About Rick & Suzanne - Rick and Suzanne Bell

Meet Rick

Meet Suzanne

More About Rick

“Let’s try to approach this in a new and creative way”

Rick’s career in real estate began at a young age as the son of a local homebuilder, often working on his father’s construction sites. After graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara and later Santa Clara University (MBA), Rick began his professional career in 1989 as a commercial real estate broker focusing on the sale and leasing of industrial property at Cornish & Carey Commercial. Over the past 15 years, Rick and his wife Suzanne, who is also his real estate partner at COMPASS, have purchased nearly 50 properties for the purpose of renovating and reselling. Rick’s background in commercial and residential real estate sales, coupled with his knowledge of real estate investment and property renovation provide a unique skill set in assisting clients with their real estate needs. Rick and Suzanne find great enjoyment in collaborating on new and creative ways to apply their diverse skill sets to the marketing of their client’s homes.

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More About Suzanne

“I am eternally committed to customer service”

Following graduation from San Jose State with a degree in Social Work, Suzanne worked for 15 years as an executive at Nordstrom. In Suzanne’s case, this included positions as a salesperson, department manager, buyer and ultimately the manager of the Stonestown San Francisco and San Mateo Hillsdale stores. Having managed nearly 500 employees as a Nordstrom store manager, Suzanne’s background in leadership, problem solving & customer service provides for a very unique skill set in addressing the challenges often faced during a modern real estate transaction. Following the birth of Rick and Suzanne’s first child in 2003, Suzanne retired from Nordstrom and entered the real estate marketing field, initially at Coldwell Banker in Los Altos. Suzanne also produces a fashion and lifestyle blog, AskSuzanneBell.com, which allows her to explore her creative interests. Today, Rick and Suzanne enjoy working together in addressing their client’s real estate needs. Being an excellent listener and with the ability to keep many balls in the air simultaneously, Suzanne makes every effort to meet her client’s needs, while striving to exceed their expectations.

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Testimonials

Now that we’ve wrapped up the sale of our residence in Los Altos Hills, as well as the purchase of our new home in Los Altos, we want to let you know how pleased we are with both outcomes, as well as how the transactions were managed along the way.

With regard to the sale of our residence, we feel that you are both highly creative people and go to great lengths to develop a marketing plan that captures the personality of a home. Also, your mindful approach to the development of superior marketing collateral, coupled with your broad-based marketing approach through social media gave us great confidence that our home was being exposed to a large audience in a compelling manner.

When it came time to find us a new home, we gave you a very specific set of criteria and you delivered with an off-market opportunity that fulfilled everything on our wish list. Furthermore, the transaction couldn’t have gone smoother and we couldn’t be more pleased.

Once again, we want to thank you for your hard work and look forward to a long-lasting relationship.

Brian and Jenny K.

Now that we have completed the sale of my parents’ home, I wanted to thank you both for your help and hard work in bringing it to a successful conclusion. It’s probably uncommon that you meet a family these days that has inhabited a home for over half a century. It was my parents’ home but also the place I readily came back to for visits with them and where my children got to enjoy their company. I struggled with the decision to sell the property, both from a business/investment standpoint and because of my attachment to the property.

You both showed a perfect mix of sensitivity and pragmatism for getting the house prepped and on the market. Your knowledge of the area and ability to articulate a cohesive marketing strategy helped give me the confidence to move forward with the sale, particularly given the fact that I do not live in California. Once we were under way, I felt that you managed the process and the many details that a novice could easily mess up. You met my expectations of how the house would be marketed, presented (direct contact with either you or Suzanne at all times) and how the sale process would be managed. I was very pleased with the outcome.

I would gladly use your services again and would readily recommend you to anyone looking for a realtor. Please feel free to share my comments with others as an endorsement of your excellent services.

Annelise K.

As you know, my needs were very specific: downtown Los Altos, newer building, ground floor, corner unit and preferably 100 First Street. This criteria limited our search to a universe of perhaps a dozen condominiums. You delivered an off market alternative that met all of my criteria and I am extremely pleased with the outcome. You were organized, creative and a pleasure to work with. To anyone considering your services, I would highly recommend you.

Don C.

I am writing you today to thank you for the work you did in representing us in the purchase of our new office project at 401 Alberto Way in Los Gatos. You did a great job identifying the property as a potential redevelopment site for us, engaged the seller and created a sale which was a win-win for the seller and for us. This was a complicated sale transaction. After nearly three years under contract, and some potential pitfalls along the way, you helped us resolve situations between the parties that could have derailed the transaction. The $10M acquisition was also very complicated in nature given our intended redevelopment of the site. The entitlement challenges surrounding this project were considerable given current day politics in small towns, and the site’s proximity to neighboring condominium and townhome complexes. I’ve worked with many real estate agents over the years and for anyone considering your real estate services, I would give my highest recommendation. You were always accessible, highly responsive, detail oriented and took great steps to understand the complexities of the transaction, while adding value to the process whenever possible. Within the context of a residential transaction, I have no doubt that you will take every creative step to maximize your client’s position. Furthermore, you are a pleasure to deal with, which makes the process more rewarding. Thanks again and I look forward to our next transaction.

Randy L.

I interviewed more than one agent before selecting a partner in selling my mother’s home. It was clear to me from the onset that you both took the assignment very seriously and oversaw the marketing process from prep to closing flawlessly. Managing the probate challenges, along with multiple selling parties and attorneys didn’t appear to affect your marketing process or results in any way which made the transaction relatively stress free from my perspective. To anyone considering your services, I would highly recommend you both and look forward to our next opportunity to work together.

Mark C.

We really appreciate your help in selling our building in Sunnyvale. After nearly 30 years of ownership, when it came time to sell, you were the obvious choice. You’ve done a great job keeping up with us over the many years and you managed all of the details without a hitch. We always felt that you had everything under control and were always looking out for our best interest. Thanks again and good luck.”

Gene & Charlotte L.

Selling my family’s childhood home was a big decision and your insight and professionalism were instrumental in providing me with the perspective and confidence in which to make an informed decision. Beginning with your guidance in defining the scope of the pre-sale renovation and coupled with your access to good contractors and material suppliers, I believe that we maximized the renovation given our budget. Most importantly, I have no doubt that the increase in value added to the property by the renovation greatly exceeded its cost.

James R.

I want to thank you for your assistance in representing me in the sale of my Los Gatos building. After 31 years of ownership, it was time to move on and I am very pleased with the outcome. You were mindful of my needs and instrumental in bring the parties together in what turned out to be a very complicated transaction. I found you detail oriented and always felt that you had my best interest at heart. Thanks again and good luck.

Gregg C.

We are writing this letter to thank you for all of your hard work and dedication and for helping us purchase our home in Los Altos. You took the time to understand our priorities, were very efficient in managing the transaction and we are very pleased with the outcome. Despite the highly competitive market and very little inventory you were able to get us into a great home. From start to finish, it was a pleasure working with you and we just want to say thank you.

Jerry & Jen K.

We want to thank you for your assistance in helping us locate and negotiate for the purchase of our new building. Moving from 17,000 to 50,000 square feet was a large step for C&H Enterprises and we always felt that you worked very diligently on our behalf and made certain that all of the details were competently managed. Given the tight market, we were very pleased with your ability to identify a property that was not actively for sale and feel that we ultimately purchased the property well below market. If we ever have a real estate need, you will be our first call.

Herb & Colleen S.

Working with Rick and Suzanne Bell has many benefits. They know the community like the backs of their hands. They’re up to date on what buyers want, and what the likeliest prospective buyers are willing to pay. The sale in which they assisted me was one where I acted as trustee in marketing the home of a deceased friend, a situation that could have presented a number of unusual worries. Their expertise and responsiveness made everything easier, and led to a superior outcome. Suzanne’s sense of what makes a home inviting helped greatly with presenting it. Rick’s mastery of the technical requirements for a successful sale and closing enabled us to avert more than one small crisis. You’ll be pleased that you decided to work with them.

Hal M.

I would like to thank you for your help in buying my building. You were hard working, accessible, detail oriented and very helpful in evaluating issues and alternative remedies. Should I have a future real state need, either commercial or residential, you’ll be hearing from me.

Gang L.

Now that my home purchase is complete, I want to let you know that I greatly appreciate your assistance. You were a good listener and took the time to discuss and understand my needs. You managed the transaction highly effectively and with rare diligence from start to finish. You were always easy to reach days, nights and weekends and quickly responsive, which made the process pleasant and as efficient as possible given my heavy travel schedule. Lastly, I believe that my purchase meets my needs extremely well and that you helped negotiate a good value. This is my fifth major residential real-estate transaction and you have set a new high benchmark for realtor performance, responsiveness and attention to detail. I wish you well and look forward to our next opportunity to work together.

John P.

We want to thank you again for your assistance in helping us purchase our new Los Altos home. Being new to California, your knowledge of the area’s many benefit was instrumental in our decision to move forward with the purchase. Understanding that you also represented the seller in this transaction, which can be tricky, we always felt that you had our best interest and heart. Please keep in touch and we look forward to being neighbors.

Kenny & Joanna F.

As you know, we interviewed more than one real estate agent before settling on who we wanted to work with in selling my father’s home following his passing. It was very apparent to everyone attending the initial listing presentation that you had already done your homework and thought through the various issues that were likely to impact the marketing of the property. Through anticipating the perspective buyer’s concerns, we believe that you were able to effectively manage their expectations and provide them with the resources to make an informed purchase decision. Ultimately, you generated several offers that we were very pleased with. As the trustee acting on behalf of my siblings in settling my father’s estate, not only were you a pleasure to work with, but you also provided me with confidence that I was handling the sale as responsibly as possible.

Thanks again and we look forward to the opportunity to work with you again in the future.

Rusty & Tracy C.

We would like to thank you for your assistance in buying our building. Ever since you helped us purchase our first property in 2003, you have been very diligent in keeping up with our ongoing real estate needs. When it came time to purchase our second building, there was no doubt in our minds that we wanted to work with you again. Our purchase requirements were very specific and you delivered exactly what we wanted. Further, your attention to detail put our minds at rest and made for a smooth and enjoyable transaction.

Should we have a future real state need, either commercial or residential, you’ll be our first call.

Charles & Grace W.

I would like to express my appreciation for your help in selling our property. Having kept up with Bob and me for many years, when it came time to sell, it was an easy decision who we should work with. In the end, you lived up to our greatest expectation. Your market knowledge and attention to detail was excellent and I truly believe that we received the highest price possible for our property.

Best wishes and keep in touch.

Carol M.

We hope that life is treating you well and wanted to reach out to you with our thanks for your efforts in selling our home and helping us buy a new one. We have settled in and couldn’t be happier with our move. While both transactions had their own special challenges, we always felt that you had our best interest at heart and worked diligently to make certain that we were protected. We look forward to working with you in the future and would be very comfortable referring to friends and family.

Kelly & Julian T.

As the Executive Director of a nonprofit organization which has occupied the same property for nearly 50 years, I’m sure that you can appreciate that the decision to sell the property had many decision makers and moving parts. Your market knowledge, insight and attention to detail was very useful in helping the board of directors make an educated business decision. You handled the sale flawlessly, which resulted in a smooth, stress free transaction. Whether I have a commercial or residential property need, you are my guy and I look forward to working with you in the future.

Tom M.

We want to thank you for your hard work in selling both our building and rental home. Both sales had their own unique challenges and you did an excellent job in explaining the process, marketing strategy and options. You also did a great in job managing our expectations, which led to very stress free transactions. You will be our first call the next time that we need sell a property and we look forward to referring you to friends and family.

Gary & Theresa B.

I want to thank you again for your help in selling our building. We were under a tight time frame to get this done and you delivered on all counts. I look forward to our next transaction.

Sunil K.

Your Professional expertise and advice over the last three months were much appreciated. I am especially grateful that you helped me to face problems one at a time, and kept me from being totally overwhelmed. Thanks you for assisting me in selling my home.

Mary Ann B.

I want to thank you again for all of your hard work in helping sell my home in Los Altos Hills. I always felt that you had my best interest at heart, was impressed with your attention to detail and was very happy with the final results.

Genie D.

Better late than never, wanted to thank you for your help in selling our Los Altos Hills residence and in negotiating the purchase of our Portola Valley residence.

Throughout both transactions, the two of you complimented each other well,, were intuitive in terms of managing our needs as a couple and the challenges that we were confronted with in both the sale and acquisition of both houses.

We found your approach to selling our house to be well thought out, your use of social media well conceived, your marketing efforts excellence and your positive nature and enthusiasm infectious.

It is obvious you take great pride in your work. Happy to be a reference for you any time.

Bill H.