Anna was the agent for the sale of a family trust property in Berkeley. As the seller, I wanted to find someone who was a local agent. Since Berkeley has a variety of different neighborhoods, my expectation was that someone with a nearby office, would probably be best suited to handling the sale. At the same time, I also wanted a agent with the go-getter attitude of an agent from a big market, that could get the property on the market as soon as possible. Due to having to wait until our rental tenants had left the property, there was not the chance of getting on the market during the prime time mid-summer selling season. To get to market quickly before much of fall would pass by, required removing shelves of junk, getting the contractors on the job, repairing the wear and tear of 40 years of renting to students, getting the different inspections handled, finding staging that would be available in short order, and then preparing the marketing materials as soon as possible. Anna was recommended to me as a local agent who would fit the bill. Having previously overseen the renovation of a different property, I was prepared for some delays and problems to overcome. Everything moved along swiftly and smoothly with the Berkeley house. The final product did not seem like house that looked 91 years old, but in a number of ways, I expect that it looked better than it did, when the place was brand new. The only thing that gave me pause for a moment, was the marketing photos. They were so well exposed, they seemed to actually look somewhat better on my computer screen, than the house did in real life. But if that got an extra number of potential buyers thru the door to see the property, that's a good problem to have. Another aspect I appreciated about working with Anna was her attention to detail. In addition to getting the big parts of the job done right, little details that could also improve the sale did not escape her notice, and were put to good use. As just one little example, was her reuse, of a bit of text for the advertising copy. I had just shown this text to her, as a little bit of a trivia from long ago, because it was written by my mother, herself a real estate agent for decades. The phrase from my mother's old ad copy, still applied to the house. So a little bit of text from a hardcopy rental advertisement of the 1980's, reappeared as text on the world wide web ad of the 21'st century. The results of putting the house on the market, was that we recieved multiple offers, accepted an all cash offer, and completed was maybe was record setting fast escrow close. In sum, my experience with Anna is that I can not imagine anyone, could have a done a better job. read more

My husband and I were fortunate enough to buy our first home in Berkeley this fall. We were referred to Anna from a friend who also recently bought in Berkeley. We want everyone to know that Anna is simply the best of the best. You should look no further for a real estate agent in the East Bay. Buying a home is one of the biggest and most important financial and personal decisions you can make - and it's definitely not an easy process in the highly competitive Bay Area market. That's why picking the right real estate agent is one of the best ways to ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible. In Berkeley, real estate is very much a business of relationships; it counts when your real estate agent has a strong relationship with the seller's agent. That relationship may end up being the reason you get a call-back on an offer (even when yours wasn't the highest). With a pro like Anna you can rest assured that she has strong positive relationships with all the other local agents. When my husband and I went to open houses and mentioned to sellers' agents that we were working with Anna, we were always met by approving nods and smiles from agents who said they knew and loved Anna. Another thing to know about buying a home in the Bay Area: offer day is like game day. And that means you have to have a game-day strategy for landing on an offer price and dealing with contingencies. Anna is an exceptional game-day coach who is looking out for your best interest. In our case, for our offer that was ultimately accepted, she counseled us not to overpay but ultimately gave us the space to decide on an offer price that we felt comfortable with. Anna is also incredibly organized, putting together all of the offer paperwork in advance so you have nothing to worry about on offer day. All in all, Anna makes an otherwise daunting process simple and easy to understand. Each time we hired an inspector to give us the inside scoop on a house, Anna was there to translate the inspector's findings into an actionable priority list of repairs that would be needed if we were to buy the home. Anna is trustworthy, accurate, and offers practical advice. She is also just a fun down-to-earth person that I look forward to staying in touch with. I would enthusiastically recommend her to anyone house-hunting in the East Bay. read more

Anna is the BEST! I met Anna at an open house in the Berkeley Hills and while we were not interested in putting an offer on that house, I connected with Anna immediately. My husband and I had been looking for a larger home for many months and it appeared our SF-based real estate agent did not have the inside track as we were making offers. In short, a local agent can help you in the Berkeley real estate market and Anna was that person for us. We decided to make Anna our agent and I was impressed by her honest feedback, giving us the pros and cons on each property. She always worked at lightening-quick speed, getting back to me promptly by email, phone or text. Anna knew exactly what we wanted and she kept our best interests at heart. She even talked me out of placing an offer on a home since she knew I would not be happy with it long term. I don't know how many agents would do that. After a home sale fell through, Anna contacted us immediately and we placed an offer. We were so happy when our offer was accepted! It took 14 months, 7 offers and 2 real estate agents in this crazy market to find our house but it was all worth it. We are in a house that we love and want to live in for many years. Anna's work doesn't stop ~ she connected us with incredible plumbers, roofers and home inspectors who all helped us get into our house. Everyone that we called for bids was very competitive and fair and they all clearly enjoy working with Anna. Shortly after we moved into our new place, we gave Anna the keys to our old house. She coordinated everything ~ the painting, landscaping, cleaning, etc. at very fair prices. She would let them in so they could do their work and we knew we were in good hands. Anna got our house prepped during the holidays so we were able to list it shortly afterwards. Despite my skepticism about listing around Super Bowl, Anna knew it was the right time and 200 people came to the open house on Super Bowl Sunday. It was incredible. We got ten outstanding offers on our house and Anna helped us cross the finish line on that house too. I can't say enough great things about Anna. I feel so fortunate to have met her!! I have already recommended her to all of my friends who are looking for a house in the Berkeley area and hope that they work with her! read more

Anna is a very talented realtor and a terrific person. If ever there was a test for her skills, it had to be the recent sale of my home of 32 years in Berkeley's Gourmet Ghetto. A one-of-a-kind place-- with two very different houses on one lot, a high price tag and urban setting-- the property was not likely to be an easy sell, but with Anna's help it happened right on time. In the end we received at least five written bids (some from abroad), and even a few verbal ones. I met Anna through a friend who bought a house through her, but I believe her skills in preparing and marketing a home for sale should also be stressed in these pages. There can't be many other realtors in Berkeley who are so skilled in the peculiarities of the local market and so pleasant to work with. Anna worked closely with me and her painters/contractors for several weeks to prepare the houses: new interior paint, some plaster work, uncovering old light switches,updated fixtures, removing carpet. Though I got fazed a few times by the challenge, she was unflappable, and in the end everything was completed right on time, and very nicely. She has great taste in staging too, and in the end the houses never looked better. One of the cleverer suggestions she came up with was for me to write a history of the 112 year old property, which she published in a handsome brochure complete with photos. It turns out the history "sealed it" for the buyer, who wanted to be part of an "oh-so-Berkeley" property. These touches made a real difference. Anna and I joked that given our daily communications we were practically married for two months, and I'm sure our respective spouses felt the same. For sellers (and I'm sure for buyers too), Anna provides not only the skill, but the necessary amount of hand-holding and personal attention to help you through the process. I've worked with other realtors in the past who have always been professional, but Anna brings it to a much higher level. Thanks, Anna! read more

Anna Bellomo is an outstanding realtor, and our recommendation of her work, is woefully overdue. My brother and I decided to sell our parent's house, and our childhood home, in late 2017. We began our search for a realtor sorting through over 20 realtor postcards and letters, but after several interviews, we knew we hadn't found our realtor. Our search continued online, and in February, 2018, we knew we found our realtor on the day we met Anna and walked with her through our parent's home. How did we know? Anna's reputation preceded her: online reviews exceeded top notch as were many others' comments: knowledgeable, dependable, and hard worker. She is highly regarded by her peers in the realty business. The day we met, Anna stood out from the others because of her professionalism and her ability to transmit her humility, humanity and respect for cultural diversity with warmth. Anna's communication is clear, direct, and kind. While she was managing multiple listings, she is highly responsive to our calls, and an exceptional forward thinker, anticipating our needs. My brother lived 50 miles away, and I live out of state. In the next two months, Anna deftly coordinated the vendors who prepared our home for listing. We worked closely with Anna by phone, text, and email, and always had input into important details, such as, the listing price. Our parent's home was listed for two weeks in April, 2018, with 2 open houses: all while I was out of the country on cruise vacation. Anna and her associate's expertise and customer service made the process seem so easy. We closed in less than a month and at a substantially higher selling price over listing. Our experience working with Anna was exceptional, and we are both grateful to have found her, and to have the opportunity to sell our parent's home to a family who we hope will find happiness and contentment in the home that we had, growing up. Thanks again so much, Anna! Warmest regards, Brian and Anne read more

Anna is fantastic! We found our perfect home in Kensington thanks to her. My wife and I are new the Bay Area. We started looking at houses online several months before our move date. Given the competitive nature of the Easy Bay housing market, this seemed like a long shot strategy for finding and buying a house. We didn't have high hopes. However, Anna provided excellent guidance. She encouraged us to do our homework -- monitor the market, decide on what locations, home features, etc. were important to us, so that when the right home appeared, we would be able to act quickly. Whenever we saw a listing that interested us, Anna would do the legwork. She would tour it, and provide us with pictures and critical feedback. She was always available to talk on the phone, and always provided her honest and thoughtful input. Her job, as she put it, was to give us all the reasons not to buy a particular house. The house we ended up buying appeared online in mid-May and Anna immediately went to see it. Based on her encouraging report, I was able to visit East Bay and Anna took me to tour it. The house was perfect for us -- in a quiet neighborhood, well-cared for, but in need of some cosmetic upgrades, close to the new work place and to Tilden. In short, exactly what we were looking for. Anna expertly helped us through the entire buying process. She advised us on successful negotiating strategies, organized inspections, worked with the listing agent, lender and, title company seamlessly, identified potential pitfalls, and was professional and fun to work with throughout the entire process. It's clear she loves her job and is very, very good at it. Our offer was quickly accepted, and in our mixed state of excitement and disbelief, Anna navigated us through the closing process and made it seem easy. She even recommended good local contractors for the renovations we have planned. Anna is simply the best, and we can't recommended her highly enough. read more

Anna helped me sell my Berkeley condominium, where I had lived for almost 20 years, and then buy a new house nearby. She was so nice and easy to work with, making every task and encounter pleasant. She was also incredibly smart, savvy, and hard-working. She knew how to navigate the whole process, from hiring and overseeing contractors to choosing colors for the house to all the paperwork and bureaucracy. She kept me to a timeline for moving my stuff out, and even gifted me an hour with a clearing consultant to help me get started. Once I was out, Anna really took the reins. I didn't want to spend a lot of money to overhaul or remodel, and she said I didn't have to. She knew just what upgrades would make an old and neglected house sparkle. She picked out light fixtures, kitchen flooring, and other small items that completely transformed the place. She hired landscapers and painters and oversaw their work. She got all the permits done. And she navigated the sale of a tricky property with grace. She found just the right buyer, and we sold the house with a 10-day close. Then we turned our focus to buying a new home. Listing agents at open houses would ask who our agent was and then light up when we said Anna, and tell us that she was the best. We liked one house and Anna told us honestly why she thought it was not the perfect fit for us. She was right. Then we saw another house we liked, but everyone else liked it too - there was a frenzy of competition. Anna did everything right in preparing and presenting our offer, and we beat out ten other offers, and got the first house we bid on. We're now settling into our ideal home. Anna clearly enjoys her work and is up for any challenge. She makes buying or selling a house a positive experience. She's a great agent. read more

Anna Bellomo worked tirelessly and with great integrity as our sales agent in 2015. Our sale was a long haul and complex affair. To begin with, my husband and I live on the East Coast and our condo, which we had been renting for several years, was in Oakland. We trusted Anna to take care of all of our on-the-ground needs. When we had a difference of opinion, communication was never conflictual, and Anna always made it clear that final decisions were our purview. Her presentation of our disclosure packet was very clear and well organized, and the marketing materials were gorgeous. Anna has very positive relationships with industry professionals. Several came into play as we readied our property for sale and once it was one the market. These included officers at two different Title companies, a local real estate attorney, loan officers and real estate agents. We had a complicated title issue that needed to be resolved before we could put our condo on the market, and while mostly beyond her control, Anna made thoughtful inquiries when it seemed prudent to do so. Additionally, our neighbor, who owned the other unit in our two-unit building, had decided to sell as well. Around this time, our relations had soured. Much of the joint decision-making and negotiation regarding HOA business was brokered between the two selling agents. Anna handled this with grace and got along very well with the other unit's agent. Lastly, she arranged for our stager to be paid through escrow, which was very helpful as our cash flow was limited. Once a good offer came our way, Anna was on top of every aspect of the final push, and we closed within 30 days -- something of a rarity at the end of 2015 with the new federal real estate transaction laws. read more

WE LOVE ANNA! My husband and I just purchased our first home in the East Bay with Anna. We had the best possible experience with Anna as our agent. We actually found Anna through yelp. From the first time we met her, we knew she would work well with us. My husband and I were very worried that we wouldn't find something for us or that it would take us over a year to find our house with it being a seller's market. Anna was extremely patient with us throughout the process. She was always available by email, text, or phone call to talk us through concerns, meet us at a house in the middle of the week, answer questions, and ultimately advise us. She knows the East Bay VERY well, so we were able to put our faith in her, as we are newly transplanted from San Francisco. Anna has maintained great relationships with everyone she encounters, which was also very useful during the process. She is charming, charismatic, hard-working, loyal, experienced, and savvy. She helped us look past certain distractions that sellers try to add to the charm, in order to make sound decisions on offers. Given that she has a family of her own,she also guided us on aspects of a house we might like or not like as parents. We just moved into our new home after 4 months of searching. She was there for us through it all. Even after close of escrow, she is still handling loose odds and ends. We will definitely use her again if we ever decide to sell/buy in the future. I have already recommended her to numerous friends. You search for the right agent should stop here! read more

We moved into our perfect, beautiful house almost four months ago, and I'm sorry it's taken me this long to write a well-deserved review! We still cannot believe we were able to buy a house that is such a great fit for us. Despite our limited budget for this crazy market in the North Berkeley area, we managed to get the best value out of every penny and meet all of our needs, preferences and priorities. And we couldn't have done it without Anna's advice and expertise. She knew what we were looking for and helped us keep our eyes on the ball, even when we were feeling overwhelmed by the growing gaps between asking and selling prices and started to think we were being priced out of the area. She was realistic but encouraging, and her advise helped us make the right compromises without sacrificing any of our priorities. She even pointed out things we were underestimating in our search and now realize are so critical and make our lives so much easier and enjoyable! And she proved to know her market -and everybody in it- very well. She is well-liked and knows how to work with every player in the process. She knew how to make our offer more competitive even when there were other offers for the same amount. I am convinced her skills made a critical difference in this insane market and got us our home. She is fun and pleasant, and we truly enjoyed working with her. We highly recommend her. Julieta (A very happy homeowner!!!) read more

I recently sold my home in Richmond's North and East neighborhood with Anna's expert help. From our first meeting I was impressed with her level of professionalism and her ability to listen to my needs and tailor a strategy based on both how I wanted to the process to work, and how to maximize my return. One thing that really sets apart Anna from any other realtor I've ever worked with or known is the extensive network she's developed. She saved me literally thousands of dollars on plumbers, painters, inspectors, gardeners, appraisers, etc, and made my life really easy by handling all the scheduling. One thing I was struck by was how everybody I encountered was glad to hear that I was working with Anna, and everyone was quick to tell me how professional and good at her job she is. Even the appraiser complemented my excellent choice of a realtor! I was also impressed by her skill when it came to negotiating, and navigating all the things that come up after getting in contract. She managed to find creative ways to have agreed upon repairs, home warranties, and other incidental costs covered by other parties. It seemed like every time she called I was a few hundred dollars better off! Long story short, Anna got me way more for my house than I'd expected with her super-hero level of expertise, and made the process super easy. Stop looking, cause Anna is the best. read more

We spent five long months looking at houses in the East Bay with Anna's guidance. With her knowledge of the area she quickly helped us narrow our search. When we found a beautiful house in our price range, Anna pointed out that the neighborhood was not the greatest: "You can change pretty much everything about a house except its location." When we placed our first bid on a house, she joined us on an inspection and asked all the questions we hadn't thought of. When we were outbid, she remained upbeat: House-hunting in the Bay Area is a marathon, not a sprint. It was being sold off-market, so we couldn't have found the house we eventually purchased without Anna. She was excited to show it to us, but when her enthusiasm became infectious, she nipped it in the bud. "Don't let my excitement sway you. I don't want you to get this house because I like it. You're the one who's going to live in it, so you should make absolutely sure it's what you want." When we were faced with a competing bid, it was Anna who kept us -- who just wanted to stop looking for houses and move, already -- from going all-in. She walked us through each step of the purchase, corresponding quickly and comprehensively over email. We now have a beautiful home in a sweet neighborhood with still some cash to make the improvements we want. read more

Anna was our agent for a house we recently bought in Berkeley. She was absolutely wonderful during all steps of the process, from helping identify neighborhoods of potential interest, writing offers on several properties until we found the right one, to seamlessly manage the whole process and close on time. She was always available, sometimes even late at night if that's the only time we could find to talk. We were first time home buyers so the entire process was rather foreign. In addition, we come from Spain where the buying and selling process is quite different than in the States. Anna herself grew up in Barcelona so she brought the European perspective and helped us understand the differences. (It certainly helped that we could speak with her in Spanish, though I'll note that she's fluent/conversant in many other languages other than English including Dutch, Italian, French and Catalan. Maybe there's more I don't know about). What we would liked so much about her was her willingness to tell it like it is. She wanted the best for us and was always looking out for our interests, even if it meant pointing out a negative about a property that we were considering making an offer on. I'm sure many other agents have the same openness but it was genuine with her and it led to a great deal of trust. read more

I'm not sure when Anna finds time to sleep, because she seems to send emails around the clock, is almost always available to chat or answer questions by phone, and seems to be constantly monitoring the MLS for the latest listings. She figured out what we were looking for in a house before we did so ourselves, pointed us to some great neighborhoods, asked incisive questions (to us, and to sellers' agents), and made excellent recommendations. She's very experienced, knows the market extremely well, and has great contacts to inspectors, mortgage brokers, escrow agents, gas earthquake shutoff installers (thanks Anna, that wouldn't have even crossed our minds!) and all the other folks you need to make a purchase go smoothly. Everyone she referred us to was great as well. Despite all this experience though she was genuinely excited for us when we found our dream home, and guided us right through the purchase process. Particularly convenient (since we were in New Orleans during critical stages of negotiations and closing) was the fact that she has a system that will let you sign important documents electronically. We are now, finally, after over a decade of renting in Oakland, the owners of a beautiful mid-century in Crocker Highlands! read more

Anna is as good as it gets.. She helped us navigate our way through all the preparatory work getting our house ready to sell, took care of the inevitable issues that arose, marketed the house beautifully and ultimately helped us find a wonderful buyer. We moved out of town before the house went on the market, and Anna was in constant contact with us, consulting with inspectors and an entire team whose only purpose, it seemed to us, was showcasing our home's unique beauty. When a large branch crashed down on the street just before an open house, we found out about it from a neighbor and called Anna in a panic. "I got this," she calmly said. And she did. The branch was gone that day. Maybe the thing we loved most about Anna was how much she also loved our house. It had been our home for many years, and it truly meant something to us that she saw what we saw in it and did a fantastic job conveying that to others. Selling a home is stressful, we knew. We needn't have worried. Anna guided the whole process, calmed us when we were stressed, and was a vigilant advocate for us all along the way. We couldn't have found a better agent! read more

We don't have enough words to express how grateful we are to Anna for all the work she put into finding us the perfect home. We met Anna when we first came to Berkeley during a short trip, one year before our relocation. Although we were living overseas at the time, Anna started working with us remotely, and added us to the MLS database where we were able to gradually learn how to navigate the complex real estate market in the Bay Area. She also kept in contact with us and answered all our questions promptly. When we were ready to relocate, we rented a property in Berkeley for a year. During that period, Anna visited prospective properties with us and guided us throughout the process. We ended up making three offers. The final one was accepted. From that point on, Anna worked nonstop. She also recommended Erick Byrd, a senior loan advisor at RPM Mortgage. Thanks to her partnership with Erick, we were able to close in less than three weeks. We are now happy owners of our dream house in Berkeley. We have the highest regard for Anna both as a person and as a professional. We recommend her without any reservations. read more

I can't say enough about Anna! She worked her "Magic" and got us our first house. My wife and I have been looking for a home for over 2 years, and many times lost hope after being out bid again and again. Anna patiently guided us through the entire roller coaster ride from the beginning right through the end. She always made time for us and we never had any feeling that she was difficult to reach when needed. Several times, both before and after the purchase, she helped put us in touch with trusted professionals to assess a prospective house or work on our new home. More than just our agent, she really is our friend. She has a great sense of humor and isn't afraid to get dirty in the line of work. We've seen her climb rickety lattice work in her stilettos, or scurry around in a grubby craw space. She even took it upon herself to entertain our 2 year old son so that we could explore our prospective home in piece, without it being restaged by a toddler. Overall, she is a great person, both personally and professionally and is a pleasure to work with. Thanks Anna! read more

Anna is the amazing one-stop shop you want to help you sell/ buy your house. She customized our selling plan to specifically fit our situation. She reorganized our existing furniture, suggested different window treatments, researched options to supplement our existing furniture with some rental furniture in order to save us money. She even provided lighting fixture suggestions and picked up the fixture for us to finish the decor. The house transformed beautifully for a minimal cost. Check out the pictures at www.343sandybay.com. Once the house got listed, she marketed the house well, kept me informed, got us great offers, and helped us through the negotiating process. My rule of thumb when it comes to hiring a professional is that the person should make my life easier so I can sleep soundly at night. She took care of every single step of the transaction so I'm able to focus on our move from the Bay Area to San Diego and for both my spouse and I to transition to two new jobs all in under two months. A big thanks to you Anna! read more

My husband and I found Anna through Yelp, and we were so glad we did. After trying to sell our home once over a year ago we were discouraged because the deal fell through after working with another agent. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because we got so much more this time around for our home and the whole process was smooth, easy and Anna was a true professional. She knows the business and knew we had a small budget to work with to get the house ready for sale. She found us a staging company that did beautiful work and did not charge until closing. She helped us get the most for our money with the improvements and had inspections completed ahead of listing as we were also on a tight timeline. This made the whole process go quickly and after two open houses we got offers well above asking price. Anna also was responsive when I had questions which really helped to ease my anxiety throughout the process. I don't think we could have had a better experience with a sale and I highly recommend Anna! read more