Aleksey Astapenko

I was born in Ukraine and have also lived in Russia before immigrating over to the United States in 2001. I'm fluent in English, Russian and Ukrainian languages. Many people asked me, how did I come over and I'll tell you up front, I WON a Green Card Lottery. Remember that word "WON", I don't want to spoil it, but it happened to me on more than one occasion and I have reasons to believe that it does transfers to my clients as well :) Before coming over to Bay Area I graduated from one of Moscow's best law schools but instead of pursuing career in law, I enjoyed working in sales. From 2002 to 2007 I have been one of the top representatives for Saab Cars USA. After the company closure I moved over to hi-tech industry and worked for Homestead Technologies and later for Intuit Inc. in Menlo Park, CA doing a combination of inside sales and tech support. I liked both of the companies and the people I worked with, but sitting in a cubicle in front of computer screen all day was one of the main factors when I decided to do something new and also go to some place where I can meet and work with people live (vs. over phone and email). One of the most memorable highlights of those years is that I WON a brand new car in our sales team competition. It was a combination of meeting/exceed sales goals, but also a draw of luck since the Winner was picked by a lottery between companies approximately 35 top performers :) In 2010 I moved over to real estate and I feel every day that I've found the right place to be. Over the years I've worked with home sellers, buyers and investors. Sometimes there are moments when I think that I've seen it all, but then a new challenge comes up and you have to raise the bar again and keep learning. There's always something new! Although I have to continuously change with a fast paced market to remain on the leading edge, my core values - honesty, integrity, and respect, remain a WINNING combination round which I build my business. My personal luck is not something that I myself or my clients rely on, but I think we all benefit from it :) My most memorable transactions: My longest sale as of writing this page took 4years, 6month and 11days. That included years of slow market and low prices, when it made sense to wait. I helped my at that time 81y.o. client to rent the house, helped and supported them during legal issues that we ran into with the tenant. We WON the case in court, but that wasn't enough for the occupants and Sheriff had to be involved. Finally we did get the home back, got it all prepared and sold in just 9days. That was quiet a ride! Took a lot of time, emotions and patience from everybody involved, but at the end the house appreciated by almost $400,000 during that time frame. Sellers started crying when they saw an offer, it was their last largest investment and somewhere in the process, because it took so long, they almost stopped believing in what was a well deserved outcome. I call it Karma :) My quickest sale on the other hand took only 4 days, from initial phone call contact till making an offer and getting it accepted. That included one over the phone interview, one meeting in person and viewing homes all over the Santa Clara County. Than on Monday morning I get a call, my client decided on what the house he likes. At first it felt that it's impossible. I was out of the area that day and seller's agent already had a time set to review other offers. We literally started from "0" and in less than 3hrs working by phone and internet we got a full credit approval with my preferred lender, and had an offer ready. We barely made it to the offer submission deadline and WON in a multiple offer situation. That was like a perfect storm in our favor! :) When you pick an agent that will help you to sell or buy your home, keep in mind that nowadays we (agents) all have very much the same tools. The big difference is in how one uses those, people skills, ability to manage tasks and prioritize. You may add luck if you believe in that! Sometimes it may feel that buying or selling a home is an uphill battle. Give me a call and let me show you the other way. Personal I enjoy my life one day at a time. I'm happily married to a girl that grew up across the street from me. Sometime it feels strange, that we know each other since we were only 3 years old and went to kinder garden and school together smile. We are blessed to have two sons. Older one's name is Ivan, he was born in May of 2006. The younger one was born in August 2014 and his name is Luke. As a family we enjoy our time together as much as we can in between work / school schedules and just a busy everyday life. Bay Area and California in general is like a one huge play ground! There's so much that you can do. We like going outdoors, bike, hike and camp. I love skiing, but had a knee injury and no longer do that. One of my neighbors introduced me to riding ATV's and every now and then we go out and roam trails in national forests and coastal ridges. This year my older son finally got old enough to be able to join me on those adventures. I also enjoy sailing in San Francisco and Monterey Bays and dream of cruising around the World one day, as soon as my crew grows up a bit smile Community Involvement I volunteer at Village School. It's a parent participation elementary (K5) school in Campbell School District. I'm a member of several parent committees that oversee various educational programs throughout the year. I also teach center programs for kids once a week for the last 3 years. Woodworking and Lego Robotic so far are my favorite. I'm lucky to be exposed to that experience. Working with kids is one more way that makes you feel and understand how what you do now can/will affect the future of other families and kids in your community.