Full Disclaimer - I own property here and have lived at Bayside for over 7 years…read more It makes me sad to see the low reviews - although in some cases, I can definitely see where folks are coming from. The good: - I purchased this condo as a single woman and it was a great stepping stone into home ownership. [I now own a house in Oakland and a house is a LOT more work.] Bayside always made me feel safe ... multiple layers of security (locked doors, gates etc) and that peace of mind is priceless. - Great location (convenient to the freeway) and residents are eligible for the Albany school district (which I hear is very good). Casual carpool is right outside and for many years I commuted to San Francisco via carpool, the AC transit or walked to BART. - Lots of other good things to say - which were important to me as a home buyer, but then this would start to sound like my Craigslist ad! The bad: - The HOA fees are definitely high ($485 a month) - although it does include water, garbage and cable. That's money you can't write off. - Freeway noise - depending on which direction you face, although many of the units closer to the freeway have double pane windows. - Strict HOA rules around number of dogs, weight limit of your pets, and although this never impacted me - I always say posts about pool and hot tub usage. Probably less of an exercise lap pool and more of a pool for kids. The current office manager Paul is the best one I've seen since I've been there (I think that's been 3 different ones). He's certainly the most friendly and helpful. Or maybe he's just nicer to me b/c one time the trash bin got away and crushed my fiance's truck (srsly!) I am renting out my condo now b/c I intend to either move back one day or let my parents move in when they get a bit older - the Pacific East Mall is within walking distance.

OWNERS: Upcoming Financial Disaster…read more Do not be fooled by the big bank balance the current leadership brags about in the election packet. It is a total trap to hide the fact that our actual property is falling apart and running out of money. Based on the official financial packet sent to owners, here is the real story: Massive Financial Shortfall: The board boasts about having millions in savings, but their own official report shows that the cost to fix just the elevators and the roofs alone is millions of dollars more than what is sitting in the bank. They do not have enough money to cover even these two things, leaving completely zero dollars for the rest of our crumbling building. Sky-High Operational Expenses: Well over $750,000 a year is being swallowed up completely by daily utilities like gas, electricity, water, and trash. Because so much cash is being drained by these massive utility bills, they have only done very, very minor repairs instead of the fundamental construction work we desperately need. Everything is Broken and Expired: The official paperwork explicitly states that major parts of the property--including our structures, concrete, and landscaping--have "0 years of life left." They are completely past their expiration date and need immediate replacement, yet fundamental repairs have been entirely ignored. The Disaster Coming Next Year: Because they have spent years ignoring the core structural issues while burning cash on utilities and minor tasks, everything is breaking down at the exact same time. The current savings cannot cover it. If this same leadership gets back in, it will be a complete disaster for our wallets. To pay for these multi-million dollar repairs, they will have no choice but to hit us with massive HOA dues increases or force a devastating Special Assessment fee on every single owner next year. Protect your investment and your hard-earned money. We must stop this operation before it is too late. Vote for a complete change in leadership! Sent from my iPhone

Thanks to Luther, we found our dream home…read more We had been looking in the east bay for quite some time, with no luck. Our first encounter with buying a home in Point Richmond (Luther helped us then) back in 2015 but the deal fell through because the seller got cold feet. Over the months Luther stayed in touch and we would keep an eye on "The Point" (the cutest little community!) and Luther was kind, interested, asked questions, and kept us informed without over doing it. Finally, a lovely house with a magnificent view became available and Luther (who grew up in Point Richmond, BTW.) helped us and the seller come to an agreement with so little stress and anxiety we could hardly believe it. Here's the thing: Luther Martin is a super conscientious, empathetic and thoughtful person. He's generous with his time, he sweats the details and he knows this neighborhood like no other realtor. (In fact, he is a local and lives here in town!) I would absolutely recommend the Point Realty team. (Karen is his partner, also always eager to help.) Local little businesses like this are such a treasure. They know the neighborhood, they live and shop locally, they are invested in the town's well being and they care deeply for the people they represent, whether you end up doing business with them or not.

Awful experience with Karen Kittle. I was selling a home at the end of an amicable divorce and, in…read morean effort to remain neutral, agreed to the third party recommended Point Realty. Karen was minimally helpful in preparing our home for sale and marketing was subpar. We got one bad offer with her that she encouraged us to take. I firmly believe the time wasted with this brokerage cost us. We were fortunate to work with a skilled agent afterward that brought us an above asking offer, but the market had cooled from the first listing. I (and our agent) believe we would have had much more excitement if it was initially prepared and presented by the right agent. I was so irritated by the entire experience it's taken literal years to write this review. My relationship with Karen ended when I had to request letterS(!!) from my real estate attorney to demand release from our listing agreement. My attorney agreed the conduct I described was at best lazy and at worst unethical. Normally I'd speak to an agent's broker with this kind of behavior, but Karen is the broker and seems quite entitled about it. They didn't make much effort to improve on our complaints and instead were defensive about everything. You really want to force unhappy clients to continue working with you? And then enforce a fee provision? Are you unaware your industry is supported by referrals? I do not understand what they hoped to gain in that nightmare. Thankfully we were eventually let out of the listing agreement and were able to move on. That's all we wanted - to go our separate ways. Greed is a poor business plan. Some of our complaints: As first time sellers no longer living together or in the home we had specifically requested help in preparing the home for sale. We were told they could help but were very disappointed in what was actually provided (small list of names or numbers, vendors that were not timely). We requested help with staging and it was never done - no staging at all. I in particular felt frequently left out of the loop on the sale process and am sure we either were not a priority client or that the agents were lazy. For example, Karen asked my ex (though not me) if someone could host an open house in her place - it wasn't even another agent, but someone fully unlicensed and not in the industry. I think they wrongly believed the Pt Richmond small town market is cornered by a couple small teams, but I promise that's changing. In contrast, our following agent essentially project managed some minor improvements we had wanted Karen's help with (asked for but did not receive) that made a huge difference. Marketing was beautiful, with professional looking photos and not quick phone shots. It was a night and day experience. Plenty of better agents that will be more attentive to your home and actually work to get you the best price, not just shuffle paperwork.

Landlords: Stay away from this company! They charge $37 to tenants for the privilege of filling out…read moretheir stupid application. Then they show the property for MONTHS, collecting a tidy sum from all the applications. You as a property owner lose two months rent. Their business model does NOT benefit the property owner; I offered to pay a year of rent upfront, yet my message was never delivered to the owner, which was too bad for them as I have excellent credit and references and a year upfront is a sweet deal for a landlord. Tenants: I was charged $37 PLUS I was told I would hear back either way within 4-6 days. It took SIX WEEKS for them to get back to me. Of course now I know it's because they were making a cool $3000 from applications. I would NEVER use them as my property management company and will NEVER apply to one of their properties as a tenant again. I will be reporting them to the Better Business Bureau. Also, the owner's name is Jack Burns and his email is: jackburnsjr@icloud.com in case you want to ask what's taking so long to rent your property. Shame on him for running this scam that hurts property owners AND tenants.

My husband and I recently apply to rent a house everything was going good we submitted the…read moreapplication around Saturday the Lady had said call back Tuesday and we'll know something so Tuesday came around I called and no answer I left a voicemail and nothing so I decided to call Ben Johnson because his the one listed for the property but I could never get a straight answer from him. he was just like oh the landlord will call me later, or his out of town, oh would you like for me to put your application for a different house, oh we're having a meeting later. After a while he wouldn't answer or get back to me. it sucks that we are something on a clock to move but we just don't get a straight answer if the application got denied just say that. how hard is it. I feel like I was just getting the run around

Apologies for the long message, but it's worth starting from the beginning. We met Alonya back in…read more2010 when we first moved to Oakland, and she quickly became a close friend. By 2017/18, we began casually exploring the market, but prices were high. Throughout that time, Alonya consistently supported us--staying in touch and answering our many questions with patience and insight. In late 2024, we let her know we were ready to buy. She immediately helped us map out a clear timeline and plan. Her attention to detail is unmatched, and she truly listened to what we wanted. We toured homes nearly every weekend, and as first-time buyers, we appreciated how she educated us on every aspect--from pricing to layout to condition. Rain or shine, Alonya was there in person, and always just a call away. When we narrowed it down to our top three, she offered honest feedback and steady guidance. She helped us stay grounded and focused on our goals. Thanks to her recommendations, we had the clarity and confidence to make the right choice. We love our home and couldn't be happier. If you're thinking about buying, give Alonya a call--you'll be in great hands. Thank you again, Alonya. We truly couldn't have done this without you.

We weren't in the market to buy a home, but life had other plans. When we stumbled upon a rare…read moreopportunity to own a piece of Oakland history that could accommodate our multi generational family, we knew it was a long shot. That's when I set out to find an agent who was not only experienced and strategic but also culturally competent and a believer in big dreams. Enter Alonya, courtesy of my loan agent--a true heaven-sent professional. From the moment we connected, Alonya brought a calm, capable, and encouraging energy that kept us grounded through every twist and turn. Believe me, we faced them all. The home had been sitting on the market with no offers (which felt like a win at first), but things quickly shifted into a multi-counter offer situation that dropped us into third position. --definitely not the position you want to be in. By all logic, we shouldn't even be the owners of this home. But with Alonya by our side, we beat the odds. Not only did we land the home, but Alonya also helped us secure it below asking and under market value. Talk about a miracle worker! She truly believed in what I half-jokingly called "delusion," but it turns out, that kind of belief is exactly what dreams are made of. I didn't just gain a home; I gained a friend. Alonya made the impossible feel possible. If you're looking for someone who will advocate for you fiercely, keep you grounded in chaos, and bring heart to the process--she's the one. If I'm ever "not in the market" again, she will be my first call.

Val just helped us sell our Alameda home. I've known her for over 20 years. I chose Val to be our…read moreagent for more reason than just being a friend. She sold a home across the street from us 6 years ago, which is much like ours, for an amazing amount. Far more than I expected. I knew she was the one to work with if we ever decided to sell. Getting a house ready to sell takes experience, savvy and a pile of help. Val knew all the right people to paint the house, fix the floors, gardening refresh, staging, and all the little things which need updating. We got the house ready to sell in 5 weeks and got an offer, at the money we wanted (much more than Zillow suggested), in just 5 days. Keep in mind that at this time, interest rates have just zoomed up over 6%, more than double what they were just a year ago, and everyone is talking about prices coming down and longer waits on the market. Our house got top dollar and Val is the reason.

This review is about 8 months overdue. My fiancee and I first met Val in November 2019 at an open…read morehouse for a home she was selling. The house was probably out of our price range and we looked like we had no idea what we were doing. Nonetheless, Val greeted us warmly and willingly answered our questions while asking a number of questions that helped us shape what we were looking for. It was that openness and engagement that led us to seek her out as an agent. She set time aside after our work hours to go through the process with us, listened to our concerns and preferences (even when we constantly broke them), and spent hours with us visiting homes in all sorts of areas, styles, and price ranges while we figured out what exactly we were looking for. She was always on the mark for price points. 3 months later, we ended up putting in our second offer on a house that wasn't even within our original parameters. Val rolled with the punches and we soon got the news that our offer had been accepted! Then the first regional shut down hit. Undeterred, we went through with escrow and ended up with our first house! Val is an incredible force and is a wonderful agent to have in your corner. She's knowledgeable, easy to reach, and makes herself available for her clients. It was a joy working with her to get our first house.

FM and his entire team are top notch. The whole process was seamless, and they are incredibly…read moreresponsive which is very helpful when things are moving quickly. We are so grateful to have found them and would highly recommend!

FM and his Team are AMAZING! They made a difficult process as easy as possible through constant…read morecommunication and solid advice. They held my hand every step of the way, and I cannot thank them enough!

We used Bob to buy our new home and sell our old one. He was fantastic!…read more On buying our new house: He never pressured us to bid for something we didn't feel was right. He wanted us to get the right house at the right price. Our process took several months. The Market is crazy right now and the listed price is nowhere near what the house will sell for...Bob seemed to have a real sense of what it would take to get the right bid. On selling our old house: Bob was even more amazing here. He put new lights in our kitchen which made it more open and inviting. He met with inspectors for us when we couldn't get the time off. He even calmed me down when I was having trouble with horrible contractor that I hired. Bob did everything you would hope for and more! He will amaze you!

Bob was a great find in the East Bay! Thank you for all your help and patience…read more My partner and I were recent transplants to the Bay Area. As first time home buyers, we were a bit overwhelmed with where to look, how to finance, and really just naive about the whole process. Bob's knowledge of the Bay Area was one of the most valuable parts of our experience - without it, we would have been lost. Based on our price point, his history, and experience in the area, Bob knew which neighborhoods would be best to explore. Within those areas, Bob showed us multiple options that helped us narrow down our needs and wants, and educated us in the process. Six months later, my partner and I were proud owners of a great condo in a neighborhood with character and local conveniences. Bob was very accommodating to our needs, explained the process, and ultimately helped us find our first home in West Berkeley. We highly recommend Bob to anyone looking to buy in the East Bay.

This review is specifically for Erik Johnson. Never in a million years did we think selling our…read morefirst condo would be easy, but man did Erik prove us wrong! Upon our first meeting, he got right to work, no frills just facts but in tun made us feel like we have been friends for years! Erik is genuine and extremely loyal to his clients. He kept the lines of communication always open which in our case was extremely helpful since we are a military family and were not only not able to be there for the final weeks but my husband and I were also in two separate locations! Erik offered a handful of referrals when it came to inspections, repairs and even photography, which we ended up using them all. Each and every referral was honest and professional. Erik made the process of selling a dream and we could not have done it without him. Wish we were staying in the area so we can use him again, we can not thank him enough!

we would like to share our wonderful experience with ronnie mcinerney - not only did she find our…read moredream home - but also secured a fantastic offer for our old house ($265 000 over asking) - she was truly there for us - every step along the way - her generosity, knowledge, optimism, sunny disposition pulled us through! - and what is almost unheard of - we formed a sincere friendship - how often does that happen in life?! we feel blessed, to have been in the capable hands of this smart and warm lady! - and everyone else, considering buying or selling, will feel the same fortunate way...