Shelly Potvin

We called Shelly based on all her glowing reviews when we suddenly found ourselves in a rather rushed position to sell our home in Santa Clara. From the first time we met with her we felt at ease and her plan for putting our home on the market felt comfortable to us and clear. She is a great communicator and has wonderful vision for what to spruce up in a home to sell it vs. what can be left alone. We were out of town during the showings of our home but we felt like we were there. She updated us daily and her team went above and beyond when it came to showing our home with extended open house hours for multiple days, mailers, emailed flyers, basically the works. We received over 20 offers and Shelly guided us towards choosing the best one. She is absolutely wonderful at what she does and her heart is really in her work and her clients’ happiness. We couldn’t have been happier with our experience with working with Shelly. She made a bittersweet move for us go really smoothly and we had wonderful results! Thank you, Shelly!

We were so lucky to meet Shelly and use her services both to sell our condominium and buy a new home! Both sides of the process went smoothly and we are very happy with how both transactions worked out. We were cautious to look for a new home before selling our existing condo, but we found a home that we fell in love with and through Shelly’s advice and support, we purchased our dream home in this crazy market. Then, to top it all off, Shelly was able to get us a record price for our condo, all cash, with a seven day close. I can’t recommend Shelly highly enough. I have had previous experiences with real estate agents that was negative, and the difference Shelly made to the transactions was priceless.

Shelly was awesome, I really enjoyed working with her! I was a bit clueless looking to buy my first house, but Shelly was so patient with me and able to share all her knowledge and experience in a way that made me understand this crazy market better and feel secure that I made the right choice for my first home. And even after the sale, she continued to help me when I had questions about renting out my back unit, and continues to offer her advice now several years later.

Shelly goes way beyond your basic real estate agent. She spent so much time with us, taking us to properties, explaining process, offering advice, being open and honest with us about what to look for in properties, what to be aware of. She also kept us grounded and helped to narrow down searches in areas that we weren’t sure of. She’s so knowledgeable that there wasn’t much she didn’t know or couldn’t find out quickly. When it came time for us to buy our house, I was so happy to have Shelly representing us. It takes an agent that knows you, in this market, to be able to sell the sellers onto the right buyers. We still keep in touch with Shelly. She genuinely cares about her clients and that means the world to us. Thanks Shelly!

I recommend Shelly to anyone who’s planning to sell or looking to buy a home. She makes the challenging process of real estate transactions hassle-​free. My sister and I faced the difficult and sometimes emotional prospect of cleaning-​out and selling our 50 year-​old family home in Sunnyvale after our mom moved into assisted living. We had talked with another realtor who advised us to sell the home «as is,» but fortunately, we decided to consult with Shelly after reading a good review of her on Angie’s List. She persuaded us that we’d be able to get a better deal if we did a few repairs and some staging. We were encouraged by her cheerful enthusiasm and optimism, so we signed her up. She helped us arrange for an estate sale and the disposal of years of «stuff,» and had a list of painters and handymen who were economical and did all the needed repairs quickly and efficiently.
When we were finally ready for the sale, the house had been transformed for a modest amount of time and money, and we got three offers over our sale price. When the accepted buyer backed out after the structural inspection, Shelly reassured us that we could get past this easily. She brought in another inspector who helped us fix the problem quickly, and again got offers over the asking price. Throughout the process, Shelly was there whenever we had questions or needed help. We couldn’t ask for a more supportive guide through the real estate jungle!

I can say with conviction that Shelly is absolutely the best realtor I have ever worked with. She is a great listener and communicator, efficient in finding the right property for her client based on their taste and budget, and proficient in negotiation and preparing offer letters and the related paperwork. She is always available, even in the evenings and weekends. All in all, she’s the best real estate agent that I have ever known.

Shelly helped me buy my first home and she was great in helping me understand the neighborhoods’ flavor and the many details needed to close! She really understood what I wanted… better than even I could articulate. She never stops working for you. Here’s the kicker. After finally deciding to put an offer on a home, I came into her office the next morning to deal with the paperwork (yeah, this was before all that emailed signature stuff). She greeted me with that «I have some good news» look. She mentioned that there was a brand new /​updated listing that morning that seemed to be an even better fit.
She quickly arranged a visit and I fell in love with it, just steps from downtown Palo Alto with a garage for my motorbike and everything. She hustled to get an offer together and we were signing later in the day.
Shelly was not content to just «close» me with the first home, which would have been a compromise. She was looking out for me the whole time. Love it!
She also helped me sell that place (snif) when I was remote and moving. She handled *everything* and got me a good price to boot.
What are you waiting for? Go with Shelly!

This is my first time ever writing a review on Unilocal,which means you KNOW there has to be a good reason!
Relocating from NYC for work, my company’s Mobility Services team set us up with Shelly due to her proximity and expertise of bay area real estate. From the beginning, I was impressed with Shelly’s in-​depth knowledge of the area. She set up a meeting and got to know our personalities and got to the brass tax of what exactly we were looking for in our CA home. After only a few minutes, and sharing with her my laundy list of must-​haves, she had one location in mind and proceeded to show us many properties. She went the extra mile (even writing a check for the down payment on one place because we forgot our checkbooks that day)! She took us to an open house where she knew the sellers from a prior sale and, just like that, we were signing paperwork while the open house was still in progress. It’s commendable and shows how much people respect Shelly that they are willing to have her clients, me and my boyfriend, sign the lease on a house simply because they know and trust Shelly.
She went above and beyond our expectations! And, after we moved in, she stayed in touch and gave us her list of businesses in the area — doctor, dentist, hair salon, dry cleaner, etc etc etc. She’s top notch and does everything for her clients.
I would recommend Shellly to anyone I know!

Shelly and Mike make a great team. They came highly recommended through another friend. We were so happy working with them. They sold our house in one weekend. Mike and Shelly go the extra mile from start till end of sale and are very happy to answer all your questions and concerns even after the house is sold.

Shelly and Mike together are great team. We used their services to sell the house and we were very happy with the results. :-)

In the terribly sad and unfortunate situation of my Mom passing, Shelly literally took me by the hand and was with me every step of the way. My family home had been with us for over 40 years. It was well kept but terribly dated. Being sensitive to my feelings, Shelly made excellent suggestions to update and rejuvenate the property. Knowing that my funds were limited, she found creative ways to make the house sparkle. She also kept me updated to the process as frequently as needed. Several times I called after hours expecting to leave a message and Shelly answered the phone, always willing to assure me and answer questions.
Pricing and timing were going to be tricky. Shelly offered several suggestions and had a few difficult discussions with me. I went with her suggestion because of her expertise. Shelly also got handymen and workers to expedite the renovation because she was savvy enough to know that we would be the only property available in that area. She coordinated all the workers, making sure everyone was working together and on course.
The end result was astounding. The house looked gorgeous; people were coming by in droves and Shelly held back-​to-​back open houses and even had a reception for the neighbors.
I was hoping for a certain price but the offers were better than what I was even expecting. I was in tears knowing that my Mother would have been so pleased. The entire process took approx. 3 months and during the holidays!!!
Shelly’s market savvy gave me the confidence to make difficult decisions and end up with an amazing close. I will always be grateful to her.

We’ve worked with Shelly a few times now (bought in 2005, and then sold & bought in 2012), and highly recommend her.
Generally speaking: she’s very organized and detail-​oriented, and very attentive to clients’ needs and questions. She is patient, friendly, and has a very strong work ethic for her clients. She was available early in the morning and late at night, whenever we needed her.
Importantly too, she has very good judgment, e.g. — deciding what issues are important to fix vs. not; having a good eye for staging/​décor; and having good negotiating skills. There are very concrete amounts of money we saved because of her judgment/​skill in each of these areas.
She particularly shined when selling our place — a number of unexpected hiccups came up, but she kept things humming. She got last-​minute contractors as needed, and the place really shined when it was listed. We felt like things were in great hands when we left town for the open house weekend, and came back to multiple offers. Furthermore, she shepherded the transaction through a few escrow surprises, and really saw things through.

I needed a realtor when I was getting ready to sell my house. I asked around and got a referral for Shelly Potvin from a coworker, and I can’t believe how lucky I was! When I contacted Shelly, I was surprised how quickly she responded although we had never met. She immediately gave me great advice on the steps that I should take in order to begin the process of getting my house ready for sale, and she walked me through all of the steps, which took four months. (The house sold the very first week; the rest of that time was just me finishing getting the house ready for the market.)
Shelly is not only prompt and responsive, she also has such a friendly demeanor that she immediately puts everyone at their ease. She came up with a great pricing strategy that worked out wonderfully well; she got us even more than we asked for!
It was also very helpful that Shelly was able to find me the right people to do work on my house: handymen, tilers, etc. so that my house looked better than it ever had by the time it went on the market. It was so good to have reputable workmen who Shelly knew personally, and they all gave excellent value. Shelly also brought her stager over, and I’ll tell you that the staging probably sold the house! Really excellent work.
Selling a house is the most stressful thing I’ve ever done, but with Shelly advising me it was as close to being a pleasure as possible. Every single thing she told us at the very beginning of the process came true; her advice is impeccable. She knows the real estate market in the Silicon Valley very well, and my advice to everyone is:
1) Hire Shelly Potvin as your realtor, and
2) Take her advice!
You’ll be happy you did.

Shelly Potvin has represented our family as both buyers and sellers in the Los Altos real estate market. Her intimate knowledge of the Bay Area Peninsula real estate market won us over when we moved here in 2004. Her friendly and genuine demeanor made us feel right at home in our new neighborhood, and we’ve remained good friends to this day. Often the words friendship and professional do not go hand in hand when negotiating major real estate transactions, but Shelly possesses that professional overdrive gear that she can shift into with ease. Nowhere was that more apparent when we decided to list our home with her.
Shelly’s attention to detail and focus on service is unparalleled. In the weeks leading up to the listing of our home, Shelly scheduled and managed a steady flow of contractors, meeting each of them at our door. From window cleaning to flooring, to photography and right through the final staging of our home, Shelly orchestrated it all, insulating us from the nonstop interruption that occurs when preparing your home for sale. Shelly’s sharp eye for detail, great marketing skills and keen knowledge of the local market delivered an outstanding result — a rapid sale at top dollar.
Shelly is the consummate real estate professional. We recommend her without hesitation.

Shelly WAY EXCEEDED my expectations, because
1). She was avail 24/​7, which was very important given my busy work schedule,
2). She listened carefully to what I told her I was looking for in a new home, but then she helped me buy a place which ended up being even better for me,
3). She’s fun and funny and great to work with,
4). She helped me negotiate hard for the place that I bought,
5). She helped me find an outstanding painter to do additional work, and
6). She went way beyond the call of duty to help me choose a design for my daughters’ room, and even helped me pick out the bedding, comforters, and wall decorations. My daughters were thrilled with their new room in their new home. This was priceless for me.
AMAZING!
Thanks so much, Shelly!
Jim

Shelly is one of the true gems of the industry. She was referred to us by a close friend and I am so thankful we found Shelly. She truly knows all facets of the business. No games. No waiting — ever. She’s determined to satisfy her client’s needs no matter what and for that I give her a 5-​star rating.
We were stumbling around, unsure of when we’d finally be able to close on a house. Two years into our search, a friend of ours highly recommended Shelly & after an efficient 3-​months with Shelly we moved into our new home. She showed us homes that met our requirements and was present to hear our concerns during each walk through. Finally when we spotted the house we loved, her persistence ensured our bid was considered and accepted even though the sellers were already considering another offer.
Shelly was available and flexible to meet our requests throughout the entire process — and as first-​time buyers, we had many, many questions. She tirelessly responded to them and on the rare occasion she didn’t have the exact answer, she had the right person to contact in her phone and dialed on the spot. She worked day and night to get the reams of paperwork in order and ensure that there were no missteps.
To top it off, even though we’ve been settled in our home for ~9 months, Shelly continues to be there for us today: we recently had to have our furnace repaired and Shelly intervened on our behalf with the Home Warranty company to ensure that our expectations were exceeded during the process.
Highly recommended!!!

I was looking for a few things when looking for an agent to represent the sale of a humble townhome in Mountain View that meant everything to me. After all, although a house is just a possession, it represents years of toil, savings, effort, sacrifices and luck to obtain.
I was seeking someone who:
1) Was «real», «down to earth», had common sense and could relate to my needs and desires in the sale of my home. I figured without that, I couldn’t trust them and would have to learn all the ins-​and-​outs of paperwork, taxes, values and legal aspects myself.
2) Understood the market. In a time of relative economic turmoil, I wanted someone who knew exactly what was great, fair (or not fair) and could give me honest assessments of should we stay or should we go for certain deals and buyers. Not just in dollars, but in effort, time and outlook.
3) Had the initiative to take the sale and earn their commission. Hey, we all have busy lives, and I wanted someone who could go above and beyond to make the sale happen without making me stop mine. From scheduling stagers, carpet cleaning, open houses, marketing and beyond. This is not my wheelhouse, I wanted someone who could do the whole gamut.
4) Was good at what they do. Have the respect of their peers, had clout in the market and could make things happen with anyone. A true independent professional with the backing of a reputable real estate company.
After interviewing many real estate agents, I thought I would have to settle for 2 or maybe if I was lucky 3 of my requirements. Then I met Shelly, to be honest, it was almost too good to be true, but I took a chance. It was the best decision I’ve made in real-​estate. She exceeded my expectations in every single aspect. We sold a 2 year old home for a gain in the worst economy since the 80’s, I barely lifted a finger, she worked around my schedule, cleaning, staging, doing light repairs, inspections, marketed the home to the nines and sold in under 3 weeks. All without interrupting my daily life.
I got the attention of a multi-​million dollar estate. I never felt like she had any other client besides me. What a great all around experience, with one of the nicest people you’re bound to meet.

Shelly enthusiastically helped my sister and I sell our parents’ 60 year old home in Sunnyvale.
Shelly handled all the details of obtaining inspections, hiring great workers to paint the interior, remove carpet and refinish hardwood floors. replace window glass, and do major yard cleanup and hauling. She also arranged for a 2 day estate sale at the house which was conducted by an estate sale specialist who organized all the furniture and belongings that were to be sold – all we had to do was remove the items we were keeping. She and her husband personally selected and replaced some of the outdated fixtures and hardware in the home. She also arranged for and personally paid for the home to be professionally staged which helped bring in multiple offers following the first open house. The accepted offer was over the asking price.
Shelly followed up on all the completed work, and kept inspections and repairs on track to meet our time line for the sale.
She is a very positive, professional, pleasant agent with a can-​do attitude! She responds quickly to phone calls, e-​mails, and texts. Shelly is completely comfortable with the sale process, and the emotional issues clients encounter. Her reassuring and enthusiastic manner helped smooth over the few bumps we encountered in the process. I was impressed at how well she interacted and communicated with buyers’ agents, neighbors, clients, and coworkers. Shelly made the home sale experience exciting in a good way, and it was always a pleasure working with her. The best decision my sister and I made in our real estate transaction was to choose Shelly to represent us!

Shelly is one of those special and rare finds in an industry of many. She has impeccable integrity, honesty, knowledge, caring and understanding of what it takes to be an invaluable resource when purchasing or selling your home. Real Estate transactions whether selling or buying is very personal and often times very emotional. I have had the best possible experience of working with Shelly on both sides more than once. I recommend her and wish there were more like her in all industries. She is someone you can trust to steer you in the best possible direction. I say give her all the information, be straight forward and go with what she recommends. Then you have a better chance of achieving the set goals for a win-​win partnership. She puts her heart and soul into your success and it is «personal» and it is a business. Shelly is someone you can rely on — she gets it and does both with class, style and care! I have worked with her 3 times and wish I could do more. I am available for references!
–Bryan

I cannot recommend Shelly Potvin highly enough. She convinced us to partially stage our home and to paint with multiple colors — something I would never have considered as I am not brave enough. Shelly and her stager made all the selections for us while we were attending to my ailing mother in San Diego. She also arranged all the inspections necessary.
We came back after a week to find a house we didn’t recognize. It was stunning. Shelly bird-​dogged all the contractors, and we had a house with new paint; new kitchen, laundry room, and master bathroom tile floors; the fixtures in the bathrooms had been modernized and upgraded; the new carpet looks great. She herself took down our old lighting fixtures and selected new fixtures that really made the place shine. She paid for all this, and we just reimbursed her when she gave us the receipts.
The scheduling and running of the two-​day Open House went off like a dream. People also flooded in «on appointment.» Five days after the first Sunday Open House, we had seven offers, all but one of which was above our asking price. The offer we accepted was significantly over the asking price. None of this would have been possible without Shelly. If we had put the house up for sale without Shelly’s savvy I’m not sure the house would have sold anywhere near as quickly.
When it came time to review documents, Shelly was patient with us and explained everything thoroughly. We asked for a funky payout (to two different accounts). Shelly had never heard of that being done, but she researched it, and got it done.
Shelly is spectacular. Her enthusiasm, drive, knowledge and expertise all helped us sell our home. She should be at the top of your list of recommended Realtors.