Testimonials

"We did our research in selecting a realtor to sell our family home. We talked to loan agents and escrow officers. We read reviews. We talked to past clients. There were only glowing recommendations for Jen Birmingham about her knowledge of the field, understanding of the market, negotiating skills, aesthetic, and overall follow-through. We were not disappointed. From beginning to end, Jen made the process easy. She was accessible and always responsive to our questions and concerns. We were instantly comfortable with her, and we never worried about what she would think. As we prepared our home for sale, Jen guided the steps we took, helping us to identify the most important projects. She has a quick mind and is able to play out decisions and scenarios quickly. This saved us time and money. As we finished projects and neared listing our home, it became clear that we needed to move out of the home we were selling. In a tremendously difficult rental market, Jen (with no financial gain for herself) assisted us in getting a month to month rental property that met our needs perfectly. (What realtor does that?!) When the time came to list, Jen took great care in pricing our property, taking into account the local market. She also crafted a fantastic description of our home, utilizing social media, listing it on websites that were bound to get attention, and taking pictures that got people in the door. As it turned out, Jen hit the mark perfectly. Our home was visited by over 150 potential buyers. We received 12 offers in 10 days, and our home sold well over asking price. I should mention Jen also staged our property so beautifully that our friends who came through thought we'd hired a professional stager. This helped us to really show off our home. I even heard about it from other realtors, asking who we'd used. Jen Birmingham truly made the difference for us. She was absolutely the right realtor for our family and will be for years to come."

"This is not going to be your typical review because Jen didn't help me sell my house - she helped me KEEP it. We moved from Petaluma to Tahoe for a six-month adventure, renting our Petaluma house out in the meantime. We liked our new adventure and decided we wanted to buy the cabin we were renting, which needed renovations, so figured we had to sell our house in Petaluma. Jen talked with me multiple times discussing our options and really felt that we shouldn't sell our house in Petaluma if at all possible (since we will likely move back in a couple years). Without us even asking her to, she did the research and found us a loan agent that specialized in renovation loans. Through him, we were able to craft a plan which allowed us to keep our home in Petaluma while purchasing the cabin with renovations as part of the loan. Jen easily could have made another Petaluma sale but she really heard my dilemma and, instead of going for the commission, she worked to help me keep my house which is in my best interest. I cannot say enough about her level of integrity, compassion, understanding of the markets, and conviction to find the best solution for YOU, all while being fun to work with, upbeat and friendly. I recommend her enthusiastically. I highly recommend Jen and hope to bring her a huge commission one day. This is an agent you can trust through and through."

"I don't even know where to begin - Jen is absolutely amazing! While our family was slowing outgrowing our small home, we loved our neighbors and hadn't thought seriously about moving. Fast forward to an open house sign, in our neighborhood, with the extra space we'd been craving. We called Jen the next day to just see if it could be a possibility for us, as it would be a contingent sale on our home we hadn't even prepped for selling (did I mention we have 3 young kids). Jen came over that day, walked us through what needed to happen, and we were in contract that night, with the goal of listing our home four days later and making an offer on the larger home in our neighborhood the following week. Jen was calm, but quick and her professionalism, real estate expertise and personable nature guided us the whole step of the way. It's still unreal to me, but she listed our home by the end of the week, held one open house on Sun., walked us through accepting one of the several offers that came in on Mon., and then placed an offer on the home we wanted on Tues. Three weeks later we've closed on both homes and move in to the larger house we dreamed of, but didn't think we could find in our neighborhood, by the end of the week. We are so grateful to have found Jen to guide us through both the selling and the buying process. A million stars and thank you's!!!"

"In 2013, we moved from Utah to Petaluma and were in search of a Petaluma-based realtor. After researching the Internet, including Yelp, we chose Jen based upon her excellent reviews. Jen spoke with us over the phone before we moved and got an idea as to our needs and wants. We immediately established a professional and a fledgeling personal relationship. When we flew out for a ""pre-move"" visit, Jen took time from her maternity leave to meet with us and give insights on Petaluma neighborhoods and the community. She was totally helpful and we talked enthusiastically about our move to Petaluma. Once we physically moved to an apartment in Petaluma, we started our house search and Jen was a great guide to what was possible for us on our budget. For folks who have not dealt with California real estate prices, there is some sticker shock to get over. Jen was understanding and never pushy in helping us revise our admittedly naive expectations. Jen gave us sound advice at every point in our search and we eventually placed a bid for a house against 9 other bidders. Jen's total knowledge of the real estate process, as well as the lending process, enabled us to win the house. Jen is a jewel: Smart, funny, accessible at any hour, understanding, tireless. I should also mention that her assistants Alafair and Parker were a great part of the Birmingham team."

"The bottom line: I would unhesitatingly recommend Jen Birmingham should you have need of a realtor---particularly if you happen to be, like me: old, grumpy, and impatient. I'll freely admit I can be difficult, and Jen took it all in stride. When we moved to North Carolina, we left our Cotati townhome in the care of a renter. We'd hoped to sell to him when his lease expired, but he couldn't get a loan and, worse, fled without paying back rent or leaving keys. We had no way of knowing what condition our townhome was in or how to sell it from 3,000 miles away. An Internet search of ""best realtors in Sonoma County"" brought up Jen's name, repeatedly. We called and talked. She sounded professional, competent, and capable. And so she was. Is. In just a bit over six weeks, Jen orchestrated getting the place cleaned and prepped for sale, solicited buyers, and concluded a sale---all done by telephone and email. I will ever be amazed at the complexities and costs of doing a real estate transaction in California, but Jen led us through the maze without problems. I would bet that if you choose her for your realtor you'll be as pleased as we are. Thank you, Jen."

"Jen was recommended to me by a friend and I am so glad. I was a first time home buyer, ready to start the process of looking for a home with no idea what to expect. I remember going out to look at houses and feeling so overwhelmed, but driving back to Jen's office, she normalized my anxiety and reminded me that this was a process, not to rush myself. The process to find my home was emotional, but when we found it, her expertise made all the difference. She walked me through this whole process with knowledge, kindness, lots of laughter and honesty. I trusted her completely and she seemed to know exactly what to do to increase my chances in a challenging market. I really appreciated having her in my corner and have missed our Sunday outings to look at houses. I can say with all confidence that anyone who works with Jen would be in the best of hands and will be completely satisfied."

"Jen was recommended to us by a friend who is also involved in real estate in the area, and before we had a chance to call her we actually happened to meet her at an open house she was hosting in Petaluma. Right away we knew she was going to be a great match to help us with our home search. She was friendly, fun, and extremely honest and up-front; a huge thing for us was finding an agent who would really look out for us and not do the "salesperson" thing, since this was our first home purchase, and we found that in Jen! She made herself available to work around our crazy schedules, answered all of our crazy questions, and was happy to talk us through our concerns and anxious moments. Our house hunt ended up being about a five month process, but her enthusiasm never wavered, and we are now in a home that we absolutely love. I highly recommend Jen as a realtor in and around Petaluma!"

"I found out about Jen through Yelp. Her wonderful reviews gave me the confidence to give her a call about a condo I was interested in purchasing in Petaluma. From the moment we first talked I felt like I was in good hands. She is a good listener, patient and knowledgeable. I am a pretty hands-on buyer and she plugged into my style and assisted me when necessary with the vicissitudes of the sale. She was a good sounding board/reality check as well. I was traveling abroad during much of the sale process and that did not deter her one bit. Documents were regularly emailed for review and signatures and she made herself available for consultation despite an 8 hour time difference. Additionally, she was able to refer me to an agent who could handle the leasing of the unit I purchased as well as to an excellent HVAC contractor. All in all I could not be more pleased. Thank you Jen."

"Working with Jen has been an absolute dream. She met us on Mother's Day, after rearranging her family plans to accommodate our limited schedule, and joyously showed us over a dozen places in one afternoon. I immediately felt a great connection with her as a human being, and with every interaction, I've been more and more impressed: she's smart, funny, nice, honest, enthusiastic, and has terrific integrity. Her skills and knowledge as a realtor are deep and immense. I always felt she had our best interests at heart. She provided outstanding coaching to help us put together the winning offer to get the place of our dreams. She responded  to my every email, call, and text (and there were dozens!) within five to ten minutes max. She welcomed feedback and is an excellent communicator. Detail-oriented and super sharp. Most highly recommended!!!"

"We have bought and sold homes numerous times. But it is always a demanding (and exciting!) experience. Jen was recommended by a friend in Berkeley, and proved to be very intelligent, honest, friendly, and a great guide to the Sonoma market. The house we bought, initially, was a ""driveby"" that didn't get our attention. Jen, being a good coach, knew we should take a closer look. She was right - we loved the house on our first visit, and it met nearly all our needs. And, we put together our final, winning offer between 9:30 and 10:00 pm on a Saturday night while Jen was packing for an early flight and family vacation the next day. She was texting us from the airport the next morning! Jen is always there for you both professionally and personally. When you have arrived, you'll always be grateful for her guidance on your journey."

"It's hard to imagine a more stressful process than buying and selling a home. And, in the current sellers' market, it's even harder. My wife and I often struggled to close the gap between some of our ""must-havess"". And, our sale contingency was a real negative in sellers' eyes. I'll be honest... I'm a tough cookie- an opinionated, demanding know-it-all who can be a little hot-headed. Jen navigated us through a challenging process. She kept me in check, and helped my wife and me to negotiate our differences. Most importantly, she came up with a creative strategy to help us land on top for the only house that mattered- our perfect home. Professional, smart, and cool-headed are just a few of Jen's best qualities. You'd do well to hire her to help you buy or sell a home. THANKS JEN!!"

"I am so happy to be able to write this review for Jen. She is, without a doubt, Simply The Best!!!. Both my husband and I appreciated Jen's no nonsense approach to selling our home. She always remains calm and yet is quick to get things accomplished. The first set of buyers and their realtor were extremely difficult to deal with, not forthcoming, and did not disclose a number of items; which Jen thankfully caught. Jen handled the situation with ease and helped minimize the stress we felt. When that fell through she immediately had a plan, met with us that evening and within two days sold the house again. We couldn't be happier; Jen gets the job done, is a really nice person and we would recommend her without hesitation to anyone looking for a realtor."

"Helpful, thoughtful and knowledgeable through the entire process. Jen analyzed the broader market, reviewed our individual needs, and developed a strategy that was spot on for selling our home. Houses are not the same - they have characteristics, locations, improvements and flaws that make them unique. Similarly, home buying/selling scenarios are not the same, and buyer/seller needs (and personalities) can complicate things. Simply put, it's not a cookie-cutter experience. And Jen is anything but a cookie-cutter agent. She's smart, networked and can go at your speed (aggressive or not). She absolutely takes the time to get to know you and your property and knows the steps needed to maximize results. We couldn't be happier with our experience with Jen."

"Well, two weeks after we closed we had a job change that required a move! Jen helped us pick finishes on our house (chandeliers, paint colors, plants) so we could turn it around and sell it right away. We had done some work to it so we needed to make things happen the right way and at a specific price point so we didn't lose money on it. She helped us price it perfectly to sell quickly, have options, and worked double time to ensure they were the right buyers so we could have a smooth close. When we needed to find folks to help us with gardening and touch ups, she showed up and helped us figure out next steps, hired the workers, and got the work done. Again - serious rockstar status in my book. If only she worked where we'll be moving!!"

"Jen can perform miracles. We met through mutual friends so felt pretty comfortable working with her as our buyer's agent. But we really had no idea how lucky we were to have her on our team. We found a place, put an offer together and closed on it within two weeks, all while we were selling our former house. Crazy? Frantic? Dizzying? Oh yeah. And Jen as cool as a cucumber the whole time. There was a lot of competition for the house but Jen knew just what needed to be done to get it. We're so happy with the house and couldn't have done it without Jen in our corner. Looking back on the deal, our only regret is that it didn't take a bit longer so we could have spent more time hanging out with her."

"Jen did a great job helping us sell our house and find a new one. She gave us confidence to sell in a competitive market, knowing that it was our best strategy... and then worked with two opinionated buyers to find the perfect home. She was patient, calm, professional and refreshingly personable (it feels like she cares about you as a person and not just as a potential sale). With Jen's help, we finally found the house we had been searching for (for years pre jen!), but we weren't even sure existed. Thanks Jen for getting us to jump in and then helping us navigate it all and make it happen. Definitely recommend!"

"Jen recently helped us with the purchase of our new home. We were relocating from another state and had to take this process on remotely. Jen always made time for us during our limited visits and was always available by phone and email. She was not only an amazing resource regarding the home purchase process itself but also went above and beyond to help orient us to Petaluma including neighborhoods, schools, shopping etc. Even though we completed our purchase over 6 months ago she continues to offer us her help and advice whenever needed. We really couldn't have done it without her!"

"This was our first time buying a home and Jen helped guide us through all the steps. She answered every question we had, and explained every answer very clearly. We really liked how calm and relaxed she is - it makes buying a house a very pleasant experience. We also liked how easy she was to reach - we could call her, email her and text her (the texting was really nice) and was always very prompt in getting back to us. She also would always give us her honest opinion about homes we were looking at. I can't imagine going with a different real estate agent - Jen's terrific! I highly recommend her!"

"Jen helped us recently to buy a house in Petaluma. She was a great agent throughout the process. She responded almost immediately anytime I called or emailed with a question. She got a good sense of what we were looking for and helped filter the listings. What is especially impressive is that she was very pregnant during this time-- and would up working with us until just one day before she delivered. She was very professional and in having another agent as a backup (and informing us ahead of time about this). I don't think anyone could go wrong working with Jen."

"Jen helped us sell our Petaluma home over the summer. She facilitated a quick sale of our home so we could purchase a new home out of the area and get moved in before the new school year. She was extremely communicative and truly helped us get the house ready to move quickly. Her background in loans was also extremely helpful during the entire process and she was able to troubleshoot several issues that came up with the buyers' paperwork so that we could keep everything on schedule. We would definitely recommend her and would use her again!"

"Jen was thoughtful and attentive. Her knowledge of the area and the market played a crucial part in helping us get top dollar for our home. She navigated the market well, helped us avoid any issues or problems, as well as helping us find a fantastic replacement property in a timely manner. Jen worked closely with the escrow office and mortgage broker and made sure that things were always being taken care of. She was a pleasure to work with, and we would recommend her in a heartbeat."

"Jen is amazing! She was always responsive, from when we first reached out about an interest in selling our home to our many requests to view homes to buy. Jen sold our home in one week with multiple offers over the asking price!! I was most struck with how flawless our contingent sale flowed. I have no doubt that was because Jen was working behind the scenes! She helped us find a new home in the neighborhood we love."

"Jen did a great job! Professional and hard-working. She was a pleasure to work with, understands the Petaluma real estate market, and is able to help you locate the property that meets your needs. Coldwell Banker in Petaluma is lucky to have her working for them."

"Jen was a pleasure to work with. She made the process effortless and sold our home in under a week. She was very professional yet very fun and personable. I highly recommend using her if you are looking to sell your home or purchase one."

"Jen is terrific.  She was patient, responsive, knowledgeable, and a pleasure to work with for my home purchase in Petaluma.  Highly, highly recommended."