Testimonials

Buying a home in the Bay Area is like mountaineering — both activities require a seasoned and reliable guide. Callista was an incredible partner throughout our home buying experience. She was honest, communicative, managed our expectations, coordinated with inspectors/finance/other agents masterfully, and generally made us feel like we were supported by the best. We were especially grateful for how she focused our time and attention on the most critical considerations or tasks at hand and kept us from getting overwhelmed by the process as a whole — no easy task for first-time buyers in this market. I recommend her highly!

Callista was our real estate agent for our first home (San Francisco). We first met Callista when visiting an open house where she was the listing agent. After an interview, we decided to work with her. She also took the time to listen and learn about what we were looking for. The very next day, we were out home hunting, and saw four different units. One of these, which Callista had specifically noted prior to touring as being a potentially perfect fit for us, became the first home on which we placed an offer. We didn’t get that unit because of intense competition and the offers going far over list price, but we got the next one (and are happy we didn’t get the first!). During both offers, Callista prepared documents early and answered our many questions, either by helping us understand disclosures or by reaching out to the listing agent when the information was unavailable. One of the most important things she did for us was provide guidance on how to make ourselves more competitive in an extremely competitive market. It was very important to the sellers of the home we bought that we close quickly. Callista’s expertise and hard work, including smooth coordination with our mortgage banker during the offer process, helped make it very clear to the sellers that we were serious, prepared, and ready to move. In the end, these are the things that we think made the difference and helped us create a winning offer for the place we now call home.

Yelp says 5 stars is “Woohoo! as good as it gets!”  and that pretty much sums it up with Callista. Really. She knows the market –  can craft a winning deal – and get it across the finish line – even in difficult situations in our crazy SF market.

So my story: I enlisted Callista to help me find an investment property. What impressed me the most was she was my partner during the process rather then just trying to make a sale. First, she understood my goals in what I was looking for. She was good a showing me when properties did not meet my needs. She did not push, but when she did find the right property, at the right time and price she was great at letting me see why. Just that made it worth the price of admission, but her value really started to show next.

First. She positioned me to be the winning deal. (which in SF is hard enough) Through her professionalism and approach, we were able to beat out others (and that did not necessarily mean on price) by literately minutes! Wow!

Next she shepherd me (pun intended)  though the escrow and closing process so I had no worries or problems – it went extremely smooth.  So what difficulties situation did I have? Well none, since she was always working it and staying ahead of the game. Callista also helped after the close – giving me advice on my new venture that proved valuable.

Bottom line, I would definitely recommend Callista for buying or selling a home – You will not find anyone better!

Callista helped us buy our first home.  She is fantastic for all the expected reasons:  patient, reliable, diligent, incredibly knowledgeable etc.  However, the best thing about Callista is her honesty and integrity.  When it came time to make an offer on our teeny-tiny dream house, Callista stopped us from overbidding and spent over an hour on the phone with us trying to come up with exactly the right number.  If you are trying to buy a home in this ridiculous market, call Callista right now, do exactly what she tells you, and be amazed!

Callista represented me and my husband when we were searching for the right property here in San Francisco in the fall of 2011. She was on top of everything from start to finish, showing us a variety of options that fit our price range and long-term goals, and encouraging us to check out areas we hadn’t previously considered. Thanks to her keen understanding of the market, we purchased a great condominium in a fast-growing area of town that hadn’t even been on our radar before we consulted with her. We are extremely pleased with the property and feel very fortunate to have purchased in the neighborhood when we did – it’s exploding with growth, just like she said it would. I highly recommend engaging Callista for all your real estate needs!

Callista rocks!!
It was amazing how detail oriented she was and the time she took to show us properties and neighborhoods.
I’ve never felt in better hands!
My wife and I were looking for a house in San Bruno. Not only did Callista show us properties, she showed us schools and parks and playgrounds and everything. I was very impressed with her.
She’s extremely honest and knows the local market really well.
I highly recommend Callista!!
She’s the best.

As a first time home buyer, I am happy to give a positive review of my experience working with Callista Shepherd. She is friendly, professional, practical, dedicated to her clients and has integrity. She answered all of my (endless) real estate questions and helped me become knowledgeable about the process. And of course, I’m thrilled that Callista helped me find a gorgeous condo that is a great match for what I sought!

Callista did an amazing job helping us navigate the complex waters of San Francisco real estate. She was constantly pro-actively suggesting new ways for us to get our needs met. Needless to say, she was also consistently and reliably responsive to us in a very timely fashion. I would definitely go back to Callista!

I can’t explain how lucky we feel that we found Callista when we bought our new home. She is very professional, easy to work with, honest, not pushy in any way, and really quiet fun to interact with.

She knows a lot about a lot–neighborhoods, architecture, construction methods, renovation costs, property valuation, schools/parks, permitting, landscaping, etc.

She is extremely organized and knows how to get things done. We saw our new home at an open house on a Sunday afternoon. Callista found out that there was at least one offer coming in that evening. She had our offer put together that night, presented to the seller in the morning, and accepted by the seller before noon. She knew exactly what we needed to do to quickly put together a wining offer without overpaying, which is a pretty impressive feat in the current market.

I can’t imagine buying a house in the Bay Area without Callista. Even with all the info available online nowadays for buying homes, a good realtor is really worth their weight. Callista is excellent.

As a first-time homebuyer, I was completely unfamiliar with what to expect. Callista worked to prepare me for the experience and make sure I was ahead of the curve throughout the process. She completely understood my preference for walkable neighborhoods and did a great job meeting my needs. When the process hit some hurdles, she guided me through and made sure I got the condo of my dreams. Two years later, I still love my place and my neighborhood and am very appreciative of her.

When I started the design for my kitchen remodel, Callista helped me analyze the plan and made some smart space-saving design suggestions and green-remodeling choices! She suggested a home performance analysis with Recurve and I followed through with their recommendations. She told me about San Francisco’s solar rebate program and referred me to Sungevity. Thanks to Callista and Green Key, I’m now I’m solar and green!! I would happily work with her again.

She brings a sincere dedication to her work and is always going over and above to provide top notch service to her clients. She is an absolute pleasure to work with.

My wife and I loved working with Callista. We met her at an open house last year and decided to work with her to find our first home in San Francisco.

During the entire experience, she was helpful, dedicated, patient, and very professional. At the beginning, she sat down with us and explained the entire process and answered all our questions. She is honest and always willing to go the extra mile to satisfy us. She will always tell her opinion and not necessary to convince us.

She would take us on house tours, help us find potential places, and listened to our needs when we did not like a home or a neighborhood. She really took our criteria into consideration and explained well the market in SF.

On top of that, she is very quick at preparing deals, getting everything ready on the table to make an offer. That’s a big plus. I remember deciding very last minute or changing mind at the last minute and she would redo all the paperwork in no time!

After we closed on the house, she still checks on us and is ready to help with any issues. She is always easy to reach and it’s great to think that she can still help us even though we are not actively working with her anymore.

Great work Callista! Hope you stay the same!

Callista was wonderful to work with and was on top of every aspect of my purchase from start to finish. She also earned every bit of her commission, guiding me through the bidding phase, helping me understand the market dynamics, and working to get me the best deal possible.

Callista also helped a ton during the escrow process, answering several questions I had and in a very timely manner. She’s literally available any time of day to answer questions which was a godsend with my busy schedule.

I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to either buy or sell a new home.

Callista has incredible energy and tenacity. She works hard for her clients, fights for what is right, and pours her heart into her work. Callista is dedicated to improving her communities and the quality of the world around her. She’s an amazing person!

You won’t find a better realtor than Callista, whether you’re buying or selling. If you’re in San Francisco, there’s no reason to use anyone else.

Callista had helped my family before to find a new home for my parents in a challenging market. After that great experience, it was a no-brainer to turn to her again when my husband and I decided to sell our home. We were on a tight schedule to take advantage of the spring buying season, and Callista was amazing at guiding us through the process and keeping the many cleaning, painting, and staging details on track.

She kept us informed about everything throughout the process, while taking care of many details so we wouldn’t have to.

Callista was on top of everything, and she dealt with any issue that arose with grace and professionalism. In record time, we got a way above asking price for our home.

If you need a realtor who knows the market in and out, is professional, caring, honest, and creative, and gives her all to her work and her clients, Callista is your woman. She is simply the best.

As a color consultant and interior designer, I have worked with Callista and her buyers during their closing process. This means I’ve had the rare opportunity to be a fly on the wall and hear her client interactions. Callista truly loves what she does and it shows. She is enthusiastic but low-pressure, and professional but down to earth. I look forward to continued collaborations!

I got to know Callista as a neighbor and when my wife and I decided to look for a property we turned to her. She was tremendous – responsive, provided great information, and guided us through the entire process. And she shares our values to be easy on the planet – as a member of the board of the Sierra Club, that’s really important to me! I give Callista my highest recommendation!

Buying a home in the Bay Area is like mountaineering — both activities require a seasoned and reliable guide.

Callista was an incredible partner throughout our home buying experience. She was honest, communicative, managed our expectations, coordinated with inspectors/finance/other agents masterfully, and generally made us feel like we were supported by the best.

We were especially grateful for how she focused our time and attention on the most critical considerations or tasks at hand and kept us from getting overwhelmed by the process as a whole — no easy task for first-time buyers in this market.

I recommend her highly! Please feel free to private message me with questions or for a more detailed reference.

Callista is dedicated to making a difference in the world, starting with supporting her clients to make the best real estate decisions, whether buying or selling. She has a keen mind for marketing properties, and understanding the sometimes complex intricacies of what makes a property valuable. Callista is an asset to our brokerage.

Callista helped us sell our condominium with outstanding results. And Callista also helped my extended family purchase a home. She will always be at the very top of my list for future real estate transactions.

All real estate transactions are complex, with many unique constraints for each situation. The best agent is one who can quickly master the unique conditions and drive to a successful conclusion on your behalf. Callista is exactly that agent.

Callista demonstrates exceptional motivation and expertise when representing the seller or buyer. She is thoughtful, focused, and brings her deep knowledge of local conditions to create the best experience possible. Plus, Callista works fast and thoroughly on the complexities of each deal. Callista earns my highest recommendation across all criteria for a real estate agent.

We found Callista through a referral and came to her with a home and pre-approval.

So I was thinking not that much for her to do. And I was very wrong.

I am so grateful that Callista was there to jump in and take over. We first met her on Tuesday and our home needed an offer by Friday. She laid out a list of everything we needed to do and helped us get it all done in time.

Then Callista demonstrated why she’s worth every bit of her commission. She went to the seller and presented us and our offer personally. She worked through the negotiations to keep us at a fair price, and in the end we got the house with minimal stress.

Callista then coached us through the escrow process and worked hand-in-hand with our Mortgage Agent to make sure everything was in order for closing.

And wait, there’s more, even after closing, Callista has kept working for us:
– not in town for the final closing, she took care of it for us
– missing internal keys, she got them for us

I know that if any issue comes up with the house, Callista will work with us to get it resolved. I hope I don’t have to move again for a while, but if I did, I definitely work with her again.

My family went to Callista with a tricky request, finding a two-unit home that could accommodate our aging parents on a limited budget in the SF Bay Area. We couldn’t have made a better choice. Callista’s keen and thorough understanding of the market makes her realistic, while her creativity and enthusiasm make her persistent and successful. She doesn’t gloss over issues, and she doesn’t let issues get in the way of a good outcome. She’s very sharp and got right away what we were looking for.

In a very difficult market for buyers, we found an amazing home at a much better than expected price, which our parents are now enjoying. I still can’t believe we were able to move our parents here, as it seemed impossible in this market — and Callista was crucial in making that happen.

Callista then helped a friend find his perfect first home in record time.

I can’t recommend Callista highly enough. She’s a pleasure to work with, and if I need to look for a property in the area again, she’ll be the one I go to.

We first met Callista when visiting an open house where she was the listing agent. After an interview, we decided to work with her. She also took the time to listen and learn about what we were looking for. The very next day, we were out home hunting, and saw four different units. One of these, which Callista had specifically noted prior to touring as being a potentially perfect fit for us, became the first home on which we placed an offer. We didn’t get that unit because of intense competition and the offers going far over list price, but we got the next one (and are happy we didn’t get the first!).

During both offers, Callista prepared documents early and answered our many questions as first-time buyers, either by helping us understand disclosures or by reaching out to the listing agent when the information was unavailable. One of the most important things she did for us was provide guidance on how to make ourselves more competitive in an extremely competitive market. It was very important to the sellers of the home we bought that we close quickly. Callista’s expertise and hard work, including smooth coordination with our mortgage banker during the offer process, helped make it very clear to the sellers that we were serious, prepared, and ready to move. In the end, these are the things that we think made the difference and helped us create a winning offer for the place we now call home.