was spot-on; unfortunately, we lost the first buyer due to asset shrinkage and last minute fears by the buyer. A backup buyer was the remedy (with whom Chris had maintained good relations). It paid off and we closed promptly.All during this process, Chris was a pleasure to work with, particularly during the time when market anxiety was high and we had to start all over again. One educational course that Chris does not need to take - because it comes naturally to her - is real estate ethics. She is a straight shooter and a real pro. "John K. Stewart - Seller
