“Thank you for such and easy and professional experience. You were always so helpful and kind throughout the difficult process of selling our mother’s house. We are so glad that she insisted on us working with you if we were ever to sell her house. We are all so happy with the results and we look forward to traveling, eating, and relaxing. Thank you!”
-Jane Masuda and Miyeko Hirai
“When it came time for me to rent out my condo, I went thru an exhaustive search looking for a real estate agent that I could trust since I was moving out of the state. After meeting a dozen different agents in person, I finally decided to work with Eric. I must say, it was the best decision!! To me, Eric represents the best combination of traits you want in an agent: very professional yet so personable, sincere and diligent. He has a deep knowledge of both the local sales and rental market (a must) and also gives you the full personal attention that I feel you deserve. He always responds so quickly and I really appreciate how he was willing to go above and beyond to make my first landlord experience so smooth. He worked tirelessly to find the best tenants and I am extremely happy with the results. I was lucky to find him and I look forward to working with him again in the future.”
-Gene Pyo
“It is nice to wake up and not have to handle anything further. It’s quite a relief. I am enormously grateful to you for getting us to the finish line. It was a challenging process and one with unbelievable emotional land mines ready to explode. Use this as an example if you ever need to convince a client of your brilliance. You have my permission to use my name as proof. With much appreciation, Gina”
-Gina Brandt, Esq.
“People at the Venice Japanese Community Center said you are the best and I totally agree.”
-Jim S. Nakabara
“I’ve been in the real estate business for 34 years and you’re one of the best agents that I’ve come across. And I’m not kidding.”
-“Vic” Markarian, owner and broker, Markarian Realty Group
“I’ve bought and sold 7 properties in my lifetime and you are the best agent I’ve dealt with.”
-Gene Honbo
“My compliments to you and the staff. You’ve done a great job of enhancing the attributes and the photographer has done a wonderful job of filtering out the flaws. And your property description is eye-catching, too.”
-Mick Kubota
“Thank you for all of the hard work you did preparing my aunt’s property for sale and helping me through escrow! You made it so easy on me and it happened so fast! You are very much appreciated and hope you continue to have great success in whatever you do. God bless you.”
– Jeanie Namba
“Eric was truly a Godsend to my sister and I in selling our mother’s home after her death. We had an outstanding reverse mortgage to satisfy and had to sell within a specific timeframe. Eric Akutagawa not only sold the house quickly but was able to get us a substantial sum above our asking price. He is professional in all aspects of the word including his level of real estate knowledge and expertise, using a planned strategy to market the property, openly communicating and keeping us (sellers) in the loop and paying attention to details in a meticulous manner. He is a one in a million agent who is extremely ethical in doing business. We were blessed to have this man represent us in selling our mother’s home and cannot recommend him highly enough! Thank you again Eric. You are the absolute best!”
-Gerry Clark and Janet Stafford
“I met Eric through the sale of my Grandmother’s house in West LA at the end of 2015 in which he set the record sale price for the area. At the time, I didn’t know how close both of our families were in the West LA area. Our grandmothers were good friends and saw each other frequently.
Eric and I spoke often during the 2016 year for him to sell our Duplex lot in West LA. Eric helped us establish a realistic asking price for our home plus we established an effective strategy for selling our property. We listed the property in October 2016 and had it sold by January 2017. Eric set the record price for our 4,827 sq ft Duplex lot at $850,000 in the 90064 area. I was so impressed with Eric’s knowledge and professionalism that I am having him help us with our next purchase in Northern California. We wouldn’t pick any other Real Estate Agent but him.”
-Eric Z. Galvagni and Grace K. Yasuda
“All I can say is WOW! Eric was the first Realtor I interviewed and I knew right away he was the right agent I wanted to list my home. I was very impressed with Eric’s professionalism, personal attention, knowledge of the area and was always available for questions and made me feel like I was his only client. Eric laid out a time and action schedule, including the date when we would receive multiple offers and sold our home within 8 days for $181,000 above asking price! I could not have asked for a better Realtor to facilitate the process of selling my home.”
-Alan Nakashima
“We are writing this letter to recommend Eric Akutgawa of Gibson International Realty to anyone who wants superior effort and capability in the sale of real estate. When we interviewed several prospective realtors, Eric from the start demonstrated knowledge of the area and comparable properties and the best strategies for selling our home at the best price in a timely manner. We have selected him and we have been very happy that we did.
Eric’s assistance in getting the property ready for sale — landscaping, cleanup, painting, and staging — was invaluable. Eric spent countless hours working with us and when the home was put on the market, it looked great!
In just over a week we had several offers, and ultimately we received more than we were asking (and more than we expected). The escrow and closing were all handled expeditiously and smoothly and just a few weeks after we started we had received a check.
In every way, Eric served our needs — he was always very professional, accessible, and responsive. We give him the highest recommendation possible!”
-Larry and Tsui-Ching Hammond
Brookfield, Wisconsin
“One of the keys to success when buying and selling property in a volatile real estate market is selecting the “right” realtor. For me, Eric Akutagawa is “that” impeccable agent with an expert knowledge and understanding of the Los Angeles area and real estate market. Eric worked tirelessly to find me that special “off market” property that fit my stringent criteria in addition to creatively marketing my current home to sell. I appreciate that he always has his clients’ best interests in mind and wants to ensure that they are making sound investments. He is the consummate professional, always responds promptly and never fails to follow through. As a realtor, he consistently goes above and beyond, even providing advice/recommendations about cosmetic upgrades, local contractors, and places to purchase home appliances at substantial savings.
Personally, Eric is very affable and a true joy to work with. His passion for real estate is “contagious” and it is so inspiring to see someone doing what he really loves. He possesses that rare combination of “heart” and “smart” and his integrity is unsurpassed and I wholeheartedly will and have recommended him to friends and colleagues.
I am certain that Eric has a long and prosperous career ahead of him and I wish him continued success.”
-Vicki Shimoyama
Physician
“This is a letter of endorsement for Eric Akutagawa who is an outstanding real estate agent with over 11 years of experience. He understands location potential, timing, and pricing. Eric is a master at the “counter-offer” because he makes critical analysis of what buyers want; he sold my house for $121,000 over list price in 10 days!!! His focus is always on maximizing benefits for the client. Eric Akutagawa is very easy to work with, yet he maintains professional focus at all times.”
-Thomas T. Yasuda
University Educator / Design Professional
“Eric sold our house in 14 days!! How did he do it? I believe there are a few significant reasons to why he is so successful. First is his sharp and practical market analysis. It helped us to price our house correctly, so that our house did not sit on the market for too long. The other is his effective usage of the Internet. He created a web page for our property and hired a professional photographer for the pictures. This made a huge difference. Lastly, Eric is a good listener and has very good communication skills. My wife and I consider him not only our agent but also a trustworthy friend. I have no hesitation to refer him to those who want to sell houses. You will not be disappointed!”
-Reverend Dr. Yasuhiko Richard and Keiko Kuyama
“It’s a given that getting the right person to help sell your house, especially when the market doesn’t quite look positive, is critical. Choosing Eric Akutagawa as my agent was my good fortune. He explained the sales process and pit-falls clearly for even a novice like myself to understand and know what to expect when. His concern for me was if I were family and my house as if it were his own.
Along with being well studied and knowledgeable, Eric must be psychic because he was able to sense exactly what the market would bear, the possible ups and downs during the process, and was right on the nose on the selling price. And, when things got in a log-jam, he became a tenacious but gentlemanly champion for my interest. He took great care of me, for which I am ever so grateful. You won’t go wrong with Eric as your real estate agent!”
-Nancy Araki
Former Director of Community Affairs at the Japanese American National Museum
“Eric, Just wanted to say thank you for all if your hard work. We truly appreciate it.”
-Tommy + Lindy Matsuda
“Dear Eric – On behalf of my father and I wanted to extend our sincerest thanks for helping us sell my grandmother’s house in just 11 days. Being on the other side of the country, we were really worried about how we were going to get the house sold and manage the whole process, especially given the serious health challenges being faced by my father. You really took away all those worries and stresses by making the sale of the house seamless — from getting the house and lawn show ready to evaluating the offers to getting us through closing. You went above and beyond the call of duty. You exceeded our highest expectations. Your professionalism, attention to detail and dedication enabled us to feel safe in your hands at all times (even from 2,700 miles away!).”
-Lisa and Herb Hamako
“Eric, just wanted to thank you for all the hard work and help you gave us in getting our mother’s condo sold. You made it so easy for a bunch of guys who more or less had to rely on your expertise. Many thanks….It’s kind of sad to leave a big part of our mother there but that is life and we each have to move on…”
– Tateishi Family
“There just aren’t words to express how impressed I am with Eric Akutagawa as a Realtor. I am a real estate agent myself and Eric was representing the seller of a home I purchased for myself. It was such a pleasure to work with him. He was always in a good mood, always positive and he was always available by phone, text, or email. Eric answered any questions I had with a sense of alacrity and joy. And even after the sale was finished, Eric continued to help me by suggesting people I could call if I needed to redo the floors, paint, etc. He even offered to look after our house while we were out of town! I can’t say enough good things about Eric as a realtor. He was so open and honest and has such a sense of integrity. Eric is the agent I would want to work with if I wasn’t an agent myself!”
-Melissa Kelly
Prudential California Realty, Glendale
“One of the qualities I recognized in you early on is your integrity and desire to truly serve the best interests of your clients. The fact that you happen to really enjoy many of the aspects of being a Realtor convinces me all the more that your success will grow. It’s a great thing to see; someone doing what they really enjoy.”
-Hugh Borax
Savanna Real Estate
“As our real estate agent, Eric Akutagawa went far above and beyond the call of duty! He patiently worked with us for over a year to locate the house of our dreams. Eric personally drove us to almost every listing that might appeal to us. He always made sure that the properties we viewed not only met our list of criteria, but were sound investment ventures. Very often, Eric would preview the homes for us on his own time! We were never pressured to make hasty decisions, and Eric would always clearly address any reservations we might have. We were very impressed by his comprehensive knowledge of the West Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley, and Burbank areas. Eric always responded to emails or phone calls promptly and could be relied on to frequently provide an analysis of the most current list of properties available.
My fiancé and I made offers on six different properties, the last of which was a short sale that finally went through to closing after several months. Eric stuck by us through the entire process and explained everything we needed to know. With Eric’s help, escrow went smoothly and our long search was over!
As first time home buyers, we were thrilled to finally own a home! Soon after, however, we were overwhelmed by the number of decisions that needed to be made to renovate the house. Eric came to our rescue and offered contact information for reliable contractors, flooring companies, and painters that he had worked with in the past. He also spent an entire day helping us pick out the perfect kitchen cabinets, sink, and granite countertops. Throughout the entire renovation process, Eric has been following up with us to make sure everything is going well, and has even stopped by the house to check on the progress and answer our questions!
We’ve shared our experience with friends and family, and everyone comments on how rare it is to find an agent as patient, supportive, and professional as Eric. It is absolutely clear that he sincerely cares about his clients and keeps their best interests in mind. We truly could not have asked for a better agent than Eric Akutagawa!”
-A. M.
Software Engineer
“In today’s challenging real estate market, selecting the right agent is more imperative than ever. From the beginning, I was impressed with Eric’s professionalism, knowledge, and creative marketing techniques, which resulted in over 100 showings and ultimately the sale of my home in less than 45 days. Most importantly, I appreciated his honesty and subdued nature, making the entire process virtually stress-free. He will most certainly represent me in future transactions and it is with great pleasure that I give Eric Akutagawa my highest recommendation to others seeking an agent who can deliver results.”
-J. Dossey
Entertainment Studio Executive
“Eric brought a sense of fun and delight along with a superlative work ethic and knowledge to the daunting task of renting an unusual property. With his skills and hard work, I am now renting to the perfect tenants at a good price. I highly recommend Eric to anyone who values quality service, that was above and beyond my expectations.”
-Sheelagh O’Connor
Landlord
“Thanks to you for all your help during the whole real estate process and we see a long and prosperous career ahead for you.”
-Betsy and Ralph Iwasa
“Thank you, Eric and Cheryl, for helping me with the purchase of the best investment of my life. For such a large investment, having agents that prioritize your interests is critical. I never doubted that you had my best interests at heart. I’m truly grateful for all of your hard work and dedication (8 months!) in finding me that “diamond in the rough” income property and for referring me excellent service people for the remodel. Without your patience, knowledge, and invaluable negotiating skills, I would still be searching for a property today. It’s great to be a landlord!”
-J. Branuer
Management Consultant
“Wow Eric, you are really a dream realtor.”
-A. Blanchard, Esq.
Eric Akutagawa specializes in representing single and multi-family properties on the entire Westside, ranging from Santa Monica to Silverlake. A consummate professional with a sterling reputation, Eric has amassed more than 20 years of comprehensive real estate experience. His clients include an array of business professionals, first time homebuyers, the family next door, and real estate investors. They value his “one client at a time” approach, which allows for the utmost in personal service. They also appreciate his calm demeanor, his exemplary negotiation and communications skills, as well as his painstaking attention to detail. Furthermore, he is always up-to-date with the latest technologies, giving his clients buyers and sellers the ultimate edge in their real estate search, and simplifying transactions.
