Sarah and her team are very professional and were great to work with! My family engaged Sarah to sell our parents house in Piedmont and she did a fabulous job from start to finish. Every step was fully explained and her vendor contacts for fixing up the place and managing disposition of the estate household items were excellent. We highly recommend her services! read more

I was lucky enough to work with Sarah to buy my first home in Berkeley. She was an absolute pleasure to work with and I truly cannot recommend her enough. She's incredibly knowledgeable, always a step ahead, and somehow makes the stressful parts of buying a first home feel seamless. Her expertise was instrumental in securing a competitive home in a competitive market, and there's no doubt that her strategic approach and quick thinking is the reason I got my dream house. On top of all that, Sarah is just a wonderful person to spend time with. She's warm, funny, and supportive. And yes, the rumors are true: she does make the best chocolate chip cookies. I am so grateful to Sarah! read more

Sarah was extremely patient and organized in selling my parents home of 40 years in the Oakland Hills. She provide suggestions and was flexible with our concerns. She made this an stress-free experience. Her updating suggestions and staging were spot on and made a huge improvement. The house sold quickly and for more than anticipated. read more

Sarah was just amazing as she guided us perfectly through the process of buying a house we had focused on since it last came on the market in 2011. We knew that the listing price was set well below market and there were dozens of buyers visiting on the first day of open house. They had such interest that the seller canceled the rest of the open houses and immediately took bids. Without a realistic asking price it was challenging to figure out what to offer. Sarah nailed it. There were seven offers, most all-cash, and we came in narrowly above the next highest bidder, even though we were a third above the asking price. Without Sarah we never would have gotten this house. Also, Sarah's partner Julie Gardner worked with us at a critical moment and provided her expert guidance as well. What a wonderful team! read more

Sarah Abel and Julie Gardner are the best real estate team I know of, or have ever worked with, hands-down. Here are some of the reasons why working with Sarah and Julie is such a rewarding experience: Market Knowledge: Sarah and Julie know the Piedmont and Oakland market street by street, house by house, and their assessment and recommendations regarding market values are accurate and honest. How to price your home is one of the most important decisions to make. Sarah and Julie strive to achieve the best value for you, but they will also always be honest with you. I greatly valued being able to trust their market knowledge and expertise. Showcasing Your Property: Sarah and Julie have great instincts and skills in seeing the potential in your property. Each house has its strengths and challenges. Sarah and Julie know how to bring out the best in a property to let it shine, thereby attracting the right potential buyer who will connect with the home. They also have an excellent crew of contractors and service providers who can repair and renovate home features (large or small) with excellent quality, on schedule, and within budget. Sarah and Julie manage their contractors and service professionals seamlessly and the results will directly lead to a better outcome for your home sale. Attention to Details: From large structural issues to small design nuances, from open house planning to escrow documentation, no details are too small for Sarah and Julie, they are relentless in following up on any "loose threads" to ensure that all issues are addressed and handled. They will not let things fall through the cracks, no chance. Dedication to their Clients: I think more than any other issue I've described above, it was Sarah and Julie's commitment and dedication to their client's well-being, that I appreciated and valued the most. Sarah and Julie will work very hard for you so that you won't have to stress about things. Sarah Abel is truly remarkable in this way. At our kick-off meeting and then throughout the process, she would tell us "hey guys, don't worry about this, I will take care of this, you don't need to stress about that, my job is to make your life easier" - And she really means it, that is exactly what she did! Final Point: In addition to all this, Sarah and Julie's energy and enthusiasm make the entire process enjoyable and even fun. We worked very closely with Sarah and I now consider her not only our trusted realtor, but also a dear friend. I cannot recommend a realtor team more strongly than my support for Sarah, Julie, and their team. read more

Sarah is an incredible realtor. She turned the challenging, emotional ordeal of buying (and selling) a house into a comforting process, guiding us through every step with clarity, compassion and expert experience. She was highly motivated and worked hard for us every day. We owe Sarah and her whole team at Compass an enormous debt of gratitude for everything they've done to help us find our dream home. Thank you! read more

Selling a home can often rank up there on the stress test list! In deciding to list our home, I did my research on which agents had represented buyers or sellers in our price range and in our geography (Zillow data). After narrowing down the list to the top 4 real estate agents, I interviewed each one. Understanding the recommended marketing approach, timeline, cost to prepare for listing day, and projected yield was most important for me. From the first meeting, Sarah Abel addressed every point and earned my business! She and Julie Gardner have an impressive list of reliable service providers. Most notably the stagers. (Photos included). From list to closing day was 5 weeks. I highly recommend Sarah and her team if buying or selling a home in the Piedmont area. read more

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Sarah is an excellent agent. It has been a pleasure working with Sarah. Her attention to detail, excellent advice, and limitless patience make her a valuable agent. During the process of buying a home, working with Sarah was THE best experience we had. Sarah possesses human qualities, such as empathy, sympathy, and a genuine interest in understanding our needs. Additionally, she has a well-established reputation and a broad network of contacts. Sarah is the person to contact if you are looking for a property in the East Bay or the surrounding area. read more

Highly recommend Sarah Abel if you are buying or selling a home. She has a wealth of knowledge, the right connections, and we found our dream home that fit our exacting criteria in a market with very limited inventory with Sarah's help. She was there for us for literally years as we searched, and she never lost faith, and was always cheerful throughout the process. She is incredibly hardworking, very personable, and truly excellent at what she does. She is also a very savvy negotiator and is definitely someone you want on your side in a competitive process. She showed us the value of having a highly experienced realtor with expertise in your local market and we're thrilled with the outcome. We strongly recommend her. We also came to know her as a person throughout our arduous search for just the right home, and we appreciate her values and would vouch for her truly lovely personality. It's so rare to find someone with deep expertise, savvy and strong negotiating skills, who is also a wonderful person. Sarah is all of this and we are grateful she shepherded through this process. She always had our back and worked around the clock with excellent communication on our behalf. Highly recommend. read more

Sarah Abel is the most effective, detail-oriented, professional, fun real estate agent we have ever worked with. As a couple, we had a lot of specific requirements for our dream home, and Sarah was able to find us the perfect property that ticked all of our boxes. She has a wealth of experience in the industry and was able to catch all of the subtle details that made a big difference to us. She noticed things a parent would, how it lives, and gets to know you. In a competitive environment, while graceful and natural, she is a true closer and made the entire process of buying a home stress-free and enjoyable. She has a gentle way of guiding, observing, and listening. We highly recommend Sarah to anyone looking for a highly experienced and knowledgeable real estate agent. She knows neighborhoods, streets, and is well-connected. Some of the best moments of looking at homes were with her, her input, professionalism. She is professional, knows the market, and how to play chess and work with lenders. Sarah was there with us every step of this process. In a time of uncertainty, I knew after one day of spending time with her we were going to find our home. I don't know where that confidence came from other than the knowledge that we had been fortunate to connect with her. She has a wonderful sense of humor, we felt taken care of by her, and it was the best decision we could have made on the journey to purchase our home. We can't thank you enough, Sarah. read more

TL;DR Sarah is highly competent & a pleasure to work with. We recently purchased a home in Albany, CA. As first-time home buyers, we engaged a few realtors as we started out the process, and many felt discouraging & negative. Sarah (& Julie) came highly recommended, and did not disappoint. Sarah guided us swiftly through a whirlwind offer & sale - making herself available for any/all questions, & leveraging personal connections to help make it all happen. We're infinitely grateful for the expertise and support; we'd strongly recommend her for any East Bay buying/selling needs. read more

Sarah and her partners Julie Gardner and Jill helped us sell our home in Piedmont. We are extremely pleased with the result and feel that we reached a great outcome with a pretty smooth process due to their skill and expertise. I'll start by saying we are tough customers - we've already been through several transactions buying/selling and probably know enough to be annoying but not enough to do it ourselves :). Throughout the years we have either met or interviewed some of the top agents in the Piedmont area and are so glad we went with Sarah and this team. They came to our first meeting well prepared and brought unique insights about our property & neighborhood that no other agents had done before. Knowing the area is table stakes for any agent, but what really sets this team apart is their critical eye for detail, easygoing yet on-the-ball approach, and savvy with navigating through tricky situations. From the prep through to the deal process, Sarah was transparent, professional, and very even keel. I appreciated not being oversold or overpromised. She kept us updated regularly. She and Julie have quick access to an array of tradespeople that can be activated quickly and at an affordable cost - home stagers, handymen, and contractors, painters, etc. This made prepping the home fairly straightforward, and costs were always transparent. I felt like most things were fairly priced and definitely better than what we could have gotten had we tried to find the contractors on our own. I also really appreciated that she cautioned us not to over-invest in certain fixups, based on the potential return. It would have only made her job easier to have us do these... Throughout this process, we were pretty involved and had lots of questions & opinions, vs. just going with their recommendation. I'm sure it required a lot of patience on their part! I appreciated their approach to it: they were insistent and confident on certain elements, and amenable in areas where we had other ideas. Ultimately, the home showed very well, we received multiple offers, and landed at a price that we are very satisfied with. Whether you are looking for someone who you can hand over the keys to and will do it all, or for a partner who will push and pull you, I can't recommend Sarah and her team highly enough. read more

I worked with Sarah for over 3 years until I found the right house for my family. I love her so much! I exchanged many emails and text messages with her, and she was so patient in answering my questions, and sharing her insights and advice on every property. Sarah always offered to come with me in person to view any property, and was great at pointing out all the small details on the pros/cons of the house that I wouldn't have noticed. I really appreciate how generous she is with her time, because you want your expert partner by your side every step of the way for a big decision like purchasing a house! Sarah really is a true partner -- she always steered me in the right direction (but never pressured me), listened every step of the way, reminded me to be patient, and ultimately helped me find (and get!) a great house. She also has a warm and positive personality and is just someone you want to be around when you're shopping for a house! You definitely want a Piedmont realtor if you're looking in Piedmont, and Sarah is the best! read more

(tl;dr: buying or selling, stop looking for an agent: Sarah is the best one) Capable, relentless, unflappable. And so very kind! I can't think of enough superlatives to describe Sarah and her approach to what is an increasingly complicated universe of real estate. Our family home needed to be sold; none of us really lived nearby, our father had passed and my mom is in a retirement village and can't walk or get out much. The house was full of stuff and hadn't been updated for years. My mom had met with a few agents and had a few false starts but was filled with uncertainty and mental roadblocks (it's so intimidating and overwhelming when it's a house you built, and you aren't able to do anything about getting it ready for sale yourself) but Sarah put all her fears to rest. Her take-charge approach was methodical and simple, breaking down the complicated overall task into easy steps. Sarah and her team presented us with a plan, which could branch into different options depending on the reports and estimates she got back from inspectors and engineers. She hired and met with all these crews personally without any of us at the property. Her advice was solid and based on all the reports she got back, as well as years of experience with buyers and sellers in the market. She's a true pro with a great sense of humor that will set your mind at ease. Our aging yet gorgeous property served up many surprises and some disappointments, but what we might have considered crushing blows were barely speed bumps as Sarah pushed through it all, including the start of a pandemic you may have heard about (!!) she managed through all the changing rules and protocols to get all the inspectors in, get estimates, do a kick-ass job on landscaping and tree-trimming to make the place look better than it ever did while we were living there, and had solidly booked showing windows every half hour for 7 days solid. She generated so much interest in the house, she sent out more than 70 disclosure packets, and kept an absolutely positive outlook throughout. One week after she listed the house, Sarah presented us with 7 offers, most of them well over asking, two of them all cash with no contingencies. Potential buyers had detailed reports and estimates on every aspect of the house so there were no surprises during escrow and we were able to close in 7 days. As an avid DIY person, I know when to cry "uncle..." there is a lot of work I would have loved to do on the house myself, but due to the pandemic I was stuck 300 miles away unable to justify 'essential travel.' I'm so glad I was. Sarah's got so many crews who work for her from gardening to construction to hauling, and she does so much volume that she's guaranteed the best price. My mom didn't have a lot of cash to spend to get the house ready, and she had the option to have a tab running and pay it out of the sale proceeds at the end. And there were a few tasks that she just did herself, and asked her husband to help her out with, 'to save your mom some money' which was so sweet and thoughtful. In the end we got top dollar for our house despite its obvious flaws. We could not have imagined it would be so easy (for us!) and also get such a good price, and know our family home is in the hands of a buyer who plans to make it home. We started out looking for a real estate agent, and ended up with a friend we love. You cannot go wrong with Sarah Abel! read more

Sarah and her team including her partner Julie Gardner and project manager Jill Shortley sold our home in Piedmont and exceeded our expectations. We started off working with an out of town agent and realized that we needed a Piedmont specialist. Sarah Abel and Julie Gardner are well known in Piedmont as top real estate agents and parents who've raised kids in the Piedmont schools. I was wowed by both of them when I met them. Sarah's warm professional presence and sense of style was immediately apparent. I knew right away that they were the agents who should list our home. Once we hired them to list our home, they were off and running. They managed EVERYTHING. They were connected to the best, cost effective, but phenomenal stager, painter, gardener, handyman, etc. Jill went to the nursery and hand picked the most beautiful plants for my yard, hired the gardeners to plant them, and was on site to instruct them where to plant them. She personally ordered and managed the installation of everything from my cabinet pulls to my new faucet, to overseeing the stagers and making changes where it was needed. The 3 of them even hand watered my plants each day that weren't connected to the sprinklers. This process was so easy and worry free because I knew these ladies were the best in Piedmont. They've lived and sold real estate here for many years. They have the most amazing style so I never doubted for a minute that my house would look the best it ever could. They knew exactly who our target audience would be and stylized my house to fit that look. They priced it just right as to stir up the most interest possible which resulted in 4 offers. Our home went way over asking price and we were thrilled. They are the most hard working hands-on agents that we'd ever worked with. We never once had to speak with anyone else. They were always very responsive to our texts & emails, and did everything themselves. We just sat back and let them do it all. I can't recommend them enough. It was a privilege working with them and we could not be happier with the end result. read more

AMAZING. Where do I begin? My family of four (wife and 2 young kids) were renting in Piedmont and looking to buy a new home. Sarah and her team including her partner Stacey Isaacs helped us land a great off-market home in Piedmont under the list price in a relatively hot market. From the very first interaction and meeting, I felt like Sarah was a wise advisor and trusted partner that knew the Piedmont market extremely well. More importantly she has raised children in Piedmont and has a wealth of knowledge of market potential in various pockets of this small town. I can't recommend Sarah enough for anyone that is looking to buy or sell (because her stats are amazing) in Piedmont. She will go above and beyond for you professionally and is someone that you can respect with integrity as well. She listens, is balanced in her approach, provides real advice, isn't pushy and advocates for you. I interviewed 3 agents and once I connected with Sarah it was a bit of a no-brainer to hire her. She was super strong from the get-go. Lastly - if you have a chance to stop by any of her listings (pre-Covid) she would bake some killer chocolate chip cookies, just saying! Thank you for your partnership Sarah and your friendship, we can't thank you enough! read more

Sarah helped us sell our Piedmont house and it truly was a delight to work with her and her partner Julie Gardner. I can't say enough positive things about working with Sarah. She is very knowledgable about the market, thoughtful and incredibly responsive. She has an amazing extended team to get the house ready for sale and oversaw them to deliver flawlessly on an aggressive timeline. Sarah is professional, calm, a very hard worker and so very kind every step of the way; she made a challenging process far less so. I highly recommend working with Sarah; she is a gem! read more

My husband and I worked closely with Sarah on the purchase of our first home (nearly 1 month ago). We searched high and low over a period of months while visiting 5+ houses a week with Sarah by our side every step of the way, before finding "the one". Sarah is kind, thoughtful, and oh so patient. She did an amazing job of listening to our needs and helping us find the place that was right for us. As new home buyers we had a ton of questions, worries and the like. Sarah rolled with it and helped to make our purchase process easy by going the extra mile to get us the info we needed. She's unusually responsive. This is not a realtor that will push you to make a purchase or leave you in the lurch. She'll search and search and in our case search some more - until she helps her client find what they're seeking. She helped us not only find the place we loved but also helped us move through the thought process of identifying our needs and prioritizing them. We learned a lot about houses and a bit about ourselves and the life we wanted together through this search. Thank you Sarah! Beyond all the support she offers in searching, she's also great at making a deal. Sarah will do everything she can to advocate for you and set you up for success in the process. read more

My husband and I can't recommend Sarah highly enough! She is a fantastic real estate agent and a wonderful person on top of that. We would work with her again in a heartbeat. We were looking to buy our first house early this year, and we were connected with her through a mutual friend in SF. She knew the East Bay like the back of her hand and took us on a few driving tours of different neighborhoods, telling us pros and cons and generally getting to know our preferences. We went in completely blind, not knowing what we were doing, and she held our hands throughout the process from the very beginning. When we made the offer on our current house in Glenview, she told us the exact dollar amount she would recommend, along with other things we should add to the offer to make it attractive in a very competitive situation. She was the only agent, out of eight, to submit the offer in person, and we got the house even though we didn't offer the highest dollar amount because of how well-crafted the offer she wrote was. She has so many connections in the East Bay, everyone you might need from inspectors before you buy to specialists for everything the house might need after you buy. And on top of all of that, she is absolutely wonderful to work with! read more

Sarah is phenomenal! As first time homeowners, we were extremely nervous about entering the Bay Area housing market. We had heard stories of how competitive the market was and people looking for houses for upwards of 9 months. We fortunately were able to get the first house we put an offer in on and I firmly believe this would not have been possible without Sarah. Sarah educated us on the market, made sure we had realistic expectations, and coached us through the entire process. She looked out for things that we didn't even know we should look out for or even consider. She also did a great job of ensuring that we not only put in a strong offer, but that we were comfortable in all of the decisions we were making throughout the process. Sarah is extremely knowledgeable, caring, and ensured that things were done on time and done correctly. Sarah felt more like of a friend/family member than an agent. We could not recommend her more! read more

We are so grateful and appreciative of Sarah (we miss seeing her as often as we did!). Sarah is authentic, understands what you are looking for, fights for you, and sticks with you throughout your house hunting journey. Our house hunt lasted well over a year and only made a few offers during that time but we never felt pressured. We learned so much from Sarah. If you are looking for a home in the East Bay, Sarah is your gal! She has deep roots in the East Bay (Cal alumni and currently lives in East Bay) - she knows this market. In such a competitive market she helped us reach the finish line and we look fondly on our experience working with her. I can't imagine there is anyone better and more fun to work with than Sarah! read more

Sarah Abel is a terrific realtor. She took great care of us and got a top sale for our house. We highly recommend her (and her colleagues Julie and Jill). They handled every aspect of the home sale and got our house market-ready (including organizing and overseeing landscaping, home repairs, and interior touch ups). Selling a house is a huge life transition and it was far easier thanks to all their hard work and expertise! read more

We had an amazing experience working with Sarah to buy a home in Piedmont. We worked with Sarah for about 10 months before buying a home that we absolutely love. Sarah was incredibly patient throughout the process. We had a lot of items on our house wish list and Sarah helped us find a house that met our needs. She really understood what we were looking for in a home and encouraged us to wait for the home that was right for us. When we first started working together she took us on a tour of Piedmont and Oakland (we are originally from the east coast and while we had lived in SF for a few years we were less familiar with the east bay). This really helped us narrow in on the neighborhoods we were most interested in. Sarah is exceedingly professional, knowledgeable, genuine, and honest. Sarah showed us numerous homes and whenever we viewed a home, Sarah didn't just point out the great features, she also pointed out the downsides so we had a fair and balanced understanding of the property. She also has a great design sense and often offered suggestions of changes we could make to a prospective house to meet our needs. Sarah has her finger on the pulse of the market and was able to share with us which homes were about to come to market. She also always made it a priority to get us into homes relatively quickly so we could have as much time as possible to evaluate the house. After months of looking, we finally found a home that we loved. Sarah advised us on how to construct the most competitive offer and made herself available to us at every step of the way. We were first time homebuyers and had countless questions and a fair bit of anxiety. Sarah happily and quickly answered all of our questions and was a calming force throughout the entire offer period. Due to Sarah's offer strategy, we had an offer accepted on the first home that we actually made an offer on (yes, it took us 10 months to find it but it is absolutely our dream home). Sarah expertly helped us navigate an exceptionally competitive and complex real estate market. I cannot stress enough how kind and supportive Sarah was throughout the entire process. She is truly an expert and we are so grateful to have had her on our side. read more

Sarah recently helped me sell my piedmont home off-market. After raising my family in the house for 20 years it was a big and fairly emotional decision. Sarah was an incredible help and was with me every step of the way. She made it a positive and wonderful experience for both me and the buyers. Her knowledge, professionalism and attention to detail are exceptional. And her warmth and kind heart was so appreciated. She is a rare find in possessing such exceptional professional capabilities coupled with a truly delightful personality. read more

We recently purchased a home in Piedmont, and we were so incredibly impressed by our experience working with Sarah. She is exceptionally competent, warm, and intuitive. She was 100% on our side, looking out for us throughout the whole process - searching for a home to fit our needs, proceeding with an offer, moving in, and beyond! We ran into some issues with our mortgage lender and Sarah helped us navigate a stressful time with grace, ingenuity and an ever-calm demeanor. I honestly don't think the sale could have proceeded without her expertise. My husband and I lost count of the times we looked at each other and said "Thank God for Sarah." Her personal relationships with lenders and other local real estate agents, without question, provided us an advantage in our home purchase. In addition to being REALLY good at what she does professionally, she is also just a great person. She knows the East Bay (and specifically Piedmont) market like the back of her hand and has encyclopedic knowledge about local schools, childcare, neighborhoods, parks, etc. She is a mother of three and understands the challenges and needs of young parents. She found a way to safely watch our infant in his car seat so my husband and I could view houses during these Covid times. When our son skinned his knee during a showing, it was Sarah who provided a Band Aid from her purse for him. Her chocolate chip cookies are legendary. If you need a real estate agent in the East Bay - choose Sarah, no question. read more

We enlisted Sarah and her team on the sale of our father's home in Piedmont following his death in February 2020. We were eager to sell the house so it didn't sit empty, but needless to say, the timing was terrible as the coronavirus pandemic closed in. Unsure how (or if) to proceed, we breathed a collective sigh of hope when we met Sarah, who proved to be undaunted, creative, and hugely successful in managing every aspect of the transaction. This was an emotional chapter for our family, and with the shelter-in-place orders we were not in a position, logistically or emotionally, to handle the overwhelming task of not only selling the home, but cleaning it out. With transparency, understanding, compassion, and efficiency, Sarah and her indefatigable team -- including Julie Gardner on the real estate end and Delana Toler, who handled the estate sale -- readied the house for sale. Not only did they make ALL the necessary cosmetic improvements within our budget, they also arranged for the sale or donation of almost of all the contents of the home, leaving it spotless for the future owner. We cannot say enough good things about Sarah or her process, and heartily recommend her to anyone looking to sell a home in Piedmont. She possesses a deep and personal understanding of the local market; she is professional and responsive; and above all, faced with unprecedented challenges, she proved nimble and creative in finding solutions. read more

We want to tell the whole world about Sarah Abel of Compass Real Estate, who represented us in the sale of our home in Berkeley. We had 7 months filled with challenges selling our home before we changed agents and retained Sarah. She was quick in her thinking and came up with a strategic plan, immediately outlining our next steps (including those for additional work/workers) and had a robust detailed plan of action over the next 60 days. Our house had an award-winning design with beautiful materials and finishes but was unique and suited for a rare type buyer. In addition, we had an uphill battle against a market that favored homes in walking distance to commerce and easy access to public transportation. Despite these draw backs, there had been a lot of interest in the home but due to the previously mentioned challenges, we couldn't garner any offers until Sarah came on board. She sold our home in 21 days. Listed for 15 days, sold in 7 - Yes, 21 days total. We can't recommend Sarah highly enough. If she agrees to partner with you, rest assured she remains your partner - a superb, knowledgeable, hard working real estate agent. read more

The other reviews are on point!! We felt supported, guided, informed and part of the decision process with Sarah. We sold and bought our house(s) with her. Smooth and knowledgeable and beautiful! Sarah's services were IT! read more

Working with Sarah was truly wonderful. She has now represented us in the purchase of 2 Piedmont homes (2016 and 2019) and the sale of one. We miss seeing her regularly! Sarah knows the local real estate market intimately. She knew exactly how to best advise us so that our offers were accepted both times, and so that we got the best price that the market would support for the home we sold. Local realtors trust her reputation, and she was able to give us inside information and perspective that really helped us prevail. The best thing about Sarah, though, is her personality and her warmth. She genuinely cared about our family, and listened carefully when we explained our hopes and financial limitations. She was generous with her time and in many other ways. I cannot recommend working with Sarah enough: - she will be patient with you - she will listen - she will help you put together the most competitive offer possible - she will advise you regarding every detail of every transaction, and take care of all the details read more

After forty years on Hampton Road we wanted to maximize the selling price of our Piedmont home. We interviewed some of the top agents in Piedmont. Sarah was our first choice because of her presentation, reputation and professionalism. Sarah worked diligently to get our home into the best possible condition to amplify its strong points. She used all the best marketing tools at her disposal to sell our home. Sarah sold our home for more than we ever imagined. But she provided much more than that. She became a friend to our family. We are disabled and she helped us deal with the small details to make the selling of our home go well. We strongly recommend that your hire Sarah to help you sell your home. You will be pleased with you decision and its outcome. read more

Sarah Abel guided my family and I through the difficult and stressful process of buying a new home. She took great care of us from day one when she showed us many properties and ultimately narrowed it down to what was going to be our home. She is extremely patient and always helped us in seeing the pros and cons of the properties we were interested in. She invested a lot of her time in getting to know us and truly understood what my family was looking for in a home. Aside from being sweet and kind, Sarah has a wealth of knowledge of LAMORINDA and the ins and outs of the real estate process. She walked us through every step of the way and answered all our questions regardless of the time of day. Sarah also has good connections and resources. She contacted an architect who helped us visualize modifications we could make to the property and a structural engineer who provided adequate due diligence on the structural integrity of the house. She has a good rapport with other brokers and strong insight into seller's preferences. For example, she provided us with critical advice that ensured the seller would accept our offer over a competing offer. You will be in very good hands with Sarah both in terms of finding the right home and insuring you get it. read more

We recently sold our special Piedmont home off-market with the very able (pun intended) facilitation of Sarah Abel and her partner Julie Gardner. They had a handful of very motivated buyers in mind when we signed the listing agreement, and after only two showings we accepted a full-price offer a mere week later. It was so quick that we had to scramble to pack and move! With their market study, we were able to set a price that was very attractive for us and not a barrier to the buyers. They communicated extremely well and managed an expedited process to closing. We selected Sarah because she had represented the buyers of our precious home so capably, so we can say she represents both sell and buy-side well. Julie adds so much, also: It was great to work with them as a team. read more

Sarah is a joy to work with. She listens, understands, and really cares. We felt like having a true partner in finding our dream home. While we ended up finding our home through open house, we did not hesitate to ask her to represent us. All the counsels she provided along the way from our initial meeting to the transaction close were extremely valuable to us. We would recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell a home! read more

We worked with Sarah to look at homes in the winter of 2016. She was a great partner who really listened to us and helped us sort through the inventory to find options that worked for us. She also helped us navigate a sticky situation during escrow, and we really appreciated her guidance and steady hand. I'd recommend her to anyone looking for a home in Oakland, Berkeley or Piedmont. read more

Fabulous realtor, great experience at her most recent open house on 18 Bishop Ct!

Sarah did an INCREDIBLE job selling our Piedmont home. She came to our first meeting fully prepared and with a plan. Sarah has so many connections and knew the the perfect stager, painter, etc, to quickly get our house in tip top shape. She handled everything for us- not just the successful marketing and selling of our home, but turning on lights at night, watering plants, baking homemade cookies for the open house, answering our endless questions, and keeping us calm and focused through the crazy and emotional process of selling a home we love. Sarah knows the market and gave us amazing advice for the very successful sale of our home! She is very personable, cares deeply, and is very thorough and detail orientated. We loved working with her and highly recommend her to anyone and everyone! read more

Sarah is as good as it gets. As a personal investor I've bought and sold 15 homes in the Bay Area over the past 20 years. I've used many different agents because I never thought anyone did a good enough job. I was so disappointed with the incompetency of realtors that I got my own license so that I could start representing myself in future deals. Then Sarah came along. I moved from the Bay Area to Palm Springs. When it was time to sell my home in Piedmont I didn't even interview anyone else. I just handed the keys to Sarah. I put everything in her hands and just told her to get it done. Sarah was on it in a flash with a spreadsheet of proposed inspections and improvements. I'm a self professed control freak. But Sarah did a much better job than I ever could have done. And that says a lot because clearly I think very highly of myself. HAH!!! Of course we got top dollar for our home. That goes without saying. But Sarah did more than just bring me an all cash offer than closed in 10 days. Sarah completed handled every inspection, every tweak to the house and even helped me get my furniture to Palm Springs which included storing my belongings in her house until the truck could come. I wish I could give her more than 5 stars. If you are planning to buy or sell a house hire Sarah. read more

We are a young family with small kids and hectic schedules. As our family grew, we decided to sell and trade up - the Berkeley market was insanely hot and we needed something bigger. Selling seemed like an easy process, but one setback after another left our house sitting on the market for months, with damaging disclosures out on it and my wife and I at a loss. A friend recommended we talk to Sarah, and we were so glad that we did. She was responsive, empathetic, and spent the time necessary to decipher the complicated issues with our house and chart a path forward to help us sell the house and still get a great price. We had spoken to many agents, but no one had the combination of local expertise, trustworthiness, and communication skills that Sarah did. Through the process, Sarah always acted with our best interest at heart, and she was on point for any little detail that could come up in the transaction - a true pro that is a pleasure to work with. We are thankful to have met her. read more

We worked with Sarah to purchase our first home, sell that house, and move to our forever home in Piedmont. We absolutely recommend Sarah as an agent. From when we first met her as prospective buyers to selling our place, we felt completely taken care of. I never for a moment doubted that Sarah had our best interests at heart all along the way, from providing recommendations for how to get comfortable with a house (ie bringing in the right contractor or structural engineer to talk about an older home) to giving her honest opinion about how a house might suit our family, both now and 20 years down the road. Sarah is super dialed in to the Piedmont community and local realtors and always seems to know which houses might be coming up for sale. Even when we weren't looking to buy or sell a home, Sarah had been a tremendous resource as we continue to get situated in the East Bay. All 3 of our transactions with Sarah were smooth and seamless. We love Sarah! read more

I have worked with more than a half dozen other real estate agents before Sarah, in various localities. I think that Piedmont is a very unique market with special challenges for both buyers and sellers. For better or for worse, local agents really do have their finger on the pulse of any given transaction and homes to be listed. My first encounter with Sarah was 5 years ago and she is the same warm, smart, problem solving, hard working professional even during the recent covid-related stock market crash that left most of the real estate industry paralyzed. In fact, she helped us to buy a larger home and sell our previous home, both in Piedmont, all within the last 3 short months. We had many moments of doubt, we questioned everything due to all the surrounding economic uncertainty, but Sarah was unwavering in her ability to inform, calm, and move us closer to our stated goals. In retrospect, her well planned and executed strategies on both the buying and selling side worked and we could not have hoped for a better outcome. On the sales side, Sarah received critical support from Julie Gardner, Jill Shortley, and a very competent A list of vendors. I did lean a bit on my past real estate experience. I would recommend speaking to multiple agents to get different views of services and to better appreciate what Sarah offers. read more