We bought and sold our house in Santa Cruz through Neal Langholz, of Karon Properties. Neal is a low-pressure kind of guy and really helped us navigate through buying our first home. I felt like he gave honest advice and shared a lot of wisdom about the market. He did not try to up sell us, and really listened to our wishes with regards to finding a home. He took us to many properties with no hesitation. There was never a part of the process where he left us stranded, but also never put undue pressure on us either. Neal also owns a lot of properties in the area - so has been a valuable resource in recommending handymen, painters and other services.