Big Bear Lakefront Information (909) 633-2558

3/29/2012 Mike is without a doubt one of the best realtors I've had the chance to work with. He helped the firm I work for sell a home in Big Bear early in 2012 and he made the experience very enjoyable.

Upon first meeting Mike, I was able to easily determine that he had a deep understanding of the market in Big Bear. He was also very prepared and professional. More importantly, I could tell from that first meeting that Mike was someone who would work very hard for me, furthermore that he was someone I could truly trust. This was huge because the property was an REO that Mike had the listing on previously. Typically, my firm would pursue a new realtor in this situation, however this was the first time we decided to stick with the original listing agent due to our comfort level with him.

It's hard to completely touch on his professionalism but I'll simply say that we put him in an awkard position by originally accepting one of two deals from a propsective buyer who decided not to pursue a purchase. It nearly lost him the deal with the second buyer and potentially ruined his relationship with that person as well. However, he was able to save the deal for both parties involved and it worked out for everyone when all was said and done. Through the entire debacle Mike remained calm and professional and never once lost his composure. I can't honestly say that I wouldn't have lost my "cool" in the same situation.

Although I manage a number of REO assets with my firm and it goes against my grain by saying I can't wait to work with Mike again, I would jump at the opportunity to work with him in the future! B Dunday

2/28/2012 Mike helped our family buy a lakefront property in early 2012, and we would absolutely use him again if the opportunity presents itself.

It was very comfortable working with Mike. No drama. No pressure. No games. He clearly listened well whenever we dicussed our interests in a property, because he never steered us in the wrong direction as we looked at homes.

He worked with us exactly the way we needed him to. He was available every time we asked to be shown homes, and he was very knowledgable about the properties on the market - not just the homes that we'd been scheduled to visit, but also others that we asked him about randomly during the course of our search.

Throughout the entire process, he was exceptionally responsive via phone, email and text - usually replying within an hour or two to any question we had, whether we were house-hunting or going through escrow.

As we entered the negotiation phase that ultimately lead to opening escrow, he represented our interests very well; gave us great insight; and he never pushed us in one direction or another.

As stressful as home-buying can be, Mike was a real bright spot in the experience.

2/18/2012
When we decided to purchase a second home in Big Bear, I contacted several agents about property that they had listed. After speaking with several of them, they did not impress me as people that were truly interested in us or our needs. Then, I ran across a listing held by Mike. I contacted Mike about the listing, and although that property had just entered escrow with another buyer, Mike struck me as an agent that was genuinely interested in working with us to find the right property. So, we started to work with Mike and my instincts were absolutely correct. Mike was knowledgeable, responsive, patient, understanding, cooperative, and was confident that a property meeting our needs would materialize. He clearly understood our needs and our budget and he worked hard to locate properties within those parameters. Although we were already somewhat familiar with the area, Mike would point out aspects of properties that we show consider such as the facing direction of properties, access issues, or potential road noise. He continuously demonstrated that he was concerned about our best interests. Ultimately, we found an ideal property for us in Big Bear City and we are now enjoying some mountain living. So, if you're interested in a pleasant buying or selling experience from the standpoint of having the right agent, go see Mike! R Vaudo

1/17/2012 Mike was great to work with. He was professional, responsive, and very knowledgeable about the area. Because this is a vacation home we really depended on Mike's area knowledge. We have been in the home a little over two months now and it's location is just right for our needs. Once we found the right home I was also very impressed with his negotiation skills. He has the ability to negotiate a good deal while maintaining respectful communications with all involved. If you appreciate a knowledgeable, no drama, transaction than Mike is the right person to work with.

1/16/2012 Very tough and long close due to negotiations and the buyers bank and their ridiculous requests. Mike stayed on top of the entire closing process daily and always kept in communication with me. Mike was highly recommended to me and I am very glad I choose Mike to represent us in this transaction. T Ohara

10/30/2011 Mike Wochner was an excellent agent. He was very patient with us ,not pushy at all. He was very confident and encourging to us that we would find the perfect vacation home. one of the great things about mike was that when we called him on the phone he would get right back to us. He is one of the best agents that we have ever worked with. He always seemed to be relaxed, confident ,willing to answer questions and friendly! L Reed

10/26/2011 Just call Mike already--no need to look further. The property we ended up purchasing was a Fannie Mae HomePath with a Renovation Loan--which was very challenging. Mike showed immense patience throughout the extraordinarily lengthy (and frustrating) process. Plus, he's a solid, honest, nice guy--which was a huge asset in his relationship with the listing agent and dealing with other professionals. L Anderson

9/4/2011 After talking with several agents, I decided to work with Mike. Well I'm very glad I did, Mike was able to sell the property on time, he is very patient and he did what he said he is going to do for us. His advise was right on. Thank you Mike. A Fahimi

8/17/2011 Mike is one in a million. I have worked with several realtors in my life and all of them oversold and under delivered. Mike is the polar opposite. He's calm, confident and humble. He took on a very complicated sale for me (which took over eight months) and saw it through to the bitter end. His ability to negotiate on behalf of the seller was incredible. I highly recommend Mike. JP Schuermann

7/28/2011 My family and I worked closely with Mike to purchase a vacation house in Big Bear Lake, CA. I can't say enough good things about Mike. He truly goes the extra mile to make sure the deal goes through. He gave us wonderful advice about where to start in the negotiating process and provided us with a good idea of where we would likely wind up. It's important to find someone who will give you realistic expectations and continue to follow-up to make sure things go smoothly. Mike did both of those things.

I also want to comment on Mike's knowledge of the Big Bear area. Living in the area, Mike has a good knowledge of what different parts of town are like and what the neighborhoods are known for. He also has a strong knowledge of the day-to-day aspects of purchasing a home in a particular area. And he's a great source for referrals to trusted, local service people.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Mike to anyone looking to purchase or sell a home in this area. He's simply the best and will continue to work hard for you, regardless of whether you're a buyer or seller. D Erenea

6/13/2011 We were very satisfied with Mikes efforts in finding the right house for us. He was patient with us while the process took almost ten months before the right home came on the market. We had learned by then to make a fast decision on the right home once it came on the market, and this was no exception as the home we brought had only been avaible for a few days when Mike showed it to us. We decided the same day we saw the house and later learned people were already lining up to make an offer if we had not done so. J&K Sallee

5/17/2011 Mike was wonderful from day one. He is very professional, knowledgeable about all aspects of Big Bear Lake and surrounding areas, hard working, polite, and an exceptional realtor. I would recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a home in Big Bear. First class all the way! One more thing I must add, the brochure that was made for our home was top notch, absolutely GORGEOUS! R&A Gagnier

5/16/2011 Mike was outstanding from the get go, my wife had been researching homes in Big Bear for a while and when she decided to take the next and find an agent Mike was the only one who would take the time to work with and answer any questions my wife had. Once they decided the price range that would work my wife and Mike worked very closely to find the right amount of properties for us to look at, once we got to Big Bear Mike took us around to many different properties and knew all the answers to our questions on every property he was amazing. My wife found a house that was about to go on the market and Mike did a great job preparing and contrasting this property to others which made it an easy decision for us to buy, once we decided to do that Mike was able to get our offer in before any one else could even see the property. During the escrow process we could not have ask for a more smoother transition, Mike was able to get the inspections and repairs and anything else we needed to do done without a hesitiation he has been fantastic through out the whole process. Mike even lent us tools to work with and his time to help us move furniture into our new home without any questions. We could not be happier with our home and our choice of agents, Mike’s local knowledge was extremely useful for us in the buying process as well as getting local professionals to help us with little things around our new home. If you are looking for someone with the knowledge and drive to get you what you are looking for in a home in the Big Bear area the is no one better than Mike Wochner. S&D Segal

3/31/2011 Mike knew exactly what we wanted in a house and helped us through the negotiation process. D Erenea

3/22/2011 Mike was very helpful from the beginning. He was very responsive to the initial questions even before having a formal agreement with him. Later he was diligent on suggesting properties that would interest us as soon as they were on the market. It is how we found a great deal that was not displayed in the major websites. During the negotiations, knowing that that particular seller usually allows a percentage of price reductions, instructed us accordingly in spite of the commission reduction that this would mean for him. Finally, he definitively went the extra mile checking on every little detail I asked him about the process of purchase. He went as far as shopping on title insurance companies at my request and lending us some money for the inspection. F Gomez

2/28/2011 We would highly recommend Mike to anyone looking to buy a home in the Big Bear area. He listened carefully to what we were looking for in a vacation home and what price range we were considering. He provided excellent feedback on several properties that we told him we were interested in seeing and made himself available any time of any day that we were able to make the drive up there. The house that we ultimately purchased was a recent price reduction. Mike had forwarded the listing the morning that the price was reduced knowing that it met all of the criteria we were looking for. We were in escrow 6 days later. During escrow and even after we closed, Mike was instrumental in coordinating all the inspections, repairs, even opening the house for the cable and utilities people since we do not live in the area. If we have any future Real Estate needs in Big Bear, we will definitely be contacting Mike again. J&M Weber

2/18/2011 Mike was by far one of the best agents I have ever worked with and I have worked with many different agents. Mike went so far as when there was a misunderstanding on the total price by the seller, Mike stepped up to the plate and paid most of the mistake out of his comission, I know of no other agents I have worked with that would have done that, the deal would have just fell through!! I would highly recommend Mike for your real estate needs. B Forster

12/4/2010 My wife and I spent a lot of time searching the internet to find 5-6 places we were interested in taking a look at. We contacted Coldwell Banker, scheduled an appointment with Mike and emailed him the listing information for the homes we had selected. When we met him, Mike had not only made arrangements to show us the homes we requested, he found 5-6 other places for us to look at that were of interest to us. He took us to each of the homes and shared with us the pros and cons without any pressure. It was obvious to us that he quickly got a good sense of what we were looking for and what our budget was. He was very knowledgeable about the area, home values and quality. Ultimately, we ended up selecting one of the homes Mike had found for us to make an offer on. Mike helped us to negotiate a great deal--far less than the home had been going for. With his continues assistance and follow-up we were able to close escrow in about 3o days--an amazing feat. we love the home. Mike is one of the best real estate agents we have ever worked with. His low-key, yet diligent approach fit our style very well. I would highly recommend Mike Wochner to anyone looking to buy a home. He is great to work with! Kenn & Beverly Y.

10/5/2010 We went through 4 agents in 3 years looking for our perfect place in the Big Bear Valley before meeting up with Steve Hirschler and then Mike Wochner, both with the Tyler Wood Group. Steve initially worked with us for weekends on end, educating us about pros and cons of various areas and neighborhoods and helping us understand the differences in market forces in Big Bear from other areas.

We then worked with Mike Wochner who tirelessly continued working with us to find the right place in Fawnskin. That, however, was just the beginning. The seller was represented by a local realtor who went M.I.A. on our deal. Mike essentailly filled the role of both agents in doing this deal. Additionally, we ran into some issues relating to incomplete construction permits for the remodeling that was performed 15 years prior. I was unwilling to go through with the transaction with the questionable permits, so Mike personally went to the County permitting office to get the issues resolved after the sellers' realtor was unresponsive. He also coordinated activities among our lender, the appraisers (another problem area in our transaction), the escrow company, and the other realtor's "transaction coordinator" to ensure that all parties met the schedule for closing.

Although I wouldn't wish him to go through this again, Mike and I corresponded late at night, on weekends, and even when he was trying to sneak in a round of golf (thanks Mike). I would sum up our appraisal of Mike and the Tyler Wood Group as professional, responsive, creative, capable, and tireless. I recommend them to anyone that is acquiring or selling real estate in this area
James N, Laguna Niguel, CA

9/28/2010 We purchased a house through Mike Wochner at The Tim Wood Group. He was by far the best real estate agent we have ever worked with. He was very knowledgeable, professional and trustworthy. His communication and follow up were outstanding. My husband has a very challenging work schedule and Mike made himself available whenever we needed him. He has been in invaluable resource after closing on the house as well with his contacts in the area. We would highly recommend Mike to anyone looking for an outstanding agent who is willing to go above and beyond for his clients. NB, Ladera Ranch, CA

12/28/2009 Mike was very helpful in selling our home. It was a high end lakefront, which is very difficult to sell in the current real estate environment. Without his help I believe the sale would have never happened. Had we taken his advice on the sales price in the beginning we might have sold sooner. (Dude is very aware of the market conditions and what the price should be. Most sellers start out asking more than their agents recommendation, which of course delays their property sale and sometimes let them ride the market down to less than they would have received had they priced it correctly in the first place). His original estimate of our sales price was very close to the price we finally settled on. He is very well aware of the Bear Valley inventory. I have tested him on many occassions and he always comes up with the facts regarding the property without having to check it out and call me back in two or three days. He is a full time agent and does not sling hash at a restaurant or work at the ski slopes or a marina with RE being a part time job. His focus is on real estate. He has a good rapport with the other agents we have spoken with. We have bought and sold several properties using him as our agent over the years. We have always been pleased with his service. In summation, if you are looking for an agent to help you buy, sell, or lease property I would highly recommend Mike. JL, Orange, CA

6/8/2009 Mike did a great job as our agent buying a lakefront REO in Big Bear. We found him thru his website and really enjoyed reading his viewpoints on lakefront homes for sale in Big Bear. We found his reviews refreshingly honest and extemely helpful. There were three couples buying the house together, and Mike made us all feel we were in good hands. He went over and above what we had expected from a real estate agent. None of us had ever purchased an REO before, and Mike guided us through the process and made it as painless as possible. We highly recommend him as your first choice for an agent in Big Bear. SM, Orange, CA

4/27/2009 Mike Wochner sold me a home approximately six weeks ago. His high level of professional demeanor, knowledge of his occupation, and duties as my agent are to be commended. Even after the sale, Mike offered valuable information as to contractors to assist me in updating the property and proved very reliable and fair in their pricing. I would recommend Mike to anyone who is looking for a true professional to assist them in purchasing or selling a home. PS, Burbank, CA

Elevation: 6743'
Length: 7 miles
Average Lake Width: 1/2 mile
Shoreline: 22 miles
Maximum Water Depth: 72' 4"
Average Water Depth: 35'
Lake Storage Capacity: 73,370 acre feet

Average Lake Temperature for April: 38 degrees

SWIMMING is allowed within 50 feet of the shore, within a designated swimming area (Swim Beach), within 20 feet of a private dock, or as incidental or necessary to waterskiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing, sailboarding, or in an emergency.
SWIM AT YOUR OWN RISK!

 Subscribe to this Blog