Katrena prior is the best real estate agent ever. Period. 1…read more Consistent 2. Ethical 3. Enthusiastic/great energy 4. Knowledgeable 5. Patient 6. Great teacher She definitely adds warmth to this business and was extremely helpful given my limited knowledge as a first time home buyer I love my new (recently remodeled) home and I'm thankful for her subtle push to make me as competitive as possible in this market

We had no idea what we had in store when we started our journey to buy our first home in the Bay…read moreArea. Good thing we had Katrena's knowledge and humor to guide the way!! Katrena was kind, patient and helped us make sense of every detail of this crazy process, especially when we experienced some very challenging and disappointing offers. In hindsight, Katrena was our fortune teller; she promised us from the beginning that she wouldn't let us buy a home we didn't absolutely love and she was 110% right. With Katrena's expertise and professional (and moral!) support, we ended up securing a home that matched our needs more than we could have imagined. From start to end, we can't recommend Katrena and her team enough!!

Throughout our transaction, your meticulous attention to detail and proactive communication made…read moreour escrow together smooth and efficient. Your collaborative spirit and positive attitude further enriched our partnership, setting a standard of excellence for our industry. In recognizing your contributions, I am inspired by your unwavering pursuit of professionalism and integrity. Your approach not only enhances the client experience but also elevates the reputation of our profession as a whole. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with someone of your caliber and can't wait until to do another transaction with you in the near future.

I am so happy that my Husband and I selected Angelica as our Realtor! Angelica went above and…read morebeyond with her attention to detail and care for us! My Husband and I were very new to the process and asked a million questions along the way. Before we made our decision to select Angelica, she booked a "get to know me" type of interview consultation. I really appreciated the initial appointment because it allowed us to converse freely and ask any preliminary questions. We opted to select our own lender instead of the recommendation from Angelica, and she did not try to pressure or persuade us to change our decision. Ultimately, we regretted that decision because our lender dropped the ball and caused us so much avoidable stress. There were multiple mistakes from our outside lender and Angelica was such an advocate for us. Not only did she act as our Realtor, but she continuously followed up to get answers/clarification. Angelica was very knowledgeable with VA loans, so we felt very confident with working with her to close a deal. What impressed me the most is her caring attitude! I felt her genuine passion for the work she does, and it was very evident that she wanted to make sure all of our wants/needs were met. We saw the home, made the offer shortly after the viewing, and the offer was accepted the next day! Once the offer was accepted, Angelica prepared a very thorough PowerPoint presentation on the next steps before closing. The PowerPoint was super helpful! We called/texted/emailed so much that it started to feel like Angelica was a part of our family. We are now living in our home and we have Angelica to thank for that! I would recommend her to anyone interested in purchasing!

I would give Christine 10 stars if I could, she's that good! She's incredibly knowledgeable about…read morethe Bay Area housing market and knows all the micro-neighborhoods within it. She's reliable, responsive, and best of all she fights for her clients tooth and nail to get the house of their dreams. I spent a few months working with her closely to buy my first house, and the home we ended up in surpassed all my expectations! It just wouldn't have happened without Christine's dedication and partnership. She's very well respected among lenders and mortgage brokers in the Bay Area; they know she means business. She's also just a super fun, awesome person who will give 150% until she makes your dreams come true. 10 stars out of 5!!

Christine and I had an introduction call in January 2022 to review my goals for selling my Mare…read moreIsland home. From the beginning to the end of the home sale process, Christine provided exceptional service and expertise as a non-aggressive, unbiased agent. She helped me understand the home sale process, provided valuable market observations, and always displayed timely, personable, and excellent communication. During the process, she kept me appraised on the housing market as we planned to sell my home in August 2022. When the house was ready to be put on the market, resources such as staging, painters, and cleaning services were in place. What I appreciated most about Christine was that after she provided her expert opinion, she always left the decision to me without pressure. She respected my feedback and was open to my thoughts and concerns. Her professionalism and diligence put me at ease during every step of the home sale process, and we met our goal of selling my home within 90 days. Thank you, Christine, for your care and support during my first-time home sale experience. It was an excellent opportunity to meet you and have you as my agent.

BGAM is a very good company with very nice managers. Mark, Kim and Ryan are a pleasure to work…read morewith. They have made my life stress free. I highly recommend them for managing your property. Getting on board with them is stress free and easy.

I had a very frustrating and disappointing experience with BG Asset Management during the rental…read moreapplication process. My credit report clearly indicated that there was a security freeze on my file. Despite that, I was told in writing that I could provide 12 months of alternative payment history (such as utility or phone bills) to move forward. I relied on that direction and submitted everything requested. After doing so, they changed their position and said they could no longer accept that documentation because of the credit freeze--something that was already known from the beginning. Even more concerning, they acknowledged the inconsistency, but refused to rectify the situation. The only solution they offered was for me to submit a completely new application, rather than continuing with the one I had already completed. They also repeatedly requested information that had already been provided, and asked for additional banking records to verify where deposits from my paystubs were going, which felt excessive and unnecessary. Communication was extremely poor. I called at least seven times using different phone numbers, and no one ever answered. Their customer service line disconnects, and the only responses I received were via email--about once per day, making it very difficult to resolve anything in a timely manner. Overall, the process lacked transparency, consistency, and professionalism. Being given clear instructions, complying fully, and then having the requirements changed--without any effort to correct it--raises serious concerns about how applications are handled. I would strongly recommend others proceed with caution.

Not all real estate agents are created equal--and Mariama is truly the best of the best. My partner…read moreand I have worked with many agents over the years and have experienced the full spectrum: the good, the bad, and the downright frustrating. Before our most recent search, I felt disheartened--not just because of the challenging housing market, but because previous agents had been dismissive, condescending, or simply too busy to offer real support. Mariama was the complete opposite. From our first conversation, she took the time to really understand our needs, our budget, our preferences, and the neighborhoods we were considering. We never felt rushed. She made us feel seen, heard, and genuinely cared for. She was honest and transparent about what to expect, and she showed incredible patience when we hit moments of uncertainty. It also makes perfect sense that she surrounds herself with high-caliber vendors--inspectors, lenders, and escrow professionals--who reflect her same level of professionalism and care. Together, they made the process of buying a home feel almost easy. Angela, a member of Mariama's team and a skilled agent in her own right, was also incredibly helpful throughout our search. She accompanied us on showings, offered thoughtful insight, and contributed meaningfully at every step. Mariama went above and beyond, and I cannot recommend her highly enough.

As first-time homebuyers, we couldn't have asked for a better real estate agent to guide us through…read morethe process. From day one, she was professional, incredibly knowledgeable, and always available to answer our (many!) questions. She taught us so much and made what could have been an overwhelming experience feel smooth and manageable. She was also super responsive, friendly, and genuinely a joy to work with. Thanks to her, we were able to get in early on a brand-new development and secure one of the very first homes in the neighborhood--which we just closed on today! We're over the moon and so grateful for her help every step of the way. If you're looking for someone who knows their stuff, is easy to talk to, and truly has your best interests at heart, look no further. She's amazing!

RICARDO VELAZCO = THE PERFECT REALTOR! From the moment I sat…read moredown to interview him, I knew he would be a perfect fit for my project. I have to be honest and say I've known Ricardo for years from a previous life in Pinole. After a fiasco with a different agent of which I won't go into detail about, I decided to use a Professional Brokerage firm that would represent our families home. After extensive renovation and years of detailed custom work, our family home became the crowned jewel of the neighborhood. A mini-boutique hotel if you will, appreciated by many friends and family members throught our almost 35 years there. Ricardo simplified my life, taking over the entire process and allowing me to just approve or make changes as needed. Since the house was in great shape I decided to leave a few pieces of our larger funiture and art work to help sell the concept of our home. From the start Ricardo had a punch list of things we needed to get done, from scheduling the stager, photographer to making sure we had all our inspections lined up (all reliable vendors with his team). Within 2 weeks we had all items completed and since my business required me back EAST, I had no choice but to leave so I gave Ricardo the keys to our family estate and trusted him unconditionally. During the next week the editing of our marketing package took place, Ricardo ask that I personally write the text, which would help personalize the details of the home and all its upgrades. Choosing the photos that would be in the final piece all took place from my cell phone from across the country. Selling a home is quite the challange on it's own during the holidays but during COVID added much concern, as time was of the essence and Ricardo made sure the house was CDC approved. Oh, did I mention that I hadn't even signed our listing agreement at this point (my apologies Ricardo), proving that Ricardo really has your best interest in mind. Overall, my experience with Ricardo and the Sequoia Real Estate team was professional, effecient, organized and knowledgeable. I would highly recommend his service if you plan to work with a Realtor. THANK YOU Ricardo and the Team at Sequoia for making the sale of our home seemless!

Ricardo was excellent and always professional. We used him as our realtor to sell our home…read morerecently. Throughout the entire process, he provided valuable knowledge and expertise; it felt good to be able to trust our realtor. Our home sold and the process would not have gone as smoothly without all of his many years of experience.

We worked with Marie 5 years ago to sell and buy homes here in Pinole, and we had great experience…read morewith her. Now another opportunity came for us to sell our current home in Pinole and purchase a new home in Hercules, we could only think of Marie to call! She knows the area, current trends and regulations, her advise is to the point from upgrades, repairs, staging to pricing the house. She is very personable and helps your sell/buy process like own family. She always follows up if any documents or signature is missing, or any questions we should be asking to seller/buyer, so you don't have to worry about the overwhelming paperwork of transaction. Thank you Marie !

I refer to Marie as Captain Marie, Wonder Realtor for her super-service and proactive management of…read morereal estate negotiations. She is friendly and often goes out of her way, and above and beyond in order to get the best results for her clients. She told us about the area (which was new to us), took us to many great houses in our range (sometimes taking a full day of showing), and was a great help in using her experience to offer negotiation advice. She was always prompt and friendly, and often offered extra advice even after closing, such as recommending local service-people. She was always working for us and getting us the best deal. She even advised me to ask for credits on the sale, even though I would have been happy to pay more and it would have increased her commission. I would heartily recommend Marie to anyone selling or buying around the Hercules/East Bay area. She knows her trade and the area very well and was a real pleasure to work with. House hunting is not an easy process, and we were glad to have Marie there to help us at every step.

Working with Garrett to sell our condo and purchase our dream home was an incredibly smooth and…read morestress-free experience. We had actually been in touch with him for about 3-4 years before making the move. During that time, we went back and forth a few times about whether we were ready to sell and start looking for something new. Through it all, Garrett remained patient, responsive, and never made us feel pressured. He always respected our timing and let us move forward when we felt ready. When we finally decided it was time to take the next step, Garrett was the first person we called. From there, he walked us through the entire process, answering every question we had--even the small or silly ones. He was always quick to respond and made sure we understood what was coming next so we never felt uncertain about the process. Once our condo was listed, we received an offer within the first two weeks and closed about a month later. Shortly after that, we found the home we were hoping for and had our offer accepted just five days later. Everything came together perfectly, and we couldn't be happier with how it all turned out. If you're thinking about buying or selling a home, I truly wouldn't recommend anyone else. Garrett is extremely knowledgeable, easy to work with, and makes sure his clients feel heard and informed throughout the entire process. He's punctual, dependable, and always follows through on what he says he'll do--which means a lot to us. Most importantly, the whole experience felt genuine. At no point did we feel like we were being "sold" anything. Garrett is authentic in the way he works with people, and that made the experience even better.

Garrett helped us purchase our first home although it was a very stressful process for a first time…read morehome buyer, Garrett made it all super easy to understand. We love how he valued your time and tried to make things work out in the most efficient way for your schedule. Garrett helped us get the deal. We wanted the inspections we needed and the people he works with are all great.. I would not hesitate to reach out to Garrett if you are interested in purchasing or selling your home

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

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

Several friends have been so pleased with Victor's services in selling their homes. He has done an…read moreoutstanding job for me with property management. The office is involved with community activities that make our town uniquely special. Realty World has my highest recommendation.

Frankly, I don't understand the 5 stars reviews and need to express some doubt as to their…read morevalidity. My experience with Viktor Manrique was not positive. He was the most unresponsive and most unhelpful listing realtor throughout my buying process. He ignored requests and inquiries by my buyer's agent or his assistant; he was in the wind. An issue arose 21/2 years aftrer COE for which both my realtor and I sent numerous emails to him with a question for the sellers - he not even responded or acknowledged the emails, let alone assist with the request. While none of this is illegal, it is not good practice to not even adhere to the slightest professional courtesy and social conventon of responding to emails, texts, calls. I'd stay away from Viktor Manrique and would personally not buy a home where he was the listing agent no matter how much I liked the house.