We were able to help our clients get this beautiful home despite tough competition
Making the right move, together.
Our team is well-known for our success with working with buyers – a fact we are especially proud of given that we’ve done so in one of the toughest sellers’ markets in history.
We attribute this success to our strategic approach to homebuying, which gives our clients an advantage in this highly competitive market.
Below is a summary of our approach, but please contact us to schedule a no obligation meeting, where we’d be happy to discuss this with you in detail.
Preparation:
“Opportunity does not waste time with those who are unprepared.”
– Idowu Koynikan, author
The first (and perhaps most important) step of our process is getting our clients well-prepared before they even start looking at properties. This involves getting an underwritten pre-approval (not just a pre-qualification) from a highly reputable, local lender, who will personally attest to your financial strength in a competitive offer situation.
We also take the time to do a deep-dive into the standard real estate disclosures, which are disclosure forms that come with every property on the market (ex: Lead Based Paint Disclosures, Buyers Inspection Advisory, etc). This not only gives our clients the opportunity to really absorb these important documents and potentially do further research if they so choose, but it also saves time and mental energy to carefully analyze the property-specific disclosures (ex: inspection reports, seller’s disclosures, etc) once they’ve identified a property they may like to offer on.
Last but not least, we walk our clients through the purchase contract in detail, including the two optional clauses, so that they may take the time to understand all aspects of the contract and even have time to seek the counsel of their qualified real estate attorney if necessary.
Searching for properties:
“He who would search for pearls must dive below.”
– John Dryden
The majority of our clients are looking at new real estate listings online but we make it a priority to search on our client’s behalf. We don’t just set up auto-searches and expect our busy clients to sort through the rubbish. Auto-searches cast a very wide net and they can’t filter for very important criteria (things such as “no busy roads” or “no t-intersections” or “I want to be close to a park”), so we curate new listings for each of our buyers.
We are also dialed-in to agent networking groups that make us aware of off-market and “coming soon” listings that we will also share with you. In addition to new listings, we also keep tabs on “stale” listings – those that have been on the market a long time and are likely under-marketed or overpriced (or both) and may be willing to sell in your range.
Evaluating properties:
“Fear cannot be banished, but it can be calm and without panic; it can be mitigated by reason and evaluation.”
– Vannevar Bush, American scientist
This is where things get fun for us. The first step is to analyze a property using online tools. Certainly, the marketing materials provided by the listing agent, such as photographs, 3D walk-throughs and floor plans are helpful, but map tools such as satellite view and street view have made online evaluation more thorough than ever.
We can also check school attendance areas, school scores and ratings, and add color commentary regarding our personal knowledge of the school/area/neighborhood to help conclude whether or not a property is worth an in-person visit.
Once that is determined, we encourage our clients to see properties in person as soon as possible. Given the rapid pace of the market, that allows us to return for multiple visits before offers are due. If our buyer is still interested after seeing the property in person, we will review the property-specific disclosures by phone.
As a final tool in the evaluation process, we have a contractor on retainer who will visit any property with us should any questions arise from the disclosures or to provide ballpark costs for potential remodeling.
Making an offer:
“Life doesn’t offer charity; it offers chance.”
– Amit Kalantri, author
As soon as a client shows interest in a property, we stay in close communication with the listing agent to see how much interest it’s getting. We do this right up until offers are due and factor the competition into our offer price. We look at recent comparable sales to see what the market indicates the properties’ value might be (Remember: List price does not equal market value!).
The final step is to finalize the terms of the offer (down payment, contingencies, price, number of days to close escrow, etc). Once we deliver the offer, we proactively communicate with the listing agent to give our clients every opportunity to stay in the running even if we aren’t the highest initial offer.
Once in contract:
“Success is the sum of small efforts – repeated day in and day out.”
– Robert Collier
We’re almost at the finish line! Our team guides our clients through the escrow process – from helping to get the earnest money deposit safely into escrow, to the final walkthrough.
And best of all, once escrow is closed and recorded, someone from our team will meet our client at the property to deliver you the keys to your new home!
After closing:
“Every end is a new beginning.”
– Unknown
The relationship we build with our clients doesn’t end with the close of escrow. Our relationships are life-long and we pride ourselves on being a source of expertise for all things pertaining to real estate, even when our clients aren’t actively buying or selling.
That’s why we prefer to think of ourselves as “consultants” and not salespeople. We’re in the business of advising our clients, not “selling” them. By offering a less “sales-like” experience, we hope to treat our clients like our friends and family.
Heidi B. - Buyers
My husband and I were convinced there was no way we'd get into Los Altos with Los Altos schools at our price range. Well, we did. Michael Galli worked his magic, and my head is still spinning trying to figure out how he did it. What I saw him do ... Read More
Ramesh B. - Buyers
Michael helped us find our new home and we could not be happier with the whole experience. He has many years of experience in the business and knows the area well and also knows many of the selling agents. He is very responsive whether by phone or ... Read More
Julie A. - Buyers
We recently bought our first home. Buying a home had always been a dream of ours. We had what we felt was a reasonable budget so we started looking at the beginning of 2012. We quickly discovered that so many homes and areas were out of our reach.... Read More
Gina J. - Buyers
Michael is amazing. The best agent in Mountain View, and actually probably the best I have ever worked with. He helped us find our house in Mountain View last year after selling our townhouse in a matter of days. He was extremely helpful and attentiv... Read More
Vicente S. - Buyers
Because of Michael, we were able to buy the house of our dreams in a extremely competitive market (Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Los Altos). From the very first time we met him we could tell he was an extremely smart and knowledgeable agent. What we lear... Read More
Alan G. - Buyers
Worked tirelessly to help us find our home. Didn't hesitate to go above and beyond to make the process easier for us. He knows the Mountain View area well and he brings in all sorts of experts to help make sure this major decision is made well. Can't... Read More
Serena W. - Buyers
Michael is a great agent. He knows the Mountain View market and what is going on in the town very well. He is also very responsive, professional and goes above and beyond. When we were in the market for a new home, we initially began working with... Read More
Ron M. - Buyers
We contacted Michael while still abroad, and the first video conversation with him left us very impressed. The communication was very efficient. He listened carefully to our needs and expectations and explained very clearly the process of making an o... Read More
Dan P. - Buyers
When you go looking for a realtor, ask around and get some suggestions from friends and colleagues. Then go talk to Michael and I bet he'll impress you. He's smart, he knows about the local markets and he understands the industry. He's also a genu... Read More
P D. - Buyers
Michael Galli is a cut above the rest and with him on your side you *will* find that house you are looking for - even in this cut throat market. My husband and I had been looking to buy in Mountain View/Sunnyvale for years and had no luck with a seri... Read More
Michelle M. - Buyers
Michael is amazing on so many levels! Where do I start??!! For the year 2012, we worked with a different realtor (we did not yet know Michael) in search of a house in either Mountain View or a couple of other locales. Our search was unsuccessf... Read More
Dan A. - Buyers
Michael and his team raised the bar and set a gold standard for real estate agents. We used Michael for a a successful purchase in the very competitive Silicon Valley market and thoroughly enjoyed working with him and his team. The level of service w... Read More
Brock G. - Buyers
I can't recommend Michael highly enough! As first-time homebuyers, we had a million questions and concerns about every aspect of the homebuying process. Michael was always extremely responsive, even answering late-night calls, and immensely pat... Read More
Renato D. - Buyers
My wife and I met Michael while hoping to sell a modest house in Mountain View and buy something a little larger in the vicinity. We asked Michael to work with us after meeting 4 or 5 very competent, accomplished agents in the Peninsula/South Bay are... Read More
Shabdita S. - Buyers
Very early in our home search we came across a listing by Michael and his team and boy am I glad we did. We were impressed not only by how good the home had been set up and staged but also how professional yet personable the entire Galli team was. ... Read More
Jennifer P. - Buyers
After interviewing three agents in the spring, we chose to go with Michael Galli on our first home purchase. We started looking in early April, and we just went into contract (June 2013) on a townhouse in Mountain View, mostly due to Michael's exper... Read More
Y C. - Buyers
Michael helped us buying our first house in Sunnyvale three years ago and the experience couldn't be better -- he was super knowledgeable, responsive, friendly, polite, and honest. This fall we are back in the market and decided to sell the hous... Read More
PR K. - Buyers
Michael helped us purchase our home in Los Altos area recently, and we have nothing but great things to say about the team. This was not our first home transaction in the bay area - we had worked with real estate agents before. But only after worki... Read More
Archana T. - Buyers
Let me preface this lengthy review with the following disclaimer (which will hopefully lead you to read it in its entirety): my husband and I have had the pleasure to work with Michael Galli not once but TWICE over the past few years and I cannot emp... Read More
Eunice P. - Buyers
My husband and I recently purchased a house and Michael and his team provided excellent help throughout the process. What we most appreciated about Michael is that he is very upfront about the negatives of the houses no matter how passionate we ... Read More
Vee B. - Buyers
We worked with Michael for several months in what initially seemed like a fruitless quest to buy our first house. We had a limited budget and a long list of wants and needs for our property and Michael worked tirelessly to try to get us what we wante... Read More
Lisa H. - Buyers
As first-time buyers, Michael and his team were incredibly helpful, available, and encouraging. We trusted his input and advice, and not once did we feel like he was pushing us into something we didn't want or weren't comfortable with. If anything, a... Read More
Neha G. - Buyers
Our experience working with Galli was great. He and his team are very prompt in doing all the paperwork and fulfilling our requests for disclosures, comps, etc. The best thing about Michael was that his price estimates on the houses we bid on, were r... Read More
Leslie I. - Buyers
Michael is AMAZING. He really listened to what we wanted/needed in a house, and never pressured us to put an offer on anything. His philosophy is actually to point out all the things that are negatives, so that you know what you're buying and can mak... Read More
Kevin E. - Buyers
I first worked with Michael in 2011 on a short sale that I ultimately did not purchase. However, I was very impressed with Michael from our brief interaction and decided to use him as my agent for my home purchase in 2017. From our first interactio... Read More
Mallory W. - Buyers
I could not more highly recommend the Galli team to anyone searching for a house in the Bay Area. Having an entire team of people to help us was an amazing experience. There was always an expert available to answer questions, of which I had a lot. Th... Read More
Ebrahim S. - Buyers
My wife and I were first-time buyers and the process of buying a house was too overwhelming for us at the beginning. We felt like it would be very confusing and hectic but Michael Galli and his team made the whole thing smooth and easy for us. In the... Read More
Prachi J. - Buyers
We recently purchased our first home with Michael in Sunnyvale and we couldn't be happier about the deal we got! We chose Michael after hearing strong recommendations for him from more than 10 people, and a close friend also. His services have strong... Read More
Jonathan C. - Buyers
We just completed a home purchase with Michael and his team, and we couldn't be happier. We contacted Michael after "dipping our toes in the market" at an open house and finding a property we were really interested in. A friend had recommended him... Read More
Hamid M. - Buyers
After working with a few agents, my wife and I were suggested to contact Michael and his team. It turned out to be one of the best decisions in our life. Thanks to his team, we bought a home we never thought we could buy in a lovely neighborhood in M... Read More
Phil M. - Buyers
Michael is the best real estate agent we have ever worked with. This is the second time we've worked with him on buying a house, and he is an absolute pleasure to work with. He can walk through a house and point out all the good and bad points, an... Read More
Pooja S. - Buyers
The Galli team helped us buy our first home in March 2018 in Sunnyvale, CA. It's been a year almost and we continue to believe strongly that we were only able to buy this home with our wits about us because of the excellent service we received from t... Read More
Carey N. - Buyers
Several months ago I asked my boss if he knew any good real estate agents in the Mountain View area. He immediately recommended his previous agent, Michael Galli, telling me he couldn't have expected any more from an agent. Fast forward two months... Read More
Bartlomiej N. - Buyers
I don't write many reviews, but in this case it is so truly deserved, and it's my great pleasure to leave one, hoping some people might find it useful. We've been looking for a dream house and found one, all thanks to this team! From the very firs... Read More
Lucy Y. - Buyers
Buying a home in the bay area is stressful, to say the least. My friends and I are an unusual group (yes, a group) that put Michael and his team through their paces. Over the last few months we must have seen fifty properties and made many bids. I... Read More
Anastasia L. - Buyers
Michael and his team is a great group of professionals anyone would be glad to work with. With their help, my husband and I bought a lovely place we can call our new home! From the first meeting with Michael and Cindy, we felt how knowledgeable an... Read More
Ramya B. - Buyers
Michael Galli and team helped us buy our first home in Sunnyvale in November 2017. They were instrumental in us retaining our sanities inspite of the crazy market! We were finally able to get a really lovely home in a location we never thought we co... Read More
Yuanyuan X. - Buyers
After interviewing a few relators, Michael and his team are top ranked in the bay area. We chose them. We adore Michael's personality and give 100% star to his professionality of work. The service we got from Michael is at the top level. Michael has ... Read More
Susan K. - Buyers
Frankly, we can't say enough nice things about Michael Galli (and his team). My husband and I recently bought our first house (in Sunnyvale) and his guidance made us way more confident throughout the process than we had any right to be. From our ... Read More