Janet is beyond stellar! My wife and I worked with Janet and her colleague, Yania Rodriguez, to help find us find a home. On our first offer that they helped us with, we actually offered the same amount as the successful bidder but just barely missed out. Then on our third offer we were ultimately successful and we are thrilled we managed to purchase a house in El Cerrito. We could not have asked for a better team to work with. Their responsiveness, attention to detail, knowledge of so many facets of the process, and overall pleasantness to work with were fantastic! Their experience in providing thoughts on home inspections; on providing an attractive offer; and how a house could be improved was exceptional. Their attention to detail is also impressive as they caught something that the broker missed that saved us potentially a lot of headache. Bottom line: Janet has extensive experience as a realtor in the area, is a pleasure to work with, and has you covered in every aspect that is required of a realtor and beyond. read more

Janet is the best. We bought our house a little over ten years ago and when we explored on our own the kinds of houses that were in our price range were on a busy street, had a 13 foot chain link fence, were under a freeway overpass, had Big Daddy's Car wash next door, had a collection of rusted appliances in the yards and were missing an entire set of back stairs. Janet was laid up with a bad back but spent her prone time searching for potential places for us. We had no idea what we were doing and were giddy at the prospect of being able to buy a house. Janet told us what to look for and showed up some sample houses and was always easy to be around. I think we saw 4 or five houses before she took us to the house we bought and are delighted with. Janet was an absolute pleasure to work with and I wholeheartedly recommend her. read more

I just happened to see that Janet is here on Yelp and figured I'd share my experience too. My partner and I were looking for a house in the spring of 2003. We met Janet in Feb or March when she was representing a house that we loved. It had multiple bids and sold for $100,000 over asking, so we had to let it go, but we liked her and decided to work with her. We bid on several properties, pulled out of one when a seismic expert said that a subfault was running directly under the house, and just kept looking and looking. Obsessively. Weeknights and all day on the weekends. For months. Janet was unflaggingly patient with us in a seller's market, let us bid low even when she figured we wouldn't succeed, and finally in July we got lucky. We found our dream house, bid everything we had (which was still $20K under the asking price), and due to her negotiating skills plus whatever circumstances motivated the sellers, were accepted. When the time comes to sell our place, I hope Janet will be available to represent us. I can't imagine anyone better at selling property than her - both ethical and shrewd, with a good heart. My only criticism of her is that in her promotions she tends to use candid photos of herself that I don't think do her justice. But I guess this is better than the airbrushed hair-salon-ad images that other folks use sometimes. :-) read more

Working with Janet was a total dream! She is straightforward, honest, and so knowledgable about the East Bay. We purchased a duplex with her this spring and could not be happier with our new home and experience as first time home buyers. Thank you, Janet! read more

If you're looking to buy in the East Bay, you want Janet as your realtor. She is the consummate professional - super knowledgeable, patient, friendly, and extremely well-regarded by other agents. Also, she is a good listener, never pushy, very responsive, and has the utmost integrity. She is truly dedicated to finding the right place for you no matter how daunting that task might seem in a crazy seller's market. After many months of searching for a one bedroom condo in a good location with some challenging requirements like no carpet (due to allergies) and very little inventory, I began to get a bit discouraged. But Janet, based on her decades of experience and deep market knowledge, was confident in assuring me we would find the right place. And she was right! I just closed on a beautiful condo in Oakland that I couldn't be more excited about. Of course, finding a place you like is one thing, but actually having your bid accepted is another. In this case, there was tremendous interest in the unit and Janet was extremely skillful in strategizing a plan for a winning bid. I'm certain her knowledge and skill is what got me the place. I'm so glad a friend recommended her to me, and I'm already recommending her to others. Thanks Janet! read more

This is my 50th review on Yelp!!!! I was waiting for a special occasion, and this one makes perfect sense. We just bought our first house... right in the middle of the infamous "credit crunch." Needless to say, it was a bumpy ride. We talked to a LOT of agents, and some of them we even liked :-) When we told some of them where we were looking to buy and how much we wanted to pay a lot of agents just shook their heads and started showing us other neighborhoods. Janet Kaplan came highly recommended. A couple of people that we know had worked with her and said lots of good things. She also has around 20 years of experience in the Berkeley real estate market. We finally decided to work with Janet to find a house in the North Berkeley area. Best. Decision. Ever. Like I said, the credit situation and the competitive North Berkeley market made the process really tough. Whenever you go through something like that, especially for the first time, it helps to have someone act as the Voice of Reason. That was Janet. Cool, calm, collected. She guided us through several bids, kept us sane, and educated us a lot about the whole deal. When weird stuff happened that necessitated getting an extension on our contingencies, Janet handled it with ease. We worked with a lot of different professionals during our purchase. We always felt we could trust Janet to keep our best interests in mind. That's it, my 50th review on Yelp. Written from the deck of my new home. Thanks Janet! read more

I am so grateful I was introduced to Janet approximately 15 years ago as I embarked on my first home purchase journey in the East Bay. Over the years, she has been a unique and reliable buyer's ally through several rounds of attempted and completed purchases in a difficult East Bay real estate market. As I read through the already-posted Yelp reviews of Janet, I see that others have already elaborated on their specific experiences working with her. Without going into all the details of my own stories, I want to hone in on the particular qualities I so appreciate about her professional style, based on my various experiences working with her as a buyer's agent. Janet Kaplan: - asks questions and listens deeply to try and understand her clients' budget, circumstances and underlying goals and interests - and then she keeps her eye on those unique and individual interests (even as they change!) at the core of the professional support she offers each potential buyer. - is patient and steadfast through what can be a drawn out, try once, try twice, try three times, and then try several more times process before a bid you make is accepted - also responds and acts quickly when unusual opportunities come up suddenly - is *not* pushy, manipulative or coercive. - has a lot of knowledge, familiarity and respect for the communities and neighborhoods in which she works. She builds on decades of living and working *right here*. She has her eye on fluctuations and trends; however, she is not herself a trendy opportunist. She is invested, in a human and community-based way, in the geographic areas she serves. - is kind and humorous through what can be a confusing and demoralizing buying process - offers nuanced and honest feedback, and has long-term perspective. The reality is that the Bay Area's buyer's market can be uncertain and surprising. Janet doesn't pretend to guarantee or predict-with-certainty anything. At times, that can be frustrating, but that's an honest reflection of this market. Janet offers no canned, cookie-cutter, or supposedly authoritative platitudes. But where I ask specific questions, she gives me specific answers to the best of her knowledge and experience. On several occasions, her feedback has helped me keep perspective to see behind house staging, assess my own capacity to take on the particular challenges of a specific property, and remember to distinguish and envision the differences between concerns that are core and structural versus concerns that are superficial and easily modified. - has a solid, great reputation with her colleagues. I could write a whole book on why this matters but trust me, it matters. I very much believe that on at least a few occasions I was taken much more seriously as a potential buyer almost entirely because my agent was Janet. I haven't had the opportunity to sell a house in the East Bay yet, but if and when I do, I will not hesitate to contact Janet to support me on that end, too. She's the real deal, quality real estate professional that anyone trying to transact in this market would be oh-so-lucky to have the privilege to work with. Thank you, Janet!!! read more

We just completed our purchase of a foreclosure property in Berkeley. After becoming fed up with the unreachability of buying a home in SF, we started looking in the East Bay at the beginning of the year -- first in O'town working with Arthur White at Red Oak. Once we started moving our search more towards Berkeley, Art transitioned us over into Janet's capable hands. Janet was instrumental in helping us get an offer in quickly and dogging the bank's passive agent. Because of the condition of the property, we needed to get numerous estimates for work to be done and Janet was always available to get us the needed access. She coordinated ordering the inspections, termite and sewer lateral testing. She even showed up for the signing at escrow at 7AM! This being our first time home buying experience, we weren't sure what to expect from an agent. From our first meetings with her, we always felt that Janet was on our side, looking out for our interests and wanting this (being the first time), to be a good experience for us. read more

Janet was an exemplary advisor and advocate in our first home buying experience in this insane Bay Area home buying environment. Her patience, straight-forwardness, availability, resourcefulness and follow through are traits that were particularly advantageous and reassuring. I definitely recommend her to friends. When you meet her you will know she is the real deal... and an excellent choice for your home buying or selling experience. read more

Janet was so helpful in the purchase of our first home! We were nervous first-time buyers, so Janet's calm and patient approach really helped us feel at ease. We had a lot of newbie questions and she always responded quickly and thoughtfully. Thank you for all your help, Janet! read more

Selling a property can be a difficult proposition for first-timers, which is why we were lucky to find Janet. She was with us every step of the way - regularly keeping us informed when things were going smoothly, and then taking the ball and running with it when we encountered some difficulties with our homeowners association. When complications develop, you want someone who knows how to deal with tricky situations and handles things in a calm, professional manner. Most importantly, Janet's keen attention to detail ensured that we maximized the profit on our property. From the staging to the inspections and then to all the paperwork (and every step in between), Janet's level of service remained consistently high. I highly recommend Janet Kaplan as your realtor for your next sale. read more

I have just moved into my new home. I have no doubts it is the absolute right one for me. I worked with Janet over a period of a year as I got clearer and clearer on what I wanted and could finance. There were so many things I liked about working with Janet, including... She's available. I could ask her to meet me and she would find time quickly. She's easy-going. Sometimes I took forever, looking at the rooms of a house over and over. I never felt rushed. She's curious. She looks at a house with new eyes along with you, wondering about this and that. She doesn't BS. I never felt she was selling me on anything. She just helped me see what was there and where there was potential. She's personable. Janet is naturally friendly, calm, fun, and easy to talk with. She's a pro with years of experience. I highly recommend her! read more

My partner and I decided to move back to the Bay Area and purchase our first home during what night be the most challenging time to buy in recent history. We knew this would be a long-term hunt for a variety of reasons including the fact that my partner has not fully moved back to the bay area, yet. Janet was recommended to us by friends who described her as patient and supportive -- exactly what we were looking for. We looked at half a dozen houses together each time that my partner was in town. We placed two offers in eight months, the second of which is now our new home! Aside from being a talented realtor with a solid reputation, Janet is one of the kindest people you could hope to meet. By learning about me and my partner as people and a couple, she was able to help us figure out what type of house and location we'd enjoy. (We saw everything from fixers to architect-designed germs in the hills to lofts to craftsman homes in El Cerrito, Berkeley, and all over Oakland.) By the time our offer was accepted, we had already purchased tickets to travel out of the country. Working with our fabulous loan advisor, Melissa Milton at LaSalle Financial, Janet expertly ushered us through escrow, closed in 21 days, and did the final inspection and picked up our keys while we were on vacation. Amazing! read more

I have been a client of Janet Kaplan for over 15 years and have always counted on her for advice and action in accomplishing my real estate goals. My most recent experience has been with the Locally Real team which includes Janet and her partners Joanne King and Michael Herling. I was prepared to be very pleased based on my past work with Janet (two sales and two purchases), but I was amazed at the outstanding service I received. This project was the sale of a home in Oakland that had been tenant occupied for many years. There was a lot of work to be done to prepare the house for sale in the current market and the team took care of everything. They met with me to understand my goals and timing and then set expectations they would go on to meet or exceed. All of the work on the house was coordinated and managed by Locally Real. I was in the midst of some personal and work issues that prevented me from being present for most of the project, but they kept me informed and the work on schedule so that we met our deadline to hit the market. The upgrades to the house and yard made a huge difference so that we had a strong showing and wound up with multiple offers and a good range of choices for me as the seller. The outcome far exceeded my goal and I believe the house and new owners really benefitted from the care they took with all of the project details. If I ever need real estate help again or just advice on finding great people to work with on my current home, Locally Real is my go-to resource. Thanks Janet, Joanne and Michael. read more

Working with Janet and the team at Red Oak was a fantastic experience. My husband and I were moving to the Bay Area and looking to buy our first home and were recommended to use Janet from a family connection. From our first interaction to the last, the team was prompt, professional, and super enjoyable to work with. We were looking for homes from out of state and they even skyped us through a few homes we were interested in. The home buying process can be extremely overwhelming and they made the process manageable and enjoyable. I would highly recommend Janet, Joanne, & Michael to anyone wanting to buy a house in the Bay Area. read more

Janet is amazing. She helped us navigate first time home buying with grace and ease. She was engaged throughout the entire process from start to finish, never pushy but instead patient and supportive as we looked at houses until we found the right one. I honestly believe we couldn't have done it without her. You need more than a great agent when buying a house - (especially in these parts) you need a partner. Janet is that partner. I can't recommend her enough. read more

Prejudice came easily when I considered the prospect using a real estate agent. But Janet Kaplan not only disproved my prejudice, she impressed me with her steadfastness, calm and drive during a time when those qualities became weary in me. The process of selling a house was daunting, especially as I did it alone. Janet's patience in explaining the foreign process, her always accessible support and her hard-nose deal-making made my experience as smooth and as rewarding as possible. For a reasonable, creative and driven problem solver, for an agent who truly works with you, I can't recommend Janet Kaplan enough. read more

I've worked with Janet and her team Joanne & Michael and they are the most down to earth conscious realtors. For a fresh low pressure representation Janet is your gal read more

I wanted to give a high five to Janet. What? A real estate agent posting a review about another real estate agent? That is right. I recently sold my house and because of limitations within my E&O insurance policy I could not list my own home. The first person that came to mind to help me out was Janet. Janet has extraordinary grace and professionalism that she brings to all elements of her life. Thank you, Janet, for stepping up and helping us. Your calm character combined with unending patience was very appreciated. read more

I am writing to recommend Janet Kaplan of Red Oak Realty as a seasoned, professional and caring real estate broker. I first met Janet two years ago when she consulted with a myself and a friend about the potential purchase of a "for sale by owner " multi family home. Janet had been the broker for lots of my friends and they all had good things to say about her. That said, I felt reticent to ask her to consult on a purchase she would probably not profit from. When I phoned her and explained what was going on, she kindly agreed to meet. She came to our meeting with useful information about rent control in Berkeley, something we needed to know about and lots of additional sage thoughts. Janet let us take all the time we needed to ask her lots of pretty basic of questions and answered them all with patience and warmth. Nothing came of that purchase but two years later when I was in the market for a fixer upper, I called Janet again. She remembered our meeting and we started to work on the purchase of a foreclosed home in a lending climate that's pretty sticky. Characteristically, Janet helped me again every step of the way through the rather encumbered process. The purchase took a few months and Janet was always available, tireless, good humored and supportive and even advocated for me at times. She's also been in the biz a while and is a virtual yellow pages of trades people, engineers, inspectors etc.... I also never felt pressured as we waded through a process that at time felt touch and go. Throughout our work together, I always felt that my happiness with the process and my purchase was Janet's primary objective. I've been in my new home about a month and I'm loving it. I can't recommend Janet highly enough. Thanks Janet! D. Alwan Eastlake, Oakland, CA November 30, 2008 read more

My wife and I worked with Janet this summer to buy an amazing house in Alameda!! We were looking in Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda area and were a little all over the map. Janet was great to work with! She met with us and helped us focus what we were looking for, and gave us invaluable insight into the market! Janet has been in the realty business for quite some time, and was able to help us understand the trends and the prices (as in, the list price has very little to do with the final sale price). Janet was a great mix of letting us do research and find houses, but then suggesting others to us that we hadnt even thought of - she also is so knowledgeable of the different neighborhoods- throughout Berkeley, Oakland, and Alameda that she could tell us whether or not the houses we found online were worth the effort to go look at. In the end Janet helped us craft an offer, and negotiate so that we got our first choice house! read more

We knew we were in very good hands when we met Janet, Joanne & Michael, who recently helped us sell our house. With their collective experience, knowledge & hard work, it garnered a ton of interest, and went for way above the listing price. They were always available, grounded & supportive during the process. We literally can't recommend Janet & "the dream team" more. read more

Janet is incredible!!! Not only did she help us land our dream home in the East Bay she was able to assist with selling our previous home. We feel her and Joanne King went above and beyond the call of duty. The process can be overwhelming at times but Janet and Joanne were terrific in helping us work through it. Knowledge of the market and the transaction process are two of Janet's strengths and greatly helped us. THANK YOU! Highly recommend. read more

Janet and her two colleagues (Joanne King and Michael Herling) served as my Dream Team both for the sale of my North Berkeley home as well as the purchase of my condo at Rossmoor. I could not ask for better real estate service: they are nimble, focused, talented, conscientious, connecting and honest. I interviewed ten realtors before selecting this team: selling and buying a home are each different and prime financial decisions that call for the very best in expertise and customer service. I recommend them without reservation! They rock! read more

Janet is amazing. She sold us our house a year ago, and better than that, she put up with our hours of talking, discussing and debating what kind of house we wanted. She coached us through those discussions and let us know her frank opinion when we wanted it. She's amazing, and we would recommend her to anyone looking for a place in the East Bay. She's patient, honest and a real pleasure to work with. If/when we move again, Janet will be the first person we'd call. read more

We recently bought a house with Janet's help. It was a long search, and we are very grateful to Janet for her help, and especially for her patience and calm throughout the process. From the first, Janet really listened and understood what we were looking for. We decided to walk away from a deal at one point, for reasons that had nothing to do with Janet, and we put our search on hold for a while after that. - Our family's needs changed, and again, Janet made sure she understood what we were looking for. During the bidding and escrow phase, Janet kept us informed (with 7:30am and 10pm phone calls/emails as necessary!). - Now if only she were also a general contractor, structural engineer, and perhaps a dentist, then we could just take *all* our business to her and be done with it. read more

There's no other realtor out there like Janet. She's calm, kind, empathetic, passionate about her work and extremely good at it as well. She dispels all the stereotypes you imagine about realtors. Janet has been in the business for a long time. She has hordes of fans among other realtors who have done transactions with her and in communities of clients that will only work with her. I think her good will and enormous heart is reflected in her success despite very challenging markets and circumstances. Being so well connected and having great relations with so many other Realtors gives Janet a distinct advantage in the bay area's competitive market as others simply want to do a deal with her. They know she'll fight for her clients, but is always fair, honest, communicative and skilled....and has the BEST SMILE If you're buying or selling real estate in the bay area, definitely call Janet. read more

Janet was the listing agent on our house in Kensington, and our experience with her was consistently wonderful. What I like best about Janet is her ability to stay calm and focused throughout. Selling a house is stressful - working with Janet is not. Janet was there during every step of the process, often stopping by and seeing us while we were getting the house ready to sell, giving feedback and encouragement. She even handled some tricky situations quite well (including a sump pump that failed during extremely heavy rains while an open home was on!) and was a good communicator throughout. Although times are such that multiple offers are not an every-day-occurance, we did receive multiple offers on the house and had a really great outcome. In fact, we sold the house within abotu 45 days of listing it - with great results. Janet offers realistic and honest feedback about pricing, and can be trusted to tell it like it is. In fact, Janet can be trusted with every aspect of selling or buying a house - her honesty and trustworthiness are the basis for her relationships with buyers and sellers alike and I think this is why she is so successful. read more

I highly recommend agent Janet Kaplan for prospective homebuyers or sellers. I have worked with Janet for almost ten years, both as a buyer and a seller. Not only is Janet a highly effective real estate agent, she is also friendly, easygoing, and returns messages in a timely fashion. I appreciated Janet's management skills in the frantic period prior to the Open Home for the first house I sold. She gave me great advice about what to do, who to get help from, and made sure everything was ready on time. Janet's familiarity with various neighborhoods in the East Bay is an asset to buyers and sellers alike. When I sold my house, she priced my home for a quick sale--not too low, not too high. Just right. As a homebuyer, Janet listens to what you want and is quick to respond to opportunities that may be outside of other realtors' comfort zone. If you're serious about buying or selling a house, call Janet. read more

Janet Kaplan helped us land a fabulous house in the Temescal area. In a market which can be, at times, quite competitive and grueling, Janet brought a laid back and calm presence to one of the most important decisions of our lives. She always got back to us with answers to our house-buying 101 questions within a day or even a few hours. She handles last minute changes with no hesitation and is consistently level headed and easygoing. She even came out to help us on a holiday! Janet truly listens to her clients' ideal house profile and makes it a reality. She is extremely knowledgeable about the Bay Area market and supplied us with a reliable list of electricians, general contractors, and carpenters to help us in the post-escrow days which would follow. We truly enjoyed working with someone so skilled and down to earth. Thank you, Janet, for your flexibility, wisdom, and integrity. read more

My fiance and I were buying our first house and had been working with an agent who was unhelpful and was basically having us do all the work ourselves. We were unsatisfied and having trouble understanding the process. Then we met Janet! Janet walked us through the whole process step by step, and made sure we understood everything we were doing before proceeding. Whenever we needed paperwork, she got it to us within a couple hours. She was extremely flexible around our strange schedule, and always had a smile on when we met. We closed escrow today on our first home, and Janet was the one who got us there. read more

I recently bought a home in Oakland with the help of Janet Kaplan through Red Oak Realty. Janet was recommended to me by another agent outside the Bay Area. It was my first home purchase and Janet made the process seamless. She walked me through the many steps looking out for my best interest all along the way. Janet has lived and worked in Berkeley as an agent for many years and knows the neighborhoods like the back of her hand. When I needed to contact other professionals for inspections etc. she provided me their information. My purchase went quickly and I am now in my new home. Thank you Janet....you are the best. read more

As first time home buyers we really needed a lot of help and support and Janet Kaplan came through in some many ways. She was referred to us by our mortgage broker who told us we would really like working with her, and she was right! From the beginning Janet listened to what we needed and wanted in a house and focussed on finding good possibilities for us to look at. She was always patient in answering our questions and taking us to see so many houses - never directly gave her opinion of what we should like, but always reminded us of things to consider with houses we were looking for. She worked within our crazy busy schedules and was honest about the realities of buying foreclosed or short sale homes and provided a lot of information when we put an offer on one that didn't go through in our time frame. When we found the house we wanted to buy she spent a lot of time with the inspectors and letting us know all the steps and what to expect. We are now settling into our new home and so grateful for all Janet did to help us purchase it. We highly recommend her, would definitely tell our family and friends to use her services and will work with her again when we are are ready to buy or sell again (hopefully not for a while since we love our new home and the area we are living in!). read more

Janet was our realtor when we sold our house in summer of 2014. I am happy to say that she was extremely thorough and professional. She had a very effective plan for the sale of the house and to say it went well would be an understatement. Janet's ideas were spot on, and her referrals for work we needed to do were excellent. She was also a real nice person, which made the tedious stuff easier to deal with. I wouldn't hesitate to give her my highest recommendation. read more

I can't say enough good things about Janet. She is extremely knowledgeable about East Bay real estate, and was calm and collected when necessary, minimizing our stress. She guided us so expertly through the maze, advising us on a bid that did the trick on a very competitive piece of property. In fact, we bought the first house we bid on - something that rarely happens. We love our new home in part because she offered support but never extended too much influence in our decision making. She continues to help us with referrals for handy people, plumbers, electricians, etc. Thank you Janet! read more

My husband and I moved to Berkeley to live in a rental in June 2012. We immediately fell in love with the city. Beginning the following summer we actively searched for a house to buy in the city. We found a nice realtor, but despite a healthy downpayment and active desire to buy, we failed to find great results or rapport with our initial agent. For a short while we were deferred to another local realtor who helped us place a bid on a house, and then disappeared when we were declined by the seller. My husband and I took a step back to search for a realtor that could really HEAR us and understood our position - able to buy, but maybe not within the current wild housing market. We found Janet via Yelp. We sat down with Janet to express our previous frustrations, acknowledge the housing situation, and within an hour she proved to be very kind, incredibly knowledgeable, and fast acting. We discussed available homes and she identified a home that was at the very top of our price range in a nice area with everything we could ask for that had fallen through the cracks. We immediately visited he house, placed a bid, and 21 days later it was ours! After almost a year of difficult searching and frustrating experiences Janet helped us find a great home with no issues for less than asking price in a crazy market. She walked us through every step of the process and was simply terrific every day. There's little doubt that without Janet we'd still be scouring Redfin working with other agents that didn't care to listen to our interests. If you're a first time buyer, or even an experienced buyer, we highly recommend Janet. read more

I definitely endorse Janet with a 5 star rating. Janet worked tirelessly with us for 2+ years and in the end did not end up making a commission on a sale with our purchase. We bought our condo privately without using an agent, and much to our disappointment and sadness for Janet, she did not receive any commission from our transaction. Regardless of this, she supported us wholeheartedly and was very pleased for us that the sale worked out in our favor. Throughout the 2+ years she was always willing to meet us at any house we wanted to see outside of the open house, answered endless questions, filled out all the paperwork without complaint and with ease and experience and was a genuine professional with great advice. She always hit the mark on what the house was worth given the market and advised us accordingly. When she was unavailable due to vacations or other commitments, she always provided us with a back-up and reliable and trust-worthy agent who was able to field any questions and do her job. The one thing I really liked about Janet was that she was always available but not pushy and aggressive. With Janet's 25+ experience you will be in great hands. We highly recommend her. read more

We found Janet through yelp, and with her help we recently closed on a beautiful home in the Berkeley hills. We had previously worked with two other agents (in the SF/Peninsula area) who were quite pushy, so the thing that stood out to us the most about Janet was that she was so relaxed. She was available when needed and answered all of our emails and questions promptly. And she was always ready to show us a house we wanted to see or to give us an inspector or contractor recommendation when we asked. But she never tried to push homes or services on us. With other realtors we were pretty sure they were getting kickbacks from the mortgage broker or inspector they suggested. Janet never pushed us to put an offer on a home we didn't love, and even talked us out of a couple places we liked because they might be "money pits". We love our new home and are excited to explore everything Berkeley has to offer! read more

As an empty nester hoping to reap some financial benefit from a downsize to a condo, a lot was at stake with the recent sale of my home. I'm not a homebody type, so Janet had to guide me through a giant to-do list to get my decent but kind of tired-looking house in shape for the market. Yes, in an up market in the Bay Area, anything will sell, but after listening to Janet's input, I decided to make the investment to really get it ship-shape--painting, staging, fixing things I wasn't even aware needing fixing. She helped me stay on top of the endless to-do items, showed up for numerous vendor appointments, got critical research done showing the sewer lateral from the last sale was still valid (saving me thousands of dollars and more hassle), and even stepped in to meet an electrical inspector when I was stuck at work. The result was a house way nicer than the one I'd been living in, and multiple offers, including the top end of the competitive market. I've sold a couple houses before, but Janet's been doing this and only this for many years. I'm so glad I took all her advice, even if it was reluctantly on some picky details. I can see now that this attention to detail is what put me in the high-offer echelon, and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. read more