Michael Novia is a Client-First agent
He approaches the sale or purchase of real estate as an opportunity to combine his market experience with a deft sense for ascertaining the client's specific needs to ensure a process that is clear, efficient and successful. The client's satisfaction is Michael's primary concern.
Michael draws from his successful background in the music industry, having played key marketing roles for both Walt Disney and Interscope Records. Working alongside talent such as U2, Sting and Peter Gabriel to name a few, Michael excels at supporting the objectives of discriminating clients. With a young family in tow, Michael opted out of the music business and into real estate.
Michael knows what he is talking about regarding the complex San Francisco market, and he feels it is important that his clients are well-positioned to buy or sell from a strong knowledge base. To that end, Michael educates new clients to the San Francisco market, such that they feel confident about their choices. With seasoned clients, Michael continues to provide steady insight into the nuances of San Francisco's property values and trends.
When it comes to the actual transaction, clients trust Michael's avid negotiating skills. He is pro-active and aggressively looks after his client's best interests. He will caution a client against sub-par conditions and advance quickly when prospects are good. Michael is a hands-on, consistent, straight-shooting agent with a long list of grateful clients.
Michael is an active member of the community and considers one of his greatest joys to be spending time with his wife and two young daughters. The foursome is known to regularly adventure about the city, enjoying the many diverse neighborhoods and indulgences San Francisco has to offer.
Testimonials
We found Michael Novia to be professional, very knowledgeable, trustworthy, easy to work with and always available. Michael is extremely competent and smart in the real estate business. He looked out for our best interests at all times. We would highly recommend Michael for your real estate needs!
Jennifer and Emile Bourquin
This being my first home purchase, I cannot thank you enough for being as helpful and accommodating as you were. I appreciated you being very straightforward about all the condos we saw. If you did not like a building or condo, you just told me so without sugar coating. I did not feel any pressure to buy, and you were there to assist me finding the right place. In fact, you told me to wait awhile to make an offer on a few places, and in hindsight, that was the right move. You were always available when I had questions, even helping me out when you were away. Your are very knowledgeable about the market, and that saved me a ton of time. I hope to keep my condo for a long time, but if I need to buy another place, I know I will be working with you again.
Thank you so much,
R.U.
I was very lucky to find Michael for my new condo purchase in San Francisco . I have purchased several existing homes in my life, but had never purchased a condo, new or otherwise. Plus, I had lived in the suburbs for years, and needed guidance concerning the issues of living in the city.
I found Michael through this website, reading these same testimonials. The testimonials sounded so sincere, I just had a good feeling about what Michael could provide. And I was right—his services were perfect for me. When I met Michael for the first time, he quizzed me on my reasons for moving to the city and my choice of neighborhood and condo developments. I was impressed by this—he wanted me to be aware of possible issues in this lifestyle change. It helped me to be clear about what I wanted.
For me, the two best things about Michael are his “can-do/upbeat” attitude and his attention to detail. Michael helped me immensely in figuring out how to finance my new purchase in this crazy credit environment, and his persistence with all the parties in the transaction made things run smoothly. He was also a great negotiator, and very calm through the whole process. I’m not a detail-oriented person, and I could depend on Michael to make sure everything was perfect with my new condo. His follow-up is amazing—I never felt panicked or uncertain about the transaction.
I highly recommend Michael to anyone looking for a home or condo in San Francisco . You will be well taken care of.
N.S.
Ubisoft
As a new arrival in San Francisco searching to buy a home, I’d like to give you the name of a real estate agent who has greatly helped me in my relocation to San Francisco, that being Mike Novia of South Beach Real Estate. Mike has delivered not just the typical expected property tours and prices normally expected of an agent, but has gone above this level by furnishing practical financial advice, pointing out gains of the long-term ownership which develops the trust of clients and even support in locating temporary housing while awaiting property settlement. Mike’s candid and practical advice was a welcomed relief to me during my property search.What sets Mike apart from other agents is his ability to carefully listen to each person and discover what their needs are on an individual basis. He always makes himself available and connects people to their necessary support functions in ways that offer immediate, visible results.One of Mike’s unique business practices is to actually become involved in his clients trials and tribulations of property acquisition. He suggests work-arounds and alternate methods of problem solving which are so difficult to deal with when relocating to a new location and knows who to contact to resolve an issue. Mike has proven himself to be an exceptional agent, and is definitely worth getting to know.
K.H.
Engineer
Loral Space Systems
Michael is extremely helpful, patient, hardworking, and honest. I was new to buying a place in San Francisco; it took me several months of house hunting to get used to what I can get within my budget in San Francisco. When I finally liked a place; my transaction turned out to be quite complicated. I had to go through a process of taking over a contract from a buyer who had put deposit at pre-construction phase. Michael was on the top of everything throughout including several co-ordination tasks such as visits to the buyer’s place in South Bay, retaining a lawyer, following up with loan agent and builder, working with the title company to prepare the grant deed transfer, going to the city offices to get the grant deed in place etc. The transaction would not have been possible without Michael’s support. He is a pleasure to work with.
Thank you!!
K.G.
Ebay
We were lucky to meet Michael one day when we were casually exploring condominium availability in the South Beach area. It was immediately apparent to us that he knew his business and we felt he would represent our best interests. That definitely proved to be true. Throughout the process of finding and negotiating our purchase of a condominium, Michael was extremely thorough, always available and in fact, made us feel as though we were his only clients. He never forgot to follow up with the many details that needed to be sorted out through the escrow process and gave us very helpful guidance along the way. We would strongly and enthusiastically recommend Michael to anyone seeking a good realtor, particularly in the South Beach area.
J.D. & S.D.
5AMVentures
I recently joined the ranks of home buyers here in SF (first time ever!). Not only was it a momentous occasion for me but also one that had a fair amount of anxiety associated with it. As luck would have it a friend of mine recommended Michael and he was a great help to me through the entire buying process including some hiccups I experienced around some tight frames both with my lender and the seller. In the end I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Michael and will plan on using him again as well.
B.W.
salesforce.com
I am proud to have worked with Michael Novia on my first home purchase. The experience was very positive and I firmly recommend him to others who need both advice and representation. I worked with Michael to locate a home in SF for-some time after I began pondering the decision to purchase. The outcome was tremendous. Superior negotiation and representation on my behalf led to me purchasing a unit, that even a month later, has only increased in appeal to me as I get used to my new surroundings.
Let me tell you how we got there. A few months ago, I became interested in purchasing a home. The market was uncertain and with many opinions from which to choose, I needed a trusted partner to help me filter out the noise. I was impressed with the response time and the sense of urgency with which Michael handled my questions. Some of my requests were annoyingly mundane or silly. Michael’s service and execution on my requests were a cut above. It would probably help me professionally if I did more of what he demonstrated. He worked hand in hand with my mortgage broker to close on the house ahead of schedule despite several obstacles that came up.
Along the way, there were both great choices for houses and ones that didn’t fit my profile. I was very interested in the latter and Michael made it clear to me that I should manage my expectations better and get something I could easily afford and that would make sense in the long run. I didn’t expect this kind of frank advice, to be quite honest. The result of the candor and everything else mentioned above has resulted in a client that is eagerly looking forward to getting Michael’s representation on their next home purchase.
B.Y.
salesforce.com
We have known Wendy and Mike for many years now, and it ’s been a true pleasure working with them. Their honesty, integrity and efficiency are truly exceptional, and very hard to find in the real estate world. We purchased a home few years ago, thanks to Wendy, and we are now working together again to find another one. It has been a continuing pleasant experience for us. We consider them friends that we can trust completely.
Antonello B., M.D.
Associate Professor
Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center
And Department of Neurology
University of California, San Francisco
Buying and selling a home in the Bay Area can be a daunting and overwhelming process. But Wendy and Michael Novia’s professional and expert advice allowed for a problem free transaction. Most importantly they made certain that I received the maximum value for my property. I was so pleased with their service that I have used the multiple times.
John P.
SF Radio
A big thank you to you and Wendy!!! You did a really great job. If we hear of anyone who is buying or selling in SF, we will send them to you.
Maryanne & Ada
As a first time buyer new to the process, one of the main criteria I had in looking for a real estate agent was attentiveness. Michael definitely lived up to that impression as he was always reachable and quick to respond to emails. In this market, watching the best properties taken off the market within days of listing, it was important to me to have someone who wouldn´t be late to the game. Michael definitely stayed on top of things.
In addition, I found his website and blog to be pretty informative and frequently updated. Michael always has time for you; his strengths lie in that he treats all matters with a sense of urgency. Thank you Michael.
M.F.C.
Barclays Global Investors
Looking for a home in San Francisco can be a frustrating and wearisome experience. Having an energetic, knowledgeable, efficient and understanding realtor is indispensable to the process. Michael Novia is all of these things and more: he is readily available for advice, information and support. My search was successful and he was with me every step of the way. Michael has my highest recommendation — you will be most fortunate if he becomes your Realtor too.
Alan E
Former Professor Columbia University, NY
We had a wonderful experience working with Michael and Wendy Novia. As first-time home buyers, we really appreciated the explanations they provided regarding procedures and forms, their knowledge of the area and attention to detail. They really took the time to learn our preferences and ensured we were comfortable throughout each step of the process. We are highly recommending Michael and Wendy to our friends.
Jon
Hewlett-Packard
Tina
Washington Mutual
I was referred to Michael and Wendy and would do the same. In fact, I already have. From the onset I was extremely impressed with how responsive Michael and Wendy were throughout the entire process – working late or on the road, they were there when needed. As a first time home buyer, I needed a lot of information and they delivered.
Their website is extremely informative, easy to use and in fact, I find myself referencing it from time to time to stay abreast of current market trends. Thanks for everything, Michael and Wendy!
Bill
Research Team Leader
Fisher Investments
Dearest Wendy & Michael,
Thank you guys so much for helping us buy our first home. Your support and dedication meant the world to us and we couldn’t have done it without you. We hope that you will be our friends and agents always.
Lots of thanks,
Christine & Fady S.
Michael and Wendy went all out for us, researching the schools for our children and finding us the perfect dream home. Writing the offer, coordinating with our mortgage broker and closing of escrow were done extremely efficiently and professionally. They had wonderful referrals for us of local inspectors and contractors that we were equally impressed with. We would absolutely recommend them to any of our family or friends.
John F. Principal, ThinkEquity Partners LLC and Christina Bryan F.
When I took a leap of faith, contacting a Realtor on the internet in a large unknown market to me to find a home, I had no idea what luck I had finding you. I appreciate all the driving around looking at house after house, all over the city, month after month. You were always pleasant and cheerful and much more energetic than I. Rarely have I found an agent with the commitment to persistence and the perseverance to appease my pickiness.You were always on time for me and never late to meet the other agents.You asked pertinent questions that I was too delirious to think about. I always felt that you were looking out for me. You followed through on every detail in a timely fashion and was always honest when I asked your opinion. What I really appreciate about your style is that you made the whole process fun.Never did you make it burdensome even when it was. Anyone who uses you for their Realtor should feel lucky as I do.
Sincerely,
T K S
Artist
