Joyce Shafer & Gail Schwarten
Transplanted Midwesterners, we enjoy all the great aspects of living in California. We both love spending time with family and our dogs, following favorite sports teams, golfing, cooking, gardening and healthy living. Joyce has had a live-long love for animals beginning in central Illinois where she was born and raised on a livestock and grain farm and showed cattle in the 4-H. She has a son and daughter along with two grandchildren. Gail, an avid horse lover, started riding at the age of 7 and bought her first horse at the age of 17. Later she fell in love with Arabian horses and with her 2 month old colt started breeding and raising Arabian horses on 80 acres in Wisconsin. Over the years, both Joyce and Gail, with their family members, have each purchased, renovated and sold several properties. These many ventures have greatly added to their individual talents to help buyers and sellers see the potential in reaching their real estate goals. We bring the values that were instilled in us from childhood, treat others as we would like to be treated, to everything that we do.
Joyce graduated from the University of Illinois at Sangamon State with a degree in communications. She worked for many years in public relations and publications at Purdue University. She holds a Real Estate Brokers license along with other designations such as Accredited Buyer Representative, Seniors Real Estate Specialist and Quality Service Certification. Gail has been in marketing, sales and customer relations for over 35 years. Seventeen years were spent in the computer industry, where she founded and grew to success, her own computer sales and marketing company. For several years Gail's career was spent as a professional real estate agent and then mortgage loan officer in the Midwest.
We specialize in representing clients in the purchase, sale and marketing of residential homes, income property along with commercial buildings, throughout the Bay area. We also provide residential and commercial mortgage loan services, whether it is a preapproval for purchase or a refinance. With more than 20 years of expertise in the Real Estate and Mortgage industry, our extensive Bay area expertise and our personalized, compassionate service we will help you feel at ease throughout the entire transaction.
Combining Joyce's attention to detail, her negotiation skills and true regard for client protection, along with Gail's marketing and sales expertise, we help buyers visualize a home's potential and aid sellers in marketing their home for rewarding sales results. We compliment each others strengths, passions and honesty and devote ourselves to listening to your needs and goals to help guide you to be able to live those dreams.
Our love and devotion to animals is also displayed in our involvement and contributions to many "no kill" animal shelters in the area. Our dedication extends to donating, in a clients name, $250.00 for any completed Mortgage transaction and $500.00 for any completed Real Estate transaction to ASPCA, ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation) Bay East Humane Society, Valley Humane Society or any other "no kill" shelter of your choosing.
We are very passionate about what we do and everyday we have the wonderful privilege of helping deserving people make their financial and real estate dreams come true.
If you are thinking of buying or selling your home and have no idea where to start, contact us, and begin on the right path
to "Your Journey Home with The Doggone Duo."
