Bern McGovern

Simply put, Bern is the first real estate agent my wife and I ever worked with and will be our last. He did a wonderful job walking us novices through the home buying process, which can be complicated and downright scary when you’re a noob. He’s professional, unassuming and lacks the ego of your typical LA real estate agent. Despite being an Eagles fan, he’s a good guy and you should go with him too.

Bern is a long-​term relationship professional who is not looking for a quick transaction. More than once he directed us away from properties that would not have been suitable.
He’s easy to talk to, has knowledge of the area, and has a wealth of post-​transaction vendors at his disposal.

As a fan of nineties film nostalgia, I was instantly drawn to Bern’s signage, «Spend your weekend with Bernie!» I told my wife we definitely had to add him to our list of interviews. Not as big a fan of Andrew McCarthy movies, she reluctantly agreed. However, after we met with Bern we both knew right away he was the realtor for us. We were drawn to his sincerity and professionalism. We met with a few other people who just seemed too flashy and quite frankly, arrogant. We both got the sense that Bern would truly work with us and our budget.
This was our first home, so I was admittedly a little terrified. But Bern always alleviated any stresses I had. I must have emailed him a million questions throughout the process, and Bern answered every single one of them. He was always quick to respond, and we really felt like he put us first.
When we found the home we knew was meant for us, Bern really guided us through. With his help, we wrote a beautiful letter to the sellers, selling our family to them. I still don’t know how it happened, we were up against several cash offers, but ours was accepted! I suspect it’s because people like working with him. When it was all said and done, I felt like we had made a lifelong friendship. I couldn’t imagine going through that process without him.

My house was in Los Feliz and I interviewed several candidates for the listing. Some were old timers in the neighborhood, others had sold houses in the area and Bern. He was not from the area, with his office on the westside, but his non-​flashy super professionalism and, from my point of view, his ethical zeal moved him to the top of the list.
How many ways can I describe my total satisfaction with his consummate professionalism and service. From providing the most accurate estimate of the selling price of the house, to his utter willingness to be available in every way, I cannot recommend him highly enough.
What was particularly outstanding was his efforts on matters that I did not suspect would arise. It is one thing to do the anticipated services, but to time and time again respond to the unexpected was remarkable.
These comments are in no way meant to denigrate his services in relation to the sale. At his own expense he provided a stager to recommend articles to remove from the house and to add specific pieces as necessary. The photographer chosen specializes in homes going for 10 times our listing price. The video made included a drone, shots from the neighborhood as well as a wonderful walk through.
These steps, together with the initial asking price (a number I insisted on as his valuation was more than any 2 bedroom house in the area had ever gone for by a good margin), resulted in over 200 visitors for the brokers open house, over 100 more for the weekend viewing and another 40 on the next Tuesday, and a staggering 18 offers, 17 over asking.
He advised rejecting the highest offer which was more than 100k over asking but subject to a 24 hour limit. Friends and relatives were agog over the rejection, but best and final offers went up another 58k. Talk about knowing the market!
During the inspection period, while I was overseas, he kept me fully apprised of all developments through texts, emails and FaceTime.
His services were so outstanding I voluntarily increased his fee by ¼ percent.
If you are considering using the services of Bern McGovern, do yourself a favor and hire him!

Bern helped me and my wife find a three bedroom condo in Culver City at a reasonable price. The initial reason I contacted Bern over any other agent was the Redfin commission rebate. Now the we know Bern we would gladly use his services without the rebate. We both feel that he is very professional. He is generally very nice and easy going. When our our deposit was on the line or our interests were not being addressed adequately or in a timely manor by the lender, HOA, or selling agent he stepped in and was very assertive and direct. I could contact him by phone or text day or night. He was very responsive and made us feel comfortable. He steered us into a winning bid in a multiple offer situation. His documents were always easy for us to sign online. He brought us back to the unit several extra times so we could be sure we were getting the right place. He has connected us with his handyman and gave us a nice bottle of champagne at closing. I wish him success in his future dealings.

We were super lucky and grateful to have found Bern. I’ve heard horror stories about real estate agents so I was very careful in selecting an agent when I was ready to look for a house. I met with a few agents but when I met Bern, I knew he was the one for us. He came polished, on time, and prepared. He was professional but easy going at the same time. Most importantly he is honest and genuine. He didn’t try to sway us to buy a certain house, nor push us into something we didn’t want to do. When asked, he would provide his opinion based on his research and knowledge of the current market. He was objective in his responses.
We didn’t think it would take us 6 months to find our perfect home but it did! Bern was present and checked in throughout the lulls of house hunting to let us know he is still actively searching for us. Bern is quick in responding to emails and phone calls and his turnaround time to answer questions is about 24 hours if he needed to reach the listing agent. Being a first time homeowner, I needed an agent that was patient and explained to me every step of the process. Bern did that very thing. Transparency is hard sometimes when there are so many moving parts when buying a home i.e. lender, mortgage broker, listing agent, buyer but Bern made the process as smooth and clear as it possibly could have been. I am definitely recommending Bern to all my friends and family.

We met Bern at the beginning of what turned out to be a 6 month home buying process. Through it all, Bern was extremely helpful, proactive and supportive as we looked at maybe 35−40+ properties in search of the place we wanted. He patiently arranged appointments, met us at open houses, answered calls/​texts at all times of the day and much more. I highly recommend using Bern for a friendly and active home buying process.

I did not end up purchasing a property with Bern, but his level of service was impeccable. He knew from the beginning that I may not be able to purchase immediately, but took the time to explain the process and even show me a few properties. The learning process became far less intimidating, and I will be calling Bern when the time is right for me to buy.

Bern was our real estate agent during our first home purchase (or in this case, condo) 3 weeks ago in Brentwood. We chanced upon him while casually searching in Marina del Rey. He never fails to impress.
Seriously. I can’t say enough good things. We were completely clueless as to what the escrow process entailed, red flags to look for in HOA contacts, etc. Bern clued us in with all the information we needed and it always felt like he had our best interest in mind. Bern is honest, never pushy, and just all around genuine. If you ever need help or explanations, he’s always patient and available. Honestly, I’m running out adjectives to describe his awesomeness.
If being nice isn’t enough, he’s also incredibly organized and always punctual. He would bring a binder for us to keep with a spec sheet for every listing, with an area for notes. He made us feel like we were his only clients. He emailed us listings on a daily basis based on the location and personal preferences you provide so when that perfect listing comes along you can be the first to see it and even put in an offer.
After a few open housing excursions, Bern will quickly learn what you love and hate so you don’t waste time at places you know you won’t like.
My wife and I love Bern and will undoubtedly be using him when we’re ready to upgrade!

We finally closed escrow on our first house and we couldn’t have done it without Bern! My husband and I are so lucky to have met Bern while house hunting on the Westside. Our first impression of him was great-​not cheesy or pushy like many of the other real estate agents we’ve met. And as our homebuying journey progressed, our first impression was validated twofold – he’s just a downright honest, likable, trustworthy guy.
Bern was very conscious of staying within our price range and paid close attention to the qualities we were looking for in our first home. He gave us honest feedback about the units we toured and their neighborhoods and showed us the utmost patience during the several months it took us to find the perfect place. He would send us listings of properties on a weekly, sometimes daily basis, to make sure we didn’t miss any opportunities. And when we found properties we were interested in, Bern gave us private showings with enthusiasm and without pushiness. When we finally found our dream home, Bern helped us close the deal. There were 5 other offers on our property, two of them cash deals. We were nervous, but with Bern’s guidance and thoughtful presentation to the seller, they accepted OUR offer!
Overall he is professional, organized and willing to go above and beyond to satisfy his clients. He is a realtor with true integrity and it is no wonder why he has loyal clients and such good rapport with other people in the field.
Not only have my husband and I found our go-​to real estate agent, we’ve also made a friend! When we are ready to upgrade to our next property, we will surely be contacting Bern!

Bern was awesome! Not only was Bern a true professional, but super friendly to work with as well. He was always on time, prompt in his responses and made a first time home buyer like me very at ease during the entire process. As a result, I am typing this review from my dream home =) and I could not be happier! I would highly recommend using Bern to find your next home!

What can I say about this guy that hasn’t already been said in the other glowing reviews? Bern is a fantastic realtor, and my family and I had an extremely wonderful experience with him. We were interested in buying a condo in the Brentwood/​Santa Monica area, and within a day of reaching out to Bern, he had sent us a dozen or more listings and set up appointments and put together an itinerary to view a handful of properties.
After a few days of home tours and getting an understanding of the market from Bern, we had come to the realization that we weren’t ready to purchase just yet. We felt guilty of course, like we had in some sense wasted Bern’s time. Bern however did not at all feel that way. He actually thanked US for the opportunity to work together and asked that we get in touch with him if and when we decided we were ready to purchase, and I can say definitively that we certainly will.
To that affect, Bern’s sincere personality (which is of course crucial in finding a good realtor) made him a delight to spend time with, and made it immediately easy to trust in him. He’s young, hardworking and upbeat. His enthusiasm is infectious. Nothing about the man felt artificial or disingenuous; he simply wanted to find us the ideal place that would best meet our needs, and worked tirelessly to do so. I have no doubt that when the time comes when I am ready to purchase real estate, he’ll be able to find me that dream property, with a smile.

Best realtor ever (and now friend)! He went above and beyond during and even after the sale. I still go to him for questions on home warranty and etc, and he is always happy and prompt to help. The selling agent even told us that one of the main reasons for the Sellers selecting us was because of Bern’s presentation (pretty darn impressive; a must see) and personality. Thank you x 3~~~~

Bern is an absolute godsend! I can’t recommend him highly enough.
He held our hand through the whole process of buying our first home, and was always available to us for questions, doubts, stresses, excitement… all of it. He is not someone who will try to sell you something you don’t want or can’t afford. He is always honest and will give you the straight story on any situation. And on top of it all, he’s a lovely person to spend your time with while stuck in Los Angeles traffic between open houses.

My wife and I had the unfortunate advantage of having worked with another realtor for a while, so when we met Bern and began working with him, we were able to see just how extraordinary he was. As first time home buyers, we had a million questions, and Bern was happy to answer every single one, or do the legwork until he found the answer.
He is amazingly prompt with his email and phone responses, which, when you are racing to get a form filled out or submitted by the end of a business day, is a LIFE SAVER! Bern takes a personal interest in your home buying (or selling) process: he was here with us for inspections, giving his thoughts and recommendations, both as a realtor and as a friend (i.e. if he thinks something is overpriced or fishy, he’ll tell you). He also manages relationships and personalities really well, so dealing with other realtors, sellers, mortgage brokers etc. became 10 times easier with him mediating.
I cannot recommend him enough (and already have, to ALL of our friends). When the times come for our next home, there is no question we will use Bern again.

Hands down, Bern is one of the best realtors around. He knows the real estate business inside out, and he helped my husband and I immensely when we purchased our first home back in September. Bern is always reachable, and is consistently on top of every little detail. The best part is that on top of all of his skills, he also happens to be an absolutely lovely person. Buying a home can be a bit of a roller coaster experience, but having Bern explain everything every step of the way, and knowing that he always was on our side made it a piece of cake. I can’t recommend him enough!