Allie Pembleton is the most earnest, conscientious, and hardest-working realtor I have ever met…read more She took on my quest, to find a place to live in the Berkeley/North Oakland area on a frugal budget, as though it were her own. Even when I was recovering from a broken leg in the hospital, and due to complications, ended up stuck there for weeks, she noted how disappointed I was to have to stop the search and came up with a plan for us to continue. I began getting to do walk-throughs via Allie's facetime app. And they were great! If you are a genuinely mean person, don't hire Allie. She is one of the nicest people you will ever meet and she will shame you into being nice, too, if you aren't already. I believe that she is motivated by the desire to help people, not by the desire for money. The one area I wish she were a little less nice is in the area of negotiation. I felt she could be a little tougher with the other side. So as her client, you may need to be firm about what you want her to offer and where you do NOT want her to give in. And she WILL abide by your wishes if you are clear. Allie is also firmly settled in the East Bay and active in the community. So, she knows all the people you might need in terms of contractors and other service providers. Boy, is that convenient! I highly recommend Allie for your real estate needs. You won't regret hiring her. I am thrilled with the house we found for me and the price, and I couldn't be happier. Allie and I developed a genuine friendship during our work together, and I look forward to staying in touch with her and seeing her successes continue.

Allie was the perfect realtor for us. She let us be the decision makers of what we wanted to see,…read morewas never pushy on anything, and never made it seem like we had unreasonable expectations of a house (even though we probably did). In the end, we got the perfect house after Allie graciously spent months scheduling open houses with us (in the middle of a pandemic!). She was super proactive and quick in doing everything possible for us to win our offer and close the deal. Where Allie really shines is her experience and connections in the Oakland/Berkeley area. She has a wealth of knowledge and gave us the best advice. I am so glad Allie was our realtor because we got our dream house! Besides being a fantastic realtor, we have no complaints spending so many hours with Allie. She was a pleasure to be around!

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.

I recently sold my home in Berkeley with Megan Micco, and I cannot recommend her highly enough…read more I first found Megan through Berkeley Parents Network, where she had glowing recommendations from other local families. From our very first interaction, I felt a strong personal connection. She came to my home, listened carefully, and gave me honest advice about whether I should add a second story or sell. At that time, she actually recommended that I keep the house and build up, since it would likely be more cost-effective and I loved the neighborhood. That told me right away she was looking out for my best interests, not just a commission. After getting construction bids and thinking things through, I ultimately decided I really did want a change of pace. I reached back out to Megan to list my home, and that's when she truly went above and beyond. Megan put together a comprehensive, strategic marketing plan and personally oversaw key updates to the property, including a kitchen renovation and removal of knob-and-tube electrical wiring. She and her team made sure my home was positioned to attract as many buyers as possible in what was a somewhat uneven market. Throughout the entire process, Megan's communication was exceptional. She checked in with me frequently, explained each step clearly, and was incredibly responsive to my questions and concerns. Selling a home is an emotional roller coaster, but Megan's warm personality, professionalism, and steady guidance made it so much easier. She constantly reminded me to keep my eyes on the horizon, and that perspective really helped. When offer day came, her strategy paid off. We received four offers, and the top offer not only exceeded my expectations--it set a new record price per square foot in the Berkeley market. When Megan told me the final number, I literally burst into tears of joy, relief, and happiness. If you are considering selling your home, especially in Berkeley, I wholeheartedly recommend Megan Micco. She is smart, strategic, honest, deeply caring, and truly committed to her clients' best interests. Working with her turned a stressful process into a record-breaking success.

We feel so profoundly lucky to have found Megan. Our journey with her spanned several years, and…read morehopefully it will last a good many more. As first-time homebuyers with a limited budget, we felt like finding somewhere in Berkeley was going to be a stretch - and it was - but it would have been impossible without her. We spoke to a few agents before Megan, and none of them felt right. After meeting Megan, we knew we had found something special. We connected with her immediately. What set her apart from everyone else was actually the reality check she gave us: with our budget, buying the dream house we had imagined was going to be tough. She was the only one who was straight with us and made choosing her a no-brainer decision. Rather than discourage us, this frank conversation led us to trust Megan and respect her integrity. At the start, Megan told us that she gets people into the first home they make an offer on 85% of the time. We were certain we'd be in the 15%. But we weren't. Megan maintains that extraordinary statistic because of how she works. She's honest with her clients and realistic about expectations, but she balances it with being extremely attentive to the market, tenacious, well-connected, and creative. Honestly, what more could you ask for in an agent? We waited for the right moment in the market, and she waited with us. When we were finally ready, Megan was immediately available to us - viewing houses the day we flagged them, always answering our messages, and available any time on the phone. There were times when we felt like maybe Berkeley was too much out of our reach-too competitive and expensive for our budget. Megan reassured us that it was all about being ready and finding the right place at the right time, and that's exactly what happened. Through her careful attention to the Berkeley market, she noticed a little gem that had fallen off people's radar. It was exactly what we had hoped to find: a three-bedroom house in the Berkeley school district with space for a garden, and lots of future potential. She joked that we shouldn't mention it to other clients because they'd all expect a miracle. We couldn't believe our luck, and she really was the person who made it happen. She moved quickly, got us into the home immediately, communicated directly with the listing agent, walked us through all the disclosures, and coordinated closely with our lender to put us in the strongest possible position. Putting our offer in happened very quickly (over the span of two days), and it was through Megan's professional connections and persistence that we successfully won against a competing last-minute bid. She negotiated tirelessly for more than 27 hours straight to make it happen for us. Needless to say, it was a stressful period, but Megan was communicative, hopeful, reassuring, and virtually held our hands through that nail-biting wait. On a beautiful Friday evening, we got the call: our offer was accepted. We were homeowners in Berkeley. As academics, we instantly recognized Megan as an expert in this area. She explained things in a way that made sense and has a remarkable handle on everything from the minutiae of Berkeley city ordinances to renovating historic homes. Basically, we felt supported through the whole process. She was patient with our questions and graceful about our lack of knowledge, never making us feel rushed or ignorant. That was quite an achievement, given how quickly the market moves here. To top it off, she has a real commitment to sustainability and green improvements and an understanding of how climate change will likely affect homeowners in the future. As much as anything, this long view is really what makes Megan special. She's not just trying to get you to buy the most expensive house as fast as possible. We never felt that from her. Instead, she created a relationship with us. It's because of that relationship that we have no doubt who we'll be working with if we decide to sell. We're already recommending Megan to everyone we know, so it's very easy to say it here as well.

Horrible!!! She cost me the house of my dreams! I was bidding on a piece of land Helen was selling…read more She was asking $695,000. I came in with my realtor at $788,000 all cash no contingencies and closing in 25 days, because Helen said there were multiple bids. They said if I came in at $800,000 the land was mine. I came in at $800,000, but since they were asking me to go up in price, I thought I would ask if they would give me more time for the closing. They said yes. I thought the deal was done except for all our signatures. My husband and I then signed ahead of the deadline of noon on Sunday. At 11:45, before the deadline, we were told we didn't get the land! We were shocked!!! We were told someone came in with a better deal. Well, I just found out the land sold for $721,000! MUCH LESS than what I was willing and able to pay! THIS WAS NOT A BETTER DEAL! Helen never even came back to me to negotiate and honor my original offer! TALK ABOUT NOT DOING WHAT WAS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF HER CLIENT!

Kathy and I cannot say enough kind words about the support and representation provided for the sale…read moreof our house. Beyond the expected professionalism of walking us through the interminable paperwork and constant communication and answers to our questions, Helen had a cadre of professionals for house repairs and remodeling, designer, house staging, which we took full advantage of. Our thoughts of how the house should appear for sale were a bit off, like perfect for the late 1900's off! She priced it properly, had productive open houses and helped us find my re than one buyer interested in the house. She even took the time to water every other day until the new owners moved in (we had moved out of the state). As the market (potentially) adjusts in this economy, I know Helen will be a tremendous resource to have on your side.

Shelly helped me sell my Dad's property in a probate situation. I was in the military for 21 years,…read moreand have bought and sold numerous properties. I have never met a realtor as competent as Shelly. This particular property was not an "easy sale." Shelly recommended a plan of action that actually cost her money, but was the right plan for this particular sale. She was one step ahead of EVERYTHING throughout the process, often answering my questions before I even asked. Professional, friendly, and extremely competent....you can't go wrong with Shelly Flynn!

We first connected with Shelly almost by happenstance...we had fallen in love with a home in…read moreOakland and were eager to tour it and make an offer. She was incredibly patient and flexible in making that first meeting happen, and as soon as we met we knew we wanted her to be our agent. Though our offer on that first home wasn't accepted, Shelly was a steady and reassuring through the disappointment. She talked us through everything, leaning on her deep knowledge of the local market to help us set realistic expectations, all without ever pressuring us or nudging us to stretch beyond our budget or comfort zone. She truly had our best interests at heart every step of the way. Her responsiveness and warmth made the whole journey feel smooth and stress-free, even in the moments that could have felt overwhelming. And in the end, Paola and I are now the owners of a beautiful home in the Oakland Hills. Thank you Shelly, we could not have done it without your guidance and expertise!

I met with Ambrish at one of the open houses in San Ramon and immediately felt the connection. As…read moreI liked the house very much to call it a home, I asked Ambrish to help me. He guided me through all the steps and went above and beyond his area to help me secure the purchase. He made sure that I am informed of every minute detail. He is knowledgeable, understands the business and very patient with questions. Ambrish made sure that every decision I am making is fully thought through. I will definitely recommend Ambrish if you are a home buyer/seller.

Shalene is great and my wife and I recommend her if you are looking to buy a home in the East Bay…read more Finding a home we would be happy with in 2021 in the East Bay with our comparatively modest budget felt impossible. Our close friends recommended Shalene after she helped them find and close on a place so we reached out. Shalene was quick to respond and remained that way during and after closing. She was patient with my many questions and diligent with my many requests. Shalene went with us to see any place we were interested in and helped us craft several offers. Beyond being helpful with the process, Shalene is a great resource for homebuyers. For example, she knows a lot about East Bay neighborhoods, she connected us with several trusted finance folks (we ended up using one of her referrals), and she provided us with other referrals for designing and constructing a second bedroom (again, we ended up using one of her referrals). I cannot overstate the added value Shalene provided at every step. Finally, Shalene is a nice person and a pleasure to work with and know. Instead of being condescending or annoyed, she is generous with her time and goes out of her way to check in even long after closing a sale. Shalene gave us a thoughtful--and useful--congratulatory gift and seemed genuinely interested in helping us reach our goals. She succeeded. We love our condo and have no regrets about purchasing it.

Shalene and Michael were amazing to work with! We were looking to buy our first house, and started…read moreworking with another team (referral from a friend) - unfortunately they were just not very proactive and we felt like we were doing all the work. We are so glad we switched to working with Shalene and Michael - from our very first conversation it was clear how knowledgeable they are about the bay area and all its quirks and how real estate works in the crazy bay area! It was clear they didn't want us to just settle for something, they wanted us to feel at home in our new home. Thank you!

Our family had a fabulous and very successful experience selling my mother-in-law's house through…read moreBarr Haney, a Marin County realtor from Own Marin. We contacted them several months ahead of our target date for selling and their team was very helpful and supportive in guiding us through the inspections as well as in deciding what updates my wife's family's home of over 60 years needed to attract potential buyers. The photos and videos of the property were outstanding and the staging was beautiful. Ultimately the property sold a week after listing for 25% over the asking price with 7 offers. We were amazed and very appreciative of the expertise Barr and the Own Marin team provided.

We recently worked with Barr Haney from Own Marin on purchasing our new home in Mill Valley - he…read morehelped us negotiate a fair price, and took plenty of time to show us the property while we were going through the decision process. This was the second home in Marin that he helped us get into and we are grateful for a smooth process both times, I can't recommend him enough. After we bought our new home, we looked to quickly turnaround and sell our other home in a somewhat slower market hoping to get it sold before the holidays. Barr's team moved quickly and professionally. The staging, photography, and marketing were all done at a high level, and he helped us sell our house within a week going to market - sold well over asking. He always took our phone calls, answered texts and emails and pushed through the process without a hitch. Thank you Barr and team for making this home buying and selling experience as seamless as possible.