March 7, 2023

We had the pleasure of partnering with Yvette during the sale of our home in Incline Village.  Yvette was introduced to us by a neighbor who spoke highly of her.  It only took our first conversation to realize the neighbor was right!  Yvette was constructive during each step of her fine-tuned playbook.  For us, the introduction couldn’t have come at a more important time.  We were relisting our home during increasingly uncertain economic times.  We weren’t in any rush, but knew we wanted someone experienced and attentive.

During the relisting process, Yvette showed an exceptional level of knowledge and care.  She gave us the confidence needed to achieve the original goals we had in mind.  Yvette’s commitment to delivering the best possible outcome was remarkable.  One of the things that impressed us most was Yvette’s guided tour of comparable homes for sale in our area.  This was a level of detail from a realtor we hadn’t seen in many years.  It helped us understand what other immediate sellers were offering in our area and that our target range was realistic – only requiring a bit of patience for the right buyer.

Yvette attended every showing and was deeply communicative with both us and potential buyers. Having an agent like Yvette on our side was hugely important, and we can’t thank her enough for the dedication put into our home.  We ultimately achieved the price range we had in mind, and we couldn’t have done it otherwise.  We recommend Yvette to anyone looking for a truly savvy and knowledgeable realtor.

 

Clay W. & Lindsey K.

Feb. 7, 2022

Yvette is a true Master of her Craft! We wanted to work with someone who was hyper-local when selling our West Shore, Lake Tahoe home. Yvette gave us sound advice that made obvious gains in the final price of our home. Yvette was at every showing, energetically meeting potential buyers and helping to convey the true beauty of our home, inside and out. Yvette loves Tahoe and the surrounding area as much as any enthusiast! I would recommend her 100 times over as a representative for a seller, or a buyer. Thank you Yvette!

Carrie and Jeffery Terwilliger

November 15, 2022

To whom it may concern:

Yvette Shipman is an extremely thoughtful and knowledgeable professional realtor who was able to quickly understand and identify the type of house that we were looking for in the Lake Tahoe area.

My wife and I had been checking out open houses in the Tahoe City, Homewood, and Tahoma areas when at one of them, we met Yvette.  She was incredibly personable, and we were extremely impressed with her market knowledge. She was well versed on seemingly all the area neighborhood’s characteristics and relative price points as well as the current direction of the market.  She was energetic, flexible with her time, and eager to show us anything of interest while suggesting others that we may not have initially considered.  It was one of those not initially considered that we now call our home away from home. Within one week of meeting Yvette, she had found us the perfect vacation home.

She then worked diligently to negotiate the purchase price on our behalf, reconfirm all furnishings which would relay, arrange for required inspections, and provide support when needed while we went through the mortgage and title processes. As our main residence is out of state, we saw this process through remotely.  Here, Yvette’s efforts and involvement were invaluable when attempting to meet a very tight deadline for closing.

Yvette knows the market and was delightful to work with from start to finish.  My wife and I highly recommend her to anyone considering a house purchase in the Lake Tahoe area.

Mark Boekenheide

October 2021

Selling a home is very stressful and life altering. It is a comfort to have someone who is knowledgeable, kind, and empathetic by your side. I found those traits in Yvette last summer after my husband and I made the decision to sell our beloved condo. It was a time of sadness but resolve for us, and it was clear that Yvette understood that. Yvette has an incredible knowledge and understanding of the Tahoe real estate market and has an extraordinary understanding of people as well. She was able to teach me about the market by showing me not just listings on paper, but by visiting nearby comparable condos. She shared stories and gave me examples. After walking through our condoYvette suggested changes and asked for my opinion. We planned together. I worked hard to bring about our vision, but she loaned us many of the attractive touches that blended with our furnishings and made our photos appealing. We planned together, often by three-way phone conversations, setting short-term and long-term deadlines none of which were impossible for me, as worker bee to meet. Yvette knows and works with the best real estate professionals for required appraisals, inspections,and documentations. Appointments were set up and reliably kept and Yvette was there with me when inspections occurred. Yvette was careful and empathetic in her approach in dealing with not just with us, her clients, but also with people who were interested in buying our condo. She seemed to be able to help us all in a gentle way that had us feeling good, not just in what we had accomplished, but in the way we had done it. We highly recommend Yvette as a realtor.

Maureen Wilson-Jarrard

May 3, 2021

Yvette helped us buy our dream property in Tahoe Pines and we couldn’t be happier with her service and her advice! She was friendly, knowledgeable, and always available to answer questions and provide helpful information about the neighborhood, local services, and even landscaping. We would use her again in a heartbeat but since we are never leaving our new home, we hope others will take advantage of her skills and expertise!

Elissa Gershon

Sept 9, 2021

Working with Yvette allowed us to succeed at achieving our long-time dream of buying a home on Tahoe’s West Shore. We had very specific expectations about the type of home we were looking for. Yvette has a good reputation with other realtors in the area, which served us well throughout the process, and we were ultimately able to acquire the exact home we wanted with her support.

The Whites

Dear Homeowner,

My husband and I sold our home in Dollar Point in November of 2014 with the help of our very knowledgeable agent, Yvette Shipman.

First she showed us other homes in our category of price and size in the TAHOE City area. She spent a lot of time with us comparing features of those homes with features of ours. When it came to price, she listened and was willing to go with our decision. If she disagreed with anything we said, she did so in a very reasonable and calm manner, pointing out why she disagreed. She even spent time with my husband advising him on his letter to homebuyers saying why our home was so appealing.

Yvette worked out a schedule which included our own inspections and corrections, a photo shoot with an excellent photographer, and meeting with a stager, who did an excellent job in really a very short time. We think the staging made a real difference in appealing to prospective buyers. Giving a feeling of space by removing excess furniture and things was one thing the stager did. By using some of our art in different places and adding color in others through flowers, pillows, plants, one’s eyes were given a new, pleasant vision of our home. Always, the stager found ways to open up the views of the lake from every spot in the house. It was surprising how much more we enjoyed our house with the changes. I can honestly say that staging is money well-spent. We staged our large home in California in 2004 when selling it, and it really paid off.

Yvette followed through with everything and used many ways to advertise the home. She made everything go smoothly when the offer came in, and we counter offered. I think it was a very good experience, partly because Yvette understood we didn’t really want to sell our home. In the end she helped us to understand it was going to a good family who would also enjoy it.

We would recommend Yvette Shipman as a realtor to anyone buying or selling a home.

Our best wishes, Brenda and John Blom

Dear Yvette,

Yvette did a fantastic job on a significant real estate transaction we recently completed in Lake Tahoe. She quickly understood our needs, and was able to approach the entire transaction from a business perspective that is rare to find, unfortunately, in Realtors. In fact, she took it upon herself to drive the “fix” of a significant error that the seller’s agent made, and was willing to do whatever it took to “make it right” on all sides.

I would highly recommend Yvette, and will definitely use her again in any real estate transaction in the Lake Tahoe area. I have completed multiple real estate transactions over the last 20 years at levels ranging from the low hundreds of thousands to multi-millions, and interacted with many Realtors on those transactions, and Yvette provided by far the very best experience I have ever had in a real estate transaction.

In addition, Yvette is a very pleasant and upbeat person to work with, keeps one always and completely informed, and seems available almost 24/7.

Service Category: Real Estate Agent
Year first hired: 2011

Top Qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity Tony Scott

We interviewed several realtors. Yvette was clearly the most enthusiastic and professional of all of the realtors interviewed. She had a definite plan about how to stage the house to appeal to potential buyers. Although skeptical about some of the ideas, we ultimately were proved wrong; Yvette and Jeanne, the stager, made the right decisions -particularly in that the house was sold in a matter of weeks when other houses remained on the market. Yvette’s attention to detail during the closing was wonderful. She anticipated what needed to be done and made sure that Is were dotted and Ts were crossed. I highly recommend Yvette Shipman to guide you through the process of selling your home.

usingerj

Dear Yvette,
Thank you for making the purchase of our Tahoe home a pleasure. We appreciate the significant time and effort you provided and the integrity you showed us throughout the process. Your local area knowledge of inventory, lending, appraisal, contractors, and tradesmen provided us with significant confidence and insight when we made our offer and at the time of our close. Your continued support after our close has not only enhanced our enjoyment of our home, but also improved our overall Tahoe experience for ourselves and our guests.

Tahoe is a unique place with various idiosyncrasies that may seem strange to an outsider. Thank you for your help in making us feel like seasoned insiders It will be my pleasure and privilege to recommend you to anyone looking for honest insight and superior service when purchasing West Shore Tahoe real estate.

Most sincerely, Kevin & Maribeth Eggleston

Yvette Shipman represented me as the listing broker’s representative on the sale of two homes in North Lake Tahoe in 2003. I was in the process of purchasing a home in Paradise Valley, Arizona and needed to sell the two homes in Tahoe in order to close on the Paradise Valley property.

Yvette was very professional, knew the market very well and most importantly, listened to what my needs and sale objectives were then gave me good advice on how to meet those objectives. She provided me with a complete market analysis of historical and current sales and listing activity and helped me establish listing prices on both homes that were both realistic, would result in a top price for the property and a relatively quick sale. Yvette gave me accurate estimates of the time it would take to market and close the sale of the properties and the net sale proceeds I could realistically expect to receive.

Both houses sold within the time frame she originally estimated it would take and she achieved the listing price on one and 99% of the listing price on the other. She managed the sales transaction very professionally and worked through the minor property issues that came up during the due diligence period by taking care of things herself or offered practical and timely suggestions that resulted in prompt closings on both properties.

Yvette was a pleasure to work with. She kept me informed on a regular basis and did what she said she would do when she said she would do it. She was always timely and responsive. I can highly recommend Yvette. I would be happy to answer any questions you have and can be reached at 916-761-3282.

David Thuleen

This spring my husband and I were fortunate to meet Yvette through another realtor from Incline Village. From the moment we got into the car together to tour Tahoe’s west shore, Yvette’s high energy and keen interest to uncover who we were and what we wanted was immediately evident.

Over the next two days we spent 5 hours together. Yvette was tireless. “What do you like about this house? What don’t you like about it? Why? Explain to me what you see here?” After five hours, our vision of what we wanted was clearer and we knew that Yvette had been listening carefully.

Before we left Tahoe to return home to Sonoma, I asked Yvette what if our dream house comes on the market and we were 200 miles away…what then? “I’ll send you pictures on line” she replied. “You’ll see it that day and if you like it you can jump in the car, come see it and be back in the Bay Area that night.” And if we can’t get away, I asked. “You’ll make an offer based on the pictures” replied Yvette. Wow, I thought, this woman is so CAN DO!

Ten days we later, Yvette sent us pictures of what looked like the perfect house. Unwilling to risk letting it remain on the market, we drove up in the middle of the week. We spent 40 minutes at the property. Yvette had nailed it. It was everything we dreamed of. We drove to her office, wrote up an
offer and we were on the road home by three and home at seven o’clock.

We congratulated ourselves the all the way home. We did it! And So easily! We continued to get emails daily from Yvette as she coached us patiently along the way to acquiring our Tahoe dream. Nancy Haber

February 1, 2008

Re: Sale of our home in Tahoe City

Dear Yvette,

My wife and I both thank you for the extraordinarily good work you did for us in selling our home.

We thought that the sale of our home would be relatively simple and straight foreword. Unfortunately, the buyer’s behavior (combined with my wife’s hospitalization) turned the process into a near nightmare. Your very hard work, professionalism, good guidance and good advice during the course of this very difficult process were above and beyond anything we could have expected.

Thank you again!

Dan Caputo Jr.

Recommendation for Yvette Shipman 4/16/13

I have worked with many realtors over the years. Yvette is in a class by herself for three simple reasons.

At our first meeting she immediately took note of our needs and desires and continually updated her knowledge base as we were shown various properties. Bottom Line. She knew what we wanted and found our dream vacation home within a couple of weeks.
At the offer stage, she again asked all the right questions, and helped us frame the offer so we were put into a position to get what we wanted with a minimum of hassle, yet helping to minimize any downside.
During escrow, she put together a great team including the lender, the title company and the inspectors. Yvette was continually updating us on the process, providing useful information about the area and services that we could use once we closed and tirelessly and promptly responding to queries from us as we moved toward the close.
We are now happily ensconced in our lovely home away from home and we really could not have pulled it off so effortlessly without Yvette. I only wish I had a list of referrals I could send to her right now. Merrill Haber

September 23, 2005

Dear Yvette,

Over the years we have had numerous real estate transactions throughout California, Colorado, and Hawaii. We have dealt with both commercial and residential agents from both the buyers and sellers perspective. We wanted to share with you our perspective regarding our recently completed sale.

After deciding to terminate a five-year relationship with a previous agent in Tahoe, we decide to interview three agents. Each was selected for various reasons: high sales levels, visible advertising, personality, energy and/or personal chemistry. Each agent made their presentation with all the usual property profiles, graphs, marketing plan and projected sales price. Following the presentations, Wanda and I reviewed the material and discussed the strengths and weakness of the agents and the presentations.

Our preconceived ideas about each agent proved to be incorrect on every level. The agent that we thought would be very knowledgeable and sharp in establishing a sales price was neither. The very “well known” agent was less than impressive and somewhat unprepared. And the agent that we did not know if she could compete on this level was by far the most prepared, the most enthusiastic, the most knowledgeable, and had the best marketing plan. What we thought would be a very difficult decision became our easiest.

Our confidence in you was very high when we signed the listing agreement and it never waived. Through your highly professional actions and planning, our property was effective marketed and sold. Our appreciation of your professionalism was even further elevated during the escrow. Many agents can list a property and accept offers, few have the ability, organization and determination you displayed to close the deal.

You stand far and above the numerous other agents we have dealt with previously. Thank you for your efforts is selling our property and enabling us to achieve our next goal.

Please feel free to share our comments with other potential clients or have them contact us.

Sincerely, Ken Brent

July 1, 2015
Dear Fellow Homeowners, and Aspiring Homeowners too –

I was so impressed with Yvette’s performance in the sale of my lake-view townhouse at Brockway Springs that I want to describe in some detail how effectively she worked on my behalf.

Yvette also represents buyers, and I expect prospective buyers will see from my experiences that Yvette’s effectiveness for sellers is closely tied to her appreciation and understanding of buyers’ wishes and concerns. If in the future I wish to buy Tahoe real estate, Yvette will be my Realtor.

I learned about Yvette from a neighboring condo owner, who told me how pleased he had been when she represented him in the purchase of his condo. Indeed, as I soon learned, Yvette has great interpersonal skills and strategic planning ability, and she has boundless energy and sense of commitment.

Yvette told me I could have whatever degree of involvement I wanted in the sale process. Some clients want her to make all the decisions about matters such as “staging,” selection of photographs, wording of promotional materials, etc. However, some (like me!) want to be continually involved, and I was ever so pleased by Yvette’s natural collaborative style. She was always admirably patient in explaining the sale process and in answering my many questions, and she consistently sought and was receptive to my input and ideas. We worked together with spirited momentum, and the result was a fast and gratifying sale.

1. Getting Started

When I first called Yvette, I thought I was well-prepared, since I had previously bought a house in an urban area and had recently read several books on real estate sales. However, within the first 20 minutes of talking to Yvette on the phone, I learned an enormous amount – greatly exceeding in value, quality and insight the information I’d read in the books.

One of many important points I learned from Yvette is that sales in the Tahoe area have different dynamics than those in urban areas. At Tahoe, people buy mainly vacation homes and, although such homes have great appeal due to the beauty of the lake and its surroundings, most buyers regard a vacation home as a luxury rather than a necessity. As a result, it is especially important at Tahoe to do thorough, high-quality preparation before listing for sale and to follow up energetically once the property is listed. Yvette assured me she would provide that level of service, and she did, as you will see.

2. The Tour of Other Properties

I had previously been on buyers’ tours, but Yvette explained that taking me on an extensive tour was also a key step in preparing for sale, so that I could learn to “think like a buyer.” We visited a number of townhouses and condos that were either for sale or had recently sold, and Yvette explained to me the pros and cons of the various interiors, exteriors, grounds and amenities.

It was certainly informative to hear her evaluations of how the various properties compared to mine. We all have strong feelings about the property we own, and it is natural to let those feelings sway us too much. So during the tour, it was not always easy to hear Yvette’s explanation of why another property – though perhaps not impressing me particularly – nevertheless had some desirable feature that mine did not.

Nevertheless, I knew this was important information for me to have, so I made an effort to accept it. Also, the tour gave me additional appreciation of my townhouse’s positive features and indeed let me point out to Yvette some non-obvious strong features it had which other properties lacked. This was one of many instances in which Yvette was enthusiastic about getting information and feedback from me, which she then used throughout the sale process.

Another interesting aspect of the tour, and one which surprised me, was that properties for sale were not always being presented to best advantage. For example, some of them showed wear and tear that could have been fixed up with paint or modest repairs, resulting in a much better impression.

3. Preparation for Listing the Property

After I had rapidly absorbed the “learning curve” from the tour, Yvette and I began the process of preparing to list my townhouse for sale. This process required a lot of work over a number of weeks. Much of the preparation involves technology. Yvette has a strong technological orientation, and that is essential, since technology has transformed the real estate transaction process.

The internet is of course where most prospective buyers first see a property for sale, and that is how they form their crucial first impressions. The ease of internet access and the availability of vast amounts of information are all plusses. However, internet users (myself included, admittedly) tend to be demanding and impatient when on-line. If the information seen on first viewing of a website doesn’t make a strong positive impression or is too limited or ambiguous to permit conclusions to be drawn, the viewer is likely to look elsewhere and may never return to that website again. Even if the site’s presentation is later improved, that dissatisfied viewer may never see it.

Furthermore, many potential buyers and their Realtors have their greatest interest and curiosity about a listing when it first appears on the market – including whether it looks like one that could be quickly snapped up. Yvette therefore emphasized to me the need for thorough and patient effort leading up to the initial listing. The goal is not to get listed fast but rather that, when the listing goes on-line, it is so well-done that prospective buyers say, “that’s where I want to live” and are eager to view the property right away, and particularly before someone else buys it Naturally, the follow-up goal is that some of the resulting viewings lead to (one or more) offers and that an offer leads to a completed sale.

Fortunately, as I learned, there are a number of preparatory steps that can help make the initial listing and other marketing effective. Some of these steps (described below) are staging the property, photography, having the seller’s own home inspectors evaluate the property, and doing minor cost-effective repairs before the property is listed. These of course require outside professionals and workers, who (along with me) participated in what I would call a collective effort under Yvette’s leadership.

Naturally I had to pay for these preparatory steps (although Yvette pays for an initial photography session). However, I was sure that, because of the value of the townhouse, whatever I spent in on these steps would be amply paid back in improved marketability. Judging by the results, I was correct. Here is what occurred as we prepared to list the townhouse for sale:

A. Staging

Staging means increasing the property’s attractiveness to buyers by improving the furnishings and decorations and taking other steps to improve presentation, such as painting touch-ups and perhaps other incidental repairs.

Staging requires aesthetic judgment and an understanding of what excites and appeals to buyers in the Tahoe realty market. Yvette utilizes an excellent company (Tahoe Home Transformations / Jeanne Dunnett) to do the staging and also works with Jeanne to assure that together they implement a common vision.

The plan developed by Jeanne and Yvette had some aspects that initially surprised me and which I questioned. However, as Yvette explained the ideas behind the plan, I was able to see through a buyer’s eyes what it would accomplish, and I realized it was an excellent plan. Indeed, when Jeanne and Yvette later suggested that I authorize some additional optional staging work, I enthusiastically agreed.

Jeanne and Yvette were good listeners too. Lighting is one of the key presentation aspects which Jeanne deals with. After I understood the staging process, I made a suggestion about the lighting in a key area of the living room, Yvette and Jeanne thought it was good, and Jeanne implemented it.

The interior had looked very nice before I decided to sell, but I was quite amazed at how much better it looked after the staging. Beds, walls and bathrooms that had looked nice before sprang into new life with improved colors, artworks and décor. Rooms projected a new expansive feeling of spaciousness and proportion.

B. Photography

Of course we have all seen on the internet plenty of real estate photos and basic virtual tours (automated sequences of still photographs). However, many of these presentations are rather basic and can be improved upon. Although today all Realtors must and do use technology, not all of them know how to use it well or are willing to invest the time and effort needed to use it well.

As examples of less-than-ideal utilization of the technology, one or more of the following are seen on many internet marketing sites: (1) There are not enough photos, or they are not well-enough chosen, to convey a clear impression of the property. (2) It is hard to tell where exterior photos were taken in relation to the property for sale. (3) Exterior photos are not taken with as much care as interior photos (there are a lot of “variables” and issues with regard to exterior photos and what they are meant to achieve, and careful preparatory thought is needed). (4) Exterior photos, as well as interior photos showing views, are out of date.

Also, I did not see as much use as I would expect of “spinners” – composite photographs that produce the effect of panning around in a full circle or a large portion of a circle, and which permit the viewer to look up at ceilings (or down at floors) by navigating with the mouse. Spinners are just plain fun, and they permits a user to view high ceilings in a dramatic way that conventional still photography cannot match.

I was pleased that Yvette has a strong technological orientation and excellent aesthetic sense which she applies in planning and utilizing photos and virtual tours, and she likes to include spinners in her virtual tours. Indeed, after the initial round of photography by Yvette’s excellent photographers (Kurt and Candace Williams of Photo-Tecture), I was so impressed that, although the initial photo shoot yielded very good results, I asked Yvette to plan with me to have the Williams take additional photos, including spinners, which I was glad to pay for (Yvette pays for the initial session). I asked Yvette to delay listing the property until we had in hand the results of the second shoot, and indeed the combination of the work from the two sessions made the presentation much stronger.

Here is the website for my townhouse on the Pacific Union site: http://www.pacificunion.com/real-estate/ 9200-brockway-springs-drive-34-kings-beach-ca-96143/20151244/24680521
(I recommend “virtual tour 1”, accessed from this site by the gray button in the lower right.)

Here is an amusing incident which shows how effective Yvette is and how I was constantly learning from her: When she was assembling the Williams’ work into sequences of photos and a virtual tour, I suggested leading off with a different photo than the one she had selected. However, after she explained her reasons, I agreed with her choice of leadoff photo. Soon afterwards a friend of mine, to whom I’d sent the virtual tour link, wrote back to me, entirely unprompted: “I thought your first photo was great–the beautiful oranges, the bottle of red wine, the color of the sky etc. certainly grabbed my attention.”

That of course is exactly the goal of the photography!

C. Benefits of Seller’s Having Inspections Done Immediately

Another aspect of preparation is that Yvette recommends is that sellers obtain their own home inspections before listing the property. The inspection reports can then be used to reassure buyers about the soundness of the property, so that they can consider that information in deciding whether they wish to make an offer (of course, if they do, they are free to have their own inspections done later).

Having the inspection reports in hand also enables the seller to do immediate repairs for those items in the reports that do not require too much work, with the effect of enhancing functionality and safety and of improving the property’s marketability. Furthermore, if buyers do decide to have their own inspection done after escrow begins, the list of items found to need work should be shorter, pleasing everyone concerned.

Yvette recommends a general inspection, a termite inspection and, if the property has a fireplace, then an inspection by a chimney sweep. If the inspections are not done, then during escrow the buyer will usually do inspections before deciding whether to remove the “inspection contingency.” Problems which the buyer’s inspector reports identify must then be addressed and may necessitate the seller’s giving the buyer an escrow credit to do those repairs later. Even if some later repair work will be needed, it is still good, both for viewings and for completing a sale, if as many repairs as are practical can be done before the property is listed for sale.

Thus I was glad to hire the inspectors recommended by Yvette and to have minor repairs done in response to their reports (for example, installing copper piping for the water heater pressure relief line in place of the previous flexible line, securing a loose edge of floor vinyl, moving a curtain rod so that the curtain did not hang near a wall heater, etc.).

In addition, Yvette and I felt it was prudent to do several other minor repairs not listed in our inspectors’ reports (either because they were done before the inspectors’ visits or were beyond the scope of the reports) which would enhance appearance or functioning and likely please prospective buyers. These included caulking around bathroom sinks, replacing worn interior door lock mechanisms, improving electrical switches, etc. All seemed to me to be easy and cost-effective steps to take.

D. Choosing a Listing Price

Of course a crucial aspect of sale is setting the listing price. I had read that setting the listing price is often regarded by sellers as the most difficult part of the sale process. Obviously, too high a price makes negotiations more difficult and discourages some buyers from making offers at all, typically resulting in longer times to sale, while too low a price gives away money.

Yvette spent a great deal of time assisting me in deciding on the listing price. Naturally she knew from experience what the narrow range of reasonable listing prices would be, but I had to make the final decision, and I was determined to understand the market considerations as well as I could.

Yvette provided to me and helped me evaluate not only completed sales and current for-sale listing prices but also earlier pricing data for sold and for-sale properties. That enabled me to gain a good understanding of how different property characteristics contribute to market value and of which approaches to pricing tend to be successful and which do not.

Everyone has a different sense for how they approach the pros and cons of choosing a higher or lower listing price balance. Yvette made a point of understanding how I approach the tradeoffs, and it actually became easy for us identify what (for me) would be the right listing price.

4. The Sale and Escrow
As a result of all the preparatory work and Yvette’s continuing assistance, the process of the sale itself proceeded quickly and well.

After the property was listed, the buyers (very soon) saw the listing on the internet and contacted Yvette. The buyers did not yet have an agent. They and I decided we would like to have Yvette act as “dual agent” for us all, and that worked out very well. Reflecting the care taken in setting the listing price, just four days after the property was listed the buyers made an offer that was quite close to my listing price, and I accepted that offer the same day.

When no prior inspections have been done and buyers accept an offer, there is naturally a scramble to have inspections done. But when, as here, inspections have already been done, the escrow period is more orderly and can more readily focus on the many other tasks that need to be completed. Escrow proceeded quickly, with Yvette guiding the process. When it turned out that one matter might call for certain interior construction work in the near future, Yvette suggested an allocation of cost between the buyers and me, to which they and I agreed. Escrow was completed in just under 30 days.

Yvette works with a mortgage broker who has extensive experience at financing the purchase of condos and townhouses. Although his services were not needed for this sale, he is a valuable resource, since technical issues sometimes can arise regarding financing for condos that differ from those for single- family houses.

5. Looking Back and Looking Ahead

Although my involvement in selling Tahoe real estate is concluded, I am glad to have learned from Yvette a great deal about the real estate sale process, including many interesting specifics which apply to the beautiful and always-fascinating Tahoe area.

I am a software engineer, and my experience with this sale certainly confirmed the maxim that technology will be playing an ever-increasing role in buying and selling real estate. As described above, I was pleased to see that Yvette is enthusiastic about and skillful at handling technology, including the striking “spinner” photography. However, technology alone can still do only so much. Yvette also demonstrated fine aesthetic judgment in composing my “virtual tour”, which encompasses both still photos and spinners. Her aesthetic sense was also evident in her coordinated work with Jeanne Dunnett on the staging and in numerous small touches she suggested to make the townhouse more attractive.

Yvette was also easy to communicate with, careful and thorough in all that she did, and always upbeat and energetic. When any point arose that was of concern to me, she would take as much time as needed to address it. (How did she do this and handle all her other matters? There is only one way – she starts her day very early, finishes very late, and works efficiently all the time in between.)

So if you wish to hire – or just talk to – a Tahoe Realtor, I hope you will contact Yvette. If you do, I expect you will find you won’t want to or need to talk to anyone else.

If you would like to talk to me about my very interesting and successful experiences working with Yvette, please call me at 510-684-6752.

Ed Lieberman

10/5/18

Selling a family home is never easy, but Yvette helped make the process stress free and efficient.  She really understands the market in the Tahoe area and used that knowledge to help us realistically assess the value of our home.  Preparing to put the house on the market, she and other professionals at Sotheby’s developed pictures and materials that helped potential buyers recognize that the house was unique and special.   We had a solid offer within three days of going on the market and closed a month later.  We highly recommend Yvette to help you with your next real estate transaction. Peter and Linda

Tahoe City, California

7/17/18

Yvette Shipman handled the recent sale of our Tahoe vacation home.  We were completely happy with her during the entire process.  Being out-of-area owners, we were able to rely on her to continually check up on the house and perform many of the small upkeep tasks that we would have done ourselves had we been local.

Yvette is enthusiastic and supportive.  She allowed us to make our own decisions, offering her expertise when asked for. She is a hard worker, patient, and quick to respond to our phone calls.  We would recommend her without hesitation to anyone in need of real estate expertise. Alan and Pam Kleinle

Dec 21, 2009

Dear Yvette,

Merry Christmas! I wanted to take a minute to thank you for the months of professional care that you extended to Mary and me in our search for the “perfect home” in Incline Village. Certainly as we come to nestle into this home, we are very pleased with our choice and look forward to many happy years creating memories in it with our family.

Special thanks needs to be given to your dedication and consummate wisdom in peeling back the onion of Incline. With so many homes on the market and extraordinary economic forces all coming into play, our choices might have appeared hopelessly open- ended had you not been as prepared each time we met. I found your depth of knowledge of the area invaluable but I was really impressed with the preparation or “homework” you had completed that saved us from wasting time or spending our money unwisely. My experience is that many of the better agents map out their day with prospective purchasers but I would argue that only the very best are as consummately versed on the homes, the backgrounds and the salient points of each property.

In the end, we feel very lucky to have a home that exceeds all of our needs, and very fortunate to have had the chance to work with you in finding it!

Best regards, Michael Christian Mary Kilkenny, MD

610 Tyner Way Incline Village, NV 89451

Dear Yvette,

As we sit here thoroughly enjoying our weekend home, we just couldn’t let another day go by without thanking you for your instrumental role in making this happen. The realization that our dream of having a second home in Tahoe has come true is beyond imaginable! We owe this to your professional, yet very personal, character and demeanor.

Throughout our entire experience with you, it was without question that your professionalism was second to none. Whenever we had questions and contacted you, you either answered immediately or contacted us within minutes. Never once did you make us feel as if we were bothering you. In fact, it was quite the opposite; you always welcomed any concerns or questions from us. Your non-threatening and gentle manner were definitely not to be confused with your willingness and ability to be assertive and aggressive for us, your clients. However, never once did we ever find you to overbearing. It was always very apparent that you knew the Tahoe real estate market inside and out, and because of that and your ability to listen to our needs and desires, you found us the perfect family home!

Although you were our realtor, and our relationship with you was professional, we can’t help but compliment you on the qualities you exemplified on a personal level. You were always so friendly, positive, kind, and trustworthy. Your eagerness and passion about finding us the right house made us feel as though you were looking out for your friends. We took great comfort in this.

If we can ever be a reference for you, it would be our honor. In addition, if we ever know of anyone looking for a home in Tahoe we will highly recommend you, without question. We wish you continued success both professionally and personally.

With great appreciation, Jim and Laurie Power

Dear Yvette,
Eva and I are more than happy to provide you with a reference,

When we decided to put some of our real estate investment into a Tahoe vacation property three years ago we hoped that we would be able to find a cozy cabin close to the lake for swimming, convenient for both skiing and for summer use, with the atmosphere of an older property, not
needing too much work but with possibilities for improvement .. that we could actually afford.

From the start, you were encouraging and certain that we would be able to find suitable properties. I was especially pleased with the way that you assembled a cross-section of the types of property from Old Brockway to Rubicon Bay, both on the market and recently sold, for us to calibrate ourselves. You also established for yourself what was important to us by observing our reactions during the first day of the weekend we spent looking over the properties on the list. At the end of that Saturday we too, felt that we would find something – although I was personally fearing that we would have to extend ourselves to the limit of our budget.

On the Sunday morning you had a new list of properties for us to view, narrowed further to properties that fit our ideas for a cabin and concentrating more in the North Lake. When we left you in the afternoon we still though that we might come back another weekend and look again but on revisiting several of the properties that we had viewed on our own, we came to a decision and decided to make an offer on 330 Coon Street, Kings Beach, We drove home that evening with an offer written and ready for you to present that Monday. You handled all the details of Home Inspector and the local interface with the Title Company, keeping us always up to date by eMail and FedEx. You attended to all the details for us in a very professional way and brought to our attention small but important items which we might otherwise have missed, After several rounds of counter offers, we successfully closed escrow on the property – at a price below our maximum limit and nicely in my comfort zone! All the paperwork was signed and completed without us having to make another special trip to Tahoe.

I was able to move furniture up, carry out the few necessary repairs and cleaning in one weekend and get everything ready for our first family trip to stay there for Thanksgiving.

We have no reservations in recommending your services to others – we are quite certain they will be as delighted as we were and are.

Please feel free to pass on our telephone number and/or eMail address.

Best regards, Eddy and Eva Robinson

Yvette-
We just wanted to express our thanks to you for helping us in our search for our Tahoe home. We are so thrilled with our purchase, and it wouldn’t have been possible without your help. There is just “nothing” that we don’t like about our new home.

Our past home purchases didn’t involve a lot of research or agreement. Someone found our homes and set-up our deals. This last purchase was an eye-opening experience. Mark and I thought we wanted the same things. As you found out on our first day house hunting, we both were looking for specific things. That first day you found “my cabin” and his house”. Then the next day out you found “his view”, but I wasn’t fond of the layout. But, we still were considering those last two homes that we saw on our first day. Our third day was the charm. We saw a lot of homes that we both found the “Tahoe Charm” we had been looking for. I appreciated your suggestion to view the homes the next day during sunlight hours. That suggestion was the key to our purchase. Evening viewing showed the ambiance of the area. Daylight showed the real picture. That final day we looked at our top three choices, one after another and the decision was easy.

From our first contact with you, we knew we could rely on you to help us find our new home. You put together a full packet of available homes for us to view within our price range. Your organization and area expertise made it easy for us. We respected your advice and concerns over some of the selections we chose to view. Many things stood out about you during our business transaction; again, you were organized, knowledgeable, professional and extremely courteous – not just with us, but also in your dealings with the other agents along our house hunting journey. Your recommendation to get pre-approval for our loan was a key decision in what turned out to be the easiest transaction we’ve ever been through.

Again, thank you for all the help you gave us, I’m sure this won’t be the only transaction we will make here in Tahoe, and look forward to using your expertise to complete those future transactions, As far as real estate goes and our recommendations go – “Tahoe” and “Yvette Shipman” are a match made in heaven. Michele L. Young

Yvette made the entire process of purchasing a home pleasant and easy. She provided thorough reports as well as her instinct regarding properties so I felt educated and confident when it came time to make the purchase. I am not a full time resident so naturally I do not have the connections that a local has. Anytime I needed anything during the process (i.e. inspectors etc.) I felt comfortable asking, and Yvette always promptly recommended. In fact I recently needed a new roof so I called Yvette. Within ten minutes she em ailed a list of three roof contractors in the order of who to call first. What I’m getting at is that Just because the sale has been made, she did not hesitate to help. Ryan B.

Yvette is amazing to work with! She knows the area & communities very well: has a fine tuned ability to match properties/nuances to specific client needs/desires: noteworthy work ethic, drive, and professionalism: and if there is a way to get a deal done she will see to it! Can’t say enough good things about our experience working with *Nate – highly recommend. Alison Franco

We began working with Yvette about 3 years ago when we walked into her office to check on a listing. That ended up being OUR lucky day! Yvette spent many days and evenings showing us what seemed like every listing in Tahoe. and just when you felt like you were taking advantage of her time she would almost seem disappointed because she still had more to show you.

Aside from being the penultimate professional, Yvette is warm, kind, friendly and genuine. These qualities are observed from the moment you meet her and quickly become permanent traits associated with her.

The real estate market in the Lake Tahoe area can be very daunting and I am grateful we had Yvette to keep us focused! Keith Rutkowski

To Whom It May Concern:
It is my pleasure to recommend to you Ms. Yvette Shipman of O’Neal Brokers. Yvette has been, our Tahoe Realtor since January 2002 and was instrumental in helping my mother and me locate, select, and finalize the details necessary for us to purchase a second home.

Yvette is a quality Realtor who is attentive and pro-active and who was continuously considerate and mindful of our preferences and needs as we were exploring housing options. She is trustworthy and patient and was particularly helpful in addressing the many financial and escrow questions we had Yvette took very good care of us, particularly since I am located in Southern California and was unable to be present in Tahoe for many of the particulars. I feel we were very well represented and taken care of Our cabin was secured in a matter of ten days and we are very pleased overall.

I have no doubt that you will have a similar experience with Yvette.

Please feel free to contact me at (310) 452-3781 if you have any additional questions.

Sincerely,

Gregory Ai. Miller

I would highly recommend Yvette to anyone looking to buy or sell real estate in Lake Tahoe area, She certainly went the extra mile for my father in-law!..From giving information that was requested, actually listening to the clients needs, knowing the market conditions and Inventory and negotiating the offer. She kept great communication through the escrow process and a very smooth dose. She was professional, very nice, attentive and just a joy to work with. Joe Sidoti

KW Luxury Specialist, Palm Springs, CA

We write this letter of recommendation to extol the virtues of a great Realtor, Yvette Shipman, of Lakeshore Realty. This is an unusual letter of recommendation because most are written by clients for whom a Realtor successfully completes a transaction. That is not our case, We ultimately did not purchase a home in the Lake Tahoe area. However, we searched for the home of our dreams with the help of Yvette Shipman.

Throughout the process, Yvette Shipman was attentive to our very specific stated criteria. She listened to our critiques of various homes on the market and took into consideration our input as to what we were looking for and what we did not want. This is crucial to a good working relationship with a Realtor when you are a prospective purchaser. As a result, we felt very comfortable working with Yvette. She informed us about homes of potential interest and did not pester us with homes that were not of interest. And she did not “push” us to purchase homes that we found — after investigation –were not of interest.

In the end, for a variety of reasons, we chose not to purchase a vacation home at Lake Tahoe. Yvette was fully understanding and entirely professional, even though she had spent significant time assisting us in touring numerous Lake Tahoe properties (on both the California-side and the Nevada-side).

As a result of our experience with Yvette, we highly recommend her to anyone seeking to purchase a home in the Lake Tahoe area.

Sincerely,

Bob & Barbara Leidigh

Dear Yvette:
It has been almost a year since we sold our property in Tahoe Pines. We think of our cabin and the people in the neighborhood often. We had such a great time during the 19 years that we owned our home.

it was a trying time for us when we decided to sell our home. We were starting a new adventure in Southern California. Not only was it a stressful time mentally leaving our cabin but it was stressful wondering if we were doing the right thing by buying our home down south. We wanted you to know that you made things so easy for us before our final decision to sell and during the showings and the sale. It went so smoothly that it gave us time to concentrate on our new purchase.

You were diligent in keeping us updated via e-mail and telephone calls on the daily progress of the sale and all of the details of the transaction. We found this very reassuring due to the fact that we were not in Tahoe during the list and sale of our home. We credit your personal knowledge of the neighborhood and your attention to detail in making this a smooth and successful transaction.

We appreciated the fact that you were very professional as well as being our neighbor. You had an interest in seeing that our home was taken care of both during the showings and after the potential buyers had exited our home. You kept it secure and in the same condition that we had left it while we were gone. Your attention to detail was very important to us. As you know, we are particularly “picky” about anyone entering our home.

It was a pleasure working with you. Please feel free to share this letter and you may put anyone in touch with us if you would like us to relay our thoughts about what a great job you did for us last year in the sale of our home.

Sincerely,

Walt and Sharon Rossi

Former owners of 4040 Walnut, Tahoe Pines, CA

Dear Yvette,
Maury and I are so happy to finally have our beautiful vacation home in Tahoe. We have you to thank for making that dream come true!

When we started this search one year ago, the first thing you said to us was that it is going to take quite some time to find the home we love. We ran you ragged looking at numerous homes on our short trips to Tahoe. You always listened to what we liked and disliked in our search. You never pushed us when we didn’t want to be pushed. You spent numerous hours researching the questions we inundated you with, time after time.

When we saw the home we loved, you guided us through the process, but never pushed us to go beyond where we were comfortable. You maintained your professionalism and expertise every step of the way, and made it happen. You encouraged us to swing the bat, and because of you, we hit a home run.

Now that we are members of the Tahoe community, we truly appreciated your continued help and support with all that you do. We consider you our friend, as well as our realtor. Please know that we would be delighted to recommend you to any and all of our friends, should they desire to buy a home in the Tahoe area.

Thank you again for all that you do, and for making our dreams come true.

Warmest regards, Fran and Maury Rice