Holmes Burrell Real Estate - San Rafael, California

Michele B.

We purchased a home in 2024 in San Rafael in a long-distance transaction from our residence in the Chicago area. While we were able to secure the home, the process with Jason was quite disappointing and unnecessarily tumultuous and stressful compared to any real estate or business dealings my husband or I had ever encountered. Jason kept telling us how neither he nor the Sotheby's agent who represented the seller had ever dealt with such a difficult seller, describing her hysterical, crying all the time, etc. (information that, in the interest of professionalism, shouldn't have been relayed to us and which made us wonder how we were being characterized in return). And yet Jason seemed to be more interested in maintaining rapport with the local Sotheby's agent and soothing the unhinged seller with constant concessions on our side than in representing our best interests or what was fair and reasonable.

Also, for a slow season when he had few clients (two at the time he said), he was constantly on-the-go with personal activities during business hours that he detailed to us as he juggled our calls and texts, which was off-putting when we were in high-stress mode over the biggest transaction of our lives, and one he stood to make a huge commission off of. It also concerned us he was missing details in the contract stage as offers and counteroffers flew back and forth. Sure enough, things like the fact that the house was advertised as having A/C when it does not were not noticed nor called out to us in seller documentation.

To make things worse, there was quite a disappearing act once we landed in town, with significant post-sale needs not followed up upon (let me look into that, let me reach out to the other realtor, then no contact since over very costly items that were taken from the home that were documented to be part of the deal). Also, several pledges to help us as newbies to the area never came to fruition (I'll introduce you around, etc.) as well as personal promises (I have a gift for you I'm gonna bring by, We'll have you over, I can tell we're going to be friends... etc.).

We also have a neighbor who told us about a bad experience with Jason a few years ago, where they, too, were shopping in Marin from the Chicago area, saying they felt ditched by him and pawned off to another agent.

There are a lot of things Jason did right, of course, and his knowledge in real estate is broad, but as a result of the compiled experiences, so many of which were let downs or serious aggravations, we won't be returning to nor recommending this agency. Nice fat commissions for Jason and the seller's realtor, but a terrible first impression of the Marin real estate world.

Note: This review was solicited by Holmes Burrell nearly a year after closing. I normally just do positive reviews, but since they asked…

Kathy H.

Jason and Arun were a great team of realtors for us. They were well informed regarding our specific neighborhood and did a masterful job at helping us get our home ready to sell. It sold in record time and as we moved through the escrow process, they were always available for any questions we had. I would highly recommend them to you!

Dave A.

I’ve sold 2 houses now with Holmes Burrell. These guys know their business! I pretty much left it to Jason and his team to take care of landscaping, painting, & staging. His recommendations made sense, and I went along with most of them.
Both homes sold within days with multiple offers over ask.
I couldn’t be happier with the results.

Christina B.

I couldn’t be more thankful to @holmesburrell_realestate Arun Burrell for the recent sale of my Sleepy Hollow property. There is a reason these guys have a stellar reputation in Marin County as top notch realtors. They have represented me on both the buyer and seller side over the years, including selling my family farm in Sonoma County last year. Every single detail was taken care of from repairs to advertising and getting people in to see the home. I can’t recommend them enough, five out of five stars!

Leslie B.

Jason is amazing. I have enjoyed working with him for over 10 years. He's helped me buy and sell a few properties now. He's incredibly knowledgeable. I appreciate his tenacity, energy and vision. Additionally, for the sale of my last property, he really helped me get it ready for the market in a hurry. Jason has a crew of helpers and vendors that were fast and reasonable and got the property in market ready condition. I would definitely work with Jason and Holmes Burrell again.

Valdas E.

I had a half year contract to sell my townhouse in Novato California. With Miguel being my agent, I didn’t renew the contract once it expired and then got new realtor and they came in telling me every light in the house was on ( I wondered why I had a $300 electric bill when I living there all alone would have $30 + Electric bill ) end it looked like nobody had been there in weeks , and my deck was covered in redwood debris and cobwebs and my new floor needed to be washed . Holmes Burrell never contacted me about needing to pay for occasional gardener clean up which I would’ve gladly done so that my house looks presentable for a buyer coming to look at my Property . I’m very disappointed to say the Least with this Real estate agency

Nicholas B.

Jason knows his stuff and we felt very confident with his guidance throughout the home buying process. Jason was readily available via phone, text message, email or in person viewings of properties on short notice. He is extremely knowledgeable about the North Bay real estate market and I would highly recommend him to any serious home buyers. There are ups and downs in the home buying process and it helps having someone in your corner who has been there, done that, hundreds of times.

Davey S.

Jason did an amazing job selling my home in Novato, CA. He managed to get a great result and sell the home for a competitive price. Jason coordinated all of the work that needed to be done for the sale while I was living out of state in Seattle, WA. I really can't thank Jason enough. He not only made selling my home possible and took care of all of the details, he did a tremendous job as well.