Getting earthquake insurance for your condo? That’s the dilema for many condo owners. Most (in San Francisco at least) home owners associations do not have earthquake insurance covering the condo common areas and buildings because it’s expensive, which would reflect itself in higher monthly home owners association fees. I have had clients in the past who, at least initially, refused to look at condo buildings that did not have earthquake insurance-unfortunately, that limits the pool of available buildings. In the end, you can 1) accept the buildings there are with earthquake insurance; 2) not buy a condo; 3) buy in a newer construction building up to current code and hope for the best; or 4) get over it and take a chance. The following article was written in May of 2010, but it’s timeless in it’s message-I’ve had this same conversation with clients since I got into real estate in the mid-90’s.
Earthquake insurance for your condo?
Testimonials
Eric helped me and my wife purchase our first house in Pacifica. He is very knowledgeable about the Pacifica market and was super helpful walking us through the process as first-time buyers. We felt confident he had our best interest in mind, as he respected our strict budget and was incredibly patient in addressing our questions and concerns (of which we had many!). His architecture background enabled him to give us in-depth walk throughs and point out things other realtors might miss. Eric is very responsive, particularly when it comes time to put in and follow up on offers (staying up late to get things done on short notice, for example). Eric also has great relationships with other realtors and mortgage brokers in the area, which was really helpful during the process. After closing he shared his network of architects and contractors so we could get started on some house projects. Overall, we would definitely work with Eric again and would recommend him to other first-time buyers as well!
Marion and Taylor Seabaugh
Navigating the real estate market in SF is a challenge, and can be one of the least pleasant experiences given the overall costs, competition, and limited housing stock. What I appreciated most about working with Eric was honesty and knowledge of the market and us as clients. Not all houses are right for you – just because you can doesn’t mean you should, and sometimes you don’t see that you should when you really should – this is where Eric really helped. He knows how to match the person and the property because he listens, gets to know you, knows the market, and provides an honest interpretation of the situation. I appreciate an experienced and professional agent that makes buying a smooth business transaction and not an emotional rollercoaster.
Vicki Wojcik
My non-profit client had inherited an Inner Richmond home with both good bones and significant deferred maintenance. I helped them provide the necessary disclosures and reports to prospective purchasers and come up with a pricing strategy that attracted ample buyers. This substantial home sold quickly with 21 offers to choose from.
Success Story
My clients poking around trying to find homes on their own, were getting beat out time after time. A crazy seller’s market and a very limited budget made it even worse. A property in Moss Beach fit their needs with one problem, it wasn’t finished. With the help of a great mortgage broker, and some flexibility, we were successful in the buyers closing on their new home!
Success Story
As part of his retirement plan, my client had condo converted his four-unit Buena Vista Hill building that he had owned for 30 years. Being tenant occupied, we could not stage or prepare the condominium as we would have liked. With persistence, communication and finding the right buyer, we were successful in getting the unit sold.
Success Story
We had been living in our house for 30 years.
Choosing a real estate agent was not easy since we never sold a house in the US. I started by interviewing few real estate agents;, I quickly knew who I did not want, but choosing the right one was hard. We wanted somebody professional, efficient and hardworking and more than anything, someone who would be honest about the house.
We decided to go with Eric because he seemed professional, not pushy and soft spoken; we both felt very comfortable with him. Once he started with preparing the house for sale, nothing was too much for him, he responded to all our phone calls within few minutes and tried to accommodate all our wishes.
The house was sold In less than a week, at well above the asking price. It was a very smooth and well-preformed job.
We highly recommend him.
Eli and Philip Rakity
Eric was simply wonderful. I started to search for a real estate agent through an experienced mortgage broker. Eric’s name was at the top of her list. I would soon learn why. Eric is unfailingly polite, pleasant, non-pushy, and his knowledge of the ever-so-tricky San Francisco market is impressive. Pretty much every open house we went to the other realtors would know Eric (he’s been in the business for decades, I believe) and either comment unprompted that I was in excellent hands or tell me a story about how Eric had helped them in some way. He found us a great house that fit our extensive list of ‘must haves’ and still fit our budget, which wasn’t huge. That is tough to do in SF and I can only thank Eric for that outcome! I would wholeheartedly recommend him to friends and family and have already done so.
Claudia Assis
My clients and their two children had been living in a small rent-controlled apartment; it was way past time to move. The challenge was that they loved their neighborhood and wanted to stay. Luck and persistence got them their first home in Mission Dolores, on a limited budget, multiple offers and about a year and half of trying.
Success Story
Eric is a fantastic real estate professional and I highly recommend him to both buyers and sellers. What I enjoyed the most from working with Eric is that he did not use the “hard sell” approach like some other agents. He is extremely knowledgeable, very friendly and he gets results. I consider Eric a very valuable member of my team of advisors.
John Osborn
My client wanted a property he could remodel to make his own. Even with the market crazily overbidding at the time, we were able to find a home in Bernal Heights that had been overpriced and languishing on the market. We were able to negotiate on the price and get him the blank canvas he wanted.
Success Story
Having bought and sold many homes with other realtors and on my own, I can appreciate the excellent service Eric has provided in selling our San Francisco Condo in Ashbury Heights. Eric is extremely meticulous never missing the smallest detail, experienced and knowledgeable to orchestrate the best sales plan, expeditious, dependable and honorable. His dedication shows in the details like contacting us in the late evenings beyond his normal work times, picking up a paintbrush to touch up a missed spot before an open house, handling the pressure as we discovered potential issues and fortitude to resolve them. Eric is my super Realtor and I would not hesitate to call upon his help again.
Gary Louie
We are an established nonprofit in SF that was gifted a Marina District condo by a donor. We used Eric as the listing agent and he worked closely with us on upgrades, staging, marketing and selling – all during the onset of COVID-19. As this was a bit out of our realm of expertise, we relied heavily on Eric for guidance with all facets of the sale, and ended up with two strong offers after only two weekends of showing. Eric is organized, professional, has a great eye, and was a terrific partner in this sale – would definitely work with him again!
Deborah Toll White, Save the Redwoods League
We heartily recommend Eric! Eric helped us sell our Telegraph Hill condominium recently. He is as knowledgeable as can be about the market and the process. An added bonus is that we also engaged Eric’s services in getting the property ready for sale, which included sub-contracting for painting, floors, cleaning, etc. All were done impeccably – Eric has great contacts and great taste. We appreciated his expertise and terrific communication skills. It could not have gone more smoothly and I knew we were in good hands.
Gerri and Bill Ginsburg
We worked with Eric on the recent sale of our Marina condo. He was professional, knowledgeable, organized and very easy to work with. We had a few hiccups that he helped us navigate and resolve, going above and beyond in a proactive, solution-oriented manner. We highly recommend him.
Brandy Christensen and Kevin Treat
I met my clients at an open house. They had been frustrated, working with an agent that was not listening to what they were looking for. In a very short time and educating them to different neighborhoods, my new clients found a wonderful home in Westwood Park to raise their family.
Success Story
Eric has helped me buy and sell three properties in San Francisco over the years. He’s always gone above and beyond to help me, a person of moderate means in an expensive city, achieve the dream of homeownership. He’s knowledgeable, practical, ethical, reliable, and has great instincts. I really trust him, and he’s helped me become a more educated real estate buyer. I would recommend Eric to anyone, especially if you’re just getting into the market and it seems overwhelming, as it did to me.
David Diaz
I had worked with other real estate professionals, but none can even come close to the level of professionalism and knowledge Eric possess. Eric is extremely dedicated, never dillydallied, great listener, meticulous in his communication, work ethics, and advice. Eric always kept hope alive for me in this unforgiving sellers’ market and never allowed me to put on those rose-colored glasses and bid for something that is marginal when I felt deflated and thought I’m never going to own property again in San Francisco. Eric is the reason we found and purchased the house. It was such a blessing to have Eric as our realtor. He is the real deal; a complete package- he is an architect too! Eric is a fabulous human being, wonderful sense of humor, calm, patient and a true oracle.
Tina Lu
Eric Castongia helped us sell our house in San Francisco and through working with him, I can confidently say that I can give him my highest recommendation. He truly acted as our fiduciary with our best interests in mind during the process. He was very sensitive to our needs and parameters (like budget, how much we wanted to stage, etc). There were several hiccups during the selling process that were beyond our control, yet Eric was readily available, responsive, and masterful in his handling of the issues. He is personable and affable; this shows in the number and quality of contacts that he has (contractors, painters, decorators, etc). He has excellent knowledge of the San Francisco housing market and knows exactly what it takes to optimize the sale of a home. There’s no question in my mind that our sale price was significantly higher because of changes that he suggested we make. When we buy/sell in San Francisco again, we will work with Eric again without hesitation.
Derrick Siao
Eric is knowledgeable about the strengths and weaknesses of the city’s neighborhoods. He handled to whole process professionally…and we got an advisor along with the house.
Adele and Scott McCall
Eric and I have done a number of real estate deals together. I have learned to trust him implicitly for his ability to readily grasp broad and creative concepts and then bring those concepts to fruition through a laser-sharp focus on getting the job done. He is deeply experienced in the San Francisco and Bay Area real estate markets and keeps current with trends in purchasing and selling. I would characterize Eric as full of integrity, with a firm desire to serve his client, and determined to get great results for you. He is meticulous and keeps the ball moving through the sometimes unbelievably daunting paperwork, negotiations and competitive bidding. In addition, his training as an architect serves his clients well. I recommend him unreservedly.
Michael McKechnie
If it was not for Eric, we would still be looking for housing! We looked for six months prior to meeting him, unable to even get an offer in, we were starting to believe we missed the boat. Within two weeks of working with him, he sealed the deal with the best house we had seen so far. Glad we gave him a chance, as he put it “the stars just aligned” and they did, he was the star that made it happen. Thank you Eric!
Pierre-Andre Mugnier
Eric is a savvy real estate agent with the patience of a saint, the design aesthetics of a master architect and a wry sense of humor to boot. He has stuck with clients through thick and thin, through good markets and terrible markets and they are all happy with his services. He is excellent in providing after-closing services and keeps up with everyone forever and ever. We have worked with some of the same clients for going on 15 years now and they keep coming back, which is the greatest compliment that can be paid.
Natasha Lovas
Eric is an amazing agent. He helped me through buying and selling two houses and I can’t say enough good things about him. I’ve known him for almost 20 years. He will always give you an honest answer even when you might not want to hear it. He has a large resource of good contractors and other people you may need during the buying/selling process. Run, do not walk to Eric if you’re looking for a place to buy or sell in San Francisco. He’s one of the best.
Mike Friedman
I have used Eric Castongia’s services for 6 different transactions over a period of 15 years, and he has always provided a stellar service, going way above and beyond the requirements of a good real estate agent. Eric is scrupulously honest, extremely organized, has great knowledge of the market and its vagaries, and is always prepared. He’s helped me stage the houses, has been super patient with me and has always come through, negotiated on my behalf to buy or sell, always to my satisfaction. I have recommended Eric to several friends, who have all been extremely happy with him, his professionalism, and honesty. He gets my highest rating possible.
Elie Serfaty
After living in her West Portal Area home for over 25 years, my client decided it was time to move out of the city. Helping her get the property ready for sale, coming up with a list of minor improvements and using all her own furniture to stage the home, we successfully planned her move after receiving 14 purchase offers.
Success Story
Eric is simply amazing. He is so good at what he does because he listens and hears what you’re saying. I was ready to sell my house in the City and simplify. During my first meeting with Eric, we didn’t talk about houses, we talked about how I wanted to live my life. Eric got it immediately. From the get-go he showed me houses in Pacifica that were spot on and just felt right. I had to wait while my house in SF sold–it was almost painful to have to pass on all the awesome properties he showed me during that time. Then, the very first house he showed me after the close of sale of my SF house, I wrote on and got. It’s perfect. I highly recommend Eric. He is honest, knowledgeable, professional, and now he is also my friend.
Renee Crawshaw
Eric is the most thorough real estate agent I have ever had the pleasure of working with. He is also attentive to returning calls and completing promised tasks.
Debra Haber
I had asked only a few people for Realtor recommendations before Eric’s name came up for a second time. Both people recommending Eric used the same word to describe him: HONORABLE. Eric’s efforts, thoroughness, and expertise were beyond what I ever hoped for. I cannot recall having a better business experience.
Darrell Hankey
Eric clearly knows his market and guided us on many components in a reassuring and knowledgable way. We relied on his expertise and trusted his instincts as he knew what we (an established non-profit organization) wanted to accomplish. We learned so much from him, too. Eric is a wonderful collaborator and a warm, friendly, and engaging person. In this competitive real estate market, Eric is a refreshing, honest, trustworthy, and philanthropic. I look forward to working with him again.
Doria Leong
Simply Top Notch! Professional, knowledgable, great to work with. This was our first home, and Eric listened to us and added his years of experience to the process and we were thrilled. We looked at lots of houses in-person and online and always felt his screening of the entire market perfectly made the process efficient and pleasant. All our friends told us about their real estate experiences, and ours was by far the best. We recommend him to all our friends, and if we ever move (we love our house so much it seems impossible), we will call Eric. Seriously, he is tremendous to work with.
Candy Tripp
Work with Eric
I have learned by doing, so you don’t have to.
A great listener, respectful, sensitive to busy schedules and not pushy.
