I hired Brett Weinstein because he only charged a 4% fee and I needed to net as much money as possible because of my financial situation. What I didn't realize was that his game was to try to sell my house to a client he had in his pocket in order to pocket the whole 4% instead of splitting the fee with the buyer's agent. I believe he actively discouraged other interested parties from considering my home. Just by luck I learned about another buyer who was willing to pay more that the rock-bottom price Brett's clients were offering. When I told him I was going to accept the other buyer's offer, he got mad and a said, "Are you trying to stick it to me, Bob?" I simply said, "No, I just wanted to get the best price for my home, something you were supposed to do!" Stay away from this greedy and unprofessional jerk! read more

Real estate transactions always suck. Brett make the process less sucky. We hired him to buy a home and sell a home. He's responds promptly to all emails, answered all our questions and caught all the small details. We hope to work with him again in the future. read more

I agree with all the positive reviews for Brett Weinstein at Reality Advocates! He came recommended from a friend, was the realtor for us during our first home purchase (in Richmond Annex) and was the person we called when we were ready to sell 7 years later. He is super knowledgeable, and like others have said, he lines up the help you need and makes it happen. We appreciated his straightforward and clear communication throughout both processes. Highly recommend! read more

When looking to buy a home what do you look for in an ideal agent/broker? Firstly, the drive to help you purchase a house in the competitive Bay Area market. Secondly, an informed ally during a process that may extend many months, multiple offers, and the ups and downs of the Bay Area home-buying process. Lastly, when you look back on your entire journey after buying your home, would you recommend your agent? We recommend Brett Weinstein without reservation. He is results-driven, of utmost integrity, and a genuinely good guy. He was sensitive to the needs of both my wife and myself, and as a couple, during the entire buying process as well as afterwards. Brett has a great mortgage-broker team that he prepared to help us finesse a win in a field of a dozen total offers (including one that was offering the same amount!). This reflects his deep experience, knowledge, reputation, and supporting network. As a bonus, Brett has practical knowledge of construction/architecture and provided a great sounding-board for talking through proposed renovations for our new home. read more

My boyfriend and I are first time homebuyers and we were referred to Brett Weinstein from a trusted colleague. From the beginning, Brett was informative, communicative, and very knowledgeable about the local market. He answered our (many) questions, while helping us navigate the competitive nature of buying a home in the East Bay. As mentioned in other reviews, each house we saw, he carefully examined the property and pointed out things to notice (like whether a deck was built to code) and consider (like how much construction on a particular project may cost). We trusted Brett throughout the process and we knew we were in good hands. Brett is professional and thoughtful, and now, comes highly recommended from us as well. Thank you, Brett! read more

We used Brett Weinstein of fsbomyhouse.com to purchase the house we were renting. Even though we had previously bought a house (with realtors) it had been in another state so we had a lot of questions about the process in CA. Brett was great at answering questions throughout the process, keeping us up to date, and guiding us and the sellers through all of the necessary steps and paperwork. The transaction was easy, on time, and professional. We would definitely use him again and would highly recommend his services for anyone who is buying a house directly from the owner (or selling a house to tenants or parties you already know.) read more

Brett Weinstein of Realty Advocates is a true professional. He helped to get my condo ready for sale and knew what we needed to have done to really maximize value. The condo was sold at the price range of what I had in mind. On top of all that, he charges much less than other agents. read more

We had originally purchased our property with an interest-only loan back in the real estate bubble of the early 2000's and though we loved our place, after almost 10 years we had outgrown it but were unable to refi and barely above water even though we'd reliability paid our mortgage for years. Additionally, we had strained relations with our most recent neighbors which we felt it necessary to disclose which made it far from a sure thing that we'd be able to find a willing buyer. Brett advised us with extreme candor and thanks to the benefit of his significant experience, we had not one but two offers and closed our escrow in just about 30 days. He gave us honest and specific direction as to where to invest our time and attention when preparing the property for sale. Certainly had we not taken his direct advice on the timing and strategy of the sale things could have turned out far differently for us. It was absolutely the best possible outcome given our unusual circumstances and we'll always be grateful for his guidance. Highly recommended! read more

We had the opportunity to purchase a duplex directly from its owner without the need of an agent. However, we needed someone to explain, help and guide us through the process and the paperwork. Brett was recommended by an agent who understood our needs. We feel fortunate to have found Brett. Besides being a traditional realtor, He also provides a unique service tailored for people who are looking to purchase a property directly from its owner. Truly no nonsense, to the point service at the right rate. He takes the time to explain everything, thoroughly and clearly. At no point we felt rushed. In addition, his professional referrals were also excellent. We got a great loan, at the right rate, for the right house, with help that was just right. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to purchase a house on their own and save tons of money. Thank you! read more

For those of you who don't like to read, here's the short version: We unreservedly recommend working with Brett Weinstein. Absolutely no regrets whatsoever. As a couple with limited resources, we really appreciated how clear, honest, personable, and experienced Brett is. Even as our search dragged on, he continued to behave as if he was helping us out because it was his pleasure. He never fed us any BS or pushed in any way. And when you're dealing with a process as stressful as finding housing in the Bay Area (and you're not a millionaire), having an agent whom you can rely on is imperative. Brett is that agent. (He also has a background in contracting which really helps when it comes to assessing down-the-road costs on places that need work.) I'm writing this review from the couch in our new home, in exactly the part of town we wanted. The search was long, but the end result is just what we were hoping for. After being overbid time and again, we definitely scored. I don't see how we could have possibly done better and that's almost entirely due to the assistance of Realty Advocates. If I ever needed a realtor again, I wouldn't think twice about calling Brett. read more

After 32 years living in our wonderful Oakland home, we were moving. Brett Weinstein was referred to us as a true seller's advocate. He proved to be just that. With enormous patience, calm, and expertise, he helped us through each stage. We are most grateful. read more

We bought our home in North Oakland directly from another family eight years ago. We were thrilled to have Brett Weinstein facilitate the sale by providing all the services necessary to carry it through with confidence and ease. When we were ready to sell our home there was no question that we would hire Brett as our agent. He guided us through the selling process with the same steady knowing that comes from experience and success. Every step of the way, Brett had answers and came through on all counts. I highly recommend him and Realty Advocates if you are buying or selling a home in the Bay Area. We couldn't be happier with our experience! read more

Recently worked with Brett Weinstein on the sale of a property in North Berkeley. Brett was able to organize the resources to provide some improvements to the property in a timely manner, and helped me sort through the pros and cons of the offers we received. The process was a very positive experience as Brett knows this market. read more

Brett Weinstein of Realty Advocates recently helped me sell a house in the Berkeley area. He walked me through each step and reminded me if I forgot to do something. This was all done 600 miles away as I live in Eugene, Oregon. We met on Zoom as needed and spoke on the phone many times. Brett was readily available to answer questions, was well-versed in all of Berkeley's special amendments for sale of property and knew the business inside and out. I trusted him completely and he represented both buyer and seller without bias. If you ever want to sell a property without a realtor representing you I highly recommend Brett Weinstein. read more

We hired Real Estate Advocates to sell our Albany home in the spring of 2017. Beyond the sales and marketing help you expect from a Realtor, we wanted expert help in sorting through what we should do to prep the house for sale to get the absolute best price. Billy Witort our Associate has an engineering background and beyond the superficial we wanted to make sure the house had no significant physical issues before the house was put on the market so we could make the sale according to out detailed schedule for a cross country move. Real Estate Advocates come from a very consumer friendly place with lower commissions than others in the market (low overhead, but full service). We thought they had values that were consistent with ours (progressive, consumer friendly, truthfulness, fairness, kindness, environmentally oriented) and we wanted to speak with our dollars. They overcame my negative preconceptions about realtors and that made it way easier to trust them. We put a lot of work in fixing up our house before the sale and Real Estate Advocates were there every step of the way to be our sounding board and trusted advisor. We probably savedh at least half their commission in relying on their judgement in getting the house ready for sale. Helping us focus on the needed work and skipping the nervous seller fretting to much kind of improvements. Looking at the house and guiding us from the viewpoint of the marketplace, current buyers and other Realtors. They provided us trusted guidance at every step of the sale process. I could go on and on but the other reviews say it all. You could not go wrong with Brett Weinstein, Broker and Co-Founder and Billy Witort, our Agent at Realty Advocates. Good people who treat buyers and sellers with respect and fairness. read more

My wife and I bought a house in the Berkeley Hills with Brett, and then he sold our old house in the Berkeley flatlands. I could say wonderful things, but instead let's just do the numbers: I've bought and/or sold 7 properties, and made unaccepted offers on 3 others, using over the years a total of (I'm counting carefully) 11 agents, and Brett was hands down the best. The first time we looked at a house together, he went right under it and started accessing the foundation. He seemed to have professionals lined up for every need--inspectors, plumbers, stagers, etc. When our new house was bought, he sent me an excellent team of workers to start upgrades. His knowledge of relevant local laws was complete. He was totally on top of communication. I've never worked with another agent like this. read more

We had coffee Saturday morning in a sunny breakfast nook in our new house because Brett Weinstein was our realtor. Brett helped us tune out the noise of the housing market and focus on the facts that shaped our search. His expertise and energy put us in a house that we love. We were first-time home buyers and initially found the process in a competitive market obtuse and frustrating. We interviewed with Brett after leaving our first agent and liked his approach immediately. He actually wanted to talk to us before taking us as clients, to make sure we could work together well. What a reassuring change from agents who immediately assured us that they would find our dream home and that we could have everything we wanted before they even knew what that was. Brett talked about the tough choices (budgets/schools/commutes/space) that helped us to focus our search. We are very grateful for Brett's calm and realistic approach to the housing market. He understands the access that we all now have to home listings and immediately communicated that his biggest value would come after we saw a house we were interested in. Brett helped us be selective about the houses we visited. Once we did find a house we liked, Brett helped us evaluate the condition of the house and prepare a fact-based strategy for submitting an offer that was tailored to our budget and our approach to the house. We didn't know how the seller would respond to the offer, but we knew what our options would be, and why. As the offer played out over a week, Brett's counsel was spot-on and it made the difference between us getting the house and staying in our apartment. As the transaction wound its way through the financing and inspection process, Brett's direct, low-key advice kept us calm, kept the deal on track and consistently saved us money. As closing grew near, Brett helped us transition from first-time buyers to homeowners. He guided us through turnover of the house and continues to be invaluable in recommending tradesmen to help us get the house ready to be our home. Brett's a smart guy who knows his stuff and likes his job - a lot. That comes through every step of the way and it makes every part of the house hunting process easier. At every step we were well taken care of by an advocate we trust completely. We look back on our work with Brett, unsuccessful bids as well as our purchase, and find we enjoyed buying our first house. Our only regret in the whole process is that we like our house so much it may be quite a while before we can work with Brett again. If you are trying to buy a house, talk to Brett! read more

Brett Weinstein at Realty Advocates is an experienced, professional, and personable realtor. My wife and I worked with him to sell our Alameda home several years ago and did not hesitate to contact him again. This time around, he helped us sell our home in Oakland. His experience was a huge asset given the unusually challenging circumstances of the sale. We were reassured by his firm and insightful leadership and will keep him at the top of our list of go-to realtors. read more

At the end of the day, Brett has gotten the job done and you've come out ahead. He's a top-notch negotiator and strategist. He thinks like a lawyer, which will keep the deal clean. We've used him 3 times and it's been a 5-star experience every time. Why pay 5 to 6% commission when he does a fabulous job for 4.5%? We felt comfortable with his easy manner. He never pushed, ie he suggested we hire a stager, but when we told him we wanted to stage it ourselves, he didn't try to dissuade us. (we saved a lot of money). read more

I have had the pleasure of having Brett Weinstein sell my condo with sensitivity and grace. His expertise found us the right buyer with only being on the market for a few days. I am so pleased with our expeditious close and Brett's thoughtful professionalism. Realty Advocates is definitely a five star recommendation! read more

Long story short: 30 days after deciding to sell our home, Brett Weinstein and the team at Realty Advocates sold our home for $100K over asking AND charged us a significantly lower commission than anyone else in the area which put over $13,000 back in our pocket . Total. Raging. Crazypants. Long story slightly less short: After 5 years in our lovely little bungalow in Rockridge, we got the opportunity to move out of state and we needed some good advice as to how to market our place in hopes of at least recouping our purchase price. But having overpaid for it to begin with it at the height of the last market-craze AND having put a tremendous amount of money into improving it into exactly the home we wanted, we figured there was no possible way we'd break even. Enter Brett Weinstein and his team of dynamos. This was our first home, and thus, our first time selling a home. We had no idea what to expect, but we knew that we didn't want to be "sold". When we sat down with Brett, he immediately put us at ease with his calm and capable energy. This is no sly huckster trying to sell you a bill of goods to get your business. This is a guy who has been in the real estate business IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD for over 25 years *and* is a former contractor. The combo of experience in sales and construction put us at ease immediately...he very obviously knew what he was doing and he had a great eye. He knew exactly what was needed in this market and wasn't going to let us put one dime into the house that he didn't feel we would get back in the sale. He smiled indulgently at me as I showed him all of the quotes i'd gotten from various businesses to do the work I thought would need to be done ahead of listing, and then he said, very simply: "Your best bet would be to just move out as soon as possible and let me take care of everything." You know what? That's exactly what he did...and it was a marvel. Every single person he hired to do everything I'd painstakingly researched did it faster, cheaper and at least as good as anyone I found and the results were spectacular. 10 days after meeting with Brett, we moved out. During the subsequent 10 days, he arranged for painting, floor refinishing, minor repair work, deep cleaning, garden cleanup, all the inspections and staging, put together a lovely website with a ton of lovely photos, and then listed our house on the MLS (and didn't play any games with low listing prices that we would never accept just to get below a certain search parameter...classy!) 10 days, a broker tour and three open houses after *that*, we received 5 offers on our house...the lowest was $35K above asking. The highest was $100K above asking and all in cash. Guess which one we accepted? :) To recap for those of you who got bored with the preceding three paragraphs: HIRE BRETT WEINSTEIN. Not only will he work his heinie off for you, he will reaffirm your faith in the real estate industry. Turns out, there are still some guys in the world who have integrity to spare and the skills to back it up. read more

I don't want to bore you with repeating everything that you have just read about Brett Weinstein and Realty Advocates. I agree with everything that you have read with the exception of one sour grape. So...here is a bit of a different twist: I am an Old Guy who found himself the Executor of the family Trust. I didn't know the first thing about selling the family estate until my daughter referred me to Brett Weinstein and Realty Advocates. Mr. "W" (I don't want to keep misspelling his name) and Company sat down with me, explained the process, told me how it works and voila, we were under contract six hours after the first offer was submitted. Now there was a lot more to it than that, but I don't read most of the long reviews and I don't blame you if you pass on them too. So here is the bottom line: Realty Advocates (Mr. W) know the business, know the law and will keep you out of trouble. You know the old adage...."I would recommend them to my kids". Well my kids recommended them to me and I'm grateful. I hope that I have saved you some time if you find yourself having to deal with an Estate/Trust sale. read more

Brett Weinstein is wonderful! We utilized his services to shepherd us through a private real estate sale. His fee was surprisingly modest, given the intricacies involved, and he was unfailingly patient, thorough and most willing to explain why things are this way or that. In a process that is fraught with anxiety for all parties, his patience and attention to detail were most welcome. I particularly appreciated his explanations of various issues, and his unbiased recommendations, based on years of experience. He's your man for any sort of real estate situation - especially in today's overheated market. read more

We found Brett Weinstein through fsbomyhouse.com for a for sale by owner transaction. Brett was extremely knowledge, responsive, candid, and a pleasure to work with. We highly recommend Brett and Realty Advocates. read more

My husband and I had a very positive experience with Brett Weinstein when he sold our first home for us this fall. He has a nice nature, and always listened thoughtfully to our concerns, and he led us through the process with a gentle but firm hand. For sellers, he takes really good photos of your house and displays them appealingly on his web site. I appreciated that throughout the entire process he was always up front and honest with both us and the buyers. Most importantly, when it came to the deal, he was a skilled negotiator who always kept our best interests at heart. Recommended! read more

Much thanks to Brett and his team (Marianne, for us) for handling my house sale in a very professional, timely, and affordable fashion! Couldn't have asked for anything more for a long-distance sale, everything went as planned and right on time. Great work Realty Advocates, http://fsbomyhouse.com/. read more

In addition to seconding the hearty approval of other clients, I would like to mention the special consideration we experienced from Brett Weinstein of Realty Advocates. Over ten years ago, when I was doing some remodeling on a Berkeley duplex that I had owned since 1972, I decided to look into the possibilities of a sale, as we had been renting the house since our move to Oregon, and on the recommendation of a friend, I called Brett, who gave me much helpful advice. Not long after, I made arrangements with a property management company and decided not to put the house on the market at that time, but stayed in touch with Brett about the possibility of a sale. A few months ago, when both tenants moved out simultaneously, the conditions seemed favorable, and Brett put it on the market. The whole process took place so quickly that we had neither opportunity nor need to make the trip to Berkeley before escrow closed, so Brett handled the whole transaction at a distance, with a minimum of phone calls to us, and the outcome exceeded our expectations. He has our unqualified recommendation! read more

Brett Weinstein from Realty Advocates brings it all: he is smart, strategic, and supportive. Thanks to Brett, we just bought our first house, on our first bid - great bones, in our target neighborhood in North Berkeley, on a big lot, and for a price we can afford. We were successful with Brett because he has multiple and nuanced intelligences - market intelligence, construction and design intelligence, and emotional intelligence. His many years following the Berkeley market meant his predictions on what to expect were spot-on. He has an amazing eye for good design. He is able to identify at a glance structural strengths and weaknesses of a home, and very good at explaining how those attributes aligned with our priorities. He is an excellent communicator - he's comfortable getting technical about structural engineering and construction materials, he's comfortable talking about race and class, school choice, marital conflicts, family dynamics and financial planning. We trusted Brett. He was encouraging with us - always hopeful - but never unrealistically rosy. He instilled confidence and calm when we were anxious. Brett is patient and wise - we took six months to bid, and he supported our effort to wait for the home we really wanted. When we found that house, he demonstrated one-of-a-kind strategic know-how. Brett counseled us on how to bid aggressively but responsibly. Because Brett knows the market, because he has mastered bidding strategies, and because he had come to know us as a couple - he maximized the strength of our bid and saved us money. I'm left with no regrets, excitement about living in our new place, and total gratitude for Brett's counsel. read more

Brett Weinstein managed our house sale for us and he made what could have been a trying ordeal both painless and rewarding. He was consummately professional, ethical and competent. He got substantial preparation work done at totally reasonable prices. He stayed on the timetable, he was quickly responsive to every communication. The results were beyond my expectations (which were already kinda high given the market at the time). All of this for only 4.5%. It doesn't get any better. read more

I have just had an amazing experience with a real estate agent, and I simply had to write about it. After reading the other reviews previously posted here, I can only enthusiastically agree with all the good things that have been said! Without getting specific about our transaction, in our home buying experience, we were delighted to learn that Brett is entirely honest and ethical (even to his own detriment), totally available in every sense of the word, and really responsive. He is excellent at listening and skillful in negotiating. In addition, he is both highly energetic (in the best sense!) - yet, as others have said - amazingly calm. What a great and rare combination,and so valuable in any home buying experience! He is a real credit to his profession. read more

If you want a smart, honest, hard-working, highly knowledgeable, capable, amiable, straight shooting, no nonsense, non-pushy, patient, available and supportive realtor, Brett is that guy. Seriously. We just closed on a duplex in Oakland in April, our first home purchase. We are thrilled with the house, and I truly don't know if we would have gotten it without Brett. He was recommended to us by a colleague when he heard we weren't happy with the first realtor we had met with. When we couldn't reach her for a couple days and a house we were interested in seemed ready to slip through our fingers, we called Brett. It was a Saturday, and he met us at the house an hour later. He then showed us all the reasons we shouldn't buy that house (and he was very right). We then had a discussion about what we were looking for and what resources we had. He gave us some advice and tried to get our expectations more in line with the way the market was going (which is increasingly crazy). We looked at several more houses with him over the following weeks, and he taught us how to recognize faulty seismic retrofits and problematic foundations, how to interpret pest reports and seller psychology. We went from knowing nothing and feeling totally overwhelmed to feeling like we knew what we were doing. Then it came time to make a bid on a house. Brett was great about helping us assess the situation and make a solid, attractive offer. We ended up being spot on, just barely behind the top offer on the price of the house, but slightly ahead on other things like percentage of down payment. The selling realtor tried to get concessions out of Brett because our total was lower, but he somehow refused to give anything and still got them to accept our original offer. Through all the inspections, Brett handled everything, bringing in great people, making sure we were happy with everything, going the extra mile to address our concerns and eventually helping us get some concessions from the seller. I really do not think we would have gotten this house without Brett. And even if we somehow had, it would have been a much more stressful process. His candor, experience and skill at his job really put us at ease, which I honestly did not think would be possible in this inherently stressful situation. And he didn't just cash his check and walk away afterwards either. He's been there to answer our questions, check in on us, give us advice, recommend people for the work we needed on the house. And he is also a landlord, so his guidance on renting out the other half of the duplex has been great too. I would not hesitate to recommend Brett to my friends and family. He's clearly a great realtor, with a great depth of knowledge and a knack for understanding how much help you do or do not need. He saved us time, money and headaches, and he's fun to work with. We were so glad to have him on our side through all of this. Particularly if you are a first-time home buyer, do yourself a favor and talk to Brett. read more

very bad apple! I don't know how he got all those stars. I in the end told him on the phone "you are the worst real estate agent I have ever seen. you provide no service but high pressure selling.... all you care is your commission, you made tones of tricks and lies to assist your high pressure selling." when he heard these comments he was quiet and didn't deny it and didn't defend himself. read more

Unfortunately, I was not helped by this organization. They caused me to lose a property that I wanted because it was "July 4," and rather than waiting a few hours for me to return home, another buyer beat me out. However, I could have made the offer before leaving, but there was confusion about who to contact about funding (I was misdirected) and about signing papers (papers were delivered, but left unsigned). I was promised another offer would not be made, but this was not the case. Then, trying to verisign with them online didn't work either. All in all, they caused me to lose a property I was VERY interested in. This was very costly in many regards. Proceed with great caution. read more

I've rented my condo in SF for many years, and Brett helped my landlady and I with her selling it to me in a FSBO transaction (fsbomyhouse.com). We were 100%, completely satisfied with Brett. He was patient, responsive, a great communicator, and very knowledgable about everything we needed to know. For a flat fee, he went above and beyond in making sure everything happened correctly, and he was always there to answer our questions. I feel lucky to have had him working with us. If you need an impartial third-party for an FSBO, go with Brett. Highest recommendation. read more

REVIEW FROM A FIRST-TIME BUYER. Just closed on our first home, and Brett Weinstein and his merry band of awesome peeps at Realty Advocates get 5 blazing stars. Why Brett is awesome: 1) Experience beyond buying and selling houses. Housing stock in here is old. Prices are high. This isn't San Ramon. You are probably looking at old houses, not some brand new McMansion with a warranty. You want your agent to have an architecture/construction background so when you ask "Brett, can we add a bathroom here? How much would that cost?" he doesn't answer "Yes of course, you can do anything under the sun and I have zero idea how much it would cost, you should ask a contractor." He actually tells you how annoying and expensive it would be, and does it on the spot, so you can actually decide whether you want to make an offer, which is inevitably due tomorrow. 2) Chill. No pressure to buy a house that isn't right for you. But encouragement where needed, and yes - NEEDED - because buying a house is scary, the market can be intimidating and without a nudge you may just give up or flip out (we were very close to both). So you want your agent to be chill but not TOO chill, if you know what I mean. 3) Service. We weren't buying a high-end house and we weren't paying all cash, but Brett and Billy treated us like we were important clients. If you are a first-time buyer, you might be thinking "Duh, I'm spending my life savings on the biggest purchase of my life, and my agent is going to make a big commission off me, so of course I'm important." I agree that should be the case, but some agents are pretty transparent about caring more about you if you are spending more money. (One agent we worked with before Brett had so many clients, she periodically forgot who we were.) Some agents translate this philosophy into pressuring you to spend more than you are comfortable spending. GROSS! Brett always made us feel like our making the right decision was important to him too. 4) Reputation in the arena. Let's be honest, some agents are shady (see comments above about pressuring you to spend more or telling you it's not a problem to make some major change to a house). Brett has been in the business a long time, which means we had total confidence in his advice because his reputation for integrity is much more important than one transaction. It's sad but true that not all agents are on that tip. 5) Normal folks who get family needs. Brett and Billy were just normal guys who are pleasant to be around and nice to spend an afternoon with. House hunting is stressful and time-consuming. You don't want your agent to be some awkward weirdo whom you don't like being with and can't relate to your needs. Now, we didn't have specific needs like, "how do I effectively grow pot in my garage?" We had general needs like " if we had another kid, could we be comfortable in a house this size?" Which brings me to a related issue - the previous agents we worked with didn't have kids, and no matter how much they tried, they could never fully understand the long-term needs of a young family. Realty advocates offered the best of all parenting perspectives. So they could point out where a low window without safety glass was dangerous for our toddler and when a long driveway would one day be a blessing for skateboarding and basketball. I have to go unpack now! Settling into my adorable new spot, thanks to Brett and co. read more

Dependable, frank and non-pushy were are top 3 reasons to work with Brett. After making several offers and being overbid a few years back, we stopped. But when we did restart, we went back to Brett! He showed the same diligence when we got on track, knew what we were looking for and helped us with a winning bid in this rather tough buying market! He is a strong negotiator, understands how buildings are put together and will NEVER paint a rosy picture when there is none. Straightforward, professional, years of local knowledge of the east bay neighborhoods and on top of things...What else would you want in a Realtor! read more

Brett was a referral from a lawyer I was using for a real estate transaction. My lawyer said Brett will be more cost effective and do as well, if not better, than he could in order to help me close the deal. I am very happy that I found Brett as his attention to detail was, in fact, as good if not better than I had received up to that point. Thank you Brett for your help finishing this deal properly. read more

I recently worked with Brett Weinstein on my first real estate transaction (as a buyer). Since this was my first experience in real estate, I was nervous, to say the least. I found Brett through a referral from a friend. Having Brett guide me through the process and offer his advice was invaluable. I never felt like he wasn't engaged. He's honest, candid, friendly and above all - trustworthy. I honestly can't imagine having gone through this process without him. read more

Brett Weinstein sold my house in Oakland for me while I was living far away. I was able to delegate the sale to him completely and not worry AT ALL. The sale went through quickly and easily with no glitches. His ability to give me exactly the right amount of information, no more and no less, demonstrates expertise, confidence, and professionalism that is so important when it comes to major real estate transactions. I would recommend him highly, especially if you are someone who does not want to have to micromanage the sale. read more

I've worked with Realty Advocates a couple of times in the last two years, and I found the experience extremely positive. Brett is very professional, and truly acts as your advocate providing really good advice and services. He understands and explains well the issues related to location, investment, comps, bidding, maintenance etc. The things he points out while doing a walkthrough are pretty much the things that an inspector finds. I think I have found a real estate professional that I can trust, who will look out for my interests. I couldn't ask for more. read more