I had a nice transaction with Rachel. She was excellent at communicating and followed the timeframe of the RPA. Her clients left the house in good condition and she was a pleasure to work with. read more

We were looking to buy a single family home in the SF Bay Area for our daughter and husband to rent from us. We did an internet search and came across Birnbaum Realty in Benicia, CA. Rachel Birnbaum was the Owner/Broker. She had a number of very good reviews so we called her and spoke for quite a while about what we were looking for and our budget. From the first call, she started working to find us just the right house. Quickly, she came up with a number of options. She actually videotaped homes she previewed which made things easier for us to choose which ones we wanted to visit and further evaluate. In all of our dealings with Rachel, she was always on top of things, keeping in touch on a regular basis and updating any new listings. We eventually expanded our search to include other cities in the East Bay Area. Prior to making our first trip up North, she would give us the pros and cons of each house, and the back story of the cities. She is both an excellent Real Estate Professional, and easy person to work with. We found a house in Brentwood, CA, made an offer which was accepted after some back/forth negotiation. She handled the escrow process flawlessly and the sale went through without a hitch. Rachel gets an A+ from us for the help she provided, including her knowledge of real estate and her mild easy manner. A win-win transaction, so happy we had Rachel on our side. Another quick addition, Rachel is married to a General Contractor, Ron Bruno. Ron actually did the renovation work that was necessary with the Brentwood house. His work and the subs he hired were also excellent. The work was completed on time and within budget. They are truly a great pair to work with from start to finish. read more

We first started working with Rachel in 2014 when we purchased our house in Vallejo. Rachel helped us in many ways, without pressure and with incites and resources to make it happen. After the sale, any time we had questions or needed recommendations, Rachel was always cheerful, helpful and patient. Fast forward to 2022 and after we decided to move to Portland and a new grandbaby, we called Rachel to sell our Vallejo home. In a squirrley market, near Thanksgiving, Rachel got us top dollar for our home. Her expertise in staging, marketing, working with the buyer's agent (up to and including movers and packers for us when the sale went through), Rachel worked tirelessly to complete our dream. We love Portland, and thank Rachel and her crew for all they did for us. Highly recommend Birnbaum realty. Five stars! read more

My husband and I had the pleasure of working with Rachel and her team during the sale and purchase of our homes and we couldn't be happier with the experience. From the moment we met Rachel, we could tell that she was not your average realtor. Her attention to detail and knowledge of the Benicia area set her apart. Rachel's dedication to her clients is evident in every step of the home-buying/selling process. She took the time to get to know our preferences and was incredibly patient throughout our search.and our move. Rachel's professionalism combined with her warm and friendly demeanor made the entire process less stressful. I recommend her services without reservation. Thank you, Rachel! read more

Rachel, Charlotte, and Ron are easily the best real estate team my wife and I have encountered. Always available to answer questions, always able to work out a time to view properties, always prompt and responsive with getting you reports, info, and networking on your behalf. We had a bit of an uphill battle trying to get into the market and they stuck with us the whole time with the same level of service. When we finally did find "The One," they were exactly who we needed advocating for us, interfacing with the seller on our behalf, and negotiating for us. Whether your working with Rachel, Charlotte, or Ron, they really pay attention to what your looking for, get to know you and your needs, and will take the search on themselves to make sure your not missing any opportunities. They work as a seamless team so one can pick up for the other without missing a beat so you never lose momentum in the search. And like any long-standing and well-invested professionals in their field, they also have connections with some of the best loan offices, contractors, etc that all work just as hard as they do. Its like having a short list of Diamond-certified's on speed-dial. We absolutely *would not* have been able to purchase the house we did without their efforts on our behalf. Who knows how much longer we'd have been looking, or what it would have cost us in the end had we not been working with the Birnbaums. read more

We had found a house we wanted to buy and needed to move quickly on the sale of our existing home, we also needed top dollar on our home to make it work. We had been watching all the realtors in town for a long time (30 years) and knew many of them through several transactions over the years. Rachael was clearly the only choice. There is so much that is important choosing a realtor that you can't even think of it that Rachel does. Because of her fantastic photography and marketing we had a great offer while it was still "coming soon". WOW! No stress and worth every penny of the commission. I don't easily recommend anyone but for myself and my wife Laura I can tell you that you can't make a better decision than Rachael Birnbaum! read more

Before interviewing several realtors, I made a short list of top quality realtors who specialized in Benicia and knew how to market properties well. We met with Rachel (and Ron) last, and once we did we knew which realtor we needed to go with. We were ready to list quickly and Rachel and her team accommodated and helped get our house ready and listed in a very short timeframe. Ron really helped fix some things in our house that needed it, and her stager Kim worked really hard and made our place look amazing. It was a weird unpredictable market (COVID), but Rachel collaborated with us on the list price. She helped create a bit of a frenzy, 20 showings in 4 days and 5 offers. I had wanted to set an early deadline for offers but Rachel convinced me to extend it one more day. Sure enough, the very last showing is the offer that we accepted - $50K over asking. Rachel provided personal attention, took time to get to know and take an interest in our family, and was really responsive to my questions throughout the process. I can't recommend her and her team more highly! read more

Rachel was absolutely amazing as we searched for a home in Benicia. She was warm, friendly, knowledgeable, and most importantly to us, no pressure as we navigated house tours during covid-19. We ended up with a home that is perfect for us in a new city we never knew we'd love so much! Can't recommend her and her team enough! read more

I recently used Rachel and her team to sell a rental property in Vallejo. The whole process was seamless. Her communication was great. Her knowledge and attention to detail was second to none. Rachel has many contacts for contractors that will take care of any of your needs for repairs, landscaping or remodeling. She helped come up with a listing price that we both agreed upon, and the property had two offers within a week! We closed in thirty days above the list price!! I highly recommend Birnbaum Realty. I had wonderful experience all around. Thank You Rachel and Team! read more

Through the whole process of buying a house Rachel was prepared for everything. It wasn't just that she had a reference/recommendation for every type of inspection we needed but knew how to carefully analyze our situation and helped us work out what was best for us. Rachel always made time for us and was great about the progression of each part of moving the process along from getting move in dates to scheduling opening doors for inspectors to getting the physical keys in our hand. One of the best perks of working with Rachel was having her husband Ron help us through the process as well. Ron is a contractor and came along with Rachel when we did our general inspection and I didn't know he was a part of the deal but this is a great part of the package of going with Rachel. So when we got our general inspection we got a loooooong list of things that our inspector found wrong with the house and Ron was there to provide context and cost to each of the itemized issues to further help us in prioritizing issues that would make it so we either would or would not purchase the home. Another thing I would like to mention is my wife and I are worriers! And as first time home buyers Rachel was great at getting us to take deep breaths throughout the process and focus on the important stuff. I could go on about Rachel all day but I am pretty sure this review, her 5 star rating, and other reviews speak for themselves. This woman is experienced and prepared and there to WORK FOR YOU! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!!! read more

Rachel is a one of a kind person, agent, and, now, friend. Long story short, you should absolutely call Rachel for your local real estate needs. Longer story: My husband and I are newlyweds who were looking to purchase our first home a few months ago. We had talked to a few agents and none of them seemed to fit our style. We were looking for someone who would have a serious interest in finding us a little starter home that fit within our small budget. We also wanted an agent that we knew would have our best interest in mind and look out for us through the scary first time buying process. Rachel was (and is) all of that and more. After looking at innumerable houses (due to our fairly specific requirements), we finally found the one we wanted. Unfortunately, the seller agent was the most unresponsive and difficult guy to work with ever and we despaired of ever getting this home. Rachel never, never stopped fighting for us to first win the house, then to get through the negotiation process. She was %150 committed to making this home ours. Her endless patience with our questions, worries, and frustrations was amazing. End result: we got our house keys yesterday!!! Bonus: Rachel's husband, Ronno, is a general contractor and when we ran into some appraisal conditions that needed to be met and weren't being completed by the seller agent, he jumped in and made the fixes in one morning so we could move forward with our purchase. They are seriously some of the nicest, most caring people we have ever met. As new homeowners (thanks to Rachel), we are recommending her to everybody we know. We are so, so thankful we met Rachel and her husband and we look forward to calling them friends for a long time to come. read more

My husband and I recently purchased our first home and Rachel was our buyers' agent. She did an absolutely phenomenal job. She is a Benicia local who loves the town and knows it inside and out. Her enthusiasm is contagious! Since we are moving to Benicia from the peninsula we didn't know the area well and absolutely relied on her expertise. She showed us dozens of homes before we found the right fit, and the house we ended up purchasing wasn't even on the market - but Rachel knew the owners were looking to sell and got us in to see the property. Without her insider's knowledge of the market we wouldn't have found our home! Throughout the process Rachel was patient, kind, and really listened to us. She's also very up-front about everything and made sure we weren't wasting our time by seeing properties that weren't a good fit. She always responded very quickly via email, text, or phone when we had a question or wanted to see a property. Once we got down to the process of making an offer, negotiating, and ultimately closing, Rachel advocated hard for us to make sure we got a deal we were happy with. She explained everything very clearly which was a big help since it was our first time going through this process. I should also mention that she has fantastic people working with her - from her assistant, Kelly, to her husband, Ron, who is a contractor and toured some properties with us to advise us about improvements we could make. She also recommended great professionals for the home inspection process. We would absolutely recommend Rachel. She was a pleasure to work with, and made the home buying process fun and straightforward. read more

Rachel Birnbaum is wonderfully warm and energetic. My home sold quickly because the listing was presented in a most polished professional way. She handled the sales transaction competently and smoothly. If I ever move back to Benicia, I will happily call on her for her expertise. read more

Rachel helped me buy my house. She was very easy to work with and very knowledgeable about the Benicia area. While it was stressful buying a property and selling a property at the same time, Rachel made it as easy as possible for me. Even after closing escrow and moving in, Rachel was still available to help us quickly and seamlessly resolve some concerns we had about the house. If you're looking to buy in Benicia, definitely give Rachel a call! read more

As first time home buyers my wife and I were extremely apprehensive when we first began searching for our home. So much so that we changed both realtors and lenders a couple times. It's a very personal process and it takes some one with not only immense market knowledge but also some one who can relate to and actually care about their clients as a great real estate agent. Rachel not only found us exactly what we wanted and negotiated as vigorously as she could but we are two weeks out of escrow and Rachel and Ron are still involved making sure our garage is getting fixed and that we understand every inch of our new home. Ron is Rachel's husband and is a HUGE asset. He is a contractor and came along to every open house and every viewing we had showing us what's good and what's bad from a construction and design aspect. Ron told us what we can fix and make nicer and what we need to stay away from. His advice was invaluable. Rachel also has Kelly, her assistant and Tyler, a new agent, on her team. The four of them were there with us every step of the way answering all of our questions and concerns and there were a ton. Rachel also got us in touch with a lender I will use forever. He was amazing and he and Rachel worked so well together it made all the difference. Needless to say that the feelings I have toward Rachel and Ron and their team is of the upmost respect and admiration and I have found friends and a real estate team for life. read more

Rachel has been amazing through the very tough house hunting, short sale process. Anytime my husband and/or I had a question she was available to answer. We had talked to a few Realtors before we found Rachel but no one we connected with, with Rachel the connection was instant. This is our first home, although I had done some research Rachel was really the expert in the process, someone on our side we could trust. I never hesitated to call, text, or email her she is so knowledgeable of the tricky real estate market and always got right back to me, even while she was on vacation. I had to tell her take a vacation, she truly cares about her clients and finding the right house for them. She really understands what we are looking for and works hard for us. I would recommend Rachel to anyone, she is the greatest!! read more

We moved to Benicia from Virginia so it was a big move for our family. We chose Rachel to be our realtor to help us find a house in Benicia. I cannot say enough about Rachel's abilities and professionalism as an agent. But beyond that she is just a good person who helped make our transition better - and that's what it is all about in this world! Rachel and her team were great to work with and we are thankful to them all in helping us find a house. I highly recommend Rachel if you are looking to purchase a house. Many props and shoutouts to the Birnbaum Team! read more

My husband and arrived from Colorado to the Bay Area with little to no knowledge of the area and the real estate market. It was me, my husband, our 6 month old daughter and our dog all in temporary accommodations, after 60 days we were beginning to feel as if we were never going to find our dream home. Once we fell in love with Benicia we looked for a real estate agent specializing in Benicia and the amazing reviews led us to Rachel Birnbaum! I will never forget, I emailed her on Thanksgiving morning and by the afternoon had a response from her and an scheduled time to talk the next day! She helped us find a home that is truly a dream! She listened to our needs and I swear she has been through every house on the market in Benicia! I could ask about a house and she would immediately know the floor plan, traffic on the streets and the elementary school our daughter would attend. It is this attention to detail that was a goldmine for us! Rachel's assistant Kelly is incredibly helpful and goes above and beyond to answer questions, provide contact information, and follow up with anything! Rachel and Kelly helped us with the entire process! Our offer was accepted within one day and within a month we had closed on our home! Also, the help doesn't end when you close on your home. Rachel and Kelly helped me on moving day and and checked on my progress to make sure all was still running smoothly. I highly recommend Birnbaum Realty!!!!!! read more

Simply put, Rachel is amazing! Being new to the Bay Area, we chose Rachel because of her positive online reviews and learned immediately that her high ratings are well-deserved. Rachel is extremely knowledgeable about the real estate market and she her team are very warm and friendly. We could not have asked for a better home buying experience and would absolutely work with her again! read more

Best experience we've had with a realtor in 15 years. Rachel Birnbaum gives you the personal attention and advice of a trusted family member. There was never any pressure to move forward until we found the house that was right for us. Her team is equally excellent and guided us through the home-buying process every step of the way. Would 100% recommend to anyone looking for a realtor. read more

As a loan agent in the Bay Area for the past 13-14 years I can tell you that Rachel Birnbaum is a cut above the typical agent in the market place! I have had the opportunity to work with her on escrows where she was helping the buyer, as well as escrows where she is the listing agent and helping the seller. Regardless of which side of the transaction she is on her skills are phenomenal. She has great command in the market place, strong technical skills around real estate, and very good people skills with clients as well as negotiating skills with the other agents involved... If you are looking to buy or sell in Benicia or the County of Solano make sure to meet Rachel and see if she will be a good fit to help you through the process, you will be happy that you did! read more

We selected Birnbaum Realty to list our house. We met Rachel and felt an immediate connection. We maintained contact for over a year because we were not sure we could sell and recover our investment. When we decided to sell we called Rachel to talk about listing price, commissions and contract time frame. Rachel listened to our concerns and was so amenable. She is truly an agent with heart who places her clients first. It was not the easiest deal because of the other agent but Rachel maintained her usual optimism and diligence. Call Rachel for your home listing. She is wonderful, a delightful person and a great agent. Al and Linda Lang read more

After reading her great reviews, I decided to work with Rachel to find a home in Benicia, and I was not disappointed. Not only was she extremely knowledgeable and well-connected in Benicia, she diligently worked on developing an understanding of my interests and what I was looking for, even when I wasn't entirely sure myself. She answered all of my many calls, texts, and emails in rapid fashion including after hours and on weekends. When a great house suddenly came on the market, she had the connections (knowing the realtor) to have me there first, and I was able to obtain it despite multiple other offers. Rachel was very understanding and caring, and she made the process a fun experience while smoothly handling all of the paperwork. Rachel is a true gem and someone I was lucky to have guiding my search for a new home. Thanks Rachel! read more

We enjoyed working with Rachel and appreciated her knowledge of the area, insights into construction possibilities, access to local contractors, and her ability to help us through the process to get our offer accepted. We got our first offer accepted, which seems to be a bit of a miracle these days! At that stressful moment of putting in the offer, Rachel was very responsive and helped move things along swiftly (at all hours!) Rachel and her husband (a contractor who also helped offer some insights; bonus!) are really nice people and great to work with. We are now happy in our new home. read more

Rachel Birnbaum's tag line is "expertise with heart" which is truly how she runs her business and interacts with everyone she encounters. We picked Rachel Birnbaum as our realtor because she had excellent reviews on yelp, friends spoke highly of her, and we met her casually while looking at an open house and thought she was great! Rachel handled the sale of our old home and purchase of our new home smoothly and it was a complicated transaction, with multiple contingencies. In the end all parties came out with what they wanted which was no easy task. Rachel was creative about how she approached finding us a new home by mailing a personal postcard and she did a fabulous job advertising our home with beautiful pictures and a video. Rachel provides excellent service to her clients and guides them to ensure they are making good decisions that they are comfortable with. She was always available to answer our questions multiple times and at all hours. She pays attention to the small details to consider what is in your best interest and was extremely helpful in coordinating all the parties during the appraisals, repairs, loan funding, etc. We are so happy in our new home thanks to Rachel for making this possible. I would highly recommend using Birnbaum Realty for the sale and/or purchase of your home. read more

Love Rachel!! Very attentive, excellent service and dependable. I definitely recommended her services. You'll be in good hands.

I recently bought a home in Vallejo after several months of searching, and Rachel and her husband Ron shepherded me through all the ups and downs, all the offers and not-quite deals--three of them--until I finally succeeded on my fourth try! What a trial. But Rachel was an incredibly patient and supportive advocate for me throughout this entire process. As an East Bay resident, I knew zero about Vallejo when I first started out. Rachel has an intimate knowledge of the various neighborhoods (important in a city with lots of "pockets"), and was able to advise me about the area with the kind of deep knowledge that I lacked. As someone who has bought and sold property herself, she knows a great deal about how to evaluate a place and what potential it might have. Finally, Rachel helped me strategize about the buying process and put together the strongest possible offer in an incredibly challenging market. My difficulty finding a place had to do with the market, not with her. Rachel's husband Ron, who owns Ron Bruno Construction based in Benicia, accompanied us on many home visits, and his deep knowledge and experience in the field helped me enormously. With endless patience and enthusiasm, Ron gave me ideas and estimated costs to help me figure out how to implement the changes I envisioned for the various houses. Both he and Rachel are well connected and have a whole host of referrals they have provided to me. I started my home search with another real estate agent, but switched to working with Rachel after a short time because of her candor, knowledge, and excellent interpersonal skills. Having been supported throughout the home search process by both Rachel and Ron, I can say that they are an incredible team and truly wonderful caring people who want the best for their clients. read more

Read everyone else's 5-star reviews and we'll agree to all the accolades for Rachel and her team. We've bought and sold a lot of homes and have been fortunate in our choices of professionals to help us along the way. Rachel's knowledge of the real estate market, her connections, her willingness to listen and respond, and her ability to make the process as easy as possible for her clients, all come together to create a successful outcome for everyone involved. We sold our Benicia home in a day and if that doesn't say Birnbaum Realty knows what they're doing, nothing does. read more

We have used Rachel and her team for the sale of 1 home and the purchasing of 2 homes. As repeat customers, we couldn't recommend Birnbaum Realty more! Rachel is a fantastic realtor and is well connected in Benicia. Her husband, Ron, is a contractor and they are a dynamic duo. Ron had some great recommendations and did some work for us before we put our house on the market. Rachel's team is knowledgable, personable, and responsive. They take great care of their clients and were a pleasure to work with! read more

I'm a real estate investor and Rachel has been a great resource for me. In addition to being kind, warm, and friendly, she's very knowledgeable about the markets she works in. Highly recommended! read more

My wife and I recently purchased an investment property in Benicia, CA. Rachel was amazing! She was extremely responsive, patient, and really took the time to listen to our needs. Her knowledge of the area and current market conditions was immensely helpful. The personal attention we received was fantastic. Our lender had a few unexpected delays and she navigated the process with ease. Not only was Rachel helpful with the purchase, but she was also helpful with the remodel. Our house needs some work and Rachel was instrumental in helping us line up contractors. With her strong relationships developed over the past 20+ years, we were able to get painting started on the same day we closed. We strongly recommend Rachel to anyone looking for a property in the area! read more

I I have worked with Rachel and she is a fantastic realtor. She is super knowledgeable and takes great care of her clients. She negotiated a great deal for our clients and was instrumental in coordinating a smooth transaction which is so helpful to people when purchasing a home. She is very pleasant to deal with and professional in every sense of the word.I highly recommend her and you'll be super happy that you worked with her. read more

We used Rachel as our agent to purchase a short-sale home in San Ramon. Though we were experienced home buyers (this was our 3rd time purchasing a home), it was our first time purchasing a short-sale and we honestly didn't know what to expect. She was incredibly informative and patient, explained the process to us thoroughly, provided us with weekly and even daily updates, and was super responsive. She made the process so easy, and all with a great and positive attitude. We recommend her to all of our family and friends! read more

I have a background as a real estate professional, and have bought and sold many houses over the years. I can say without hesitation that Rachel Birnbaum is the best broker/agent I have ever encountered. She has the qualities of creativity, integrity, knowledge, and energy to help both buyers and sellers reach their goal. In 2006, she listed and sold an investment property I owned in Vallejo, CA. She impressed me with her thorough knowledge of the market, and I liked her immediately. She referred workers to prepare the home for sale at a reasonable cost. She held open houses every weekend. I had foolishly listed the house for more than she recommended. It took a while to sell, but with price reductions it sold for close to the price Rachel had suggested. Throughout the process Rachel and her staff made sure all the paperwork was handled in a timely manner. We were very pleased with the outcome. When I agreed to help my daughter buy a home which better suited her family's needs, I asked Rachel to work with us. We started looking just after Thanksgiving 2009. Rachel was intrepid and tireless in following every lead, showing listings in Martinez, Benicia, and even Marin County. She negotiated a winning bid in a short sale with several competitors. Throughout the process of contending with a short sale, Rachel negotiated first with the sellers, then the bank, and kept the flow of paperwork going in a timely and organized process. She also referred us to an excellent mortgage broker. However, after inspection we decided there was a whiff of "money pit" in this charming house, so we cancelled the agreement. Rachel kept working hard to find another house with the many features my daughter wanted, and negotiated another winning bid in competition for an excellent home in Benicia. Everyone is thrilled with the outcome. In the sale of the Vallejo house, everything went better than I could have hoped for. The city had been in the news for going into bankruptcy, and I was worried we'd never get anyone to buy in that climate. However, Rachel did a superlative job marketing the house, and we were very happy that the couple who bought it appreciated its many good features. As for the recent house hunt, I have to give Rachel a lot of credit for being a therapist to me in my dealings with my daughter. (Rachel's father is a psychiatrist). With good humor and lots of excellent advice she kept us going through the arduous process of the short sale, then the realization that the house we'd fallen in love with would need major foundation and other work. She took my daughter and her husband to see countless houses in her local area and also Marin County, until they finally decided on the right one. I have now worked with Rachel in the two roles which prove the mettle of a broker/agent, and she proved herself superior in every way. Rachel is based in Benicia, but is flexible and willing to cover other cities and counties. I trust her completely, and give her my highest recommendation. read more

We feel so fortunate to have used Rachel as our realtor to sell our condo in Benicia. From the beginning she offered sage advice on timing, what was important to market the property, and what was not necessary. She was very responsive to any inquiry, willing to go the extra step to make things easy for us and handled the entire transaction smoothly. Professionally and personally, could not have asked for a better interaction. read more

My husband and I recently sold our Benicia home and found ourselves very lucky to be working with Rachel during the transaction. Initially I was going to sell the house by myself but Rachel offered her help and I decided to take it. We were so lucky to have gone that way as it turned out to be more complicated than I was ready for. Rachel took it all in stride with the right pricing, multiple offers and guiding us through some complicated negotiations that we would have worried about. With her as a sounding board we were able to make our decisions and not stress. read more