Alena & Chris Reviews

We could not be happier with our experience working with Alena and Chris at Boardwalk, who helped us buy our first house. Alena was recommended to me and my wife by my brother-in-law who worked with her. Alena helped us see houses and identified issues with them that we would not have recognized ourselves. She walked us through making offers and went above and beyond helping us navigate an offer that was accepted but ultimately fell through after inspection. If you are a first time home buyer, Alena and Chris at Boardwalk are a great choice for you.  – Ari and Aly, Minneapolis

Look no further than Boardwalk Realty. Alena and Chris were absolutely fantastic to work with as first-time homebuyers! They helped us navigate an incredibly competitive market and walked us through every step so we knew what to expect. Their responsiveness and expertise made a huge impact on our home-buying experience. Alena did an amazing job answering all our questions and easing our concerns, which were many, given this was our first house. Alena and Chris are not only experts in navigating the housing market; they also have a wealth of knowledge regarding mechanicals and appliances, the construction quality of the home, and insight into aspects relevant to the future of the house. They taught us precisely what to look for when touring homes and their insight into the market allowed us to have a competitive edge in our offers. With the help of Boardwalk Realty, we secured our dream home in June on only our 2nd offer! Alena and Chris were a joy to work with, and we will absolutely be contacting them again in the future. They are genuinely passionate about what they do, and it makes all the difference. We cannot recommend them enough!! – Elizabeth and Olivia, Minneapolis

Alena is a professional with a talent for explaining every step of the home buying process from loan pre-approval to closing in a clear and straight-forward manner. Our search went quickly and we only needed to tour six houses total. When we found the home of our dreams, Alena and Chris worked with us under tight time constraints right up to our submission deadline to ensure that we submitted a winning offer. We LOVE our new home in Plymouth, MN and we are recommending Alena and Boardwalk Realty to all of our friends who are in the market for a new home. -Andy and Vishal, Golden Valley

As a loan officer, it’s important who you team up with to get to the finish line. Alena is an excellent partner!!! She is a true professional with top-tier communication. She is always willing to go the extra mile to get her clients the homes of their dreams. She truly cares about his clients and looks out for their best interests. She knows the market and is a strong negotiator. Do yourself a favor and introduce yourself to her, you will be in great hands with Alena! – Shannon Kramer, Alerus Mortgage

I’ve worked with Alena twice as a buyer and once as a seller. She is a knowledgeable professional. Her caring attitude, and dedication to helping her clients is unparalleled. She makes a stressful process less so. Alena helped me sell my home of 15 years and helped me find a new home that was just perfect for me. She went above and beyond assisting me with all aspects of my move. I highly recommend working with Alena and Boardwalk Realty. – Sharon, Minneapolis

Alena was an extraordinary agent for us. She helped us both buy and sell. Her attention to detail was so helpful; she guided us through every step of the transactions, even recommending excellent housing inspectors and trades people to make repairs and improvements. And she did all of this with incredible grace and generosity. She is knowledgeable, competent and incredibly responsive. We can’t imagine that anyone could do a better job that she did. – Michael & Laurie, Minneapolis

Alena is incredible. She has represented me in two selling transactions and one in which I purchased a home. I refer to Alena as my angel. She is ethical and trustworthy. Her advise has been excellent and she has kept me from buying several homes that potentially could have been disastrous. Alena has a slew of inexpensive contractors who do excellent work. She knows when fixing up something makes sense. I received top dollar for the places that she sold. Alena is a team player; she wants to know what your thoughts are . I highly recommend using her. – Barry, Minneapolis

Alena Temple made the stressful experience of selling a home much more enjoyable. She is personable and truly cares about her clients. She puts great care into what she does. She made sure that the pictures for our listing really showcased our home. She always had recommendations for companies to use for repairs, staging, etc. Alena was detailed and upfront with what the process of selling a home with her is like. She is an excellent listener and open to questions. With our hard work and her expertise, we were able to get our home on the market in a relatively short amount of time. Alena is incredibly professional and knowledgeable. We would recommend her for anyone who is looking for a realtor. – Elizabeth & Greg, Golden Valley

I was so lucky to find Alena by googling for a real estate agent near me! She asked excellent questions to learn more about what I wanted and needed, and she really listened! She also provided great insights on the properties, which empowered me to make an informed decision. With her help, I was able to find a house and close within my desired timeline. I bought my house with the intention of a ‘forever home’, but if the situation changes, Alena will be my first call! – Crystal, Saint Louis Park

Alena was a JOY to work with. She worked with three friends of mine before I connected with her, and I soon understood why she came so highly recommended. She was ultra-responsive, had an eagle’s eye for assessing potential homes, was both pragmatic and empathetic, and best of all, responded to every question I asked thoroughly, thoughtfully, and without a trace of “girl, you should know that.” After first reaching out to her, she set up a coffee date with me to give me her handbook for home buying and talk me through the process. She listened carefully and took notes, and set me up with an online account to view homes that fit my criteria. She helped me through the process of applying for pre-approval letters and selecting a lender. When I put an offer on a house, she acted as an intermediary, pushing the seller to take on various repairs. She was an advocate for me, wielding her years of experience to put me in the best position possible as a buyer. Best of all, my relationship with Alena didn’t cease the moment I signed my closing paperwork. She’s kept in touch, fielding questions, sending helpful reminders, and even offering to come look at my basement with me. What a gem. She is truly passionate about her work and it shows. Cannot recommend her enough!  – Chelli, Minneapolis

Alena made the whole process of selling our home a Breeze! We interviewed 3 other realtors and we knew in a second she was our realtor. She walked through the house and gave us a list of options and recommendations for next steps; staging vs. not staging, list of inspectors and their rates, and basically what could use paint/repair/elbow grease. Boom! We sold it in 3 days. If you want to have a hassle free experience selling your house, call Alena. – Scott, Ann and Mike, Minneapolis

Alena is simply the best. Her years of experience made my time with her not only productive, but
enjoyable. Her attention to detail is stellar! I would recommend her to anyone looking to sell or
buy! – Kevin F., Hastings

At the age of 69, we have bought and sold many homes over the years. Working with Alena to sell our home before our big move to Texas was by far the most professional, seamless, and successful experience we have ever enjoyed in this process. We couldn’t recommend her more highly! – Barb and Tom, Eden Prairie

Alena has exceptional interpersonal skills. Alena is thorough, is well connected, communicates very clearly, is excellent at contingency planning, and is highly adaptive. She is easy to work with, and she is very responsive to her customer.  – Hal, Golden Valley (seller)

Alena helped my husband and I buy our first home in an extremely competitive market and season, and we cannot recommend her highly enough! She was an absolute joy to work with! Her knowledge and expertise, not only of the housing market, but also things like construction quality, historical details, appliances, etc. helped us feel extremely confident about our offer. Alena made us feel so taken care of and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her. – Laurel and Jason, St. Paul

Alena is INCREDIBLY knowledgable about houses and the market. We were first time home buyers and she really took the time to understand what we wanted and explain all the complicated pieces of buying a home — what to look for in a foundation, how to decipher an inspection report, contacts for work that needs to be done, and thorough support in putting together a good offer and again with closing details. We always felt like we could reach out to her and she was always prompt in connecting with us (often explaining things we had already asked about). I would highly recommend working with Alena to anyone! She is a kind, skilled, and knowledgable realtor. – Joey and Casey, Minneapolis

Working with Alena and Boardwalk Realty was wonderful! As a first time home-buyer, I was nervous about the whole process. I had a lot of questions about how to approach buying a home and not a lot of knowledge about what to actually look for in a house. Alena went above and beyond explaining all of the paperwork to me, ensuring I knew what to look for in terms of common issues during our house walk-through, and supporting me in finding a house quite quickly that fit my needs and just felt like “home.” I am so grateful and highly recommend anyone work with Boardwalk Realty – my whole family does now! – Teresa, Minneapolis

Alena is a great realtor. She responds quickly, is super flexible, knowledgeable, and organized. Basically… she gets it done!! She kept me in the loop with everything going on. She gave great advice, guidance and resources when I needed it. She made the whole process smooth. 5 + star service all the way around! Will and am using her again.  – Jo, Apple Valley

I recently engaged Alena to facilitate a cash transaction for the sale of my rental property. A more sincere and caring agent you will never find. She is extremely knowledgeable, efficient, and communicative. I very much appreciated her candor when it came to discussing the listing price of my property and what I could do to improve it. I would recommend Alena with the highest confidence and will definitely work with her again – Steve, Mounds View

Alena is an amazing realtor! She takes time to explain things and walk you through everything step by step. I couldnt recommend her more highly. She is honest, incredibly knowledgable and a great person to work with! – Jen, Plymouth

Alena was really a perfect match for me as a realtor. I was looking specifically for a condo and for something that fit my budget. She was willing to consult with me even when I wasn’t a guaranteed client. She answered any questions, provided recommendations to various loan companies, as well as helped me understand the overall process, even when I knew nothing about real estate. She is calm, considerate, and she listens to you as you process what you need/want. The only conflict I’ve ever experienced was difficulty finding time to meet, yet even with this conflict, she was transparent about her schedule and bent over backwards to find a time to get you to the viewings. She was relatable and down to earth. Her calmness, encouragements, and knowledge helped me continue on my search even when I was ready to give up. I highly recommend her!  -Ingrid, Shoreview

My wife and I just purchased our first house with Alena Temple as our agent and she was truly fantastic to work with. She clearly has considerable knowledge about houses and pointed out lots of things she knew we would want to know about (e.g., the presence of galvanized pipes, lead paint, asbestos, water damage, etc.). Alena is definitely a trustworthy agent and radiates integrity. I would wholeheartedly and without reservation recommend Alena Temple! – Becca and Kevin, Eagan

Working with Alena was a breeze! She took the time to walk me through every step of the process so I knew what to expect and she was incredibly patient as I figured out what I was looking for. Alena helped me learn what to look for as I toured homes and helped me become an informed buyer. She really has the best interest of her clients at heart and is more than happy to answer any and all questions. Thank you, Alena, for helping me find a great home! – Sarah, Minneapolis

Alena Temple is a wonderful realtor. She really listened to us and what we were looking for, and provided excellent, consistent, honest care and service. We looked at so many houses and never felt pressured, but always well-guided and in capable hands. We highly recommend Alena!           – Sara and Rami, Bloomington

I can’t think of anything I would change about my experience of buying a house in Minneapolis with Alena as my realtor. She was excellent! Although I am age 70, I was completely inexperienced at home buying, being a widow whose husband took care of those sorts of things through the years. To boot, I was very clear (picky) I about the aesthetics I was looking for. Alena has this uncanny ability to walk the line between conveying information from her own wealth of knowledge and experience AND making lots of room to give YOUR priorities and preferences the lead. Invaluable! Alena has also really done her homework following inspectors around over the years. She can point out and help you interpret many things in your first walk through so that you can decide early in the process if you want to pursue “this house” or move on. Efficient! With so much experience, Alena has a wealth of trusted referrals and resources to share for the many aspects of home ownership in the Minneapolis community. This was invaluable to me because I was moving here from another state. Practical! Finally, Alena’s discernment, wisdom and sense of timing in the negotiation process with the seller was a wonder to behold. True talent! I highly recommend Alena!  – Kathy S., Minneapolis

My partner and I loved working with Alena to buy our first house! She is incredibly knowledgeable–about the Twin Cities, the home-buying process, and about houses themselves and what to look for to really understand the quality of a home. She’s also very good at explaining all of these things; we learned more about decoding a house’s basement than we ever knew there was to know! Alena welcomed all of our questions and helped us feel confident throughout our discernment process that we had the information we needed to make the right decision. She’s very available and communicative as well. We would definitely work with Alena again in the future, and recommend her highly! – Angela and Karl, Minneapolis

Alena Temple’s professionalism, experience, market knowledge, customer service, and genuine care put us at ease with the process of selling our home (an owner-occupied duplex) of 20 years. It can be hard to choose a realtor, but we cannot say enough positive things about how glad we are that we worked with Alena. She helped us with the whole process of getting our house ready for market, establishing the best time to sell, precisely gauging the market value, and negotiating with the buyers, to completing the closing. Without a doubt, Alena represented our best interest from start to finish with integrity and grace. We have since referred Alena to our friends, co-workers and family members. You can’t go wrong choosing Alena Temple and Boardwalk Realty. – Paul and Tim, Minneapolis

 

We worked with Alena for over two years to find a house that fit our unique needs and budget. She is knowledgeable, friendly, and patient with clients. She is incredibly thorough in her research and assessment of communities and specific properties. Alena is a clear and straightforward communicator, which we really appreciated. During our purchase, one of us had a serious health issue and she helped us navigate the complexity of completing our purchase. Alena clearly cares for her clients and works hard to find the right home. – Lisa and John, Lake Elmo

 

Our experience with Alena at Boardwalk Realty was top-notch! She is so kind and professional. It’s apparent that she genuinely cares about her clients and sees herself as their personal advocate. She made herself available when we needed her and pointed out important things that really helped with our decision-making process. She did much more than just arrange showings — she made sure we were protected from unforeseen surprises and that we got a good value for our money. I would choose Boardwalk again in a heartbeat! – Monica and Pablo, Brooklyn Park

 

Alena was a perfect realtor for me, a first time home buyer. She was able answer all my questions and walk me through the process. She was very timely and was alway available to talk. She helped me find my first home and made the process very quick and easy. I would highly recommended Alena to everyone!  – Kaitlyn, Brooklyn Center

 

I wish everyone could have a realtor like Alena. She was absolutely amazing to work with in buying our first house! We learned so much from her, as she is extremely knowledgable about houses. She pointed out so many details (foundation, structural damage, asbestos, plumbing issues, electrical updates, grading, roofing, etc.) and knew what to look for in a well-maintained house. We conducted our search in a very competitive market, and she helped us work through several bidding wars with calm and know-how. I was most impressed by her ethical approach to her work – she clearly valued finding us a great house for a good value, and often cautioned us against overpaying. I highly recommend Alena!!! – Kristin and Grant, Saint Paul

Alena is a knowledgeable professional who knows the finer important aspects of residential properties and their market in the greater Minneapolis area. She has been a true advocate for us in both the sale of a St. Paul MN condominium residence, and the purchase of a southwest suburban home. We will continue to use her. – Karma and Lyle, Chaska and St. Paul

Alena is great to work with!! She is honest and upfront about things, which is very refreshing. She is very patient and keeps great contact with her clients. We enjoyed working with her on two separate occasions and would recommend anyone looking for an agent to consider Alena. – Crystal and Rick, Hudson, WI and Cottage Grove, MN

We worked with Alena Temple for over 3 years. Alena is an agile and savvy broker. She helped us step through complicated negotiations, and to satisfactorily buy and sell two properties. We carefully planned our move to Minnesota over a long period of time. She was always eager to learn more about what we were looking for in a home and location. She discussed all the details regarding home buying with us, including practical and legal considerations. She was empathetic, and kind. She was also patient! We then relied on her a second time to sell my father’s condo. She made a potentially tricky situation work well for all parties. We will choose Alena Temple as our broker for any real estate transactions in the future.  – Ann and Angus – Woodbury

I knew right away that Alena Temple was the realtor I wanted to work with when purchasing my first home. She was knowledgeable, professional and willing to go above and beyond to ensure my husband and I knew what each step of the process looked like. Alena helped us navigate a difficult market and provided expertise that helped us get into the best possible home for our budget. I would absolutely recommend Alena to anyone looking to buy (or sell) a home! – Alicia and Josh, Shakopee

Alena Temple was our real estate agent for our first home. She was very patient with us as first time home buyers, and helped us understand the process along the way. She always worked for our best interest and gave honest feedback on the homes we were seeing. We would highly recommend Alena or Boardwalk Realty to anyone looking for a home, and we hope to work with her again in the future ourselves! – Rebecca and Shaun, Minneapolis

Alena helped us find the perfect homes for us. When we moved to the twin cities we were in a rush to find a home to bur or rent. We were in a tight turnaround situation. She was informative about the area, caring about our situation and found a viable rental option in a great neighborhood and schools at that time. Alena stayed in close touch and when we were ready to buy, she was patient and ultimately helped us find our dream home. Alena will give you honest feedback about a house, and not just try to sell you one. She will find the perfect home for you. – Laurel and Michael, Plymouth

Alena Temple is an absolute gem! She is an expert in the business and patiently walked me and my fiance’ through our first home-buying experience. She found us our absolute dream home. She is extremely attentive to details, a brilliant and honest negotiator and incredibly insightful. She possesses an incredibly vast array of knowledge in terms of home history, home structure and home improvement and it often felt as though we were able to walk through each home with a private inspector. My fiance’ and I were out of town (getting engaged) when our home popped up on the market. She toured the home immediately without us and sent us videos. We all knew this was the one and so he and I drove home and she met us there that evening. We wrote up the proposal immediately afterwards and heard that night. It was a dream come true and she made it happen for us! We are SO grateful and fortunate to have worked with her and we would recommend her to everyone! – Sari and John, St. Louis Park

I have bought and sold many homes, and Alena was by far the most professional, knowledgeable and enjoyable agent I have worked with. She will be my agent on any real estate transactions going forward, and would not hesitate to recommend her to any of my friends and colleagues. – Kevin B., Golden Valley

Alena is a true pleasure to work with. Her knowledge and expertise were invaluable to us as we were going through the process of finding a home. She was always sensitive to our needs and helped us figure out what we wanted and what we could afford. She answered our questions promptly and thoughtfully, and celebrated with us when we found our home! We highly recommend her to anyone looking to purchase a new home. – Rebecca and Andrew, Minneapolis

We bought our first home through Alena and couldn’t have asked for a better partner. She patiently walked us through houses, explaining what things we should be looking for (outside of general aesthetic). We bought at a time where the market was very competitive and are very thankful to have had her experience, support, and compassion during the process. – Katey and Nicole, Minneapolis

Alena was very professional and knowledgeable – helping us identify the quality characteristics in properties. She was very responsive to all emails and calls, and made herself readily available to show us properties. She was very patient, and helped us sort through numerous houses to find the right house for us to buy. – Lori and Randy, Apple Valley

Alena is a delightful person, focused on what we as her clients needed and wanted in selling our home. When things got a bit confusing due to buyer initiated independent actions within 2 weeks of closing, Alena really showed her strengths in guiding us in meeting this late request with protecting us based on having met all contingencies 6 weeks prior!  We are very grateful and appreciative of her professional and personable services. – Carole and Val, St. Paul

I have known Alena for many years and worked with her on a couple of occasions. The first time around we wrote offers on two properties that were ultimately not accepted, and then I decided to go on hiatus. This time around we also found a few very nice options. Dealing with a somewhat difficult seller’s agent, Alena adeptly steered us through the negotiation to get the result I wanted. Alena is patient, knowledgeable, listens carefully, and brings real grace and care to her work on your behalf. – James, Minnetonka

I worked with Alena while I was living out of town. Alena understood my needs and stayed on top of all new listings that met my criteria and quickly informed me if there was a home that she thought I should see. Alena is incredibly knowledgeable about construction and I trusted her opinion completely. I felt very good about my purchase decision and I will definitely use Alena again for all my real-estate needs. Alena knows the twin cities Real-Estate market, I would not hesitate to contact Alena if you are buying or selling a property. – Debbie, Golden Valley

Alena was wonderful! Incredibly helpful, knowledgeable, easy to reach, and detail-oriented. She
made the homebuying process (during a pandemic, no less!) as smooth and stress-free as I could
imagine. I would strongly recommend her to anyone looking for a realtor who will calmly and
confidently guide them through the sometimes complicated and confusing world of house hunting. – Anna S., Minneapolis

Alena was great to work with. She explained the process clearly, from start to finish. She helped
me find a house that was perfect for me. I had a long list of wants and needs and she was very
patient, showing me A LOT of houses and being very responsive to issues and questions. I would
never buy another house without first seeing it with her, she has a keen eye for detail and is up front about problems that she sees. The housing search was a great experience. Alena came highly recommended to me and I would do the same. – Dan, Minneapolis

I my case, Alena went above & beyond. I know some of my circumstances were unusual as a seller, but she is the kind of professional that tailored her efforts to what needed to be done. She has her pulse on the market and will tell you what needs to be done, while allowing you to make your own decisions once she has given you the information. She told me early that she believes in putting the client first and that is exactly what she did. I highly recommend Alena if you are looking for a realtor. – Lucinda, Robbinsdale