Susan is a consummate knowledgeable professional with excellent depth of experience and intimate knowledge of the real estate market in her area. She was our realtor for the purchase and sale of two different homes in Santa Monica's exclusive neighborhood North of Montana. She gave us excellent advice in purchasing both homes and effectively managed to negotiate and close the sale on each home. When we moved further north to Santa Barbara County and decided to sell both homes, she gave us excellent advice on pricing the homes for sale, so much so that they both closed the same week!
We bought one of the homes for our residence and lived in it for a year. We bought the other home as an investment and spent a considerable amount of time renovating and developing it. When it came time to sell the spec house, Susan advised us on the price, but we didn't listen to her, which was a mistake on our part. The house sat for many months until we accepted her advice and then it sold quickly.
We followed her advise on upgrading our residence prior to putting it on the market, and again followed her advice on pricing the home. It sold very quickly above our asking price.
Susan doesn't waste words. She operates at a fast clock speed. She is efficient and focused. Beyond all this, though, I most appreciate her sense of market pricing and timing. I encourage all to carefully consider her advice. Her keen sense of the market is a significant benefit to her clientele.
Irv Beiman
AS out-of-towners looking for the perfect pied a terre in Brentwood or Santa Monica, we needed to rely on someone who knew the area cold; who knew what was available and what was likely to become available; and who could quickly figure out what made us tick and what turned us on and off. Susan came into our life like a dynamo and cut to the chase. We only had limited days to choose an apartment, and she made us work diligently--dissecting each apartment we viewed--what was good; what was bad. This enabled her to sharpen her search and within two weeks we had found the perfect apartment. The the had part--negotiating the deal. She was a great ally and advocate, and we are very well please with our choice, our price and our real estate broker.
Arthur Selkowitz
Working with Susan Kastner at Partners Trust exceeded any of my expectations. As a first time home seller, Susan listened to our needs, guided us throughout the entire process, and delivered on her promises. Susan has an uncanny ability to communicate Real Estate and after my experience in working closely with her, I now understand why she is at the top of her game in the highly competitive real estate industry. Truly a joy to work with.....I would highly recommend Susan!
Jack & Anita Chou
Thank you for your razor sharp perceptions and negotiating talents. You made sure the deal went through and I got the homes of my dreams. You just powered it through! Jim and I are grateful to be living here, and you were truly instrumental in making it happen.
Sheri Silverton
Susan is a consummate professional, great to work with on either side of a real estate transaction.
Eugene Fama
I met Susan when my family and I moved to Santa Monica four years ago. At that time we were looking for a house to rent. She was very professional and efficient in helping us find a nice house in the desired location. Two years later we decided to purchase a new house and we choose Susan as our realtor. For more than a year and a half she worked hard showing us several houses and she never gave up. Susan was even patient with my very specific criteria. I've recommended Susan to a friend who has since successfully closed a deal. She is cheerful and professional, and I highly recommend her!
Sincerely,
Ana Paula Kozak
Susan Kastner has been our realtor and real estate advisor on dynamic market conditions in Santa Monica for 18 months. She has taken us up a steep learning curve rapidly and effectively. This has included purchase of two different properties North of Montana, one as our residence for the past year and another as an investment. For the investment property she persisted with us in finding increasingly better deals until finally she had a pocket listing that absolutely fit our desired goals. Beyond this, as part of her relationship services with her clients, she has given us her time and advice on remodeling the investment home. This includes a referral to an outstanding market sensitive architect/contractor. We have designed the remodel with their valuable input. Additionally, we are turning our residence into a rental property because we are retiring. Both Susan and the architect/contractor have given their input and ideas on how to optimize our home for rental income. We cannot be more appreciative of Susan Kastner and her deep market expertise. Beyond this, the lady knows how to get the sale and close it. She's fast, efficient and with her office assistant, Stacie, they get a lot of work done in a short amount of time.
Irv & Yongling Beiman
Susan Kastner is fabulous. I don't say that lightly, I'm a very tough critic, but the experience that my wife and I had, while buying our home in Brentwood, was a true joy. Susan is knowledgeable, experienced and very savvy. She spent a great deal of time with us on all the details and really walked us through the entire experience in a very comfortable way. Susan has just the right balance of aggressiveness and patience and went all out once we decided on a home to buy. I highly recommend Susan Kastner.
Adam & Laurie Selkowitz
I loved working with Susan Kastner. She found me exactly what I wanted, long after everyone else had said it was an impossibility. She is very professional and flexible and a tough cookie, in the greatest way. I have no hesitation to recommending her to anyone looking on the west side of LA who is looking for a home.
Negin
Susan was amazing. My wife and I were really focused on finding the right home for us to begin to build our family. Susan worked with us throughout Santa Monica to find a place. She helped us negotiate a great deal and make the closing process go quite smooth. We are so happy with our house and are thankful to Susan for all of her help, her commitment to finding the right home, and her attention to detail to ensure a smooth process. Thank you.
Mark & Erin Kapczynski
We were so thrilled with the incredible home that Susan Kastner found us. We looked for a long time but the right house appeared because she knew exactly what we wanted.
If it hadn't been for her persistence, patience and skill at deal making we would not be where we are today. We have a great investment in our home and will be forever grateful.
Michael Wise and Sirah Vettese, Ph.D.
Susan, aside from being a pleasure to work with, has the unique ability to quickly get in tune with a buyer's needs
and tastes which made finding my home in the Palisades an enjoyable, productive and successful endeavor.
Joe Nicholas
I've learned that you have to keep a close eye on the housing market. New properties, prices, loans and trends change every week. We know that Susan works especially hard to keep on top of things. She will be aware of any new home that becomes available because she makes the effort to go and see each and every one of them in person so that she can keep us apprised of anything that she feels will meet our needs. It's nice to know we have an agent who has our backs covered.
Barbara & Bill Geddie
All true:
My husband and I heartily recommend Susan Kastner to anyone selling or buying a home in Brentwood or surrounding areas. We recently sold our home of 20+ years and she was the listing agent we chose. We found her to be professional, hard working, and fun to work with. Her approach to the valuation, listing and open house approach, and closing process were outstanding. She engaged other experts, explained things well, gave us good options, and her recommendations were right on. We had a very successful sale.
Paula O’Leary
Susan Kastner is a consummate pro. People-oriented, understanding, and a superb communicator with forward-looking style. She is impeccable with every detail. And keeps larger issues firmly in mind. Although our transaction was a complex one, with much input required, Susan was always responsive and extraordinarily helpful. Her focus was on producing a win-win transaction ? one that left both parties feeling satisfied by virtue of her engagingly pleasant manner. In short, Susan earned our trust by consistent, cheerful, effective performance. And she gained sufficient rapport with the buyer that a happy transaction occurred despite lapses by the buyer?s agent. We would recommend her highly to anyone who wishes to sell or purchase a unique or high-end, LA-area property. Simply put, Susan Kastner is the best!
Dr. Lew Graham
Susan represented us in our purchase of a new house on Moreno in 2007. She was a true professional in every regard. Susan possesses the negotiation skills, intelligence, market knowledge, and integrity to be a leader in her field. I would recommend her highly representing either the buy or sell side, especially in this tough market.
Brian M. Good, President, Eagle Group, LLC
Susan's expertise, experience, and absolute dedication to our needs allowed us to get the best possible deal in this challenging environment. Her superior knowledge and understanding of the intricacies of the housing market are invaluable and unmatched. Above all, Susan has become a great friend!
Lisa Ling and Paul Song