Darrel LeClair – Bradley Real Estate

Darrel is not the first realtor we have used, but he will be the last! His absolute honesty and welcome candor, are rare attributes among the alpha realtors of Marin, whose ferocious competitiveness can be overwhelming. He became a valued friend while we sold our house and is incredibly knowledgable about all the laws and codes that you have to comply with as well as being the fastest at spotting possible future codes that may impact your sale. He was incredibly honorable and we could trust him to «do the right thing» no matter the circumstances. We felt safe that he had our backs at all times and he made the sale an easy transaction, and dealt with complications efficiently and thoroughly as they arose. We cannot recommend Darrel highly enough.

We met Darrel at an open house he was showing in 2011 and eventually closed on our purchase in Mill Valley in May of 2015. We were far from the easiest clients to work with. We sold our first home in 2010 after purchase in 2005 as a negotiated short sale. In addition to this, I bought a company in August of 2013 and became self-​employed. Both of these elements presented many challenges to getting a mortgage and we disclosed all of this to Darrel over the 4 – 5 years that we worked together to find a home. Darrel was extremely patient and worked with us as we turned the search «off» and «on» again. A few other realtors simply wrote us off as «too difficult», but Darrel stuck with us. We had many lenders turn us down along the way but Darrel had lenders that he worked with that eventually got it done for us. We owe him a lot and I cannot thank him enough. Darrel has a lot of experience in real estate, residential construction, running a small business as well as selling one. He is a modest guy and he never pushed us, which we appreciated. We placed offers on both homes that would be scraped to the studs as well as homes that needed very little improvement. Darrels guidance in how much things may cost was very helpful. Also, Darrel is great when it comes to negotiating contracts and he is the best at making sure you avoid any pitfalls in the process. We will recommend Darrel forever. Darrel is a very talented Real Estate Agent.

If you are looking for a knowledgable, smart, patient and professional agent to either help you sell your home or find a new home then Darrel is your guy! We met Darrel at an open house and really liked that he wasn’t pushy or overbearing, but instead low key, yet he brought a lot of expertise to the table. He has been available at a moments notice and has spent many, many hours researching and going above and beyond to make sure we found the perfect house. He guided us through ever step of the purchase process and we couldn’t be more grateful for all he’s done for us.
I would absolutely recommend Darrel to friends or family looking for or selling a home.

I have just closed escrow on a perfect house. I could not have accomplished this so efficiently and pleasantly without the guidance of Darrel LeClair.
When we first met he listened to all my requirements, my hopes and dreams, and we were off and running. He never showed me anything that was far from the mark, and as we continued to search, he had honed my needs to a fine point. The process took a year — the inventory was very scant when I began. His cheerfulness, humor, and insight were anchors for my concerns regarding the market in Marin. I relied on his experience not only in the real estate field, but in his technical construction knowledge. He had a remarkable ability to visualize remodeling possibilities and often we had virtually torn down walls, relocated appliances and deconstructed floor plans by the time we had finished a home tour.
He was never rushed, always returned my calls promptly and left no stone unturned in our quest, in which he really seemed more like a partner than an agent. When «the» house appeared, his negotiating talents were impressive. He went the extra mile in finding fair and reasonable contractors to complete inspections. And he seemed well liked and respected by other professionals in the field.
I happily and highly recommend Darrel to anyone, any age, who is beginning their search for a home.

Darrel was a great guide and advisor throughout the process of my recent home purchase. He is low key, straight forward, and always available. His experience with construction and remodeling has been very useful in helping me understand what I’m getting into. His negotiating experience came in handy in making the selection, the purchase, and the move as easy as possible. I would almost go as far as to say that he made the whole process enjoyable. I would highly recommend Darrel. In addition to being a conscientious agent, he’s also a great guy.

Working with Darrel to sell my home has been easy and efficient from day one. His experience, integrity and knowledge really guided me through some of the tougher decisions along the way, resulting in a very successful home sale. He has a rare combination of being very calm and down to earth as well as being highly professional and knowledgeable. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with Darrel again and would highly recommend him.

Darrel is one of the most knowledgeable and easy to work with real estate agents I’ve ever known. He brings his own experiences in buying and selling real estate in this geographical area, building and refurbishing properties and knowledge of potential values to every interaction.
I would not hesitate to have him represent me and my ‘desirements’ when buying or selling a property.

Darrel was just what we were looking for in a realtor. He was calm, straight talking, and attentive. We were first time home buyers, and he was more than willing to educate us through the process, and gave us very useful techniques that helped to get our offer accepted in a multiple bid situation. Darrel was extremely available, he answered his phone 99% of the time, and called us back within the hour on the rare occasion he didn’t answer. Our loan was held up at Fannie Mae for over 2 weeks. He stayed on top of the mortgage lender, and kept us and the seller calm as well. Most importantly, he treated us like we were his most valuable customers, even though we were buying a fairly low priced condo. I can’t tell you how happy we were that we went with him. Thank you again Darrel. We look forward to our next purchase with you!

We were lucky enough to run into Darrel at an open house one Sunday afternoon when we were first starting to look for a house in Marin. Over the next few months we got to know him more and more as he helped us out, scouting the area, and keeping us up to date, while we were thousands of miles away. After several trips to look at properties, some offers/​inspections that didn’t pan out, we were confident in Darrel’s ability to represent our interests and provide valuable advice. Ultimately, he found THE house for us and guided the transaction very smoothly under very difficult conditions. I was very impressed with his professionalism and skill in working with people — sometimes a challenge in this market. We could not recommend a better realtor, and a better person, than Darrel if you need assistance in the Marin realty market.

My wife and I recently worked with Darrel to purchase our first home. Since it was our first home, we had many things to learn about the process and needed someone with the knowledge and, most importantly, patience to guide us along the way. When we first met Darrel, we were instantly connected to his calming demeanor and authentic sensibilities. We had met with other great realtors but there is a certain intangible he has when it comes to connecting with his clients and it sets him apart from the others. When we would meet to look at listings Darrel would often spend the better part of two hours at a single property to make sure we had all our questions answered before moving on. Additionally, we had some peculiar situations arise as part of our escrow process and Darrel worked tirelessly to keep us updated on progress and provided alternatives to make sure both sides were moving forward. Because my wife and I both get back from work late, many times he arranged to meet in the evenings and was always available via a short text, call or email. Then to top it all off, Darrel even gave us a bottle of wine, two glasses, and a home depot gift card (cause I had mentioned once that I needed some new toys) to welcome us into our first home. Thoughtful, patient, authentic, and responsive. Thanks so much Darrel!

When my wife and I first started searching for our first home in February 2012, we were completely unfamiliar with the process involved. We began the search by meeting with several (literally, seven) different realtors specializing in Marin realty. That was an interesting process, and allowed us to filter out options as necessary. It quickly became obvious that some realtors care only about selling you A HOUSE, not necessarily paying attention to what you actually want or need out of a home. Others, simply put, were turned off by our budget (which, given, for Marin standards was on the lower end). Darrel LeClair instantly stood out to us as a realtor that cared more than anything about our own happiness, and the long process we went through (we ultimately bought a short sale home with two lenders in San Rafael) proved that this assessment of him as a realtor and person was indeed accurate. The process (from first looking at homes to putting in an offer to dealing with the unbelievable chaos involved in a short sale) took nearly 9 months. Not once did Darrel show frustration with us. He has bigger fish to fry in this market, we know that… but he never made us feel like we were low-​end buyers wasting his time. Actually, quite the opposite. I never would have imagined my realtor being so involved in the decision making and renovation planning. He has a wealth of construction/​renovation knowledge that he shared along the way, and was always up-​front about what we could expect if we went down a particular route.
Definitely the defining moment in terms of his commitment to us as an honest and trustworthy realtor was when we had arranged to meet him in a different San Rafael home with the intention of preparing an offer. We stood around in the living area chatting, and at the end of the discussion it was Darrel that suggested we not put an offer in, because he didn’t want to see us stressed out with home payments. He thought we weren’t quite there yet, and discouraged us from buying the home. I remember thinking that seemed unusual, but something that I respect more than I can put into words.
I would absolutely recommend Darrel to anybody looking for a home, whether you are a seasoned veteran at home-​buying or first-​time buyers like us; you will undoubtedly be glad you made that decision.

I am in the lending business and had the opportunity to work with Darrell recently. He is a top rated and commited professional. His communication was flawless and when something needed to be done, Darrell was on top of it. He is top notch and I would not hesitate to refer Darrell to any of my clients.
Most important of all, Darrell was always up front and I knew at every step, that I was dealing with an ethical and honorable individual.

The cool thing about Darrel, well there are a few cool things… First, he’s very laid back and compassionate. He truly comes from a positive caring place. The other thing is that he started investing in real estate a long time ago and was mentored by a Realtor who helped him get started. You get the feeling from talking to him that he wants to pass this on to his clients. Then there’s the fact that he has remodeled many homes and that really gives him a perspective that other agents don’t have. He’s been there, and done that. Meet him. If you want a Ken Doll with sparkles flying off his teeth and a gleaming Mercedes Benz who can be seen at all the right parties, that’s not Darrel, (thank God!) but if you want a real, warm, knowledegable Marin Realtor who can guide you through the process of buying or selling a home, he’s the man.

Darrel is very knowledgeable about real estate and he is a good guy to boot. He knows the ins and outs of the market and uses his extensive personal experience buying and selling homes to help his clients get the best value for the money. Also, he is not hesitant to take on really picky clients like myself, who have a lot of fears about buying anything in this market but really want to settle into a home anyway.

I met Darrel by chance at a Marin open house he was hosting during the early stages of my home search. In contrast to some pushy or condescending agents I had encountered, he had a relaxed and friendly manner and listened to my ideas. I found Darrel’s own approach to discerning value in the current market compelling, and the fact that he had personally rehabilitated and sold properties gave him credibility. That knowledge and experience were great resources in the months that followed, as we looked at dozens of properties in southern Marin. Darrel was always patient with my evolving preferences and willing to talk at length about the merits of a given property. He leveraged his contacts to identify interesting prospects before they came on the market, one of which I eventually bought. During the actual purchase phase, Darrel was very thorough in evaluating the property, covering some of the inspection costs himself, reaching out to his contractor friends for advice and even crawling under the house to inspect the foundation with me. (How many agents do that?!) He was also an adept negotiator, helping me make dispassionate decisions during some frustrating back-​and-​forth with the seller. Now that the purchase is complete, Darrel has been as helpful as ever, always generous with advice on how to tackle issues with my new house. Only time will ultimately tell whether I have made a good choice for my new home, particularly from an investment perspective, but I can’t imagine having a better adviser for my search than Darrel. I fully recommend him.

As a mortgage broker, I work with numerous Realtors and it’s rare that I find one with the honesty and integrity that I found in Darrel. We recently worked together on a home purchase for a first time home buyer and I found Darrel to be extremely responsive and very knowledgeable. It showed throughout the process that he was looking out for his client’s best interests. I would wholeheartedly recommend Darrel to anyone looking for an outstanding Realtor.