Arlene went above and beyond for us throughout our home buying journey, from preparing a detailed…read morereal estate report on the area we were interested in to ensuring we had a seamless closing & move-in. Her can-do attitude and problem solving skills were especially appreciated because we had our hands full with an active toddler and expecting a second kid. If you want a realtor who gets things done and is lovely to work with, look not further.

My husband and I used Arlene as our agent when purchasing our first home earlier this year and have…read morefound that it's hard to describe just how wonderful she is. Close friends of ours used her to buy their home and they loved working with her so much we knew we had to go with Arlene when it was time for us to buy. As first time home buyers, navigating the process seemed intimidating but Arlene made it as simple as possible. She knows the area extremely well and quickly picked up on the details and small things that we were looking for in a home that can sometimes be hard to describe. She made sure to familiarize us to all of the paperwork and forms that go into the house buying process well before we were putting an offer in so we would be prepared to move quickly in a competitive market. Not only did Arlene help us navigate an extremely stressful market with ease but she went above and beyond in her customer service. We truly felt like she put our needs and desires first and was not looking to get us to buy the first house that we saw just so she could make her commission. Although we have no plans of leaving the Bay or selling our home I seriously hope I get to work with Arlene again because she is the complete package and everything you could ask for in an agent.

My wife and I weren't looking for just another house, we were looking for our forever home when I…read morefirst found Rebecca Sayami. I've spent over 15 years as a technical sourcing recruiter. Interviewing people, asking tough questions, and separating polished presentations from genuine expertise is literally what I do for a living. So when it came time to choose our realtor, I approached things the same way. I interviewed more than 35 real estate agents throughout Castro Valley, including several from Rebecca's own brokerage, Keller Williams. Coming from Silicon Valley, already an epicenter of the smartest and richest people in the world, we were moving our family to a quaint, unincorporated town we barely knew, so I wanted someone who didn't just sell homes here; I wanted someone who actually lived here, was involved in the community, and understood what life is really like for a family. Rebecca was the clear choice. What impressed me wasn't just her knowledge of the housing market, it was her current knowledge of Castro Valley. Her son is about the same age as mine, so when we talked about schools, youth activities, and local businesses, everything came from recent, up-to-date firsthand experience. She introduced us to programs like Kids Bowl Free, recommended a local bowling shop that will save us money on rentals, and shared countless little tips that made us feel like we weren't just buying a house, we were becoming part of the community. We met Rebecca about a year in advance of our timeline and really started working together maybe 4 or 5 months before purchase. We toured roughly 15+ homes and while many places had great potential, they just weren't quite a perfect fit, always a quirk or two that ended up being a deal-breaker. But when we did find The One, we were able to win the first house we bid on! One and done!! Rebecca was patient, always responsive to my endless questions and rambling stories, and pointed out things we probably wouldn't have considered on our own. She helped us look beyond the house itself and think about whether each neighborhood would be the right fit for our family. Another thing that really stood out was how Rebecca helped us think through the disclosures and inspection reports. As a first-time homebuyer, it's easy to look at a long inspection report and think every item is a major problem. Rebecca helped us separate normal homeownership from genuine red flags. For example, the HVAC is about 30 years old and still running. My first reaction was, "That's going to need replacing." Rebecca helped us step back and look at the bigger picture. We weren't buying a brand-new construction home, we were buying a well-maintained house built in the 1940s. I compared it to buying a used car and noticing the tires are getting worn. Sure, they'll probably need replacing eventually, but that's already reflected in the price. If everything had been brand new, we likely would have been paying considerably more. That perspective helped us evaluate the house rationally instead of emotionally and gave us the confidence to make an informed offer that ultimately won. She also patiently walked us through the buyer representation agreement, disclosures, inspections, purchase agreement, escrow process, and all the little nuts and bolts of buying a home. I never felt like I was signing documents just because everyone else was; I understood what I was signing and why it mattered. I think what really separates Rebecca is that her relationship with us didn't end after closing. She recommended an excellent steam cleaning company before we moved in and still sends us local recommendations, family activities, and community resources. As someone who works in HR, I joked with my wife that Rebecca didn't just help us buy a house, she's been onboarding our family into Castro Valley! After interviewing more than 35 Realtors for roughly an hour each, I can honestly say choosing her ended up being one of the easiest decisions we made. I still remember smiling and telling her, "Rebecca... we choose you, Pikachu!" If we ever buy or sell another home in Castro Valley, Rebecca will be our first call. Thank you, Rebecca, for helping our family find not only our forever home, but also making us feel right at home in Castro Valley*~

We bought a home with Rebecca in Castro Valley in 2023. The key differentiator about her versus…read moreother real estate agents is her level of involvement in the community. It was the primary reason we chose her to be our agent. She organizes things like annual Easter Egg hunts, cupcakes at Castro Valley restaurant walk, Girl Scout cookies, and a dozen others things I'm sure she does quietly in the background. She also gave us great advice and support during the process that saved us literal tens of thousands of dollars. She'll be our first choice the next time we need any kind of real estate agent.

Rachel Hardyck is by far the best real estate broker I have ever worked with. I looked for a house…read morein the Bay Area for 5 years without any luck and nearly gave up, but was fortunate enough to have met Rachel this year. She immediately understood what I was looking for and offered extremely helpful advice during my search. I ended up finding a house that I love in an area that is just right for my family and could not be happier. Rachel went above and beyond during the entire process and brought a sense of calm to what could have been a very stressful process. My family had a lot going on and Rachel was always so patient with us. She managed to not only make the process as smooth as possible but also added a sense of humor to it, which we loved. I highly recommend Rachel to anyone looking to buy or sell a home!

My wife and I recently had the pleasure of working with Rachel to find our first home. Buying a…read morehome in the bay area seems more difficult than other areas but Rachel made the process for us both enjoyable and rewarding. We had spoken with other agents before we (fortunately!) found Rachel. From the first introductory call to the moment we stepped in our new home as owners, she was patient, hardworking, savvy, and so very competent in this work. Her vast knowledge of this area and ability to find us multiple options was so helpful. But the manner in which she works, her warm personality and professional approach to the whole process was what we feel truly set her apart. She is kind, funny, and personable, yet also direct and honest. Rare combination! She fielded all of our newbie questions with great information, paying particular attention to detail on all the 'little things' that we were looking for in our first home. She was always available for advice, showed as many homes as we wanted, and found many off-market options for us too. At times when we didn't think it would be possible for us, she also helped us stay positive and focused on our goal. We ended up getting a wonderful home in the area we wanted, and she was able to negotiate the price down until it worked for us. We couldn't be happier to have had the pleasure of working with her and we love our new home! Oh yeah, and she also was able to do all of this during 'shelter in place' orders due to Covid-19. Incredible... =) Bottom line = she is the best and if we had to do it all over again, the only way we would is if Rachel represented us!

Julie is amazing. Her knowledge, flexibility, contacts, always being able to go the extra mile…read moremade our sale with Red Oak a success. Julie understands the importance of timing, the market and the sale ability for a property. Julie advised us with great insight and detailed directions on the renovation of our 1927 Spanish Mediterranean. There were many challenges with partially remodeling an almost 100 year old home. Julie advised us and clearly guided us through our hurdles. I more than recommend Julie as a realtor. You would be blessed to have her as your realtor and a fool to use anyone else!

Julie is the best! She is knowledgeable, communicative and will work hard for you. We have been…read moreexceptionally happy with Julie.

We had a wonderful experience working with Julie to buy our home in Redwood City. She has lived her…read morewhole life in the South Bay, and knows the housing market and neighborhoods inside and out. She took the time to really understand what we were looking for. When we passed on the first few houses we saw, she asked thoughtful questions, quickly got a sense of our priorities and values, and found several homes--including some off-market ones--that were great fits for us. Julie was enormously dedicated and responsive. She spent full weekends taking us to see houses, and during negotiations, which involved a lot of back and forth, she was always on call--responding to our texts and calls (sometimes in the late evening) within seconds. She gave us honest advice about the pros and cons of different options without ever pushing us in one direction. Most importantly, Julie was a pleasure to work with--kind, patient, and great with our (sometimes impatient) 1 and 3-year-old kids. It was clear she cared about more than just closing a deal--she was process-oriented and wanted us to feel confident and informed. Buying in this housing market is not easy, and we're so grateful we had her on our side. We would absolutely recommend her to anyone looking for a home in the area.

Julie was great and friendly. We sent her our list of priorities for what we were looking for in a…read morehome. She didn't waste our time with homes that she knew we either wouldn't like or didn't meet our priority list. She worked hard to show lots of homes in the area we were looking to live. Once we found a home Julie worked day and night with us to get everything together. She relayed all information from the seller and banks in a quick and timely fashion. She was quick to respond with any and all questions regardless of the hour and didn't make us feel left out or in the dark. She in the end was able to pass the keys to me and my wife for our home! Thanks for everything Julie it was a pleasure to work with you! Dan & Danielle.

It was an absolute pleasure partnering with Julie on our home buying journey. Julie is a dedicated…read moreand knowledgeable realtor, committed to ensuring that we make an informed decision while making an offer on a home. I highly appreciate her timely support and guidance throughout the home buying process. Julie always makes time to talk through options and plans, has a network of professional contacts to support specific aspects of homebuying such as specialty insurance providers, contractors. Julie's reliability and responsiveness combined with her strong negotiation skills helped us secure a great home. We are grateful to Julie for get guidance and support and wish her continued success!

Julie Flouty is an amazing real estate agent and I recommend her without hesitation. With her help,…read morewe went from just starting our search to closing on an amazing home in just six weeks! Julie demonstrated several outstanding strengths during our time working with her: #1 - In-depth knowledge of the market. Julie was very on top of the housing market in San Mateo County, constructing and updating a portfolio of homes for us to look at as she learned our taste and needs. She was able to provide knowledge of homes that would be listed soon, and was able to steer us towards desirable neighborhoods and away from houses that would have problems. Julie's knowledge granted us an information advantage, and helped to ensure that we were able to find and quickly close on the house that we desired. #2 - Connections to Agents, Brokers, and other useful contacts. Julie is well connected throughout San Mateo County, and through her network was able to get us access to tour houses outside of the normal open house hours. She also has a collection of some of the best mortgage brokers in the area, and we were able to swiftly close on our home without any issue at all. Finally, she has a strong network of skilled contractors, which has been immediately helpful as we seek to make repairs and upgrades to the house. I'm a very busy person, and dreaded having to discover all of this myself. Having Julie's connections has saved me time and money where they have mattered the most. #3 - Care for us as buyers and people. Julie showed tremendous care for us as buyers and people, seeking to understanding our hopes and dreams in order to land us in a home we would love. I came to trust her throughout the process, and knew that she always had our best interests at heart. To give a specific example- it had been 15 years since I last negotiated a house purchase and I was unsure of how to think through the strategy of making offers. Julie guided us through the purchasing process and gave us sound advice while we were negotiating, allowing us to successfully close on the deal in the face of other buyers. Without Julie, I don't think we'd have landed the house! I wholeheartedly recommend Julie Flouty as a real estate agent, and would work with her again in a heartbeat. Her knowledge, connections, and care exceed the other agents I've worked with in the past, and directly resulted in us purchasing a home that we simply love. Thank you so much, Julie!

Let's face it, real estate in San Francisco is incredibly competitive, borderline BANANA-LAND where…read moreplaces go hundreds of thousands over asking and you begin to wonder if you'll ever find a small place to call home. You worked hard for your money. If you are going to compete and get above the noise, then you need an agent who can win and work even harder for you. Diane is a well-connected agent who hears of listings before they even hit the market, incredibly knowledgeable on every neighborhood down to each street (shes lived in the inner mission for 20+ years) and will HUSTLE hard for you morning, noon and night and especially on the weekends. There is never any pressure. Whether it takes a month or a year shes got your back and shes feels a lot more like a mentor than a traditional "agent". My husband and I used her to find a place in SOMA before it even hit the MLS. Two years later we used her to sell our place well above asking and waited for the right offer despite lots of interest. And now we are using her to find us a fixer upper house that we can make into our own. If you are a smart, savvy and well informed buyer then you know that this is not something you can just find online. You truly need an insider, an advocate and an informed professional who can navigate this fluid and changing landscape with skill, authenticity and honesty. We've both bought and sold places in SF with Diane and she's been the difference maker every single time. You'll hear that difference in her approach and her attitude after speaking just a few moments with her. Truly an incredible agent, an incredible woman and indispensable asset for your search or sale.

Buying your first place in San Francisco is like an Olympic sport. To emerge successfully from this…read morecrazy, confusing and sometimes convoluted market, you need a partner who has your back and treats you like a human being, not a transaction. Diane was that partner and was the only reason I was able to get my apartment. I was supremely confident at first that I didn't need an agent and could utilize online resources and my own street smarts to figure things out. Just find the apartment on Redfin, see it and buy it, right? I couldn't have been more wrong and Diane is the only reason I was able to get an incredible apartment and a deal (yes I said deal and SF in the same sentence) on my apartment. She's thoughtful and really hustles. At no point did I ever feel pressure to find something that was anything less than exactly what I wanted and she is deeply connected in the market including with selling agents. Relationships matter. Finding a home (especially a first one) is an emotional whirlwind and Diane was always there to offer perspective, and solid guidance. Financing can be stressful too and she really came through when things got bumpy. She ran comps, dealt with my incessant calling and offered reassurance and expert advice when I needed it most. My only regret is that I waited so long to reach out to her and I've recommended her to all of my friends and colleagues, even who are just initially exploring the market and educating themselves. Even more amazingly Diane continues to check in and reach out half a year later, reminding me about property taxes, offering relevant news and comps and being not only a wonderful and authentic broker, but just a great person too. Thank you Diane for helping me find a home in this crazy city!!!

I honestly don't know how to put into words how much Julie means to me, but I can try. It was…read moreserendipitous that I met her one year before we would run into each other again, and I inquired about her support. I told her at the homebuyers orientation that I've had this dream for such a long time, I just didn't know how to put it into action. And that's where she stepped in. She made what felt so far away and impossible, feel like it was in my hands and more than possible. We worked together for over six months, and that time was anything but linear. Life kept shifting, plans moved a few times differently, but through all of it, she showed up each time. Every time. She walked through homes with me, sent me listings to review, checked in on what I thought, what I felt, what was and wasn't working for me. It never felt transactional. It felt like she actually wanted to help me find the right place, not just any place. Julie paid attention. When I gave feedback on a property, she listened and adjusted. When I was unsure, she gave me space to think without pressure. And when I was excited, she got excited with me. The part of this journey I'll never forget is when we lost an offer, and then somehow got it back. That moment captured everything I love about our time. She didn't give up, she didn't panic, she just went to work. And it paid off in the most full-circle way. I'm sitting in my home right now, and I still can't believe it's mine. A huge part of that is because of Julie. If you're even thinking about buying, do yourself a favor and reach out to her. You'll be in the best hands working with someone who will be equally excited to find a home with you.

I first met Julie at an open house two years ago and stayed in touch as we explored the idea of…read morepurchasing a property in the Bay Area. While our plans shifted and we eventually moved out of the area, when it came time to sell our condo in Hayward, Julie was the agent we trusted to get it done. She knows the area, understands the market, and truly puts in the work. Our condo had previously been on the market for three months with no offers, but once Julie stepped in--getting it staged and listed--we had an offer in just two weeks and closed within three! The market isn't easy for sellers right now, but Julie delivered results. I couldn't recommend her more!