TESTIMONIALS

I've done a few real-estate deals in my day and by far Kellie Ballum has been the BEST realtor I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She was very helpful and available. She was well informed about all the homes we looked at and was able to quickly find something we were interested in based on our likes and dislikes. Her availability and willingness to help was what put her over the top. Living a few hours away from our new home, it was hard to always be there in a timely manner and Kellie always accommodated. Communication was seamless getting texts and emails when I least expected them. She was not the first realtor I tried using in Big Bear, but she will be the only one I would recommend.

Kellie was a wonderful agent to work with. We worked with her for several months and she always made herself available. She continually kept us updated with new listings and anything else we needed! We would recommend her in a heartbeat!!

Kellie was amazing! Her knowledge of Big Bear, CA. is fantastic. Her knowledge of real estate sales and purchasing is tops! Made the process of buying a home fun, and took alot of the stress out of the equation. Will definitely want her to represent me again, buying or selling.

Kellie is a breath of fresh air. We had been contemplating selling our cabin in Sugarloaf for a couple of years, but were not happy with any of the realtors we previously contacted. When we reached out to Kellie, she responded right away and we knew she would represent us well. From listing to closing, Kellie guided us through the process with knowledge, professionalism, positivity and energy. She made herself available for questions, showings, meeting vendors, whatever we needed. Her knowledge of the market and local contacts was invaluable because we live out of the area. Within the first week, we had an offer and just closed escrow last week. We would highly recommend Kellie!

Kellie Ballum is a fabulous real estate agent. She is highly personable and a good listener: qualities that ensured she understood exactly what we were looking for in a home. She was always punctual, prepared, upbeat, and knowledgeable concerning each property she showed us, which made it easy to get to many places and select a home on a quick timeline. We loved working with her and know that anyone using Kellie's services is sure to have a good experience finding the home of their dreams, just as we did.

I found Kellie on Yelp and couldn't be happier. I live down the mountain but was selling my cabin in BB Lake. Since I had a timeline, Kellie and I did everything via DocuSign. ...The cabin sold at higher than what I expected and Kellie was great throughout the process. Some issues came up, like the deadbolt freezing up due to weather, but Kellie was quick-thinking and fast-acting. Although we never actually met, I'm thankful and happy to have chosen Kellie. If I ever purchase up the mountain again, you can bet it'll be with her help. Thanks again!!!

Kellie came highly recommended to me and did not disappoint. She made selling my mountain cabin easy and painless. She's very responsive and knowledgeable about the local market. Her photographs of my property were stunning! The transaction was smooth and easy. I highly recommend her!

Kellie was nothing short of excellent from the get go when we decided to list our Sugarloaf cabin with her. She was always very responsive and kept us updated with showings, feedback, recommendations, etc. We would easily use Kellie again and would be happy to recommend her to family & friends. Thank you Kellie & Compass team!

I highly recommend Marcie for your next vacation home in Big Bear, she knows the area like the back of her hand! I can say I'm the most complicated demanding person anyone will ever meet and the level of expectations I have for one is beyond belief! Believe me my family, friends and staff tell me this all the time. Marcie was incredibly helpful throughout our home buying experience even with the current pandemic. We just closed on our vacation home and she already is looking for another one for us! Don't look any further she is a native to the Big Bear area and she knows her stuff! I do want to mention run away from any realtors who are not from this area the have very limited knowledge on the market here and push for high offers and the house does not support the value. It's a waste of your valuable time believe me I experienced it for 1 year. Marcie and her team at Compass realty are unbelievable and going elsewhere is doing a disservice to yourself!

I have worked with several realtors in the past with mixed results, but when I met John Porter with SoCal Resorts I could immediately see that I had the right agent for me. John Porter first and foremost is one of the most friendly and likable people I’ve ever met. He’s also one of the most knowledgeable, hardworking, and dedicated agents out there who’s not afraid to think outside the box to get the deal done. John has helped me close three properties including the purchase of our dream home. I’m very happy and highly recommend John Porter and SoCal Resorts.

Previously we, my husband and I, were thinking about selling both of our houses. We have engaged in real estate agents locally before and we had never been successful. We became very hesitant about working with any agent locally. However, we had received several notifications by postal mail from Compass both from Gary Doss and Brad King. At that time, we were not familiar with Compass but did find that they worked locally and their mail items they sent us included one thing that was very impressive. Brad King sent us a complete portfolio of our house which showed us that he had already done the homework without obligation and was willing to step up to the challenge of selling our home. Another thing that impressed us was when we finally called Compass, Brad King came to the house during this time of the pandemic with his mask on for our protection. As we spoke yet another thing impressed me was when Brad King asked us what we wanted to see in a realtor. We said we wanted a realtor to be hard working and professional. Brad did not disappoint. Before we knew it a for sale sign was up. Brad called with updates on the sale daily. He made us feel that our business was important and special. Our research showed that the house was listed in all realtor markets together with very impressive pictures with the core of the house featured and a strong and truthful statement written by Brad and his team about the strengths of the house. When the house was shown to the first Mls buyer a bid was placed at the listing price that Brad suggested that was greater than what we originally suggested in cash and escrow closed smoothly 21 days later. This great and professional experience has us engaging Brad to help us with the challenging purchase of a house in Beaumont and later the sale of our second house we currently own.

My sisters and I had decided to sell of our family cabin; four of us co-own the property. Trying to find someone to deal with four owners felt a bit daunting but Rachael proved to be the right choice. She is experienced, very knowledgeable of the area and overall market. She helped us greatly with advice on increasing curb appeal, interior staging and I was so pleased with the photos taken that showed the cuteness and charm of our little place for prospective buyers to see. She is very hands-on and helped us with referrals for a few “fix-it” items that were necessary. I like her weekly email updates on what’s happening as well as other specific emails or phone calls to address matters about our listing. We had a frustrating escrow experience and she offered honest, upfront advice on how to navigate that experience. She took charge to engage with the escrow company, which then resulted in a successful close. If you’re looking for someone who is competent, experienced and thorough from beginning to end, then we highly recommend Rachael to you.

Buying an investment property out of your comfort zone can be stressful and overwhelming. But with Rachael’s ability and dedication, we have been blessed to fulfill our dream vacation/rental unit in Big Bear Lake. She made the impossible - possible! Rachael exactly knows how to deal genuinely with her client. She makes most of our visit stress free and able to cater to our requests. She is knowledgeable in her field and literally in the area-which made most of our process smoothly. Though, down the line we had some issues but it was due to our lender. Rachael stayed on top of it and provided all the necessary documentations that was needed. She was thorough and firm! Her attitude is everything! My husband and I love how she does her work. We highly recommend Rachael Smith. And we look forward on our, hopefully next house with her. Thank you for all your help, Rachael!

Working with Rachael has been amazing! She has gone above and beyond what would be considered normal part of a real estate agent. I received information from her in the mail stating that she could sell our house within a particular range and that she did! She gave great advice on how to stage or home and worked with us with regards to showing our home when we had people staying in our house. Whenever I had issues or concerns about our property should would have people there checking it out for us. We had a very frustrating close and she was my advocate following up with the escrow company and pushing them to get their tasks done. Throughout the closing process she always took my calls and followed up on the issues in a very timely manner. I highly recommend utilizing her for any of your real estate needs.

We had another agent that was not working out for us and a friend referred us to Gary. Gary was amazing, my wife and I went up the hill several times and Gary had a list of houses that were exactly what we were looking for and in the location we wanted to be in. Gary was able to get us the house below what it was worth! During the closing process Gary showed up for everything, inspection, appraisal and even went there to make sure the house was ok after the heavy rain and snow. After the close we wanted to add some of our touches to the house and Gary has all the contacts and referrals that has made it very easy to get things done with the right people! When we came to Gary, I knew we had finally found a great agent but the gift is we found a friend as well.

Brad provided us with excellent service. We were new to Big Bear mountain and he took the time to drive us around and introduced us to the area. He was very knowledgeable about area and provided us great information about different properties and their pros and cons along with the local hot spots and mountain living. He was very patient about showing properties multiple times and answering all our inquiries. He provided us with local service contacts to help us get situated. He was very easy to talk to and responsive to our inquiries. He was great with the sale process and negotiating on our behalf with the seller. It was a smooth transition without much hassle. We highly recommend Brad to be your realtor. He takes care of his clients.

I can't thank enough to Rachael Smith from SoCal Resorts and her team for helping us to find our dream home in a Big Bear Lake. That was a dream come true moment for us when she brought the keys to us. My wife and I looking for vacation home in a Big Bear area for many years, we tried other real estate agencies before, but no luck! Because of Rachael's toughness it happened this time , right from the beginning when we were trying to express our past experience she said " No Problem! I will find one it for you" And she did it. We are so happy and want to thank to Rachael Smith again and looking forward to buy another cabin through her guidance in a near future.

I will recommend Rachael to all my family and friends! At one time she helped me look for 6 months, and then we changed our mind. She said no problem! So over a year later, she helped me find an awesome cabin off the beaten path that our family will enjoy for years!!! Rachael is very professional, super responsive and really knows the area! She also suggested I go to the inspection, and she was so right! The inspector, Dale, that she recommended, showed me everything and gave me great advice on all the easy little fixes I could do myself! Rachael is great. She has the best attitude! I will use her again!

Rachael is reliable, prompt, and cheerful. She was our buyer's agent when we bought our vacation home in Big Bear and our seller's agent when we decided to sell that same home four years later. Buying and selling real estate can be nerve-wracking but Rachael is always calm and poised. We knew that if we called, texted or emailed her she would get back to us as soon as possible. She even took care of a small problem after the house closed escrow and all monies had been exchanged. We wouldn't hesitate to call upon Rachael if we should ever again buy property in the Big Bear Valley.

Gary Doss surpassed my expectations in selling our one acre, 3500 square feet home. His analysis of the local marketplace and recommendations for listing led to a quick purchase offer and successful closure. His experience and diligence ensured that the challenges of the negotiation were successfully addressed. Gary is definitely an A List realtor for Big Bear properties.

Rachael is very professional and easy to work with. I would highly recommend working with her on any real estate transaction. Rachael could see the value of this property beyond comps. The sale was fair to both, seller and buyer. There was no pressure to lower the price of the sale when Covid19 slowed down the real estate market in the area. She knows her market well.

Recently sold our Big Bear home with Gary Doss and his team. Being that we were no longer living in the area it was nice to know we had an agent looking out for our best interest. He got us the dollar amount we were looking for and got our house closed in a timely manner. I would highly recommend Gary to anyone looking to buy or sell in the Big Bear area.

When we decided to sell our Big Bear house, I recalled a friend's recommendation of realtor and Rachel quickly replied and set things in motion. She's effective, transparent and highly knowledgeable about the local market whether representing buyers or sellers - plus great insight from her experience managing rental properties.

We loved working with Connie and Gary. They were highly responsive to our needs and patient with us when shopping for a cabin. Connie showed us extra homes when shopping with us for a cabin. She went everywhere we wanted to look! We are so happy with our purchase. Thank you Connie and Gary. The Wilsons

Gary sold our house in Big Bear for us and was great to work with. We backed out on him at one point (decided not to sell) and he didn't charge us anything. We called him three months later and sold our house within a month. He knows the Big Bear market.

We couldn't have asked for anything more. Calmly and professionally she took care of every detail. As first time home buyer and control freak I am sure i bombarded her inbox. We always felt taken care of. Rachael is gold.

Rachael Smith worked diligently to help us sell our tiny cabin. It was unique and not a fit for just anyone. She found us a buyer and the whole process went smoothly.

Ms. Smith was such an amazing help with our purchase in Big Bear. I really appreciate your honesty and always answering our calls and questions. Thank you.

Working with Rachael was very easy. She was very responsive and was always there to help us navigate the process, if we needed support. Thanks Rachael!