Kevin Schmidtchen - Santa Barbara CA Realtor

Kevin Schmidtchen - Who am I besides being a Realtor!!

My Blog: www.SantaBarbaraRealEstateVoice.com

Who is Kevin Schmidtchen?

I am a native of Santa Barbara and grew up with a wonderful family and very involved with sports, all of which I continue to enjoy today...family, surfing, skiing and snowboarding. Before my sophomore year at UCSB in 1989, I left to Europe for the summer to play on the professional tennis satellite circuit. While the tennis went well, I felt more energized by the culture over in Europe and the opening of my eyes to so many different ways of life and thinking.

I returned to UCSB and focused on my junior year in which I ventured back to Europe and studied abroad in Salzburg, Austria. Both of these wonderful adventures changed me and lead me to have one immediate goal in my life… to travel around the world.

Four days after I graduated from UCSB in 1992, I left on a one-way ticket back to Europe. I spent roughly the next 4 years working abroad in Austria, Germany, Japan and New Zealand while traveling often to over 50 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia, South and Central America and the South Pacific.

After much adventure I returned to the U.S. and lived in Telluride, Colorado and Lake Tahoe, California before attending Thunderbird-- The American Graduate School of International Management where I received my MBA in 1999. Upon graduating, I very much wanted to return home and moved back here to Santa Barbara in late 1999. I am now married to a wonderful Dutch woman, whom I met while doing an internship in the Netherlands during my second year at Thunderbird. We also have a wonderful young boy.

Personal Work Experience Before Real Estate

Before finally settling into a career in Real Estate in 2001, I worked briefly with 2 different companies in Sales and Marketing from September 1999 to August 2001. The first company was an internet start-up,. The second company was Islands Media, which is a Publishing company (Islands Magazine, Spa Magazine, Resorts and Great Hotels). Here I was in charge of sale for our clients media needs which consisted of photography, print, CD's, websites, videos etc.

www.KevinSchmidtchen.com

Areas of Expertise - Real Estate speaking!!

Why Choose Kevin?

I have been a real estate professional with Sotheby's Int'l Realty here in the Santa Barbara and Montecito areas since 2001.

As a client of mine, you will receive expertise, professionalism, integrity, honesty, loyalty, service and knowledge of the Santa Barbara area and the Real Estate Market in any transaction with me. The majority of my successful business is through referrals from people whom I have helped to buy or sell a home in the Santa Barbara area. As the result of satisfied clients, I have succeeded in building a wonderful referral base of single individuals, couples and families who are happy to recommend my services to their friends, families and colleagues.

I work with both buyers and sellers and have sold homes with price points ranging from $350,000 to $10 Million. My clients have ranged from first-time home buyers to people fortunate enough to be buying second and third homes...and have been a combination of locals, investors and out of town clients.

Santa Barbara proper is my major area of expertise, although I have worked plenty in Montecito, Carpinteria, Goleta etc. The Santa Barbara area is small enough that it allows me to work for and represent clients in all our areas.

Please let me know where your needs are at with regards to Real Estate in Santa Barbara, Montecito, Goleta and the surrounding areas. I can assist you with luxury real estate, beachfront homes, oceanfront homes, view homes, vacation homes, gated communities, new homes, real estate development, single family homes, condominiums, town homes, income property, and land.

www.SantaBarbaraRealEstateVoice.com

Testimonials

"As a first time home buyer, Kevin was very patient and thorough in answering all of my questions and keeping me well informed. Throughout the entire process, and still to this day, Kevin was always available and willing to assist me with whatever was needed. In addition, his knowledge of the city and the real estate of the city were very valuable as I was new to the area and did not know the market well. I do not hesitate to recommend Kevin for your real estate needs."

--Keala Anderson

"We just wanted you to know that we think you did a fantastic job of helping us buy our SB condo. We could not be more pleased. What impressed us the most are your professionalism, responsiveness, class, and impressive ability to keep things on an even keel. If anyone ever asks us for a recommendation on a realtor in SB, we will recommend you without hesitation."

--Hsing-Chung F

Kevin Schmidtchen (and I'm sure I've done a wretched job on his name) sold my condo for me in '03. Because of a thoroughly unpleasant board, who did everything they could to block the sale, I had to jump through a lot of hoops. In the end, w/Kevin's help, the unit sold for $10K more than he'd originally got for it. He then helped me purchase a house in Carpinteria...giving me v. good advice, which went against my less practical nature. I know own a remarkable property that has almost doubled in value. He knows his stuff. Here're a few more points about him: He's very responsive; was always willing and available to answer my questions/anxieties; willing to find out if he didn't know something, and back up his statements w/facts & figures. Long history in the area, too--was born/raised in SB. That adds credibility to his understanding of the market. Very proactive. A huge thumbs up to Kevin (and I have better things to do w/my time-energy than write reviews like this...I'm writing it because I really mean it. And one more thing, I'm a tough customer...if he wasn't all of this, I'd be perfectly happy to write a review that reflected my disappointment....but there wasn't any). Good luck!

--Karin De la Pena

"Kevin made the selling of our home less stressful by staying in constant communication throughout the process. He made himself available to us and didn't pressure us in any way."

--Seth Uhrig

"We moved to Santa Barbara without knowing anything about the real estate market. We depended on Kevin to educate us. Kevin was very patient with us as we searched for several months for precisely the right home and investment. Kevin is detail oriented, flexible and insightful. Had he not been updated daily on the real estate market, we would not have secured our home. We saw the property immediately when it came on the market and had a bid on the property within 24 hours. With Kevin's guidance, we prevailed over 6 bids and a counterbid process. We are now happy homeowners in Montecito!"

--Annabelle and Peter Brownell


"We were very pleased with the professional service Kevin displayed in the selling of our home. As a native of Santa Barbara, Kevin understands the reality of high prices here in our town and is very capable and proactive in selling not just our home but also the overall Santa Barbara lifestyle.

Through the first stages of showing the home to prospective buyers all the way through the closing process, Kevin worked hard to update us on every step and to keep it all as simple as possible. His clear communication allowed us to relax as much as one can when selling your home. We highly recommend Kevin for any real estate needs you may have."

--Bob Andrews


"Kevin was very accessible and proactive as we searched for a home in Santa Barbara. We currently live in Minneapolis, and Kevin did a great job of getting us up to speed quickly on the market, and matching our needs with the marketplace.

As a native of Santa Barbara, Kevin understands the market well and was a valuable coach when it came time to make an offer - even though we had "sticker shock" on California real estate, Kevin eventually got us into a comfort zone on buying our home.

Kevin was very diligent during the closing process in terms of making sure that the process and documents were well managed, leading to a smooth closing process, even though we were completing the closing from a remote location.

We would highly recommend Kevin and Sotheby's International Realty for your real estate needs in Santa Barbara."

--Sam & Lillian Reinkensmeyer

"My wife and I used Kevin to purchase our second home in the San Roque area. We were a bit nervous because we new the prices were going to be at the upper end of our comfort level, but more importantly this was going to be the home that we were going to raise our family in.

Kevin immediately made us comfortable and never once pushed us to make a decision. Kevin has successfully separated himself from the stereotypical realtor by approaching customers, as he would expect to be handled himself. His professionalism, patience, work ethic and integrity made our home purchase experience successful on all counts and we will continue to recommend his services to friends and family."

--Jay & Nicole Klanfer


"Dear future homeowner: If you are looking to purchase a home, I highly recommend the services of Kevin Schmidtchen. Through his experience, clear communication and being a true native to Santa Barbara, he quickly found a home that fit all my needs."

--Betsy Wise


"I want to let you know that working with Kevin to purchase my new home was a wonderful experience."

--Lessie Shea


"We can't begin to thank you for everything you did for us, I am glad you were there for me when I called you to come over. Couldn't have done it without you. You are a wonderful person."

--Dennis & Jennifer Bornand


"My fiancé and I relocated from New York to Santa Barbara in November 2002. The transition from East Coast to West is often looked upon as a theatrical drama filled with angst and woe. Couple this with the prospect of purchasing a new home in an unfamiliar city and chaos looms on the horizon. Kevin played a critical role in easing our transition. Prior to our move, he worked with us remotely, sending regular updates of listings via email while striving to understand our needs and address our concerns. Once we arrived in SB, Kevin was our guide; having grown up in SB, his knowledge of the area is definitive and indispensable. As it turns out for us, moving to SB has resembled more of a romantic comedy than that of the imagined theatrical drama."

--Ryan Ringholz


"As first time homebuyers, we feel so fortunate to have met and worked with Kevin Schmidtchen. Entering the Santa Barbara real estate marketplace is a challenging endeavor, but Kevin lead us through every step and made the process much easier than we had anticipated.

During the beginning of our search, Kevin worked hard to both educate us regarding the market and understand what our needs and desires were for our first home. As Kevin tightened the focus on our search and diligently pursued opportunities for us, our respect and trust in Kevin increased.

It became obvious that his colleagues in the real estate industry esteem him highly as well. Besides being an extremely skilled real estate agent, Kevin is a genuinely good person. When it came time to strategize our offer, and the subsequent counter offer, Kevin's experience and wise counsel were crucial. With Kevin's guidance, our offer was accepted and our escrow was surprisingly simple.

Kevin's experience, integrity, and kindness made all the difference. Our new home is exactly what we wanted and more! We will certainly work with Kevin again when we decide to buy a larger home in the future. We feel privileged to know and work with Kevin, and recommend him with our highest confidence!'

--Rebekah Peake & Eric Bardakos


"Kevin is fantastic. He is highly knowledgeable about the Santa Barbara area which was extremely helpful in finding a home. As we searched for our home, he kept us constantly updated on what was going on in the market and was always very careful to explain our options. He is very patient and never pressured us to make an uncomfortable decision. He was always available and friendly.

During escrow Kevin a voice of reason. He was very protective of us, as clients. We felt completely comfortable in his care.

We will be recommending Kevin to everybody we know. We would definitely use him again. (If we ever move. We love our new house.)"

--Bob and Lisa Smith

Kevin helped me find a home in Santa Barbara and was a pleasure to work with on all fronts. A personal friend of mine, he was there for me every step of the way and knows SB cold. I've seen him in action not only with my deal but others as well and he is super consistent and delivers great service and advice that ends up saving his clients $$. Anyone interested in real estate in Santa Barbara should give Kev a shout. http://www.kevinschmidtchen.com/

--R. Glickman