Mrs. Smith's Sanctuary - Sold in Monte Sereno

My dear friend, Frances Smith passed away in her home at 98 years old, she lived a very long and healthy life. A strong woman who adored cats, loved to garden and drive to Santa Cruz to see the surf. She drove herself over highway 17, until 2 years ago, when she finally conceded to a caregiver. Frances left behind two grown children and several grand and great grandchildren. I was fortunate enough to be the listing agent for her home in November of 2013, shortly after her passing.

After the first week and two open houses, the offers flooded in, with a total of 14 on the final day. France's daughter, also named Frances, took great care in making sure that we acknowledged each offer and went through them in detail. Narrowing the choices was easy, as her daughter, wanted to have a family in the home. In the end, she found the right buyer; a family of five (Dad and Mom and triplets, age two and all girls)!

The home is nestled in a lovely area of Monte Sereno. Not many people knew there was a home back at the end of its' driveway. Buyers and their agents came from everywhere to see this unique find. The home was built back in 1966, by her husband Warren. This home was built to last, as Warren was a retired Civil Engineer with the City of San Jose. Unfortunately, after more detailed inspections, additional repairs to the aging chimney and plumbing were noted. Ultimately, Frances being so generous and thinking solely of the young family, subtracted some of the estimated repair costs off of the final price, enabling the deal to stay in tact and keep moving forward, with a 21 day close and the buyers were in their new home by Christmas. I appreciated working on this listing not only because it was for good friends, but because it captured the essence of drive, compassion and fairness throughout the process.

To Mrs Smith and the legacy you left behind, I will always remember you for your kind spirit, love of nature and animals, and those twinkles in your blue eyes, with that endless sense of humor!

Highly Likely to Recommend

Testimonials

Highly likely to recommend

12/11/2015 - Carla Blackman

Diane Bucher represented me as a seller's agent and I would recommend her to anyone looking for a broker. Her knowledge of the market helped us price our home to receive offers without leaving money on the table. Diane also guided us and made recommendations on what changes we should consider making to the home prior to going on the market which made a big difference in how the home was received by potential buyers. She is very professional and a pleasure to work with.

Highly likely to recommend

06/21/2014 - Jerry Brenner

Sold a Single Family home in 2014 for approximately $1.125M in Cambrian Park, San Jose, CA.If you are selling or buying a home give very careful consideration when selecting a Real Estate Broker to represent you.I selected Diane Bucher to sell my house in San Jose, I can't say enough good things about Diane.I met Diane almost 2 years ago, at that time I was not ready to sell my house, but Diane kept in touch through email, newsletters and telephone follow up.When I was ready to sell my house Diane was very thorough and very sensitive to my needs. Diane was professional in every aspect of the transaction. She took care of all the inspections I required, was always on time, very detail oriented. Diane has a great depth of knowledge about the Real Estate transaction.If you are a buyer or seller I would highly recommend Diane as the Real Estate Broker you want working for you. On a scale of 1 to 10, Diane's an 11.Jerry Brenner

Highly likely to recommend

12/17/2013 - cmalmgren

Bought a Single Family home in 2013 for approximately $700K in Morgan Hill, CA.

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Diane was great at helping us find our house. We ended up taking her slightly outside of her normal area but she was so engaged, thoughtful and helpful we really didn't want anyone else. I would strongly recommend her and absolutely loved working with her.

Highly likely to recommend

10/11/2013 - MaggieAnderson5

Sold a Single Family home in 2013 for approximately $675K in Cambrian Park, San Jose, CA.

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I engaged Ms. Bucher's employment to sell my Aunt's home in Cambrian Park area of San Jose. She did a brilliant job for me. Not only did she roll up her sleeves, she met with contractors, etc when I couldn't make it. Ms. Bucher went well beyond the of duty as a Realtor! I would recommend her at the drop of a hat!

Highly likely to recommend

12/12/2013 - fstarn

Sold a Single Family home in 2013 in Monte Sereno, CA.

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Diane was helpful and knowledgeable from start to finish. She confirmed that it would be best to offer the property "AS IS" at the low end of the assessed value, to give buyers leeway to renovate or rebuild. We had 13 offers after the first open house and closed well above the asking price. Diane is unusually skilled at giving you information (on comparisons, on initial offering price, etc.) while letting you feel that you are the one who decides. She was endlessly generous with her time and energy, managing everything from open houses and random furniture to resettling an orphaned cat. "Don't worry about it," was what she said. I was out of town while the property was being shown, but Diane kept me in touch throughout. Her response to questions was very quick, by email or telephone, and her use of Docusign for the endless signatures & appprovals meant that everything moved faster. Maybe there's a way to give a more enthusiastic account of my experience with Diane Bucher as my agent; if so, tell me and I'll do it!…