WHO IS TEAM
STEELE?

“This review is LONG overdue, but we're finally makin' it happen. 2020 has been a wild ride, but the silver lining has definitely been our house that Melissa and John helped lock-in for us. We've been in our place for almost a year, and we still feel lucky to have worked with them.

We met them by complete chance at an open house my boyfriend's dad insisted we go to and liked them instantly with their super chill demeanor. We had been casually looking at other homes with another realtor, but, unfortunately, she was not the most responsive. After meeting them, John regularly followed up to see how things were going (in the least pushy way possible). When a couple of homes came up in our search, we decided to reach out to them instead of our regular realtor.

John met with us at a coffee shop near the first (and only) house we ended up looking at. He walked through the market, our expectations, and answered any questions. It didn't feel like someone was schmoozing us the whole time; instead, we felt he was candid and realistic with the process and expectations. We looked at the house on the first day it was on the market and instantly fell in love with it.

They wrote up an offer that made us stand apart from the rest of the offers. They coached us through a letter to submit to the homeowners. They researched to understand what kind of offer the homeowner was looking for. They made sure ours was strong and checked all the boxes.

Once our offer was accepted, everything really ramped up. John and Melissa were there the whole way providing great recommendations for people to hire for inspections and answering my boyfriend's relentless assault of questions around the process. Not once did John (who was our main point of contact) ever seen impatient or dismissive and was always extremely responsive.

As we sit here almost a year later and most of the way through our updates to the interior of our home, we're still so happy we met them by complete chance. We would, without a doubt, refer them to anyone else who might be looking.

TLDR; In general, they're just really lovely people and the kind you want to stay friends with to have over for beers. They'll be responsive, listen to you, and act in your best interest. We cannot recommend them enough!”

“I've known John and Melissa personally for years, and always been so impressed with their proactive hustle, strong work ethic, and willingness to find creative solutions to unexpected problems - so when my time finally came to be a 1st-time home seller, they were naturally my go-to choice for a realtor.

Right from the start, it was clear that they've worked hard to build as friction-free an experience for selling your home as possible, which was amazing to me, given 1) the naturally complicated process of selling a property in the first place, and 2) that we're in the middle of a **frickin' pandemic**, which is throwing whole industries into turmoil.

John and Melissa had rock-solid, clear answers for me about how things should work at every turn, and while other brokers I know have literally shuttered their businesses, and given up due to restrictions on in-person property showings, these two are absolutely thriving, having long ago adopted modern tools like DocuSign, YouTube walkthroughs, Zoom video meetings, and totally badass virtual reality tours with Matterport, to keep everyone safe, while still moving the paperwork ball forward. These guys love a challenge, and look for opportunities to use technology at every turn!

As for my results? Well, I was selling my condo in a high-demand area with record-low inventory at the height of the market cycle, so things definitely moved quick - but John and Melissa blew me away with just *how* quick they were able to move things forward. From our very first conversation about selling, through to closing, they helped me set a price, stage and show my property, negotiate multiple offers, and shepherd the whole deal through to closing within 5 weeks. On top of that, I accepted an offer that was **$20k over my asking price!** I don't think I could've gotten incredible results like that without John and Melissa's in-depth knowledge and experience, and incredible anticipatory service through modern digital channels. To reiterate: this was all achieved during a pandemic, with all the associated disruption and bureaucratic slowdowns surrounding everything.

Even while moving out the last of my stuff, I had my neighbors asking me who my broker was, because they'd checked out my listing online, and been blown away with how appealing my property looked, and how well presented and promoted it was. So naturally I recommended them, and now Steele San Diego Homes has another new client who's about to have the same kind of experience I just had.

So, you wanna sell your place? Talk to John & Melissa, simple as that.”

“I honestly can't say enough wonderful things about Melissa and John. Seriously. I have been SO IMPRESSED, and have been raving about them to all of my friends. I can't believe how they made me feel like their only client (I mean, who are all these other people leaving reviews?? I thought I was their only priority! Ha!), and just how strategic and thoughtful they were throughout the whole process. I ended up selling a home (had multiple offers, all over asking - I was so pleased with the result) and then buying one (unusual situation, but we actually managed to negotiate the price DOWN, in this market, can you believe it?!) all in the span of about 3 months. There were moments when Melissa very much had to metaphorically hold my hand. I give her all the credit in the world.

I can't get over how great at negotiating and setting expectations this pair are. They love what they do, and they are so very, very, very good at it.

I also think that Melissa and John are pretty cool people, outside of the real estate world. They have always been so solid, kind, and smart. The kind of people you not only want as your agents, but as friends.

If you are looking for an agent, do yourself a favor and hire Team Steele. I have zero doubts that you will be incredibly happy you did.”

“As a result of attending several open houses, my husband and I met a lot of realtors who were willing to help us find a home to purchase. We agreed that we would never want to be represented by any of them and wondered if we would ever find a realtor that we could work with. That all changed when we went to one of John and Melissa's open houses. We developed an instant rapport with them and knew that we wanted them to help us with our search for a new home.

John and Melissa clearly love helping people find the right property. They worked so hard on our behalf and it's definitely a bonus to have two realtors for the price of one! They took the time to understand us and our criteria and only sent us properties that fit what we were looking for. The moment a new property hit the market that met our criteria, we would get a summary from John and Melissa. They communicated really well with us throughout the process.

Their communication and negotiating skills were critical to closing our home purchase. We bought a home in a sellers' market, which made it extremely competitive to get an offer accepted. John and Melissa's advice helped us determine the right offer to make. They even wrote a letter about my husband and me to introduce us to sellers to personalize our offer. Once we had an offer in progress, John and Melissa kept in close contact with the seller's realtor throughout the process. They also continually kept my husband and I in the loop, which alleviated our stress as we waited.

This was true of the escrow process as well, working closely with the lender and making sure we knew what was going on.

We do not hesitate to recommend John and Melissa to anyone looking to purchase a property today. We are so grateful to have found them. We can honestly say that we wouldn't have our home today without them!”

“Once you interview a few agents, you will find that there is really no need to look any further than John and Melissa Steele. I wasn't even planning on selling or buying a house when I met them, and a few months later, we are living in our dream home! I find it hard to believe that you could find a better team. From the moment I met them, I sensed that I was working with people of integrity who were looking out for my best interests. Their sincerity, authenticity and honesty are readily apparent, and to complement their characters, they also have the skills and knowledge. They are proficient at handling every aspect of the transaction, from marketing your home to negotiating and closing the deal.

I was constantly amazed by their dependability, efficiency, communication skills, patience and attention to detail: these two put in hard work and it got results! Lastly, they both have great interpersonal skills and are just fun people to be around! This is a team that has a passion for real estate and goes above and beyond. Thank you, John and Melissa, for handling our transactions so well! You are both very special to me and my family, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for both of you!”

“As first-time home sellers, we had no idea where to begin. We found John & Melissa's home seller's checklist online, and John quickly reached out to see if we had any questions or anything he could help us with. True to their home seller's checklist, we interviewed a number of different real estate agents, and nobody compared with John & Melissa. They were so knowledgeable and communicative about the process, answering our questions, helping us understand the various pricing strategies, and making suggestions about what we should and/or should not do to our house to help it sell for top dollar in the hot San Diego market.

When it came time for listing, Team Steele coordinated the photography and 3D tour and made sure our house was looking as good as possible. They managed to coordinate MORE THAN TWENTY house showings in the first weekend on the market, which was beyond our wildest dreams, and when it came time for offer review, we had 4 really strong offers, significantly over our asking price. John & Mel helped us navigate the offers, sharing the pros & cons of each one, and ultimately helping us accept an offer $70K over list price, which was AMAZING! During escrow, Team Steele helped coordinate our termite inspection with an awesome company and kept us in the loop every step of the way, including their communications with the appraiser, which was a real concern given the offer v list price.

Ultimately, we closed on our house in 3 weeks for the full sale amount, and we could not have been happier with our experience with Team Steele. If you are looking for real estate agents who go above and beyond to help you and keep you informed and empowered every step of the way, then look no further than John & Melissa Steele! Thank you to John & Mel for all of your help!! I cannot recommend them enough!”

“"Consummately professional" doesn't come close to describing the phenomenal realtor experience we had with Melissa and John. We reached out to Melissa via a referral for selling our rental home in San Diego. Our task was complicated by the fact that we live in the Bay Area, couldn't travel due to Covid19, and were contemplating a 1031 exchange after this sale.

Melissa and John made the entire experience smooth and totally hassle-free. She coordinated everything with our local property management company. She used 3D videography and professional staging to appropriately convey all the beautiful aspects of our home and managed all the on-the-ground tasks related to the sale, ranging from inspection, minor repairs and final walk-through. We were simply delighted and thoroughly astounded that the entire sale was conducted with us never having to leave our couch.

Two solid thumbs-up (or five stars) to Melissa and John !!! We would work with them again any day. :-)”

“STOP, and look no further for a realtor!!!!! If you're looking for a trustworthy, caring, and passionate realtor... well, you're in luck because there are at least TWO here with this team.

Team Steele has been an absolute blast to work with. Melissa and John have helped me purchase my first condo as a first-time homeowner. I went into buying a house with almost zero knowledge of what to expect, and these two took the time to meet with me in person and handed out a binder curated to everything that being a first-time homeowner entails. Not only did I have a handy dandy binder, they were ALWAYS available and had great communication. Very TRANSPARENT, PROMPT, and ORGANIZED. You can tell from the get-go that money is not their primary goal when you decide to work with them. They very much understand the stress that comes with buying a home and will make the process as easy as possible for you.

Not only did they help my purchase my condo, they helped me sell it (a little over 2 years after buying it) at the peak of the market and helped me get a sweet return. They honestly gave it their 110% and then some.

Now that I've moved out of San Diego, Melissa said she would help me find a realtor with the same work ethic somewhere in my state and she continues to keep her word. This team is seriously on top of it with only the best encounters.

I just wish all realtors were like them! No joke. I rarely ever leave reviews so let this be a testament to how awesome this team is! So send that first message and you won't get disappointed!”

“So...you're like me and you're doing your due diligence; screening real estate agents and tirelessly reading reviews. Look no further...John and Melissa Steele are the ones!!!! I first met Mel at an open house. I immediately thought...this person seems very likable and positive. After signing up for their mailing list, I got to know more about John and Melissa. Fast forward a year later, I decided to put my home on the market and gave them a call. John and Melissa took my wife and I to dinner. We had a wonderful time, talked marketing strategy, and laughed together like we had known them our whole lives. My condo listing was a very complex transaction. I had been using it as a vacation rental, and there were SO MANY moving parts to this sale. Mel and John stepped up to the plate with over-the-top, positive, can-do attitudes, and quickly closed the deal for OVER ASKING price! They're knowledge of both real estate and vacation rentals really impressed me. They are true professionals and at the same time, you can be your silly self with them. We will be working with these two again!!!”

“Melissa and John have been wonderful! We absolutely recommend working with them for a lot of reasons. First of all they're fabulous listeners and communicators. As first time home buyers with some special needs (my husband is in a wheelchair) and a limited budget we were not so sure if and how fast we would find the right place in San Diego. Their positive attitude made us feel optimistic and within two weeks we found the perfect place! They knew what move to make in hot market times but they never pushed us into anything. Melissa and John made the house search and the whole process way more fun than I ever expected. We learned so much! We have only good things to say about them and their work and hope they'll still be around when we move again someday. Meet them for a coffee if you consider buying in San Diego and convince yourself!”

“Melissa and John really couldn't have been better. Not only were they actually fun to work with, but they were very attentive and always on the ball. They even called us daily from their _honeymoon_ to update us, even when nothing had happened that day! We liked them instantly, and they really went above and beyond what we expected--they were on the ball with all the paperwork, they gave great advice (they saved us from a potential terrible purchase because of their advice), and they honestly made us feel like we were their only clients. They were always available and constantly keeping in touch to update us. With them, you really get two-for-one, and they complement each other well. I am so glad we found them through Redfin and we would recommend them to anyone looking for a place in San Diego!”

“John and Melissa are simply the BEST! They stayed in constant communication without being the slightest bit overbearing. They addressed every question and concern and could anticipate what I was going to ask. They were able to refer me to other excellent professionals for lending and home repairs as well.

Not only are they outstanding at what they do-they're incredible people. They made a daunting process much easier and even helped to make it fun.

If you are buying or selling a house, do not hesitate at all before contacting John and Melissa. You will be so impressed by their level of service!”

“John and Melissa have supported us in every way through our journey to becoming homeowners. We first started looking in San Diego in 2020 and ultimately pressed pause due to a truly crazy market and uncertainty on our end. Fast forward to 2021 and we were looking for a vacation home in Michigan to be closer to family. They partnered with a local agent on the ground in Michigan who was amazing. We also pressed pause on that due to a number of factors and didn't resume our home search until 2022 when we ultimately ended up finding our dream home and moving in the fall of 2022. John and Melissa remained patient for that nearly 3-year journey and supported us through all of our big life decisions. They've gone the extra mile at every turn, helped check in with us at every stage of the process, and made sure we were extremely well taken care of. We can't recommend them enough and are extremely thankful to have had them in our corner. Thank you!”

“My husband and I worked with John and Melissa Steele to purchase a house in the San Diego area. We owned property before and were looking to relocate. We worked with several agents in different states to find the right place for us to call home. John and Melissa Steele are some of the best real estate agents we have ever worked with throughout our history of owning property. We originally reached out to them because of their volume of good reviews, but while we worked with them through a successful transaction, we felt like we were their only client. They consistently went above and beyond their scope to provide us with excellent service and useful information. We liked the San Diego area but were not sure we'd be able to find the type of property we wanted. Melissa and John took the time to learn what we were looking for, and instead of signing us up for automatic email updates based on basic search parameters, they personally sought out listings they thought were a good match for us. They were able to communicate why these properties stood out as a good match and help us learn about the different neighborhoods in the greater San Diego area. Ultimately, Melissa found the perfect home for us in Oceanside. Due to the highly competitive market, we didn't get our hopes up that our first offer would be accepted. Our offer was ultimately accepted, despite a close bidding war situation. In the end, Melissa and John had taken the time to get to know us, then used that knowledge to communicate why we'd be the best fit for the property to convince the sellers to pick us as the new owners. We're so grateful for their guidance! They have continued to provide us with amazing service, even after the transaction has been completed. Beyond that, they are lovely human beings to spend time with. I recommend Team Steele without hesitation.”