Front Porch Realty - San Rafael, California

Janie A. B. H.

Exceptional services from Karen Strain and her team. Selling a home last fall during a tough market while relocating to another state was an incredibly stressful experience but Karen and Yoko of Front Porch Realty made it so much easier. What truly set them apart was their willingness to go the extra mile - not only did they handle every detail of the selling process but they also provided invaluable assistance and coordination with our move and commitment to make the transition as smooth as possible. My husband had to start his job sooner which left me to handle the logistics of the move and the sale of the house. Anytime I had questions, needed extra support or a resource Karen and her team guided me through the process. I highly recommend Karen as she genuinely cares and delivers exceptional results. Thank you Karen and Yoko.

S P.

I have known Yoko for years and met originally through common networks. I was finally able to work with her in locating a home to purchase this year and I am more than impressed with the level of service and communication throughout the searching, bidding, and buying process. Even when the listing agent crawled into a hole at the first sign of complications from his own client, Yoko stepped in to make sure the deal persevered and we were kept in the loop the entire time with no effort from us.

We could not have asked for a better agent to help in this search and with all the issues from the seller and her agent we encountered along the way, Yoko was just the best. We would recommend her, or any other agent at Front Porch from the sounds of the other reviews we have read. We had read all these reviews prior to actually working with her and were a huge deciding factor to write this review, and work with her in this transaction.

Thank you Yoko!!

Russ A.

We had the good fortune of Yoko representing us on our sale. She is the go-to person you want. Yoko is professional, extremely pleasant to work with, and ahead of the "game" throughout the process. Highly recommend her without any reservation.

Patricia G.

If you’ve been considering the idea of selling your house, there’s a first step I would recommend: contact real estate agent Karen Strain at Front Porch Realty. You’ll want a trusted professional leading you on the journey.

When my husband and I began our quest to find the “perfect” home to replace our 2-story home with a pool, we asked Karen to be our agent. Our children are adults with families and homes of their own, and we were ready for the next chapter in our life. We had a long, specific list of desired “wants” for the new house. At times, it seemed as if the new dream home had eluded us. But Karen was always there, just a phone call or text away. Then, out of the blue, the “perfect” home suddenly appeared. Great! – we thought, except that we wanted to sell our current house first. Huge challenge. Or so we thought.

Karen and her team at Front Porch Realty jumped in and guided us each step of the way – from preparing our house for sale (including sending a professional organizer who came with packing supplies and a great eye to “edit” furniture, pack personal items, and move us forward!) – to navigating us through the Inspection Reports process. Building? Roof? Pool? Sewer Lateral? Karen’s extensive knowledge and experience made the entire process comfortable and familiar. Her frank and realistic explanations left us informed and with no “surprises.” Her resources are unparalleled. Concerns and questions? Karen is a great communicator. Phone calls, texts, and emails were always answered promptly.

We followed Karen’s sound advice and informed suggestions for submitting our offer for the home we wanted to purchase – and our offer was accepted. We again followed her advice and very beneficial suggestions for preparing our house for sale – and it sold for over the asking price. We feel so blessed that we had Karen guiding us on this very important journey in our life.

Karen epitomizes the words “trust” and “integrity.” It was a pleasure working with her on the purchase and sale of our homes. If you’re considering selling or purchasing your home, do something very beneficial for yourself: call Karen Strain first.

-Patricia G

L C.

Yoko is an amazing agent, professional and kind! She helped me through a very confusing and overwhelming time and made my life a lot easier! Yoko is easy to talk to, communicates quickly and efficiently, and made this scary process manageable. I would HIGHLY recommend her and Front Porch for your real estate needs.

Elizabeth R.

Karen was diligent and thorough in every step of our recent home sale. She sought out other brokers' opinions to help us price our home since there were no comparable houses in our neighborhood. We had multiple offers after the first open house and selected the best fit. The house was appraised twice at the over-the-asking price that was offered. The buyers pulled out at day 15 at no fault of the house. It was an emotional roller coaster that Karen helped guide us through and kept us grounded. We put the house back on the market at full price- which was still the value of the home-and got a second offer at asking. We were up against a tight deadline for our replacement property purchase- Karen kept us informed on the progress throughout escrow when some unexpected computer glitches on the buyers' lender's end made it a nail biting finish to close. I can't express enough how reassuring it is to have an experienced broker on your side. Karen always went the extra mile for us, and all her clients.

Amber M.

Working with Yoko was seamless; she listened to our needs and worked with us through the lengthy process. She held our hands in way that made us feel comfortable with this huge step towards purchasing our first home. She is knowledgeable, supportive, and kind. Hands down the best!

Liz A. J.

We were so fortunate to work with Yoko Kasai and Front Porch Realty during our 2021-2022 home search. Yoko was a true difference-maker throughout our real estate journey. As first-time homebuyers in Marin County, we benefited from her calm, skillful guidance about the market conditions, what it would take to secure the home we wanted, and how to successfully navigate through closing. She could not have been more responsive to our many questions throughout the process, even preparing our last-minute offer package in the midst of travel. Beyond helping us acquire a lovely home in a challenging market, Yoko also helped connect us to a network of experts in various services we needed to update our home before moving in. We would not hesitate to work with Yoko again and recommend her most highly.