Catherine Lewis

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Cathy is fantastic I cant recommend her enough. She cares deeply about her clients and asks excellent questions to understand and find what youre looking for. She has a wealth of knowledge of the entire home buying process which was a HUGE help as a first time home buyer. She works incredibly hard and is tireless in helping put people in new homes. I'm so grateful to have met her and really recommend her for anyone searching!

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Cathy was absolutely instrumental in getting our house. It would not have been possible without her. She was very knowledgeable and was always able to answer any questions we had.

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She represented us as the sellers and was very competent, professional, knowledgeable and friendly. Always available for any of our questions regarding some of the issues and details of the process, specially during the COVID-19 . She was also able to help us during the negotiation to make sure that we are getting the best and fair market value for our property. Based on our experience, we highly recommend her.

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My husband and I had never sold a house before and therefor required a lot of hand holding, judgement, and advise. Cathy has delivered with advice and recommendations on process, contractors, etc.We couldn't be happier with Cathy's proactive, personality-driven approach to home selling.We definitely recommend Cathy to sale or buy your house.Thank you Cathy.

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My husband and I decided it was time to sell our first home, and find our forever home (one that could fit our dogs and growing family!) and we were so fortunate to have Max and Cathy with us throughout the process.Their strategy for selling our home was unique and incredibly effective. Upon our first meeting, we were provided with all active listings and recently sold properties in our area, helping us narrow down a competitive and reasonable list price. At our first open house, they hired a taco cart to provide all visitors with as many tacos as they could eat, which resulted in a ton of foot traffic. Within 2 weeks we had received multiple offers and were in escrow after accepting an offer higher than we were expecting! When thinking about our forever home, my husband and I had very specific, but very different, needs and wants. When searching for our new home, Max and Cathy showed incredible patience and flexibility. We received daily email updates showing new listings that met our criteria and the duo always made time to show us the houses we were interested in. It was clear that Max and Cathy had our best interest at heart, not pressuring us into a home we didn't love, and not letting us settle for less than exactly what we wanted. With their help, we were in escrow on our dream home in no time. They walked us through the entire escrow process, every step went off without a hitch, and we were able to close escrow early. Max showed remarkable skill when negotiating the price, repairs, and credits toward the house, saving us over $35,000! We would recommend Max and Cathy a thousand times over, to anyone who is looking to buy and/or sell. You won't find a better team out there.

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I was referred to Max and Cathy through a real estate agent who was out-of-state and wasn't able to support me personally. She has the utmost trust in First Team and had positive things to say about Cathy and Max.Cathy and Max work very well together as a team. They are very thorough, familiar with Orange County area, and got our home sold very quickly.Prep Work:- Max and Cathy took the time to have me interview various stagers and contractors. They provided me plenty of options, so I was able to choose the options that were the best fit for me and my wife.- On one trip, Cathy even drove me to Lowe's to assist me with purchasing upgrades for the home and offered to transport items.Stager:- Hands down, go with Kayvon or ITStaged. They're not the cheapest, but they do an amazing job. Super fast, effective, and they have great taste and style. Great referral from Max and Cathy.Selling Process:- We did a sneak peak early in the week, office caravan on Thursday, Open House on Saturday/Sunday, and got 4 offers by Monday. Open House:- Prior to our listing, we had virtually no competition in our price range or availability in the area. When our listing became live on Monday morning, we had 2 other competitors in the same price range and Open House dates.- The weekend of the Open House, my wife and I brought our friends to "shop" the competition. Max and Cathy's presentation, professionalism, and execution were top-notch. We felt very confident after that weekend and they even brought out their taco guy on Saturday and another special event on Sunday.Negotiations and Closing:- Max really shined in this area by really catering to what my wife and I wanted. We were in a position with multiple offers (all at asking or above) and we were acting in a position of strength.- There were a handful of adjustments that needed to be made along the way (nothing in relation to Max or Cathy) and our agents accommodated to every detail. All in all, know that the communication of Max and Cathy are extremely professional and top-notch. They work very well together as a team and will give you their honest opinion (even if you disagree), but they will fully support you and do what's in the best interest of the client.Thank you again for all your help!

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Cathy Lewis and Max Carr recently handled the sale of my Irvine home. It was a pleasure to work with two experienced realtors who demonstrated expertise, exemplary service, and strong negotiation skills. When I first met with Cathy and Max, they presented a strong marketing plan, which resulted in a rapid sale at a price significantly higher than my asking price. At the beginning of the process, they asked me if my goal was selling the home as soon as possible or maximizing the homes value. I wanted a good return on the sale, and Cathy worked closely with me to achieve that. She helped me select a tradesman to paint the home, install new flooring, and upgrade the master bathroom and kitchen. Cathy managed the entire process for me and ensured that all the work was performed to high expectations. The end result was a beautiful home that had over 3,000 hits on Zillow and that sold at a price that paid for the upgrades I had done many times over. As a result of their marketing, I had about a dozen offers on the property, and Cathy and Max negotiated with the buyers to maximize my return. Theyre great people, too! I give them my highest recommendation.

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Max supposed to represent me as a buyer. He was the listing agent for the property of interest as well. after submitting offer through him, he ask me to come meet the seller. he scheduled another meeting with another potential buyer at the same time as mine. when I made it to the appointment he told me to wait outside as the other buyer just got in. I waited outside for my turn. After my turn I noticed that the other buyer is in the car waiting. It turned out that Max and Cathy had a setup to keep negotiating with both of us (buyers) at the same time. they requested 1% seller rebate extra on the high offer I already submitted. I told them I can to 0.5% right away or I need time to think about the 1% extra they are requesting . Then Max went to the other potential buyer car and negotiated. after 15 minutes waiting on the street. Max waved me good by took the other potential buyer and got inside home. I felt insulted and I called and text him until he came out the house and told me they will go with other buyer. For the record Max & Cathy seemed to be representing other buyer as well. No other agent came in with the other buyer. I really felt insulted and disrespected.

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As a first time home seller, I really needed both professional and personal assistance and guidance. Cathy provided both! She has a wonderful optimism toward life in general and her positive energy inspires a fun aspect to what could have been a plodding and serious endeavor. She sold my condo before it officially hit the open market. In addition, the new buyers were just the kind I was hoping that fate would send me.

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Cathy listened to our hopes and dreams for a house and worked very, very hard to make them happen. She provided incredible support from start to finish, helping us think through the process piece by piece. She was never too busy to take us to a home, no matter how improbable; she answered our emails within an hour or two of their being written, and she always had something helpful to tell us. She had our interests at heart at all times, and we felt it. During the negotiating. she and her partner Max Carr managed to get a win-win for us and for the seller on the first go-around, which takes some careful assessment of the parties. We are completely satisfied with what she did for us, and would recommend her in a heartbeat.