Karen was super helpful when I was looking for a house for my parents. She was super knowledgeable about the Alameda real estate market and was incredibly helpful during the entire process. I would recommend her to anyone in the Bay Area searching for a home! read more

Karen helped us with selling the house, an old Victorian. In fact, Karen (and her co-realtor Susan) guided us throughout the process. Karen's suggestions, estimates and projections were right on the money. Her expertise in historical houses proved to be quite useful, including a side trip to hunt for pieces that would help with the accurate look of the house. Working with Karen and Susan was a pleasure, they qualitatively reduced the burden on us. Their team helped us to get the value that we hoped was in the house. We could not have done it without their help. We were quite happy with the whole process. read more

Karen did a fabulous job for us selling our house of 36 years. It was a very trying and emotional time for us. Karen was extremely patient, organized and totally action oriented. We when had a question or a need she was right on it. I can not recommend her anymore highly, She knows the market and has developed a top notch team of professionals to help with repairs, staging etc. We even ended getting more than our asking price and the sale went quickly and smoothly all thanks to Karen. She is a true pro. If you are looking to sell your home in Alameda especially an old Victorian era home she is absolutely the best John Platt read more

Working with Karen Lithgow as my realtor made the business of selling my property easy. Her meticulous approach prepared me for all of the details of home sales and her strong aesthetic was an asset in renovation and staging. She was incredibly responsive and anticipated every step of the way. The result was a quick sale well over asking price. I give Karen my highest recommendation. read more

We can confidently say that we would not have ended up with such a beautiful, historic home without Karen! We enthusiastically recommend her because in this highly competitive market you need whatever edge you get, and having a well-connected agent is a very valuable one. We worked with Karen Lithgow as our agent in spring/summer of 2018, which was an incredibly competitive time to be buying a house. We decided to go with Karen because she 1) values historic/vintage homes in Alameda and is very knowledgeable about them, 2) she is well-connected in Alameda, and 3) it seemed that she knew about homes before they came on the market. This turned out to be a great decision, because the home she helped us buy was off-market! During our time working with Karen, we never felt pressured by her to make a rushed decision. She was great at giving us the space to make our own decisions but always provided us with plenty of information along the way that we needed. She was super communicative and fast to respond when we had questions, and she always knew about good stuff coming on the market. She even spent Father's Day afternoon putting in an offer for us and waiting by the phone to tell us whether or not we won the bid. As it turned out, Karen had first told us about the house we ended up purchasing almost 4 months earlier when we had started working together. And she continued to keep tabs on it throughout our time looking at many other houses, regularly checking in with the sellers' agent and working her angle to get us in to see it before it went on market. And it worked! We are so happy with our purchase and know that it was possible due almost exclusively to Karen's extensive knowledge of Alameda real estate and her relationships with many other agents on the island. We strongly recommend working with Karen, especially if you're on the hunt for a beautiful, historic home! read more

My family and I were so fortunate to have met Karen Lithgow. Her realty experience and expertise was invaluable as we navigated the Northern CA/Alameda market. We were longtime renters more than ready to be owners, with two young children, and Karen maintained a steadfast confidence that we would find what we wanted despite the challenges of the relentlessly competitive housing market -- all amidst the pandemic! She helped us define what was important to us as we toured numerous single family homes, townhomes and condominiums. She was always responsive to our needs and was ready to show us a place at any time and on any day of the week and she did so patiently with our kids! Karen also educated us on real estate jargon and expectations common in the game which helped us to make the best financial (and emotional) decision for our family. Karen was always professional, personable and well-liked by all parties in our various transactions, which buffered the ups-and-downs of not getting a bid and ultimately, helped to seal the deal as we landed our first home! Karen keenly negotiated the best deal for us and everyone was happy! Karen has also been an incredible resource for home improvement referrals as we found a vintage fixer that we are excited to renovate and keep the charm. I really can't say enough good things about Karen. Her expertise, patience and good nature afforded us a pleasant and easy home-buying experience and were essential factors in helping us to achieve our dream of home ownership. read more

When I first thought about moving from the Bay Area, a major concern was to find a buyer who truly valued the integrity and character of my 1885 Victorian home in Alameda; my husband and I poured so much love and many hours of hard labor, bringing it back to it's earlier elegance, that the thought of the next owner undoing all the careful restoration work was upsetting. To that end I interviewed several realtors, even though I hadn't yet made a final decision on when and where to move! Karen Lithgow stood out; her respect for the history and character of Alameda and her appreciation for the craftsmanship, features and quality of the older homes in town was evident, as were her energy and capability. I also greatly valued her enthusiasm for the beautiful, established garden that I lovingly planted and grew from the wasteland that surrounded the house when we purchased it! Above all, I felt that she and I could work together compatibly. Thus, when, several months later, I finally bought a home out of state and had to get my Alameda house to market in record time in order to comply with the contingency conditions of that purchase agreement, it wasn't hard to make a decision about who to invite to shepherd me though the sometimes stressful process of selling one's home of 40 years; I immediately called Karen. She warned me that, given the current shortage of reliable help in the building & construction trades, the tight timeline would be challenging but not unachievable, and agreed, with characteristic verve, to take on the daunting task of helping me get my house to market within the imposed deadlines; I wonder if, without her gentle nudging when my own energy was flagging, the sale would have happened in time. Her contacts with several contractors with different skill sets made the limited make-over process happen fast, and her willingness to use my own period-appropriate furniture to stage the house, avoided the use of a stager. It is worth noting that, as a Compass Realtor, Karen is in a position to offer her clients access to the Compass Concierge program, an interest free loan program to cover the inevitable costs incurred in preparing a home for sale. Karen was more than generous with her time and certainly does not shirk hard work. She was always willing to jump in to help when necessary; indeed, she was right there in the trenches with me, wielding polishing rags, brooms, and a capable pair of arms when it was time to show the house and we had to move excess furniture to the basement and clear the decks of knick-knacks. I really don't think the word "impossible" is in her vocabulary! At the same time she is definitely not the pushy type--her advice came as polite suggestions--and I really appreciated her quiet, level-headed presence when I felt overwhelmed. Her availability is noteworthy; Karen is wonderful about answering phone calls and texts immediately, and I felt unfailingly supported throughout the process. Additionally, she was always present to show the house and listen/provide information to buyers and their realtors. In a nutshell, the house sold well above asking price within three days on the market. I believe that I have Karen to thank for her instincts regarding marketing approach and timing. I would not hesitate to recommend Karen to anyone looking for a realtor who definitely "knows her stuff", is a delight to work with and carries through on her commitments read more

When my spouse and I decided to take the plunge and purchase a property, we contacted Harbor Bay Realty, since we had rented a home from Harbor Bay for several years and found the team to be very professional and responsive. We were put in contact with Karen, who had not previously facilitated the purchase of a property similar to the one we wanted to purchase, but she took on the challenge. Simply stated, the purchase process was extremely smooth, in no small part because of Karen's professionalism. Karen was consistently very responsive to all communication from us and other parties participating in the transaction. Karen was and is personable and caring, as well - something I've not always experienced in real estate transactions, and it made a huge difference to us. Although Karen's specialty is helping sellers and buyers of Victorian properties, I can wholeheartedly recommend Karen for other properties, as well. Our experience could not have been improved upon in any way in connection with Karen, and we appreciate her dedication and assistance to us. For anyone considering the purchase or sale of property in or around Alameda, Karen Lithgow is an excellent choice for handling the transaction. read more

I can't say enough good things about our family's experience with Karen. After the heartbreaking task of moving my dad out of his home into memory care, we were left with the daunting job of prepping his neglected home for sale. Karen shouldered the load to provide clean up & renovation support, home history details, and seamless collaboration with our contractors. Karen is knowledgeable and collaborative. She knows the market and how to promote, prepare, and sell your home. She is honest, patient and very easy to work with. She is skilled with situations involving retired and senior folks too. I highly recommend you call Karen if you are looking to sell your home, or help your older loved one sell his/her home! read more

From the moment I hired her, Karen has been a blessing. She has a great team of interior designers and contractors who really get the job done - and they do it right so when it's time for the inspections, there are no surprises. She was transparent and kept me updated throughout the entire process. Karen took care of everything - from the initial consultation for the staging to the upgrades, photography, marketing, inspections, negotiations, and escrow process; in fact, my home sold within 3 days for a record high price for the neighborhood! I could relax knowing that she was my realtor. I highly recommend her to anyone who wants to sell their property! read more

I can't speak highly enough about Karen Lithgow. Selling a house while relocating overseas is never easy, but add a global pandemic and shelter-in-place orders and you might as well just give up. Except somehow Karen made it happen. She showed great appreciation for the unique vintage features of my storybook-style cottage in her remodeling and marketing efforts, and after organizing pre-sales repairs and cleanup, virtual showings, and even remote document notarization, Karen was able to sell my house in record time and for far more than I was expecting. From the first day to the last Karen was on top of every detail and kept me apprised across time zones about every step of the process. If you are buying or selling a home, call Karen. read more

My husband and I were looking to sell our place in San Francisco and buy a condo in Alameda and we met Karen at the first open house we looked at. Although we met other realtors, we remembered Karen and decided she would be our best choice for finding a new home. Karen found our condo and we are now living in a wonderful location. We chose Karen, first of all,because she seemed very trustworthy. This was very important to me since this was only the second home I've purchased a home in my long life. I needed someone who I felt comfortable with and who was very knowledgeable about a town I knew little about. As a person she was easy to talk with, friendly, and patient with our many questions and concerns. As others have pointed out, she has lived in Alameda for many years which is very important because she intimately knows her territory. She was very helpful during the negotiation phase and later in the purchase phase. She promptly returned phone calls and emails and was willing to go the extra mile in looking at places. My husband and I highly recommend her to anyone who is wanting to find a home in Alameda. read more

Karen was a fantastic real estate agent when we were looking to buy a house in Alameda. She has lived in the community for decades and raised her family here. Since she knows the market so well, she helped us purchase our house before it went on the market. Karen has a good network of realtors that she works with, which helps navigate the craziness of the Bay Area real estate market. In addition to Karen's knowledge of and experience in Alameda, she is a very hard worker, a diligent researcher, and persistent. Karen was really sweet and patient with our kids, too, which was nice because they are two quite active 1- and 3-year olds who did not like to sit still or be quiet when going to see houses or having meetings! All in all, we had a very good experience working with Karen and I have already personally recommended her to other friends looking to buy in Alameda. read more

Karen was instrumental in finding me the perfect place to call home! She was knowledgable about the area and local listings and especially loves the older homes. In fact she has lovingly restored a beautiful victorian home in Alameda. She directed me to Sterling Mortgage and worked extensively with Peter Holmes and they got my loan secured quickly and efficiently. I'm still amazed that I closed in less than 30 days! Due to my late work hours she was accommodating and showed me several properties after hours and arranged my closing for late evening. I highly recommend Karen to give you the personal service that makes such a difference in your home purchase. Thank you Karen for taking care of all the details so quickly and efficiently and making a stressful experience smooth and seamless! read more