This review is long overdue. We took the plunge and decided to seriously look to buy a home in…read more early 2021. We had been casually looking at the market for a long while and happened to run across Eric Wong as the selling agent at an open house a number of years back (2019?). We remembered during that open house he was friendly, informative and seemed honest (to us even as the buyers). He has been a long time El Cerrito resident and knows the area quite well (along with a lot of the Bay Area in general, I'm sure). In the Spring of 2021, we reached out to Eric to see if he was interested in representing us as home buyers and he was. Having been casually looking at the market for a while, we had a good sense of what we were looking for (style and size of the home and in which areas). From that standpoint, Eric would usually send us newly listed properties and we would let him know which ones we were interested in seeing. So there was not much taking the day to explore what's on the market (which is needed to get a feel for what's out there and in surrounding areas if less familiar). For the homes which we were interested in moving forward with an offer, Eric provided his honest opinion about what a competitive offer would be, the risks of holding or waving certain contingencies, and set realistic expectations. He also gave sound advice in regards to what the home inspection reports indicated to him, as well as introduced us to a mortgage lender who was easy to work with and got us a rate that we could support a competitive offer. Our first few offers were not accepted, but Eric was encouraging, and he set realistic expectations, so we were not crushed with every rejection. His encouragement and even keel kept our hopes up and he constantly says buying a home is a process. Happy to say, the perseverance paid off, the process works and we finally had an offer accepted and a new home to look forward to! Finding a real estate agent to work with is a lot like finding a good health care provider, lawyer, or barber. At the end of the day, it has to be someone you can trust (at least on a professional level), share the same vision and probably more importantly, someone you get along with (not just tolerate). And for that personality does matter. Eric had the right personality for us and it worked out, and we can wholeheartedly recommend him. Remember though, this is variable, so find someone you're comfortable talking openly with, trust that his/her professional perspective matches your expectations and that should set up a good foundation for success. Update: We are very happy with the purchase of our home. To date there have been no major surprises which would probably have made us second guess our review of inspection reports or conjure doubt of how we missed something. In retrospect, the time Eric took walking us through all the documentation was worth the peace of mind.

Eric helped me and my family purchase our first home in the Bay Area this winter. He was very fun…read moreto work with and kept our best interests at heart. I love his approach with his clients which is professional and friendly. He's also very responsive and always made himself available to answer any and all of our questions. He made sure that we understood the process which at times got very tricky and kept things transparent. We worked together for about five months and even ended up exchanging foodie pictures - he's so much fun! I highly recommend working with Eric!

I have purchased and sold multiple homes, and the best real estate agent that I have ever worked…read morewith is Jamie Abitia. The experience I had recently selling my home surpassed all of my expectations, as Jamie is a person of quality who cares about her customers. She is very knowledgeable, on top of every detail, takes initiative, and excellent at staging and presenting a home. Jamie by nature has a way of putting people at ease, and making the experience enjoyable. Jamie does not stop. She is available morning, noon and night, seven days a week! (Sorry, but she needs a life! lol) She views her assignments as personal challenge, and adroitly uses the vast knowledge & resources of her support team at Maddox. She anticipates possible pitfalls, addressing them before they become a problem. In fact, whenever something came up that related to inspections, permits, power, plumbing, painting, home repair, electrical, landscaping, or staging; her phone was out as she was making a call to someone who could promptly attend to any concern. She is also very tech savvy, and utilizes this to make transactions easy and convenient for her customers. Jamie is gracious, patient, understanding, and helpful throughout a process that is normally very stressful. She also has a great sense of humor! Meeting Jamie was like opening your first bottle of champagne; knowing her was like drinking it. I am grateful for the marvelous service that Jamie and her team have provided. Even though I had never met Jamie before I hired her, I now consider her a trusted & valued friend. You are in good hands if you select Jamie Abitia as your agent! Sincerely, Stuart Damon

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

Alan came highly recommended by friends, and we would highly recommend him to friends and family…read more We were first-time homebuyers with a fair amount of trepidation about entering the San Francisco market; with Alan we felt we were in excellent hands every step of the way. Alan is a longtime San Francisco resident who has been working the Bay Area real estate market for decades, and that really showed throughout our search and our purchase. He knows the City's neighborhoods and parks, and takes the long view on trends in home design. Throughout our search he was pointed out aspects of every place we saw that would impact our lives in the home and what would be important in its eventual resale. He was very relaxed - never pushy, but always available. He gave us room to have our own experience, but always offered solid guidance. He shepherded us with gentleness and clarity through the composition of a winning offer, and a very tight timeline for closing. On top of everything, Alan was and is a truly nice guy. We've stayed in touch even after closing, just because we like having him as a friend. And should we need an agent again, we plan to call him.

I was on the fence about selling but I found a replacement property out of the area. He set me up…read moreon the Compass platform where I search Tahoe, Napa, Guerneville and Oregon. Once I was in contract in Oregon, he even reviewed my buyers contract. He worked quickly to get my place staged even though stagers were backed up. Once my duplex was listed on the MLS, we received mulitple offers in less than 1 week and were ratified. Alan is professional, patient and can work through any challenges..even shelter in place. He is attuned with market valuations/conditions and strategy. I would highly recommend Alan for both selling and buying.

We first met Jeff at the open house for our new home in Moraga, which we fell in love with…read moreinstantly. Two days later, when I was having lunch at a tiny restaurant in a small HuTong (alley) in Beijing, I received a text from Jeff that said "Congratulations! You got the house!" After the initial shock wore off, I asked Jeff to visit our home in Orinda to assess its marketability. He approached the assignment with more seriousness and professionalism than I expected--he arrived with printed data of all recent sales in our neighborhood. He was confident that our Orinda home would sell. Trusting his judgment, we moved forward and bought the Moraga one. By the time we listed our Orinda home, the market had started to cool. A similar house close-by had just taken a $140K price cut. Against all odds, Jeff secured an offer for us after the first open house--just as he had done with our Moraga purchase. One open house, he got us our new home and sold our old one. The stress we experienced while our old home was on the market was some of the worst we've ever had. We are deeply grateful to Jeff for lifting that burden so quickly. He truly helped us get our lives back. Beyond his exceptional professional skills, it has been a real pleasure working with Jeff. He is warm, generous, and detail-oriented. He is still helping us with little things around our beautify new home. We don't plan to move again, ever, but we will genuinely miss doing business with Jeff. If you get the opportunity to work with him, take it. He has our highest recommendation.

Jeff just helped us buy the home that our kids will grow up and build memories in. If you're…read morelooking for a home in Lamorinda, I highly recommend you consider working with Jeff. He's a deeply experience realtor, knows everyone in the area and has seen it all - so he'll get the deal done. What sets him apart? His super power is connecting and building authentic relationships. That super power is ultimately what will get your offer accepted over others in a competitive situation.

Nick is absolutely amazing. He is definitely a conscientious and excellent realtor, one of the best…read morewe have had the pleasure to work with. Nick has a very unique approach to his craft, he works in various regions of California, not just local to himself like many realtors tend to do. He is very knowledgeable and his due diligence about the real estate market assisted him in selling our property within a month. Nick is very responsive and truly listens to his clients. We had no issues with communication during our experience and he was ALWAYS readily available to answer and address any of our concerns. We felt very secure in leaving Nick to handle the sale of our property and he even made sure our property was safe and secure when we left it vacant due to moving to another state. Before working with Nick, we contacted his previous clients (references from post clients authorised,) and ALL informed us of how exceptional he was for them, this helped our decision in hiring him. Nick does not just sit and wait for potential interest; his process and marketing ensure that properties have maximum exposure. To add to his already expansive skillset, Nick knows about Solar, which is a BIG plus for all homeowners with the latter and helped to sell our property quicker. I would without a doubt refer Nick to anyone selling and/or buying a property. Nick is personable and versatile with dealing with many types of personalities. He understands that this is a stressful time for his clients and always applies his even-keeled demeanour, gives good sound advice during stressful situations, and thus alleviates stress from the client, this was certainly the case for us. Should you work with Nick, you will be in good hands.

Nick is the absolute best. I would recommend him to anyone I know. He was always available, quick…read moreto answer questions, and made us feel like he was truly on our side. Our first home buying experience was a success because of Nick's hard work and dedication to getting us the house we wanted. He dealt with multiple negotiations and even helped us switch lenders halfway through escrow. We will definitely be calling him when we are ready for our second home!

Chris was recommended by a friend but I refused to use him due to my loyalty to a prior agent…read more When my agent at the time couldn't make time to show me a property for several days, I decided to give Chris a shot. That very day we viewed the house and Chris was my agent from there on out. After some house hunting I with the help chris finally purchase my first home. Chris was great throughout the entire process. He was always in communication and I never felt neglected or left out of the loop. I appreciated the comfort of knowing what was going on during the process, but I valued his shrewd people skills and experience even more. From the second I heard him on the phone with the selling agent I knew Chris would not only get me a home, but that would also negotiate a good deal. I could sense his skill with questioning and trying to uncover issues with the home and how sturdy the price actually was. It was NOT a simple when can we view it. He was already actively trying to find out how firm the price was. Throughout the process he was my advocate and I always had a sense that he was working all the angles he knew, to get me the best value. To wrap it up Chris was very attentive throughout the process, great negotiator and had a strong sense of the market. Personally, I am very happy I used Chris to be my agent and left this review to show my thanks.

Chris was a fantastic support for my home purchase and was very professional through the whole…read moreprocess. Was able to keep up with my constant questions and check ins with very prompt reply's while offering very intelligent advice about the Real estate market & the city I specifically was inquiring about. Would recommend Chris to anyone!

Jeffrey Walter d Jesus, Jeff, is not only our real estate agent, but also a role model for my…read morefamily and I. We look up to him and applaud him for being blessed with honesty, patience, kindness, integrity, congeniality and exceedingly developed work ethics. If any individual or family is in need of a calm, down-to-earth, tremendously experienced, never-too-hurried real estate agent, Jeff is the man you seek. My family and I describe him as a character not in the housing market just to sell or buy property for clients, but to educate them on basics of real estate, (Jeff has also successfully trained many rookie real estate agents too); he lends an ear and answers all your questions no matter how late or early it is. There is a lot to say of a man who starts his day at around 5:30am at a Starbucks store, with thankfulness in his heart and the Bible open before him. All in all, Jeff is a blessing in our lives and we hope that any individual reading this review will make a wise decision to utilize services that Jeff has to offer, that is, if you want a good guy on your side, who's got your back at all times. Ratna (Ron) and Archana (Julie) Acharya.

Jeffrey provided all information and was very helpful including finance information. He's very…read moreprofessional and knows the Real Estate market and current trends. I would recommend him as your Real Estate agent. Although there are many on them out there to choose, you can't go wrong with him. Art N

Isaiah is amazing! He helped my family purchase a home. He has been extremely patient, and…read moreunderstanding of our needs. His knowledge of the bay area market, his willingness to always be available, flexibility to meet in person to look at properties, and general knowledge about the home buying process makes him one of the top realtors to work with in the bay area. I would highly recommend him and I will personally be using him for future real estate needs.

Isaiah is very professional and hardworking. If you are looking for someone that knows the market…read moreand does the analysis, Isaiah is your realtor. He is very prompt and thorough in his responses and it almost feels like he is always available to answer your questions and guide you. I will continue working with Isaiah for all my future real estate needs.