Dennis Smith-RE/MAX Connections

Dennis and Sunshine did an excellent job of getting my mom's mobile home ready for sale and selling it, above the asking price. He dealt with all the family members, who wanted a say in the process, with professional expertise.

I'd use them again without hestitation.

I owned a rental unit in Oceanside, CA and, quite honestly, after almost 20 years of dealing with renters, I was ready to end my time as a landlord. I had been introduced to Dennis a few years back and luckily had saved his card. We talked about timing and getting my tenants to leave (they had finally finished paying back rent that they owed from me being too nice a guy during the pandemic) and Dennis said " Larry, as far as I'm concerned you never have to see this condo again. I'll take care of everything." And he did! He worked directly with my handyman and kept me posted nearly daily. He negotiated with the buyers and, I believe, got the best possible price. At one point he even offered to climb up in the attic and do a small repair requested by the inspector. And now he wants to treat my wife and I to a thank you dinner! I should be taking him out to dinner!!

Real estate transactions are complicated. Helping an elderly relative with memory issues sell a house in California that she's lived in for over 40 years when I live on the East coast adds additional layers of complexity. Dennis and Sunshine Smith have been there to assist us each step along the way to close of escrow. I've come to rely on Dennis as a trusted advisor who has helped us prepare a house filled with years of clutter and deferred maintenance and market it successfully. Not only did we sell during the holiday season, but also at a time when buyers were fleeing the market due to rising interest rates. His advice comes from years of experience with market fluctuations and time to develop relationships with capable contractors. Together we've faced structural issues, plumbing & sewer issues, electrical issues, termite and wood destroying fungus issues, a break-in from a homeless person, and skunks looking for a "honeymoon suite" under the house!

Throughout it all, Dennis has been professional and pragmatic. He suggested a marketing strategy that put the house in its best possible light through de-cluttering and staging. In addition, his marketing strategy helped us minimize buyers' remorse and an erosion of equity that comes when buyers ask for price reductions or threaten to cancel the contract. He helped us sift through multiple offers on the property and negotiate with buyers' agent to urge them for their "best and final offer". I interviewed two other realtors who sent investors to look at the house prior to putting it up for sale. That may have been a quick sale, but I'm glad we ended up working with Dennis and Sunshine Smith because I believe they helped us get the most money out of the house.

Barbara N.
Burke, Virginia

5 out of 5!!! Dennis and Sunshine went above and beyond multiple times to assist with my Mother's, Ann B., home sale. They repeatedly put her in touch with contractors to assist her with disposing of items, junk removal, repairmen and anything else that came up. I know that my Mother was extremely nervous about using docu-sign and Sunshine made herself available to answer questions to explain what she was signing and why it was necessary. I cannot thank them both enough for making this decision easy for her and assisting her through the process. I highly recommend them for anyone who has older parents or are even looking for assistance with their own home sale!!! They definitely take care of their clients and go out of there way to make your move and home sale easier.

Dennis and sunshine is the best I have ever had.We bought a home in Oceanside and we couldn't ask for better realtors.They are kind and courteous and will go out of their way to help.I would give them a 20 out of 10 if I could.Try them and you will not be sorry.They are the best.(gene and Ellen briggs)

Dennis Smith is an amazing community resource. When I was shopping for a home, he went the extra mile to show me homes in San Diego and Riverside County. When I decided to stay put, he helped refer handyman services. Dennis' referral is a great and does quality home repairs. Dennis' wide network of business partners helps him serve you.

My wife's relationship with Dennis goes back 25 yrs. when as a young inexperienced single mother he helped her navigate purchasing her1st home. He took the time to explain and make sure she understood all aspects of what she was signing. Now 25 yrs. later we knew if Dennis was around, we would have no one else sell our home in North County San Diego. His communication with us was excellent and he kept us up to date with what was happening in the market and in the area. We were out of state at that time, and he helped make the sale as smooth as could be.
Both my wife and I would recommend Dennis to anyone looking to sell or purchase a home in the north county arena of San Diego, his and Sunshine's knowledge and personalities make the experience make less stressful and easier.
Thank you, Dennis and Sunshine!

I must take a break from enjoying our new home in north San Diego County and tell you how we found it. We are from San Jose and were looking for a home in a more rural setting after we retired. A realtor acquaintance told us to get in touch with Dennis and Sunshine Smith. What a God send. We told Dennis what we were looking for about 4 months beforehand. We started receiving email leads on properties. We made the trip south to look at them and before too long we found the one that "Wowed" us. Dennis knew it too. His and his wife's communication between us and the seller's agent was almost flawless. His negotiating skills were amazing. My wife and I would not hesitate to use Dennis and Sunshine Smith again.

My connection to Dennis and Sunshine came by way of a recommendation from a super friend who bought a house in the past year from Dennis and sang the praises of Dennis and Sunshine loudly. My friend has bought 14 properties over the years and said that Dennis was easily the best realtor that he had ever worked with.

I, on the other hand, had never owned a house in the US before, having lived outside the US most of my life. My fiancée with whom I was looking for a house, had not been in the market for almost 30 years i.e., we were not experienced property buyers.

I quickly want to acknowledge, now from direct experience, what so many others have already testified. Dennis and Sunshine's character attributes include integrity, and a relentless commitment to excellence and service which translates to always being available. These attributes are more than just professionalism, because they are value led.

On the experiential side, we could not have asked for more. This is a good time to note that Dennis and Sunshine are a team, not just two people who sell houses. We benefitted from their exceptional real estate knowledge, both generally and locally. We had very location specific objectives within Carlsbad with a modest budget, a formidable challenge which they enabled us to successfully achieve.

The process which involved a great deal of learning for us was helped enormously by the superb communication skills with us which facilitated learning and understanding (for us) underpinned by the team's limitless willingness to be available to us. Their skills were no less in play during the negotiation process.

I think that the experience that we had with Dennis and Sunshine translates to potential benefits for new to the state/ area buyers, first-time buyers, "long time since we have been in the market" buyers and anyone who enjoys working with professional's who get the job done and are delightful people to work with.

PS: The party doesn't end after the sale. The commitment to service continues. If you haven't guessed by now, I highly recommend Dennis and Sunshine.

I have a friend and colleague who works closely with Real Estate agents from all over the county (for 20+ years to boot) so I thought I would ask who they would recommend for my wife and I to choose for our real estate agent. Without hesitation, he gave a glowing recommendation of Dennis and Sunshine. In fact, they wouldn't recommend anyone else. Having worked with 100's of agents over the years, my friend's opinion on this matter was as good as gold.

With that my wife and I reached out and found nothing to contradict the recommendation given to us. They are attentive, savvy, kind, conscientious, and knowledgeable. What else could we possibly ask for in agents?! We hired Dennis and Sunshine to handle both the sale of our home and the purchase of our new home. No small feat with the market we were in.

To say our search took a while is an understatement. We ended up looking at well over 50 homes before we finally found our new home. Not once did we get the impression that Dennis or Sunshine were growing tired of the process, even when my wife and I would get discouraged. They were persistently there to take us on showings every time we had homes to look at.

For the sale of our home, we ended up getting multiple above asking offers as well as two offers that didn't have loan contingencies! As you can imagine, we were nothing but pleased.

For the purchase of our new home, it wasn't an easy transaction. The seller had neglected the home for quite a few years and the condition of the home was a serious issue for the lender. Figuring out paths toward success was challenging but Dennis and Sunshine found a way. At the very end of the transaction, the seller was having difficulties getting out of the house and even with 2 extensions he was still at our house. Dennis came over personally and helped clear out his remaining items (most of it garbage) and get it to the point where the seller could leave. Definitely going well above and beyond what he was obligated to do.

Finding an agent to work with is easy, there are tons of them. But to find an agent or in this case agents that genuinely care and work diligently toward helping you find your dream home or sell your current home is somewhat rare.

You'd be wise to choose Dennis and Sunshine for your next transaction and every one after it.