My wife and I got off to a good start with Simon when our daughter, living in Oakland, contacted him to show her a couple of houses for us while we were living in New York. He took the time to do so without ever meeting us or talking to us. Our daughter was impressed with him so when we came to visit the area we met with Simon on her recommendation.

Simon really listened and understood as we talked through our concerns about selling in New York and moving here. He always kept our needs in mind and stayed in constant touch with us when we went back to New York.

Two and a half months later we sold our house and moved here into a hotel and put our furniture into storage. Simon was dedicated to getting us into the right home and showed us many houses. We could always count on Simon to point out the best features as well as the undesirable aspects of the houses, making sure we wouldn't be tempted to settle on something just because we wanted to get into a house.
We had confidence in his choices. He was knowledgable about the areas where he showed us houses and always pointed out things of interest, shopping, main roads, etc.

Simon was a valuable advisor as to real estate laws, especially since things are very different here than in New York. He worked hard for us and he was reliable, dedicated and dependable. Simon found a home for us that is exactly what we described when we first met him.

We would highly recommend Simon Watson.

Simon was my real estate agent for a purchase transaction and the service he provided were above my expectations.

Simon insisted I had to really love the property before making an offer. Thanks to his persistence, I found a place I absolutely loved and purchased.

Simon is knowledgeable, patient and an extremely good negotiator.
He knows the Bay Area market well and was able to guide me through the search, negotiation and financing process.

I will do business with Simon and I highly recommend his services.

As first time homebuyers, Simon made the process a lot easier. He is extremely proactive and involved every step of the way.

He is very knowledgeable and someone you can trust is looking out for your best interest.

I highly recommend him!

My family worked with Simon on the sale of a house and a new home purchase. it was a very long process with a lot of special considerations. he went out of his way to be available for us, and never made me feel like i was bothering him when i frequently called or emailed.

i would highly recommend Simon to anyone looking for a reliable and trustworthy realtor!
Kristina

We had an absolutely awesome experience with Simon when we purchasing our home i don't think it could get any easier. he was knowledgeable , personable, thoughtful and patient .
Thanks

Simon is a fantastic Real Estate Agent. He is patient, honest, smart, responsive, and always flexible. He helped my wife and I find the perfect home last year. He´s one of the rare RE agents that looks out for his clients´ best interests. I would recommend him to anyone looking for a home in Contra Costa County!

David and Simon were a huge help to my family in finding a house in NorthGate in Walnut Creek. I had read reviews and they didn't disappoint. We initially spent timing reviewing the important things that mattered to us to help us narrow the search. They spent time reviewing listings, recommending houses and going with us on numerous searches during our time-sensitive search.

I can ABSOLUTELY recommend Simon if you are looking to buy a home in Contra Costa County.

My wife and I originally tried Redfin to buy our first home; unfortunately, we were disappointed in the process. We chose to go with a traditional real estate agent, and found Simon (and his partner, David Zabarte) on Yelp. After seeing all the 5-star reviews, and talking with both Simon and David about what we were looking for, we decided to give them a chance. I'm glad we did, because they made the whole process so easy!

After showing us a half-dozen homes, we finally found the house we really wanted. Simon's partner David helped us out the offer together. Once our offer was accepted, it was Simon's turn to shine.

One of the ways we got our offer accepted was to shorten our inspection periods. As first-time home buyers, we didn't have any home inspectors on standby. When Simon recommended a few inspectors, we figured that his guys would be as good as anybody we could pick randomly - but they were BETTER! Simon was able to get all or inspections done within the contingency period, and the inspectors did a thorough job.

As a result of the inspections, we find some minor issues that we wanted resolved. Simon walked is through the process of negotiating a reduction in sale price to compensate for those issues. Simon took a conservative approach to issues that came up, always making sure we understood the future ramifications of what we were doing.

Simon helped us get through the Appraisal process as well. Because we were getting an FHA loan, we needed to make sure the house appraised for (at least) the sales price. Not that Simon could have done anything about it, but it was a calming influence in our otherwise stressful lives.

Once the contingency periods passed, Simon kept in touch with us while our bank finished up the loan. Even while he was on vacation, Simon e-mailed us to make sure we got moved into our new house.

Overall, we were EXTREMELY pleased with Simon (and David). If you're looking for a easy, smooth, relaxed and knowledgeable real estate agent in Conta Costa County, I can't recommend Simon enough!

i was looking to buy my first home and after meeting with simon & david i learned a ton about the home buying process. it never felt like it was a speech/spiel. they were very thorough and welcoming of all my questions and even answered questions i didn't realize i had. they really go above and beyond. super patient.

due to change in circumstances i had to pause my search for 5 months. in that time david emailed me to check in but it was never pushy. i appreciate that they didn't make it feel like i was a waste of their time. this was quite a contrast to other real estate agents who can be pushy or dismissive.

once i was ready to buy again, simon & david were quick to welcome me back and map out our plan including areas to focus on and realistic price points. they really have a great grasp of current market conditions and the east bay area. while looking at houses with simon, he was great in navigating me thru cosmetic fixes vs red flags! he offered priceless expertise and insight with great experience to back. he had lots of questions to help me narrow down the type of house i was looking for.

when the right house came around simon was immensely knowledgeable in guiding me to a competitive offer. working with both simon and david during the offer process was seamless. they were excellent with timely communications. i primarily worked with simon but david was always up to date on my status. i really appreciate their great partnership.

simon was there for every inspection and was a wealth of knowledge. i truly felt like he was acting as the buyer-agent and protecting my best interest.

after all is said and done i'm a homeowner because i had such wonderful real estate agents by my side. many thanks to simon & david!!! i have already recommend them to friends and family.

My first experience working with Simon was 4 years ago when my parents were relocating from NY. I was doing a little leg work for them here in California and found Simon by chance. what a fortunate stroke of luck! even though i was not directly the customer, he was so obliging to meet me at properties on their behalf while they were on the east coast. and because of his professionalism and knowledge in real estate in the area, as well as simply being fun to work with, the transition in business to work directly with my parents to close a deal was very easy. they remain friends today and have only great things to say about their purchase experience.

My wife and I recently purchased a house using Simon as our realtor. He was a pleasure to work with from the time of our initial contact through closing. He is incredibly knowledgeable about the real estate market in the Bay Area and thoroughly answered all of our questions throughout the purchase process in a very timely manner.

I would recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a house in the East Bay.

Mr. Simon Watson is the Best agent we have met in a long time of my house searching, especially for his efficiency, focus to the point of customer´s interests, and professional integrity. Buying house is a headache painful and timely-sensitive. We felt lucky to have Mr. Watson´s assistance, in a short time, were able to purchase the house that we love much. I am impressed and highly recommend Mr. Simon Watson.

Simon,
I want to thank you so much for all your help and kindness in getting me through a very emotional and stressful time in getting my house sold.I am so grateful I was able to work you and David, you are both terrific. You could always make me laugh with your witty sense of humour, you say the funniest things.
Thank you Simon for everything,
Sue S

Second time around with Simon, just as great as the first!

I first worked with Simon two years ago when my husband and I were looking to purchase our first home with a VA loan. I knew he was great helping us purchase our home, so when we needed to sell our home quickly, he was the first call I made. If you think buying a home is stressful, try selling one, especially when you need it done ASAP!

Start to finish, Simon explained everything beautifully. Every step of the process was easy to understand. He gives realistic and fantastic advice when reviewing offers. I would ask him for referrals for work that needed to be done prior to the house going on the market (i.e. pest inspections, repairs, etc.). Within hours of requesting the information, I had great contacts from Simon. Seriously, within hours! Simon also contacted me a few weeks after our home sale closed to see how I was doing and make sure I was settling into my new home. He feels like a great family friend who you would trust with your own children.

If you're looking for a great realtor, stop looking. Call Simon.

We are glad that Simon was referred to us. Simon is great to work with and very knowledgeable of the real estate market in the Bay Area. My girlfriend and I worked with Simon as a first time home buyers and were nervous because we heard horror stories of trying to buy a house in todays market with a VA loan. Not only was Simon very knowledgeable with VA loans, but he has a proven track record in closing deals with VA Loans.

We were very demanding homebuyers and asked lots of questions and he listened was very responsive and gave great service. We liked the way he went over everything and gives you all the outcomes. I would recommend Simon highly.

We have just had the pleasure of working with Simon, on our recent purchase for a townhouse, in Benicia. We are older folks and integrity matters to us... Simon is the "real deal." Simon was knowledgeable, patient and forthright, with pointing out flaws or issues in the numerous properties we looked at.

Above all, he wanted us to be happy.... We are beyond delighted, with our recent purchase. Simon is diligent, patient and will go the "extra mile," whenever you need it. We would refer him to anyone, in a heartbeat. THANK YOU SIMON!!!!

Simon saved me (a first time buyer) from myself:

I put an offer in on a house and after three days of waiting, the sellers accepted an all cash offer.

I wanted to put an offer in on another home, but the renovations would have ruined me with the asking price,

I found a third home and they did not like my financing terms.

I thought that the last minute calls at work for faxed documents, homes with fatal flaws, and bidding wars were embellished for tv: I then stepped into the real world. Simon was prepared.

Had I bottomed out. 0 for 3 in less than a month?

Simon told me the hard truths whether I liked it or not: he is like an old friend. Simon was always polite and still made difference between my getting some house and getting my home! Listen to him and be patient...That is my best advice.

There was a listing at 6:00 am on a Sunday. I was at work but Simon went to check it out without me. Simon and I discussed it, "I think you will love this house. It has everything you were looking for, but you´ve got to get down here today and make a move on it. I think it´s going to move fast." I got off work and checked it out. It was my home...and I had to have it. I called Simon and there were already three offers in....in one (@!&*) day! I asked him for advice and we went in strong....we went in strong and won! I don´t regret a thing. I saw and bid on 4 homes in a month and have no questions....as to which one was right for me (in retrospect).

Simon gave me the right advice....Simon acted quickly and at the right time...Simon knew what I liked....I got MY HOME....and that is why he gets five stars.

Simon Watson is very experienced realtor and we really appreciate his efforts in helping us getting our first place. He helped us come up with words to respond and making good decisions during the process of purchasing a home.

Simon always helped to protect us and our money. Also, my husband and I work different hours and it was hard for us to go to see properties early in the day or even on Saturdays.

Simon really went out of his way and tried to meet us in the evenings and on Sundays and we know that is a lot to ask and we can not describe how much we appreciate all his efforts! He is the parachute agent you will need when you are skydiving into home purchasing process :)

I worked with Simon to sell my condo . He came to look at my condo and made a lot of great suggestions to get my condo ready to show before putting it on the market. The suggestions were great and it made a huge difference.

After accepting an offer , the whole process between offer and closing went very smoothly and we closed in 8 days.

I was extremely happy with whole experience and process. I would highly recommend Simon .

We just purchased our first rental property in Concord and Simon made it a great experience.He was able to effectively communicate with the seller and make the sale a super smooth transition.We were also doing a 1031 exchange and again his experience knowing about them was very helpful.

He has even helped us with brainstorming ways to get the most out of our investment and get the most rent.I would definitely work with Simon again and would recommend him to anyone!

This review is long overdue. My apologies Simon!

Simon Watson helped us buy our first home in December 2013. My wife found Simon on Yelp and we arranged to meet at the Keller Williams Realty offices. Simon and his partner David Zabarte took the time to explain the house buying process to us and asked us questions to help determine budget, location, etc. They recommended a mortgage company that they had worked with before that was good at closing a deal fast.

Simon was always patient and answered all our newbie questions no matter how silly they were. He gave us a large list of properties that fit our criteria; my wife and I spent a day driving around to look at the different areas and shortlisted the ones we wanted to see.

We met up with Simon in a couple of days and he patiently showed us all the properties we wanted to see. It helped that Simon used to be an appraiser and was able to spot things that we didn´t notice. He discussed the pros and cons with us at each property and helped keep us grounded. We took a day to think about what we had seen and decided to make an offer on one of the properties in Walnut Creek that seemed to fit our most important criteria the best (no property is perfect).

Simon went out of his way to accommodate my schedule, including meeting us at the Keller Williams offices at night and walking us through the offer letter process. He was there for all the inspections and recommended good companies for all aspects of the buying process after our offer was accepted.

Overall, the buying experience with Simon was fast, smooth and efficient. I would not hesitate to work with Simon on any real estate transaction in the future!

We had tried 2 other Realtors, we were not impressed. They always wanted to push us towards something we didn't want , need or could afford . A co-worker had used Simon in the past and highly recommend him and his team, one month later, we are home owners! .

Simon Watson and his team really care about their clients, take time with them, answer all questions and most of all, listen to what you want, and can afford. I can not believe I own my first home! Simon and his entire team, including the company he recommended for the loan were great. Do not hesitate, you too can own a home.

Thank you Simon!

Simon has great knowledge of the local housing market.He was always just a phone call away. Expert on the VA loan process. Simon was able to guide me through my first home buying experience. I would highly recommend him to anyone looking to buy in the Walnut Creek Area!

I initially connected with Simon Watson through a Trulia search back in 2013. I was looking to purchase my first home and had absolutely no clue about the ends and outs of purchasing a home. Simon has been extremely patient with me, informative, resourceful, warm, outgoing, honest and professional. If we were viewing a home together, he would be honest about the condition of the home and whether it suited my needs. Ive enjoyed the process of searching for a home with Simon.

Its been 5 years (the length of time was due to my unavailability because of traveling) but I finally found the home that I love. I can now say I am a homeowner thanks to Simon's superb negotiation skills and his kind personality.

I would recommend him to anyone that is purchasing a home for the first time and/or second time around.

Simon Watson was excellent in my home buying process. i am now the proud homeowner of my second home, a beautiful little condo. Recommended by a friend, Simon was very patient, took me to multiple listings, and has a great grasp of the local market. an excellent experience, very detail oriented, would highly recommend!