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For Attorneys

A real estate sale is extremely technical for most agents. The typical agent loves to say, “oh, I can handle it.” However, over 90% of all agents have no real technical experience when thrown a challenge, especially when it comes to trusts, probates, bankruptcies, and partition sales.

Attorneys rely on Michael to enhance value, limit liability, and close tough transactions. Aggressive exposure, proven strategies, and understanding the best direction are fundamental. As a broker, Michael has closed hundreds of estate, trust, probate, and divorce sales. He has also represented dozens of attorneys on their personal transactions.

Michael does not represent buyers on his listing transactions. Sellers know they have an advocate from start to finish. Buyers know this, so it tends to encourage more offers, better offers, a robust bidding war, and excellent selling prices and terms. It is highly unlikely to find this anti-dual agency declaration on anyone’s real estate website.

Michael is always working on a probate, trust, or divorce sale. As one of about 200 California Probate Specialists (the CPS is the only probate designation in California), he can be relied upon to close limited, full authority, and conservatorship sales without handholding. His experience is not new: in 2005, he bought his current home in probate court.

He has spoken at the Pasadena Bar Association and the San Gabriel Fiduciary Roundtable. His most often requested speech is “What REALTORS® Will Never Tell You.” He has served as an expert witness in court and is registered with the Forensis Group.

As a specialist in properties that did not sell the first time, Michael will quickly figure out why a property is having trouble selling.

Give Michael a 5-minute interview.

See What Other Attorneys Are Saying About Me

“Mike is knowledgeable, proactive and organized. He was always available for and responsive to questions. And Mike made specific recommendations as to what I should and should not do to prepare my property for sale, including staging, lighting and cabinet upgrades. He acted as the broker for my recent real estate sale–and it went more smoothly than any of my other real estate transactions. I highly recommend Mike. ”
Ann Clary, Esq., Pasadena

“Mike should be on your #1 List of “GO TO” People to help you with your real estate needs.  He’s sharp, professional, personable and very easy to work with. I am an attorney who handles  difficult transactions, mostly due to the parties’ inability to agree on ANYTHING, from listing broker to price. Mike has a way of being the right fit. He also helped me on a property of my own, and the transaction was very smooth.  Mike has a keen sense of knowing what sellers, as well as buyers, want and expect. He keeps everyone informed. I am grateful for the opportunity to tell you my experiences with Mike Bell, broker extraordinaire!” – Fritzie Galliani, Esq.

“Mike Bell was great selling our home in Altadena. Mike was diligent during the stressful selling process, providing extra care and advice when the pandemic announcement changed the economy and safety regulations. He communicated with everyone in the family to meet every need, proved very knowledgeable, and was a positive presence. He had great people to stage and fix up our property before it hit the market. We are grateful to Mike for helping us.”
 Tom Daly, Esq., Altadena

“Michael knew the local market like the back of his hand and was fantastic through the entire process. Where he really stood out was helping us get the house up to par before listing and making sure escrow went as smoothly as possible. A true pro. With this kind of experience, it is easy to have peace of mind. He is my realtor for life.” – Brian Ward, Esq.

I had a great experience working with Michael in selling a family home. I found him to be very knowledgeable, quick to respond to communications, and professional in all interactions. I especially appreciated his detailed responses to all of my questions. Mike made a stressful situation much easier. I would definitely work with him again.” – Joanna Smith, Esq., South Pasadena

“Mike Bell not only met but exceeded our goals: timely sale at a price above what we expected to a buyer who understood and appreciated our historic home and its landmark district location. These all confirmed our choice of Mike, as a fellow historic home owner and neighbor who totally believed in the home’s value – his prediction as to price and buyer were spot on. Mike tailored the marketing for our sale, with input from us. He advised on readying the house for sale, and managed the city occupancy inspection and appraisal for timely and excellent results. He attended all showings (important to us since we were selling the home occupied), and helped us navigate multiple offers after only 7 DOM. We would not hesitate to recommend Mike and his team.” – Andrea (and Mike) Townsend, Esq.

Mike sold our home this past year. He demonstrated strong intuition and negotiation skills, and was honest and responsive from when he drafted our listing to when we passed him our keys. His results exceeded my expectations, and I would use him again without hesitation.  – Phillip Marr, Esq., Los Angeles

Mike, you provided a very thorough and comprehensive sale. You pushed all the right buttons and ensured all the right events occurred on time for the sale in mid-2012. I am very pleased with your work, especially seeing to it that we got overbids (in probate court) and closed on time. I am looking forward to other transactions with you and your team. Keep up the good work.  – Craig Lucas, Esq., Pasadena

Mike is a caring and experienced Realtor who makes every effort to provide excellent service for colleagues and clients.  – Ani Papirian, Esq., Pasadena

I have observed Mike Bell to be a top 1% real estate professional consistently delivering outstanding results and with the attention to detail, transactional knowledge and client communication and service that attorneys and other professionals require for real estate referrals. I highly recommend Mike Bell to the legal community.  – Greg Anderson, Esq., Pasadena

Mike Bell assisted in a recent real estate transaction. In my view, Mike is one of the most competent, understanding real estate brokers in the business. He gets to know you as an individual so that he is prepared to act in a responsible and thoughtful way in meeting your objectives. He is also very warm, sincere and engaging, so that both buyers and sellers have a positive impression of any interaction. He even knows how to deliver bad news (and there are always snafus) in a warm and competent manner. I would recommend him enthusiastically for your real estate needs.  – Joe Zanetta, Esq., South Pasadena (2 transactions)

Mike Bell and his team were engaged to sell a somewhat distressed residential property on behalf of a trust. He politely but aggressively marketed the listing and succeeded in closing a sale in a very difficult market. Throughout the sales effort, he kept the trustees informed of all pertinent developments and never faltered when two prospective buyers fell out of escrow. I commend his professionalism.  – Brian D McKay, Esq., Pasadena

The four transactions you’ve successfully closed for me were done professionally. You were prepared, enthusiastic, and I discovered that you have an excellent reputation. There were many little details and challenges in my transactions and you knew how to handle all of them.  – James R. Balesh, Esq., Pasadena and Los Angeles (4 transactions)

You’ve worked very hard and so well with all my different clients (and also on selling my own home), and that’s why I continue to give you all of my real estate business. Additionally, the probate sales you’ve handled were done extremely well, and the estates you represented were very happy.  – Rhonda Walker, Esq., Altadena and Pasadena (5 transactions)

I recently had the opportunity to work with Mike Bell to find a new home. We found Mike to be knowledgeable, highly professional, and respectful of our time. Once we found the right home Mike was an effective advocate on our behalf. We will recommend Mike to our friends and would not hesitate to use his services in the future.  – Chris Borgeson, Esq., Pasadena

We highly recommend Mike Bell as a smart, diligent professional who knows the real estate business inside and out. He has always been responsive and thorough in his dealings with us. He was able to induce multiple offers. He has a friendly, upbeat demeanor and the people skills that engender goodwill. He is a good listener, but he also has the judgment and experience that enable him to point out factors that a seller ought to consider before making decisions. Mike gave us excellent advice every step of the way.  – Scott Green, Esq., Pasadena and West Hollywood

I have known Mike Bell since I worked with him for almost 18 years. He is an experienced and knowledgeable real estate professional, and it’s a pleasure to work with him. I recommend him without reservation.  – Nicholas West, Esq., Los Angeles

You did a better job at selling my luxury condo than anyone in my building, fantastic job Mike.  – Kalpana Srinivasan, Esq., Pasadena

“Thanks, more than we can say, for your limitless efforts to bring these sales to a close. Thank you for your yeoman services. You did what the first Realtor couldn’t do. As I have told you, you’re one in a million. You’re the Greatest!”
– Richard Ergo, Esq. (Ret)

Moving Forward

I have 50+ testimonials that are available upon request. I am also proud to have been THE OFFICIAL EXCLUSIVE SPONSOR of the Pasadena Bar Association for many years.

Contact me today to see how my experience can help you.

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