From Bob and Debie Belcher:

Dear Richard and Kirsten,

We want to personally thank both of you for your guidance and expertise in the purchase of my first Investment Property. Right from the start, you were there for us every step of the way. Buying investment properties right requires a lot of knowledge of the market as well as an intimate understanding of your clients wants and needs. You went over and above to ensure that all these wants and needs were met. We will go out of our way to refer you to any of our friends and business associates because we know that they will come back to us and thank us for introducing you and your services to them. We are very please with our new investment property and all the guidance provided. We look forward to doing more ventures with you now that we know what we are doing and how to do it. 

Sincerely,

Bob and Debie Belcher, BBB Acquisitions, West Hills.

From Russ and Lonni Simonson, Michigan

Dear Richard and Kirsten,

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!  Words will never fully express our gratitude for your help and expertise in the sale of Mom's house - the home of my childhood.

Many memories were built around that home, yet Mom's desire was that the house be sold when she died.  Not an easy task for us emotionally and in our case logistically, since we lived in Michigan and the house was located in California.

In the Aviara "Seller's" packet your cover letter read, "Welcome to Our Family". We can honestly say that us how we felt as together we went through the sale process of our home.

Overwhelmed with all the details in preparing the house for sale in the limited time we had before returning to Michigan, your professional experience and personal attention helped make this transition easier for us. Your caring and compassionate spirit shined through.

It was a blessing to be able to return to Michigan and feel confident in the realtor we had chosen to oversee and take care of the sale of our home. No matter how many miles separated us during this time, we always felt very involved and informed through every aspect of the sale. The comminication was excellent and the ongoing updates via telephone and/or email were very much appreciated.

Considering the current market condition, the house sold quicker that we anticipated. We know this was largely due to the Powell's smart marketing and hard work. I remember seeing the listing for the first time on Realtor.com and being taken aback by the thought and care that was put into representing our home. It was not just a house for sale, but a special home waiting for someone to enjoy.

Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into selling our home. We would not hesitate to recommend you to others looking to purchase or sell a home; especially anyone having to go through the process long distance. We know they would be in great hands.

Sincerely,

Russ and Lonni Simonson, Michigan

Dear Richard and Kirsten,

Overnight, our decision was made to sell our home and relocate to our desired city. Thanks to your tremendous hard work, patience, professionalism and dedication, we were able to accomplish that in a really short period of time. Thank you immensely for your incredible team work. Your knowledge of the business made it for an easy and smooth transaction.

With much appreciation,

Tim and Zenaida

From Susan and Luis Cuadrado

I must confess, before my husband and I met Rick Powell, I pretty much lumped realtors in the same category as car salesmen—pushy, intimidating, phony; in other words, not exactly someone I’d want to spend a Sunday afternoon with.

That perception drastically changed the moment we met Rick at an open house we chanced upon the first day of our home search. We had seen several houses, taken cards from various realtors, but something about Rick set him apart from all the others. He was friendly, honest and extremely knowledgeable about the area—all the qualities you’d want from someone trying to find you a home.

That evening, Rick e-mailed us a list of homes that met our price, location and size parameters (along with some much-appreciated insider info on local surf, hiking and dining) with a note to call him when we were ready to begin looking. We called the next day.

Several weekends—and many houses—later, Rick found us the perfect home; a home we knew was ours from the moment we walked in. The amount of work and research Rick put into finding us a home was extraordinary. For every house-hunting trip, he provided a detailed and accurate portrait of each potential home—right down to the nearby parks and neighborhood schools, which was very important to us, having school-aged children. He met with us when it suited our schedules, often at the last minute and well into the evening. Never once did we feel rushed.

After the sale of our old home and throughout the purchase of our new home, Rick was our negotiator, at times our therapist, and always our friend. And his job didn’t end with the close of our house. He took care of after-the-fact details that other realtors would have overlooked or simply ignored once the check cleared. He truly went above and beyond what was expected, which to us, was testament to his character. Our relationship didn’t end either.

When I said he was a friend, I meant it. We could not have asked for a better partner in the whole hectic home buying process. In short, Rick turned a dreaded experience into a very positive one. And we made a friend in the process.

Susan & Luis Cuadrado

Thousand Oaks, CA

From former North Ranch homeowner

“I have never written a letter of reference for someone who did not represent me in a transaction before but I felt my situation warranted it. When selling my home in North Ranch I interviewed four Realtors in addition to Mr. Powell. I chose another Realtor who had represented many homes in my area and also had multiple pages in Homes & Land magazine. I believed if he had that much success and that many homes listed he surely must be the best choice to represent me. He told me he could sell my home for $400,000 more than Mr. Powell said was possible; I believed him and signed a 6 month listing agreement. To make a long story short, my home sold just before the six months was up, exactly for the price Mr. Powell told me it would sell for. Had I listened I would have been able to move on with my life six months earlier. That Mr. Powell would not change his estimate, even when I told him it was a deciding factor for me, is testament to his honesty and integrity. The next time I sell a home Mr. Powell will be representing me.”

      Name withheld by request, North Ranch

From Tommy and Angela Samona:

Dear Richard,

We are writing this letter today to sincerely thank you and express our true appreciation for the all hard work you put into helping our family not only sell our home, but locate, research and purchase our new property.  The fact that our home sold in less than 45 days for top dollar is just the icing on the cake! Your exceptional personal service, professional guidance and meticulous attention to detail made the entire process a lot easier than we ever imagined it would be. Your incredible professionalism and patience while we searched for a home that met the specific needs of our family went well beyond our expectations. You and your team were by our side every single step of the way. We are fairly certain we would not have received that kind of personal attention elsewhere.

Richard, we  have and will continue to highly recommend you to friends, family, co-workers and potential clients.  Your service was as promised, exemplary.

Sincerely,

Tommy & Angela Samona

From William Robinson, Thousand Oaks:

I would like to extend my personal recommendation of Richard Powell, a true real estate professional, to anyone who is either selling or buying a home.  Richard helped my wife and me in the recent purchase of our home in Thousand Oaks. Moving to this higher priced area from the Inland Empire, where prices were substantially lower, Richard understood our dilemma and expertly helped us select the right property for our wants and needs while staying within our budget.

Richard is extremely detail oriented, which is important for any home buyer. While this was not our first home, we are not involved in such transactions often enough to be aware of all the pitfalls associated with them. Richard walked us through everything as many times as necessary until we were comfortable with each situation. His follow up with the other agents in the transaction was quick and thorough.

During closing there were errors in both escrow and bank documentation. Richard got everyone on the same page and took care of the problems to everyone’s satisfaction. This was something he should not have had to do, but he jumped in, without hesitation, to get the job done and done right. He basically saved the closing from falling apart. As a result, I would absolutely be pleased to work with Richard in our next real estate transaction.

Sincerely,

William Robinson

From Barbara Rupcic, West Hills

“After interviewing a number of Realtors, we decided to employ Richard in order to sell our home. During the interview process we were given price ranges for our home that varied between $1,400,000 and $900,000 and promises of everything but the moon and stars. Beginning with our initial interview we found Richard’s ‘no-nonsense’ approach very refreshing and more importantly, comforting in this declining market. His grasp of the market (both real estate and lending sides) helped us set a price on our home that caused it to sell within 45 days when similar homes to ours had been on the market 4 months and longer. We also sold it for more than most of the other Realtors believed possible; we attribute this to Richard’s marketing to his peers as well as the general public.

In short, we could not have asked for a more professional Realtor to represent us.

From Jill and Myles Frieze:

Dear Kirsten and Rick,

I don't know how to begin to thank you for all you have done for Myles and I. You both are a blessing in our lives. Your service during the house buying process made it painless and very much pleasurable. It was amazing from start to finish.Again, I want you to know how much everything is appreciated. Your kindness will always be remembered.  

Sincerely,
Jill and Myles

From Mike and Leah Kort:

Dear Rick,

My wife and I would like to thank you for making our first time home buying experience so pleasurable. Your assistance, knowledge and especially your patience helped us in purchasing the home that met our current circumstance.

Since our schedule revolved around my employment and our 15 month old son’s naps, your ability with time management was very accommodating.

Being in sales, like yourself, I appreciated the “fact finding” meetings so we could provide you and discuss, in advance, the type of home that we were interested in obtaining.

The additional services and resources that you provided us: demographic breakdown, school information and daily email listings helped us decide on the location that we are very excited about.

If any of your new prospects would like additional information on your professionalism, please feel free to have them contact us.

Thank you again for all help and guidance as our realtor.

Sincerely,

Michael G. Kort

Simi Valley, CA

From Mike and Sandra W:

"What fantastic service! From the very start Richard prepared us for what to expect and kept us informed every step of the way. the staging and marketing helped us get full price for our home in less than two weeks.Thanks for everything!"

    - Mike and Sandra M., West Hills, CA

From Bill and Kim B:

"Not only did we wind up with a professional Realtor, we wound up with a friend after he sold our home!"

   - Bill and Kim B., Thousand Oaks, CA

From Armando and Mary J:

"Richard changed the way we look at real estate agents. There really is a difference between agents .... Richard is our Realtor for life!"

   - Armando and Mary J., Simi Valley, CA