ZillowVERIFIEDMy husband and I are in our mid-70s, living in a house we love on a nice piece of property in Tehachapi, California. Its a nearly 2300-sf, two-story house on a fenced, oak-studded half acre, which weve spent years landscaping. It was perfect when we were younger and had two or three dogs, good friends as neighbors, and didnt mind long drives to see relatives. Times and climate have changed. A few months ago, the last of our beloved dogs died. We have no children or grandchildren on this coast, and our extended family members are scattered throughout the state and beyond. Most of the close friends weve made in the neighborhood have moved away.We realized that at our age, we didnt want to spend our time taking care of a house and yard that were much bigger than we needed.After much discussion about downsizing and relocating, we began looking for a realtor. Research into top-ranked realtors in our area led us to Christy Rabe, broker/owner, Platinum Realty Group in Tehachapi. We told her we were looking to sell within a year, and she kindly agreed to come take a look at the property and give us her thoughts. Weve been through many moves in our careers and have bought and sold several homes. Weve had good and not-so-good realtors. We wanted someone with expertise and experience in the Tehachapi/Bakersfield real estate market. We wanted someone with whom we connected personally. We wanted someone who was honest and trustworthy. We wanted someone who could aggressively market the property and make it as easy and understandable for us as possible. Christy did not disappoint in any area. In addition to checking all the boxes, she was outgoing, optimistic, enthusiastic, thorough, and had a fantastic team working with her, all of them friendly, efficient, and knowledgeable. We never felt neglected.One thing that stood out on our first meeting was her honesty and market knowledge. After taking a good look at the property, she suggested ways to ready it for selling and gave us a current market estimate that closely matched a recent valuation by Rocket Mortgage. She emphasized that it was based on the trends at that time. She said that in the Tehachapi area, which had been a hot market, sales were already beginning to slow a bit. She cautioned us that the market might be quite different in a years time.Not long after that meeting, we called Christy and said we were ready to sell. We agreed on an asking price we felt realistically reflected the current market, all parties choosing to avoid chasing the market down. Christy wasted no time getting things going. Before long, we had two full price offers. We accepted one by a well-qualified buyer, contingent on the completed sale of her property, which was then in escrow. Unfortunately, the buyers house in Florida fell out of escrow. Christy remained in touch with the other agents and kept us informed. The buyer lowered her price considerably in hopes of quickly getting another buyer. Meanwhile we found an apartment in Northern California, near friends and relatives, and paid the necessary fees to reserve it for a specific move-in. After wed gone through all the inspections and signed escrow papers on our house, the buyer completely backed out, panicked that her house was not getting any buyer interest.Even in that hopeless and frightening scenario for us, watching the market turning down, mortgage interest rates rising, and apartments gaining long waiting lists, Christy came to the rescue!Putting people before profit, she offered a way out: leasing our property until the market improved. To that end, she referred us to a reputable property manager whom she used for her own rentals. He found us a tenant who was ready to move in as soon as we could be out.Christy is the best realtor weve ever had. Oh, and in addition to her sunny disposition, she has a great sense of humor. Who could ask for more?My advice to potential buyers or sellers: CONTACT CHRISTY!
