Joey helped us buy our first house, in the Bay Area, while lenders scoffed at what we wanted to pay. We found a place in budget with everything we needed for our growing family. Joey repeatedly went above and beyond, negotiating with sellers, connecting us with vendors and getting a little extra wiggle room or benefit for us at every step. She's an absolute delight to work with, and continues to have the best real estate advice, restaurant recommendations and clever insights. We wouldn't work with anyone else. read more

I'd recommend Joey in a heartbeat. Long story short, I wandered into an open house, and now I own my first home. I couldn't be happier! Joey is kind, fair, relatable, knows the industry, has great connections and recommendations, and went to bat for me. I would highly recommend her to anyone, either selling or buying. You'd be in great hands. read more

Jennifer Joey McCallon is one of the best agents I've ever worked with. She really knows her stuff and has inside information through her network of agents and friends on houses coming on the market. She knows how to work her network connections that she spent years cultivating to get you your dream house. She has specialized training in many aspects of real estate. She has had a real estate license for over 20 years and her Broker's license since 2016. She's honest with the pros and cons of a house, not over-selling it. She is highly ethical and obviously intent on building community. She holds a Master's degree in history from San Francisco State University and is now working on her law degree! Joey even wrote a very interesting book on Residential Architecture in the East Bay, available on Amazon. Even though she's highly ambitious and a go-getter, her sense of humor puts you at ease. She really enjoys looking at houses and you never feel like she's getting impatient, taking the time to find exactly what you want. Joey got me a deal under asking price which is almost unheard of in the Bay Area. She is a top negotiator who closes the deal. As a buyer, no house is perfect, but Joey gave me reassurance with a gift of a home warranty and taking care of immediate small fix-it problems on her dime. My son found Joey and recommended her and I would also definitely recommend her highly. She's going to be our family agent for all our real estate transactions! read more

Joey is simply the best. She helped us buy our first house, a 2br with an in-law suite that we could actually afford while raising young kids. She sold it for top dollar a decade later when we were ready for a change. She even drove us around to a million and a half properties while we looked for our second house (though we decided to move to another state). She's professional, a hard worker and fun, to boot. I recommend her 100%. read more

SERVICE: This is our third closing with Jennifer and all three transactions have been great! She provides a high level of care to her clients because she sells from the heart. Jennifer upholds her fiduciary responsibility as a Real Estate Professional to ensure the client is getting the best deal possible at the house and the loan. COMMUNICATION: Jennifer is as freaky fast as Jimmy Johns delivery with all her communications. She responds to calls and text immediately. It's reassuring because communication is key in both sides of the transaction. It's a great feeling to know that Jennifer is always there for the clients no matter what. Thank you for all your hard work. Looking forward to our next transaction. read more

I really can't say enough great things about Tanja and Joey. They were communicative, diligent, knowledgeable, and so supportive when it came to selling my mom's home (which she had lived in for 40+ years). While getting the house ready, both Tanja and Joey were wonderful about communicating with us about what repairs and enhancements were needed while staying within our budget (this included staging as well!) Not only that, but the house was put on the market as COVID-19 began to ramp up and they handled all of the unknowns like total pros. I always felt like they had our best interest at heart and am forever grateful for all their help in selling my mom's house. They are consummate professionals who are also kind and personable, I would recommend them in a heartbeat! read more

Tanja is an amazing agent! So glad to work with her! I met Tanja at an open house back in January 2018. At the time, I did not have a buyer agent, and I knew that person should be Tanja right away because of her knowledge of this field and energetic charisma. Due to my budget restrictions and locale preferences, Tanja suggested a number of promising properties that I could be interested in. I visited a few of them myself. When I wanted to see particular houses that were not hosting open houses, she always made herself available to check out those properties regardless it was weekends or weeknights. She also gave me some advice about how to get to know the neighborhood well, which was very insightful. About a month and a half later, I was in a contract for purchasing a house. Immediately, Tanja had a network of professionals who conducted reports about that property. She also compared asking price with the surrounding property values. Based on the cumulative analyses, Tanja pointed out that the property was way overpriced and could have long term issues due to the particulars of that house. After unfruitful negotiations, we canceled that contract. Buying a property was obviously stressful, and I decided to take a break from all it since I did not find anything interesting. Tanja reached out to me again in August 2019, so a year and a half later, informing me that it was a great time to purchase a property because the market slowed down a little. Similar to my previous experience with her, she shared her listings via daily emails. I also went to 10 open houses every weekend. Finally, I was in a contract again in early September 2019. Tanja suggested three different loan officers, and I was able to get a relative low rate as well. Tanja helped me to navigate different requests from the loan officer, the escrow officer, and the seller. In the end, the escrow was closed in mid-October. She checked in with me a few times, and I felt that she always there for me. That is why I am writing this review seven months later. As a buyer, I definitely recommend Tanja! read more

Joey rules. I was lucky and someone recommended her. I didn't have to dig through Yelp and pray good reviews weren't bought with Amazon gift cards. This review was bought with incredible service, invaluable advice, and psychological coaching through the nightmare that is Bay Area real estate. This was my first home buying experience, and though the market is rough, Joey made it tolerable if not pleasant. Even after close, Joey is kind enough to help me through the quagmire of Oakland homeownership. A year ago I didn't know anything about sewer laterals and sidewalk permits, heck I still don't, you probably don't, you need Joey! read more

Joey is the absolute best. She helped my wife and I buy our first home last year and made the process as easy and seamless as possible. She is extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and so quick to respond! We would absolutely utilize Joey when it is time to buy, sell, or refer to a friend. read more

I am a real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty in the South Bay. When one of my best friend and her husband is planning to buy their first home in the East Bay, they ask me to refer them an agent because they trusted me. After some research and phone calls, I put them in contact with Tanja Odzak-Groppold. They just closed the transaction less than to weeks ago and they told me they are very happy with Tanja. This review is only based on agent to agent because my friend will write her own review as a buyer. Tanja is very friendly and professional on the phone. She kept me posted with progress and follow up with me with important documents, and this review too. LOL I appreciate her been consistent without been pushy. This was a smooth experience. As an agent, I know there were many things going on in the background. We felt smooth is because the agent who handle the transaction had been taking care of many things for us. I highly recommend Tanja as your agent whether you want to buy or sell. S. H. Keller Williams Realty Silicon Valley read more

Working with Joey and Tanja was absolutely fantastic and I strongly recommend them to anyone interested in selling and/or buying a house. My husband and I worked with Joey and Tanja to sell our home and purchase a new one during the pandemic and we cannot recommend them enough. I could go on and on about how great they are but I'll focus on a few key standout traits Local Knowledge - They understand the East Bay incredibly well having lived and worked throughout the area for years. Our house hunt was focused on the Oakland-area and they understood well that the difference of a few blocks can mean a completely different vibe for a neighborhood and they helped us find exactly what we were seeking. Teamwork - They work effectively as a team and have knowledge and skills that complement each other well. When one of them was away or busy with another client the other seamlessly stepped in, meaning that we were always guaranteed someone's undivided attention. Determination - Selling a home and finding a new home during a pandemic was not without a few bumps in the road and Joey and Tanja helped us get through them all, consistently going above and beyond to make sure things moved forward without a hitch. Action Oriented - Things move fast in Bay Area real estate and Joey and Tanya were always ready to pounce when a new house came on the market. This fast action led to us finding our dream home. Caring - They went beyond simply selling our home and finding us a new one. They really got to know us and our family and we've built a lasting relationship. We appreciated that they approach their work from a genuine place and are not transactional. Because they helped us find our dream home we don't anticipate needing to work with them anytime soon, but if our plans change they'll be the first ones we call. read more

My husband and I were exploring the idea of purchasing a place we can call our own. Since we were both first time homebuyers, we didn't know where to begin with our small budget. His colleague recommended Joey, who was also his agent when he found his home. We met with Joey the following weekend and explained to her what we were looking for, our budget, etc. We didn't know much about the process but Joey guided us throughout the whole thing! She was so easy going and patient with everything! She was also so quick in getting everything ready and organized, strategizing best offers without pressuring us, replying to our text messages and random questions, and even went to open houses herself to check out places we were interested in. Our 4th bid got accepted, and everything went so smoothly! We're moved in and absolutely love our place and still can't believe we were able to buy our own home! Thank you so much Joey! read more

Joey and Tanja did an excellent job in helping sell my Mother's home after she passed. I met Joey and Tanja at a Chabot Science Center fundraiser a few years ago and they came over to meet my Mom and discuss with us what the house needed to be in a sellable condition. I used this info to start repairs etc. with my Mom's blessing. Move forward to last October after my Mom's death, and we went on a high speed process to finish the work by the New Year to present a nice, clean and fresh property. Tanje and Joey made suggestions on what to update and what to leave alone, some of which I resisted but in the end were spot on to the taste of today's buyers. They also excelled in the property showing (5 open-houses in 2 weeks, including a wine and cheese evening reception, resulting in 17 offers and a resulting bidding contest which Tanja handled expertly, keeping us in the loop. If I have to say something negative, it would be that some of their recommended contractors (staging, flooring) bid on the high side and we found better alternatives ourselves. As a fraction of the total return on this house, probably not a big deal, but we just don't like paying top dollar for the same work. I highly recommend Tanje and Joey as professional and competent Real Estate Agents and would use them in the future if I sell my own house. read more

Joey is awesome. Period. She is knowledgeable, personable, dedicated, tenacious, respectful, creative, thorough, and patient - all of the qualities you could want in a realtor. We first connected back in 2013, and she helped us get into our first home, using multiple first-time homeowner down-payment assistance programs. She turned from realtor to friend over the years, and then to realtor again this past spring as she helped us sell our house. She continued to work with us as we searched for our next home, all across the East Bay. If you want someone reliable and level-headed in your corner as you navigate buying or selling in the area, Joey has your back. read more

My wife and I had been looking for a house off-and-on for a couple of years. Each time we looked, we'd get discouraged. Some friends of ours found a house of their own (it's awesome) and they recommended their agent, Jennifer Joey Smith. Joey sent us weekly emails with listings to check out. Week after week we checked out homes, and whenever we wanted to make an offer, Joey was there to make it happen. She's incredibly responsive and happy to help. Finally, we found a house! We made an offer, and the next day Joey texts me and says "Call me ASAP", and she tells me that we got the house! The next few weeks were a whirlwind and would have been awful if Joey hadn't been there to guide us. She hooked us up with a great mortgage company, with contractors and with inspectors. She handled all the paperwork, so all we really had to do was sign things. I was expecting a nightmare of a process, but with Joey, it was virtually painless and stress-free. Even after we closed, she helped us line up contractors and schedule them. She reached out to her own network and pulled in handymen, sewer lateral specialists, and pest control specialists. She's a fantastic agent, with lots of experience in the Oakland area. My wife and I both highly recommend her. If you're on the market for a house, call Joey! read more

Jennifer Joey Smith is fantastic! I highly recommend her services. She made me feel comfortable right away in trusting her with my biggest investment, my home. She's extremely personable, responsive, reliable, caring, helpful and smart. She's great at what she does! read more

We first worked with Joey when we bought our first home. We had a lot to learn. She's very knowledgeable, patient, easy to communicate with, and helped us through the whole process, making it very painless. So when it was time for us to move, we worked with her again in selling our house to buy another. She made this even more complex process happen super quick with the least amount of pain. Like ripping a band-aid. We hope to do it again someday. We recommend working with her. read more

Updating my review! The home Joey made happen for me in 2013 was a little shoe box that with her guidance was turned into a "Dimond Cutie!" It doubled and has changed my life financially. Don't waste your time with anyone else in the Oakland area. Joey's enthusiasm and undying positivity will outdo anyone else at any cost! read more

Jennifer is always available and super responsive. She never fails to let a text message or phone call slip through. She and Tanja make the perfect team to be able to tackle any issue or question that may arise. Together they are both innovative, creative, energetic, marketing geniuses who are not afraid to take risks and try something new. Additionally they are genuinely involved in their communities in terms of understanding specific neighborhoods and community outreach. Whether helping you buy or sell, they will work to understand your situation and priorities to best advocate for you. read more

We just sold our home with Tanja Odzak-Groppold and Bruce Wagg! Everything went so smooth and we couldn't ask for a better outcome! Our house was on the market for 36 days with no hiccups. Here's an idea of how it feels to work with them through each step. Listing Appointment: Bruce and Tanja will come fully prepared to give you a Comparative Market Analysis AND a complete "list of things to do" to give you a clear idea of what they'll do to sell your home. I interviewed 2 other top agents in my area; the interview with Bruce and Tanja was the fastest and most informational. We had about 25 questions for every realtor. Marketing: Tanja and Bruce gave our home full exposure. Within 14 days of our house being on the market, we were under contract! During those 14 days, Bruce and Tanja was very busy marketing. We had 6 open houses; 1 for neighbors, 1 for agents, 4 for buyers/public (2 weekends). We think we had around 400 people come through. We had 11 offers to choose from!!! Under Contract: This is typically the time where sellers get stressed even in a seller's market. We are no different, but Bruce wrote out the contract where we'd have the smoothest closing. No inspection or appraisal contingencies, buyer paid for sewer lateral ($4K), free rent for 3 weeks and much more, with a very strong buyer. Tanja is very organized and actually created a spreadsheet where we can easily compare each offer. At one point we did have some concerns because we had a back-up offer we were not comfortable with. We sent Bruce an email with 15 questions. He called us immediately and clarified every last concern we had! Tanja answered when Bruce was not available during this process. Outcome: House was under contract for 23 days with NO hiccups at all! *** Extra Note: Tanja is very responsive and detailed oriented. She listens to your needs, concerns and is easily relatable. I see how other sellers are represented (poor ads, marketing, open houses) and it makes me so thankful I found Bruce and Tanja. If you want top dollar for your home and a smooth transaction, contact Tanja and her team! Good luck to you and the sale of your home! read more

The last 2.5 years of my life were absolute hell looking for homes. Going to open houses every weekend only to end up drowning our sorrows at the closest yogurt shop in whichever neighborhood we were in, was exhausting. So exhausting that we started and stopped looking for homes about every 3 months. Yet, no matter where we were in our journey, Joey was always there for us. Not only that, she wished my husband a happy birthday which landed during one of our off-again phases where we weren't looking at homes at that time. Joey is incredibly knowledgeable and easy to work with. As others have said she will not push you to buy or disparage you if you are not being "hungry enough" to buy a house (which we had been told). Aside from her work ethic, she is just a fun person to be around. I always enjoyed viewing a house with her, and her sense of humor made the stressful times a bit easier to deal with. It took us almost 3 years, but in the end, we are very very happy with our home and I don't think we would have found it if we were working with someone else. read more

Working with Joey (and Tanja) was about as easy it can be. They were highly responsive to emails and texts, and truly made this process much less stressful than it might have been, given that we were putting our home on the market at the height of COVID shelter-in-place ordinances in the Bay Area. We couldn't have been more blessed for their joint care and expertise. They were forthright, informative and collaborative with us, and we feel very grateful for their expertise. We chose them because dear friends also had a positive experience selling with them, and we're glad to say it was everything we expected based on this recommendation.  We really appreciated their wide range of expertise - from staging and decor to pricing and upgrades. We went with almost all of their connections to subcontractors and all were excellent in their work and easy to connect with. We had to replace our carpet, get painting done, clean our windows and stage the place and they had people for us to work with at every turn. It truly couldn't have been easier and it was always affordable and fair. It was important to us to get local support and with small businesses and they always had those connections.  Our loft was only on the market a little longer than expected and the process from offer to final sale felt like it just breezed by. They set us up with easy ways to communicate and were usually one step ahead of any questions we had. Having them both weighing in on our circumstances was a real gift - you can tell that they enjoy working together, respect each other, and have a balance of strengths. Can't recommend these two enough - they were dialed in to us as their client, respectful of how we wanted to approach selling in a time of rapid gentrification of Oakland, and took time to walk us through their process from start to finish. They really know the Bay Area market and they are well connected. You will not be disappointed with these two women. read more

I am finally recovered enough from the home searching/buying/moving process and it is high-time I write this review! Let me say, my husband and I considered buying a home in 2012 and were even working with a realtor. That realtor, while nice enough, didn't really seem too concerned about finding us a place. Her lack of commitment made us a little lackadaisical about the whole prospect and we ended up giving up. That we ended up buying more than 2 years later with Jennifer, with prices almost 2x as high in some neighborhoods should be recommendation enough! The current market is brutal and humbling and we could not have gotten through it without her. She took time to explain all the processes and the market from the beginning, but she also let us figure things out for ourselves. We made offers on 5 places before we ended up with our condo and visited who knows how many units to get there. She was there touring with me on weekends, on week nights, in the rain, with her kid, with our dog, through remodeled kitchens and kitchens with unidentifiable substances in the sink. Her flexibility on scheduling and sense of humor made the whole process much less taxing than it could have been. Jennifer consults with the Harcourts team to come up with an offer, which made us feel more comfortable with this strange "throw a dart" offer climate, and she has great relationships with a lot of area realtors. She stuck with us and reassured us through the whole exciting, illuminating, bruising experience of home buying in the Bay Area. I'm so grateful to have worked with someone who was so solidly on our team. Even though we had a relatively small budget for the area, I never once felt like we weren't of the highest priority to her. I'm pretty sure that if we hadn't been working with Jennifer we would have dropped out of the hunt again out of discouragement. She never gave up even when we were most frustrated and stayed positive and encouraging throughout. Jennifer will definitely be on the invite list to our housewarming party. read more

Ever had one of those real estate agents that pressure you into buying a property? If so, you'll understand the struggle associated with finding a knowledgeable real estate agent that's understanding. Look no more because Joey is the agent that all of us have been searching for. I met Joey during an open house in Oakland, and since then, Joey has successfully helped me close on my property. Joey also followed me during the entire buying process until after I moved into my property. You can be sure I'll be using Joey for all of my future real estate needs. Thanks Joey! read more

Joey and Tanja are an amazing team. They helped me sell my home in 7 days, over asking, no contingencies. My whole entire life went through upheaval in 2017 and they were not only kind and understanding, but helpful and with me each step of the way. I can not say enough kind things about them. Just hire them. UPDATE late 2018 This review is for teammate of Joey, TANJA though I am more than certain Joey was a big part of making my home purchase happen. What can I tell you about them? These women! I wouldn't buy or sell without them. The last two years of my life have been a whirlwind, and Tanja was there for me every step of the way. A family crisis (divorce, death, etc.) forced me to have to sell my home. Not only did she educate me on the process, she calmed my nerves, understood my situation, was patient and helped me to get my home the best it could possibly be to put on the market. My home sold within 7 days of listing, over asking price, no contingencies. It was the easiest most pain free process I could wish for. Within a year, my life turned around and it was time to buy - even though it was out of her immediate area, Tanja was kind enough to help me find and buy my current home. She even helped me secure a loan while I was re-establishing myself in a new town! There is no stopping her. Tanja is the kindest, most ethical and savvy realtor I've ever known. She genuinely cares enough to make sure you are getting the best deal and best home for your lifestyle, and will be honest with your goals...i.e. won't encourage you to settle just to make the deal. I hope that I've been a good enough client to her that she will work with me again if I need to buy or sell in the future. What a gem, full of integrity, and true pleasure to work with. Proud to call her a friend. read more

Joey is the best friend/realtor you never knew you needed! She worked so hard with me for so long to make sure I found a great condo-- during the search process she was positive, flexible, and never made me feel pressured. She even dealt with my family dynamics! Once we found something we literally went through hell together-- but in the end it worked out and it wouldn't have been possible without her hard work, integrity, and persistence. She truly had my best interest at heart, and I am very happy as a result. read more

I have known Joey and her amazing energy since she was a parent at the preschool where I taught. When my husband and I decided to sell our Maxwell Park home I knew she was the right person for the job. She and her partner Tanja Odzak-Goppald were so attentive. They explained their process thoroughly, they had lists of recommendations for reliable businesses needed to get a house ready to sell. Joey even came & replaced our old front-door knob herself. We were not able to get our home ready for the hot summertime selling season, but Joey & Tanja adjusted their plans and worked like troopers to get us a good offer for our home, even when the market cooled off a bit this past fall. Joey even hooked us up with a great realtor in Sacramento, where we found an amazing new home. I highly recommend Jennifer Smith as a seller's or a buyer's agent, her energy and knowledge and care will help you get where you want to be! read more

Joey and her partner Tanja handled the sale of my home. I absolutely loved working with them for so many reasons. First of all they are incredibly hard-working, are always responsive, no matter the time you email or text. I am not sure how they do it but they were always there to answer questions. They were in constant communication, I always knew where in the process we were what was happening and why we were doing things. They are both working moms and were really understanding about my limitations in terms of coming out to the property and really stepped up to help. They found and supervised all the inspections for me, the cleaning crew, and at one point even weeded my front yard to make the pictures look prettier. My favorite part of working with they though was there sense of humor, they had me laughing during the whole process and made something that can be so very stressful almost fun. I had a price I thought I could get for my house and they was really firm that we could get more. I honestly didn't believe them, real estate agents can be really good at blowing smoke up your ... and saying they are going to get way above your asking price. They really did their research though, priced the home perfectly, and worked with the local brokers to get people out to see the my house and we actually sold $40,000 above asking in less than a month!! My new home I purchased in the Sacramento area with Tanja and she doesn't normally work in but again she spent a lot of timing getting to know the area and was super helpful in finding and negotiating a great price on an awesome home for me. She is a really kind and patient person and everyone seems to like working with her, which is great when you consider all the people that have to come together to get a loan and purchase a home. My situation was especially complicated because of my recent divorce and but Tanja was so patient in dealing with all the complications that arose as a result, she always made me feel respected. Most importantly, I especially appreciated working with Joey and Tanja because not everyone is queer friendly and I felt that they both were really protective of my family and our interests. read more

Joey is amazing as is her partner Tanja. These fabulous ladies recently helped me sell my house. From the beginning, they had a great eye, a great plan, and they stuck to deadlines and got things done. They really put in the work, hit the neighborhood, handed out flyers, and got buyers to the open house. We used an online platform called home bids and it went better than I could have imagined. Market to close in 28 days. If you need a really hard-working, kick-ass realtor, and you want to for the price of one, Joey and Tanja are your people. read more

We couldn't have bought our home in Oakland without Joey. We were discouraged by a year of fruitless searching in a hyper competitive market for buyers, but Joey reassured us that we could find what we were seeking. She dedicated herself to our search, proved to be a deft negotiator and helped us through the intricacies of closing. She's an Oakland specialist who takes the extra time necessary to fully understand her clients' needs. We'd be happy to work with her again. read more

Tanja and Joey were excellent. They sold my home for a record price. They were very responsive, they had an excellent marketing plan which was executed perfectly. They gave me good advice and answered all my questions promptly. I highly recommend them to anyone. They do what it takes and both are very helpful and hardworking. You won't regret it, they are excellent. read more

Joey made my experience as a 1st time home buyer as great as it can be in a very competitive market in Oakland. Joey was very patient and helpful with with any questions or fears I had. We are grateful to Joey that we have closed on our dream home. read more

Joey made a miracle happen for our family! Given the market and our budget we weren't sure we'd actually be able to buy anything in Oakland in 2015. We saw a lot of listings and amazingly had our offer accepted on the 2nd house we were interested in. As a Fannie Mae foreclosure, it was a COMPLICATED escrow and Joey saw us through to the end. AND she is nice and funny too. THANK YOU JOEY! read more

Joey is the best there is. I was fortunate to meet her while looking at an open house, and she took the time to tell me about all the differences between CA and IL (where I owned before). She stayed with us for a LONG time, (unlike a lot of other realtors we worked with) wasn't pushy, and was able to understand what we wanted. I would recommend her to anyone else looking for an agent. She is quite amazing. read more

Working with Joey was great! This was our first home purchase and no matter what time we had a question, Joey was always available and took her time in really making this process as clear as possible and as stress free as it could be. We always knew she had our best interest in mind and she never made us feel rushed into making any decisions, unlike the other agents we met throughout our journey. We have no doubt that we'd work with Joey again or highly recommend her! Joey prioritizes relationships and her community, so whether you are looking for a home or a commercial sale, we'd strongly encourage arranging a meeting with her. read more