Testimonials

“My wife and I recently had the pleasure of working with Rachel to find our first home. Buying a home in the bay area seems more difficult than other areas but Rachel made the process for us both enjoyable and rewarding. We had spoken with other agents before we (fortunately!) found Rachel. From the first introductory call to the moment we stepped in our new home as owners, she was patient, hardworking, savvy, and so very competent in this work.
Her vast knowledge of this area and ability to find us multiple options was so helpful. But the manner in which she works, her warm personality and professional approach to the whole process was what we feel truly set her apart. She is kind, funny, and personable, yet also direct and honest. Rare combination!

She fielded all of our newbie questions with great information, paying particular attention to detail on all the ‘little things’ that we were looking for in our first home. She was always available for advice, showed as many homes as we wanted, and found many off-market options for us too. At times when we didn’t think it would be possible for us, she also helped us stay positive and focused on our goal.

We ended up getting a wonderful home in the area we wanted, and she was able to negotiate the price down until it worked for us. We couldn’t be happier to have had the pleasure of working with her and we love our new home! Oh yeah, and she also was able to do all of this during ‘shelter in place’ orders due to Covid-19. Incredible… =)

Bottom line = she is the best and if we had to do it all over again, the only way we would is if Rachel represented us!"

Paul | San Mateo, CA

“When I kicked off my home buying process, I spoke to a handful of agents, all referrals from friends and coworkers. I ended up going with Rachel and I am SO glad I did! She’s fantastic. She is very informed and knowledgeable about the real estate market in the Bay Area, hard working, organized, diligent, and a good communicator who responds to texts/emails/phone calls quickly. But most importantly, she is a very savvy negotiator that you definitely want on your side. I don’t know how she does it, but she somehow gets you an amazing deal all while being warm, friendly, kind, and always with a smile on her face. She not only takes care of you during the home buying process, but when I decided to undertake renovations, she went above and beyond, providing what turned out to be amazing recommendations (I always check against multiple quotes) and even pre-screening contractors for their availability. Whenever I decide to sell this place or buy a new home, I will 100% be using Rachel again. I recommend her to all of my friends, and I hope you are lucky enough to work with her too!"

Candice | San Francisco, CA

“We are so fortunate to have sold our home in Belmont with Rachel Hardyck. I met Rachel at an open house in our neighborhood before we ever had plans to move. I was impressed with her knowledge of Belmont and active communication with everyone coming through. A year later when we decided to list our home, I called Rachel.

When we met, I appreciated her local experience with the Peninsula market and her easy going confidence. Rachel truly acted as our partner in the sale of our house. She took care of EVERYTHING in a professional, efficient and genuinely caring manner. Rachel created a strong marketing plan including handling all the vendors needed to prepare our home for listing. She followed through going above and beyond on multiple occasions. Finally she proved to be a strong, competent negotiator. We were always confident that Rachel had our best interest in mind and we knew we could trust her expertise. We sold our home quickly for an excellent price in a manner that worked for our family. There is truly nothing I would change about our experience with Rachel. I highly recommend her."

Nancy & Jonathan | Belmont, CA

“5+! Rachel has beyond earned this review. She has been amazing with our family – adapting through our financial ups and downs, and the process of understanding what is important to us quirky people for our first home purchase. Her referrals have been great and her knowledge, strategery, and people skills were highly valuable. I still can’t believe we landed a home that we adore in this market; thank you Rachel!”

Alex & Nicole | Belmont, CA

“Rachel helped us find a home in the Bay Area even though we were still living on the East Coast. Her attention to detail and advocacy for us in the buying negotiation process was incredible. I was also very impressed with her knowledge of the market and how to get the most home for the buck. She also provided excellent local recommendations for insurance agents and info about setting up our utilities, etc. She was a huge help in making our cross-country transition a little bit easier. I can’t imagine what it would have been like using anyone else.”

Kim & John | Brentwood, CA

“I loved working with Rachel. We were in a bit of a rush to find our new home, and Rachel made the process fun and easy. We tried a different agent a couple of years ago, and they just didn’t seem to get what it was we were looking for. Rachel found us the right houses to look at, and eventually our beautiful home. She was there every step of the way, and for me, as a first time home buyer she explained things as we went. She is a joy and a pleasure to work with. Thank you Rachel!”

Tina & Tony | Redwood City, CA

“Buying a home in the Bay Area is a daunting process. My husband and I met a few agents before Rachel and it was a night and day difference. Others made it difficult and quite painful to try and navigate, while Rachel eased our suffering and actually made the process of buying our first home fun! She listened to all of our ‘first timer’ questions without blinking (and believe me, we had many…). Rachel went above and beyond, truly. She listened to what mattered to us most and showed us homes that we really liked. Her vast knowledge of the Bay Area housing market was impressive, but maybe even more impressive was how she made it a point to be available whenever needed. In the end she definitely delivered on finding us the perfect fit. All while dealing with ‘shelter in place’ orders and in just 2 months – couldn’t be happier to have had Rachel on our side :)”

Alayna | San Mateo, CA

“My husband and I highly recommend Rachel Hardyck as a realtor. She went above and beyond her duties to sell our house to get the highest price possible. Rachel was professional, and knew many of the other the top agents in the area so our open houses were well advertised, and pretty crowded. We were able to get multiple offers because she not only knew the right contacts to stage the house but she knew the quality of their work and was a very helpful liaison with preparing our home to sell. Rachel was professional, very personable, and easy to communicate with. She studied the market, knew the comparable properties, and was an excellent negotiator. We were very happy that she represented us and recommend Rachel Hardyck to buy or sell your house in the Bay Area. She’s an amazing agent!”

Valerie & Keven | Belmont, CA

“Rachel proved to be sensitive, knowledgeable, and effective. We met her shortly after we decided to sell our home and move to a place where we could receive more care. We lived in that house, raised our family there and hoped to live out our last years there. Rachel understood all that right away and guided us very sensitively through the process. Her expertise and market experience led her to place the house on the market at exactly the right time and follow through with solid offers. She turned a sad transition into a very positive experience.”

Margaret & Peter | Belmont, CA

“In mid September, my siblings and I lost our 91 year old mother. We decided, as none of us live nearby, it would be best to put her 67 year old tract home on the market. The home was built solidly, but very dated. In October, we contacted Rachel to help us with the sale. Oh my goodness, what a wise move! She was considerate and respectful regarding our childhood home and made us feel like it was more than just an old house. She guided us in how to best present it, and, using her skilled contacts, was able to help us get it in shape to put on the market. She worked tirelessly and took on the supervision and coordinating of every detail. The house looked marvelous. From beginning prep to sale, the process took about 3 weeks! Rachel is delightful, compassionate, professional and easy to work with. She kept in touch with us through every detail of the process; it was clear what was happening every step of the way! We recommend her highly.”

Carol, Kathy, Jay & Bob | Redwood City, CA

“Rachel was our buying agent for a condo in the peninsula and she was fantastic. She combines the following strengths:
1. Business knowledge: she masters the real estate business like the back of her hand and she explained very clearly the different steps and their associated timeline.
2. Reactivity: the communication via email, phone or text was always very quick and fluid.
3. Proactivity: we have rarely seen such a level of anticipation. There was no delay in the process because she anticipated the questions and the roadblocks before they pop up and she looked for the relevant information to propose a solution.
4. Negotiation: her guidance during the bidding phase was priceless.
5. Trust relationship: as a client, you feel very well supported by a trusted advisor from the beginning to the very end of the process. She always worked on our best interest.
Bottom line: the cream of the cream!”

Edouard & Verinque | Redwood Shores, CA

“Rachel Hardyck came to us highly recommended. We reached out to other agents, nevertheless. She got the job and we are delighted with our choice. Most importantly, we found a wonderful friend who knows a thing or two about houses. She’s experienced, competent and works hard; from locks to legalese, she was our one-stop shop for all our new home-related needs. We needed an agent whom we shared a chemistry with and could trust — finding a home can be a longish-term commitment and your agent will be privy to a lot of your personal life. We wanted someone who knew the area well and understood the concerns of a couple with a young child. We needed someone who would listen to what we aspired for in a home and be flexible when those aspirations evolved over time. Rachel fit the bill.

She is even tempered. She would scale down (or up) our expectations based on her reading of the market, but was open to waiting until we were in our comfort zone. She once told us no matter how persuasive the numbers looked, you don’t feel it, you don’t buy it. That was the kind of agent we could work with. Rachel kept us on task by dragging us back on the hunt if we slowed down, but she was never pushy. She seemed to know when to engage and when to step back. She was upfront about our chances when we made what seemed like losing bids; but instead of insisting on pulling back she made the best possible case for us. Rachel continues to help us with any work we need done on our house. She has provided us with excellent contacts. She has a charming personality and will be your best PR agent. Picking an agent, like buying a house, is like finding a suitable partner, so our choices will vary with our needs. We loved Rachel’s work and believe she can be an excellent agent to anyone. Honestly, we think she loves her job!

Good luck hunting!”

Snigdha & Sridhar | Belmont, CA

“During the time we were working with Rachel, average home prices in the areas we were looking suddenly went up by a huge percentage – but our budget had not changed. She stuck with us and saw us through to getting a home in the neighborhood we had basically given up on.
Rachel is savvy about gathering strategic price information and creating a bid strategy for each particular property. When it was time to sell our old apartment, she did a phenomenal job staging, marketing, and showing it, and the price we got was substantially higher than we had hoped.

She had seemingly endless energy, and went above and beyond to make the move easier for us by taking care of every detail. She was fantastic to work with. We highly recommend her!”

Jen & Chester | San Mateo, CA

“I can’t recommend Rachel Hardyck strongly enough; she made us feel so looked out for and supported during the process of buying our very first home (we had been living in San Mateo and she helped us find a great home on Belmont). She goes above and beyond what any other agent I’ve met or heard of does. She worked tirelessly to show us properties that met both our wish-list of details and our budget, she responded quickly to every text and call, she gave us great advice in terms of making offers etc, she was incredibly knowledgable and creative about the market and about envisioning spaces and ways to make them into what we needed if they weren’t already (envisioning how to turn 2/1’s into 3/2’s etc). She even brought in a contractor in the 11th hour to walk through a property with us. She was incredibly flexible in working with our crazy schedule and even helped us with childcare once so we could see a property without our little people. Above and beyond! And once our offer was accepted on our wonderful new home, she held our hands through all the crazy paperwork, joined us for the signing, and then once everything was settled and her job was done, she still stuck with us by arranging and joining us for three bids each for roofing work and HVAC work (and I’m very pleased with the work of the roofer and HVAC company we chose). She even gave us the names of her go-to plumber, carpenter and contractor for future reference. And as a home warming gift she bought us a home warranty for our first year of ownership! ABOVE AND BEYOND. I can not say enough good things about this agent. She is great at her job, and a lovely person to boot. I would use her again in a heartbeat and both my husband and I have already recommended her to friends.”

Lisa & Bruno | Belmont, CA

“From my first introductory phone call with Rachel, I was instantly put at ease. She took the time to know who I was, where I was coming from, what I was looking for, where I was looking for it. She answered the thousand “initial” questions I had without pause or cause of concern for how long this “introductory” phone call perhaps was taking.

I could spend the next five paragraphs outlining my buying experience and how much it would have suffered if I didn’t have Rachel on my team, but I won’t bore you (although it is pretty epic). What I will say without reservation is that Rachel was the best decision I made when I decided to buy and flip 1705 Hillman Ave in Belmont .
NEVER did she not return or answer a phone call. She took more time than perhaps anyone should to walk me through the process and make sure I was okay with where we were, and how it was going. She answered my frantic calls at 6pm on a Friday when I was freaking out, and she read every email and got back to me or offered her two cents on group emails. The whole process she listened to me and was there for me every single step of the way. She is the best of the best!”

Juan | Belmont, CA

“If you’re looking to buy on the Peninsula during these crazy times, you need someone who’s experienced, who’s creative and who has plenty of patience as you look for just the right home for you. Rachel is all of those things and more, and I can’t recommend her highly enough.

It was very important to my wife and I to find an agent to work with who we trusted to have our best interests in mind and who we were very comfortable with. After false starts with two other agents, one who didn’t really seem that interested in us because our budget was south of $2m and another who basically said, “So would you like to make an offer?” after we saw every property, we found Rachel. She was exactly what we were looking for. She took time to learn about what was important to us, and where we were flexible. She would be the first to tell us “I think we can do better” when she could tell we were trying to talk each other into liking a house that wasn’t right for us, simply because we *really* wanted to get a house!

As other reviewers said, she accommodated our schedule. She was super responsive via text, email and phone. She’d meet us at properties at all times of the day, and unlike many agents who just tell you to go tour homes during open houses to save themselves some time/effort, Rachel would always go the extra mile to arrange a private viewing for every home we were considering so we wouldn’t be distracted by other potential buyers.

Once we were interested in a home, that’s when Rachel’s experience REALLY came through for us. Her guidance on bidding strategy and price were spot on, and we were able to successfully buy a home on our second offer attempt, which seems rare these days. We weren’t even the highest offer, but Rachel’s attention to detail on the offer and what was important to the sellers, along with the relationship she was able to build with the selling agent and sellers, made the difference.

Rachel was extremely helpful throughout the closing process, answering my many, many questions and making sure to whip the title, mortgage and sellers into line for an on-time close.

Since we bought, Rachel has continued to offer us insights to the neighborhood and has given us GREAT referrals to a painter, a tile guy and an electrician, all of whom have delivered the same great service we got from Rachel.

Bottom line – find someone you really like and trust to help you buy your home. For us, that was Rachel!”

Dean & Eunice | Belmont, CA

“Rachel was my realtor when I sold my house in Foster City and when I bought my new home in San Carlos. I was moving to Chicago for a few months so I was not around to complete some of the tasks that I wanted to when it came to selling my home. Rachel helped prepare the house and make sure that it was in perfect condition to list on the market. We ended up getting over asking price!

When I purchased my home in San Carlos, Rachel was there to help manage all of the work that was being completed prior to my moving in (changing out the countertops, painting the rooms, etc.). She negotiated a quick close, which allowed the work to be completed prior to the moving truck arriving from Chicago. And, more importantly, her savvy negotiation skills helped get me the house that was a little more than I could afford for an amount that I could afford. Her killer instincts with negotiating helped me to pay $125K less than the original list price! More than anything, Rachel made sure that a typically stressful situation (buying a home) was a pleasant and easy experience! I would highly recommend Rachel to my friends and family!”

Megan | San Carlos, CA

“I have had the pleasure of working with Rachel on several transactions as both a buyer and seller. Most recently, we purchased a home for my in laws. The market had just started to become competitive, we had a modest budget, and my in laws really wanted a house over a condo. Rachel proactively viewed tons of homes as soon as they hit the market. My in laws were first time buyers and needed a lot of hand holding. Rachel often picked them up and brought them to previews, educating them along the way. She ended up finding a home where the previous buyers had backed out of contract for a legal issue their listing agent couldn’t seem to resolve. Rachel identified the issue, quickly found a solution, and got us the house at a great price! She excels at thinking out of the box and is tenacious in negotiations. Most importantly, she is always available to answer questions or address concerns, even after escrow closes. I have referred her to friends and family who have all had very similarly positive experiences. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for an honest agent who will go the extra mile.”

Michael & Vanessa | Campbell, CA

“Rachel H was absolutely fantastic for us. We’re very picky buyers, and we’ve got a list of things that’s hard to find in a house.
We’re investors, so we go back again and again to buy houses, and every single time Rachel has gone above and beyond to find us a house that perfectly suits our needs. She is amazing at finding the diamond in the rough. I would absolutely recommend Rachel to anyone who’s looking for a house, as she will pour herself into the search and leave no stone un-turned to find the perfect house for you.

I’ve had such a fabulous experience with her, and I know that you will too.”

JD | Belmont, CA

“Rachel was amazing. I have bought and sold ten houses and I have never had service like Rachel provided. Not only did she show up for every showing but she helped clean if I did not have time and she went above and beyond what I could imagine any agent doing. Rachel was able to negotiate the best deal for us on selling our house. She spent the time and money on marketing the property properly and we had several offers in a few days and the house went well over asking. Rachel was also able to help calm the worries of the buyers and work with them to make the deal smooth. We sold our house for over 210k what we first thought we might get for the house. When we bought our house she negotiated well and got a lot more than we expected in a good market, Rachel pays attention to detail and she reads the fine print in every contract. She comes from a family with a strong legal background and she is a natural negotiator. I have never had a better agent in twenty years of buying and selling houses. I feel so lucky to have her as my agent.”

Jennifer & Bill | San Carlos, CA

“Rachel was our listing and buying agent for our homes in the Peninsula. We interviewed several excellent agents and decided on moving forward with Rachel because she stood out as a transparent, full-service realtor who understood our two demanding careers and two toddlers left little room to assist in selling our home. Her references were gushing and knowing a few of them personally, I knew they were clients with high expectations like ourselves. We knew our home would sell, but we wanted a realtor that was willing to go the extra mile and ensure we got the best offer.

Rachel is not only a joy to be around, she’s a leader. Her past as a tech sales exec shines through as she does her homework and is extremely organized. She understood the marketplace, was extremely transparent in her listing plans/schedules and so confident we simply followed her lead. We had an easy, drama free, goal achieving sale. She worked ferociously on our behalf with vendors, often getting 2-3 bids to ensure we had the best partners in our listing process and rolling up her own sleeves to ensure things were as she promised and envisioned. I hate to encourage this behavior, but she was on our team 24/7 and it didn’t stop when the offer was signed. She came to our home on moving day and helped us get organized and have a few laughs to make the process less dreary.

On the buying side, we knew from the listing experience to again take her lead. She had a plan, we gave her our windows of availability and we had the home of our dreams in 5 weeks. No drama, no tough tales. She went after every offer and the only reason we didn’t get them, we didn’t counter-counter enough and that’s because she said “stop guys, this isn’t worth it, there’s better out there” and she was right.

If you are a busy executive household with a desire to get a winning, smooth listing experience and be a new home owner in a top neighborhood, in this challenging market, call Rachel.”

Taj | San Carlos, CA

“If we could give Rachel 10 stars, we would. My husband and I have worked with over 7 different realtors in the past to buy and sell homes, but none of them even came close to having the connections, knowledge, professionalism, and attention to detail as Rachel.

We purchased our home right in the beginning of the Covid shutdown when uncertainty abounded. Rachel navigated the uncharted waters like an expert. We believe our offer was accepted not only because of Rachels guidance, but also because of her reputation within the real estate industry for being thorough, organized, and able to close.

Rachel’s guidance didn’t just end at negotiation, though. She connected us with lenders and stayed on top of them when we were concerned the approval process was stuck with Covid changes. When we had a hard time finding insurance under a new CA fire insurance zone, she personally called multiple agents until she found one that fit our budget. When we had concerns with some of the details in the inspection report, she sent specialists out to provide direction and estimates. At close, she provided us with a list of contacts throughout the Belmont area who could help us with virtually any of our needs. The list goes on and on.

If you are looking for a realtor who dots the i’s and crosses the t’s, Rachel is the one for you. She goes above and beyond during every step of the process. If we sell or buy again, we will without a doubt be using Rachel.”

Tiffany

“Being a buyer in the Peninsula right now is more competitive than ever and is quite emotional too. Rachel was highly recommended as an outstanding real estate agent from a friend. Like most people, my husband and I did our due diligence and talked with other agents before we selected Rachel as our agent. I want to share that we had extremely high expectations and we were blown away across the board with Rachel. The entire process from looking at homes to having our offer accepted was 6 weeks which is unheard of in San Carlos right now. There are a few things that made Rachel stand out and in my mind makes her a world class real estate agent. She is an amazing negotiator, super responsive and she is extremely connected (it seemed like she knew all the lenders, agents, contractors, builders, schools and city officials). Whenever we mentioned her name people would go on about what an amazing person she is. My husband and I both commented to each other many times on how responsive and knowledgeable she always was and still is. And finally, it has been 2 months since we closed and I am still blown away by how she continues to help us with recommending pediatricians, pre-schools, dentists, handymen, flooring companies, tile companies, gardeners etc. Wish I could give more than 5 stars.”

Danielle