" I was referred to Kathe by my property manager. I lived out of state and wanted to find a realtor I trusted and felt respect towards. From the beginning, Kathe had a plan. We worked on meaningful upgrades and I let her price the property. I loved the final results and we had an overasking price within 24 hours. Kathe communicates only pertinent information as needed which I loved. And, her escrow team was excellent. The process, for me, was easy and there were no surprises. I would absolutely recommend Kathe to my friends and family. "

- Stephanie W

" We faced some unique challenges when selling our home and Kathe helped us through them with both patience and professionalism. Would definitely use her again and would have no problem referring her to anyone in need of a top notch realtor. "

- Mike M.

" I found Kathe through Yelp after reading some of her amazing reviews. She far exceeded our expectations. We met with several other realtors before hiring Kathe. They all estimated our house at a low value hoping for a quick sale (and commission of course). Upon our initial visit she came well prepared and told us what she thought our home was worth. It was right on target with our own research. She gave us some "to-do" items and offered light staging. All her ideas were amazing and DEFINITELY helped our home sell. She mentioned at our first visit that she may even have a potential buyer for our home! The day our house was ready for MLS photos she had those potential buyers come over and take a look. They made an offer that day at almost full ask! We never even had to hold an open house. AMAZING. Our home closed approx 30 days later and she even helped us find a rental while we looked for our next home to purchase. We are happy as clams in our rental and even made MORE than we expected from our house sale. Kathe's slogan is "a realtor with a heart", she certainly is - plus so much more! "

- Jill C.

" I was so lucky to have found Kathe when searching for Realtors in Rancho Santa Margarita. I had a complicated sale due to having tenants and the Covid-19 restrictions, but Kathe was amazing to work with through it all. She was able to handle all the curveballs thrown at her and her feedback and knowledge of the market was incredible. I highly recommend her! "

- William R.

" Hello Kathe, I wanted to send you an email letting you know what a great job you did for us on our recent purchase. If it was not for you going the extra mile and passing out flyers in our neighborhood, I am certain we would not have bought that house. It is truly our dream house and we are so excited to start our lives and raise a family there. I have purchased 3 homes now, and this by far was the best buying experience I have had. You truly are a realtor with a heart. I will be sure to recommend you to my friends and family. Thank you again so much, you are the best!!! "

- Steve C.

" Kathe has been amazing! She's helped us purchase two homes and also sold two homes--all smooth transactions! As buyers, she's guided us along the way and ensured we presented strong offers. As sellers, she's provided us with expert research to get above asking prices--both homes sold during the first week, with multiple offers. She's very accessible, insightful and goes the extra mile for her clients. Highly recommend her! "

- Mimi S.

" I was a first time home buyer and just recently closed on my first mortgage loan with Ryan. Being that it was my first time, I had a lot of questions. Ryan was super helpful, professional, and quick to respond. He was able to answer all of my questions and put me at ease during the whole process. Escrow went very smoothly and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I was highly impressed with his service and would recommend him to anyone who is looking for the best! "

- John F.

" Kathe really came through when I needed her. I especially appreciated her speed of service and utmost courtesy. Thorough work is rare these days, so thank you Kathe for being very diligent. I recommend all to give her a chance. Five stars all the way! "

- CJ A.

" "Kathe's service was fantastic. In addition to her warming personality and hard work, Kathe possesses a keen understanding of today's market conditions. These qualities, among many others, make her head and shoulders above the competition" -Kan and Denise T. "

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" Kathe is amazing - we are just an "average family from orange county" that wanted to sell their home ASAP - and she got an offer within 1 day being on the market - but she is also such a sweet caring person - that really cares - I wouldn't ask for anything else when it comes to an real estate agent - whoever works with her in the future are very lucky people "

- Christina F.

" If I could give Kathe 1000 stars, I would do it......If you're looking for someone who goes beyond the call of duty, then look no further.....words cannot express how happy I am that I hired her. My mom passed away in July and I made the decision to sell her house and this was one of the hardest things I have ever done for many reasons. Kathe was like a family member, her kindness, thoughtfulness and support in addition to her knowledge of the marketplace, savvy marketing ability was way beyond anything I could have ever asked for. She thinks out of the box, she takes care of business without having to be asked. She managed the property, as I live out of town, she walked me through every step of the way and I will miss not talking to her everyday. I could go on and on but I will only say that Kathe is one of the most honest people, amazing at what she does and just plain lovely and I'm happy to call her a friend. "

- Jan G.

" "Kathe was very knowledgeable about the current real estate market. We were so pleased with how quickly Kathe sold our home- and we received multiple offers! I would recommend Kathe to anyone looking for a professional, hard-working, honest Realtor who really does what she says!" -Amy & Greg "

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" I wanted to share the fabulous experience I had working with Kathe Van Hoften at First Team. I purchased a bank owned condo in Laguna Hills which came with all the difficulties of working with a lender owned property. Kathe guided me through the entire process and negotiated a terrific deal with the bank. She worked very hard at getting our offer approved. A short time later I was responsible for selling a relatives home in Anaheim, another smooth transaction with superb results. Kathe is amazing and I can't recommend her highly enough! "

- Desiree P.

" My husband and I have seen many of Kathe's sign around town in the past several years and had a chance to talk with her during one of the Open Houses in our neighborhood. We loved her warm, friendly attitude. When we were ready to purchase a home this past month, we knew we wanted to ask Kathe to help us. It was the most pleasant experience we could ever ask for. Kathe was very knowledgeable. She was helpful every step of the way and even helped us coordinate our rental lease with the purchase of our home. Within 1.5 weeks, we were in escrow for the purchase of our home. We are so happy we called Kathe. If you want a realtor you can trust and rely on, Kathe is your person. "

- Charlene

" Kathe Van Hoften is a delightful realtor to work with. She truly takes time to understand your goals in buying a property and then works tirelessly to find exactly the right fit for you. I met three times with Kathe prior to moving to So Cal. Each time she showed me several properties which helped me understand what was available. More importantly, each visit enabled her to better understand my needs and goals. She was soon able to show me exactly the perfect property that fully met my needs. I immediately fell in love with the property and Kathe proceeded to negotiate with the sellers and, within 36 hours, the property was mine. I have worked with other realtors over the years and Kathe, by far, was the best to work with. My time was not wasted, she listened well and helped me get into the home of my dreams....who could ask for more?! Lastly, Kathe is a very kind person and pleasant to work with. I say this after working with some rather abrasive realtors in the past. Kathe's pleasant nature and professionalism is truly a breath of fresh air. :) "

- Frank T.

" Kathe was a great help as we were making decisions on our home. Her feedback, community knowledge and insight was great.Thank you again Kathe!!! "

- Kevin K.

" Having worked with Kathe for years as her escrow officer, I can honestly say that she is not only an amazing, professional agent with attention to detail, but even more important, she truly cares about her clients. Kathe goes above and beyond to make certain that every aspect of her transactions are followed through. Her goal is to make one of the most stressful times in a persons life almost seamless and stress free and she does so with flying colors! I would have no hesitation recommending her as an agent as I know she will go above and beyond to take care of her clients. "

- Laura M.

" Kathe was a huge help in selling my mother's home, from organizing the renovations, to navigating escrow and offers. "

- C.W.

" "We were simply thrilled & delighted with the professional service we received by Kathe van Hoften. Without a doubt, Kathe's willingness to go above and beyond certainly exceeded our expectations by leaps and bounds. Her warm & caring nature made selling our home a pleasure for all those involved-we'd recommend Kathe to anyone!" -John & Donna S "

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" Kathe helped us sell our home quickly using her great marketing skills. She is a go getter! Always right there to answer questions and explain everything along the way. Then even with this insane market Kathe having so much knowledge knew what it would take to get a place within our means. We left a lot up to her in offer making because she knows exactly what she is doing. So grateful to have had Kathe during this journey. "

- Kim M.

" My boyfriend and I were looking for a leasing agent to help us find a home to rent in California and we were referred to Sakina. We were honestly blown away by how flexible she was with us and how simple she made the whole crazy process. She was very easy to keep in touch with, and answered all of my many questions very quickly. We even changed areas and ventured much further out than Orange County and she still found us the perfect home and spent hours driving and showing us places. She asked all the right questions and was extremely informative. We found an amazing home that we're incredibly happy with and would recommend Sakina to anyone looking to rent without a single hesitation. "

- Michelle E.

" Kathe more than met my expectations with staging, selling, and relocating to another property. She helped us sale our existing property for a price that matched its value and helped find a perfect home that met our needs. It was a pleasure to work with Kathe and I would recommend her to anyone. "

- Ginger S.

" Kathe is absolutely the best. There is no doubt about it! My husband and I were in a hurry to sell our condo and had some challenges along the way but Kathe was so amazing and went above and beyond. She helped us stage our home and hired a professional photographer to take the pictures. Our place looked amazing! Our house went on the market Friday night, we had an open house the next day on Saturday and on Sunday we already had our first offer. By the time we sat down Wednesday night, we had 6 offers on the table. Kathe knows her stuff! She always kept us in the loop on what was going on. Selling a house is so stressful but Kathe made us feel at ease. I honestly can't thank her enough and when we are ready to buy again, we will be hiring her for sure! "

- Megan S.

" Can't say enough about Kathe. She helped us buy one of our properties in 2009 and just helped us sell it to the toughest buyers we've ever dealt with. She went above and beyond working diligently behind the scenes to keep the buyers happy and ensure the deal doesn't fall through. Her advise and guidance through the entire process was invaluable. We love working with her so much that we just retained her again to help us buy our next property. Highly recommend her to anyone looking for a competent, reliable and hard working realtor in Orange County. "

- Ahmand N.

" My wife and I hired Kathe to sell our townhome in Mission Viejo and I was so happy we did. I had previously hired a couple of realtors who talked a big game however they did nothing to sell the house. Kathe backed up everything she said and used her numerous contacts to get the job done. I was especially impressed when other realtors who had called me heard that I was with Kathe admitted she had a great reputation and knew that it would be a short amount of time before my home sold for a good price. For anyone looking for a realtor Kathe is the person to go with. "

- Brent B.

" We have been working with a realtor in our area for several years, but when my mother-in-law wanted to sell her home in Mission Viejo, she really wanted to go with a local realtor that knew the area and Kathe did a wonderful job! She was pleasant, knowledgeable, professional and reliable from beginning to end. She even gave us some tips on how to best stage the house and added a few of her own items to ensure that the house looked it's best! We had five offers within the first week and ended up selling well over asking price, so Kathe certainly delivered! Thanks again for all your efforts, Kathe! "

- Britta W.

" I interviewed Kathe and another agent. Kathe just completely stole the show. She presented herself with a level of enthusiasm and commitment that just blew the competition away. She loves what she does and it shows. She priced our house perfectly and we received a full-price offer in the first 6 days it was on the market! She checked in with us each week to provide updates and let us know what the next steps would be. Never did we have to wonder what was going on or what to do, she was always on top of things She hires a professional photographer to do the marketing pictures. She is very good at finding the right things to move around and feature to really help our home stand out as a model home and draw in buyers. I would highly recommend her to anyone who is in need of an agent She is the whole package! "

- Angie S.

" Kathe was so helpful, patient and informative. This was our first home and we didn't know a lot about the process. Kathe was more than happy to walk us through everything and tell us what everything means. Negotiations were so smooth with her, I never was worried during the whole process. She made the whole process stress free. "

- Nick F.

" "Kathe was amazing. She really went above and beyond helping us get our place ready to sell, had amazing insight as to what needed to be done, and even went as far as to bring her OWN personal furniture into our house to help stage the place. Amazing. Thanks for everything Kathe! We will be calling you soon to help us find our next place!" -Frank & Cathy "

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" Kathe is a wonderful realtor. The made the sale of our home and the purchase of our new home easy and pain free. She was professional and extremely easy to work with no pressure and very reliable! She comes highly recommended! "

- Norma B.

" "Working with Kathe to purchase my first home was a fantastic experience. She took great lengths to understand what I was looking for and her expertise in the real estate industry is unparalleled. I strongly recommend Kathe for anyone looking to buy or sell property." -David F. "

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" Kathe surpassed all our expectations in a realtor. She went above and beyond in every way and made our home buying experience as smooth as possible. We were not in a hurry to buy a home and could take our time waiting for the right house to come along and she was very patient with us. She listened to what we wanted, she was there for us whenever we needed her or wanted to look at a property, and she has a great team of people around her to help the process move along efficiently.She went out of her way to make sure we were happy and she fought for us when we found the perfect home, following up with the seller's realtor and staying in communication with them. During the disclosure phase when one of our offers was accepted on a home, the seller's realtor was rude and outright lied about her seller's home regarding structural issues, yet Kathe remained poised and firm, handling the situation with dignity and respect.We were searching for a home in one of the most competitive home buying markets, and even when our offers were way above the asking price, we were often outbid, and sometimes our offer was not even considered. On many occasions there were up to 12 other offers on the same home within a day or two of being listed. At times, it was incredibly discouraging but Kathe was our cheerleader and stayed positive, encouraging us, and reminding us there are many perfect homes for every buyer. She was right! Each time we found a home we loved and our offer was not accepted, an even better one would come along, until we ultimately ended up with a home that was exactly what we wanted in the exact area we were hoping for. We couldn't be happier!We are completely satisfied and thoroughly impressed with Kathe and will recommend her to everyone we know. It's hard to imagine that in such a competitive market, Kathe and her team could make one of the most difficult, stressful, arduous, time consuming, sometimes painful life experiences not just workable, but pleasurable.If you want a realtor who truly cares about you and someone you can trust and respect, Kathe Van Hoften is the one. She is absolutely amazing and we're SO grateful we found her! "

- Alicia G.

" Kathe is absolutely the best. There is no doubt about it! My husband and I were in a hurry to sell our condo and had some challenges along the way but Kathe was so amazing and went above and beyond. She helped us stage our home and hired a professional photographer to take the pictures. Our place looked amazing! Our house went on the market Friday night, we had an open house the next day on Saturday and on Sunday we already had our first offer. By the time we sat down Wednesday night, we had 6 offers on the table. Kathe knows her stuff! She always kept us in the loop on what was going on. Selling a house is so stressful but Kathe made us feel at ease. I honestly can't thank her enough and when we are ready to buy again, we will be hiring her for sure! "

- Megan

" We have been working with a realtor in our area for several years, but when my mother-in-law wanted to sell her home in Mission Viejo, she really wanted to go with a local realtor that knew the area and Kathe did a wonderful job! She was pleasant, knowledgeable, professional and reliable from beginning to end. She even gave us some tips on how to best stage the house and added a few of her own items to ensure that the house looked it's best! We had five offers within the first week and ended up selling well over asking price, so Kathe certainly delivered! Thanks again for all your efforts, Kathe! "

- Britta W

" Kathe was referred to us by friends who have used her service for selling their home. Right away she impressed us with her knowledge of the housing market. Kathe and her staging partner help to make our house look great for pictures and open house. She was with us every step of the way during the sale of our home. She is reliable, trustworthy, professional and replied to our questions right away. When an issue came up, she provide comfort and great advice to handle the situation. I would highly recommend her to anyone buying/selling a house, as she will make certain you receive the best service. I have already recommended her to friends. "

- Samantha S.

" Kathe surpassed all our expectations in a realtor. She went above and beyond in every way and made our home buying experience as smooth as possible. We were not in a hurry to buy a home and could take our time waiting for the right house to come along and she was very patient with us. She listened to what we wanted, she was there for us whenever we needed her or wanted to look at a property, and she has a great team of people around her to help the process move along efficiently.She went out of her way to make sure we were happy and she fought for us when we found the perfect home, following up with the seller's realtor and staying in communication with them. During the disclosure phase when one of our offers was accepted on a home, the seller's realtor was rude and outright lied about her seller's home regarding structural issues, yet Kathe remained poised and firm, handling the situation with dignity and respect.We were searching for a home in one of the most competitive home buying markets, and even when our offers were way above the asking price, we were often outbid, and sometimes our offer was not even considered. On many occasions there were up to 12 other offers on the same home within a day or two of being listed. At times, it was incredibly discouraging but Kathe was our cheerleader and stayed positive, encouraging us, and reminding us there are many perfect homes for every buyer. She was right! Each time we found a home we loved and our offer was not accepted, an even better one would come along, until we ultimately ended up with a home that was exactly what we wanted in the exact area we were hoping for. We couldn't be happier!We are completely satisfied and thoroughly impressed with Kathe and will recommend her to everyone we know. It's hard to imagine that in such a competitive market, Kathe and her team could make one of the most difficult, stressful, arduous, time consuming, sometimes painful life experiences not just workable, but pleasurable.If you want a realtor who truly cares about you and someone you can trust and respect, Kathe Van Hoften is the one. She is absolutely amazing and we're SO grateful we found her! "

- Alicia and John

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