Jim Ellis – Coldwell Banker

Jim was our agent who helped us purchase our home back in 2012 and given his level of professionalism, he was the first person we thought of when we decided to sell our home. Jim was amazing as expected and guided us on how to set up our home, hired a professional photographer, created high quality fliers, released advertisements and even held an open house. The results of his hard work paid off in that we had a buyer immediately and Jim was able to work with the buyer’s agent in California as well as worked with our agent in WA state to ensure all documentation was made available to assist us with the purchase of our new home there. He is a true professional who always puts his clients first as well as maintains his relationship for years to come. I cannot recommend a better real estate agent and assure you that you will not regret having him on your side.

Jim was FANTASTIC! We lucked into finding him (my former agent in San Francisco referred us to Jim since he knows the East Bay better than she does). He is endlessly patient, uses his experience as a therapist to talk you off the ledge when you need it, and is not afraid to walk away from a deal when it doesn’t feel right. He is very responsive and available literally around the clock. The real benefit of working with Jim came to us when we went into escrow. That experience was a total circus and Jim went above and beyond the call of duty on an almost daily basis to keep things on track. We are now in our dream home, thanks in large part due to Jim’s efforts.

There are many excellent real estate agents in Contra Costa County so it takes a lot to stand out on top. I put Jim Ellis at the very top of the group for several reasons. He did not represent me in my most recent real estate transaction. He represented the seller. He did such a good job for his clients that I then asked him to represent me when I put another house on the market. I can tell you some very specific reasons why I was so impressed. First, I could see that he was always watching out for his clients. Every contact with him was conducted on a level of honesty and integrity. Real estate is fraught with potholes and deals fall through for many reasons. Not with this man. Everyone was on the same page and cooperative. He was the center hub of a transaction that was always fair and any (normal) glitches were not problems to him. He had no problems, only solutions. Financing, repairs, inspections … It didn’t matter, everything was steady, even and certain.
Did I pay full price for the house? I admit, I did. (A bit more actually) But I was convinced that the house was priced accurately and was a quality product. In other words, he didn’t «sell me», he SHOWED me, that it was worth paying the price that his client’s were asking. That is the highest level of professionalism possible.
One other point which says a lot. I noticed that the people working with Jim Ellis (his office, termite inspectors, title company), think the world of him. That is always a very important factor to me in real estate. These are the folks who have worked with him for years and they are professionals in the industry.

Jim helped my family sell my father’s home in Lafayette. I live out of the area, so was a bit worried about handling the sale. Jim made the process run smoothly and was very good about keeping me informed. His evaluation of the value of the property was right on — we had 2 offers above asking price as soon as the property was listed — and this was in December! He was honest, caring, timely, and competent. I would recommend him highly.

Is there a 6 star category?! Jim has been an absolute delight to work with. He helped up with the purchase of our new home and the sale of our existing home. He’s knowledgeable, funny and his communicational style is well beyond expectation. He is attentive to every part of the process and he really knows the market. He cared that we were happy with what we chose and there was no pressure to buy something we weren’t going to be happy with. He was exceptionally responsive and he was so patient with our kids when we brought them along on some house hunting. He’s clearly well respected by everyone who works with him and that reputation is well deserved. He’s really one of a kind. While we are thrilled to have the process almost behind us and assume that our next move will be to pine boxes (!), we’ll miss working with Jim, but plan to stay in contact with him as he is a complete delight. Such a wonderful find. If you are looking to buy or sell a home, you want Jim by your side! He is really amazing!

This review was a long time coming. Jim is the type of guy you want by your side when you go through the process of buying a house. Eight years ago (has it been that long?) when i decided to buy a house in the bay area Jim helped walk me through the process. He acted as a guide and a mentor but did not superimpose his own opinions or push me to far to make a decision I was not ready to make. Buying a house is a personal and emotional experience and Jim had just the right touch to get me through it.
All of this is besides the fact that Jim is a really nice guy, and I just like doing business with genuinely nice people. He checks in time to time, and yes I know a realtor may do that anyways, but I know Jim does that because, well he just being Jim and for no other reason.

Jim did a great job helping us find the right house in the right location at the right price. He was patient and didn’t try to pressure us into settling for something we didn’t really want. He took the time to figure out what we were looking for and after homing in on our style gently insisted that we check out a house that turned out to be The One.
Jim is a canny negotiator and has good relationships with other realtors, which helped in getting info about houses we were considering. He is also a great help in finding inspectors and whatever other services you might need, even after the deal is closed. If you are looking for a house in the Lamorinda area, I definitely recommend calling Jim.

We recommend Jim and we’ll tell you why.
Jim would not push us toward a home we were not happy with like an agent we had previously worked with. He gave us good information, recommendations, and even suggestions on getting inspections that proved to be helpful. He is very friendly and easy to talk to. He stays in communication with you throughout the process. He was willing to play hardball when it was necessary. He assisted my wife and I to get our first and favorite home. A blessing and a challenge was that I was receiving a VA loan and he helped us to navigate it. We were worried that we were going to be pushed out of the housing market because of all the competition but we got lucky and had Jim’s guidance.
Jim is a GEM. We trust and highly recommend him!!!
The Dlo’s

Jim is an excellent Realtor who goes above and beyond for his clients. I heartily endorse him.
I found Jim through USAA — my family and I were making a move from Singapore back to the Bay Area as part of a company relocation. My wife and I had a very limited window during a week-​long house hunting trip in April 2013 to find a house that we liked, and have an offer accepted before flying back to Asia. After spending ½ day with us looking at houses in the Lamorinda area, Jim recommended we look at a house in Danville, an area we were not originally looking at, but he felt it would check all the boxes for us and give us exactly what we need — Jim has a canny sense about understanding what’s really important to his clients, and coming up with options that would work best as a result. We ended up having our offer accepted on the property in a very competitive situation and helped us through the close process, even while we were half-​way across the world.
We’ve been in the house for two months now, and love it, and the neighborhood. Jim really helped make our international household move a successful one.
To me, Jim’s strengths are:
— his understanding of the East Bay market,
— strong network of what I call the «supporting cast» (everyone from home inspectors, mortgage brokers, window washers, you name it!),
— sixth sense as to what his clients are really after,
— very proactive,
— and a very personable guy
Obviously, I would choose him again!
Paul in Danville

I recently used Jim for the sale of a home in Berkeley. He was fantastic! We received an offer within the first week of over 20% over asking! I am a busy attorney and Jim made the entire process as painless as it gets. He was organized and efficient, respecting my time and efforts. He provided me with a timeline and stuck to it. I not only use Jim, but have referred my own clients to him as well. I give him my highest recommendation.

I highly recommend Jim Ellis as an agent to represent a first-​time home buyer. Jim is a considerate person who balances a friendly, supportive, and helpful approach with sensible, professional, and direct representation. He showed me the ropes of first-​time home buying with clear explanations and instructions. I was clueless at first, and Jim made me feel comfortable as I learned about the industry and market. He provided me with the top-​notch representation of an experienced real estate agent. In a tough market where every available property had multiple competitive offers, Jim found new and creative ways to get my offers considered. He helped me steer clear of bad situations. And only through his adaptive approach, persistence, and determination was I able to finally purchase the home of my dreams. Try him out and he won’t let you down.
–Brian Vandemark, first time home buyer in Concord, CA

It’s hard to «over-​recommend» Jim Ellis. I have dealt with a few realtors over the years, in multiple states, and this is the first time it was actually enjoyable! I always looked forward to our neighborhood drives together, because it was always a blast. Jim is funny, personable, engaging and friendly.
But of course you wouldn’t choose a realtor based on just friendliness, so I should also mention that he is also incredibly capable of understanding what you are looking for. My wife and I had a particular type of 3-​bed/​2-​bath house in mind, even though we didn’t really know how to describe it. I’ll just say that we wanted a nice house in a nice neighborhood, with updated features and move-​in ready, for around $ 600k. In short, no special features, but given that, everything else as nice as possible. Since we had just moved to the East Bay Area, we didn’t really know have a particular location in mind.
After just one afternoon tour with a few houses and watching our reactions, Jim nailed down our desires perfectly. From then on every single house he showed us was a contender. It showed just how much he knows how to listen and observe. He was more than willing to show us a variety of neighborhoods all over the East Bay. And while Jim is engaging, he will never talk too much and always gives you the space and time you need to look at everything you want. It’s probably not surprising that in a prior career he was a marriage and family counselor, so he definitely has people skills. Add to that a very high intelligence (he went to Cal) and, ladies and gentlemen, we have ourselves a real estate ringer!
Another reason for the 5-​star rating is how he really went to bat for us in the negotiation phase. He personally met with the seller and convinced her to at least counter-​offer when she had already turned down two other higher offers — yes, our offer was lower!
I highly recommend using Jim as your realtor. You will not regret it.

Everyone knows a realtor. But I know a great realtor. He has a complete understanding of the home buying process. He goes out of his way to help you find a home that’s right for you (and your spouse). He’s patient. He listens. And he really tunes into what your preferences are. He’ll steer you away from a house that isn’t right for you. He is a pleasure to be around. He is knowledgeable about the greater east bay area. My husband and I just bought a house with Jim Ellis. I highly recommend him.

Jim Ellis is a 5-​Star real estate agent. He has deep knowledge of the Orinda market. Jim also has a serious interest in his client’s needs. From day one Jim helped us look for a home that had both real estate and life appeal. Jim is also a pleasure to work with. He has a very kind and welcoming demeanor. Someone you definitely want on your side. We will only recommend Jim Ellis to our friends looking for a home in Orinda.