When you want to buy a house in a different state and have a pretty firm idea of what kind of house you want—in the middle of a raging-hot sellers’ market—you need a special kind of realtor. Calm, experienced, and not willing to give up or pressure you to concede on any of your important issues in the heat of battle. Also one who will waste NO time in making a move with a responsible bid because dithering is not an option. With Steven’s help, we came to the game ready and prepared to strike!

As the weeks grew to months and our frustration grew, we appreciated Steven’s patience immensely. He kept our expectations in check, neither pressuring us into panicky decisions or letting up on the quest. We were pretty clear about what we wanted, being experienced homeowners who knew about the traps as well as the temptations. We may have had a longer list of non-negotiables than new buyers or younger buyers because “we knew a lot.”

Steven always came through for us on our last-minute trips to look at houses, getting us in where we wanted and in a few cases wrapping up the bids by the time we’d driven home. Ultimately, his quick action helped us nail a desirable house in a wonderful neighborhood. A less-decisive and diligent realtor might have meant it slipped through our fingers.

We chose Steven from a list of realtors who work through a large credit union in the Twin Cities. We thought Steven’s self-description and website stood out, which is why we chose him after an extremely informative meeting with him in-person. He is very smart and has educated himself about seemingly everything relevant to buying or selling a house. Look at his website if you don’t believe this. He has written essays on every topic you could think of and dozens you’ve never thought to ask about in this complicated and stressful process. He takes you from the beginning of the journey to the very end, generously sharing everything he knows and wants you to know.

Besides knowing a lot about buying and selling, he has an enormous number of recommendations and/or contacts for the business, construction, repair and even social aspects of the process. His suggestion for home inspectors saved us from one bad deal and convinced us to buy the home we ended up in. A less honest or careful realtor might not prefer the kind of house inspection service that lasts half a day and results in a several-page report! Money well-spent, as it turns out, but again, a mark of character that Steven would urge his clients to use a stellar company.

He also had a ton of useful advice about the costs of various services and repairs, and what kinds of prices would be reasonable and expected. When you’re coming from another state, especially, this information is like gold. Steven has a great deal of enthusiasm for houses, especially older ones. He gets excited about electrical panels! And knows when they are solid and when they are dicey. He will take photos of particularly lovely details in old houses that he appreciates.

What Steven will not do is push you to buy a house. He gives you all the relevant information and a thorough walk-through or two, then lets you make the hard decisions without pressure or manipulation of any kind.
I could go on about Steven forever. Anyone wanting a realtor with many years of successful experience and a deep fund of knowledge should want Steven! But there are other things that make him stand out, and I’ll mention just one of them here: his environmentalism. Steven not only drives an energy-efficient Tesla, he loves to talk about why they are the future. He is a big proponent of solar and uses solar power at his own home. He regularly participates in public events that showcase energy-efficient cars and other technology that will help the places he loves be better places to live and raise our families in. Steven’s strong values and activism puts him in a special class of realtor, I believe. You cannot go wrong with him as your realtor.
~ Rebecca B.

Steven is an INCREDIBLE realtor. His expert knowledge of real estate coupled with his extensive experience with photography and technology means you're getting everything you've asked for AND MORE. He's passionate about making his clients happy and satisfied with their buying or selling experience. He goes the extra mile for you. He's always a call/text/email away. Steve is a family man and is great with kids. You're making the right decision going with Steve.

My wife and kids could not be happier with our experience with Steve. He definitely surpassed our expectations and we are clients for life.

~ Chris L.

Steve is an outstanding realtor. After what seemed like endless internet searching and interviewing numerous realtors to help us find our new home (we do our homework), we met Steve and right off the bat, we knew we finally found the right guy. Steve is a genuinely good person, and he cared so much about our specific needs. Throughout the entire home-buying process, Steve guided us seamlessly the entire way. He is professional, responds quickly when called upon, and he knows his stuff far better than the hard-to-reach, highly decorated realtors floating around out there in the Twin Cities market. Being first-time home buyers, we had plenty of questions and anxious feelings, and Steve took great care of us. He is an intelligent, honest guy who has a passion for connecting people with what they truly want in a home, and that makes a huge difference in the end result. He found us a real gem on our tight budget, and we couldn't be happier with our new home!
~ Holly C.

From start to finish, the process of buying a home with Steven's help was immensely satisfying. We were by no means easy clients: out of state, limited budget, limited time, complex schedules, ignorant to Minneapolis, second-time buyers. Every step of the way, he accommodated us. There was no obstacle that he could not overcome. His knowledge of the intricacies of the market, combined with a superb knowledge of older homes, made finding the perfect place much easier. He negotiated well, got us the place we wanted, and we came in under budget in a stunningly good location. I would definitely buy or sell a house with him again with no hesitation. Very enjoyable to work with. He treated us like family, and demonstrated a true interest in the personality of his clients.

~ Arick S.

Steven does an excellent job working with first time home buyers like my wife and I. He is incredibly patient and knowledgable regarding the home buying process from start to finish. He took the time to answer all of the questions we had and then went ahead and made sure that we were educated on the parts of buying a home we weren't aware of. He strove to be available when it was most convenient to us which was a huge help given our varying schedules. I definitely recommend Steven to anyone in the process of buying or selling a home.

~ Chris S.

Steven was a dream to work with as my partner and I navigated the often-confusing world of first time homebuying. He's extremely knowledgeable, honest, approachable, and a huge plus for us was how technically savvy he is. We were able to sign all of our documents online and he was so fast to respond to all of our emails. It was unusual to have to wait more than an hour for a response. In the end, he was instrumental in helping us purchase pretty much the perfect house for us, and we will not hesitate a second to recommend him to anyone who expresses even a passing interest in buying a home. Thank you Steven!

~ John O.

This was the first home my husband and I purchased together and Steve really helped walk us through the entire process and made sure to touch base post purchase to ensure we were still happy. As you can imagine, we had a lot of questions and Steve's responsiveness was timely and thorough. He also has knowledge of what to look for and avoid in a home purchase which was helpful since neither of us are very handy.

~ Erin R.

We were very indecisive first time homebuyers who started out knowing very little about home buying, and even what we thought we had learned from the millions of pages of the internet were not always as helpful as Steven was. He is very honest, quick to respond (especially if you like working via e-mail and text, which is all I could do!), very accommodating (willing to meet on my timelines, for example I saw an open house pop up over a lunch hour and he was able to meet me!) and we never felt pressured or uncomfortable. He knows the MPLS/St. Louis Park area very well. He has purchased/renovated several houses in the Minneapolis area himself, so he is really knowledgeable when it comes to house potential and especially during the inspection process. I would for sure buy or sell a home with Steve in the future and would recommend him highly.

~ Valerie I.

I couldn't be happier with this experience. Steven made this transaction flawless, he had great advice for me being an first time home buyer and if i was rich i would be buying houses with his help monthly. I will 100% work him if i ever buy another house.

~ Brent C. 

Steve is an execllent realtor. He knows areas, home quality, home value, and is very in touch with the market. He can give you pluses and minuses of a house, and has a good knowledge of basic home repair and remodeling ball park estimates or can connect you with some one who does. Most of all he is a realator that will help you find and buy your house with an informed decision, not a house he wants to sell you. He was very low pressure. Your interests come first. He was also helpful in multiplt offers. I won both offers, though the first time I wound up declining on the house after further review.

~ Peter K.

My wife and I really appreciated Steven's hard work in helping us buy a house. He was reliable, objective, always knowledgeable, and pushed on our behalf to help us find the house we wanted to buy. Importantly, he is fully plugged into the digital age -- a must for any busy homebuyer. He answered emails quickly, allowed us to sign key documents electronically, and knows how to make use of the digital tools that are part of homebuying. We were very happy with his work as our real estate agent.

~ Adam B.

Steve is a professional real estate photographer, which will pull in viewers to your home listing. Steve is a modern, high tech realtor who utilizes all the current technologies for marketing and locating your dream home. Additionally, Steve will not pressure sale you, he gives his honest opinions and reviews of properties along the way.

~ Robert C. 

Steve is a great realtor. He knows the business on many levels. He is a gifted photographer and has great computer skills as well. I would recommend Steve to my friends and family if and when they look for homes.

~ Bartley S.

Steven helped me and my husband find our first home. Right from the start he was incredible professional and helpful. He is the perfect Realtor for first time home buyers, because he knows a lot about everything that goes into buying a home and always had answers to our questions. He was on our side throughout the process and offered great advice. I will be recommending Steven to anyone I know looking to buy a home in the Minneapolis area.

~ Allison B.