Gema Smith

Gema Smith

Selling Silicon Valley Since 1987

About

Gema S. Smith has been an influential pioneer in the luxury real estate industry for over 30 years. With a reputation for providing first-class service and garnering impeccable results for her clients, Gema’s accomplishments have earned her mentions in San Jose Magazine as well as two State of California Senate Certificates of Recognition. 

Gema Smith has earned the nationally recognized Seniors Real Estate Specialist® designation from the SRES® Council of the National Association of REALTORS®. She successfully completed the comprehensive course in understanding the needs, considerations, and goals of real estate buyers and sellers ages 55 and older.

Unapologetically persistent, tenacious in her negotiation and passionate about developing genuine trust with her clients, Gema brings her best-in-class service and award-winning approach to The Compass, with a focus on the high-end market of Silicon Valley. Previously, Gema served as a Broker Associate with Intero Real Estate Services in San Jose, where she was a consistent top producer and recognized as a Top Listing and Sales agent for the company’s 15 corporate offices, as well as a Broker Associate at The Agency. Knowing that every buyer and seller has their own unique story to tell, Gema is proud to play a role in her clients’ ongoing narrative and represent their best interests in what is often the biggest transaction of their lives. 

Gema has been an active member of the real estate community since 1987, getting her start in the loan business before obtaining her real estate and broker’s licenses. In 2002, she opened a real estate brokerage and loan company which she ran successfully until 2008, when she chose to focus her efforts on real estate sales full-time. Gema is a long-time member of the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors (SCCAOR) and California Association of Realtors (CAR), as well as a Certified REO & SHORT SALE Specialist with The Five Star Institute. She is also a two-time Santa Clara County Chapter President of NHORA (National Hispanic Organization of Real Estate Associates) and currently sits on the NHORA National Board of Directors. 

A passionate philanthropist, Gema sits on the Board of Directors for the Jose Valdes Math Institute. Her commitment and dedication to the advancement of educational opportunities to underserved communities defines her character. In her spare time, Gema enjoys gourmet cooking, entertaining family and friends, wine tasting, reading, jogging and traveling. 

What Clients Are Saying

Gema was exceptional throughout the entire home-buying process. From the moment we started the buying journey, she demonstrated deep knowledge of the market and keen attention to our needs. Her professionalism and responsiveness made us feel supported every step of the way. Gema's expertise guided us through the entire process seamlessly. She was always available to address our concerns and provided valuable insights that helped us make informed decisions. Thanks to Gema's dedication and commitment, we found our dream home and were able to close in a month from the day we spoke to her. I highly recommend her services to anyone looking to buy a home.

Dime Chisme

As we close this chapter of our lives and move to our next, in Sacramento, I wanted to leave behind a little gift/recommendation. We were blown away by the demand for this area, and our house, as SIXTEEN offers came in from prospective buyers.

We ended up selling our house for much more than we were expecting, while only being on the market for 11 days! This was due in large part to the agent we ended up working with, Gema Smith.

I highly recommend you talk with her, even if you aren't looking to sell your home right now. Her knowledge of the selling process and specifically The Ranch on Silver Creek is unparalleled. Just hours after we contacted her, she had a booklet prepared for us that had everything from comps in the area, best practices in marketing, to offer strategies for us to consider.

She worked with us to get the house ready for sale in less than 2 weeks, coordinating everything from staging to paperwork! Once the offers came in, she went back and forth with the buyer agents and got us the best deal.

Luke Tillo

I want to tell you how much I appreciate you continuing to check in with us. I consider you a friend, as well as a sister in the Lord. Yes, you’re a Realtor and part of the “check in” is business, but I know your heart. I know you do what you do to help people. I’m glad Jim and I are two of your people. 😊

We saw your sign on Almaden & Redmond last Sunday, on our way to church and we cheered for you! 
 
May the Lord bless you and Tim and your business. May He protect you during these lean times and keep you under the shadow of His wings. 
Karen & Jim Larkin

We decided to buy a house in January 2021, along with the rest of the Bay Area market apparently. We met Gema and had proposed a much slower timeline. She educated us on the market and trends, and started slow with us. She did a great job of showing us a variety of homes in different locations/cities, and then checking in to see where our head was at. After putting in a few early offers and learning the ropes, she helped push us to identify what our dream home was and truly go after what we wanted. Once we figured out what we wanted she lined up a day of 7 homes, and we went aggressive for what we wanted. She helped us the whole way and ultimately we found our dream home. Review submitted by Vanessa (Buyer) on 4 Oct 2021

Vanessa

As first time home buyers in the Bay Area we were expecting a difficult process, but what surprised us was the pace of the activity. Gema accompanied us to many showings, learning what we were looking for and helping guide our selection. Most importantly she helped us get prepared to move quickly and understand what it would take to be competitive for the kind of homes we were interested in. After getting outbid a few times, we finally found the forever home we knew was the one and told Gema to do whatever it took to make it happen - and she did! We are so grateful for her help and guidance. We would highly recommend her services. 

 

Kevin Michael Hughes

From the beginning when we knew we wanted to sell our home on Copper Peak Lane in San Jose, we were sure that Gema would be one of the people we would speak to about the sale.  We'd been receiving her helpful emails about preparing to sell a home for a while and we could sense her enthusiasm and professionalism.  We spoke to other realtors before ultimately selecting Gema to help us sell our home. One of the main reasons we selected Gema was because she assured us that it was indeed possible to sell a home in the midst of a pandemic with social distancing and other requirements in place.  She talked to us about pricing, staging, the process, the team she worked with and her long career in the business.   Once we signed the contract to work with Gema/Compass, things kicked into high gear.  Within a few days with her guidance, inspections were taking place, the house was staged, photographs and videos were taken, the sign was up and we were on our way.  Gema did virtual open houses, responded to calls from interested buyers and represented our interests with the highest level of integrity.  She even did a virtual open house one evening at sunset to show potential buyers the amazing sunset from our back deck!  From our perspective, she went above and beyond. I know we can't possibly have been her only clients, but we felt as if we were from her responsiveness to our multitude of questions, and the time she devoted to virtual open houses and completing the necessary COVID-19 paperwork.  Gema was always positive and upbeat.  She gave wise advice and listened to our needs and concerns.  In the end the house sold in less than two weeks resulting in happy buyers and very happy and satisfied sellers.  We can't thank Gema enough for all she did to make selling our house a successful and painless experience. Paul and Elizabeth

Paul & Elizabeth Constantino

Gema have a very good customer service, always respond on time manner and with professionalism. She is on top of every single stage during the process.

Brian Napoles Cuevas

Gema is very knowledgeable and helpful when I purchased my rental property. It was a short sale property which is very emotional for the seller, but She is very efficient to solve all kind of problems and very good on negotiation. So, the whole thing was very clean and completed.

Linda Chen

Gema Smith, a helpful kind-hearted business woman who helped me throughout my house buying process. Without her, I know it would have been much more difficult. Thank You Gema for being so helpful and making this experience as easy as it could be!

The Cruz Family

Gema, you and your team made the selling process as simple as one, two, three.Step one was the pre-sale house assessment process. Your expert presentation of market data was exceptional. The comps of comparable properties are sometimes hard to understand, however the analytics were presented in a fashion that even my 93-year-old parents could understand. This set you apart from others I interviewed.Step two was the marketing of the property. Your team was an invaluable in presenting the home, highlighting its best attributes. Also, the marketing plan was excellent. The preparing of data sheets, the video presentation and the showing of the property all were done without stress and was worry free.Step three was the purchase offer and follow up to closing. You were on top of each step from buyer’s inspections, appraisal and coordination with the buyer’s agent and loan officer to insure all went smoothly.I believe your professionalism and experience made the difference with my home. The proof is record sale of the property in less than 3 days, and closing within 23 days! Competing homes sat on the market and did not close by the time my home did.In summary, you and your team were great. I would recommend you to anyone interested in buying or selling a home. Again, you made a stressful process as simple as one, two, three.

Dean Taber

Gema is a kind, loyal and trustworthy realtor! She recently helped my siblings and I sell our family home. It was a daunting task and incredibly emotional. Gema and her team made it easy and seamless. Gema not only went above and beyond she became a family friend. Gema takes pride in what she does and it's very evident based on the strong connections she fosters with clients and colleagues as well. My family and I recommend Gema without hesitation. She's simply the BEST!!!!

Naomi Berman

Gema was incredibly easy to work with, even managing the transaction while she was out of the office. Communication was especially clear and timely

I appreciated the hands-on coordination of movers, cleaners, painters, donations, etc., since I was not local. When determining to sell my mom’s condo, I had been concerned about how to manage that process, given that I don’t live close and had other demands on my time, so her handling of virtually all of that was incredibly welcome!

Her team seemed to push things through and supported me well.

Robyn Helmlinger

We just wanted to say, Thank you Gema. I cant say how appreciative we are with your servcie as always, you go through lengths to make things happen. We could not of done it without you or ask for a better person to have by our side through life changing moments. We love you and truely appreciate you. 

The Louketis

Gemma is awesome, she is very knowledgeable and thorough. 

Gemma is very knowledgeable and experienced. She is very thoughtful, and knows everything about all aspects of selling and buying homes. When the home was placed on market she already had all inspections and staging setup, and this made for a smooth and expedited sell of property. She has contacts for everything needed including moving companies. The listing and selling of our property was done in 22 days, so if you are looking for experienced, and professional agent, Gemma is the cream of the crop! 

Lucinda & Todd Louketis (Seller)

Gema helped me achieve my dream property! She helped me get the best offer possible. She is knowledgeable, assertive and efficient. She made the listing process smooth and stress free.

Alicia Scott

We met Gema when my husband and I were looking for the perfect home for our family in the Silver Creek Country Club in San Jose or the surrounding communities in that area.  She was actually representing the seller and we bought the home that she listed.  Gema had a very lasting impression on us - genuine, caring, always had your best interest at heart - and when it was time for us to sell our home we knew she would be the best person to represent us.  She is very knowledgeable of the Silver Creek Valley area market and will help you get your property to where it needs to be in order to sell at top dollar.  We were in the process of relocating to Austin, TX while trying to sell our home and she made the process super easy, super smooth.  After just a few open houses, we received multiple offers and closed in less than 30 days.  The best part?  Our house was sold at the highest $/sq ft in our area!  We will definitely request her services again in the future.

John & Dashiell Aromin

Working with Gemma and her team has been a great experience helping us to buy our house , She is one of the most knowledgeable and professional agents I have ever had the pleasure of working with. She is an outstanding Realtor with a great attitude, incredible energy and she is an expert in her field Contracts and all paperwork was handled on time in a very efficient manner, all electronically. I will be happy to work with her in the future.

Omar Napoles Rincon

Gema Smith and her team were very attentive and responsive to our needs. With a great coach like Gema, the G-Team helped us achieve our dream starter home in exactly the area we wanted. After months of searching, Gema restored our faith in the real estate business and proved there are genuine and caring agents out there.

The Adrianos

She was great ! She worked really hard to get my parents the house they needed when other Realtors were not able to get them a loan with the banks she was able to find a bank that would loan them the money to buy the house and they are very happy with their new home !

The Valenzuela Family

I would like to offer my unconditional recommendation of Gema Smith's as a realtor. My wife and I worked with her on our relocation from San Jose, CA to Patterson CA in the spring of 2015, and the experience and its results were stellar. Gema was very skilled at keeping us up-to-date on the fast breaking developments and she did a superb job of shepherding us through the entire set of transactions, including taking advantage of a Fannie Mae foreclosure that we now know had eluded others for years. We listed our old home in San Jose with her at the end of March, 2015, and we were in our fresh house in Patterson on May 1, 2015! The rapidity was almost bewildering! Then my wife's sister listed her house in San Jose with Gema, and subsequently negotiated that sale and got my sister-in-law into a home right around the corner from us here in Patterson, taking possession in January 2016! We believe Gema is a realtor with the all of the skills necessary to produce successful transactions in today's volatile markets.

Ed Goshay