We are trustees handling the sale of our friend's home. When we interviewed realtors, we were looking for someone who would help make the house sale as easy as possible for us. Eric exceeded our expectations in every way! From the beginning, he was an efficient "project manager," who gave us referrals for people and resources to help us disperse items in the house and ship items overseas. Rather than automatically hiring vendors, he took care of small jobs himself, like clearing out the shed when we had finished distributing what friends wanted, and clearing the basement of residual items. Then he helped us hire a gardener and house cleaner for the final presentation. Eric is an excellent guide for novice sellers, providing advice and options to choose from that were based on his extensive experience. He is patient, tactful and was willing to walk us through terms and conditions on all the documents. He 'paced' each step in the process according to what we were willing and able to do. For experienced sellers, he will be able to efficiently answer a broad range of simple and complex questions for you. When we were making decisions about staging the house, he recommended just enough work (e.g. painting, floors and minimal staging furniture) that made the home look attractive to buyers. Eric combines years of realty experience with excellent verbal and written communication skills that will build your trust and respect for his services. Carol and Kathy read more

Eric Castongia was my wife and I's buyer's agent for the purchase of our first property. We loved working with Eric and would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a real estate agent. While our experience with Eric was as a buyer's agent, we also talked to him a bit about the homes he was selling, and we suspect he would also be an awesome seller's agent. Eric brought a combination of hard skills and soft skills to our real estate transaction. There were a couple of key things that stood out to us about working with Eric with respect to his general approach, how he helped us to find the right home, how he walked us through viewings, and how we worked together to make a purchase. General Overall Eric Castongia was a great pleasure for us to work with. He brought a wealth of knowledge to our home buying process. But in addition to the knowledge he brought, he brought a genuine degree of care for us. That care manifested in meeting us where we were, making sure that we were happy and comfortable in the homebuying process, making us laugh with his great sense of humor, and very humbly teaching us as much as he could along the way. His communication style was perfect for us; he was responsive, checked in regularly but did not pressure us, and was always patient and listened to our needs. Not all realtors bring the combination of hard skills, soft skills, and genuine kindness that Eric brings. Some realtors are sharks gunning for the sale; avoid these folks! You'll do better with Eric. We are super grateful to Eric Castongia for everything he did to make our home buying process a fantastic experience! Finding the right home: When we started off our search we knew we wanted to live in San Francisco but weren't exactly sure about the home we were looking for. Eric Castongia is a knowledgeable San Franciscan and with that knowledge he was able to help us narrow our search. Eric sat down with us and based on our budget talked us through some of the options for single family homes, condos, and multi-unit properties in different areas of the city. We talked through the trade offs between size, location, craftsmanship, and needed maintenance. We discussed the up and coming locations that might see price appreciation and the locations that will always be hot. Once we were confident about the locations we were interested in, the home type and size, and the type of work we were willing to do, Eric streamlined our search by sending us great properties that he'd seen and thought we'd be interested in. He also helped us by answering questions about the properties before we went to view them in person... saving us all time. Viewing the home: Eric is an architect by training and this hard skill is fantastic to have in a realtor. Walking through homes with Eric he was able to point out the desirable features of different buildings and some of the pitfalls that were possible due to the building's construction. His thoughts brought huge value to our touring experience and definitely helped us make the best choice for us and avoid the wrong choices that had subtle red flags which we might not have picked up on our own. A few examples: Eric was able to look at the layout of a home and help us imagine how we might use the home. He also helped us imagine how we might re-model, e.g., what walls could be removed to improve the flow or how we might rearrange a kitchen or bathroom. He walked us through foundations and how to identify foundation issues, repair challenges, and potential long term headaches. He walked us through siding and roofing and helped us identify which features may lead to expensive repairs. Making the purchase: When you are ready to put an offer on a home, you're probably nervous. The worst thing that you can have in a real estate agent at that point is someone who because they have a commission incentive will pressure you to make a bad decision such as offering on a property that's not right for you, or offering more than you're comfortable with to ensure that you win a bid (and have instant buyer's remorse). Eric is the opposite. He will help you by ensuring that you make offers on properties that are right for you, and that you're very comfortable with the offer that you make. Negotiation is a key skill in a realtor and Eric is a strong negotiator as well. See something that wasn't disclosed in your building inspection? Feel like there's an option to bid lower on this place due to headwinds in the seller's market? Eric will help you make the best and most shrewd purchasing decisions while also being realistic and keeping you grounded in your expectations. Closing thoughts: We highly recommend Eric Castongia as a great real estate agent to work with in the San Francisco area. We hope you have a fantastic property purchase process, and we know that if you work with Eric this challenging process will be as good as it can be. read more

I was the executor for my dear friend of over 50 years, preparing to sell her San Francisco home. Eric provided an extraordinary level of service and sound advice. This was a complex transaction requiring interfacing with my counsel, the reverse mortgage company and The SF Rent Board. Eric sailed though challenges with aplomb and good humor. He also took on the task of managing contractors preparing the property. Somewhat exhausted and emotionally drained, I felt truly cared for. The home sold substantially over the asking price. read more

We were looking to buy a condo but didn't know exactly what we wanted. It was a Starker exchange but our options were wide open. I sought Eric ought since he had effectively helped a friend of mine sell his condo a few years back. Were not disappointed. He helped us look at options, narrow the list of properties to look at, come up with choices and negotiate the purchase. He was patient as we changed our priorities and wanted to see more properties. The final result was our purchase of a great three-bedroom, three-bath condo during a busy real estate season. He is an excellent realtor. read more

Eric is simply amazing. He is so good at what he does because he listens and hears what you're saying. I was ready to sell my house in the City and simplify. During my first meeting with Eric, we didn't talk about houses, we talked about how I wanted to live my life. Eric got it immediately. From the get-go he showed me houses in Pacifica that were spot on and just felt right. I had to wait while my house in SF sold--it was almost painful to have to pass on all the awesome properties he showed me during that time. Then, the very first house he showed me after the close of sale of my SF house, I wrote on and got. It's perfect. I highly recommend Eric. He is honest, knowledgeable, professional, and now he is also my friend. read more

We worked with Eric on the recent sale of our Marina condo. He was professional, knowledgeable, organized and very easy to work with. We had a few hiccups that he helped us navigate and resolve, going above and beyond in a proactive, solution oriented manner. We highly recommend him. read more

Whether you're a buyer or a seller, the San Francisco real estate market requires a strong constitution and professional help. Before you even think about wading into its treacherous waters, pour yourself a stiff drink and place a call to Eric Castongia. If it weren't for Eric Castongia, we would not own my current home. Eric was patient with us as we sorted out must-haves, really-wants, and would-be-nices, providing us with helpful guidance about the stuff that really matters. He was pushy with us when we needed pushing, including making us look at houses we wouldn't have otherwise considered, but that were actually good matches for what we needed. He provided thoughtful analysis of the oddball properties -- there are a lot of oddball properties in SF, some of which are transformable into workable homes, others of which are unmitigable disasters. We ended up with an oddball, and couldn't be happier. Finally, he helped us through all the complexities of the process, from deciding how much to overbid (yikes!), to ensuring that we got the best loan, to negotiating with the sellers through the messy inspections process, to meeting the myriad deadlines w with the greatest of ease. He gained our complete trust, and would recommend him highly to anyone buying or selling in San Francisco. read more

Shortly after buying a second home, my income dropped by about 45%. [It was 2009, and I won't rehash the market conditions in which I had to sell, but they were tough.] I began asking around for Realtor recommendations. Eric's name was mentioned multiple times. Two people used the same word to describe him. It is an unusual word, but after my experience with Eric, I cannot think of a better word to describe him: HONORABLE. Eric led me through the entire process step-by-step. He was proactive in every situation and one step ahead on every detail. His answers to my questions were clear and complete. Eric's efforts went far above and beyond what I could ever have hoped for. I doubt my sale would have been as successful without Eric. As I write this, I am hard-pressed to recall having a better business experience--ever! read more

I can't recommend Eric enough. We were connected to him through a friend, and while we had very high expectations for a realtor, Eric went above and beyond to make the stressful house buying process easier for us. It's clear that Eric has decades of experience in realty in this area, he was well informed about both current listings but also policies, procedures, local intel, etc. He went to bat for us a number of times and helped us secure the best price possible, even at times when we were willing to just cave in and spend more. As new home buyers, we felt pretty hopeless in this market, but Eric helped us look at things more critically, and properly evaluate each home and the market. He was also a trooper during late-night phone calls about frustrations with the market or wanting to put in an offer last minute. I would and will recommend Eric to anyone I know who's shopping in the area. read more

This review is long overdue - sorry Eric! Eric is amazing. I met him a few years ago through my then-landlord. I wasn't ready to buy a place at the time, but a few years later, I contacted him again. Eric remembered me and worked hard to show me all of the options in a very tight and crazy market. Eric always went the extra mile for me. I don't have a car, and he scheduled time on Sundays to drive me around to all of the different open houses that were happening. When I finally found my condo in the inner mission, Eric played devils advocate to make sure it was what I really wanted, and that my decision was balanced against all of the other options in the market. Long after I purchased my home, Eric was there to serve as a trusted advisor about all of my questions as a first time property owner. I 100% recommend Eric for your real estate needs. He is honest, hard working, and will go the extra mile for you. read more

We heartily recommend Eric! Eric helped us sell our Telegraph Hill condominium recently. He is as knowledgeable as can be about the market and the process. An added bonus is that we also engaged Eric's services in getting the property ready for sale, which included sub-contracting for painting, floors, cleaning, etc. All were done impeccably - Eric has great contacts and great taste. We appreciated his expertise and terrific communication skills. It could not have gone more smoothly and I knew we were in good hands! read more

Eric helped us through the process of finding and purchasing our first home. I am certain we would not have been able to close the deal without him. There were many other bidders, and the seller (a bank) was extremely difficult to communicate with. Our house was a "fixer-upper", Eric's advice has been indispensable during the inspections and renovation planning. As first time buyers, we had a lot to learn about real estate, and Eric's extensive knowledge, hard work and persistence is what got us to a successful outcome. He has our highest recommendation! read more

Eric is great to work with. He was recommended to me by some friends and I have since then recommended Eric to others. I do not hesitate to recommend Eric to anyone. When I was looking to purchase my first house 13 years ago I knew only that I needed to work someone who I could work with and who could guide me through the process. I actually interviewed a number of real estate agents and chose Eric; hands down. Working with Eric is great. He listened to what I wanted and then he created a strategy for me to focus on homes that could meet my expectations. He effectively triaged the houses for me to view. This was important as it meant I was not overwhelmed and could focus on key leads. There was a learning curve and I felt that Eric listened to the feedback and direction I gave him. Eric was also great in helping to connect me to a loan officer who made the process seamless. Of course when I was ready to sell my first house and buy another I called Eric. That is when I saw that not only is he great to help buy a house but also to sell a house. We did a careful analysis of projects we could expect return on and prepared the house prior to sale. His experience was invaluable as he basically project managed the contractors and again put me in touch with very capable loan officers who helped me finance into bridging loans to make it happen. The return was more than 2 to 1 on the projects we undertook. The whole process of selling my first house and buying my second home went smoothly as I knew it would based on my previous experience Eric is oriented towards providing excellent service and working relationships, not just sales. After I worked with Eric to purchase my second home I contacted him for help to get comps for a refinance I did. Eric also was a great resource when I wanted to get referrals for contractors for projects I wanted to do. His level of investment in helping me buy and improve my home translates to ongoing correspondence even ten years after the sale as he is genuinely interested in my projects. He actively maintains contact with newsletters in a manner that is not aggressive so you know that he is available whenever you need him. If I or any of my friends need to buy or sell a property in San Francisco I would not hesitate to work with or recommend Eric. read more

Eric helped me and my wife purchase our first house in Pacifica. He is very knowledgeable about the Pacifica market, and was super helpful walking us through the process as first time buyers. We felt confident he had our best interest in mind, as he respected our strict budget and was incredibly patient in addressing our questions and concerns (of which we had many!). His architecture background enabled him to give us in-depth walk throughs and point out things other realtors might miss. Eric is very responsive, particularly when it comes time to put in and follow up on offers (staying up late to get things done on short notice, for example). Eric also has great relationships with other realtors and mortgage brokers in the area, which was really helpful during the process. After closing he shared his network of architects and contractors so we could get started on some house projects. Overall, we would definitely work with Eric again and would recommend him to other first time buyers as well! read more

We were referred to Eric as part of a government relocation when my wife moved to the Bay Area. She and Eric wrote her first offer on a competitive property in the Dog Patch. I thought surely it would be the first of many -- I mean who gets a place in SF on the first try? I was wrong. When it came time to sell my condo in Noe Valley we decided to go with Eric again. We had moved away when it came time for most of the inspections, staging, and showing of the property. Eric managed all of the details himself, and we ended up with multiple offers over ask, and one of the fastest closings I've ever seen. He embodies the phrase "clean offer", and his familiarity with the SF real estate process is unsurpassed. read more

Eric helped me buy my condo in San Francisco about 15 years ago. I knew what I wanted and the process went quickly so when I wanted to sell, Eric was the person to call. Selling SF was so easy with him. I live out of town so we had to coordinate. He told me what to do, when to do it and how to get things done on my part. We worked through phone conversation, text and emails. We put the condo on the market and literally a month to the day, the sale closed with many offers and 10% over asking price! Eric is amazing. I am giving him 5 stars but if I could, I would give him 10!!! read more

the better half and i have a dream home thanks to eric. seriously, if it wasnt for eric, we would have lost this house, especially in the current sellers market. there are so many bad realtors. trust me, two have cost me substantial money on deals because of their lack of experience and knowledge. just because you bought a few kaplan books and passed a few exams doesnt make you a realtor. it makes you someone with a license. what makes you a realtor is ability to deal with finky, indecisive buyers (us), the ability to juggle three parties that just cant seem to communicate properly (everyone else involved besides eric) and do it in a calm, professional fashion realigning the stars so that two extremely good looking, but indecisive people can buy their first dream house. right down to it, eric got us our house in a very tough market. we paid just about what would be fair and he made it as painless as possible. cant say enough about how good of a realtor he is. you want more details, and theres tons of it, ask me. read more

A bit overdue, this review. I met Eric at an open house, briefly, almost a year ago. It's been a pastime of mine since I moved to SF in '96, to pop in to open houses from time to time for various reasons. I've encountered a variety of realtors with this hobby, as you can imagine. In the past couple of years, the desire to own a home had become more prominent, yet still seemed far out of reach. When I met Eric, he was closing up an open house, and I apologized, because I was just looking, but, you know, "A girl can dream!" I liked the place a lot, but assured him it was out of my scope. He wasn't pushy, but told me he knew a mortgage broker who was really good and could work with me and maybe find some ways that I didn't know of. I wasn't fully serious at the time, and this place was out of my range regardless, but several months down the road, when I had to move out of my rental home, and was shocked at the current rental rates in SF(Insane!) I looked him up. When we met for coffee soon afterwards, he said to me, "A girl can dream." He remembered our first meeting, and we soon discovered we had a mutual acquaintance, so it seemed a good match. He gave me the number of the mortgage broker he had mentioned, and the journey began. The details of the following weeks are far too exhausting to recall, but with Eric, Jana (Mort. Broker), and my contractor, John, steering the ship, I towed the line and had keys in hand 3 months later. It was a collective effort, and we worked hard together. My contractor is still working hard ;-) and I'm still a bit in shock almost 3 months later. I am eternally grateful to Eric for his positive outlook and great knowledge of SF real estate to make this dream a reality for me. I would highly recommend him to any and all. I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Thanks Eric! read more

Want someone you can trust, get good advice, someone who is know his stuff, Eric is the one you want. He is knowledgeable, knows the rules and laws, knows the right people to use, he is an excellent as a project manager who will keeps you informed and keeps your cost down. He gave me expert advise on how to prepare the house. He obtained the highest price for my sisters house. I highly recommend his services. He is simply easy to work with. read more

Eric was a perfect advocate for my partner and I through our home buying process in San Francisco's extraordinarily competitive and difficult to navigate housing market. Eric was professional, precise, responsive, and thorough. He clarified the many fine points of a complex process for us, always patiently answering our many questions. His experience, deep knowledge of the market and clear guidance were immensely valuable. We recommend him without reservation to anyone considering buying a home in San Francisco." read more

We just sold our condo in Mission Dolores, and couldn't be happier. He took care of getting it ready to sell, worked with stagers to make it look its best, and in the end we had several excellent offers. Thanks again, Eric! read more

If I could give more than 5 stars to show how marvelous Eric is; I would give 10+ stars! If I had more money or win the lottery jackpot... I'd call Eric right away and have him as part of my investment team. If you read the reviews for Eric you'll know that he is the best person you'll want in your corner. I had worked with other real estate professionals, but none can even come close to the level of professionalism and knowledge Eric possess. Eric is extremely dedicated, never dillydallied, great listener, meticulous in his communication, work ethics, and advice. Eric always kept hope alive for me in this unforgiving sellers' market and never allowed me to put on those rose-coloured glasses and bid for something that is marginal when I felt deflated and thought I'm never going to own property again in San Francisco. Eric is the reason we found and purchased the house. It was such a blessing to have Eric as our realtor. He is the real deal; a complete package- he is an architect too! Eric is a fabulous human being, wonderful sense of humor, calm, patient and a true oracle. read more

Eric has helped me buy and sell three properties in San Francisco over the years. He's always gone above and beyond to help me, a person of moderate means in an expensive city, achieve the dream of homeownership. He's knowledgeable, practical, ethical, reliable, and has great instincts. I really trust him, and he's helped me become a more educated real estate buyer. I would recommend Eric to anyone, especially if you're just getting into the market and it seems overwhelming, as it did to me. read more

Eric is truly one of the best realtors a buyer could ask for. Working with us was a challenging situation - two people looking for two-unit TIC, both with different sets of requirements for purchase. Eric's greatest strength is listening - he spent time talking to us to understand what we liked and didn't like about each property, and used that to inform the lists of properties he would show to us in the next round. He also helped us find good compromises in what we each wanted, and we ended up with an amazing building that we're very happy with. One of the best things I can say about Eric is that he doesn't disappear after the sale. Since then, he has been available for advice and recommendations when we've needed them. He's an amazing resource for any homebuyer. read more

Eric Castognia and Tanya Dzhibrailova (also from Zephyr) represented my business partner and me in the listing and selling of our small commercial building on Upper Market. From our first meeting at the building on Dec 3, 2014, to the first brokers' tour on January 20, to opening offers on January 29 to the closing on March 27 (delayed by one month by the buyer because of the problem in transferring funds from out of the country), Eric and Tanya were terrific. After a bit of bidding competition the selling price was 38% over asking. Organized, responsive, proactive, and efficient describe Eric and Tanya. When the buyer requested a delay in the closing date, Eric and Tanya worked to have them release some of the funds that were already in escrow. We believe that they could not have done anything more. read more

Having bought and sold many homes with other realtors and on my own, I can appreciate the excellent service Eric has provided in selling our San Francisco Condo in Ashbury Heights. Eric is extremely meticulous never missing the smallest detail, experienced and knowledgeable to orchestrate the best sales plan, expeditious, dependable and honorable. His dedication shows in the details like contacting us in the late evenings beyond his normal work times, picking up a paintbrush to touch up a missed spot before an open house, handling the pressure as we discovered potential issues and fortitude to resolve them. Eric is my super Realtor and I would not hesitate to call upon his help again. read more

It was great to work with Eric during our home buying process. He understood what we were looking for and was realistic about our chances of finding something. We got lucky and won our first bid! Our mortgage process was super complicated due to some unusual things about how the HOA was set up etc, and Eric was so helpful every step of the way explaining what was going on, the implications, etc, as well as working closely with the seller's agent to make sure the deal went through. Thank you Eric! read more

I can truly say that if it weren't for Eric and his knowledge of the sf marketplace my girlfriend and i wouldn't be the sf homeowners we are today. and on top of that, we love the place more than we thought we'd love a place that we could also afford in sf. Eric was great about taking time with us to figure out exactly the type of place we wanted. We dipped our toes in a couple of times on good spots and then, in this crazy market, hit on one that was off the radar and in a fantastic building. we really snuck in and found something special and it was all due to him. thank you eric and good luck reader. read more

Over the last 11 years, we have bought two homes and sold one with Eric's assistance. There is no way on earth any of the deals would have turned out so well without him. On our first purchase in 2002, we were new to the real estate market and were stretching our finances as far as possible. Eric did a great job of listening to all of our needs, but also occasionally sending us to a property in a neighborhood we might not have thought of. It was one of those that we eventually fell in love with. And Eric was instrumental in helping us buy that flat which, while lovely, had been sitting on the market for a bit; with his help, we made an aggressive offer and were able to get it at a price we could afford. We stayed in touch over the years and recommended him to several friends. By 2011, we were in a position to look for a house, and we were very particular about what we wanted. Eric sent us curated sets of listings for a year and a half, still pushing us to think a little bit outside our stated needs if he saw something really good. We made an offer in August 2012 on which he provided excellent advice, but which we ultimately didn't win in a competitive, multi-round situation. But then in October 2012, a beautiful house came up. It wasn't quite what we had been thinking - we wanted to buy a fixer and do our own kitchen remodel and this house was all done - but it suited us brilliantly. The only problem? My husband was on an international trip and wouldn't return after offers were due. After deciding we couldn't offer without him seeing the place, we regretfully told Eric no. And, "well," Eric said, "let's see if they'll extend it a little". He knew the selling agent (he knows a lot of agents) and somehow worked some magic for us to get a private showing the morning after my husband's return. We made the offer that afternoon and it was something of a complicated close, but Eric hung in there with all of the hassles and complexities and now I'm writing this from that house, which I absolutely love! Then, it came time to sell the flat. Eric helped with every aspect of the preparation, advised on worthwhile repairs, pricing, staging, everything. He walked us through the process of doing thorough disclosures and smoothed out the long wait for repairs to finish. He was tireless in the marketing period. In the end we received 5 offers over the asking price and sold for about 20% over. You can't do better if you are looking for an agent who is ethical, understanding, well-connected, and a great negotiator. read more

Eric Castongia is a dedicated and hard working agent. I used him for two transactions, once in 2006 and again in 2009. Both periods were near market extremes, and very challenging times to be in the San Francisco real estate market. But Eric got to know us and understand our needs. He helped us filter a noisy market and clearly see the best property our tight budget could afford. We have lived in our current house now for four years and we feel that we made the perfect choice, considering our situation. We toured many properties with Eric, and he helped us understand the market's nuances along the way. He is a seasoned professional who knows his city. I recommend him and will call on him again in the future. read more