ZillowVERIFIEDThe only thing that can be said about Melissa is that she's as close to perfect at her work as a human can get. She's incredibly diligent and works somehow tirelessly for your good outcome. This was our first house buying experience. We had an agent and were unhappy with him. We'd ask questions, ask to see properties, and if he ever got back to us, the property was already gone. Most of our questions went unanswered. Melissa knows real estate inside and out. Not only does she answer your questions quickly and with enough detail that your follow up questions are usually also answered, but you can ask her all kinds of ancillary questions. She knows what dry rot looks like, she knows what laws might be kind of hinky or come into play in what districts, she knows a lot about inspection standards and pests, she even knows about interior design stuff. She has contacts at the fire department, people in agricultural or land work... basically anything you need to know that's vaguely related to buying property, she can generally find out, and quickly. Not only does she have a great wealth of information herself that's extended by her incredible network of contacts, but she will follow up with people and places that aren't responding in a way not unlike a bloodhound. There came a point where I was so exhausted by the whole process (this is common) that I couldn't even form the questions I needed about a property we were looking at. But because Melissa had taken the time to get to know what we were really looking for, she took it upon herself to contact several of her many network people to ask about fire regulations and protected species laws in the area of the property and copied us on all of it. I have learned to trust her so completely that I eventually stopped assiduously reading every document she sent me to sign. This wasn't just in one area either. We looked at places all over San Diego county and she knew something about all of them. And if she didn't know, she found out. The first time we looked at a property with her, she said the most comforting thing. She said that some people find a property their first time out and others need a year or more to find the right one for them, and it didn't matter how long it took us to find the right place. I was so relieved! It took us about 4-5 months and although the process is grueling, I almost wish it had taken longer because working with her is so easy and honestly, having her to take some of the pressure off really really helped. I wish I had her services in every aspect of my life. We're punctual people but Melissa was always at a showing before us and that was great because sometimes she had to run some interference if a seller forgot and was still at home. She took care of any number of unpleasant people through the entire process so we wouldn't have to and commiserated if it was actually someone we did have to deal with. When things started to blur together in my mind, she would explain the same thing over and over in different ways until I got it or remembered. Bottom line: You will like working with Melissa if you need someone to really explain the process to you, have no idea what you're doing, need someone to direct the vast number of communications that happen, need someone to answer questions about anything real estate connected, need someone to help reduce your stress levels, and/or need someone to give you an honest and tactful answer about contracts, negotiations, loans, or any other aspect of buying property. You might not like working with Melissa if you want to work with someone who doesn't communicate frequently. I realize this sounds silly, but Melissa will keep you well informed and some people might prefer someone who's more surface level, or once in a while, communication.