We paid over $2,000 expecting competent service. Instead, we got a complete failure from Lori Endo…read moreand her team during one of the most time-sensitive and important moments of our lives. Our closing was scheduled for Friday, June 20, but because they missed a critical same-day processing deadline and didn't communicate clearly, the transaction didn't close. That delay ruined our carefully planned move and caused real financial and emotional stress: * We had to cancel a non-refundable moving truck * We had just gotten married and couldn't take more time off work * We're now at risk of losing rental income due to delayed tenant move-in The worst part? The lack of ownership. No apology, no solution, just a generic email (that didn't even use my name) blaming the county -- even though this could have been prevented with better coordination. We did everything right. Old Republic Berkeley did not. And we're the ones stuck dealing with the consequences. I would not recommend this office to anyone. Choose a title company that respects your time, money, and life circumstances. This one clearly doesn't.

Do not use this company at least not the Berkeley branch maybe. If you see the name Lori Endo on…read moreany of the emails you need to run in the other direction. She completely screwed us over with her lack of communication and when I come to see the reviews here I saw her name mentioned MULTIPLE times. We ended up having to live out of boxes for multiple days and cancel movers due to her neglect. She failed to mention to anyone that there is a 10:30 AM deadline. Her upper management while not as helpful as least was not so RUDE as she was. Unfortunately titiling is a business that just gets handed to them but I strongly urge sellers and buyers to avoid this company at ALL COSTS.

This is a long overdue review for Rosie! My wife actually knew about Krista and Rosie from 10+…read moreyears ago when her brother was in the market for a home. Roughly 7 years ago, we linked up with Rosie to help us purchase our first home, and she was so helpful along the way. As we slowly started to outgrow our first home, we worked with Rosie again for a new home last year, and she was so incredibly helpful and encouraging every step of the way. Throughout both times, she was always super responsive, made time to meet with us, and answered all of our questions throughout the home-buying process. We never felt any pressure from her to act on any of the houses we visited, and she always had a calm and relaxed demeanor that put us at ease. Rosie's recommendations & suggestions for insurance providers, lenders, or handy people were also great, and definitely helped us out in a pinch. Rosie made the homebuying process a relatively simple one, and we really couldn't have it without her help. She was really flexible with our schedule, super prompt when we had any last minute questions, and feels like a long-time friend at this point. Rosie provided us invaluable + realistic information around the comps for all the homes we visited, which ultimately helped us land an awesome new home. If you're looking to buy a home, we can't recommend Rosie enough. Thank you so much, Rosie!

Selling occupied rental property is challenging and you need an agent that knows how to work well…read morewith tenants. Krista had done OK with a prior sale of a vacant condo (although in retrospect she pushed me to spend on some costly and unnecessary upgrades and I had to remind her to pursue the offer we got) so I asked her to be an agent to sell an occupied duplex. She confused the tenants such that they thought they didn't have to do showings and estoppels and tried to extort me for this and it was difficult to clear this up. Worst of all she did not supervise the inspector well so he left the oven on for about eight hours scaring the tenants when they got home and creating a serious safety issue. She claimed she took a photo of the oven showing it was off before she left but the time stamp showed the photo was in the middle of the inspection about an hour before it was done. This created much difficulty with the tenants and I had to start over with another realtor delaying the sale by about a month. I suggest using a different realtor who is more focused on your sale.

Anna helped us sell our home in Berkeley this spring. She is an exceptional professional--…read morethorough, detail-oriented, ethical and warm. We moved abroad just before putting the house on the market and Anna and her team handled all of the details related to preparing the home for sale. We always felt we were in good hands as she guided us through the process. I am very grateful for the high quality representation she offered and we were very happy with the outcome of the sale.

Anna helped us sell our home in Berkeley in Fall 25 and we cannot recommend her more. This was our…read morefirst time selling a home, and we had to do the entire transaction while abroad. We placed all of our trust in Anna, and it paid off. From the beginning it was clear that her top priority was getting us the best deal while making sure we felt supported. She never let us stress. She took care of every detail, and her team handled everything from touch ups to staging to closing with total professionalism. Anna also did an excellent job setting expectations around price. She gave a clear and honest assessment of the market and kept us updated as we approached our listing date. Once our home went live, she was a powerhouse. She drove visibility, brought in serious buyers, and guided us through final negotiations with multiple strong offers. We reached our dream price, and a new family found their dream home. Do not look any further. Anna is the one you want.

What a great experience!…read more Jen provided the partnership we needed to find a great home. In a search that began before the pandemic and extended well into it, she was patient, deeply knowledgeable and incredibly responsive. As (until recently) lifelong renters, Jen was able to fill in all the blanks and give us confidence in making the leap to home ownership -- schools, seismic retrofitting, commutes, permitting; there wasn't a question we had that Jen wasn't able to answer. I would, and have, recommend her to any of my friends and colleagues looking to buy in Berkeley, Oakland and beyond.

Jen Wolan was recommended to us by a friend, and we would recommend her to anyone in a heartbeat!…read moreDuring our first house viewing with Jen, we explained our situation - months of viewing houses and a handful of beat out offers. Just as we were beginning to feel discouraged, Jen gave us great advice and guided us in getting through the tough Bay Area housing market. Being a first time home buyer was very intimidating, but having Jen as our realtor kept us reassured and confident throughout the entire process. Jen is professional, responsive, and a pleasure to work with. She is very knowledgeable of the market; introduced us to new neighborhoods, reviewed disclosures in detail, and patiently answered every simple or complicated question we had. There are so many positive things to say about Jen that the list could go on forever! If you are looking for a realtor, don't waste anymore time and reach out Jen!

I recently helped my cousin move into a senior living home. This entailed selling her house in…read morewhich she had lived for about thirty years. I called Alissa at MAJ realtors. She arranged a meeting with us (my cousin and myself), along with Jessica her business partner. We were immediately impressed and relieved. Jessica and Alissa are incredibly knowledgeable. They were also very sensitive to the needs of my cousin. It goes without saying that it is not easy for a senior to uproot herself and move from a home she has occupied for thirty years. Both Jessica and Alissa were kind, communicative, and considerate of my cousin's needs. We worked predominantly with Jessica, but both Jessica and Alissa made selling this home easy. They completed the substantial work that had to be done prior to going on the market in record time, communicated with us clearly about next steps, and made the entire experience run smoothly. In the end, the house sold for well above asking price. I have no doubt Jessica's and Alissa's marketing skills, and depth of experience played a huge role in the successful sale of the home.

We worked with Jess and Alissa to buy our first home in Oakland based on a recommendation from…read morefriends. Knowing that we were first time homebuyers, Alissa and Jess really took the time to educate us on what to look for, how to read disclosures, and what to expect during the buying process. They were also great at giving us good advice, not shying away from talking us into walking away from houses that weren't perfect. We felt not only supported but also well guided the entire time. We are so thankful our friends recommended MAJ to us and we are happy to recommend them to others looking for great realtors!

I can't say enough positive things about Dan! He did an amazing job building my decks and…read moreinstalling a handrail along the stairs next to my garage. He has an amazing work ethic and is so tidy! His attention to detail is top notch as well. My favorite part of my deck is my new bar counter. I knew I wanted it but had no idea how to make it happen. Dan saw my vision and made it better than I hoped! My only complaint is that now that the deck looks so amazing, I feel like I need to paint the house!

They came for an estimate for a 750sqft deck replacement. Never gave estimate and didn't respond to…read moremy inquiries about it.

My situation was a little unusual. I owned a Craftsman house in Berkeley that I'd lived in for many…read moreyears, but had been a rental for the last 10 years after I moved out of state. It needed a lot of rehab before going on the market. As one might guess, I had a logistical problem insofar as I was not able to be involved on a day-to-day basis. Fortunately, Arlene was on the job! Getting the house ready was a lengthy process--about nine months from the initial walk-through to the open house. Arlene brought a clear vision of what was possible from day one, and knew how to realize it. She brings comprehensive knowledge of Craftsman houses, including how they are built, and how they need to be updated for our era while keeping their virtues. With an eye toward detail, she knew what needed to be done, when it needed to be done, who could do it, and how to make it happen. She kept me in the loop, but I did not have to deal with day-to-day issues. The outcome: When the day came, the house sold immediately, and fetched a record-setting price for a single bath house in Berkeley! Really, I cannot properly express my appreciation for what Arlene contributed to the enterprise. Yes, it is business, but it is more than that. Arlene's massive competence is complemented by many values we share--the arts, history, social values--accompanied by good humor and empathy. Five star, in case you missed it. :)

Arlene is the dream - it can not get better than her. Her depth of knowledge and wisdom of the East…read moreBay housing market is incredible. I learned so much as a first-time home-buyer working with Arlene, and will continue to lean on her after the purchase for home help, especially with her wealth of contractor contacts. I found her after pouring through Yelp reviews for hours, and had to see if she was available after reading her fantastic Green Bungalows website, which has a wealth of history on East Bay architecture and architects, as well as help and a newsletter on making homes better for the environment. For every property we looked at, Arlene quickly deciphered the disclosures, which was helpful, but she also taught me how to read disclosures, for which I am grateful. She is a fantastic teacher. As properties came and went, it was never a waste of time checking out an interesting place with Arlene because I got to hear her commentary and learn a little bit more about how she thinks and what she sees and looks for in properties. She has a keen sense of pricing, even as the market is changing rapidly, and ended up saving me a lot of money on the purchase! On one property, she even correctly predicted the pest report estimate before it came out! Arlene is an amazing resource - it's clear she really cares about finding and selling homes for people and the real estate industry as a whole, and is not just trying to play with stats or see how much she can squeeze out of a client. I never could have navigated the market without her. She is someone you would be very lucky to work with, and if I ever sell, she will be the first person I call.

A lot has changed in how houses are bought and sold since the last time I was in the market (1996)…read moreand Maria explained these up-front and I took notes. Sure enough, she was right about each point. I thought seeing dozens of photos of the houses on Zillow would give me enough information. But I quickly learned there's no substitute for going in-person with someone who knows what they're doing and can reveal the good, the bad, and the ugly about a given house and neighborhood. Maria knew the market, the area, and the other agents involved. I made my offer just as she recommended and it was accepted with no drama or fuss, and then she worked hard to get all my questions answered before the closing. I was expecting escrow to be as fun as a root canal from a 1-star dentist, but it was surprisingly painless and straightforward thanks to Maria's team at Kai Real Estate. Wish I had them in 1996. Full disclosure here: I picked Maria because she is a personal friend and I wanted someone I could trust in my corner. But family members (who didn't know Maria before and came by to give their thoughts on the house) were impressed by her proficiency and diligence. After the sale, Maria continued to stay in touch and found me a promo on a security system that I wanted. Maybe you don't have a friend in the real estate business that you trust. Well, consider Maria Giron for her professionalism, and maybe by the end of the process you'll have a friend as well.

I had the very good fortune of having Maria Giron as my realtor as I searched for my new home in…read morethe Concord area. Since I had to drive 400 miles to meet with her over a weekend to view candidate homes, I wanted to be sure she was aware of the features I considered "must have" and "desirable but negotiable" and "unacceptable." Maria efficiently arranged for me to see prioritized houses so no time was wasted. She was open and honest about features that needed work, which I really appreciated. I was very impressed with her kindness, patience, respect, and professionalism. She answered my emailed questions promptly and made the decision process very easy for me. She took care of all the interactions with the seller side of the transaction with my complete trust and confidence. I now own my dream home! I would not hesitate to recommend Maria Giron to anyone looking for a 5-star agent. Kia Real Estate is blessed to have her on their team.