ABOUT ME
I have a print hanging in my office with a quote from Nelson Mandela: “It only seems impossible until it’s done.” Whenever I feel discouraged, I look at that and remind myself that I have what it takes to find a path forward, no matter how difficult things seem. Resilience is built into my psyche. Was I born with it, or did I learn it from my parents, my role models? Probably a mixture of both.
At the root of resilience, I think, is creativity, imagination, and a fearlessness about living authentically. I had these in abundance at a young age. I was born in Taiwan, where most kids grew up being obedient and striving to fulfill their parents’ expectations. I was—well—different. While my classmates practiced piano, learned math equations, or played with Barbies, I was a tomboy, a rebel, and I spent most of my free time alone in the garden at the back of our house. It was my sanctuary, and I took full advantage of it.
I craved being there. Every day after school, I threw down my book bag in the hallway and raced outside to see what had changed. I opened seeds, flowers, and fruits to observe their structures. I taught myself how to catch insects and butterflies without hurting them. I explored every corner of our garden and challenged myself to climb the trees faster than the day before. Frequently I lost track of time and got scolded for not doing my homework, but my adventures piqued my curiosity. I was never bored in the garden.
When I was six years old, my teacher asked, “Who do you want to be when you grow up?” No surprise, my classmates planned to become doctors, architects, and engineers. I, however, had a different answer: “I want to study plants!” My teacher gave me a puzzled look and asked me whether that was really a thing. “YES!” I said, with complete confidence. To prove my point, I told her my cousin studied plants in college. Okay, so the truth was I didn’t have a cousin in college, but my justification for that small creative fib was that if people weren’t studying plants at the time, they ought to be!
It’s pretty remarkable to me that my parents didn’t freak out about their wild child, but then they were remarkably creative and fearless too. Here’s one example: When I was nine years old, my dad lost his job, and we lived on savings alone for over a year while he looked for something new. One day, my parents announced that we were going to do an instant noodle contest. The plan was we’d eat all the different instant noodles on the market, rate them, and figure out which was our favorite. My brother and I felt like it was the best thing that had ever happened to us. The criteria was pretty simple—the noodles were ranked “best” if you liked how they tasted—but we still made an official contest poster, checked off the squares, and tracked all our votes for over a month. I don’t recall the winning brand—today I’d pick a savory short rib kind—but I do remember how super-excited we were about all of it.
It wasn’t until I was much older that I understood we were having all those instant noodles because of lack of funds. What an incredibly creative idea to hold a contest, to turn our hard times into something fun! My parents not only sheltered us from feelings of inadequacy and shame, they modeled the power of resilience and gave us great memories. Nothing’s impossible!
ABOUT ME
I have a print hanging in my office with a quote from Nelson Mandela: “It only seems impossible until it’s done.” Whenever I feel discouraged, I look at that and remind myself that I have what it takes to find a path forward, no matter how difficult things seem. Resilience is built into my psyche. Was I born with it, or did I learn it from my parents, my role models? Probably a mixture of both.
At the root of resilience, I think, is creativity, imagination, and a fearlessness about living authentically. I had these in abundance at a young age. I was born in Taiwan, where most kids grew up being obedient and striving to fulfill their parents’ expectations. I was—well—different. While my classmates practiced piano, learned math equations, or played with Barbies, I was a tomboy, a rebel, and I spent most of my free time alone in the garden at the back of our house. It was my sanctuary, and I took full advantage of it.
I craved being there. Every day after school, I threw down my book bag in the hallway and raced outside to see what had changed. I opened seeds, flowers, and fruits to observe their structures. I taught myself how to catch insects and butterflies without hurting them. I explored every corner of our garden and challenged myself to climb the trees faster than the day before. Frequently I lost track of time and got scolded for not doing my homework, but my adventures piqued my curiosity. I was never bored in the garden.
When I was six years old, my teacher asked, “Who do you want to be when you grow up?” No surprise, my classmates planned to become doctors, architects, and engineers. I, however, had a different answer: “I want to study plants!” My teacher gave me a puzzled look and asked me whether that was really a thing. “YES!” I said, with complete confidence. To prove my point, I told her my cousin studied plants in college. Okay, so the truth was I didn’t have a cousin in college, but my justification for that small creative fib was that if people weren’t studying plants at the time, they ought to be!
It’s pretty remarkable to me that my parents didn’t freak out about their wild child, but then they were remarkably creative and fearless too. Here’s one example: When I was nine years old, my dad lost his job, and we lived on savings alone for over a year while he looked for something new. One day, my parents announced that we were going to do an instant noodle contest. The plan was we’d eat all the different instant noodles on the market, rate them, and figure out which was our favorite. My brother and I felt like it was the best thing that had ever happened to us. The criteria was pretty simple—the noodles were ranked “best” if you liked how they tasted—but we still made an official contest poster, checked off the squares, and tracked all our votes for over a month. I don’t recall the winning brand—today I’d pick a savory short rib kind—but I do remember how super-excited we were about all of it.
It wasn’t until I was much older that I understood we were having all those instant noodles because of lack of funds. What an incredibly creative idea to hold a contest, to turn our hard times into something fun! My parents not only sheltered us from feelings of inadequacy and shame, they modeled the power of resilience and gave us great memories. Nothing’s impossible!
AMY'S STORY
Founder and Realtor | Intero Top 1.5% Producer Nationwide
TESTIMONIALS
"It was an honor to watch Amy work. We were real estate Gypsies that never used the same agent in our last 7 RE transactions. Now she's converted us into believers and we wish we had more houses for her to sell.
Our times together were short and sweet. She is highly efficient. She turned our house around and put it on the market 10 days after we moved out, by doing so we were able to catch the most optimal buying window.
Our home was sold quickly and the sold price was higher than other homes in the neighborhood during one of lowest market times. We were thrilled.
She presented to us her innovative marketing strategies to increase exposure and drive the highest number of offers. But it wasn't until we saw her actual executions, which went above and beyond any glorious picture she could've painted, that we saw she was the real deal. Her words were beautiful but her actions lived up to every single promise and then some.
Setting the list price was a data driven science and her methodical approach made us feel reassured and well informed. She diligently provided market updates at all the right times, we felt comfortable with her realistic and yet positive take.
She was pleasant and efficient with communicating the progress in all the moving parts, checking in often to provide support to us.
We were fortunate to have met her. We wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone during this most stressful and exciting time of your life; she's a teammate that will always have your back."
-Michael W.
My husband and I are young, first time home buyers and we were extremely nervous about finding and being able to secure a home in the competitive Bay Area market. Knowing nothing about buying a house, Amy guided us through the entire process and gave us so much clarity it felt like a walk in the park.
We cannot express how LUCKY we felt to have found Amy and her group. Not only is she a great teacher with a positive and understanding approach to her work, but her dedication and skill is absolutely unmatched. She was able to get us our dream home at a great price in under a week, something we thought it would take months!
She worked from early the morning to late at night to ensure we were in the perfect position to buy something we loved, I'm not exaggerating when I say she was there for us any moment of the day. I could go on forever, but I'll end here by saying that Amy deserves all the praise in the world and if I could give her more than 5 stars I would. Thank you so much, Amy!
- Johnny and Vanessa
"We are so glad our paths crossed with Amy. She is a knowledgeable and caring real estate agent that goes above and beyond to make sure her clients achieve their goals.
Our journey in finding our new home took more than a year but Amy patiently worked with us to identify our needs so that we could go after them.
With research and preparation, she helped us list and sell our home above asking price in a short period of time. She was extremely efficient, resourceful and effective in executing the plan while staying calm and poised during the process.
We can not recommend Amy enough. She is caring and yet data driven. She is knowledgeable and uses real time facts to help you make the right decision.
Thank you Amy for your guidance and teamwork in helping us sell and buy our new home."
- Delaram P.
"Amy was referred to me by my good friend, and I'm so glad we decided to work with Amy and her team. My fiancé and I had originally connected with Amy to buy our first home together, but with our upcoming wedding and hectic schedule these past few months, we decided to postpone our search and pivoted to selling my condo first. Amy was extremely patient as my fiancé and I went through the ups and downs of making this important decision for ourselves.
Once we decided to move forward with selling my condo, it was all hands on-deck. Amy provided us with so much support and guidance throughout the entire process, from prepping our condo for listing, scheduling (and rescheduling) repairs and appointments with the staging company, setting up off-market showing appointments, navigating negotiations with buyers, and even referring us to movers – she really went above and beyond. Amy is very responsive and efficient, and she answered all our questions thoroughly and transparently. She always made us feel like her top priority, and we felt very lucky to be partnered with someone so knowledgeable. We ended up selling our condo for above the goal price we had initially hoped for, after just 3 days of off-market showings!
We truly couldn't have done it without Amy, and I whole-heartedly recommend her to anybody who is looking to sell or buy a home."
- Nicole P.
"This year is a big year for me. I am getting married, working through a master’s program, and learning how to be a dog mom. All really amazing things, yet the best part of my year was meeting and working with Amy Yao. My fiancé and I were first time homebuyers in the most competitive of markets. We had no idea how to start, where to go, what questions to ask or how the process even worked. It was when we were the most frustrated that we met Amy.
Amy not only guided us through this entire process but she taught us how to be smart and capable homebuyers. Amy was available to us whenever we needed her, answered all our questions free of judgement no matter how big or small, and shared amazing resources for everything we might need. She knows this market so so well and has a team of amazing individuals enhancing the whole experience. From lender introductions, to home insurance recommendations, and guidance with wiring money Amy was there for it all. We started and completed our entire process in about 1 month… virtually unheard of in the high demand low supply Bay Area and it was all because of Amy.
I think the best part about working with Amy is how she treats you like a friend and almost family. She wants you to succeed and fights hard for you to get the house you want. To Amy we were and are so much more than a number and we feel so lucky to have received her help and support. With out her we probably would not have found a house or been successful. Do yourself a favor and choose Amy and your team to buy or sell your house. It will be the best decision of your life."
- Katie Kent
"We contacted Amy for a sales consultation and was immediately floored by her professionalism, knowledge, and presence. Selling one’s home is like a walk on a very long and winding path, riddled with pot holes and dead ends. Luckily we had Amy and her fantastic team to guide us through. We had a very limited schedule as we needed to sell our house in order to purchase another out-of-state. There were several stressful hurdles early in the process, and just when we felt we were in over our heads, Amy stepped in provided guidance to the point where we just trusted her advice without question. She fought for us and at the end of it all, Amy and the Yao Group team made it happen…$300K+ over asking! I would recommend Amy Yao to my closest friends and family without hesitation. 5 stars!"
- David P.
Scroll to view more
