We worked with Sarah Ridge for over a year while searching for our first home, and as first-time buyers, we couldn't have asked for a better realtor. Sarah is incredibly knowledgeable about both home construction and the East Bay market. While touring homes, she walked us through every inch and provided assessments comparable to professional inspectors we've worked with. In the rare moments when she wasn't 100% sure about something, she brought in her husband Nick (who has decades of construction experience and now specializes in home inspections) to provide a second opinion. After only a few tours, we felt like we'd gotten a thorough education in home construction and maintenance, which we especially appreciated as first-time buyers. One of the things we appreciated most was that we never felt pressured to make an offer. Sarah proactively pointed out potential issues, including things we never would have noticed ourselves. She was completely transparent about the real costs of addressing less obvious but major problems, even when it meant we'd end up passing on a home. Sarah also has deep relationships throughout the East Bay real estate and contractor community. She connected us with great lenders, inspectors, and contractors. Her rapport with other realtors was equally valuable. Leading up to the offer deadline, Sarah maintained continuous, proactive communication with the listing agent. We truly believe her persistence and advocating for us made a huge difference in the seller choosing us despite other competitive offers. Beyond her expertise, Sarah is simply an amazing person - empathetic, fun to be around, and genuinely invested in her clients. Even after closing, she's continued to be an invaluable resource as we navigate all the questions that come with being new homeowners. We're so grateful to have met Sarah and wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone looking for a knowledgeable, trustworthy, and all-around wonderful realtor. read more

I found Sarah and her daughter, Ellie while searching for a realtor in the East Bay last June, once I had decided I was moving back here from Boston. They agreed to meet me while I visited in June to do reconnaissance, and we had a very cordial discussion about what I was seeking, and when. When I arrived in Berkeley in late August, I had already sent them examples of homes that interested me, and we had an email/phone dialog to help adjust my expectations and focus me on areas and types of homes that made sense, given my tastes and resources. We started working together on the ground in late August, and I made an offer on a home that stood out from all others by early September. Sarah and Ellie continued to guide me through the purchase and closing process, as well as identifying issues with the property that needed to be addressed in advance. Sarah has an excellent network. What I feel stands out about Sarah and Ellie are the following: - They love what they do - They are skilled in taking in their clients' needs and preferences, and tempering that with basic realities about the Bay Area housing market, both in general, and at any particular time or set of circumstances - They have long, deep experience in the East Bay - the houses, catching areas of concern, the history of the neighborhoods, etc that they leverage in helping their clients to find appropriate homes - They are flexible - my Mom was a realtor, and I was a driver in sending them listings, asking questions, telling them I wanted to see certain properties, etc, and they went with the flow, and even enhanced my experience by being willing to look at other houses we saw for sale that looked interesting on the way to the houses we planned to see - it was not only productive, it was a lot of fun I have now been in my home for 3.5 months, and I could not be happier with where I live, thanks in large part to Sarah, Ellie, and District Homes. read more

This will sound like hyperbole, but Sarah is just about the best real estate agent I can imagine and I was extremely glad to have her on my (very successful!) house purchasing journey recently in Oakland. She is low-pressure, but always helpful and available, and ready to jump into action the moment real focus is needed. If you want someone high-touch to help you find your dream home, she can do that very well, but she can also adapt to different approaches, like mine. I had a 2+ year delay between initial contact and discussions with her, and finally identifying my desired property, but this hands-off approach was my preference, and she rolled with it to the exactly right degree. She was available but not impatient, and always helpful when I reached out. When it was time to seriously evaluate my top candidates she brought invaluable perspective to bear quickly and enthusiastically. She is smart, experienced, connected, pragmatic, down-to-earth, and professional in the right measure. She's hands-on with evaluating each house (see attached photo, she's on her husband's shoulders checking out the attic ) and brings knowledge from her own history and (as-needed) her contractor husband's perspective to bear on the pros and cons of each candidate. She went top to bottom with me, and she can identify likely problem areas, future work needs or compliance issues, etc. quickly and efficiently, and likewise brings knowledge and perspective on value, market trends, timing a p urchase, negotiation, and more. And she can work fast if needed! We had a short timeline to evaluate some areas of concern on our top candidate before making an offer, then had to get our offer in by the seller's deadline. After that we had a 10 day close! She went the extra mile to make sure it all went smoothly at every step. Her existing relationships and knowledge of other area brokers also proved very helpful in knowing how to communicate with other parties in the purchase, and setting expectations for success, response times, etc. Even after purchase she remains tremendously helpful, reaching out proactively to be of service, and she can be particularly helpful recommending all manner of skilled workers to fulfill various repair and improvement needs if they arise. She is a person who seems to genuinely take pleasure in helping others realize (and maintain) their house ownership dreams, and avoid the pitfalls and grief that can come when things don't go well. Sarah was a recommendation to me from some friends of mine, and I can happily join them in echoing that recommendation. You can't do much better than Sarah to help and represent you in the Bay Area! read more

Sarah Ridge - District Homes - Sarah gets on her husband's shoulders to check out the attic during a walkthrough Hands-on! - Real Estate Agents Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Ellie and Sarah helped us sell our home in Oakland. After speaking with many selling agents, we were drawn to them due to their expertise and focus on Oakland and the surrounding area, as well as their down-to-earth and authentic personalities. As both buyer and seller agents, they take an honest and fair approach to each deal. Ellie and Sarah made a great team, communicating with us openly and often. Even when our first offer fell through, they stayed calm and focused, immediately hosting another open house, which led to the sale shortly thereafter. We appreciated their advice during negotiations and expertise as we navigated the selling process (for the first time), with numerous questions. Sarah's extensive experience in the business shone through when we needed it most, guiding us when our offer fell through, helping us regain confidence. read more

We had an outstanding experience working with Sarah Ridge, and we can't recommend her highly enough. Selling a home can be a stressful and emotional process, but Sarah brought a calm, steady and deeply knowledgeable presence to every step of the journey. Thanks to her expert guidance, we received multiple strong offers within days of going on the market and completed a quick, successful sale with confidence and peace of mind. From the start, Sarah gave us a clear and honest assessment of what we needed to do to prepare our Berkeley house for market. Her advice was grounded in years of local market knowledge, and she didn't sugarcoat anything, which we appreciated. Importantly, she helped us prioritize where to invest our time and money--and where we didn't need to. Her insight into return on investment was invaluable. Rather than spending unnecessarily or overlooking issues that could hurt the sale, we focused on updates that made a meaningful difference. Sarah connected us with excellent professionals--designers, stagers, and tradespeople--who handled floor refinishing, a kitchen and bathroom update, window replacement, minor repairs and landscaping. Every recommendation she made was thoughtful, timely and right on point. The team she assembled worked efficiently and with great care, and we were genuinely impressed with how quickly and beautifully the house came together. Sarah's guidance on timing and listing strategy was particularly insightful. She understood the rhythms of the market and helped us choose the right day to go live. Once the offers came in, she was right there to advise us on each one--not just by price, but also by the strength and reliability of the terms. That kind of counsel allowed us to accept a great offer just one week after going on the market. Another strength Sarah brought was her close collaboration with her daughter, Ellie, a realtor who works primarily with buyers. This buyer's perspective proved invaluable when assessing the mood of the current market. Together, Sarah and Ellie brought complementary insights that helped us determine our initial asking price and the offer we settled on. Beyond her expertise, Sarah's deep ties to the community and experience in the Berkeley market gave us a real advantage. She knew exactly what was selling, what buyers were prioritizing, and how to position our home competitively. Rather than using a cookie-cutter approach, she customized every recommendation to our house, our timeline, and our goals. She was reliable, honest, exceptionally good--and simply a joy to work with. We're incredibly happy we chose Sarah to guide us through this process. Her judgment, care, and expertise were invaluable from beginning to end, and we would work with her again in a heartbeat. If you're thinking of selling or buying a home, we can't imagine a better partner to have by your side. read more

We feel as though we are a special case, but we join the chorus of praise that all here are singing. We decided to move into a retirement community, and we had three months to complete the sale. Sarah helped us leave our house, prepare it for sale, and close escrow. It was a very tight timeline, and we weren't sure it could be done. Her tenacity and expertise carried us through a stressful process. She carefully juggled several contractors and skillfully handled strange issues as they arose. She guided us intelligently through the whole process, staying in just the right amount of communication. We felt so confident because we were able to talk with her whenever it was needed. She was ably assisted by her daughter and partner, Ellie. We are also grateful for the help we received from her husband, Nick. Sarah is a class act, and she is a pleasure to work with. read more

Sarah is an exceptional real estate agent who helped my family navigate the competitive Bay Area housing market. My husband and I were first-time home buyers and were on a tight timeline with the birth of our second kid. Her knowledge of local neighborhoods and property values was invaluable. Sarah was always responsive and professional, making herself available to answer our questions and address concerns promptly. She showed us how to evaluate a home's foundation, what to look for in seismic retrofits, what termite damage looks like, and so many other things to be aware of in older homes. She took the time to understand our specific needs and preferences and budget, which allowed her to identify properties that were aligned with what we were looking for. The entire process, from initial consultation to closing, was handled smoothly because of Sarah's expertise and attention to detail. During the final leg of our search when we decided to make a bid on our favorite property, I was on jury duty for an 8-week trial and Sarah was able to work with my schedule and communicate with the sellers. Since we've moved into our new home, she's helped connect us to contractors and answer any questions. I highly recommend Sarah for anyone looking to buy a home in the Bay Area! read more

Sarah went above and beyond as our realtor! She helped my partner and me put together a strong application in the competitive Berkeley market and buy the home of our dreams. We wanted to move quickly, and Sarah accommodated us with absolutely no fuss, even texting and emailing from a camping trip and connecting us with lenders and other professionals who would work on our timetable--and who were equally kind, highly competent, and excellent communicators. She is a prompt communicator and knowledgeable about so many aspects of real estate, from foundation and repairs to the local market. We cannot recommend Sarah enough. read more

We worked with Sarah on purchasing our first home and we cannot recommend her enough!! We had no idea what to expect with buying a home and were feeling a bit overwhelmed, especially in the crazy east bay market. We were so lucky to find Sarah! She is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of homes--the construction, electrical, roofing, flooring, upkeep, etc. She taught us what to look for when visiting open houses and we learned a ton. Knowing what aspects of a home will need repairing down the line is really valuable. She took her time with us in our search and let us discover what type of home would be best for us. In just under three months, we found our dream home! The neighborhood is so cute and charming, and the house is in impeccable condition. Because of these great features, you can imagine it was a competitive sale. Sarah, through her vast connections in local real estate, knew the listing agent of the house and this relationship truly helped us close the home. We couldn't have done it without her! We are forever grateful for Sarah (and Ellie!). They are also such great people and we really enjoyed spending time with them! read more

Working with Sarah during our recent home purchase journey was an exceptionally positive experience. Sarah is someone who stands by her clients and has a tremendous expertise in the market, construction, and the nuances of the home buying process. Even though we were at the lower end of budgets of clients that Sarah works with, she gave us more than 110% to find the right home and see the process though, even when working with a challenging rent-back purchase setup. Sarah's in-depth market knowledge made the process feel so much more accessible -- with everything from understanding the nuances of how real estate in the east bay is priced, to details about city history, taxes and regulations, to general quality of the buildings and what to keep our eyes on, it was invaluable help that made navigating a really unique market feel a lot more manageable. Coming from a family with a background in construction, Sarah also brought a unique perspective to the table and would jump in to take a look at wires, drainage and plaster walls and always have her eyes out for things to ask for in inspection reports. She expertly guided us to focus on the most crucial aspects of a property, ensuring that we were going to make a sound investment and knew if there were any impending updates a home might need. Sarah's strong local connections were also invaluable. She facilitated efficient inspections and more, making the entire process seamless and straightforward. We can't recommend Sarah highly enough to anyone looking to purchase in the east bay. Her expertise, insights, and positive attitude make her someone you want to spend time looking at homes with, and her expertise and experience ensured a really high quality, professional, stress-free experience when the time came to close. She is really someone that goes above and beyond and was a total joy to work with! read more

We recently used Sarah and her partner/daughter Ellie Ridge to help us purchase a new property prior to selling our existing house in Albany--this gives us the unique perspective of seeing all her skills as a realtor. As well as being a huge testament to our faith in her skills since we bought before selling! The entire experience went so smoothly because of her knowledge and confidence in dealing with situations as they arose. She has an extensive knowledge of construction and that really helps her understand the condition of a property--whether you are selling your house and thinking about how to get it ready---or when you are buying a house and trying to evaluate the condition it is in. This gives her the expertise to clearly state the advantages of your property to potential buyers and their agents, as well as potential pitfalls of a property you are considering purchasing. Her daughter has grown-up with a realtor mother and contractor father--making her extremely knowledgable as well. We don't have any big surprises with either transaction because Sarah had so thoroughly vetted all the parties we dealt with prior to our using them. From recommendations re: who to use for repairs, painting, landscaping, staging, cleaners on our old home--and importantly-- her resources during the purchase process of our new property prior to selling our current home--the mortgage broker and insurance agents. We felt confident in her recommendations of what to do, and who to have doing it. The title company she uses was very easy to work with and the entire process went smoothly both for the purchase of the property with an incredible seven day close and the subsequent longer close for the sale of our home in Albany. She has been a terrific liaison between us the buyers and their agent. We have never questioned her judgement or choices. She was open to hearing our concerns and we were able to reach her anytime/any day (within reason!) with questions. She was very responsive and texted through the day and evening as things arose we needed to know about. Sarah initially gave us a price range within which she anticipated our house would sell--she was in range and we were pleased with the outcome of the sale. She has an aggressive marketing strategy and had pinpointed who she felt potential buyers would be and in fact was spot on regarding who bought our house. Her recommendations were based on her deep knowledge of local real estate and the fact she has been a part of the community her whole life. She handled negotiating our purchase of the new property beautifully prior to selling our home in Albany --helping us secure a bridge loan to finance it--so we felt very confident in her negotiating skills when it came time to deal with buyers for our house. They presented us with a no contingency offer and we didn't have to make any concessions since we had the house so well prepared in advance. We felt the money we put into getting the house ready was recouped at the time of sale and made the process go quickly and smoothly. Having known Sarah for 25+ years we are delighted that she has truly found her calling and is able to utilize her expertise to help people sell and/or find home. Additionally, her daughter, Ellie is a highly competent realtor on her own and works closely with her mother on many sales. Twice the woman-power! If one was busy, the other was usually available. read more

We just bought our first home with Sarah who was professional, highly responsive, and had great knowledge about the local Berkeley/Oakland/Albany markets. She consistently went above and beyond to help us find our home, and we cannot recommend her enough. From the very beginning of our working relationship, Sarah impressed us with her professionalism and expertise. She took the time to really understand what we were looking for in a home, and used her knowledge of the local market to narrow down the search to properties that met our needs and preferences. Throughout the home-buying process, Sarah was always available to our questions and concerns. She was always quick and flexible to respond to requests to walk through properties together. Further, her expertise in construction was particularly valuable when it came time to make an offer on a property. She provided insightful advice on the condition of the home and the potential costs of repairs or renovations, which helped us make an informed bidding decisions. She was always willing to inspect foundations with us (and sometimes would ask her contractor husband to provide an additional opinion as well) to ensure that we knew what we were buying. Lastly, she was also very helpful after we bought our home in helping us understand what we needed to prioritize fixing and who to go to. Sarah made the home-buying process as smooth and stress-free as possible and we would highly recommend her! read more

Buying a home in Berkeley in today's market is no joke, and we are so glad we found Sarah to help us navigate these choppy waters successfully. We came to Sarah looking for change after months of frustration and several failed offers that felt like shots in the dark without a coherent strategy. We had clear ideas on what we were looking for in our next agent, and had planned to interview several realtors before making our decision, but one meeting with Sarah was all it took to let us know we had found the right person! She listened to what we were looking for, asked detailed questions and was able to articulate a strategy that we felt confident in. She was insistent on visiting houses together so we could talk openly about specific pluses and minuses and she could continue to build out a refined sense of our needs and wants. We really came to trust her judgment, and in a short amount of time she almost knew what we were looking for better than we ourselves did. But of course, there is the reality of the Berkeley housing market - limited availability, houses with multiple offers selling well beyond list price, no contingencies (ha!) and so on - and this is where her exceptional knowledge of the area, deep relationships with sellers agents and in-depth knowledge of construction and home inspection issues really came through. We would review listings together, and she was uncanny in her ability to predict final sale price time after time - and she was able to articulate reasons based on location, nature of buyers for the neighborhood, specifics of the home condition, her familiarity with the sellers agent etc, so it did not feel like guesswork. Each of these visits and discussions allowed us to feel more confident in her approach and strategy. When we finally found a house we liked enough to make an offer on, Sarah made several visits to the house with us, pointed out things we should be focused on, reviewed all the disclosures and reports in detail and really helped us establish expectations for a winning bid. She was confident that there would be multiple offers, and had a strategy to make sure our first offer was compelling enough to receive a call back - and this was based not only on her analytics, but also on her ability to leverage relationships and to understand the dynamics of potential agents we could be going up against. As expected, the house had multiple offers and Sarah expertly guided us through the counter process to get us our dream home. While this was not our first time buying a house, the market dynamics were definitely challenging and I cannot imagine we would have been successful without Sarah's exceptional abilities to guide us. Sarah is a pleasure to work with, and we would highly (highly!) recommend her to anyone. read more

Sarah is 5 stars! She is professional, patient and so lovely to work with. She helped us navigate so much from finding the rights house, knowing about the condition of the house and the complicated processes that come with purchasing. I highly recommend going with Sarah for your house hunt! read more

As first-time buyers, we knew very little about the entire process, except to feel very apprehensive about our prospects in the uber-competitive East Bay market. Sarah's incredible wealth of knowledge, insight, intuition, skills, and hard work turned us from nervous know-nothings into proud homeowners in just under 2 months! In that time we visited 10+ houses, often for multiple hours exploring every nook and cranny, each time learning so much about what to look for when evaluating a home. When we were considering an offer, she wrote diligent notes on the disclosures to make sure we understood exactly what we'd be getting and how to put that into context against other homes in the area. And when we finally made our first offer, she worked her magic to help us beat out 16 (!) competing offers, including one all cash (!!!). Beyond her obvious success as a realtor, Sarah's kindness, empathy, and passion for her job make working with her an absolute pleasure. Our only regret after closing is that we don't get to hang out with her multiple times a week anymore :D We are so, so grateful that we had the opportunity to work with Sarah and can't recommend her enough. read more

From the first moment we met Sarah, we vibed. Sarah is honest and a realist which we very much appreciated. She really knows and understands Oakland and is very attuned to the overall economy not just the real estate market. Sarah also has a wonderful bedside manner. This was our first time selling a house and needed (a ton) of handholding. She graciously answered every question-- even when we knew we were getting annoying. She was super responsive, and really went above and beyond-- whether it was jumping on a quick call or answering late night emails. She also has an amazing team who helped get the house "list-ready". If we weren't leaving Oakland we would be trying to steal her contractors because they did fabulous work! We cannot thank Sarah enough for being so incredibly easy to work with and making our selling our home a seamless experience! read more

Cannot recommend Sarah enough - she is a phenomenal real estate agent! As a first time home buyer in this extremely competitive market, I needed all the help I could get and Sarah was by my side every step of the way. She balances an incredible depth of expertise in construction and real estate with being one of the most down to earth, humble and easy to work with people. No matter what question I had, Sarah was ready with an explanation or a resource to help me understand the nuances of every home we visited. And her connections in the east bay real estate market are unparalleled - ultimately getting me into to see a house before it ever went on the market. Sarah's connections got me a larger home in a better neighborhood than I ever could have imagined. I say a little quiet thank you to Sarah every time I walk through my front door as I could not have gotten this dream home without her. There is not a better real estate agent out there! read more

My husband and I had a phenomenal experience working with Sarah to purchase our first home. What stands out about Sarah is her in-depth knowledge about foundation, repairs, roofing, etc. I was so glad to have someone so knowledgeable on my team in my search of the ideal home. Whenever we viewed a home, she would fairly point out the potential problems, concerns, foreseeable repairs that came with the place, which I really valued. Her husband is a contractor and she has absorbed so much important knowledge from him, as well as from her years of valuable experience, that makes Sarah a knock out realtor. My husband and I work long hours with an often inflexible schedule. As such, we appreciated that she was always super responsive and accommodating (even taking the time to walk through a place with us on Easter Sunday). I highly recommend Sarah to all my friends and relatives! read more

This might be the hardest review I've ever had to write --it just isn't possible to put into words how thankful we are to have met Sarah and Ellie. Before meeting the Ridges, my partner and I had been actively looking for our first house for over a year and had made 8 failed offers, never even hearing back from the sellers. When we decided it was time for a change, we wanted to be 100% confident in the next realtor we worked with, so we interviewed 6. Sarah blew us away with the depth and breadth of her knowledge about real estate and construction, her enthusiasm, and her candor. Two weeks later, we were in contract on a house we absolutely loved, with an inspection contingency because Sarah had some concerns, and a strategy for negotiation depending on what the inspection found. Sarah called in favors to get us our inspections on time, and ultimately advised us against buying the home. We were sad, but incredibly relieved we hadn't made a very expensive mistake in buying a very water-damaged home. Ultimately it was a blessing in disguise for two reasons: (1) it confirmed for us what we already felt in our gut, that we could trust Sarah's judgement and advice, and (2) two weeks later, we were in contract on a magical home in our dream neighborhood (that we never thought we'd be able to afford). 100% thanks to Sarah, we avoided getting into a bidding war despite 7 other offers, and ended up paying just 10k higher than the next highest offer (and less than our house was later appraised for!). We've been in our new home for about 3 months now and are still blown away that we get to live here. We still reach out to Sarah and Ellie when we have questions or need a referral, and there's no doubt that we'd work with them again if the opportunity arose. We love the Ridges! read more

We so appreciated working with Sarah as our real estate agent. Her knowledge of construction allowed her to point out important aspects of homes that we wouldn't have thought of, which gave me more confidence. She was also a solid partner: transparent, high integrity, and reliable. Our home buying process ended up shifting over time, and she rolled with the changes. It's hard to say enough positive things. She was a solid partner, and we are very thankful and lucky that we worked with her. read more

Sarah was incredible to work with. We purchased our first home with her, and she made it a great experience. Always answered our questions either by phone, email or text. Was available whenever we needed her. Going in we did not think buying a home would be this easy. Sarah made the whole process very enjoyable. Her knowledge of construction and knowing what to look for in both new and old homes proved to be extremely helpful for us. Highly recommended and will definitely work with her in the future! read more

We can't recommend Sarah enough! She's kind, down-to-earth, and full of experience and connections -- and she helped us buy a home we love in a neighborhood we didn't think we'd be able to afford. Sarah will be honest with you about how certain houses may or may not align with your budget, but she'll also let you take the lead if there's a property you're interested in that feels like a stretch. We offered on one house that we thought we had a shot at, and were outbid quite a bit. But the next house -- the one we now own -- initially seemed out of reach until we read the disclosures with Sarah and realized it needed some repairs that turned off other buyers. Sarah used her connections to help us understand the scope, timeline, and approximate cost of those repairs so we could make an offer we'd be comfortable with, and we won! Sarah is responsive in her communications (call/text/email) and can work around your schedule to go look at properties. She went above and beyond to make us, as first-time home buyers, feel taken care of every step of the way. You'll enjoy your time with her, and she'll really teach you how to fish when it comes to the East Bay market and home ownership in general. You're in good hands with Sarah, so hire her now! read more

The short version: We are very glad to have found an amazing realtor with many years of experience. Through Sarah, we found a condo we love in the neighborhood we wanted to be in. She made the process of finding and buying the house as easy as possible. And beyond that, she is still helping us as we experience home ownership for the first time. She has given us many ideas for possible improvements and recommendations on who can fix home issues. She has even dealt with the home warranty company on our behalf. We have recommended Sarah to several of our friends who all found houses they really enjoy and reported similarly positive experiences with Sarah. The long story: We should point out that Sarah has been very patient with us. Four years passed from the time we first reached out to her until we committed to make our first offer on a house. The reasons for this were entirely on our side as my husband decided to have his mid-career crisis and we even moved temporarily out of state. Despite the interruptions, Sarah was always very responsive and understanding. Whenever we said we like a house, she was doing the necessary research on the house to give us her honest opinion about the property. But she also made sure to hear about our impressions of a property so she quickly picked up our taste. And even though we could not exactly verbalize ourselves what features we were looking for in a house, she soon was able to find exactly the right properties for us. Despite the many houses we looked at with her, we never felt any pressure from her end to commit to anything. Sarah's passion is definitively the foundation and roofing of a house and she makes sure to inspect those in person - even if it requires going through crawl space herself. With her many years of experience, she can give you a rough price estimate for all the big ticketed repairs a house needs. But her research for a house also includes many other aspects that you would not think of. For example, she looks at the history of the HOA to gauge whether the other owners are willing to make future investments into the complex. The first time we told Sarah we wanted to (finally) make an offer for a particular house, she again proved her integrity. She said that as our representative, she was willing to move forward if we really wanted to but actually recommended against it pointing out several potential red flags after having visited the place and contacted the selling realtor. She immediately pointed us to a different property only a couple of blocks away - which we really liked and ultimately bought. The bay area is a seller's market. Once you have decided on a house, you need to make a strong offer fast. This is again where Sarah's many years of experience pay off. To illustrate how fast the process ended up being: we saw the property she recommended on Tuesday. The offer for this condo was on Thursday. This was our first offer, we got a counter offer that same Thursday and were in contract by Thursday afternoon. One aspect that made our offer strong and ultimately successful is that we had the loan pre-approved with a reliable and reputable lender that Sarah recommended. To put together the offer, Sarah was on a call with us until midnight that Wednesday to have the offer ready for us to sign by Thursday morning. Despite the time pressure, she still dutifully walked us through the entire inspection report to make sure we understand and are truly comfortable with the decision. We were supposed to write an intro letter - but were so tired by midnight that we were glad when she offered to even do that for us by the next morning. Sarah gifted us a home warranty after purchase. And while we enjoyed our interactions with Sarah, we cannot say the same thing about the home warranty company. The appointments the company made were always several weeks away and they sent in the wrong person to fix the problem. Even though we ended up replacing the leaky flexible pipe ourselves as we grew impatient, the home warranty still charged us a service fee. In the process, Sarah talked to the company several times and managed to move at least the first appointment to a much earlier time - and ultimately managed that the home warranty at least paid for the part rather than charging us a service fee. Sarah even voiced our complaints to the home warranty company's CEO. She definitely goes above and beyond the call of duty and we highly recommend working with her. read more

I don't think I could survive this process without Sarah holding our hands and navigating us through the whole process. Sarah is a professional, always on top of this ever-changing market. She was constantly utilizing her expansive network to get real-time updates on what is happening in the area, find professionals to work with, and outreach to potential buyers. This was a huge benefit as prices fluctuated a lot when we got on the market and we could count on her to give us the best advice on how to proceed. Another truly valuable asset of hers is her ability to figure out how to improve the property while remaining cautious of our expenses as sellers. And did I mention she is the sweetest, most caring, and understanding person to work with? Because she is. We highly recommend her and are so glad we chose her as our realtor! read more

Sarah helped us buy our house in Berkeley six years ago, and she was amazing then, helping us get a house we did not think we had any shot of actually buying. When we decided to sell for a job move, we asked Sarah to help us sell. Sarah has honed an uncanny ability to combine knowledge and intuition to get the best results for her clients. She understood our home's strengths and highlighted them, but perhaps more importantly she understood the weaknesses of the property and subtly targeted her marketing to mitigate them. Her marketing materials were top-notch, including a website and great video. She works incredibly hard and she is thorough and communicative at every step. She has deep networks in the real estate community that help her know what's going on in the market at a granular level that few others could match. Beyond knowing everything about the real estate market, she is knowledgeable about construction, contracting, housing inspections, landscaping, and more. Finally, Sarah is nice, honest, and thoroughly decent. read more

I wish I could give Sarah MANY more stars! I had the absolute privilege of working with Sarah and Ellie to purchase my very first home earlier this year. I cannot say enough about what a complete package Sarah is as a realtor and a human. It was really important to me to find someone who would be open (and maybe even excited) to teach and contextualize this significant and intimidating process. Not only was she an incredible teacher, she gave what I keep telling people was essentially a master class!! I learned so much not just about the logistics of purchasing the home, but she taught me SO much about the mechanics of homes in general- foundations, roofs, construction, she is so freaking smart and experienced that I was honestly a little disappointed when I bought my house that we wouldn't get to spend more time together! I keep recommending Sarah and Ellie, because they will genuinely work around the clock, doing their best to find you a home that fits you and your unique needs. Their reputation in the community is fantastic and will absolutely be an asset to you in this competitive market. Do not think twice, you will be in excellent hands! read more

Sarah represented us as a buyer's agent for nearly a year (July 2020 - May 2021) during one of the Bay Area's most intense and dynamic housing markets. We can say with confidence that there is no other agent than Sarah who could have helped us navigate (and win) in such a tumultuous time. She is an East Bay native and knows the area like the back of her hand, having grown up and lived all over this area. Even as East Bay natives ourselves, we found her knowledge invaluable and nuanced -- she could speak to not only amenities of neighborhoods but also to their histories, personalities, and current real estate trajectories. Sarah has an unparalleled network and is liked and respected by all in the real estate world. Sarah's connections were critical at every part of the buying process: we knew about how other agents were likely to bid; if a home inspection was done by a well-regarded firm; what outcome we could expect from a certain appraiser; and more. Sarah brought a nuanced and strategic perspective to each of our home-buying interactions and bids, calling in personal favors for second opinions or follow-up details to inspections. Moreover, these relationships continue to be so valuable after we won our house - from earthquake insurance to home warranties to arborists, Sarah's generosity extends well after your "official" relationship ends. Her knowledge also extends well beyond people and process. Sometimes, while Sarah was literally on the ground, highlighting a specific exterior foundation issue, other agents who had arrived early would hover close outside to listen and learn. That's because Sarah brings so much knowledge about structure, construction, seismic retrofitting, electrical, and much more. In this market with no inspection contingencies and shortened bidding periods, her experience in this space was often the game-changing confidence that we needed to comfortably move forward on (or skip) a house. However, Sarah's greatest superpower is perhaps her ability to translate this vast expanse of content and connections into competitive bidding strategies, and to do so with warmth and empathy for her clients. Like many buyers, we had multi-faceted needs, e.g., an ADU-compatible lot for family, no desire for modern amenities, transit-accessible, etc. Sarah nimbly translated our needs and preferences, even when we couldn't always articulate them clearly to her or each other. She balanced hearing our opinions while being a candid, insightful thought partner who would give her honest perspective so we could make an informed decision. We are grateful to have worked with her and truly do not think we would be as happy as we are, where we are, without her talent, experience, and partnership. You will not regret working with her! read more

Sarah is an excellent realtor. She is very knowledgeable about Berkeley and the quirks of the residential market here. Plus, she is fun to work with and very responsive. Highly recommend! read more

Sarah is an A+ realtor! Not only is she so knowledgeable about the Bay Area housing market, she understands construction (her husband is a contractor). Between looking over disclosures and inspecting a potential home with her client, she will point out noticings that might be missed by the untrained eye. She is genuine and will help you determine if a house is a "can of worms" or a good opportunity. Sarah has impeccable people and communication skills. Sarah is extremely well regarded and has built positive rapports with several realtors in the area. When it was time for us to put in an offer on a home, she knew the style of the seller's realtor and helped us put together a strong offer. Even though our offer was not the highest, it was the most straightforward. The happy ending: our offer was accepted and now we have a beautiful, safe, spacious home in the East Bay! We are so grateful to Sarah! read more

We were so lucky to have Sarah guiding us through the sometimes rocky sale of our home. Her knowledge & experience were always on display and she was quick to respond and lend a hand with anything that needed to get done to make the sale. Highly recommend! read more

My husband and I started doing some research on realtors in the Berkeley/Albany area and came across Sarah's profile. We were intrigued by the high number of positive 5 stars reviews and also her knowledge in housing construction as my husband works in the field. After our initial phone call, we knew Sarah was the right realtor for us. Her warm and approachable demeanor along with her willingness to educate first time home buyers like us helped seal the deal. Sarah has a great understanding of the housing market in the Berkeley/Albany/Oakland area. She also has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to identifying areas of potential concern regarding the foundation, wood framing, and seismic improvements of the house structure. Sarah understood what we were looking for and was able to identify a potential house for us quickly, cutting our home search process by months. We didn't think we were going to be able to find a home so quickly! We ended up going into contract by the end of the week right before shelter in place started because of COVID. The mortgage loan approval process was not easy because of new regs & rules banks imposed due to market tightening and economic downturn. Sarah was with us the whole way and guided us through the entire process. We're now happy home owners in Berkeley! We highly recommend Sarah and will not hesitate to contact her for future home sell and purchase! read more

In short, Sarah is all you could want in a realtor. She is an ally and limitless resource in this ruthless market. She is fearless, knowledgeable, kind, sharp, open and ready to listen to exactly what you, your partner, your family are looking for, and then somehow, without pressure or discomfort or anything but smarts and hard work, she gets your bid to the top of the pile. She steps into every room of each potential house with a critical and experienced eye, knowing to the smallest detail where problems might be hiding, what to watch out for or consider, or where the value truly is in every piece of property. Also? She really saw our kid, and took time at each showing to share a special feature of the garden or home, ask him his thoughts. She is amazingly knowledgeable about houses and property and contracts and negotiating, yes, but despite what must be a nutty schedule of clients and closings and attending to every tiny detail along the way for all of them, she is truly present when she's with a client, and that is priceless. You know when you see someone who is really, really good at their job? It's like that. Thanks Sarah for our new home, and good luck to all of you out there still searching. read more

I don't know how to write this review of Sarah Ridge without coming across as hyperbolic- that's how fantastic she is. As a person, you want to hang out with her and call her a friend. As your realtor, she goes above and beyond a client's expectations. Simply put, our experience of her preparing our home for the market and navigating the sale, was a dream. We dreaded and were overwhelmed by the thought of having to prepare our house to go on the market. It felt like a boulder was lifted off our shoulders when Sarah explained that, if we would like her to, she could be the project manager for any improvements we needed to make. We blissfully accepted her offer and enjoyed the ease of simply reviewing estimates and paying for work completed. We trusted her thoroughly. Sarah has so many great ideas for touches that would make the home shine, and she was always receptive to our feedback or suggestions. Sarah has extensive knowledge about construction as well as a keen eye for design. She navigates all contractor work with proficiency and ease. She handled any hiccups with grace, humor and solutions. Nothing was ever a problem. Sarah is one of those rare people who sees good rather than bad, potential rather than flaws. Her positivity and relentless optimism allowed us to feel completely unburdened by the process. Sarah would always go the extra mile- from little touches that add up to have a big impact, to weeding anytime she was at the property (which was often). She had a genuine love for our home, it's potential, and thoughtfulness about what the prospective buyers would want. Her description of our home in the listing was so heartfelt and lovely that it made me emotional. We feel so grateful to have found Sarah, and we know that she works tirelessly for all her clients. We can not recommend her highly enough. Sarah Ridge is magic! read more

After going to some open houses on my own for a couple months, I finally got serious about buying a place and connected with Sarah. Total game changer! I had no idea what a great real estate agent looked like until then. She was my coach, advisor, advocate, and educator. If I had to synthesize all the qualities that make her stand out, I'd boil it down to these: Deeply committed: Sarah is highly responsive and proactive. She quickly (and thoroughly) responded to my endless questions and would volunteer her time generously. She'd also send me updates regularly, including houses off market, with detailed explanations about the places and why she thought I should check them out. She'd spend hours seeing places with me - with more energy and enthusiasm than I had on most days! She's a trouper. Smart and knowledgeable: Sarah was always asking thoughtful questions to help me figure things out and see blind spots. In the Bay Area, where real estate is a serious (and crazy expensive) commitment, it helps to have someone with a steady head to guide you and ask tough questions. Also, she knows a TON about houses, and educated me beyond my expectations. She taught me about french drains and subsurface drains, identifying various types of seismic work and when it was done, and understanding how to identify moisture and structural problems. She helped me become more confident as I navigated open houses and making offers. And now, as a new home owner (thanks Sarah!), I feel better equipped to handle the responsibility. Trustworthy: Sarah is incredibly authentic and has integrity in spades. She is truthful, open, and transparent. There were times when it would have been in her best interest to push me toward a house or price that I wasn't comfortable with, but she didn't. She was patient and realistic, operating with a very high level of integrity. I always felt that Sarah was in my corner and put my best interest first. With so many agents to choose from, it can be hard to gauge quality and expertise. Simply put, Sarah is the Tesla in a pool of Priuses. She's the diamond in a sea of glass. And when she finally closes for you, she's the Cristal to all that Freixenet! read more

Buying a home in the Bay Area is a daunting process, but Sarah makes it as easy as possible! As first time home buyers, it was important to myself and my partner that we have a capable real estate agent. Sarah is that and a whole lot more - she possesses decades of experience and a broad professional network. She invests quality time with her clients and shows deep care for her work. We learned so much from Sarah about how to navigate the market and spot potential issues or opportunities on listings. Her construction knowledge is extensive, which is invaluable in such a competitive market. Perhaps most importantly, she steered us when we needed it and helped us build confidence in what we were doing. read more

Thanks to Sarah Ridge, we sold our house for over twice the price that we originally paid for it and in advance of a very tight deadline. We could not have found a better real estate agent! Her breadth of experience, wise decision-making, seemingly endless patience, great sense of humor, excellent communication skills, and wide professional network supported us throughout the entire process. She provided invaluable counsel and gave us peace of mind at every step. From the beginning, Sarah acquainted herself with our goals and set clear expectations about the road ahead. She responded to all our first-time seller texts, emails, and calls quickly and kindly. She provided highly effective project management during the house's preparation for sale by diligently budgeting what needed to get done with careful attention to cost efficiency. She identified, hired, and oversaw professional contractors to take care of a wide variety of jobs and made sure the house was set up for success on the market. Once the house was listed, she offered us essential guidance with the strongest offer and advocated strongly on our behalf with the buyer's agent. She enabled us to close the sale quickly at an incredible price that was way above what we had listed. We are still so impressed by how gracefully and wisely Sarah navigated through all the complexities of real estate sales in close partnership with us. We hope to work with her again in the future and cannot recommend her highly enough!! read more

Sarah is incredible. She went above and beyond for us in so many ways, even after we closed on the house. She never pressured us to offer more than we were comfortable with, but always gave us a realistic sense of what a house would actually sell for. She has excellent relationships with many other realtors and was able to get us early access to a handful of houses. She was also very on top of the market shifts (and there were a lot given the pandemic) and adapted her strategies as needed over the 6 months or so we worked together. This is what ultimately helped us close on the perfect house for us at a really good price. Also worth noting, she is really good with kids and took their wants and needs into account as well. Having her local knowledge of the schools, playgrounds, etc. was especially helpful in narrowing down the many great neighborhoods. I would not hesitate to recommend Sarah to anyone looking to buy or sell a home in the east bay. She is seriously the best! read more

Sara is a fantastic real estate agent. I cannot recommend her more highly. She is efficient, calm, intelligent, and conscientious. I expected to lose money when selling my house because I had bought it at the top of the market and was selling it after the market took a dive. Sarah's fantastic work resulted in my house selling for $20,000 more than I bought it for. Amazing! read more

I just purchased my first home and Sarah made the process so much less intimidating and easy. Her knowledge about homes in the east bay is so expansive and she knows exactly where to look for issues with homes in this area. Sarah has been great and i would absolutely use her again! read more

Sarah recently helped us purchasing our house. She was incredibly knowledgeable, professional and friendly. She worked seamlessly with our lender and made sure our interests were well protected. We could not be happier with her performance and we highly recommend her services. read more