Michael Thomas

1/26/26Evelyn Wang

Google Review

Michael was our mortgage broker and he went above and beyond that role! He took the time to run us through a crash course on loans, offered us advice and referrals for home inspection, helped coordinate, and was always on top of things, doing whatever he could to help us in our home buying journey. Highly recommend.

12/26/25Torin Smith

Google Review

Very helpful with buying our first home and figuring out how to get a mortgage.

12/19/25Weddy Kanana

Google Review

I recently worked with California Lending & Realty to sell my condo, and I'm so glad I did! Michael Thomas was incredibly trustworthy and professional throughout the entire process. His great communication kept me informed at every turn, and his knowledge made me feel secure in my decisions. He truly is a great negotiator and offered friendly service that made a potentially stressful time much easier. This brokerage is indeed a terrific one-stop shop!

10/14/25Lillian Rich

Google Review

I am a first time home owner. Michael did a great job answering all my questions and making me feel like I was his only client. He is very knowledgeable with the home buying process. Buying a home was such an important decision in my life and Michael assured me that he would guide me throughout the whole process. It was easy to talk to him and he was always on time. He would take initiatives with texting or calling me to keep me updated. I would recommend Michael to anyone.

9/27/25Debbie Connolly

Google Review

9/27/25Nikki Meek

Google Review

9/21/25Jackie Naah

Google Review

9/17/25Scott Boddie

Google Review

Outstanding experience buying and financing under one roof. The lead broker listened carefully, mapped out a strategy, and handled negotiations like a pro. The lending side was seamless, documents were organized, and every deadline was met. Friendly service, very professional, and clearly committed to the client’s best interest. Would recommend to anyone buying or selling a home.

9/15/25Alex Jackson

Google Review

Five stars, easily. Michael Thomas set a smart plan on day one, compared financing options side by side, locked in a strong rate, and guided us through each deadline with clear next steps. He negotiated repairs and a helpful seller credit, kept us informed with timely updates, and made both the sale and purchase feel straightforward. Honest, trustworthy, very knowledgeable, extremely patient, and truly focused on the clients best interest. Professional service, great communication, friendly team, terrific one stop shop for real estate and mortgages.

8/30/25Audrey Morrison

Google Review

Outstanding from start to finish. Michael Thomas handled both the sale of our old house and the purchase of our new one without a hitch. Great communication, zero hidden fees, and expert guidance on financing options. If you want a knowledgeable broker who truly looks out for you, this is the team to call.

8/28/25Richard Waddell

Google Review

I cannot believe how smooth our first time home buying journey was. Michael Thomas kept our best interests front and center, flagging potential pitfalls before they became problems. No surprises at closing, fantastic rate on the mortgage, and genuinely friendly service throughout. Five shining stars.

5/4/25Scott Middaugh

Google Review

I was extremely pleased with my realtor, Michael Thomas. He was professional, courteous, and extremely knowledgeable of the Imperial Beach area.

He made some very accurate recommendations for improvements of the property that paid off well.

The professional pictures, videos (including drone) were amazing.

The advertising, including social media was perfectly done and well timed.

Despite a somewhat depressed housing market, we listed the house on a Friday and that same weekend we had multiple, quality offers and escrow closed just a couple of weeks later.

I have no doubt in my mind, that without Michael Thomas' knowledge and skills as a realtor, the house would not have sold as quickly as it did.

I gladly recommend Michael to everyone, and I will definitely be calling him if I find myself in need of a realtor again.

4/23/25Matt Ruth

Google Review

I can't say enough positive things about our experience with California Lending & Realty, and Michael Thomas our agent. My wife and I are first time homebuyers and neither of us are from California, so finding someone we could trust to give us advice and information on property locations and values was very important. Michael was able to provide all the details we needed to be comfortable with our offer and the process of buying a home here.

On top of that, Michael was able to help us deal with issues that came up during the purchase process, and went above and beyond any expectations I had with regards to the services he provided.

3/13/25Kelly Christerson

Google Review

Mike, Mike, Mike! We cannot recommend him enough, and it’s a testament to his expertise and care that we’ve worked with him for not one—but two home purchases! First, he helped us find and buy our very first townhome, and six years later, he guided us to our dream primary residence.

What makes Mike truly exceptional is not just his depth of knowledge in real estate, but also his expertise as a lender. He took the time to ensure we understood every aspect of our loan—not just the numbers, but the strategy behind choosing the right terms for our long-term goals. Beyond that, he helped us think outside the typical inspection process, connecting us with specialists so we had a complete and well-rounded understanding of the home before making such a big decision.

Mike is remarkably patient, always available (even for early-morning calls or late-night questions), and his approach is refreshingly thorough and considerate. He doesn’t just want to close a deal—he genuinely cares that his clients make smart, well-informed choices. If you’re looking for someone who is as knowledgeable as they come and has an unmatched commitment to your best interests, Mike is as patient, caring, and knowledgeable as they come.

9/22/24Jake Biglow

Google Review

Michael Thomas is a fantastic realtor! Over the last 6 years he has always made himself available to show me condos and homes until I found the right fit. Michael helped me purchase a condo and most recently our forever home in the most lovely neighborhood. After recommending him to my parents and best friend, he has assisted them in purchasing 4 homes over the years.
Michael will work tirelessly for you to make sure all your needs are met and you are completely happy. He takes care of you every step of the way in the home buying process. I highly recommend working with Michael if you want an agent who will have your best interests in mind and do all that he can to make your dreams come true!

6/9/24Trang Tejada

Google Review

Found Michael on Zillow. He was always available, knowledgeable and fair. His professional advice and negotiation skill helped the sale of my condo quickly. I highly recommend Michael for both selling and buying a property.

6/8/24Rosalind Durant

Google Review

I am a new home owner due to Micheal Thomas . I am in the military and I have a crazy schedule but Micheal was very flexiable. I was able to purchase my first home while being deployed. His expertise is tremendous. Best experience ever!!

5/10/24Aleksey Rozhkov

Google Review

Genius! Absolutely phenomenal person and a human-being. Michael is doing a miracle. He was able to get us approved for an amazing condo. Michael works extra hard, extremely responsible, conducts everything in a timely manner, possess superior knowledge. I personally have rarely seen individuals like Mike Thomas in my entire life. He is an example of excellence, expertise, humility, and charm. I would give him 100 stars if I could

5/9/24Jonathan Hallstrom

Google Review

Michael is one of the best real estate agents in San Diego. He is open minded and will actually listen to you. If you are looking to buy or sell a home in the San Diego area, or in San Diego County, give Michael and his team of top real estate agents a call, seriously.

I promise you wont be disappointed!

5/7/24Nina Smith

Google Review

I had the pleasure of working with an exceptional real estate broker recently, and I cannot praise his services enough. From the very beginning, Michael Thomas, demonstrated a deep understanding of the market and a genuine passion for helping his clients find their dream homes.

Throughout the entire process, Michael showcased professionalism, expertise, and impeccable attention to detail. He was always available to answer any questions or concerns I had and his communication is top-notch. He listened attentively to my needs and preferences, ensuring that each property he showed me matched my criteria perfectly.

Michael’s broker knowledge of the local real estate market was truly impressive. He provided valuable insights and guidance, helping me navigate through the various neighborhoods and helped me to make informed decisions. His negotiation skills were also remarkable, as he was able to secure the best possible deal for me.

What sets this broker apart is his genuine care for his clients. Michael went above and beyond to make the entire buying process smooth and stress-free. He coordinated all the necessary inspections, paperwork, and his company even provided me with the best financing and legal advice.

I am now a proud homeowner, thanks to the exceptional services provided by this real estate broker, Michael Thomas, and Californian Lending and Realty. I highly recommend him to anyone in search of a reliable, knowledgeable, and dedicated professional in the real estate industry. His commitment to excellence and client satisfaction is truly commendable.

Thank you Michael !!!

1/6/24Tate S

Google Review

Great to work with! Extremely knowledgeable. Highly recommended!

11/9/23Carmen Spalding

Google Review

Michael was the best real estate agent we have ever worked with. He is knowledgeable, attentive, and very patient. We had been working with him for seven months trying to purchase a home, and he was always friendly and accessible, even during his vacation! He is also a mortgage broker, so he has a ton of expertise in that arena and helped us navigate the VA loan process. I wouldn't hesitate to work with him again and recommend him to any and everyone. Thanks for everything, Michael!

2/13/22Lydia Clausen

Google Review

Michael Thomas is honest and thrust worthy, very competent and pleasant to work with. He has twice, in 2019 and 2021, expertly assisted us with our home purchases. He demonstrates high level of client focus and quickly understand his clients wants and needs. He was very patient during our home searching processes, and we never felt us pressed to make decisions. He always promptly replied for any requests or questions during the purchase and loan processes, and he always took our stand regarding prices and offers. Both times, we finally found our dream home. We are grateful for the outcomes and will definitely work with Michael again in the future. We highly recommend him to everyone buying or selling a place.

8/31/21Erin Ashley

Google Review

Look no further, Michael Thomas is SD’s best! As first time buyers, Michael was there to guide us EVERY step of the way and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him. His communication is stellar, not just timely and responsive but also knowledgeable and clear to understand when there is so much to learn. Michael knew just when to push us and when to let us lead, which led us to a successful 2-week close of escrow in a wonderful neighborhood. His negotiation skills are TOP NOTCH and we would HIGHLY recommend working with him if you are looking to buy or sell. He is very personable and generous with his time, seemingly always available day or night. He has a keen attention to detail and caught errors and missteps of the listing agents on multiple occasions…there is a reason why Michael is a 5-star-rated realtor! While viewing properties he pointed out critical details to help us focus on the important issues rather than let us get swept up in the trivial decor/specs. It was with his guidance and expertise that we found exactly what we were looking for and what will undoubtedly become the perfect home for us. If you’re a first time home/property buyer, especially in a crazy seller’s market, it is easy to get discouraged and overwhelmed — trust us when we tell you that Michael WILL get the job done and get it done right! It was truly a pleasure and we can’t thank him enough for all of his assistance beginning to end. Thank you so very much Michael!!!

8/17/21Leo Fagundes

Google Review

It was great to work with Michael while he helped me find my new home. Since I'm not from US, I needed help to understand how the market works here and even the lingo. Michael was always available and happy to help me on this.
I will definitely work with Michael again in the future and I recommend him to everyone buying or selling a place.

7/1/21Lan Q

Google Review

I have just closed my 5th escrow and Michael is by far the best realtor I have used. He is genuine, kind, easy to communicate with and quick to respond. Equally important, he is skilled at negotiating the real estate offer on his client's behalf. I felt that he always had our best interests at heart and took care to be frank on whether the property was worth the asking price! I wouldn't hesitate to use Michael again in the future.

4/26/21Kimberlyn Greene

Google Review

If you want to buy a home, Michael should be at the top of your list. We initially connected with Michael because he sold my brother's home in 2020 and my brother highly recommended him. Immediately after our introductory phone call (we spoke with three real estate agents) we felt confident Michael had the knowledge and patience to guide two new homebuyers who were trying to land their first property in the midst of a seller's market. In short, Michael delivered -- from scheduling viewings, to helping us create a strategy for each purchase offer, to addressing innumerable questions (I ask A LOT of questions). His extensive experience buying and selling homes in San Diego shows as he (more than once!) had to guide the sellers' agents through the necessary steps as they would forget to do things, and he did a superb job helping us anticipate our next steps. More importantly, we felt as he was an advocate for us, and after 3 months on the San Diego home buying journey (er, "roller coaster") we ultimately landed a home where we are happy and at a price we are comfortable with, both of which are very challenging to do in this market.

Michael is a real estate powerhouse, combining his expertise, real estate strategy, and responsiveness (he follows through on everything and is quick to pick up the phone) with his patience and understanding. Thank you Michael for supporting us through our first home buying experience!

11/16/20Ryan Scheel

Google Review

As first time homebuyers Michael was extremely helpful and I am grateful to have had him throughout the process of finding and buying our new home. He was always available for questions and gave helpful responses. I could not recommend his services more.

11/11/20scratchrf

Google Review

Michael was a joy to work with!  Our particular transaction was a purchase, and we couldn't be happier with the service and expertise he provided.  I'm not sure if this guy ever sleeps because he seemed to always be available to view properties, answer questions, help with paperwork, and just generally reassure us as we navigated through a journey that had plenty of unexpected quirks.  Truly a great asset to represent your interests in what is surely a major decision.

You will never feel pressured with Michael, but you will get the benefit of his experience and knowledge.   Highly recommend him!  By the way, he does both the finance and property side of things.  That was very convenient and appreciated.

11/11/20Jaimie Thomas

Google Review

First time home buyers in a sellers market. Michael was able to show us lots of options in many parts of San Diego despite our difficult schedule (new baby) and COVID restrictions. He was patient while we figured out exactly what we were looking for. He took the time to explain each step of the home buying process (and we had many questions). When we finally found our home he assisted us in negotiating down the price significantly despite a competitive market. We love our home and we are very thankful for Michael's hard work!

8/25/20Michael Lin

Google Review

Michael is super knowledgeable about the area we were looking at and the reason we were purchasing. He narrowed our search to areas where we could see the properties that best suited our needs. He counselled us along the way on the best process to negotiate and how we needed to go into the negotiation process. We did not have the easiest close due to issues with the escrow company but Michael was coaching us along the way on how the play the process. As we were out of area buyers, Michael helped with all the necessary walk thrus and were our eyes on the ground. Always accessible at all our of the day. He even squeezed us in for a few home tours on short notice. You will not find a better client advocate than Michael Thomas.
Michael also brought some super rates to the table and got us a great mortgage on our home.

8/12/20Bill Bernard

Google Review

We couldn't have been more impressed with Michael Thomas. He produced a beautiful video and photos of our home, presenting it extremely well. He was always responsive and available whenever we had questions during the whole process from beginning to closing. Michael is an outstanding negotiator, very friendly, and overall very impressive!

8/7/20kayla seignious

Google Review

My mom met Michael Thomas a few years ago and she felt very comfortable with him.  Flash forward to 2020 and my brother and I now need to sell her house so we contacted Mike.  Our sale was a bit difficult because there were two different trusts as sellers and one seller was easier to deal with than the other and two sets of attorneys.  Mike constantly kept all sellers up to date and after two escrows, we finally closed.  I highly recommend Mike because of his knowledge of San Diego, especially Allied Gardens/San Carlos/Del Cerro, his patience in dealing with this sale and his availability to answer our 1000 questions.  Plus he is just a nice and honest realtor which is huge in my book!

5/4/20Frank Greaney

Google Review

This was not my first time buying a home. However, this was BY FAR the easiest home buying experience I have had to date. Michael was AWESOME! He walked us through everything from the very first meeting to the final steps of escrow. He made the process relatively stress and worry free for us. He lent us his knowledge and experience during the negotiations and we feel we got a great house, at a great price, and could not be happier with having Michael on our side of the table during this process.

We feel that Michael was very transparent and honest with us in regards to what we could/should expect during the process. He was also prompt to respond to our questions. When we did walk through properties he identified things that we might not otherwise would have thought to look for. He was absolutely on our side and wanted to us to be 100% sure and happy with what ended up with.

We will definitely use Michael when it comes time for us purchase another home.

11/23/19David McNees

Google Review

Michael helped me purchase my home in 2014, and when it was time to upgrade there was no doubt who I would use to sell and purchase a new home. Since 2014 Michael has been responsive when I had questions or issues that he responded to just as if I were a current client looking for a home. I had also referred a number of friends who were very happy with his services. That being said, I am even more happy with Michael's services after this experience. I knew Michael was a good realtor and even better person, but did not realize how good until dealing a number of sellers agents during my process of buying. I came across so many unethical, inexperienced, and frankly not very bright agents it made me appreciate Michael more. There are A LOT of bad agents out there that will cost you lots of money. Please save yourself the hassle and talk to Michael and his team. He has your best interests in mind always, instead of another client or just taking the easy route to get a fast commission. He will stand by you throughout the process and I promise out negotiate the other realtor to get you the best deal possible.

10/17/19Marc B

Google Review

Spectacular broker agent. I don’t know how else to describe Michael. He has been incredibly responsive, helpful, proactive, knowledgeable, and accommodating throughout the entire process. With Michael there is no stress in the home search/buying process - rest assured you’re in extremely capable hands. Would HIGHLY recommend to anyone - friends and family included!

8/26/19Corey Tremper

Google Review

He did a great job. His knowledge of the process made everything go smooth. He gave me a heads up on the possible scenarios throughout the process making it easier for me to make sound decisions.

7/26/19Craig Wilhelmy

Google Review

Michael Thomas is exceptional! He patiently worked with me & my wife for 1.5 years while we looked at condos, single family homes & multi-unit listings. He got our offer with an FHA loan accepted over 2 cash offers! He was honest, professional, & knowledgeable about each listing and walked us through the entire process. He was always accessible, responding to any of our inquiries usually within an hour. He also helped us with financing, as well as various contractors, inspections & appraisals. As a first time home buyer, the process was very stressful, so Michael Thomas' help & expertise was invaluable. I plan to use him to refinance my current home and for any future real estate transactions in San Diego. :)

7/1/19Norman Whitehead

Google Review

Great guy to work with.

6/13/19Kasey Mckeon

Google Review

Michael made are transition effortless. He handled everything so that we could focus on finalizing our other transactions in another state. We are grateful he made it effortless for us. Thank you again Mike

5/21/19Kathy Poulin

Google Review

Michael was phenomenal from start to finish - from listing to selling our home. He was professional and had a knowledge of the area. He was very forthcoming with information at all times and was available any time of day for questions or concerns. He was quick, thorough and very efficient. He understands the market as well as the loan process which was a real plus to a seller. awesome to deal with on the sale of our home. He is extremely professional, has a solid knowledge of the area and was forthright, honest and very realistic when we listed the property. He was extremely attentive, communicated regularly and his follow-up was quick, accurate, impeccable and always appropriate. He truly is an expert and professional in his field and we enjoyed and appreciated working with him through this process, which can be sometimes overwhelming and frustrating. I would highly recommend him.