Tom helped us buy a house during the height of the market. He has a strong knowledge of the market and was willing to work with other colleagues to ensure that we were priced competitively, but not over-bidding. He called upon his vast experience in home remodeling and restoration to help us reality check how much of a "house project" we could manage, steering us away from houses that were beyond us. Lastly, he really put our interests ahead of his own: telling us that we would not be our agent if we bought the house that we loved because of his concerns about the structural problems with the house. A lovely person and competent agent, we have continued to consult with him over the years when we wish to think about moving or changing our home situation. My husband and I recommend him highly as a great agent.

I highly recommend Tom Carlson. My husband and I were first-time home buyers looking for a good TIC situation when we met Tom. We chose to work with Tom because he had years of experience in the San Francisco real estate market, including with TICs. Tom was knowledgeable ("don't be distracted by the shiny, new kitchen," Tom advised, "look at the foundation first!"), always available, and unflappable throughout the process. I appreciated that Tom looked out for our interests, listened well, and never pushed us toward any particular outcome. If we were ever to sell, we'd call on Tom.

Tom was my agent when I bought my first house. Tom was friendly, patient and professional throughout the entire process. I would use Tom for any future real estate purchases.

Working with Tom was a pleasure. His experience, insight, judgment and practical approach were a tremendous help. He listened carefully to our needs, and worked with us over several months to find the right place. We always felt he was in our corner.

You are not only professional and knowledgeable but honest and sincere. Also, Friendly comes to mind. We feel like we have a new Friend. Did I mentioned hard working and devoted. Think I covered all the positive. Is there anything negative? NO!!

We are still kind of shocked as to how well the whole experience worked out for us. To be honest, we were a little skeptical when we first got into the real estate game, thinking that we'd be given the hard sell, pushed to buy something that we may or may not really want. Instead we got the complete opposite. We were treated with respect. We were nervous about getting into such a large investment, in particular in the San Francisco marketplace. We had driven around the areas that we thought might work for us, and were willing to settle for something in a more than questionable neighborhood or more than questionable house, you encouraged us to keep looking. This happened through 2 separate house hunts, 8 years apart. The second time you were willing to sit patiently with us over the course of almost 2 years, ever steering us in the right direction. I look back at the neighborhoods that we were edging towards, where the prices are dropping drastically, to where you pushed us towards in the end, where prices have remained consistent (although we wish the prices would fall, so we could lower our property taxes!). We ended up with a wonderful house in such a great neighborhood - we really do often reflect on what a perfect job you did for us. You took the time to get to know what we wanted, needed and directed us toward that and away from what we would grudgingly settle for.

I realize that I rambled a bit - please feel free to cut and paste at will. It's not that I didn't see the BRIEF part of your note, I just tend to emote a bit when I think of what a perfect situation you ensured we'd be left with.

Tom Carlson represented us when we bought our San Francisco home, and we wholeheartedly recommend him for three reasons:

1. He listens and respects your time. Tom did not show us homes that did not meet our criteria.

2. He has a good eye and is candid about a property's problems. Some agents are pushing the sale (commission) and thus focus on the property's strengths. Tom, however, gives his balanced and informed opinion. For example, we were intrigued by a house on top of a hill, but Tom counseled against it. He pointed out that there over 40 stairs we would have to be climb to reach the front door and that the rooms were small and could not easily be enlarged. He was right.

3. He strikes when the iron is hot. The house we loved was in contract with another buyer, and when that deal fell through Tom wrote up a lean offer on a day's notice. It was accepted the next day. That was over five years ago and we are still grateful to Tom for helping us land a dream home at a great price.