Selling my home of 20 years was a very emotionally difficult thing to do. I considered it more of a…read moresanctuary than a mere house. It epitomized peace, quiet, and safety as I sat high on the street with a partial view of the bay. But, it was time to retire and move. Given my attachment to my home, we could not have had a more experienced, knowledgeable, skillful, and professional real estate agent than Geri Stern. She was always on her game and carefully planned the listing. She communicated updates as frequently as we requested. More importantly, she was very patient and considerate with my personality-type which pays attention to detail. My words of gratitude and appreciation are inadequate-Simply said, Geri is a top-notch Agent. If you need superb representation to list and sell your house, I highly recommend Geri Stern of Berkeley's Pacific Union. Our El Cerrito house sold quickly this month. Ms. Stern earned and deserves a 5 Star rating. Thank you so much for helping me let go and move-on to a restful retirement. Give Geri a call- you'll be glad you did.

Geri helped me sell my house from a different state and did a great job making the process as…read morepainless as possible. The people she recommended fixed up the house very nicely and found a perfect person to buy the house. Highly recommend!

If you're ever looking for a realtor, Romeena is truly the best! We had looked for a home before…read morewith other realtors but never had any luck. We always felt uncertain about parts of the process and just couldn't seem to find the right fit. Then we met Romeena, and everything changed. With her help, we were able to find the perfect house for us! She's incredibly knowledgeable in all aspects of home buying and made sure to explain everything thoroughly so we actually understood what was happening at each step. That made such a difference. She also has a fantastic team and everyone she connected us with was just as professional and helpful, from the loan process to the initial inspection. Each person was an expert in their field and took the time to answer any questions we had, which gave us even more peace of mind. Without Romeena, we honestly don't think we'd be in a home right now. She made what felt like an overwhelming process so much easier, and we're beyond grateful. Thanks to her, we now have a place we're proud to call home!

I would give 10/5 stars instead of 5/5 if I could. Romeena…read morewas an excellent agent who helped us a lot not just purchase the home we've been searching for for months, but also guide us in the right direction. Her expertise is invaluable, her communications and responsiveness are unmatched. All in all, she's just a wonderful professional person who will get the job done and done right!

I recently had to sell my home, and found Diana via a list that was recommended to me…read more Diana was very understanding throughout the entire process, and was my advocate as well during the whole sale process. She answered all my questions with reassurance. She stayed in touch with me often throughout the process, via email, text, phone call, or personal visits to the house. Since I have a toddler and also work full-time, she was sensitive to my schedule, and often came to my house to make things easier for me. She went through the house and made a list of small repairs for me to take care of that would help with the sale. One realtor I had interviewed actually wanted me to *replace the flooring* before listing the house--crazy, because I had said all along I didn't want to go through too much expense. I was pleased when Diana said to just get it cleaned well. She recommended painting my brightly colored walls, make sure all light bulbs were working in the fixtures, wall holes patched and touched up, etc. One thing I really appreciated about Diana was her assistance in staging the house. I was a bit resistant to the staging at first, believing I could use my own accessories just fine to make it look nice, but decided to try it out with Diana, at her urging. I was so glad I did, because it allowed me to get my own things all packed up, and be that much more ready to move. She brought in just enough accessories to appeal to buyers, and nothing extra--no over-the-top, overpriced staging....just enough to take nice pix and get the house sold. I met with her in late October, prepped the house in November, listed it in early December, had two open houses, got an offer right before Christmas and closed one month later. Due to my particular situation, I wasn't able to buy a home right away, but Diana came through with an awesome referral for a rental home that met ALL of my needs, and I am so happy in the new home. When the time comes, I'll be going back to Diana to buy my next home, for sure! Diana is professional, as well as warm and friendly. Doing business with her was a pleasure and didn't feel like business.

Even though I had many referrals for other realtors and I personally met a few of them, I am glad…read morethat I decided to go with Diana and her team. Prior to selling my home in Oakland, she printed out a breakdown of numbers and graphs to show how much I should at least expect for my asking price. She has many years of experience and her selling tactics sold my property for much more than I was asking or anticipating. It was a very smooth process! She also guided me through the process of purchasing a model home in Brentwood. She is a true advocate and will be with you each step of the process. She showed me homes (resale and new construction) on multiple occasions. She printed me information about each home prior to seeing it. She showed up to every meeting. She came with me when I signed documents with the builders, signed with the title company, my walk through with one of the contractors, etc. She reviewed the documents before I signed, even caught a big mistake that was against what I had verbally agreed upon with the builder. She set me up with a lender that closed my loan in two weeks! All I can say is... she's an amazing realtor. Any one who has an opportunity to work with her is blessed! I highly recommend Diana and her awesome team to either assist you in selling your home or buying a new one. It is a stressful process, which makes it even more important to have a good realtor who will fight for you and do what is in your best interest!

Working with Kay was seamless and stress-free. She moved quickly to meet our desired timeline and…read moreeven helped stage our home so we could avoid the added cost of a professional stager. She guided us in choosing a listing price that felt comfortable while still being competitive. Both of our homes sold quickly and over asking. We couldn't have asked for a more trustworthy realtor during such a stressful time. When it came to buying, Kay made sure everything in our new home was up to standard. When we moved in, the refrigerator and AC weren't working so she immediately found someone to come out and take care of the issues. When we couldn't be home for one repair appointment, she even took time out of her day to meet them on our behalf. Kay truly goes above and beyond for her clients!

Kay Sherwood is truly the best in the business! I've worked with her on three of my own real estate…read moretransactions over the years, and every single time she has exceeded expectations. My last house she sold within a week of listing and sold it for over asking! Her professionalism, deep market knowledge, and personal attention make what can be a stressful process feel seamless and even enjoyable. Kay takes the time to understand your unique needs, communicates clearly every step of the way, and fights for the best outcome--whether you're buying or selling. I trust her completely, and so do my family and friends--several of whom have also worked with her and absolutely love her. She's more than just a real estate agent; she's a trusted advisor and an incredible advocate. I can't recommend Kay Sherwood highly enough!

Thoughtful, available, well-connected and professional realtor 10/10 recommend working with her…read more Erin walked us through our first home-buying experience in El Cerrito and patiently answered our many questions. She toured a lot of homes with us and did a great job learning our wants/needs in a home. Erin is well-connected in the industry and we often felt like having her as our partner gave us a competitive advantage. After a short few months working with Erin, we ultimately found ourselves in our dream house on a hill in El Cerrito with a beautiful view of the bay. We feel that we got a good price at a time when inventory was quite low! Thank you Erin!

I have worked with Erin as a seller's agent and am currently working with her as a buyer's agent…read more As a seller's agent, Erin came to our first meeting prepared with a binder of relevant data and comps for my house. She also made sure I understood my rights as a seller in terms of commission. She answered all my questions satisfactorily and advised me on the best time to put my home on the market. Erin was also understanding of my budget for selling-related costs and my selling timeframe restrictions. My house was on the market within a month of first speaking to her, and sold well above asking. I trusted Erin's instinct that there was room to negotiate a higher offer than what we initially received, and her instinct was correct. Overall, it was an extremely efficient and satisfactory selling experience. I appreciate how quick and responsive Erin is, which is part of the reason I am currently working with her as a buyer's agent. In one case, I dropped by an open house on a Sunday at which time the seller's agent mentioned offers are due the next day at 10am. I reached out to Erin promptly asking if it was too late for us to get through the paperwork for an offer. Erin was able to get the disclosures & share them with me, email me a summary of key items from them, and make comp recommendations. We were able to get an offer in by the deadline. I trust her expertise on what a reasonable asking/offer price is, which helps me focus my efforts on the right properties. I highly recommend working with Erin in either capacity.

My situation was a little unusual. I owned a Craftsman house in Berkeley that I'd lived in for many…read moreyears, but had been a rental for the last 10 years after I moved out of state. It needed a lot of rehab before going on the market. As one might guess, I had a logistical problem insofar as I was not able to be involved on a day-to-day basis. Fortunately, Arlene was on the job! Getting the house ready was a lengthy process--about nine months from the initial walk-through to the open house. Arlene brought a clear vision of what was possible from day one, and knew how to realize it. She brings comprehensive knowledge of Craftsman houses, including how they are built, and how they need to be updated for our era while keeping their virtues. With an eye toward detail, she knew what needed to be done, when it needed to be done, who could do it, and how to make it happen. She kept me in the loop, but I did not have to deal with day-to-day issues. The outcome: When the day came, the house sold immediately, and fetched a record-setting price for a single bath house in Berkeley! Really, I cannot properly express my appreciation for what Arlene contributed to the enterprise. Yes, it is business, but it is more than that. Arlene's massive competence is complemented by many values we share--the arts, history, social values--accompanied by good humor and empathy. Five star, in case you missed it. :)

Arlene is the dream - it can not get better than her. Her depth of knowledge and wisdom of the East…read moreBay housing market is incredible. I learned so much as a first-time home-buyer working with Arlene, and will continue to lean on her after the purchase for home help, especially with her wealth of contractor contacts. I found her after pouring through Yelp reviews for hours, and had to see if she was available after reading her fantastic Green Bungalows website, which has a wealth of history on East Bay architecture and architects, as well as help and a newsletter on making homes better for the environment. For every property we looked at, Arlene quickly deciphered the disclosures, which was helpful, but she also taught me how to read disclosures, for which I am grateful. She is a fantastic teacher. As properties came and went, it was never a waste of time checking out an interesting place with Arlene because I got to hear her commentary and learn a little bit more about how she thinks and what she sees and looks for in properties. She has a keen sense of pricing, even as the market is changing rapidly, and ended up saving me a lot of money on the purchase! On one property, she even correctly predicted the pest report estimate before it came out! Arlene is an amazing resource - it's clear she really cares about finding and selling homes for people and the real estate industry as a whole, and is not just trying to play with stats or see how much she can squeeze out of a client. I never could have navigated the market without her. She is someone you would be very lucky to work with, and if I ever sell, she will be the first person I call.

In April 2023, my wife and I bought a condo in Walnut Creek with Marina's help. This experience was…read morejust amazing! Pros: - Marina lives in Walnut Creek and knows the East Bay area very well - She has a huge real estate experience and explains the whole process of buying a home in great detail - Marina knows all federal and California programs. She helped us use "California Dream For All" and get a mortgage with a 0% down payment. - She knows the pros and cons of different condo complexes and helps to make the right choice - Marina knows many realtors personally and can negotiate a good price - Carefully studied our future HOA and even personally met with their representative - Marina is available 9 am - 9 pm and responds very quickly to any questions by phone, text, or email - She also prepares all documents very quickly - Marina has a YouTube channel ("Real Marina") about real estate in Bay Area - She has experience in construction projects and can recommend good contractors Cons: Nothing. If that's not the perfect realtor, then I don't know what the perfect realtor is!

Marina was our buyer agent in 2021. She is knowledgeable of the area, pays attention to details…read morespecific to the area, and provides in-depth explanations of each aspect. Marina consistently goes above and beyond. Her guidance and knowledge enabled us to get the most out of the buying process, keeping us informed and prepared for each step along the way, which is always crucial for first time buyers. Marina is an absolute pleasure to work with. We've referred her to our friends and soon they closed a deal as well. It goes without saying that I would recommend her services to others.

Maya Glenn is a thorough agent who is very easy to work with. Our paths have crossed on numerous…read moretransactions. It is obvious that she is looking out for her clients' best interests.

We all know that purchasing a home can be a stressful process. I am pleased to say working with…read moreMaya Glenn took as much stress as possible out of the process. It was a pure pleasure working with Maya. She is a consummate professional. She is always looking out for the best interest of her client and works for a stress free process. I would entrust Maya with all future purchases.