TESTIMONIALS

We met Maureen by chance in 2008 at an open house in Montecito while contemplating a move from LA to the Santa Barbara area. We knew nothing about the market, but a year later, when the right house came along, she handled a very challenging process that resulting in us owning our dream home in Montecito. At the time, we felt that we would not have succeeded without Maureen's knowledge, skill and determination. We have met many real estate agents in our 11 years in Santa Barbara and now know both the market and the marketers. So, when we decided it was time to down-size in the Summer of 2020, there was no hesitation in choosing Maureen to represent us again. The skills were always there and have only been honed in the intervening 12 years. But what we have come to appreciate even more is a level of integrity, commitment and caring that is unsurpassed in the Santa Barbara real estate community.

Maureen goes above and beyond. Maureen McDermut helped my father in every aspect of selling our family home and making his transition to a retirement home as smooth as possible. In addition to her expertise in the Santa Barbara real estate market, Maureen was communicative, compassionate, and caring to my Dad and our family throughout preparing for and completing the sale. She even helped Dad clear his house and assisted with tasks required for closing. Maureen went above and beyond, and her personalized service was a great relief to me, living on the East Coast, and to our other family members who are out of town and could not be there day by day. I wholeheartedly recommend Maureen to anyone thinking of buying or selling a home in the Santa Barbara area.

We are extremely satisfied with Maureen. We just recently completed the purchase of an amazing home in Montecito, CA. Maureen was instrumental in the process of winning the bidding for this popular home. She was very thorough in her analysis of the property and extremely persistent with the sellers agent and the trustee who was overseeing the sale. We are extremely satisfied with Maureen and would recommend her highly to other buyers looking for the right home and the right price!

I would recommend her to anyone and everyone i know. Maureen McDermut is definitely the best Real Estate Agent that I have ever dealt with. She represented us for the sale of one property and the purchase of another. She led us through ups and downs, ins and outs and always managed to keep us focused on our ultimate goal which we achieved happily. She is knowledgeable, sincere, attentive, and one of the nicest people I have met. She is our forever Realtor. I have found she knows a lot of areas and what she doesn't know she is willing to find out about. Having dealt with a lot of Realtors, both through my job and through personal experience, I appreciate her honesty and integrity above all things. I would recommend her to anyone and everyone I know.

A most dedicated agent. Maureen is hardworking, efficient and a very dedicated agent. We were looking for a very specific location and estate type in Montecito for a long time and Maureen has been wonderful in finding off-market listings. With tact and discretion, Maureen found us exactly what we were looking for. She has always been very responsive to our calls and emails, which we also greatly appreciated. Maureen fully deserves the trust we gave her.

Maureen is an excellent agent who comes with wisdom from years of experience. She represented us as the selling agent on a property we sold during the COVID-19 shut down. It was emotional and difficult for us, but Maureen provided us with the confidence and the results that lead to a successful sale of the property. If you want an agent who will keep you calm, does her research and provides results hire Maureen McDermut.

Maureen is on top of all potential buyers, brought the top 2 into offers and produced best price for house. She is cheerful, friendly and a delight to work with. Her expertise in the Santa Barbara area is extraordinary. Couldn't recommend her more highly.

Maureen taught us. We learned a lot from Maureen when we sold one house and bought another in Montecito. She taught us that selling is about preparation, presentation, right-pricing for the real world, good marketing and closing with the right buyer. Buying is about careful comps, the right property, good cultivated relationships with the sellers' agents, and smart offers and counters. Maureen listened to what we wanted, suggested what we needed, and led us through the campaigns. Optimistic but no Pollyanna, tough in the trenches, organized, hard-working, and helpful in all sorts of unexpected ways, Maureen was an ally in the challenge and became a friend to our family.

I worked with Maureen on 3 different Montecito properties, all of which required us to write an offer within 48 hours of seeing the property; we got all 3 deals done, 1 deal went to contract in February, 1 deal closed in June and the last one, an estate sale with multiple bidders, was completed in July. Each of these transaction was flawless, as in, exactly as planned, on time, with no last minute surprises. If you want a no drama, understated, elegant, efficient and an exceedingly experienced agent, call Maureen.

We can’t say enough good things about working with Maureen McDermut. The most important thing is that she really listened to us and understood just what we were looking for in a new home. She has an unparalleled knowledge of Santa Barbara and Montecito’s neighborhoods including the pros and cons of each, so is an excellent guide for those new to the area like us. She was warm, cheerful and flexible which is a real plus in this challenging market where you spend a LOT of time with your realtor. In a frenzied market, VERY difficult for buyers, she was able to turn it into a pleasant experience. She is enormously resourceful, and was absolutely relentless in her efforts to find the right house for us. Thanks to a solicitation letter she sent to targeted neighborhoods, we bought the PERFECT house off market at a very fair price. Her great reputation for trustworthiness and thoughtful handling of the sellers, made it possible for us to come to a quick and stress-free agreement. We feel lucky to have had the chance to work with Maureen and encourage others to do so as well.

I found Maureen McDermut online and decided to engage Maureen and her team to sell an home that was in an estate. After listing the home Maureen was able to put us in touch with a local contactor who did fantastic job preparing the home for sale. Maureen marketed the home very well while the work was being done so when the home came on the market there was significant interest and eventually 23 offers for more that the asking price. Maureen and her team were always responsive to all my contacts with her office. I am very satisfied with the service that was given during the sale. I would certainly recommend Maureen to anyone who is looking for a quality realtor to sell their property.

Maureen listed and sold our home for us on Bella Vista. Did a fantastic job for us. Was always easy to reach and very helpful. She had a beautiful video made of the property and had very good contacts for her advertising. She also found our next home for us on Cima Linda Lane. She is currently the property manager of that property for us. Maureen is a pleasure to work with, very knowledgeable and she produces wonderful results.

Maureen is the definition of a professional. Honest, responsive, and intelligent, Maureen handled the sale of property that had been in our family for 54 years. I could not have asked for a better experience in selling a treasured property and I would not hesitate to work with Maureen again. If you are looking to buy, sell or lease property in Santa Barbara, I don't know why you'd go to anyone else.

"“We cannot give a high enough recommendation for Maureen” Maureen was fantastic! My husband renovated his parents retirement home. Not much had been done since it was build in the early 70s. He did high end upgrades, and asked a higher sell price than was normal for the area. Everyone said we would never get the money that we wanted. Maureen, within less than a month had 5 open houses. She brought a professional photographer to take pictures and had a video made. She put us on the internet. By the end of the month, not only had she sold our house, but for MORE than the asking price. We cannot give a high enough recommendation for Maureen."

"I can't say enough about Maureen McDermut. Maureen is an excellent, seasoned and responsive real estate agent. Maureen is highly personable with an engaging warm personality - she truly cares for her clients and wants only the best for them. We never felt neglected or unimportant. Maureen did not waste our time with homes that were out of our price range or not in line with our needs. She knows greater Santa Barbara like the back of her hand. Nothing happens in SB real estate without Maureen knowing about it! Maureen is hands down the best in the business in our opinion and if we ever need to move again she will be our first choice in real estate agents."

I can't say enough about Maureen McDermut. Maureen is an excellent, seasoned and responsive real estate agent. Maureen is highly personable with an engaging warm personality - she truly cares for her clients and wants only the best for them. We never felt neglected or unimportant. Maureen did not waste our time with homes that were out of our price range or not in line with our needs. She knows greater Santa Barbara like the back of her hand. Nothing happens in SB real estate without Maureen knowing about it! Maureen is hands down the best in the business in our opinion and if we ever need to move again she will be our first choice in real estate agents.

Straightforward Montecito real estate. We were interested in the area around Montecito, CA and were exploring the possibilities with a couple of agents who, although nice, were ineffective. We happened upon Maureen McDermut at an open house she was holding and found her to be remarkably straightforward, sincere and extremely diligent. We discussed with Maureen our wants, needs, and limitations which rapidly led to a series of showings that were all appropriate for us, in that they were in our price range, of the correct square footage, in our desired neighborhood and school district. The negotiations were handled smoothly and professionally with a rapid positive outcome. Maureen is the ultimate professional she managed to make the process of buying a home stress free and actually enjoyable. We highly recommend Maureen to anyone buying or selling their home.

We were looking for a realtor to sell our house and were introduced to Maureen McDermut by a referral from a friend and couldn't be happier with our choice. At our first meeting Maureen most graciously entered our home and inquired what our goals and expectations were. She gave us suggestions as to what we could do to increase our home's value and what inspections and repairs to have done before listing our property. It was really good to have a fresh pair of eyes looking at our place and it was just what was needed. Maureen and her assistant Nichole were very attentive to our concerns and our progress. Maureen stragistally timed and marketed our place and as a result the activity was over the top. All the preparation and inspections that were done ahead of time really paid off for a seamless escrow. Without a doubt we picked the right agent and firm to represent us. Our goal is complete, and couldn't be happier! Sincerely, Gary Trevor

We absolutely enjoyed working together with Maureen. She was a fabulous agent - efficient, straight to the point, told us what we needed to do, hard-working and focused. Maureen delivered her job and results with ease. She demonstrated tremendous efficiency and didn’t waste any of our time with nonsense. She just got things done! That’s exactly what a busy person needs! We are extremely grateful for her focus and success in getting us what we asked for in terms of price, as well as great service and communication! With complete certainty we recommend collaborating with her!

We were selling an high end home, and had to deal with several "difficult" potential buyers. Maureen was wonderful in dealing with these people, keeping the focus on moving ahead with the right buyer, and closing the transaction. Very professional in all regards.

Maureen is not just a real estate agent, she's a professional with phenomenal expertise. She never stops and makes herself available 24/7. She's also got a way of making her clients feel like they're the only people she's working for. If she's juggling other properties, you'd never know it. She'll fight to find the perfect home and acts only in her buyer or seller's best interest. She's not just there to get the sale, she's there, on your team, to help you find a place that truly feels like home. Loved working with Maureen to buy our new house!

Maureen McDermut was our broker in the sale of our home in Carpinteria,CA fall of 2021. We interviewed brokers and quickly decided on Maureen. She came prepared with comparables demonstrating expert knowledge of the current market in our area as well as a strong marketing plan. Most importantly, she listened to our ideas and worked with us to arrive at an initial asking price. She and her team quickly began to stage and market our home. We had multiple offers way above our asking price the day of the brokers’ open house. While there were a few “bumps” arriving at our final negotiations, she consistently maintained a positive, yet honest, assessment of the situation. She and her team were always available to answer our questions. We can’t say enough about this woman..honest, hard-working, professional, knowledgeable and charming to boot!

A seller's dream. As a seller in a distressed market and probably the worst time of year for real estate I decided to put my house on the market. After interviewing many of the top real estate agents in Montecito and getting a lot of negativity I choose Maureen for her enthusiasm, her positive attitude, and her energy. Within a matter of weeks, in the worst market in real estate, Maureen brought me a qualified buyer and made selling my property as easy as she could for me. I can't recommend Maureen enough. She truly is a seller's dream.

Our family had an excellent experience working with Maureen on a very complex situation. I was representing my 97 year old Dad in the sale of his home after the death of his wife during the COVID pandemic. Maureen was expert in listening to issues arising from conficts with the step-family and keeping the process moving forward. I was coordinating the upgrade and repair project from the Bay Area. Maureen set up a busy day of meetings with local vendors and I hired DJ Wetmore to do the landscaping and the painting. He became our project manager, and with Maureen, her staff, and the stagers, we finished the project in record time. Maureen held a weekend of showings and we received 4 good offers. After a 14 day escrow, we closed with a price well over asking. I highly recommend Maureen.

"Maureen did a terrific job representing us on the sale of our Riviera home. She is personable, upbeat and positive and understood our desire for a quick, but profitable sale timed to accommodate the purchase of a new home elsewhere. Maureen demonstrated her market saavy in pricing and prepping our home and deftly communicating with prospective buyers, their agents and with us while fielding multiple offers. She is well connected and well respected among her real estate peers and it's easy to understand why she is among the top agents in the market. We have purchased and sold 7 homes around the country in our lifetime and wish Maureen could have represented us on all of them...she's the best of the best! " - Kent & Julie

Maureen is one of the best realtors I have worked with. I saw one of her listings on Zillow and reached out to her. Despite being on vacation she scheduled a showing within 30 minutes and then the day she got back spent the entire day showing me properties that fit me needs. Her knowledge of Santa Barbara and in particular Montecito is very impressive. My property had a few challenges with multiple offers etc, Maureen did an amazing job keeping me informed and negotiating for me and eventually secured my new property. I will continue working with Maureen on all of my real estate transactions in Santa Barbara she is very professional and has become a great friend. I will refer her to anyone in the market to buy or sell.

Maureen helped me and my three siblings sell my mother's estate after she died. I was up in the Bay Area; Maureen in Santa Barbara; she navigated that distance perfectly. She was a pleasure to work with, and more. She priced the house perfectly, she chose the stagers well and then managed every detail of their work including adding pieces of her own. We got two offers the first weekend she showed the house, and, when an inspection revealed foundation issues just at the end of escrow in our first contract negotiations, she had managed to get us a back up offer already, and we were still able to close only 6 weeks after listing house. I always looked forward to talking to her. She is empathetic, organized, creative, and aggressive when you need her to be. Recommend 120%.

Maureen helped me and my three siblings sell my mother's estate after she died. I was up in the Bay Area; Maureen in Santa Barbara; she navigated that distance perfectly. She was a pleasure to work with, and more. She priced the house perfectly, she chose the stagers well and then managed every detail of their work including adding pieces of her own. We got two offers the first weekend she showed the house, and, when an inspection revealed foundation issues just at the end of escrow in our first contract negotiations, she had managed to get us a back up offer already, and we were still able to close only 6 weeks after listing house. I always looked forward to talking to her. She is empathetic, organized, creative, and aggressive when you need her to be. Recommend 120%

We met Maureen at an open house she was hosting and she was very helpful. She took us all over Montecito to look at properties. No pressure, nothing expected. I felt that Maureen was genuinely intent on our finding the right house and not overpaying and not simply hunting for a commission. Since we bought she has continued to be helpful. Took care of all the details and made great recommendations. A very happy experience.

We trust Maureen. Without the patient guidance of Maureen McDermut, we would not now own the home of our dreams. Not only has Maureen demonstrated tremendous skill during one of the most difficult real estate markets in history, but she has also shown extreme patience in finding us not only a house, but our ideal situation. She listened to us and paid attention, providing sound advice along the way. After nearly two years of looking for the right opportunity, it would have slipped away save for Maureen's keen sense of the decisive action necessary to close the transaction. As a professional investor, the "art of the deal" is something that I am intimately familiar with. When it comes to finding, assessing and making the right "deal" in Santa Barbara real estate, there is no one we would trust above Maureen McDermut.

If you have to sell a house, this is the way to do it. Maureen ushered us through a surprisingly quick and painless (and highly successful!) transaction, with professionalism, ingenuity and charm. Just do whatever she says, you'll be fine.

My wife and I decided to list our Montecito home for the third time. The first two attempts were not successful. We talked to a handful of people in the Santa Barbara area about effective real estate agents. We heard the name Maureen McDermut from people we knew, trusted, and had at least one experience with her. Shortly after our first meeting with Ms. McDermut we decided to hire her as our listing agent. She went to work immediately developing some brilliant advertising pieces, both electronic and print. Then she not only diplomatically walked us through the staging process and improvements, but she also had an architect design an alternative floor plan for an area of the house that was problematic for many lookers. Her hard work and quest to find solutions for all of our challenges paid off and we finally landed an offer. That is when she really went to work. Maureen worked tirelessly to address all of the issues to a very complicated negotiation and final contract language. She went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure the deal closed, and it did. We were very pleased with the hard and smart work that Maureen McDermut delivered leading to the sale of our home. We would highly recommend Maureen to anyone looking to represent them as a seller or buyer of a home.

Cindy and I engaged Maureen to sell our house in Montecito this fall and she did a fabulous job marketing the property (sparing no expense). She was able to produce a qualified buyer almost immediately. While we continued to get action from other buyers, Maureen deftly managed the buyer as they went through their due diligence knowing in the background there was genuine interest in the house. Maureen has a great feel for what is "market" pricing and was right on target predicting our pricing outcome.

Cindy and I engaged Maureen to sell our house in Montecito this fall and she did a fabulous job marketing the property (sparing no expense). She was able to produce a qualified buyer almost immediately. While we continued to get action from other buyers, Maureen deftly managed the buyer as they went through their due diligence knowing in the background there was genuine interest in the house. Maureen has a great feel for what is "market" pricing and was right on target predicting our pricing outcome.

We had a fantastic experience working with Maureen. She worked with us on both a purchase and sale simultaneously, navigating two complex transactions seamlessly and getting us a great result across both. She proved to be a great listener in making sure we achieved our needs, and a savvy negotiator in getting us the best possible value for our home. Her depth of experience was very valuable through our process, and she has a great sense of humor to boot! We would wholeheartedly recommend anyone in the Santa Barbara area to consider working with Maureen.

Maureen was there for us every step of the way in making the smoothest transition to our dream home. Maureen is extremely knowledgeable about the area and value. She has a really exceptional network in Santa Barbara and was able to help us solve for items outside of a typical realtor's scope. She was prompt, personable, and thoughtful throughout the process-highly recommend!

This is the second Santa Barbara house that Maureen has sold for us. The success and ease of the first sale left us with no doubt that we would use her for selling our current home. At our first meeting it was clear that she had already researched the ‘comps’ for our area, understood the current market and was ready to work with us to price the house appropriately. Within a few days of that introductory meeting, Maureen had scheduled a staging crew and professional photographer to get the publicity ball rolling. The house was presented at its best for on-line showings (on its own website) as well as in the local newspapers. Information about the home was also widely shared with agents at all of the local real estate firms. As a result, there were numerous in-house showings where Maureen listened to the potential buyers’ needs and then emphasized the home’s attributes to meet them. It should be noted that Maureen did a wonderful job scheduling the showings back-to-back to minimize the disruption to our schedules. When a contract was received, Maureen’s negotiation skills were evident, insuring that the sale price and conditions were what we wanted and there were no issues getting to a 14 day close.

Maureen McDermut was highly responsive to my real estate needs, without being pushy. This enabled me to obtain a comprehensive overview of real estate options within Santa Barbara in my price range. I would unhesitatingly recommend Maureen for her real estate expertise.

Tenacity and connections in real estate. Maureen McDermut was absolutely instrumental in helping us purchase our first home in Santa Barbara. With her patience and expertise, she guided us skillfully through our house-hunting process which ended up being a three year long journey! And, ultimately, 100% of the credit goes to Maureen for finding the right home for us, which we are very happy with. Because of her tenacity and connections in the real estate community, Maureen found an off-market property which we were able to purchase. She went above and beyond her call of duty as our realtor, to make our house purchase dream come true. We would not hesitate to recommend Maureen to all of our associates and friends.

Maureen provides the highest quality professional service. She is responsive, conscientious, knowledgeable, an excellent negotiator and her marketing was outstanding. Maureen 's personal attention combined with Sotheby's brand and international coverage are the best . We highly recommend Maureen to anyone seeking the best real estate representation.