Testimonials
"There are many things I can say about the high quality of service I provide to my home seller and home buyer clients, but probably none would be as credible as testimonials from some of my recent clients themselves. So please take a moment to read the following testimonials. I hope they indicate my experience and integrity, as well as make it clear how much I enjoy helping people with their real estate needs. I would be happy to email you additional testimonials if you are interested."
Ramiro Rivas
Selecting Ramiro Rivas as our agent was the first step in the right direction during our search for our first home. Throughout the process, Ramiro proved to be a very honest, knowledgeable and patient professional whom my husband and I came to trust. What also distinguishes Ramiro is his strong negotiation skill. Thanks to his superior negotiation ability, my husband and I were able to purchase a beautiful Pasadena Home– a property which we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to afford. Ramiro is well-connected in the industry and we were glad to have him on our side.
In fact, we are so impressed with Ramiro Rivas that I’ve recommended him to my parents as their San Gabriel Home listing agent. In addition, I’ve introduced him to my neighbor as well as two other friends who are in the market for a new home. If you are searching for an agent or in the market to sell/buy a property, we suggest you give Ramiro Rivas a call. We’re glad we did!
This is an unsolicited testimonial from…
~Art and Janet Santamaria, Pasadena Home
From start to finish, Alexandria d'Antieaux and Ramiro Rivas of Coldwell Banker were a wonderful team to work with! I recently purchased a 2 bedroom condo in Pasadena that I'm very happy with. No buyer's remorse here!
From the minute I met Alexandria, I could see I was not dealing with just "any" Realtor. She immediately assessed what I was looking for, and really began going to bat for me. When I found the right place, Ramiro was right there to begin the negotiation process. We met for over an hour just to discuss the offer! Ramiro took the time to really explain everything to me, as I was a first time homeowner. He wasn't condescending either. And he knew what he was doing. They also referred me to great loan officers and escrow agents. Speaking of which, when we were in escrow and we hit a snag (the seller didn't disclose something he should have), Ramiro and Alexandria fought for me and made sure it was completely taken care of before I signed anything. Finally, when the final day came, both Ramiro and Alexandria came and took pictures with me outside my new building, and they offered to make postcards of the picture to be sent to all my friends and family. Nice touch!
I'd highly recommend Alexandria and Ramiro to anyone purchasing a home or condo. They are professional, courteous, helpful and knowledgeable. What more could you want in a Realtor??
Monica Ashton, Pasadena Condo
Working with Ramiro on buying our first home was a real pleasure from start to finish. He quickly learned our needs and likes and was able to find us our perfect home. He then walked us through every step of the offer and escrow processes, and has been there to help us out even after we closed escrow. At every step of the way, Ramiro answered all of our questions quickly and thoroughly, which is quite impressive considering the number of questions that we had! I would certainly not hesitate to work with Ramiro again and would certainly recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell their home.
Doug & Lisa Gardner, Pasadena Home
We would like to thank Ramiro Rivas for his work helping us to sell our Monrovia townhome. This is the second time working with Ramiro Rivas, and the reason we decided to contact him again is that he is an excellent negotiator and always looking for our best interest. He is also a family man that knows the needs of a family.
Ramiro Rivas has a very pleasant and respectful attitude and at the same time he is very professional, warm and caring. He guided us in every step and always kept us informed of all the details.
Due to his great knowledge, professionalism and hard work, we obtained great results from the sale of our Monrovia townhome. We would definitely recommend Ramiro Rivas for your Real Estate needs.
Jorge & Maria Alamillo, Monrovia Townhome
I just finished another real estate purchase with Ramiro. The reason I decided to work with Ramiro again is that he is excellent at determining needs, negotiating, and acting with my best interests at heart. I have worked with other agents in the past, but Ramiro has worked hard to exceed my expectations and he consistently delivers results.
Kurt Kleespies, Pasadena Condo
Ramiro Rivas was there for us as we were turning our first Pasadena Investment Home last summer and we Sold at the Top of the Market. Thus improving our own homes value, which just happened to be next door. Then, six months later, we sold and bought with Ramiro. And even though we moved to an area he was not familiar with, he quickly resolved that. We drove out to the new area (some 45 minutes away) in his car and met with listing brokers. I was impressed. He really went “Above and Beyond” our expectations.
Also, when it comes to Pasadena Real Estate, there's no one better at knowing and understanding the City. We couldn't be happier in our new home. Thanks Ramiro!
Josh & Michelle Carmichael, Woodland Hills Home
Your professionalism was unquestionable from the moment you proposed us to put our property on the market till the closing of escrow. You've been great in guiding us in every step of the transaction, even while we were abroad.
We never thought that selling our South Pasadena home would be so simple. It was just a question of signing a few documents, emails and the deal was settled. We thank you for the great service and more important, the promise you delivered. Good job.
Kanjana & Georges Laine, South Pasadena Home
There are good real estate agents, and then there are great real estate agents. You know the good agents because they help you find a reasonably priced house. The great real estate agents know the market and exceed your overall expectations. But there is a rare class above all others, those that go beyond mere greatness....such an agent is truly righteous. Righteousness has a new name, and that name is Ramiro Rivas!
I say this because many agents will show you a house; Ramiro is committed to finding you a home! Ramiro is extremely knowledgeable about the home buying process on every level. He is patient and gracious enough to help you understand each and every step. I left every meeting substantially more enlightened about home buying.
Ramiro helped me secure the deal on my home by making insightful recommendations, providing a comprehensive comparison of recent sales in the area, and moving quickly to place the offer at the right moment. While in escrow, he kept in contact with me, again thoroughly answering all my questions. He skillfully negotiated with the seller to get me the best deal possible, and he did a lot of "behind-the scenes" leg work with the underwriter and escrow company to ensure that the deal closed on time. Thanks to Ramiro, I was able to buy my lovely and spacious two-bedroom condo for over $100,000 LESS than a similar unit in the same building!
So I say, without reservation, that if you're looking for a trustworthy and truly OUTSTANDING agent, look no further than Ramiro Rivas!
Princess Imoukhuede, Pasadena Condo
My name is Perry Poulopoulos and would like to share my recent home selling and buying experience involving Ramiro Rivas with you. Professionalism, Reliability and Availability. From the first moment I met Ramiro, I felt a sense of enthusiasm that rivaled mine. He never became frustrated no matter how things developed or how many times I changed my mind. His word was golden and I reached him the first time every time.
Also he knows Pasadena Real Estate and its surrounding areas better than anyone I've met. In closing I'd like to add that from start to finish my experience with Ramiro was a Positive and painless one and I ultimately ended up with the Townhouse I wanted.
Perry Poulopoulos, Pasadena Home
It has almost been a year and a half that I had been shopping for a condo/townhouse in California. I flew to LA for Christmas, Easter week and to attend my nephew’s wedding in July with intentions to be with family and to shop for a condominium where I might move within the year. My nephew introduced me to his best man/real estate agent who had been so kind and patiently educated me about LA and the surrounding counties. During my short visits, he drove us to a retirement gated-community in Corona, Anaheim and Long Beach etc., to name a few. My nephew, also an agent, picked us up and drove us to Rancho Cucamonga, a great place but, in my opinion, too far of a drive from where my sister and her family live.
Around the end of June, I finally moved to LA. I temporarily stayed with my sister near downtown LA and was desperate for a condo to purchase. Being impatient by nature, I hit the Craigslist. Of course, I had been warned about going to strange places with strangers. But for some reason, I had contacted an agent named RAMIRO RIVAS, COLDWELL BANKER. I supposed he had some listings that attracted me first. I think I left a message with this agent about having just arrived from Washington DC, thinking of retiring in LA, and not having a car to shop around. Ramiro immediately returned my call and scheduled to pick up my sister and me to see three or four units in Monterey Hills. I clearly specified my price range and that I wanted a two-bedroom/two baths unit, where I will feel secure and confident of living mostly by myself, a two-car garage, a balcony, facing east and at least within a 15-30 min. drive to my sister’s place. She is, after all, one of the reasons I decided to move here and leave Virginia/Washington, DC, after having lived there for almost thirty years and worked at The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for 25.
I found Ramiro overall very impressive: clean looking, soft-spoken, gentle person, intelligent, friendly and most of all knowledgeable about the area – Monterey Hills. Still hazy about directions, he explained how easy a drive it is from downtown LA. Eleven minutes on a good day, and how close Monterey Hills is to the Pasadena shops and restaurants. He drove us around to get a feel of the distance to the units he first showed us. After the first tour, I asked if I could see other condo units, perhaps, town homes to get an idea how they look within my price range for comparison. First of all the townhouses, were, in my opinion, too far a drive from my sister’s although they were only about 20-30 minutes. I wasn’t impressed with the townhouses I’ve been shown, mainly because of my price range. I then asked if I could see more inventories in Monterey Hills. One unit I was particularly interested in was a quick sale. Ramiro and I made an offer and were accepted. But because of the nature of the sale, it was going to be a long and grueling wait as the sale had to go to several steps to conclusion. On our fourth field trip, I was confident enough to drive to meet him by myself. I had asked if I could again see one unit he had shown us during the first tour. He also took the liberty of showing me another unit in the same area. Between two units he showed me, one was an immaculately move-in condition, the other a fixer upper, facing northeast. I made an offer on the first condo and got a counter offer of a final price offer. The fixer upper had been reduced dramatically and thus, my deciding factor. It also had more privacy in the balcony area. I could have new appliances of my choice, new paint, moldings, great color paint, etc. Though at first I wasn’t entirely thrilled at the looks of the unit, I saw it had great potential and a great opportunity to exercise my design and decorating skills, my passion in life. Ramiro and I made an offer and got accepted. In 21 August, I got the keys.
I moved in and the renovations began. I had the popcorn ceiling scraped, painted the whole area, molding installed, painted the balcony floor and rails and in the kitchen--replaced all hardware and hinges, new top maple cabinets, deep double sink, steaming hot water, waste disposal, faucet set, recessed ceiling lights, pendant lites for the bar counter, etc. I had installed black galaxy granite counters, painted the remaining drawers and pantry and put fresh paint on the two bathrooms and replaced the huge mirrors with framed mirrors. I replaced every gadget: smoke alarms, door knobs, switches, plugs and plates, etc. Finally I had new hardwood floors installed and completed just last week. The result--just beautiful! Gorgeous! Rich-looking. Great move. Great investment!
It has been almost five months and I’m happily settled in a great condo after all the renovations have been completed. I had a housewarming/thanksgiving dinner, a culmination of my hunt for a place to live/work/retire/start a new life in LA. And Ramiro made it all possible. I think Monterey Hills is a gem of a place, not too many people know about. It’s accessibility to Pasadena shops and restaurant is a great plus! Ramiro, thank you very much!!!
I tip my hat to Ramiro who had introduced me to Monterey Hills where I feel secure with my choice, and for helping me with the process of purchasing a home with such ease and confidence. I highly recommend Ramiro and without hesitation introduce him to my relatives, friends and colleagues in Washington, DC and Virginia who might want to invest and/or live in Monterey Hills, Pasadena, and other surrounding areas in the future.
Lourdes Cuadro, Monterey Hills Condo
The main thing that will always stand out to me about Ramiro Rivas is his integrity with never swaying from the prices in which he thought was right for any given property. In the end, we saw our dream home, on our dream street, in our dream location. And again, we didn't feel that we had a chance, but thought, may as well try. Accommodating as ever, Ramiro optimistically wrote up our offer as always, and delivered it to the agent. Only this time, we finally got OUR home, and we couldn’t be happier. Ramiro has surely been one of the few bright spots in the search for a new home, from the beginning to end.
After the sale, Ramiro continued to be helpful in arranging services for the new home. Through the entire process, he has become more of a friend than a realtor, which says a lot in a day and age where finding anybody that is good at what they do is a true rarity.
We now have the perfect Pasadena home, for us, right up the street from my family, in my childhood neighborhood, to live for many years with our baby daughter...Thanks to Ramiro.
Genji & Thanh Oe, Pasadena Home
