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Montclair Better Homes Realty

5.0 (1 review)

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The Grubb Company - Kensington

The Grubb Company

(59 reviews)

Montclair Village, Oakland Hills

So far I have had an awful experience. I have been trying to get my house on the market since March…read more2024 and it still isn't listed as of September 2024. The first problem was the first agent, Regina Jacobs, who didn't seem to be engaged until just until almost ready to list. Then she did not want competing bids to do work on the house and only wanted to work with specific vendors. "Her" gardener was Efrain Sian, who in the meantime have found isn't a legit business. She authorized him to start work on my garden when I was not okay with the budget and had not signed a contract. He started work, tearing up cement and breaking outdoor plumbing, then walked off the job. He was totally careless and damaged or ruined some of my personal belongings in the yard and has no intention to replace any of it. He did more damage than if we had just left the yard as is. But Regina was insistent and wouldn't take no for an answer. So this was escalated to DJ Grubb, the owner of the company. At first he said, "what are we looking at, a settlement?" Now that I've had more bids to fix the damage, they are three times my original budget and they refuse to pay for the damage. I don't have the 30K needed to fix that damage. So they told me to take out a loan to cover it. I feel that it's totally unethical to tell me to pay for damage their agent had done without a signed contract. So my house is going no where fast and remains damaged and unsellable!!!

Dana Cohen at Grubb is nothing less than superb. She represented us in the sale of our Rockridge…read morehome in July 2020. Her expertise, patience, flexibility, empathy, demeanor, and decisiveness all contributed to an excellent experience culminating in a perfect outcome. Dana began working with us in 2019 when we weren't entirely sure we wanted to move. She wasn't pushy or looking to force a deal, simply there as a resource. When we decided to move, she helped us with every step of prep while maintaining a collaborative approach with how to do it all. Despite the pandemic pushing the sale date and creating an incredible amount of uncertainty, her steady hand guided us through it all - from setting a new date to pricing it perfectly (and talking me off the ledge multiple times). Her deep bench of relationships, from stagers to licensed professionals, helped keep everything on track so we were ready when restrictions lifted (and where less experienced agents may have stumbled out of the gate). We explicitly remember her stepping into our empty home - post move-out, pre-staging - and seeing her light up with excitement about how to make the house magical. It became quite clear that this is her life's passion, which fuels her dedication to the craft. Dana also knew that our priority was to get great people in the house that would positively add to the neighborhood, not simply to maximize selling price. She was sensitive to our needs and designed the process with those needs in mind, and still got us what we were looking for in the sale. If you're selling your home in Oakland, Berkeley, or Piedmont, there's really no other choice. She's the best in the business.

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

(14 reviews)

Montclair Village, Oakland Hills

Rachel Baller held an open house on a rainy day and did not provide shoe covers or even an adequate…read morefloor mat to dry your feet. A soaking wet towel was there for you to wipe your feet. But that is not even the worst. I walk in the house with my boyfriend and she blocks the entry way and tells me in these exact word: "Take your shoes off or you can't come in. We didn't clean the house up so you can dirty it up!" There are many ways to say things and that was just RUDE! She could have easily asked, "Could you please remove your shoes, we are trying to maintain the house in this stormy weather." And I would have happily removed them. Which leaves me with the impression that she is an elitist and racist. It doesn't matter what people dress like and what their race is, if you hold an open house you should welcome everyone! And you never know who has cash to pay for the house up front!

Peter Lekas was AMAZING. Every other realtor saw a young gal with pink hair and discounted me as a…read morenon-serious buyer. But I had the savings and per-qualifications to prove them wrong and no one took the time to find that out except for Peter. He asked me candid questions from the get go, was GREAT at finding out the details of my desires in a home/location and was super at staying in touch and keeping me in on the loop as I learned the process. He maintained attention to our pulse, our desires and knew how far he could stretch us. I couldn't have been happier!! We saw I cannot even count how many homes over the course of just a few months and he quickly grew to know what we were seeking and honed in on those requests. We ended up with the BEST home: he called and said, "This is the one, you have to see it" and he was right.

Scott Ward - One of my listings

Scott Ward

(68 reviews)

Montclair Village, Oakland Hills

Scott Ward is a treasure. I can confidently say that my property would not have sold as smoothly…read morewithout Scott and his team. Starting the from the beginning, Scott was always honest, straightforward, and considerate. He felt like a true partner in this stressful process, but at the same time, he told me what I needed to hear rather than what I wanted to hear. His communication was consistently prompt and clear, and he was able to strike a balance of sharing enough information to keep me involved while avoiding oversharing. It was clear throughout the whole process that Scott was intimately familiar with Oakland, but in particular West Oakland, and could provide guidance specific to the property's neighborhood and its potential buyers. Once we found a buyer, there were quite a few road bumps that came up, but Scott went above and beyond to take on responsibilities of the buying agent when they dropped the ball and to nudge the lender and title company along when there were delays. For anyone looking for an agent who can offer a wealth of experience while being a pleasant and easy-going person, I wholeheartedly recommend Scott Ward.

Three anecdotes that illustrate how great Scott is:…read more 1) A week after we moved into our new home, I turned to my wife and said "I miss Scott." 2) We took to calling him Uncle Scott. 3) At one point, the seller told us she wished that Scott was her agent. He felt like a sage family member guiding us through buying our first home. He found us someplace truly special and navigated a very tricky buying process. He structured the entire deal and helped us unpack all the opportunities and challenges of a home that needs a bit of work. We couldn't be happier and have already recommended two friends to start working with him as they buy their first homes. You should work with him. You will be glad you did.

Chih Wu - Compass

Chih Wu - Compass

(16 reviews)

Montclair Village, Oakland Hills

We came to the amazing Chih for help with purchasing our first home on recommendation of a friend…read more We met her after having bad experiences, firing two prior agents. The other agents were not trust worthy and were just interested in closing and making their numbers for the month, constantly pressuring us to increase our budget, doing shady things in the background (found out from our loan officer), rather than having our best interests in mind. Chih is the complete opposite. We felt nothing but confidence with Chih on our side. She took her time to learn our needs, never rushed us, always made sure we were comfortable, and helped us close on our home with full contingencies in place. She also got us cash back on top the seller accepting our asking price offer, in the Bay Area of all places! Asking price is almost unheard of here, plus concessions! Chih is extremely intelligent, and knowledgable about the market, quality and value of homes. It's crucially important to find an agent who knows homes inside and out. She pointed out many details we would not think to look for, and steered us clear of homes that were not worth it. I can't emphasize how knowledgable she is about homes, repair, contractors, inspections. She knew how much we could expect in renovations, from materials to labor to time, helping us making as informed a decision as possible. She told us what to expect in making an offer through the close, and guided us the entire way, perfectly. She was there every step of the way. We can't recommend Chih enough. She goes above and beyond, and is now far more than our agent, and has become a great friend.

As a first time homebuyer, I was quite nervous about the whole process, especially given the…read morecurrent state of the Bay Area real estate market. Luckily, I was introduced to Chih by a family friend. Right off the bat, I knew I was in good hands. She really took the time to figure out what I was looking for and understood the constraints I had to work with. Her wealth of experience and knowledge of the housing market was immediately evident. It was great to have Chih along at open houses. She knew what to look for to determine the general condition of the house, raised red flags when they needed raising, and could readily tell you the sometimes very subtle particulars of the neighborhood. It was also obvious Chih is more than familiar with the whole process. She patiently walked me through each step of the way, and it all felt very seamless. In the end, we bought the perfect home on the first offer we made. Beyond her professionalism, Chih is a just a wonderful person to work with. She is always on top of things and keeps the ball rolling. At the same time, she is very easygoing and just a great pleasure to be around. I would highly recommend Chih to anyone looking for a real estate agent.

Teri Carlisle - Compass - Striking 50's Traditional!

Teri Carlisle - Compass

(13 reviews)

Montclair Village, Oakland Hills

Teri is hands-down the smartest, most talented, connected, flexible, and savvy agent you will find…read morein the Bay Area. Long review below for details because every real estate customer has their story . I've never invested much time in reviews but she is worth it. I lived next to Teri for years during the hottest real estate market and we socialized as neighbors do, but she was often sunk into her work. She worked hours into nights and weekends to do her job well. I asked her once if the houses just don't sell themselves and she said, "Even if they do, it's a matter of pride. I owe it to my clients to do everything I can for them." And I could tell she loved it. Finally I dipped my toe into the housing market on the lower end of price range for Montclair. I was almost afraid to call Teri knowing the high-end clientele she had served. So I spoke to several other agents along the way, some of whom actually made me wince with their dumb pitches. "Look at the closets!" Doy. I listened to the horror stories of friends and was amazed that the industry had so many people who lacked much integrity. I confessed to Teri my needs and explained I thought she might not want to waste time with what I could afford. She shared with me some of the best referrals from all parts of Oakland and the Bay Area. Turns out, ahe is not a snob, but has SUPERB taste and high standards in any neighborhood, any price range. I brought up all kinds of listings and options I was sure were perfect, and she diplomatically demonstrated why they might not work out. She knew I was eager but wouldn't let me make a bad move. Even after weeks of exhausting her time with all my ideas and worries, she still insisted on some core tenets to make sure I wouldn't regret one of the biggest decisions of my life. Finally we settled on a beautiful house in the neighborhood I thought was out of reach. And then ...I backed out. OMG! She urged me not to and she was right. At the time, there were reasons. But every day I pass the exit off 13 and I think of how right she was. Great house someone else is enjoying now and she nailed it. Ok whatever. Breathe. Let it go. She was cool about it. She wasn't mad. She understood my life more than my housing needs. Finally, I came back around and of course, this time, Teri was right there with me. I was all over the market - from Lafayette to Oakland and back again. I was surprised by how much she knew outside the Oakland hills. At last, we found a great fit but this time it would put her negotiating skills to the test. She worked tirelessly with me on inspections, getting bids from a huge range of contractors to understand the fixes required and costs to consider. She organized our offers and counter-offers with the right amount of respect and aggression to come to a number we thought fair. And to make things more complex, we were dealing with a house with multiple owners (probate sale) in the middle of our declining real estate market with very little visibility into what a "good" price was. We got the house and completely upgraded. After all was said and done, our house value / investment ratio has remained stable (haven't lost). It's been three years and I just refinanced. Teri helped me make sure I got the appraisal as accurate as possible by providing real comps that an out of town appraiser wouldn't. Better than that, Teri drops by now and again and helps me lay out the furniture this way or that. She looks at real estate not just as a financial investment but as a lifestyle. It's about your family and job and the neighborhood and the fit. She reminds me how some things won't add value but other ways to solve cosmetic issues. She knows our family and our needs but she's not overly involved unless you want her to be. If I ever sell my house, I would trust no agent other than Teri. She has an excellent understanding of the local market values, etc. But she's also got a fantastic ability to make a living look better in under 15 minutes by adjusting things here and there. Her aesthetics are exquisite and she knows what to highlight in sales. And I appreciate how well connected she is among many other local agents, as well as a long list of loyal clients because it affects her understanding of what can be accomplished. She is basically your insider in the market. I'm a critical customer, educated yuppie/hippie with a great education and career. I'm kind of a know-it-all and a control freak. I never thought I needed an agent to do much more than hold my hand through closing (which I did). But Teri helped me see things I never would have seen, learned things you just can't know from reading on the internet. She is a specialist. She earns her top scores for a reason. A lovely person, a talented agent. She is the really, truly the best.

Teri is a gem. She was our buyers agent three years ago when buying our home in Montclair. It was a…read morehard sale--the sellers agent was not from Montclair and unfamiliar with the market, the sellers were older, and most notably we found that the house needed $70k in deck work during the inspection. Teri handled everything with class and honesty, and amazingly got the deal closed. A few years later we found ourselves moving out of state for a dream job and contacted Teri to sell our house. She was wonderful throughout the process, from having her great employee Alex help us coordinate the workers to fix a few things to allowing us to docusign absolutely everything. She's quick on email and text, and I can't imagine anyone knows the market better. We're closing next week on our sale for a great price, and I am sure Teri's strategy and market knowledge is the reason.

Montclair Better Homes Realty - realestate - Updated May 2026

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