Testimonials

It sold after just one open house!

With Mavis’ help, putting my Oakland condo on the market was as stress-free as selling a home can be.

She certainly had her work cut out for her: After we met, I needed to return back to Hawaii as soon as possible. So, I asked her if she wouldn’t mind handling the sale and keeping me updated long-distance. Mavis did not hesitate for a second; she was up to the challenge.

Mavis had my unit beautifully staged and it sold after just one open house!

Throughout the entire process, Mavis was in constant communication with me and I knew she had everything under control. She is intelligent, assertive and reliable. Mavis will not disappoint.

I highly recommend her!

~ Donna Shinn

Expect a direct approach designed to achieve success.

We chose Mavis Delacroix as our realtor because we liked her straightforward “tell it like it is,” demeanor. There are other realtors who really try to sell you and tell you what you want to hear. Mavis displays directness and experience that are a welcome difference.

Mavis is hard-working and diligent. She knows the market and the process inside and out. She guided us through the selling and buying of our house in a complex situation. Her deep experience, follow-through regarding dates, contracts, and related items, and her knowledge of the ancillary players in the real estate business including lenders, other agents, contractors, and stagers, are major benefits.

We readily recommend her as someone who is extremely knowledgeable and experienced with the market: Expect a direct approach designed to achieve success.

~Dan Fishlow and Kim Randlett

I felt I could trust her to really help us.

Mavis is willing to be honest. She pointed out things we couldn’t see. But whatever her advice, she let us be in charge of making the decisions. I felt I could trust her to really help us.

She made a painful experience (buying real estate in California) fun; we knew we were in good hands.

~ Keally McBride, Professor

She had our back!

We have a long-term professional relationship with Mavis. We were very pleased with her work with our previous home sale in Richmond, and so we worked with her again to buy and sell our homes in Oakland.

Mavis is exceptional.

She is very efficient and professional, which made for a speedy sale and purchase. We appreciated her familiarity with the market and her overall strategy, and we always felt that she really had our best interests in mind—she had our back!

~Charmin Roundtree-Baagee, Civil Engineer

She was driven to please us!

We met Mavis through the recommendation of friends who had purchased a house with her in a very competitive situation.

She provided excellent service. She was very patient with our never-ending house search; she was extremely giving of her time and resources; she was very accessible even when out-of-town.

Mavis spoke candidly—and we needed that! She asked us the hard questions, and she asked the hard questions for us—of inspectors, other agents, etc.

She was driven to please us. Her work is comprehensive; she has deep experience and resources, amazing knowledge of neighborhoods, and she closes the deal you want.

~Sarah DeVan, RN/Mom, and David DeVan, Animator

The 8th Wonder of the World

In early 2004, I helped my client, journalist and staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal Pui-Wing Tam, buy her dream home in Piedmont.

She wrote about her arduous but ultimately successful Bay Area home buying experience in the paper. Below are excerpts from her article, “House Hunting Advice for Bay Area Hopefuls,” published in the Wall Street Journal:

It was a nine-month saga which started in a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco and finally ended with us owning a house of our own…

“Along the journey we discovered some valuable lessons: Namely, use the Internet and find a great realtor. (We worked with Mavis Delacroix, an agent at Grubb Co., whom I call the ‘eighth wonder of the world.’ )…

“My boss recommended Mavis, who specialized in the neighborhood we were interested in. When we contacted her, we found out she’d lived in the area for more than a decade. She knew the various property inspectors and other agents who were listing homes, so she sometimes heard weeks in advance where there would be an open house. Mavis wasn’t pushy. And she listened…

“Mavis often told us which houses to skip and which ones to seriously look at…

“In late January, Mavis heard of an old house that was coming onto the market… She got us into the house on the first day buyers were allowed to view it. Although much of the house needed work, the main problems were cosmetic. We decided to go for it. Guided by Mavis, we asked a property inspector to take a look at the house before offers were due… That enabled us to put in a no-contingency offer… The following day, Mavis called my husband. ‘You got the house,’ she exclaimed. ‘Congratulations!’…It turns out we had outbid six other bidders.

While the sellers’ market my client experienced is no longer the norm, some of the same practices that helped us get her the home she wanted still apply. Listening to my clients and keeping my ear to the ground helps me save my clients’ time and energy while connecting them with properties as soon as or even before they go on the market. And taking action fast, like getting inspections done as early as possible, can give us a bidding edge.

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Pui-Wing Tam

My friend recommended Mavis over her own agent.

Mavis is stellar. She was attuned to our wishes and mindful of our limitations. Her honesty, experience, and deep knowledge of the cities and neighborhoods we were interested in were all huge benefits to us as first-time home-buyers. She was always a joy to deal with, and she put us in touch with a great mortgage broker, too!

We met Mavis because a friend’s friend had worked with her and loved her—my friend recommended Mavis over her own agent. I would recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell in the East Bay.

I have sold three houses with Mavis and each time, we sold for over the asking price.

Mavis and I first met when our children were in the same elementary school. She ran the school fundraiser and did a tremendous job, honoring her commitments, even when she had many other demands on her time, and always staying upbeat. I liked her commitment to seeing a job done well.

Mavis is completely reliable and professional; she works hard for you; she is extremely knowledgeable and efficient; she is direct and honest; she has high integrity. Her positive energy has a calming effect on a potentially-nervous seller or buyer.

I have sold three houses with Mavis—in the Claremont District, Rockridge, and Montclair—and each time, we sold for over the asking price. When selling your home, Mavis prices it competitively and she makes sure the house shows to its best advantage. I also bought two houses with Mavis (before moving into the third with my current husband). She understands what you are looking for as a buyer and doesn’t waste your time showing you homes that won’t work for you.

She has access to excellent support people who are completely trustworthy, whether it’s the home inspector, painter, gardening crew, window washers, hauler, or mortgage broker. Mavis is respected by her colleagues and she negotiates effectively your behalf.

Selling or buying a home can be very stressful, but Mavis makes it a manageable process.

~ Lisa Taylor

Mavis helped us sail through the mortgage and inspection process!

My husband and I chose Mavis because several of my husband’s colleagues had worked with her and recommended her highly.

Mavis is frank, honest, professional, and very experienced. She communicates information in a clear manner—which was especially helpful for first-time home-buyers like ourselves. She has a great personality and sense of humor. We appreciated that she was not pushy during the home search. She offered us great advice and insights on properties we were interested in.

Mavis helped us sail through the mortgage and inspections process. Her experience and knowledge of the housing market, both before we made the offer, and during, and after, made the process painless. We had heard plenty of horror stories in this chaotic market, but thankfully our experience was relatively stress-free because Mavis was on top of it.

We would work with her again, definitely!

~ Joanne Shen, TV Producer