My wife and I came to Pittsburg to deal with her mother's estate. There has been some serious family drama over the will, trust, bank accounts, etc A little bit biased, I admit - my wife knew April back in high school- but they, Dough especially, have really gone of their way to take us through this process. It's my mom-in-law's estate, and there are actual criminal acts we have to deal with. April and Doug have been perhaps the biggest blessing of the whole process. Doug even went out to buy us lunch, from my mother-in-laws's favorite restaurant. April and Doug have really gone above and beyond what they have to do just to sell a house. They actually care. read more

We are really happy that we chose Todd Hodson of Red Oak Realty to sell our vacant lot for us. He did a great job of educating and guiding us through the process. His experience and connections proved invaluable in preparing to put the property on the market, and it the end it sold extremely quickly. We couldn't be happier! read more

Catherine Krueger, in the El Cerrito office, helped me buy a BEAUTIFUL house in Pinole! I recently graduated from college and didn't think I could buy! I purchased the house (2 story 1,500sf) house with my best friend. I was scared and apprehensive at first. She made the process easy. No lie. She is VERY patient and caring. She really understood what I was going through and answered millions of questions over and over. If she found something she thought we would like, she gave us a call - no pressure! Another thing that helped in the entire process was getting my loan pre-approved through her husband, Sam Krueger. This allowed the process to go through quicker and smoother. He too is very patient, thoughtful, and extremely nice. I was scared that he would say, "you need more money....you need to save more....what are you thinking?" He NEVER said any of those things. He's very supportive and informative. Again, we bombard him with questions. We've refinanced through him recently. Smooth. We continue to get invited to BBQ's, parties, etc. They have become great friends. Anyways, I can't say enough. If you're looking to buy something, check them out. It wouldn't hurt. Don't be scared. If I can buy a house, you can!! http://www.catherinekrueger.com/ http://samkrueger.com/ read more

Agent Keith Maddock agreed to provide a property valuation for a property for which I was appointed by the court to rehab and sell on June 13, 2019. Several unanswered emails later, on July 7 I finally received a one-sentence email that the agent is "too busy" to follow through without being assured the listing. In my opinion, which is informed by selling multiple properties throughout the State of California every year, the agent was unprofessional. Perhaps the agent's conduct is not indicative of the overall service level of the brokerage, but it reflects very poorly. read more

All of our interactions with Marvin Gardens Real Estate were professional, thorough and timely. It's a great company to work with when buying a home! We worked with Karen Moss, who we adored, and here is my review on Karen: Karen was absolutely wonderful to work with! She was so supportive and helpful throughout the process of buying our dream home. Her advice was always sound, her perspective wise and her presence calming. She also went the extra mile frequently to recommend vendors and other fun things to do in our new neighborhood. She is such a kind and warm person, and gets the job done well and thoroughly. I would recommend working with her to the fullest extent. Thank you for everything, Karen!!! read more

My wife and I purchased a home in Albany this past December and had the very good fortune of working with Maggie Resnick as our realtor. I had no previous experience working with a real estate agent and expected to deal with someone that was pushy or in a constant rush. Maggie was the furthest thing from the sort; she was extremely friendly, considerate, never pushy, and always had our best interest in mind. We worked with her for about 8 months and during that time we had some proposals turned down, but Maggie never pressed us or tried to have us increase our offers beyond what we were comfortable spending. She is a tireless worker and a tremendous resource when it came to making recommendations for contractors, home inspectors, and loan agents. Every single recommendation she made was solid and reliable. In fact, we are still working with the general contractor she recommended to upgrade our foundation. I don't say this often but she honestly treated us like we were family. The amount of care and attention she provided us made me feel like we were her only clients. Never once did I feel like the home purchase process was stressful or a chore (okay, sometimes it was a chore but only because we kept attending open houses instead of playing tennis) and that can be entirely attributed to Maggie's efforts and positive attitude. I highly recommend Maggie to anyone who is looking to make the home buying experience a pleasant, smooth, and practically enjoyable experience. http://www.maggieresnick.com/ read more

Laura Dubinett was our Realtor back in 2007 when we bought our first home, and she was so attentive and helpful that it was natural for us to ask her to sell it once we were ready last month. Boy, are we glad we came back to her! Even before we listed the house for sale, she was there to help guide us in preparing the house. I'm pretty sure Laura knows every single other Realtor, loan agent, and appraisor in the area. Once we began getting offers, she helped us sift through them methodically and patiently, and it seemed each one was from another agent that she knew and was backed by a loan agent that she knew. I believe this only helped facilitate the process and that rapport she already has developed was instrumental in moving things along in a swift fashion. Laura is simply the best communicator out there, and that truly sets her apart. She is always available, day or night, phone or email. She explains every step of the way so you're never in the dark as to what's going on, and simply makes you feel at ease during the entire process. I live in Geogia now, but while working with her I didn't feel like I was 3000 miles away at all. And she is extremely knowledgeable of the East Bay Area neighborhoods having lived there for 35 years, so that helps on both the buying and selling sides. Laura's communication, attention to detail, patience, and caring attitude are what make Laura the best in the business, and I wholeheartedly recommend using Laura Dubinett to represent you whether you are buying or selling your home. You will not be disappointed! read more

I just purchased my first home with Laura Dubinett from Marvin Gardens, and can't recommend her enough. I'm a very do-it-yourself oriented person, so sort of felt reluctant to have a realtor onboard, even though I knew next to nothing about the home-buying process. I had a few realtors referred to me, and wasn't impressed with any of them. I stumbled into Laura randomly, and she was a superstar to have in my camp. We spent several months looking at homes, making offers, and slugging it out with investors (and losing). I finally found a place that clicked, but I had a rather complicated buying situation that dragged on for many months due deed restrictions on the property. Laura worked incredibly hard for me, was communicative, supportive, and really looked out for my every step of the way. After lots of delays (no fault of Laura's!) I finally got into my first house. Laura's patience and grace at my complicated situation was wonderful - and I'd highly refer her to anyone looking for a solid realtor. read more

We found Catherine Krueger on Yelp, and I can't speak more highly of her professionalism, kindness, patience and accessibility. Catherine consistently made herself available to answer any and all of our questions, even while she was away with her mother in Tahoe! She helped us clarify what we really needed in a home, so that we felt empowered to make a truly informed decision while NEVER pressuring us to go beyond our financial limits. After several negative experiences with high-pressure realtors in the Bay Area, we both felt such relief in working with Catherine. She brings personal integrity back into the real estate business. Thank you, Catherine! This is an update: We recently sold our home in El Cerrito, and Catherine represented us. We were worried about staging and showing our home with our two little boys and their energetic play habits (read instant chaos). We also had a tight window in which to find a new home, buy, and move to San Jose. Catherine was absolutely amazing! She advised me on how to stage our home myself, which saved us a significant amount of money, and then managed to secure us a preemptive offer at exactly the price we hoped for, in cash, before we even had to show our home! She is a true advocate for her clients. I cannot praise her highly enough. If you want your realtor to be honest, respectful, caring, and 100% committed to getting your house sold at a great price, look no further. read more

I worked at Marvin Gardens for almost two years and I saw all the realtors' work habits and behind-the-scenes attitudes. I must say that Catherine Krueger was (and is) a tireless worker for her clients. She was in the office early and there late looking up comps for clients, researching problems, finding places to show and doing whatever she needed to to get her clients' homes sold, or the home they were looking for. If you're selling, you can't go wrong by having her interview for your listing, and if you're buying don't hesitate to call her up and let her know what you're looking for. She'll find you the home you want at the price you want to pay. read more

Agent Laura Dubinett is fantastic! She brings a wealth of experience to the table. Her patience and responsiveness to our needs made us feel cared for. She helped steer us away from bad choices and towards our wonderful new home! Without Laura's help we might still be looking or worse: discouraged and giving up. Highly recommended! She also hooked us up with the amazing Amy Yamamoto at Caliber Home Loans. Together, they made it happen for us and they could make it happen for you too! read more

I'm way too late in writing this review, but better late than never right? Anyway, my fiancee and I were looking to buy a home and Herman was incredible. We had no idea on location, price range, or process and Herman guided us through everything, helped us through the failed bids and made sure we got the house we wanted when we found it. We've been here for 6 months and couldn't be happier, all thanks to Herman. Not just a very helpful guy but also a great human being as well. read more

Laura Dubinett stuck it out with us in the quest to buy a home in the east bay. It took us several offers, about 7 months, and being a little flexible on the location to get us in one, but here I sit in my new house. She was supportive, quick to respond, always got our offers in by the required time (no matter how late she stayed up putting them together) and is very knowledgable about the east bay, especially the Berkeley/Albany/El Cerrito areas. We found Laura at an open house in El Cerrito what seems like forever ago. We liked how straightforward she was. Not too much fluff and none of the off-putting realtor ego that some people have. Once we were seriously in the market, we gave her a call. I recommend you do as well. Cheers. read more

Karen Moss at Marvin Gardens inspired me to write my first Yelp! review. She has helped me on numerous occasions, with both helping me sell and buy property. She comes promptly on time, makes house calls and tries to make the transactions go as smoothly as possible. I was truly impressed when I had my new property inspected. She stayed the entire day to make sure the there weren't any questions or problems. Easy to talk to, friendly, and professional, Karen is dependable and will guide you to make the wisest choice. I am happy with her service and will continue to recommend her to all my friends and family. read more

Keith Maddock was recommended to us directly by the owner of Marvin Gardens, and we are so happy that we worked with him. From our very first meeting, we felt like Keith was someone we could trust and who would work hard to make us happy. We're first-time home buyers in a crazy market and we cast a wide net to start. We were looking in neighborhoods all over the East Bay, and Keith wasn't the least bit fazed. He had information for us on all the neighborhoods we were looking at; since he's lived in the Bay Area for so long, he has real local knowledge of all the places we were looking. Keith responds quickly to emails, calls during his downtime to check in and answer questions, and never pushed an opinion on us. He made sure we were completely comfortable with a decision before moving forward, and was really helpful in talking things through when situations got difficult. We had an offer accepted on a house that we loved, but the inspection turned up a major problem with the foundation. We were so grateful to have Keith advising us through that process, and we were able to find another house that fits us even better. Now that we're moving into our new home and planning our remodel, Keith is still helping us out. He has a laundry list of inspectors, contractors, electricians, hardwood floor refinishers, etc. to recommend who he's worked with on Marvin Gardens homes, as well as his own home. We feel comfortable with every recommendation Keith makes because we know he has our best interests in mind. Keith couldn't have made this process any smoother for us. read more

We worked with Karen Moss at Marvin Gardens, El Cerrito, to buy our first home. When I used to think of a realtor, I thought of person who (1) didn't listen; (2) wanted you to spend more money than you wanted or was reasonable (with the unspoken implication if you didn't you weren't worth the time); or (3) told you incessantly that your concerns were no big deal, be they a huge crack in the ceiling or a sloping floor. That is, I used to think of a realtor this way until we used Karen Moss for our recent home purchase. Karen is the complete opposite of that realtor stereotype. Being first time home buyers and curious people, my husband and I had questions and questions, which Karen patiently and expertly answered. Karen listened to every word, even to the extent that she reminded me of what I previously had said. "But," she'd astutely point out, "you listed a garden as one of the most important features of the home..." The reminders were helpful reality checks, as we could sometimes get swept away by an excellent staging job. During our search process, our goals evolved as we explored listings in different areas and learned more about the market realities of what kind of house we could get for our budgeted price. As our search criterion evolved, Karen responded in kind -- she understood us as learning, changing and sometimes complicated customers, and she stuck with us on our journey, while always continuing to provide balance, guidance and insight -- always bringing us back to the big picture. Karen respected price constraints, encouraging my husband and I to think it over if we were venturing over our limit. Karen would point our attention to small details or larger issues that we had overlooked, demonstrating an impressive knowledge of home structural conditions and potential repairs. When our bid was accepted, Karen wasted no time in reserving the home inspections, which ended up being a crucial move. If Karen hadn't booked them that minute we would have missed the federal tax deadline for rebates as inspectors were booking fast due to a period with an increased number of active buyers. Karen is an "awesome" realtor, a very special person to have by your side as you navigate this crazy Bay Area real estate market. read more

Our house is in a hot market with 180 degree bay views. When asked why we were moving after owning the house for only a year, they couldn't tell prospective buyers anything compelling (ie the truth which is that we were wanting to be closer to our / my step son so we could be a more active part of his life) and so people walked away thinking something was wrong with the house. After five open houses and two agent tours, not a single offer. In addition, we were adamant about keeping track of expenses and did not approve of things they tried to charge us with without our approval after we incurred an additional $4k staying in an Airbnb. And the biggest kicker - the agent who we hired left for vacation in the middle of the sale process and left us with someone else who we would not have hired in the first place. It was a terrible experience. read more

I strongly recommend TE EVERSON at Marvin Gardens if you want to buy or sell house. He helped my husband & I buy one house and sold two houses in the past 10 years. He also helped my sister-in-law buy a house . When we were looking for a house, Te worked tirelessly and found a perfect one for us. And when we wanted to sell houses he found the buyers for both houses within a month (one house was sold in a week!) Te is always cheerful and very devoted to his clients. He provides his clients with an "After Sales Service Program" that gives his clients something of value on a monthly basis. That's why he has so many old clients still in touch with him. read more

It's my pleasure to recommend Karen Moss. Karen is wonderfully bright and knowledgeable and observant. She put a lot of care into explaining to me what made the different houses and neighborhoods we saw more or less attractive as homes and as investments. She has an extensive network of real estate professionals throughout Albany and the East Bay. Karen was always available when I had questions and when I made bids and completed the purchase. Throughout the entire process of going to open houses, making bids and closing the purchase, Karen always had my own interests entirely at heart. I'm so very fortunate that Karen was my agent! Before I started working with her, I was unable to think clearly about which houses to make an offer on and completely at a loss on how much to offer. I now have a home that is perfect for me that I acquired for a fair price. read more

Dee Plunkett is absolutely amazing! We recently purchased and moved into our first home, in El Cerrito, thanks to Dee. Dee was patient, thorough, kind, and caring. We were using an FHA loan with a 203(k) streamline loan for repairs, and she was quick to pick up all of the nuances of the 203(k) streamline program (which has some specific requirements, as does an FHA loan). We bid on 4 houses in total, including two bids on the house we currently live in (it's a long story). Since we were at the low end of the market and not offering all cash, we were outbid a few times (don't you love the competitive Bay Area?). Throughout the process, Dee listened intently to our needs, our fears, and our anxiety about the process. Dee navigated the world of short sales, REOs, and other tricky deals with ease. Her endless rolodex of local contacts made everything flow so much more smoothly. When we told her we were serious about our current home, she made sure our bid beat out seven other offers! If you are looking for a home, or selling your home (or both!), please give Dee a call. You won't regret meeting this true local expert! read more

Maggie Resnick is as good as it gets! Maggie was our realtor to purchase our first home and can not imagine a better real estate agent to work with! Maggie became family to us. Maggie was available anytime , she even tried working while on vacation, we wouldn't let her . Maggie worked with us for 9 months, in the end we bought the house we had looked at 2 months into it. All because of Maggie, she was on top of everything every step of the way . Looking for a caring , professional, hard working realtor ? Maggie is the one to call. http://www.maggieresnick.com/ read more

We highly recommend Darrell Hoh. My husband and I met Darrell at an open house two years ago. We liked him right away. When we were ready to purchase a home, we set up an appointment with him to go over our price range, area and type of house we had hoped to buy in this crazy housing market. We had lots of questions. Darrell was patient, responsive and took the time to walk us through the process. That continued throughout the entire house-hunting journey. He never pushed his opinions -- unless we asked for his input. He would give us honest feedback on the realities of looking and buying a home in the Bay Area. He also worked well with our mortgage broker Marjo Diehl at RPM Mortgage (also highly recommend her, too). We made a few offers and finally landed on our dream house with three bedrooms in the neighborhood we wanted. I trust Darrell. I always joked he felt like part of the family because we would talk so often and at all hours. Finding the right house in this market isn't easy but it is possible. Darrell won't let you down. read more

Laura is: RELIABLE, RESPONSIVE, KNOWLEDGEABLE, PATIENT, CONNECTED, EAGER....TOP NOTCH ! I just bought my first home with the help of Laura Dubinett. I was not by any means a real estate agents dream client. My budget was in the lower bracket, and I only had 5% to put down. Except for holidays,Laura was available every single weekend and every evening over the 9 or 10 months we worked together. Laura put in an extraordinary amount of time with me. She earned the commission she received and MORE. She could be working with client's who can afford a much higher priced home allowing her to do the same amount of work she put in with me but receive a much higher commission, yet she chooses to go ahead and work with clients from all income brackets. I most appreciated that Laura NEVER pushed me into making an offer on any property (I made nine before one finally got excepted) and she gave me her honest opinion as to what she felt a good offer would be. Her patience and support during those grueling months got me through, as there were several times when I let my frustration get the better of me and wanted to quit. Had Laura not gently encouraged me to stick with it, I would not be a homeowner today. Thank you Laura for sticking with me through the hard times. -Kim T. read more

After meeting with five realtors I decided to select Karen Sanders Moss. This decision was based on her immense knowledge of the area that I was planning to sell my house, her quite extensive recent recent history of selling in the area, the questions she asked me, and her very pleasant personality. It proved to be a very wise decision. She not only got me a very good price, she also helped me by providing a handyman(for some simple needed work), a landscaper(to get the property ready for sale), and a stager(for a very reasonable price). She always quickly returned my calls, emails and texts and showed great patience with my indecisiveness. If you want to hire the best realtor, my advice would be to select Karen Sanders Moss. Ed M read more

Dee Plunket at Marvin Gardens is my favorite real estate agent ever. I've worked with her now on several occasions. I bought and sold a condo in Oakland a few years ago, and lately she helped me through the arduous process of buying a beautiful home in Oakland, a short sale. Dee is extremely knowledgeable and well-versed in all aspects of home buying and selling. She thoroughly knows the business and helped me understand the short sale process and navigate its uncertainties. She always responded to my many questions promptly. Her communication skills are primo and I love her sense of humor. She's the best! read more

Maggie Resnick made the purchase of our first home possible this February and my wife and I could not possibly recommend her more highly. We had met many agents when we first started exploring open houses in our area, as we were beginning to try to understand the home-buying process. Maggie distinguished herself early on as a person with a rare combination of intelligence, genuine warmth and polished social skills. Along with these traits came a deep and detailed working knowledge of both our search area and the complexities of the market. As she started showing us homes in the area, Maggie really listened to us. She seemed to think a lot about what we needed to learn to find a house we would be happy with, and that we could actually win the bidding on. After listening she would then take the crucial next step of telling us exactly what she thought, whether it was a downside to a property that we hadn't thought of or just helping us stay in the realm of the possible without letting ourselves get discouraged. The house we bought was not the first contract Maggie wrote for us, but it took us a while to learn what houses to pay attention to as we searched, and we learned a lot every time we put our heads together and settled on the contract specifics. Maggie stuck with us as we learned what we needed to know, and when the time came she was right there, ready to write a quick, smart offer. We bought an REO from Bank of America on an offer submitted on New Year's day, this year. Even with all the back and forth of bank and lender requirements we were out of escrow and it was our house by the middle of February. And we are so happy with our house!! We could not be happier about the house we settled on. My teenage girls finally got to stop sharing a room, our PG & E bills actually went down for a warmer house, there's finally space for a family computer out of the living room, the difference between one bath and a bath and a half cannot be over stated, our front and back yards are terrific and our neighborhood got better...I could go on and on. read more

My husband and I had the pleasure of working with both Karen Moss and Darrell Hoh when we bought our home in 2012. We were looking in both the Concord/Pleasant Hill area (where Darrell's expertise came in handy) as well as the El Sobrante/El Cerrito area (where Karen was a great help). Although both were professional, knowledgeable, and easy to work with, we liked both for different reasons. If you're looking to buy a fixer, Darrell is your guy! He can tell you off the top of his head how much any renovation job will cost, and give you a list of contractors who will give you a good price for the job. This really helped us when we were looking at homes that we knew needed some work, but we weren't sure if we would be able to afford it. He often went above and beyond for us, agreeing to meet us on short notice to show us a home we were really eager to see. Karen was a great listener and really remembered what we wanted in a home. It is easy to get emotional when looking at houses and blur the line between "wants" and "needs". There were several times when Karen would gently and kindly remind us, "You said you wanted this or that - will it bother you that this house doesn't have it?" She always picked up the phone when we called or returned our calls promptly. When it came time to make an offer, their assistance was invaluable. Negotiations went smoothly, inspections were scheduled in a timely manner, and we closed on time! We have called on them several times since then for contractor recommendations and to inquire about our equity and they never hesitate to offer their help and services. I would hire them again, but they did such a good job finding us the house of our dreams, I don't know if we'll ever move! read more

We just purchased a home in North + East Richmond and had the pleasure of working with Laura Dubinett with MG Real Estate. She was very easy to work with and we felt comfortable with her after our first visit. She was highly responsive on all days and times, full of information, and listened carefully to our needs while informing us about the local housing market. We felt that she was an advocate for us throughout the whole process and assisted with all pieces of the home purchase. She even helped us to tie up some loose ends several weeks after the purchase. I would strongly recommend her for buying a home in the East Bay. She was a pleasure to work with and a lot of fun to boot. read more

This is a review that is LONG overdue! Darrell Hoh is an amazing realtor who helped us purchase our first home in February 2015. What I appreciated most about Darrell was his approach to the home buying experience - through education. It was all about ensuring that my husband and I always had enough information about our options, pro's and con's to make an informed decision. Darrell was extremely thorough and made observations about the property upon the initial viewing, taking detailed notes, and providing us his perspective on areas that we needed to investigate further (what appeared to be an old oil pipe in the back yard) and a rather yappy canine in the adjourning property. Darrell also had a number of professional references for home inspection, termite, etc., that helped us get a complete view of the home we were about to purchase. Darrell was also extremely professional and patient with the seller's agent (who was not always the most responsive or organized); despite those challenges, Darrell was always leading by example and we were extremely satisfied with our experience end to end. We ended up paying our target purchase price and upon closing, Darrell provided us with a binder of all of the reports, contracts, artifacts from the home buying journey, which proved extremely valuable when we went to file our taxes the following year. If (when) we purchase another home, we will absolutely reach out to Darrell to help us through that process. I would recommend him to family and friends in a heartbeat. read more

When my wife and I began looking to purchase our first home, we met many real estate professionals who wouldn't bother giving us the time of day (perhaps afraid of working with first-timers?) Karen Moss, on the other hand, sat down with us for several hours just one day after we called her and walked us through the process patiently and thoroughly, setting realistic expectations for us and firming up a game plan that included tips on how best to look for potential properties as well as what to look for in open houses and disclosure packages. She prepared us for a long slog through a tough market, but after our third or fourth weekend of open houses, we landed our second offer on a charming house in the Richmond Annex that we'll be happy to call our home until we're old and gray. Karen wasn't deterred by our insistence with working with Patelco Credit Union for our home loan, and was timely, professional and transparent in all her communications with our loan and title officers, appraiser and the seller's agent. I've been handing out Karen's business cards to all my friends and colleagues, letting them know that real estate, especially in this market, is a full-contact sport. And Karen's a real linebacker. She cleared a path and led us to the end zone. I couldn't have been happier to work with her. read more

This review is for Laura Dubinett. I was referred to Laura through trusted friends who she has worked with over the past several years. I couldn't have asked for a better partner in navigating the maze of buying a home in the Bay Area. I was new to the real estate market and had no idea what I was getting into when I met Laura. She was patient and diligent as I matured in my search and got a better idea of what I wanted in a home. It was very helpful to receive the daily email updates of all the new homes hitting the market that matched my search and she was readily available to meet me in the day or evening to look at property. Her weekly email rundown on open houses was just another way she was there to make things as easy as possible. When we would view houses she would provide any insight she had on the home itself and the area in a sincere and straightforward manner. She's owned a home in the east bay for many years so she knows what she's talking about. When it comes down to offer time, she really shines. She may look small but she packs a wallop. She knows the right mix of components to make your offer stand out and she's very helpful when it comes to helping choose a proper offer price in this insane market of multiple bids and cash offers. Laura and I worked together for about 6 months from introduction to house closing and I found my perfect home. She was with me every step of the way and I really grew and learned a lot during the process and came away with a friend and someone I will call upon again and again if needed. I am so happy in my new home in my neighborhood filled with friends who also trust Laura. Home buying is a very personal thing and not just another business transaction. I wouldn't work with anyone else. read more

Okay, so I haven't bought anything yet, but it wasn't for the lack of trying. Catherine Krueger (in El Cerrito) responded to my emails right away, and she was willing to help me do some basic research free of charge, right from the get-go. Not to mention, she also answered all my questions in detail so that I wasn't totally lost and confused. She even got her husband, Sam Krueger, a mortgage broker/loan consultant, to look at my background to see what stage I'm at for buying. She also got back to me very quickly, all the time, and was willing to meet up even though I'm not quite ready to buy yet. We're definitely going to be touching base every once in awhile, because as soon as I'm in the position, I will definitely want to work with Catherine. read more

Todd Hodson and Tania Balazs worked together as agents on our property in Albany. They had people to help with painting, fence work, and landscaping. They put in a tremendous amount of time in on helping to get the property ready for sale. There services and calls on the property were all a big help and well worth it. The stager they recommended was expensive but the property looked fabulous with the staging. I would recommend staging to everyone, it returns multiples of it's cost. Thank you Todd and Tania for the wonderful work you did on this property read more

This review is for Maggie Resnick with Marvin Gardens. I recently sold my house in North and East Richmond and interviewed a number of realtors for the listing. Once I met Maggie whom I found as she had recently sold the highest comparable listing in my area I knew she was the person I wanted. Her eye for details is incomparable and she has an innate ability in determining how to use the smallest amount of capital to generate the highest return. She has a team of people she uses that are extremely effective in following through on managing, painting, staging, landscaping and photography in preparation for the MLS listing and open house tours. Sure enough after a month and a half Maggie and her team broke another all time record in selling my home for top dollar. I cant recommend her highly enough, if you are looking to sell please simply take the time to contact her and you will understand why I am so grateful for the opportunity to meet and work with her. thanks Maggie! read more

My brother and I are first time home owners, and I was so glad to have ran into Laura Dubinett on a random open house. Not knowing where to start, Laura started sending me listings within my price range and showed us some great properties. She made the whole process incredibly easy for me. She worked with my lending agent, who was excellent, but did not communicated well in English. She made great recommendations on title companies, home insurance companies, home warranty companies, and even plumbing contractors. Right after my offer was accepted, I had to leave the country for two weeks for work. Fortunately my brother and my boyfriend helped to take care of many things, but Laura was excellent in working with all three of us during the process, especially with my 14 hour time difference. We got all the work done and escrow closed on time. I could not have asked for a better agent as a first time home buyer. When I recommend her to friends and family in the future, I will know that I am putting them in good hands. read more

I found Karen Moss by reading Yelp reviews. Marvin Gardens has always had listings that appealed to me, but I didn't think they would want to work with us in East Oakland. I just took a chance. While I was looking at their website, I was drawn to Darrell Hoh, but decided to go with my first instinct, and contacted Karen. It turned out that she often partners with Darrell, and that he knows Oakland very well. A delightful coincidence and we got both of them as our team. We were so, so lucky! They gave us tons of advice starting last autumn. We decided to invest on expenditures for a few improvements, and are really glad we listened to them. We did everything they suggested, and are thrilled with the results. Our house got 11 bids in five days. There was a slight roadblock in the purchase, which delayed things somewhat, but they oversaw every step and took care of everything. They really worked hard for us and were always there when we had a question. Ours wasn't the biggest transaction, but we never felt like that was an issue for them. They earned their commission, for sure. The day of the Realtors' tour, at least a dozen people came from Marvin Gardens, including the owner. This is a great company. I'm so thankful they stepped into Oakland territory and took us on, and they keep thanking us for hiring them! Sometimes things just work out well all around. I am sincerely grateful to Karen and Darrell, and recommend them highly. Preparing a house for sale and the whole sale process is very nerve-wracking, but they made it a great adventure. read more

Laura Dubinett represented us in the search for and purchase of a new home as well as the sale of our previous home. Her many years of experience in the industry gives her a good understanding of how the real estate market changes over time, enabling her to advise us on strategies and guidelines for improving our chances of successful negotiation on both the buying and selling sides. Some of her qualities that served us well were patience, attention to detail, and a calm and professional demeanor. We looked at all kinds of houses in a number of neighborhoods over more than a year in a market with very little inventory until we were able to refine our search to what was most important in a new house. Laura gave us advice but never pressure - she always made us feel that she was supporting our needs, whatever decisions we ended up making. There are so many documents and steps on both sides of the transaction, Laura was great about keeping everything on the pre-set timeline, reminding us of our to-dos while taking care of as much as possible that she could take off our plate. During the sale of our home, we were most appreciative of how Laura was able to effectively intermediate between us and the buyers' agent during some tricky and stressful negotiations. Laura calmly dealt with this (as well as every step of the transaction) in a very professional manner, communicating effectively with the other agent and helping make sure the sale closed on schedule. On the buying side, we were involved in a competitive multiple offer situation in which Laura was able to establish good rapport and communication with the selling agent, getting us information that helped us determine our offer strategy. Her personal approach, including her suggestion of always writing a personalized letter to the seller describing what we love about the house and what it would mean to be able to live there, turned out to be a decisive factor in our offer being accepted. Throughout the experience, Laura was professional yet personable and caring, understanding that buying and selling a house is a very personal and emotional decision but at the same time a complex transaction that has no one "right" answer but needs to be appropriate to each individual or family. She was protective of our interests in the best way possible, serving as both a trusted counselor and ally throughout the process. read more

I worked with Mitch Lucio in buying my home. Mitch goes above and beyond the call of duty to make your deal happen. He's experienced and knowledgeable and responsive. He truly enjoys his work, and that enthusiasm comes through in his interactions. He's friendly but tough when he needs to be. I can't recommend him highly enough. read more

My husband and I really enjoyed working with Herman Sun. After finding out that we unexpectedly had to move out of a long-time residence rather quickly, we decided to see if we could purchase a home for the first time. Herman listened to what we were looking for, and we both appreciated his patience and calm demeanor during a stressful time for us. Herman stuck with us through multiple offers and numerous house viewings, and offered encouragement and a positive outlook when we were feeling discouraged. With Herman's assistance, we found a place that suits us well and moved in within a few months of beginning our search. We found Herman to be knowledgeable, kind, calm, and quietly encouraging. If you are looking for someone who will guide you through the process without being pushy or overbearing, we highly recommend Herman. read more

Darrell Hoh helped us to buy our home and we wouldn't have been able to do it without him. The process was tricky and stressful and complicated and we would have been lost without his help and expertise. We feel very fortunate to have been able to find a house in our price range in the East Bay. Without Darrells help we would not have been able to make this dream a reality. If you are looking for help buying or selling a house we highly recommend Darrell! read more