Tracy McBride is exceptional. Tracy helped us sell our home in May, 2022. I was surprised to find out just how much the market has changed. It's no longer a simple task of "list it, then sell it". It is a more intricate process. In this regard Tracy McBride stood out as a personable, knowledgeable, professional real estate agent with a passion and drive to offer homes that are exciting to buyers. I found her insight and personal expression to be infectious. She woke me out of my balkiness, and hesitation about improvements. She listens well and with her background, is very convincing. Tracy's attention to detail is remarkable. When it comes to how things work, where things are positioned, even where things need to be, like finding light switches in the dark, she can be quite firm. Tracy, an adept communicator with extensive background in bringing all the components together makes it all look like an easy, natural flow. She has vision and insight, even for the most mundane of aspects, like odd closets, and bringing them to life. And, with her network of capable contractors and their feedback about how their subprojects fit with the overall intent and vision, our project was beautifully integrated and so appealing. Just having Tracy as a coach was exciting and rewarding. So, when you're looking for someone with strong market insight, skillful, professional project management capability, an extensive network of capable contractors, a drive to maximize the sellers return, and who has an engaging, personable communication style, talk to Tracy McBride. read more

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I engaged Tracy McBride of Compass Realty as my broker for the sale of a home at 1440 Summit Road, Berkeley, CA. My experience with her was so outstanding that a few months later I contacted her to assist me in finding and purchasing a condominium apartment. For both transactions, I give her my most enthusiastic, unqualified recommendation. On a scale of 1-10, I would give her a 10 for all of the qualities a buyer, or a seller, would want in a real estate agent. I am a retired commercial attorney but the law, customs and practices for real estate purchase and sale transactions have changed greatly since I graduated from UC Berkeley Law in 1965 or when I purchased my first home in 1967. There is no way that I would want to engage in either a sale or a purchase of a home without skilled guidance. Having Tracy on my side gave me a high degree of comfort in both the sale of my house and the purchase of my condo. In the sale of my home, there were numerous details and decisions to be made. Tracy made a very thorough inspection of my house and gave me a list of things that either had to be corrected or disclosed to prospective buyers. I followed that advice in every instance so that, after the transaction closed, I not only felt that I would have no legal liability to the purchasers for failure to disclose but also was satisfied that I had acted with utmost integrity and "turned square corners" in the sale of my home. Even though my home was in relatively good condition, Tracy gave me flawless advice as to what needed to be "fixed up" to improve its chances for a successful sale. I accepted almost every recommendation she made and I'm glad I did. Likewise, her advice regarding pricing proved to be excellent. And when it came time to open the bids, she again gave me excellent advice. After I had accepted one of the bids, she guided me through the closing process--which I was astonished to find involved a large stack of documents, most of which were unheard of in 1965 or 1967--with great and calming skill. Selling one's home is often a complicated and emotional thing. In my case, my wife and I had built our architect-designed, prize-winning home and I was very proud of and emotionally attached to it. Moreover, my wife and recently passed away. Tracy's guidance throughout the transaction was so expert and professional that I made the decisions I had to make largely without drama or emotion. I was comfortable with the entire process from beginning to end, and in retrospect as well. A few months later I asked Tracy to keep an eye out for a condominium apartment for me. The Berkeley condominium market doesn't have much to offer, but she found an unusual--perhaps unique--condo for me. Once again, she gave me incredibly sage advice as to how to structure my bid so that it would stand the best possible chance of being accepted. (This transaction was at the peak of the 2022 real estate market; as I recall, there were 14 offers on this condo.) And, once again, her advice was spot-on, and I emerged the successful bidder. In both of these transactions, I never had any reason to doubt that Tracy was acting 100% in my best interests (which in my experience, both personal and professional, is not always the case). I found her to be a person of the highest integrity and skill. I also found her to be easy to reach (emails and phone calls were responded to quickly), and that she would then promptly do whatever she said she would do. Finally, she is a lovely person who makes a challenging process as relaxing and pleasant as possible. read more

Wow, what can I say! Tracy McBride was truly the most exceptional real estate agent I have ever dealt with. I have bought & sold six rental properties & four primary homes and I've never had an experience like I did listing my deceased mother's home with Tracy. I had seen Tracy's excellent ads dating back to 2015 and have kept in touch with her and received advice on the first stage of renovations of this beautiful Victorian in 2016. In 2020, I contacted Tracy to list the home. We had over two months of remodeling and renovations performed and Tracy was there every day 2 to 3 times a day monitoring the progress and assisting me in sourcing materials and contractors. I live 90 miles away from the home and could not have accomplished this task so efficiently and effectively without her assistance. Absolutely blown away by this level of service. Five stars does not do justice to that type of professionalism and assistance. Her staging, photography and actual sketch of the home were eye popping. I've done nothing but tell stories of this experience to anyone who will listen to me because it is so unusual. Do not miss the opportunity to work with this unbelievable professional. You will not be disappointed. Thank you Tracy! read more

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We have worked with Tracy 3 times now, this being the first time we've sold a house with her. She was extremely helpful getting the house ready for sale, taking on extra as my wife and I have an infant to handle and I'm facing some serious health difficulties. Her communication was great and we trusted her judgement on a majority of the decisions and she was very responsive to any of our input on how we wanted to present the house. She guided us through the tricky process of choosing a good offer, and we ended up closing with an extremely good price. We wouldn't work with anyone else! read more

Tracy is an absolute godsend for busy home buyers. One of the first homes we considered was tricky (a renovated cinema theater) and she went above and beyond to get us educated on the structural engineering and financing needs of such a house. While we ended up not getting it, we knew we had found the agent of our dreams! Tracy is not only the nicest person you will meet, but also extremely smart, diligent and detail oriented - making sure no ball's dropped in the process. She sourced all the experts we needed and ended up using, from home inspectors to reliable local lenders. We worked with her for over 4 months and she always gave use good counsel. She never once pressurizing us to raise our offer and close. One we finally closed and moved in, it was our privilege to have her there celebrating with us. Working with Tracy is like having an expert friend help you find a house you will love. read more

I feel so fortunate to have found Tracy McBride when I began the process of selling my home in Berkeley. I first contacted Tracy in 2016 when I was thinking about downsizing. She helped me look at other homes for sale in the area and we discussed options and what I might need to do to fix my home up for selling. Then I decided to put it on the back burner for a while. Tracy never pressured me or even contacted me about continuing with a sale of my house. In 2019 when I knew it was time to sell I contacted her again. Tracy was patient, kind and incredibly helpful. She calmly began to help with the process, working on disclosures and what needed to be done to get the house in the best condition for the best outcome. Before Covid we met at my house on Fridays and made plans for what to fix: new lights for the hall, which rooms to paint, which floors to refinish. She was sensitive to how much I could spend and never insisted on anything. She made suggestions and found consultants when needed but always respected my aesthetic choices and was aware of the emotional impact of moving out of a house I had lived in for so many years. It was always so much fun to work with her. After Covid shut everything down we met weekly on Zoom and discussed how strange everything was. She was always in contact with her company to know the requirements for navigating real estate in the midst of a pandemic. I saw that working with Compass gave her many resources and knowledge about the latest developments. With Tracy it wasn't just about selling a house; it was about a relationship. I got to know Tracy as a friend and appreciated that she was always respectful of me and of everyone we dealt with in the process of selling the house. Tracy was resourceful in everything: who to ask for fixing things, where to go to buy a vanity at a good price, who to call for hauling, where to go to recycle. Over and above Tracy helped guide me through the whole process. She met with workers when I couldn't, picked things up that were needed and communicated with all who worked on the house. She even helped me dig through my storage unit to find the crystal door handle that had accidentally been put in a dresser drawer. It was an original door handle from when the house was built and Tracy knew that it would be hard to replace and that it was an important detail for selling the house. As always we had fun doing it. And thinking of it reminds me of her ability to see the details as well as the big picture. That attention to detail extended to her reading over all of the fine print and catching things that needed to be corrected. Also remarkable as was her ability to explain everything that was happening step by step. In the end as offers came through she helped me so much, guiding me through the process, dealing with all parties in a calm and considerate way. She kept me informed about what was happening and what I needed to do and what I needed to do next. If I called her with a question she got right back to me. She understands the stress that comes with selling a house and does all that she can to minimize that stress. With Tracy McBride you are working with an intelligent individual who sees the big picture, is philosophical and very ethical. It was truly enjoyable to work with her. I cannot imagine a better outcome with anyone else. I cannot recommend her highly enough. Suzanne Lacke read more

My husband and I feel so lucky to have had Tracy as our agent. She helped us sell a lot we owned in Berkeley that we loved and felt very attached to. Not only did she help us successfully navigate our sale, she gave us excellent guidance and information without ever being pushy. When we decided to decline an offer she helped us to re-strategize how we wanted to sell it and they type of buyer we were looking for. She was patient and we waited for something right for us. We weren't in a rush to sell, and she never pressured us to take something that wasn't what we wanted. She kept us involved with updates during the entire process and was extremely transparent with all of her discussions with other agents and other stakeholders. When we were deciding between two offers, Tracy helped us think through the pros and cons of each and brought up a lot of points we never considered. Also, she is meticulous and thorough, which is unbelievably valuable during the buying and selling process. There is a lot to know and consider and Tracy is a wealth of knowledge. Anything she doesn't know, she researches! We felt like we were in the best hands with her. I could sing her praises for days, but here's the bottom line: work with her to buy or sell. You won't regret it. read more

Tracy McBride helped me purchase my home 8 years ago. I cannot day enough about how knowledgeable she is. She helped me find the best home, after her keen insight spotted potential downsides to homes I was dazzled by. She was a voice of reason and clarity and guided me through the complicated maze of home purchase. I cannot recommend her highly enough! read more

We highly recommend Tracy. We were thrilled to work with her to buy our Berkeley home in 2019. As recent transplants from NYC, we are seasoned home buyers with a long list of home wants/needs; however, we were new to CA real estate. After hearing horror stories about Berkeley's competitive market, we expected to house hunt for 1-2 years. Instead, with Tracy's guidance, we bought the first house on which we made an offer! Tracy was simply amazing in helping us navigate the market to find a perfect house. She is a consummate professional - quick to respond to inquiries, incredibly organized, lightning fast in providing documents to our lender & title company, and utterly calm in high-pressure situations. We were especially grateful to benefit from her expertise in evaluating the pros/cons and structural integrity of prospective properties. Careful walk-throughs with Tracy helped up decide between two homes we loved. Thanks in large part to Tracy's diligence, we closed a week early and celebrate the holidays in our new home. read more

Tracy knocked it out of park in representing us as buyers (in El Cerrito) and sellers (in Kensington). In buying our new house, Tracy helped us navigate and monetize quirks of the property. She helped us act nimbly during the offer process and I am confident that we got the most bang for the buck. As sellers, Tracy helped us prioritize upgrades to the property. She worked within our budget and was never pushy when we decided to forego certain items. Tracy marketed the property on multiple fronts, creating quite a buzz. We are in a sellers' market but I have no doubt that Tracy's extra marketing effort paid off in the final sale price. You can't go wrong in hiring Tracy for your next real estate transaction! read more

5 stars is not nearly enough! Tracy helped us buy our house, after being recommended by a friend who also bought her house with Tracy. A+ in every category! She made the whole house buying process so much easier, carefully explaining everything that goes into it and patiently answers our long lists of questions. We really can't say enough good things - we've already recommended her to every friend who is even thinking of buying a house. You need an agent who is good. You will also be spending a lot of time with your agent, and it's great to have someone friendly and helpful. Tracy is both. read more

My wife and I had been house hunting for a couple of months, and eventually came across a place we absolutely loved. We did our research on the house for about a week and decided we wanted to make an offer. The problem was, it was Friday morning before a holiday weekend and offers were due on the following Wednesday. We knew we needed to get an agent fast, and our friends had recommended Tracy to us. Tracy met us at the house that day after work and went through a laundry list of things to consider and the plan for the next few days. She then met us first thing on Saturday morning to go over any questions we had, put together our offer package, discuss comps, etc. Over the course of the next few days, we sent Tracy a barrage of emails with questions, comments and research on the property. She arranged for an engineer to meet us on site (and joined) with limited notice to discuss our concerns. Again, this is all during a holiday weekend after we called her to see if she would represent us that Friday morning. During this time, Tracy was also careful to point out potential concerns with the property, additional research suggested and other properties that she thought we should consider. She seemed to have an intuition that we were perhaps overexcited about this particular property. We had completed almost all of our to-do list when we came across a huge issue with the property on what we thought would be a routine check with no problems. We sent Tracy an email the night before she was going to finalize our offer (after we had already decided on all terms), letting her know that we were concerned with what we had come across. She immediately emailed back that she didn't think the property was for us if we were hesitating, and we decided to scrap the offer at the 11th hour. It was at that moment that I knew we had the best agent out there. She could have let us go all in with no reservations, but instead made sure we were fully informed and exercising appropriate caution. She takes her fiduciary duty seriously, and I had no doubt that she would always be looking out for our best interests after she sabotaged her own opportunity for a commission by recommending that we not submit the offer that she had worked all weekend preparing on short notice. And yes, for all the readers out there who only care about the end result - with Tracy's help, we did ultimately find the home that was meant for us. TLDR - Would highly recommend, A+++ read more

We are extremely lucky to have worked with Tracy on a home purchase in summer/fall 2018. Thanks to her insight, diligence, work ethic, and understanding of our needs and preferences we landed a house that we truly love. Tracy was deeply knowledgeable and insightful about all aspects of house hunting, purchasing, and owning. We hit a few unusual scenarios in our search, and Tracy's expertise, judgment, guidance, and stellar network of professionals with whom we could consult made us feel that we were making the best informed decisions possible. Since we relocated from New York City, and had previously owned a coop apartment, almost all aspects of home-owning in California were new to us. Working with Tracy was like going through a master class, and we are much better homeowners as a result of having done so. We found her to be incredibly responsive -- always available to discuss any aspect of the purchase, and patient in talking through not just the hard financial and engineering details but also our own thinking about trade-offs and priorities. We felt she "got" what we wanted, and we deeply trusted her knowledge and her judgment and experience. Tracy is also highly respected by her peers in other real estate agencies. Every time we mentioned her name to a showing broker, their faces lit up. Her reputation is more than well-deserved. She is solid, ethical, trustworthy, deeply knowledgeable and possesses a great eye for detail -- just the qualities you want to rely on in this often stressful and intransparent process. We feel very lucky we met her. read more

Tracy helped us buy us our first home. Throughout the process, there were so many times when my husband and I would say to each other: "Tracy is so good" --- now it's time to tell others. We initially worked with another agent who friends recommended. However, we realized this agent lacked knowledge of Berkeley neighborhoods, made us adapt to her schedule and communication preferences, and did not provide any guidance in pricing our offers. Tracy was the complete opposite in all the best ways. She is very proactive, responsive, and an excellent communicator. It's easy to get discouraged as a buyer in this market, but Tracy always stayed positive and checked in with us, and offered to show us homes that sometimes did not have open houses. She suggested homes that we did not initially consider, but were worth exploring, and her suggestions kept within our desires and budget. We visited and sometimes made offers on a broad range of homes, from fixer craftsmen to multifamily properties to condos. When discussing comparables, she was very knowledgeable of recent sales and would point out what she thought were outliers versus good values or whether there were hidden issues with a house that might have affected its sale price. She also came through in a number of instances. When we went off the grid on a camping trip she prepared an offer that was ready for us to sign when we came back. She reviewed, item by item, potential costs for immediate improvements for a moderate fixer so we were able to make sure that the offer and cash needed for immediate fixes would stay within our budget. We were ready to make our first offer on a condo but she pointed out a potential issue with our pre-approval financing and called our mortgage broker and other brokers to troubleshoot the situation. In the run-up to our offer being accepted, Tracy found out how many other offers there were, how our offer measured up with our competition, and ultimately figuring out the exact price needed for our counteroffer to win. Tracy is a consummate professional and in this tricky market, we would highly recommend having her by your side! read more

Tracy is great and will exceed every lofty expectation you might have of a top agent. We found Tracy because her name came up again and again as either buyer or seller on homes in competitive neighborhoods in Berkeley and Albany. As we got to work with her, we noticed many her strengths; a wealth of experience and knowledge about the process of buying or selling a home, enviable organizational skills, a tireless work ethic, working relationships with quality contractors, a formidable local reputation, a patient and steadfast demeanor as she guides you through what can be a taxing process. We first met Tracy in-person in mid-July. She educated us on the home buying process and making a competitive offer. On our very first bid, she helped us thoroughly evaluate the condition of the home, got accurate pricing of nearby recent sales, and found creative ideas to give our offer an edge. Surprisingly, we won out over several bids including one that was similarly priced. Tracy deftly kept us on track through the escrow process and helped us generally prepare for home ownership. We closed on our home in Berkeley at the end of August, not much more than six weeks after starting working with her. We can't recommend her highly enough. read more

Tracy helped us buy a home in Berkeley. She is a pleasure to work with: hitting just the right combination of warmth and professionalism. She was a great communicator, quickly understanding our preferences and explaining the practical issues of the home-buying market here. Though we were experienced home buyers/owners, her expertise and connections were extremely helpful. She was reassuring over a long process of looking, and was fast and supportive when it was time to bid on homes. She helped us find the right amount to bid, for us, on each home, so we never regretted the amount we bid, and in the end we bought a great house. I would highly recommend working with Tracy when you buy a home in the East Bay! read more

Looking at all of Tracy's glowing reviews, I'm not sure what else to add! Tracy helped us sell our house in Berkeley, CA. In addition to getting us a sale price that far exceeded our expectations, Tracy was extremely organized, communicative, and helpful during every step of the process. I honestly cannot recommend her enough. read more

Here are a few words about a terrific real estate agent: In our estimation, Tracy McBride is top-shelf, she exceeded our every expectation. Working with us to sell our home, she was totally engaged from day-one. Frequent in-person meetings and clear weekly to-do lists kept us all focused on the final goal. Tracy developed a clear strategy based on the strong points and realities of our property; we never had the feeling she was working from a pre-existing formula. Her esthetics were rock-solid and always had multiple recommendation for people in the trades for repairs, and experts to help us present our place in the best possible light. She was sensitive to our neighborhood, advocated for transparency, and worked tirelessly for a good outcome for both buyer and seller. We highly recommend Tracy McBride at Union Pacific International on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley. read more

On a scale of 1-5, Tracy is a 6 based on our experience. She is incredible to work with and we would not have found or closed on our home without Tracy's help. In short, we can not say enough positive things about Tracy! My wife and I got connected to Tracy through friends who had just worked with Tracy to close on a place in Berkeley and had amazing things to say. We were working with another agent but had lost to offers recently in other neighborhoods and wanted to explore working with Tracy to focus on Berkeley. From the get-go, we were impressed with Tracy. Tracy had a tremendous knowledge of the neighborhood and local scene. Tracy picked me up from the BART station and we dug right into touring around town - seeing little bits and pieces of a neighborhood that really bring it to life and help you get a feel very quickly. Tracy has the process down to a science - we learned so much from Tracy and felt fortunate to have her patiently educating us along the way. She is gracious with her time and goes to great lengths to ensure her clients are well briefed on the process every step of the way - this is a key differentiatior for her and why she is so successful - on offer day, you know exactly what you're doing and you feel confident you are well-educated and putting your best foot forward. Tracy is just fantastic to work with. I don't know how she does it, but she is incredibly responsive, thorough, and thoughtful with every bit of communication. My wife and I traded emails, texts and calls constantly. Tracy made us feel very well-informed and connected to the market and the process for moving on competitive places. When it came down to 'go time' Tracy helped us move quickly on a place with a well-timed and thoughtful offer that was key to making a great impression and ultimately winning the home. Tracy goes to great lengths to build rapport with the other agent, and this relationship clearly paid dividends in our process and Tracy helped us through a counter-offer and a final closing price. Tracy didn't stop at offer acceptance, either! She stayed close with us through the closing process all the way until we had the keys. Meeting with us constantly as we begun planning some work on the house, offering contacts in the area to help with work, her thoughts on potential resale, and just being a great person who we had built a strong relationship with quickly. We'll end with a story that shows just how great Tracy was - we had a smoke alarm go off with a furnace issue when we were not at the house (at previous home with daughter who was sick) right after closing - we called Tracy to see if she had any insight and she was able to swing by the house, help us get the fire department out, stay with me on the phone the whole time while fire dept. inspected, and made sure everything got closed out when we learned it was just a small furnace issue a few hours later. Above and beyond!! Thanks Tracy. It was an absolute pleasure! read more

Our former beloved realtor recommended Tracy to us several years ago when she retired, saying Tracy was the agent for us. We didn't end up selling then, but then in December 2020 we rather abruptly decided to sell in the middle of Covid, for more space and better schools. We got in touch with Tracy and she got us from a twinkle in our eye to sold at an extraordinary price in three months, including helping us to prioritize renovations, and finding labor and appliances for us during what has been a very compressed market for both. Tracy was so hands-on and directive that before the sale I often semi-joked to my husband that "it's Tracy's house now." That was good in two ways - first, because it actually helped us to detach emotionally, and second, because Tracy was right about pretty much every suggestion she ever made (which is why my second most common statement during that time was "Tracy is always right"). Selling a house is never fun, but every time we had a panic attack, Tracy was right there on the phone or Zoom coaching us through it, explaining why we were doing what we were doing, and reassuring us that it was all going to work out. Tracy not only helped us prep the house to an extraordinary level, she also managed marketing and inquiries from other agents extremely well - so much so that I heard an agent say she appreciated the "constant communication." Tracy made every potential buying agent, even those with low offers, feel like they mattered and should bid, which is ultimately how we got to the amazing place we got. Not only that - Tracy was nimble on the buy-side. If I made the slightest mention to her of a house I liked online, she was immediately in touch with the selling agent. That's how it happened that, the weekend before we took offers, Easter weekend, Tracy fielded a call from a selling agent asking us if we might like to come see the house in order to potentially make a sales-contingent offer on it! In this market! Because Tracy had taken the time to reach out earlier. Long story short, the day before our house sold amazingly well, we were under contract contingent on sale in our desired school district on a house we love. Tracy's attention to detail is the key to her success for her clients, and was the key to our success as both sellers and buyers in the spring of 2021. read more

Second time we have used Tracy and her excellence the first time around was not a fluke. Because we are moving out of the country, the logistics involved a lot of packing, selling and giving away belongings - as well as ultimately hauling away what was left, plus exterior and interior painting and all on a pretty tight schedule (in a time of Covid) as we wanted to be on the market by early spring to get the best price. Tracy was there with help and resources (haulers, electricians, charities, cleaners, color consultants, etc.). Tracy had a "vision" of the best way to present our house, though she is probably too modest to call it that. The photos and video she created for the home's sale website was first rate and presented our home very well. This included a floor plan and series of measurements that gave additional info to potential buyers. Then there was scheduling potential buyers with some pretty strict Covid guidelines - and two weeks of showings went off without a hitch (at least to our knowledge). Through it all, Tracy was there for us - meeting (via Zoom) weekly to check on progress and offer help or suggestions. She paid attention to details, scheduled inspections and just put in a ton of work (including responding to a buyer demand two days before scheduled closing). It was exhausting and a lot of work, but we pulled it off and, with almost three dozen offers, got a sales price that exceeded our best hope. Thanks, Tracy! Trust her. She will do her best for you. read more

When my fiancé and I first started looking for a house we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into! People say its a process but that really is an understatement, especially in the Bay Area. Luckily for us, Tracy was a lifesaver! She helped walk us through the process every step of the way. We thought we knew what we were looking for as first time home buyers, but after Tracy helped us hone in on what our priorities really were and what our after purchase expectations could be, we realized that what we really needed was actually quite different than what we first expected. Tracy listened to all of our ideas and expectations (no matter how unrealistic they may have been at times) and took them to heart. She was critical in pulling together a team for us and giving recommendations for other professionals as their services arose during the process. Every step of the way, other listing agents knew and had nothing but positive things to say about Tracy, and believe me, having that network does make a difference. The house Tracy found for us, we would never have looked at by ourselves, and we could not be happier. She made a challenging and stressful experience as smooth as possible. I cannot recommend working with a Tracy enough. She is a professional, an advocate and ultimately a friend. read more

Tracy deserves a big thank you for the great support she provided to us while house hunting for our daughter's family first home. I think we would have given up on this outrageous market if it weren't for Tracy's guidance. The house she found for my daughter and her family is just perfect. We highly recommend Tracy. She is fantastic. read more

Tracy is a very honest, thorough and knowledgeable professional who helped guide me through the insanity of today's real estate market. Her attention to detail is admirable. She is a font of practical knowledge of not only how to buy a house, but how to set everything up once the deal is done. She has been very patient with endless questions and doubts, helping me find exactly the home I want. If you want to buy a house in Berkeley, I highly recommend Tracy McBride. read more

As a home stager, I really enjoyed working with Tracy. She was kind, flexible, and responsive.

Tracy McBride is a top-notch real-estate agent, and you cannot do better. My husband and I worked with her in Summer 2016 to buy a house in the Berkeley/Oakland area, and Tracy's expertise and experience enabled us to find our dream home much more quickly than we anticipated. This was not easy, as we wanted a lot on a budget, plus sale prices in the Berkeley/Oakland area are skyrocketing. With each property we considered, Tracy pinpointed and highlighted what we needed to watch out for, whether it was the foundation, drainage issues, roof, electricity, location, etc. Tracy knows the East Bay inside out, and has extensive remodeling/renovation experience. It's typical for disclosures to span hundreds of pages long, and Tracy would review each set carefully and prepare a detailed summary outlining the home's shortcomings/areas needing repair and her impressions (all the old homes out here require some level of work). As parents of a toddler, we very much appreciated this! We were particularly impressed by Tracy's skill and strategy in preparing offers, a key factor in why we were successful in our last bid. It wasn't simply, "Put in as much as you can." In addition to understanding how much we were willing to pay, Tracy was able to finesse her considerable agent connections and include certain language that made our offer the winning offer--all done above-board and ethically. Agents are aware of Tracy's stellar reputation and trust that her offers are rock-solid. Also, what we loved about her, which we did not find with previous agents we've talked with: If you have a question, Tracy does not hedge to the point of vague uselessness--she actually provides an answer! Even before we closed on our home, Tracy prepared for us an *extensive* list of trusted contractor resources to make sure we could start renovation and repairs right away. We are settling into our storybook-style charmer, located in the best neighborhood of Berkeley, blissed out with contentment. read more

Tracy was recommend to us by our loan agent. He told us that she was in the prime of her career, having both lots of energy and enthusiasm, as well as a wealth of experience. We interviewed two other real estate agents, and I was struck by Tracy's balanced perspective; she somehow has a way of holding both the challenging realities of the market, as well as the possibility of finding your way to a home you can afford, love, and make your own. As we got into our first task of attending "20 open houses," I was impressed by her compassionate, level-headed, and grounding guidance, as my husband and I flailed around and got discouraged, looking at homes we couldn't ultimately afford. When my husband and I were going in different directions, she was understanding and skillful in handling that as well. I will not say the process of finding our home was easy, but Tracy was a consummate mentor, educator, communicator and kind-hearted companion in the process. After only four months of searching, and having made one unsuccessful bid, Tracy helped us forge a creative bid on an unusual property. Though we thought the chances of being outbid were high, she gave it her full attention and energy. Lo and behold, we got it! She stayed up until midnight, so that she could e-mail our acceptance promptly, yet get the maximum number of days for inspections. I felt confident in the process of actually buying the home we found, because she was remarkably focused, responsive and detail-oriented, all of which helped greatly to counterbalance our overwhelm as first-time home-buyers. A month after we moved in, I was feeling overwhelmed again, and asked for her guidance around prioritizing repairs; she was right there for me, just as she had been before the purchase. Aside from being a great real estate agent, she's also a sincere, generous and thoughtful person. Tracy is someone you just feel grateful to have in your corner and in your community. read more

Recently my wife and I worked with Tracy McBride in purchasing our first home. In this review I will explain why we are happy, impressed and satisfied with Tracy in this process. The first phase of our process was finding a Real Estate agent. After interviewing quite a few, we by far felt most comfortable with Tracy. Upon meeting with Tracy for the first time, it was apparent that she had effective communication and people skills. Tracy was very well organized and had written outlines explaining her background, philosophy and what both parties should expect during this process. As first time home buyers, we were impressed how Tracy was experienced and knowledgeable yet wasn't pushy or condescending. She was patient in addressing all our questions and concerns. Considering our budget and what we were looking for, Tracy was honest in setting our expectations yet creatively looked for opportunities to best fit our priorities. The house searching phase went well with Tracy. My wife and I spent our weekends going to open houses, while keeping in communication with Tracy. Tracy was very responsive and developed a good sense of what we were looking for. Although we knew that Tracy had other clients, it didn't seem so due to her responsiveness and attention to detail. The house searching phase went much faster than we anticipated. Tracy found an opportunity for us that otherwise we would not have noticed. We soon jumped on the opportunity and began the bidding/buying process. The buying process is one of the most stressful times for first time homebuyers. This is another area where Tracy showed her expertise. Tracy was very effective in bidding, negotiations and all issues surrounding this process. Now my wife and I own our first home, which happens to be our dream home. Though this process is done, Tracy is still accessible and helpful in offering advice on future upgrades, home improvements, etc. What impressed me most with Tracy was how she had our best interests in mind. She was never pushy but helped us come to decisions that we were comfortable with. She always had the forest in mind rather than just one tree. We can't give anything but the full amount of stars because we have absolutely no complaints. Thank you Tracy McBride. read more

I recently had to sell my dad's house, a big, beautiful and historic house - unique and unusual in its layout - a project that was complicated and required thought and consideration. I am very grateful to Tracy for making this happen, and making it a positive experience. She spent a lot of time talking to me and figuring things out about the house, discussing options, as well as researching the history of the house. In the process of getting the house ready to show there was a lot to do and many, many details. Tracy arranged endless pick-ups and other matters and was always willing to help and be supportive, and there was always lots of communication. She was very proactive and thorough with the legal paperwork so I knew I could trust that everything was taken care of ahead of time. It was a difficult situation for me especially since I live hours away, and Tracy kept things going when I couldn't be there, and was friendly, compassionate and kind when things were chaotic. Above all, she had an appreciation of the house and it's wonderful features and was sensitive enough to recognize that I cared a lot about the house. I wanted to keep it original and appreciated as is, and ultimately the perfect new owner was found! I would highly recommend Tracy in the selling of any house. read more

I very highly recommend Tracy McBride as a real estate agent for buying a house. She just helped me buy a distinctive house in North Berkeley that was within my limited budget. I had interviewed three agents and Tracy immediately showed her superior real estate skills and further demonstrated them in a successful house search. Her qualities include: 1. Responsiveness - She often picks up her cell phone on the first ring, answering quickly by whatever means that you prefer - phone, text, e-mail, or in person. 2. Understanding - She listened carefully to me and fully comprehended my wishes for a new permanent home. She did not try to change my mind, but worked within the bounds of what I wanted. 3. Local knowledge - She understood the peculiarities of how agents, sellers, banks, and others in the East Bay handle the different stages of the search and negotiation process. 4. Digital work style - She used digital forms for all documents in the process. This was more efficient and environmentally sound than printing everything on paper. Using digital documents was critical in acting quickly to get the particular house that I eventually bought. 5. Does not pressure - She recognized that it is the client who makes the final decisions and at no time made any pressure for positions that I did not want to take. 6. Positive - She demonstrated her understanding that buying a house is a balance between a person's ideal with practical realities of what is available, but she always believed that I could attain my ideal and we were successful. read more

I recently sold my beloved North Berkeley home. Tracy managed the nitty-gritty details of that sale, and as a life-long project manager I have to say I have never seen anybody as on top of her game, and of details, as Tracy. She knows what it takes to present a home in its very best light in order to get the best sale price. She is absolutely relentless about making sure that all the bases are covered. She has a cadre of highly skilled and professional crafts-and-service people at her fingertips who seem willing to drop what they are doing at a moment's notice and show up to fix stuff (for example -- we had a sudden and unforeseen plumbing emergency on Super Bowl Sunday and Tracy's plumber came out to the house at half-time to take care of it). She is very proactive. She manages the paperwork and the inspections and whatever else needs doing so that you are always in the loop and always feel taken care of. She is remarkably responsive. Whenever I had a question or concern, she was a text away, day or night. Tracy helped to make what was for me a scary and overwhelming process smooth and easy, and we had a wonderful outcome. She was a joy to work with. I highly recommend Tracy to anybody considering selling their home in the East Bay. read more

I wish we could give Tracy 20 stars! She is the most wonderful person to work with. We started off our home search in this crazy Bay Area market with absolutely no experience and she held our hand all the way through to the successful purchase of as wonderful a home as we could have dreamed for. Tracy is: honest, a great communicator, a hard worker, never pushy, never condescending no matter how silly it gets, a great negotiator, and the person you want on your side when buying a house. She also has earned tremendous respect from the other realtors in the area, which is a huge plus. She has her pulse on the market as well. In what can be a stressful hunt and chase, Tracy's tempo is relaxing, competent, and encouraging. I can't recommend her enough. You won't regret working with her! read more

I worked with Tracy to buy an apartment building in Berkeley. Tracy is one of the hardest working real estate agents I have worked with. She is available early in the morning and well into her evening, which was very helpful for me as I live in a different time zone. She is so responsive and so detail oriented, which is so critical as any purchase involves hundreds of questions and documents. Even the mortgage manager at my bank commented that Tracy was so on the ball. I wouldn't hesitate to work with her again on any purchase or sale in Berkeley. read more

Tracy worked as my agent to sell my mother's 3 bedroom 2 bath condo in Berkeley. I can't tell you how efficient, resourceful, communicative and good humored she was throughout the whole process. She was a joy to work with and got me the best price possible. We had multiple offers above asking and I was really amazed at the price we finally got. i highly recommend her and she is my go to real estate agent for anything in the future. read more

When my 87 year old step mother decided to move out of the house she had lived in for 50 years, she talked to several realtors in the area. The materials Tracy McBride assembled for our first meeting, including market evaluations and a comprehensive marketing plan, persuaded my step-mom to pick Tracy to list her house. From then on, Tracy became an invaluable resource, always available, responding quickly to questions, going out of her way to make my step-mom comfortable with all the unfamiliar steps and requirements. From the very beginning of the four month process Tracy was kind and considerate as well as business-like and well prepared. Her suggestions on preparing the house for sale were always balanced and presented in a low-key, straight-forward manner. She gave us multiple options for how much work to have done. She created a detailed schedule for gardeners, cleaners, painters, inspectors and all the other workers necessary to get the house ready. She project-managed the entire process while keeping us up-to-date and promptly answering all our questions. She was always happy to meet my step-mom face-to-face to answer questions but was also completely comfortable exchanging emails and text messages with me. She even helped move some houseplants in her own car. When the house was ready, it went on the market with a suite of attractive photographs, a web site and brochure ready to go for the open house. The sales campaign, which only lasted just over a week, generated over a dozen offers at prices which far exceeded our expectations. Tracy then met with us, presenting all the offers in a huge spreadsheet and discussing the pros and cons of each. She helped us through the process of deciding which to accept. Then followed several rounds of negotiations with the various brokers until the final buyer emerged. Throughout this rather dramatic process, Tracy's real estate expertise and levelheadedness were an enormous help as was her diligence in getting the right forms prepared and signed at the right times. In summary, our experience with Tracy McBride was complete positive and I would unhesitatingly recommend her to anyone needing a realtor. read more

I have read other reviews and many say what I already want to say--Tracy is determined, careful, calm and does not miss a beat. From searching for homes in the East Bay while trying to sell my mobile in Santa Cruz, ca--to then selling my mobile and eventually buying my 91 year old mother's home in Berkeley, I can't say enough about Tracy--between the two of us keeping on top of the details of two sales, 80 miles apart, we did it. My mother and I are now roommates in her Berkeley home, about to start a renovation that would have not come together without Tracy's patience and faith in "the process"--and long standing and credible referrals to bankers, carpenters, the Rat Patrol and others in the Bay Area--thanks Tracy. read more

Tracy is fantastic! She did such a wonderful job helping us buy a house. We were a very challenging group to work with (my husband, mother and I were all purchasing together and had a very tight budget but very complicated requirements). Tracy guided us through the process with such patience and skill. She really knows her stuff, and really knows the East Bay market. The best advice I got was from my friend who recommended Tracy to us. She said to take Tracy's advice. If Tracy says an offer is too low for a property, believe her! In this insane market and our finicky needs, we were able to have an offer accepted (the second offer we made) after only 3-4 months of looking. We got a great place at a great price and Tracy was there to walk is through the crazy process every step of the way. She was wonderful! read more

Experience? Check. Professionalism? Check. Extremely hard worker? Terrific communicator?Check. Integrity? Double check. As first time homebuyers with nary a clue when we started the process, Tracy has helped us masterfully navigate the oftentimes treacherous real estate waters in this hot market area. There are many, many moving parts that need to come together before, during, and after the offer is submitted, and she is truly an expert in ALL phases of the process. We had boatloads of questions, she answered them thoroughly and expeditiously. Her trained eyes caught subtle clues about the properties' "bones" which added to our body of knowledge. She was unafraid to enter crawl spaces or further investigate nooks & crannies to obtain a true picture beyond that of the glossy marketing handout. Her network of local professionals , including loan officers, seismic engineers, home inspectors, and so forth, made the process exceptionally...painless. It's been such a pleasure working with Tracy: if we held her in any higher esteem, her silver hair would be brushing against heaven's door. In short, she is THE premiere realtor. read more

Rarely do I meet someone that truly impresses me. Tracy is what a real estate agent should be. We decided to work with Tracy to sell our loved home in Berkeley. Tracy was a true partner every step of the way. She gracefully navigated each step of the process and educated us along the way. Tracy was tireless with all the details, including paperwork issues, contracting bids, details of working with contractors to ensure high quality, helped out with random unexpected jobs, marketing and negotiating the final deal. With her help, we had a very solid home to put on the market and all the paperwork in order for clean offers, escrow and close. She was also great at communicating with us every step of the way. I was particularly impressed with her marketing readout. Our home sale went incredibly smooth. I can tell her years of experience and industry relationships add incredible value. All in all, we highly recommend working with Tracy! read more

Tracy helped us to buy our house in Oakland, CA. We felt so lucky to work with her. For every house that we seriously considered giving an offer, she made sure that we thought every aspect of it, she carefully studied the area and provided us with all possible information (commute, public transportation, schools and so on..). We weren't easy buyers with our limited budget but lots of criteria to meet. At times, we felt what we wanted seemed impossible. But Tracy kept her optimism and patience and kept looking for us. She suggested us a house that we would skip because of its short-sale situation. She encouraged us to go and see the property with her. We loved the house. They would collect the offers only after couple of days after the house was listed. If Tracy wasn't monitoring the market closely and wouldn't suggest to go and see the house immediately, we would miss our chance to give an offer. After seeing the house and giving the offer, within a week, we were in contract! Once we were in contract, going through short-sale process was not easy due to unknowns and waiting, but Tracy made us feel like we have a close friend working on our side, doing everything that needs to be done and planning for issues beforehand. Her personality made us feel sure that we have someone who will have a great relationship with the buyers and their agent. She was always very communicative, informative, hardworking and assertive. I think what I'm trying to say can be summed up to this: She owns the job, handles it as if it is her own and makes sure what she delivers is of high quality. She is very hardworking and have a great personality in addition to her commitment. She has extensive knowledge of the real estate market in Berkeley, Oakland, El Cerrito, Kensington and surrounding areas. She is also very knowledgeable about house renovations and very resourceful and helpful with finding great contractors. We were very very lucky to work with her. I highly recommend her to anyone who is considering buying or selling. read more