TESTIMONIALS

I was referred to Carol Kozal by a very good family friend who also works in real estate. When an agent refers you to another agent you already know you’re in good hands. Carol went above and beyond to help me find the home of my dreams in a competitive market. Not only was she an excellent resource but she gave very sound advice. I completely trusted Carol and I would highly recommend Carol to anyone looking at property at The Sea Ranch. Although, I am not a first time homebuyer it had been a while since I purchased a home. If you find yourself looking at The Sea Ranch, Carol is a local resident who knows the ins and outs of the community. This is important for even the most experienced buyer to The Sea Ranch area. With great communication and wonderful insight, I can’t say enough how Carol made the entire process easy. Just know you’d be in trusting and extremely competent hands with Carol as your agent.

Michaela is the realtor that you always dream of - who seems to understand exactly what you're looking for, on a very personal level, and then holds your hand while looking for it - with patience, grace, persistence, and humor. We had the best experience in having her be our guide looking for, finding, and negotiating our place at the Sea Ranch. Could not recommend her higher.

Carol Kozal was our buyer's agent and we were extremely satisfied with her services. We have used Carol for several transactions in The Sea Ranch and she is always helpful and the ultimate professional. She handled every detail with ease and in a timely manner. Even after closing she continued to go out of her way to help us out. We couldn't have asked for a better partner in completing our buying experience.

Kristen was incredibly patient and attentive throughout the entire process. She took the time to truly understand our preferences, budget, and goals, and helped us be ready for the right opportunities. Kristen was always available to answer our questions, provide guidance, and offer honest advice. The experience was smooth, stress-free, and even enjoyable - a testament to Kristen's outstanding service. If you're looking for a real estate agent in Sea Ranch, CA, I wholeheartedly recommend Kristen. She has amazing local connections with vendors and will give you honest information so you don't waste your time exploring things don't fit your criteria. Her unparalleled local knowledge, patience, and attentiveness make her the ideal partner in your search for the perfect coastal getaway.

We wouldn't have gotten our house if it weren't for Kristen! She worked within our budget, and helped us get a house better than what we imagined. She lives at Sea Ranch so she is very familiar with the location. We never thought we would get our house because it was higher than our budget. However, Kristen did not give up. She negotiated with the sellers and we ended up getting the house for a price we could afford. Kristen is very communicative, down to earth, kind, honest and reliable. She really listened to us, and steered us in the right direction. I recommend Kristen highly!

Carol did a great job as our realtor when we purchased a vacation/retirement home in Sea Ranch. Since we live three hours away in the Bay Area, it was important for us to have a realtor with local knowledge to guide us through the challenges of house purchase in a unique location like Sea Ranch. We appreciated her ability to summarize the pros and cons of each home and to point out potential expenses and liabilities that were not obvious to us. She was also invaluable in helping us deal with on-the-spot issues, saving us additional trips on more than one occasion. When our home insurance underwriter wanted to know the location of the nearest fire hydrant, she checked for us; a couple of weeks later when they wanted an up-to-date photo of the front of the house, she helped us out again, saving us a lot of travel time. She was great in letting us know when it was important for us to make the trip in person and when we could let things play out in our absence. She was particularly good at keeping us on track with the multiple documents that needed our review and signature through escrow, and in guiding us through the associated decisions that we needed to make during the process. Carol recommended that we get some additional inspections during escrow, and she was great in getting them scheduled at short notice. These inspections identified some issues that ultimately helped us save money at closing. She has continued to help us after closing with recommendations for local contractors. We’re very happy with the service that Carol has provided and we’re happy to recommend her as your realtor for home purchases in the Sea Ranch area.

Michaela was the listing agent on the first house I looked at in Sea Ranch. Over the following months she patiently taught me about the market, and let me make decisions as we made offers on a few properties. Her knowledge of the inventory and the market was very high and she gently guided me. It is challenging to buy in a seller’s market, but when the right one came on the market she knew it, and this time I was prepared to take the right steps. I made the offer sight unseen based on the trust we had built, and when I saw the home in person I realized how much she had listened. Together we closed on the home of my dreams. Michaela is more than the agent of the process. She takes a personal interest and goes out of her way to make the process easy, smooth, and fun. She has become my favorite and closest new friend in the community.

I never truly understood what a stellar real estate agent is until we we were introduced to Michaela. She expertly guided us through the process of purchasing a home we now adore, all without setting foot in it beforehand (and that's coming from someone who takes years to decide on a couch—finding the perfect blend of comfort and aesthetics is no easy feat! ??). I still find myself in disbelief, as we had to move swiftly with the offer to seize the opportunity. This seamless experience was only made possible by the foundation of complete trust and the exceptional relationship we've cultivated with Michaela. She truly advocates for you, providing a pressure-free environment, unwavering honesty, and immediate attention to every conceivable detail. An in-depth knowledge of The Sea Ranch, an innate understanding of our preferences, a keen sense of what we were searching for in a home—she truly has it all. I cannot fathom anyone more deserving of five-star reviews than Michaela. We consider ourselves incredibly fortunate to have crossed paths with her, just as our friends did when they recommended her to us. My deepest gratitude and highest recommendations go out to her.

Having spoken to Michaela but a few of times on the phone regarding properties, we dropped into the Sea Ranch for the day. Michaela seems to instinctually know for what we’re looking for and what makes for a good match. We fell in love with the first house she showed us. Offers were due the next day, Michaela offered a steady guiding hand, expert resources, and insider knowledge of the community. Her professional, empathetic manner and attention to details made an impulsive decision on our part tenable and even enjoyable. We now are the caretakers of an amazing home that we never thought we could have owned! She continues to be a resource and generous with her assistance as we ease into spending more time here. Michaela has been a guardian angel through it all and made our arrival in the community like a home coming. She is the first new friend we made in the community! Based on our experience, we recommend Michaela's expert services without reservation.

I could not recommend Michaela Suess more highly! As I sit outside our perfect little Sea Ranch house, looking out across the meadow to the sun-flecked sea, I am filled with gratitude for our patch of paradise, and for Michaela's help, guidance and expertise that brought us here. Michaela understood what we were looking for at Sea Ranch, and what we were looking for in a home for our family. We had the feeling that, above all, she wanted us to end up with the place that was perfect for *us*, and that meant: no pressure. Michaela talked through pros and cons and guided us to a decision we'd feel good about—even if that meant walking away from a property. As a resident of Sea Ranch herself, Michaela not only understands the real estate, but she knows—she lives—the unique landscape and community of this place. When we'd found 'our' house, the process of making in an offer was informed, professional and transparent. Michaela was always available for meetings and phone calls; exceptionally knowledgable about the process and fine print; and quick to find answers to even our most detailed questions. The process felt almost too easy... and we got our house! Since our closing, Michaela has remained ever so helpful—she has introduced us to her network of contractors and repair people, helped negotiate permits and licenses, and even met a delivery driver at our place when we had some furniture delivered! In Michaela, we not only found and expert real estate agent, but also a wonderful new neighbor. Thank you, Michaela.

Michaela was an absolute dream to work with! She has an in-depth knowledge of The Sea Ranch community and the local real estate market. Her insights proved invaluable, helping us make the most informed decisions and negotiate a great deal. Michaela has a great professional network in the Sonoma Coast. She was able to quickly schedule inspections and introduce us to great contractors and property managers – which streamlined the entire process for us. When we encountered unexpected hurdles with our bank, Michaela's problem-solving skills shone through as she went above and beyond to help us close. Throughout the process, Michaela’s warmth, intelligence, empathy, and expertise stood out. We felt fully supported and are immensely grateful to have had her in our corner. We whole-heartedly recommend Michaela to anyone looking to find their perfect home in The Sea Ranch. Without a doubt, we would work with her again in the future!

We enjoyed working with Carol and the results were wonderful: 4 offers and several over asking. She is friendly and kind and has great taste. She made the process as easy and calm as possible. She is deeply rooted in the Sea Ranch community and this is to your benefit. I highly recommend her.

Michaela helped us secure our dream home in The Sea Ranch! I cannot recommend her enough. She was a dream to work with – very quick, responsive, and extremely knowledgable. Having her by our side throughout the process was a godsend. Thank you, Michaela!

Kristen is very knowledgeable about Sea Ranch, a good communicator, efficient, and very easy to work with. Her familiarity with local craftspeople and home-related business was very helpful in readying our house for sale. She showed good judgement about what to fix up and what to leave as-is. We did a 1031 exchange, which was new to her at the time, but now she probably knows a lot about that too. Good agent to choose!

My husband and I had a great experience working with Kristen, from the very first meeting until getting the keys of our home. Kristen was extremely responsive and explained every step of the involved process of buying a property at The Sea Ranch. Additionally her expertise and professional reputation in the community was invaluable since we were house hunting from the East Coast. Kristen’s knowledge and patience far exceeded our expectations, but it was her dedication to our needs that was the driving force to make our new home happen.

Michaela did a wonderful job helping us buy a home at The Sea Ranch. She is very well versed in the real estate market of The Sea Ranch and knows the nuances of the area, current pricing, and idiosyncrasies of the HOA. She listened to what we were looking for and helped us find a wonderful match. She is friendly and professional, and very responsive. She was there for us from the first showing to helping us get set up after we had the keys in hand!

Michaela was a delight to work with in purchasing the beautiful lot adjacent to our home and its lot. She is the consummate professional, reliable, helpful, pleasant and knowledgeable. We recommend her unconditionally. For us this was a joyful experience to gain the beauty and privacy of the land, and she showed sincere happiness for and with us.

Kristen's knowledge about our area and the market was invaluable to us as we were not local. We appreciated her efficiency in the search process, and her sound recommendations about making offers. Her experience and proficiency with real estate transactions was quite apparent and gave us piece of mind that we would be fully compliant and nothing would be overlooked as we completed the purchase process. She stayed on top of everything and, thanks to her, we closed our purchase ahead of schedule. She made the entire process so easy for us and I highly recommend her.

Kristen is a local agent in Sea Ranch who gave us valuable insight into the market there. It is a unique community and her insight was very helpful during the purchasing process. Kristen also went out of her way after we closed to make sure we were able to get set up with everything needed to make a smooth transition.

This is the second time we have done business with Kristen, over a span of four years. This time she helped us sell a home at The Sea Ranch during 2022. She really does have a depth and breadth of knowledge about the local market and how to navigate the listing and selling process. She knew just what to do to obtain the soundest offer and best price. Having worked with other agents over the years, Kristen stands head and shoulders above the others in her attention to detail, knowledge, communication, and especially her pleasant can-do attitude. Thank you, Kristen!

Carol is the consummate professional. She is knowledgeable, responsive, and has excellent negotiation skills. She knows exactly how to best market a house. In addition she knows the area and the professionals that are needed to conduct inspections and repairs when needed. I have bought and sold many properties. Carol made my most recent sales the easiest I have had. The large details are important, but Carol made sure that even the smallest detail was taken care of so that the sale went thru seamlessly. She was always available when needed and took care of things before I even asked. I highly recommend Carol for all your real estate needs.

Michaela was very helpful, knowledgeable, and responsive throughout the process. Being from out of town and never buying land and building my own house, Michaela was able to provide me invaluable insights and contacts throughout the buying process. On an even broader basis, Michaela's knowledge of the area and Sea Ranch community (including rules and processes) was extremely helpful.

We were trying to buy a house in Sea Ranch for years, including during the insanity of the pandemic. Kristen was knowledgeable, forthright, and incredibly helpful in guiding us through the turmoil to our perfect house. Could not recommend Kristen more highly!

I recently worked with Hanne of Liisberg & Company on my 4th transaction where I was the buyer. I think I keep buying properties as she makes it so easy, efficient, and transparent that I keep doing this! She is a joy to work with.

Hanne is incredible! Not only does she seemingly know every property that is on the market, that will come on the market, or that has ever sold, providing you with the best possible information, she listens very carefully to you and makes great recommendations. She told my wife and I that we needed to drive up from the Bay Area to see a property coming on the market, but she couldn't provide any pictures or many details, but just to trust her. We did, and she was right--we bought it on the spot! You can't go wrong with Hanne. She also has been wonderfully helpful after the sale. Thank you!

Michaela represented me in the purchase of a home at The Sea Ranch, and I'm so very grateful for her support. From our first phone contact, all the way through to the completion of the purchase, Michaela was WONDERFUL to work with. She was warm in spirit, knowledgeable about the area generally, the Sea Ranch specifically, and the buying process overall. She was always highly responsive, and wholly supportive from A to Z. I can think of several instances where she went above and beyond expectations to make my experience great. The result for me was an impossibly easy and comfortable purchase experience. I couldn't imagine the process being smoother, and I can't imagine working with anyone else in the future. I enthusiastically recommend Michaela Suess to help you with your coastal real estate needs.

Our experience with Carol Kozal was exceptionally positive! Carol was professional and caring from our first meeting thru the entire process. She is very responsive (we had a lot of questions) and came up with excellent suggestions to help us highlight the beauty of our home during the listing process. We wholeheartedly recommend Carol Kozal!

From the very first phone call to Carol, to the day we closed, Carol and Patrick managed every step of the process efficiently and effectively and kept us well-informed every step of the way. Also, they were extremely knowledgeable about the market and how to price and sell our home. How they managed the listing and sell of our home allowed us to relax around the process and trust their expertise. They both far exceeded our expectations and I recommend them highly!

We have bought and sold three houses with the help of Carol Kozal. All transactions were successful and handled on a professional level. Carol is a pleasure to work with and has lived and worked in Sea Ranch for several years so she is very knowledgeable about the area and the HOA guidelines. It was a pleasure working with Carol and we highly recommend her. We will certainly work with her again if we ever return to buy property in the Sea Ranch area.

Carol was right on top of everything – smoothed the bumps, reduced the emotional ups and downs all with a magnetic personality.

Carol was effective, got a phenomenal result, and listened carefully to my unique goals. I can't thank Carol enough for a straightforward, smooth, and seamless transaction and highly recommend her to anyone looking to sell a property in Sea Ranch.

If you are considering buying at The Sea Ranch, you should be represented by Michaela Suess. It's simply the smart place to start. She has an encyclopedic knowledge of properties and building regulations here. She understands the aesthetics and principles of the community at a fundamental level. Her keen appreciation of the place, informed by being a resident, is evident in every conversation you have with her. Most importantly, she inspires trust and she earns it. Her honesty and directness are immediately evident from your first meeting with her. She will dispassionately, and patiently, list the pros and cons of every decision you will make in the light of her masterful knowledge of real estate at and near Sea Ranch. You will be happy you have her on your side when you make offers. Michaela will not try to influence your decision, only to inform it. When we made our final decision, which was to buy a particular lot, we were happy with and already understood every particular about beginning the process of building. She has connections with local trades that will serve you well. We could not be happier with our experience and are honored to have worked with her.

We are very happy with our experience and gladly recommend you use Hanne Liisberg as your real estate agent/broker. We've known Hanne for over 16 years. Firstly, when we bought our home at Sea Ranch, and then secondly, during the bittersweet experience of selling. She was the agent for the sellers when we bought, and our agent when we sold. Thus, we've known Hanne on each side of a real estate transaction. When we decided to sell, we remembered how fair and reasonable she was to us as buyers and wanted that as we sold. For example, in each case, she participated in making the sale happen, when a few dollars more or compromise was needed. In setting the sale price with us, Hanne used the resources of her company and other agents to come to what we considered a fair price for all. At Hanne's direction, Paul Kozel prepared a beautiful portfolio of images. Our house was presented for sale in many platforms, including national newspapers and periodicals. Hanne also holds a J.D. (juris doctorate). Together with her years of experience she clearly understands all the nuances of real estate transactions.

Michaela is truly the best! She was an absolute pleasure to work with- kind, positive, informative, knowledgable, responsive, non-pressuring but willing to always go the extra mile and wanting to help you find the right home for you- everything you would want in an agent to help you buy a house. She helped us navigate a tricky market, always over-delivered, and in the end, helped our family find the gem we were dreaming of. She even helped get the house ready for our first visit and went out of her way to make sure we were happy and comfortable and is still following up with contacts and details. She is incredibly helpful and actually cares. We would highly recommend working with Michaela, you don't need to look anywhere else!

Kristen Winant performed an outstanding sale transaction for us during the busy holiday season. The entire episode achieved great results. Kristen arranged for all the necessary inspections, staging and repairs. She took care of the appropriate steps to prepare the house for sale. She listened well and attended to our concerns. We benefitted from her suggestions and advice when we had to make difficult decisions. She was very prompt with communication and correspondence. Kristin was always available and accommodating. She knows Sea Ranch well and covers the unique details relevant to this community. We have enormous confidence and trust in her.

We were fortunate to find Kristen Winant when we were thinking of buying a house at Sea Ranch as a retreat from the Bay Area. We had by then found something that we really liked online. We had 3 days to decide. Kristen arranged a tour for us and was able to quickly structure a bid that was a stretch but kept within our budget. Our bid was accepted over 3 other bidders. Throughout the process, Kristen was professional and thorough. She has continued to assist us even after her formal role was over.

Hanne has a commanding knowledge of the market she works in and all the technical expertise you’ll need to close a deal, but what we found most important was her rare and uncanny subjective feel for who we were and what would suit us, she was exactly correct. You are in good hands with this woman. Thanks, Hanne!

Carol has excellent knowledge of the market. She is very pleasant, professional, and available. She guided us through home tours, offers, and a successful purchase expertly. In an otherwise stressful market situation, she made it a very pleasant experience

Michaela was a determined and tireless advocate. It was not a straightforward purchase and her input was critical for our success. She could not have been better. Outstanding!

Marianne Harder is by far the best real estate agent we have ever had the pleasure of working with. She is incredibly knowledgeable about The Sea Ranch community, the TSR culture, the Ranchers and the Association. Having lived and worked in the community for decades, she is very well connected, and knows who to call to get anything done, fast. She takes care of everything. We have used Marianne for three real estate transactions over the years, and now that we are leaving the coast, we only wish we could take her with us for all our future real estate needs. We thoroughly enjoyed working with Marianne. She made it so easy! We are very grateful, and wish her and Hanna continued success!

Hanne Liisberg was wonderful to work with. She was always there to answer questions and help us through the process of selling. Hanne respected our property and our opinions. She’s easy to work with and knows the local area well and who’s looking to buy.

It was a pleasure to work with Hanne. She is extremely knowledgeable about the area and the market. Hanne understood what we were looking for and helped us think through the various (albeit limited!) options, both in pointing out the pros but also highlighting any cons. She was direct and honest and she was always responsive.

Michaela is extremely knowledgeable about Sea Ranch properties, and so much more - she has great design knowledge and taste, she is extremely well organized, she is very responsive and pays great attention to details. Michaela went beyond her typical agent responsibilities, and we will be more than happy to work with her again.

I wish I could give Michaela a 10 out of 5! We had such a positive experience working with her from the start: from her open and direct style on our initial call to looking at properties to developing an accepted offer to hammering out many, many details. She is extremely knowledgeable about Sea Ranch, she is professional,100% reliable, and responsive, she has a great sense of design, and is a super smart problem solver. Michaela is very organized and a strong yet playful communicator - what can be a stressful situation was truly wonderful and I think it was her positive spirit that made it so. She's a pro and I highly recommend working with her.

Kristen is a real local expert in her areas. She has been brillant with us, and we got the house in the first shot. Cannot recommend her enough. She was precise in her process knowledge and accurate. She has a deep understanding of her area.

Kristen is the most competent real estate professional I have worked with. She is professional, smart, and courteous. Selling a house is a complex and stressful process. At the outset, Kristen put a strategy in place that was effective. Her knowledge of the process and attention to detail made a big impact on selling the house at the best price and protecting my interests. Through it all, she maintained a calm demeanor that reduced my anxiety in some of the stressful moments. I highly recommend her to anyone planning to sell their house.

We were so incredibly fortunate to have had Michaela as our agent during our recent Sea Ranch home purchase. (She came highly recommended to us by another very satisfied client). We were purchasing in a very competitive market, and without Michaela’s knowledge and expertise, we feel certain that we would have missed out on this amazing house that we can now call our own! Michaela is a long-time resident of the Sea Ranch and is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the area and the houses. She also has an expert understanding of how to navigate the current market. It was due to her guidance that we were able to make a successful offer on our house. Additionally, she has wonderful professional contacts in the area (mortgage brokers, inspection companies, etc etc). - which helped the whole process, from beginning to end, go surprisingly smoothly and quickly. We would highly and unequivocally recommend Michaela to be your Sea Ranch agent. And if you, like us, are lucky enough to have her as your agent, you will not be disappointed!

Carol has lived in the area for a long time and has a fount of knowledge regarding the properties and their locales. She scheduled all of the inspections and was onsite to facilitate the inspections. Her proposed (and actual) timeline of inspections, reports, listing date (10 days on the multiple listing), and a date to receive offers all led to a painless selling of our home.

We were thrilled to work with Michaela Suess while looking for a Sea Ranch home to buy this past summer. Michaela has a wealth of information about Sea Ranch, Gualala and the Sonoma Coast. We asked her tons of questions about everything on and off the market, and if she didn't have the answer, which she most often did, she was able to quickly direct us to a source that was able to help out. Michaela is responsive, honest and gave us good tips while negotiating the competitive real estate market. We could not be happier with her insights, patience and guidance. If you're looking to purchase land or a home in this slice of paradise, we highly recommend working with Michaela. She's a gem.

Carol was wonderful to work with as our buying agent. Super knowledgeable of the area and responsive. She is genuine and represented us fairly. She patiently worked with us with several home offers and always had our interests in mind. We cannot recommend her enough!