Testimonials Surf City Estates

We met Shawndy at an open house in August and a month later we were closing Escrow with her on a beautiful beach home in Aptos. We were not specifically looking to find another Realtor® while scouting open homes on a sunny weekend but immediately took a liking to Shawndy. Her patience and frankness in guiding us through the listings was immediately endearing. We had one foot in Silicon Valley and the other foot dangling by the beach , when it all fell together for us. Her energy is not overwhelming. She also spent several hours at the public county house pouring over square footage details for the house we ultimately bought. I doubt any other Realtor® would have taken the trouble to do so. She has been available and accomodative even through tough negotiations and could offer us a perspective from either side. We would wholeheartedly recommend Shawndy to any family with kids or otherwise since she has a truly warm spirit. Best of luck !

Kasey

Not only did Shawndy find our home before it ever hit the market, she lead us the whole way through a very non-convectional buy/sale. We did not live in Santa Cruz at the time we were purchasing our now home, and without a strong agent with her experience, professionalism and guidance we would not be living in our dream home. She is also exceptional at reading people, situations and has a sixth sense when it comes to what her clients want and need throughout the process. She was always 10 steps ahead of potential issues and always very candid of the pros and cons of the home. We have worked with a handful of other agents in different markets and Shawndy was by far the strongest, most direct, sincere and knowledgeable agent we have ever had. We would give her 10 stars if we could.

Adrienne and Rob

There are not enough wonderful things that my husband and I could say about working with Shawndy Linquist! Although it was by chance that we ended up working with her, we could not have chosen a better agent. We started the search for our home with Shawndy almost a year ago, and as prospective first-time homebuyers we had a lot to learn, both about the buying process, as well as about what we really wanted. With her many years of experience in real estate, as well as her long time familiarity of Santa Cruz County, Shawndy educated us throughout the home buying process. She was encouraging for us to look at as many properties as we could (and we looked at quite a few!), and was always readily available to show us any that we were interested in. Being unfamiliar with home ownership, we felt very lucky to have Shawndy's expert eye and opinion on things to look out for while we were looking at homes. Her advise and experience made us feel so much more confident than we would have had otherwise.Once we found *the house*, Shawndy swiftly guided us through negotiating the purchase price, as well as a quick close. Again, Shawndy was readily available to answer all of our (many) questions and help us feel familiar and comfortable with the nuances of the closing process. Not only was this the closing super smooth and on time, but we were also traveling during this time, so Shawndy's excellent communication skills were essential in keeping everything on time and moving forward. On the day we closed when Shawndy met us to give us the keys and welcome us home, we both felt like we were saying good bye to a friend. We plan on having Shawndy as ourRealtor® for life and give her our highest recommendation

Marie

Shawndy is exceptional. My husband and I have worked with several agents in our twenty three years together and Shawndy is one of the very best. She is a local area expert, super patient, always gave us constructive and sound advice, and is also a very sound negotiator. Equally important, Shawndy is backed by a strong team. We feel very fortunate to have worked with Shawndy — we always knew we were in trusted hands. If we were to engage in another real estate sale or purchase in the area, we would use her again in a heartbeat.

Howard & Karen

We are so impressed with the way Shawndy helped us sell our ocean front condo. Her experience with pricing and marketing a unique property were so valuable. Shawndy has vendors, painters, flooring contractors, and more, who professionally got our condo looking it’s best. Shawndy has a great communication style and attention to detail. She kept on top of all the requirements involved in listing during the Covid shutdown, too! We would highly recommend Shawndy and will use her in the future.

Kara

My husband and I worked with Shawndy to find and purchase a second home in Aptos; we recommend her enthusiastically and without hesitation. Shawndy is smart, patient, knowledgeable, and served as a true and trusted partner to us – which wasn’t always easy! Shawndy was always patient, thoughtful, and helpful, offering her opinions when asked, and even going down to the county to pull records for us, but always allowing us to take the lead and never even nudging us beyond our comfort level – even though it would obviously have been in her interest to get the sale, and even more so since here agency was representing the owners.After we found the property we would eventually purchase, Shawndy again exhibited exceptional patience and “customer service.” She met us at the home several times, often on short notice. The transaction became complicated, as we all learned during the course of the negotiation that the owner owed a significant amount on the house and what started as a traditional property sale turned into a short sale negotiation. And then the COVID pandemic broke out, even further complicating things. Fortunately for us, Shawndy had experience from the past with short sales, and she thoughtfully, and patiently, guided us through the process.
I will close by saying that we are thrilled with our home purchase, and can’t imagine having had any other agent who would have been so wonderful and easy to work with through it all. She was our advocate throughout, and someone we were able to count on throughout the process. We never doubted that we were in the best possible hands with Shawndy, and her knowledge, competence, and positive attitude alleviated a lot of the stress of a long and complicated transaction. If you’re looking for an agent, I can recommend Shawndy unconditionally. You can trust her and, equally important, I guarantee you will like her. Shawndy is a gem and you will consider yourself lucky if you are fortunate enough to work with you.

Lauren C.

Shawndy is as good as it gets! I interviewed several agents and was instantly impressed with how communicative, intuitive and patient Shawndy was and decided to work with her. Throughout the house searching and the offer/sale process in a tough market, Shawndy has gone above and beyond to make herself available to see houses on short notice, proactively communicate and make suggestions to give us a competitive edge. She truly goes above and beyond for her clients, all while being a true pleasure to work with and getting things done quickly and efficiently. Working was Shawndy was the best decision we could have made! I would definitely work with her again and recommend her to anyone wanting to buy in the Santa Cruz area.

S. Denise

Shawndy Linquist with Compass far surpassed my hopes and expectations in representing me as a seller of my family home in Santa Cruz. Her knowledge of the market there is very thorough and current, and she stays on top of it all throughout the process, keeping her clients in the loop with email links to comparables as they come up, as well as market analyses. She makes herself easily and quickly available for questions and help, whether it be via text, phone calls or emails and is very easy to communicate with. She is extremely proactive, professional, efficient and friendly with her communication throughout the entire process, as well as any necessary follow ups afterwards. Her experience shows with her exceptional negotiation skills and her ability to ask the right questions, listen and hear. Shawndy Linquist is an absolute delight to work with, a lovely person, a true ally, and I trust her through what can be extremely process! I couldn't recommend her more highly! I'd give her 10 stars if I could!!

Juliana L.

Shawndy is the best! She has so much knowledge and is incredibly personable and easy to work with. I had the most painless experience selling my home. She was communicative and went above and beyond in every way.

Mike S.

Shawndy was very responsive to all of my needs and questions when they needed her attention. Her professionalism and ability to get answers and communicate effectively were very much appreciated. I would definitely refer anyone to her for real estate and I look forward to working with her again.