Buyer Testimonials

Alison and the Elder Group Tahoe Real Estate team prides themselves on delivering exceptional results – and more – to our Clients. Here are recent testimonials highlighting Alison’s approach to finding the right property for each Client’s needs and price point. We look forward to working with and for you!

Alison knew the perfect condominium for me and less than 48 hours after viewing it, my offer was accepted and the purchase process began. This process was ever-so-simple thanks to Alison, her assistant Kristi, and the magic of Docu-Sign.

 Alison is super efficient and (big bonus) super nice!

 I was very happy with her in all aspects.

- Rebecca Miles, February 2012

Alison – as I write this I am on a Southwest flight to Texas. I have awindow seat on the port side of the plane, looking north, and I watched LakeTahoe come and go.

It was easy to see the northern part of the lake, and the area beyond in and around Truckee & Northstar. And it is easy to picture, in my mind, the house that Shana and I recently purchased – purchased with your help and the help of your team.

It must be a wonderful feeling that you have, helping folks find homes and properties that they are happy with, and helping to build the community. I wanted to thank you again for helping us do that. Whenever we pass the rec center, I say to Shana, and you can ask her, “Look – that’s where we met Alison!” You and your team really make a difference.

- Rob & Christina Chrisman, February 2012

When shopping for a house there are many unknowns, but your selection of a Realtor does not have to be one of them. Please don’t take my word for this, just give Alison a call and spend a few hours with her and then trust your own judgment. Alison and her team work well together, are very responsive and always return my calls and texts. She knows well the different neighborhoods in Tahoe and Truckee, which is so important as they are all very unique. The process of selection and negotiation in my case had a few speed bumps, and just when I needed it she was able to push past these and arrive at a wonderful solution that really met our needs. We now own our dream vacation home and would be happy to do business with her again, as well as recommend her services to our friends and family.

You should quit browsing, pick up the phone and call Alison right now.

- Ron Hess and Mary Buxton, January 2012

Although we weren’t really in a rush to find our perfect second home, Alison found it for us in a weekend. After some very well structured phone preparation time where she got to know us, established our needs, and reviewed properties on line with us, she then planned a full weekend of looking at properties both in Truckee and at the Lake. She was excellent at honing in on our preferences, and also helped us prioritize what was important to us, given our lifestyle. The really great and unexpected part of the transaction was her negotiating skills, and ability to “run” a very difficult transaction. We were dealing with an absentee, out of the area, Sellers agent, and Alison ended up picking up the reins and managing the WHOLE escrow to the tight 21 day timeline that the Sellers demanded. Alison runs her business as a business, which is extremely refreshing in this environment of “part timer” agents. She negotiated for us, advocated strongly our positions, dealt with each and every inspector, title, etc…., and navigated the transaction through a fairly rocky path with virtually no stress on our side. She employs a team dedicated to only her transactions (THAT is important……) and provides the best references to local trades people for any improvements we could conjure. Finally, I don’t know what we would have done without her use of DocuSign, the e-signing technology that allowed us to never have to print, sign, and fax a single transactional document. 21 days later, we have a house that we love, and are looking forward making our home. Thank you Alison for your creativity, honesty, your integrity, and your work ethic.

- Rob and Shana Chrisman, January 2012

Are you looking for a realtor on the Tahoe area? If so, I would highly recommend the Elder Group. Alison Elder and her team were true professional’s at every step, from selecting the perfect mountain retreat to executing every detail of the transaction. We were able to close on our dream cabin within 30 days without a snag. Great service, great local area knowledge, and a keen eye for quality real estate, can’t say enough about her! Now, all we need is some snow…………

- Dean and Catherine Mesquite, January 2012

Alison Elder went far above and beyond other realtors when she helped us locate our perfect home. She spent immeasurable time with us and learned what it was we were looking for and kept us in mind with every house she visited. She gets A for Awesome, A for Effort, and A for Alison.

 Alison is kind, patient, knowledgeable, and an fabulous realtor. I will ONLY use her to sell and purchase my homes. You will have no regrets!

 - James and Kristen Heppner, November 2011

Alison helped us buy our vacation home in Tahoe Donner and we could not be happier with her and her team. From start to finish, Alison was extremely helpful, professional, organized and friendly.

Alison’s local knowledge was extremely impressive. She knows the neighborhood like the back of her hand (she’s owned homes there and sold several others). She’s also a great resource for folks like us who are not from the area in terms of finding service providers – including everything from finding homeowners insurance to where to get a great sandwich.

With Alison and her team’s help, we were able to close in 30 days without a single hitch, a testament to both experience and organization.

Needless to say, we would not hesitate to work with Alison again or recommend her to anyone.

 - Nate Blair and Tara Miller, October 2011

Thanks so much for your help! You did a great job guiding us through the process of buying our first vacation home…. You especially did a great job:

1. Helping us jump when the time came, even though we were in Costa Rica.
2. Getting the price lowered after the appraisal, before I even asked.
3. Negotiating the repair request, even when we didn’t give you the ammunition you needed.

I wanted you to know we appreciated it and did not take you for granted as our agent. We’re excited to get into our new place. I can’t wait to start biking in Tahoe. Hopefully, my recent disappearance won’t prevent you from working with us again when the time comes.

 - Scott and Carolyn Bromstead, September 2011

The Elder group is an incredible team who are complete professionals. Alison has an insiders knowledge of the area, has the ability to really understand what you looking for, and has the connections and skills to get your deal completed. She provides a personal touch that is missing in so many things these days. We would recommend her to anyone. 

 - Greg & Nicole Victorino, August 2011

Alison combined excellent service with savvy marketing for selling our home. Our goal was to coordinate the sale of our Tahoe Donner home with the purchase of another property in the Truckee area. She represented out interests as buyers well beyond our expectations. Alison was able to effectively align the sale and purchase to ensure that everything went smoothly. We love our new home and highly recommend anyone considering a real estate transaction in the Truckee Tahoe area talk with Alison!

- Kevin & Kim Bumen, July 2011

After searching for the Tahoe mountains for the right dream property for over 2 years, along came Alison! On December 26th (Christmas break), I lobbed a call over to her on a North Shore property. Alison immediately put her personal plans aside to call us back and make plans to connect. I was blown away. Upon one discussion, Alison was able to quickly asses the type of property/location we were looking for in the Tahoe area. Although we had picked several properties, Alison was open and candid about the condition and location of these properties and recommended we trust her to find us the right one. After a few calls, she had set up several locations for us to explore. Although she had targeted over a dozen properties, we fell in love with the first one we walked into – Alison had nailed it. Our frustrations were over. Our close process was quick, well managed and painless. Alison’s selling team was professional, courteous and extremely knowledgeable of the area and associated services we would require. Best part of the story is that we not only found the perfect professional real estate team, but we also made our first friend in the area. Alison stays with you well after the buying process is over. My wife and I strongly endorse Alison and her team and would use them again in a heartbeat. We recommend you do the same – you’ll be glad you did.

- Jeffrey & Jackie Reifers, May 2011

We had very little time to search for our Truckee home due to our busy schedules. Alison quickly understood what we were looking for and outlined a home showing tour with a line-up of properties that met our requirements. We wound up placing an offer on the first home she showed us. Alison and her team handled the very short offer and closing process deftly monitoring every document and next step closely. Their eDocument signing process made purchasing a home remotely really easy for us. From offer to close and post-sale Alison and her team gave us the white glove treatment. We would highly recommend her as an agent to anyone searching to buy or sell a home in the Tahoe area.

 - Alexander & Andrea Schoenfelder, May 2011

From the first time I met Alison, I knew that she was the one that I wanted to work with to find a home in Truckee. When we found the home, she was the master hand in making sure that the deal went smoothly. Working with the seller’s realtor, I was able to purchase the home at a great price thanks to Alison’s expertise. I highly recommend Alison to either list your home or find your dream home for you.

I meant what I said. You are amazing!

 - Patricia Herzig, May 2011

We recently completed the purchase of our dream vacation house in Tahoe Donner. Alison Elder proved to be extremely knowledgeable of the North Lake Tahoe area and helped us through all the phases of the transaction. She is also supported by a very professional team all of whom are experts at working remotely with their clients. Alison quickly assessed our individual needs and key requirements and helped filter the available properties accurately. Our purchase was a big decision for us and one in which we paid especially close attention to risk management. Alison was very detail oriented and diligent in helping us document risk issues and clearly demonstrating the relative value for houses we were considering. She wasn’t overbearing with her recommendations; she simply brought us the facts and helped us make a quality decision.

We just came back from our first weekend at our new vacation home and while we’re very excited about all our future plans there, we also have great peace of mind that we bought the very best place for our budget and requirements. We couldn’t have done this without Alison and her team’s help. We highly recommend her for your real estate needs.

- Steven & Robin Braat, March 2011

If you are looking for a home in the North Tahoe region I would highly recommend Alison. She helped me find a great second home right in Truckee.

In the second half of 2010 the real estate market had taken a tumble and it seemed like a good time to step in and find a deal. I started by looking at real estate sites on the web and I kept coming back to Alison’s web site because it was the easiest to use and provided lots of useful information. I was impressed with the quick response on email and we set up several weekend appointments to look at properties. She helped me navigate through an assortment of short sales and foreclosures to find a beautiful cabin with solid construction (she calls it good bones), a great location and lots of potential.

I started looking in August and we closed at the end of October. With a little help from my friends and lots of elbow grease the property was listed on vrbo at the end of January and I was taking bookings within 24 hours.

This was a great deal and I’m just delighted with the entire process. Most of the thanks goes to Alison for helping me find the right property at the right price at the right time. She is well connected, organized and she knows when you’ve found a good deal.

 - Deborah Walkup, March 2011

I am an attorney and have bought and sold many properties over the years, and held a Broker’s License myself in Illinois for several decades. Alison Elder is far and away one of the most competent, diligent, knowledgeable and skilled professionals I have ever had the pleasure of working with – in fact, probably THE MOST!! She follows up, has assembled a skilled team of support staff, keeps the client informed at every step of the way, keeps and provides complete records, knows the area and properties thoroughly, and has a keen sense of negotiation, strategy and what it takes to make and close a deal!

 - Martin Greenstein, January 2011

There is no one who knows the Truckee area better than Alison Elder. As a first time homebuyer, I was really anxious to find someone who would not take advantage of my lack of homeownership yet would guide me in the right direction toward a house I could truly make into a home. Alison was relentless with research and arranging go-sees. In less than a week, I put in an offer on a perfectly sized home in a great neighborhood that 30 days later I could proudly call my own. Alison is not only dedicated to finding her clients their dream home, she is flawless in her follow-up and follow-through. She really does make you feel like you are her only client, she is a true treasure!

 - Jennifer Cubias, January 2011

We did extensive research and talked to many realtors before we flew out to look for our Tahoe dream home. It was clear from the first e-mail that Alison was different, offering detailed information and insight on different neighborhoods that other realtors just didn’t bother to tell us. She was extremely knowledgeable about the Truckee/Tahoe Donner area, which is where we focused our efforts. She took us under her wing and quickly figured out what we wanted/needed. We didn’t find our house that first weekend – but she knew what to look for. Within three days of us returning home to Dallas, a house came on the market that she thought was perfect for us. She had such complete confidence in the house, and we had such faith in her that we put a bid on the house sight unseen. I flew out that next weekend (when Alison graciously let me stay at her home!) and we went and looked at the house.. I loved it. The rest of the process was very stress-free. Not surprising, since we had such a detailed-oriented, incredibly attentive professional like Alison on our side. We highly recommend her to anyone looking for a home in Tahoe. An incredible pleasure to work with.

 - Duncan & Judy Wright, January 2011

On behalf of my parents and ourselves, Kathy and I wanted to thank each of you for all of your efforts in supporting the purchase of our property on Hillside. We know that it took special efforts with the distance between all parties and over the Thanksgiving holiday. We sincerely appreciate everything that each of you did to make the process as smooth as possible.

We are looking forward to get up to Truckee to begin enjoying the cabin as soon as the weather breaks. We are going to call the cabin “Grandhaven” in recognition of it as a special place for the grandchildren to spend time with their grandparents.

Thank you all for making this possible.

- Wil & Kathy Ridder, December 2010

When we started to think about buying a vacation home in Tahoe / Truckee, we canvassed several realtors and it soon became apparent that Alison was head over heels the most knowledgeable, and service oriented, of the bunch! Alison made the difficult process of long distance buying very easy – she took time to talk to us, provided us with great information on the market, provided us information about the amenities and living in the area and what to look for in a vacation home that would also be a rental property, worked with us to find the right home, and then put her excellent negotiating and organization skills to work in closing a deal, on time! She’s always professional and the level of service she provides is truly outstanding. We highly recommend using Alison when buying a home.

- Glenda & Gordon Savage, December 2010

We have had the pleasure of knowing Alison personally and professionally for over 20 years. She has represented us both as buyers and as sellers and she’s the only one we’d work with again! She’s knowledgeable, personable and has more energy than anyone we know. She is organized, creative and has tremendous integrity. What could be a difficult process has always been a pleasurable experience with Alison leading the way and guiding us.

We have a great respect for her and the business she has built through hard work and her outstanding reputation.

- Janet & Robert Findlay, November 2010

Alison is an expert in Truckee real estate and we felt confident knowing that she was overseeing our transaction. She made sure to keep on top of everyone so there were no glitches along the way. We plan on renting out or vacation home when we are not using it and Alison, having had several rentals herself, is an expert in the rental market. After the sale she continues to offer her much-appreciated advice on how to maximize our rental potential and we hope to continue the relationship for many years. If I ever do sell my Tahoe home I will list it with Alison.

- Omar Billawala, November 2010

Its easy to find a house in Lake Tahoe. The newsstands are full of listings. Its difficult to find the right house because every house and every neighborhood is unique in this area. While there are many people who sell real estate in the area there are only a handful of “true” professionals and Alison ranks at the top of that list. Alison took the time to not only understand what we wanted in a house but also what we wanted in a lifestyle. The house we purchased was exactly what we were looking for, but then Alison knew that before we ever saw it – she was that in tune with our needs. Alison’s help didn’t end when escrow closed, as she has made it a point to introduce us to like-minded people in our area and has done everything possible to integrate us into our new community. Alison gets our highest recommendation.

- Stephen & Jennifer Hinkle, October 2010

Alison showed us our dream home and within 40 days we owned it! It was crucial for us to work with a realtor we could trust and depend on from 600 miles away and Alison came through for us every step of the way. She also did a great job helping us tap into the local resources in Tahoe Donner and Truckee to make for a smooth transition. We also really enjoyed and were impressed with her team including Lillian our escrow officer and Jodi at American Title who both stayed on top of our transaction and moved the process along. We recommended Alison to our relatives who hired her to sell their home in Tahoe Donner as a result of our positive experience.

- Craig & Anne Rethmeyer, October 2010

We had a very positive experience in buying our Truckee home through Alison. She took the time to get to know us and really tuned in to what we wanted. I am sure we were not the easiest clients but she was tenacious about showing us properties that she felt would interest us without wasting our time on homes that were out of our price range or that she know we wouldn’t be interested in. She was also very helpful in working with the seller and making sure all the small details of the property and sale were taken care of. Buying a home can be stressful and she made it easy. I enthusiastically recommend her for your real estate needs.

 - Steve Jennings, May 2010

Alison was GREAT!  We talked with her over the phone several times before our visit and explained our needs.  When we arrived she had a list of about 12 properties.  That afternoon we made an offer.  She listened to us and understood what we wanted.  She did not waste our time.  We would use her again.

- Brian & Kate Linde, March 2010

Thank you Alison! We had been looking to upgrade for a few years using a couple different Realtors. Every time something came on the market we were interested in it was already sold. Then we found Alison. She kept us informed of any new listings that met our criteria and because of that we soon found our perfect home.

Also, Alison was amazing in selling our smaller house. She staged it beautifully and it sold within a few days for a great price!

We would recommend Alison to any of our friends. She made the whole process a enjoyable experience. We are impressed!

- Mike & Andrea Erwin, March 2010

After struggling with uninformed or unresponsive Realtors, it was refreshing when Alison promptly responded to our first voicemail. She knew the property in which we were interested and, in an eight-hour tour, gave us valuable insight into the market that was instrumental to our decision-making.

From the first meeting it was clear we were in capable hands.

Alison is extremely knowledgeable about Truckee, Tahoe and the surrounding areas.  She has incredible energy, brutal honesty and great integrity.

Her knowledge extends beyond merely knowing the properties, but what it takes to secure the one you want.

She seems to have answers and referrals for just about anything that arises in the course of searching for and conducting due diligence on a property.

Alison is the quintessential professional. It is not possible to be happier with her services than we have been.

- Marni Belsome, February 2010

My husband and I went up to the Tahoe area basically to see how close we were to being able to afford a second home. Alison took the time to give us a quick education on the area and found us a great opportunity that fit our budget.  The transaction seemed seamless to me, although I know she proactively addressed some issues to make it seem that way.  Her team took great care of us, making sure we were well informed on every step of the transaction.

I would recommend Alison and her staff to anyone I know, and when the time comes to move on to my next big thing, I certainly will call upon Alison and her team again.  Thank you so much for everything.  Alison, you ROCK!

- Barbara Roudebush, January 2010

Alison Elder made buying and selling our homes carefree.  Every buyer and seller should have the opportunity to experience this service level.

- Mark & Shannon Vicencio, March 2009