This is in my opinion and in my thoughts and should not affect your decision to do business with those mentioned. I drove all the way down to Berkeley from Oregon to look at a commercial property for one of our businesses. Had the forms filled out, ready to go. Provided them to David Shamszad the young kid CEO who showed up looking unprofessional in blue jeans and was on his cellphone chatting the entire time he was showing me the property. I guess the owner of the building at 1600 Shattuck doesn't care who represents his commercial property. We have great credit, verified income, verified references and have been in business for over 11 years. NOT ONCE DID THEY RETURN MY PHONE CALLS AFTER I PROVIDED THEM WITH THE $40 check to background screen me. I called my references and even my past commercial references from prior rentals and they said they NEVER ONCE got a call from them to check us out. IMO If you want reliability, respect and timely service it is NOT with the SG Group do NOT list your property with some young kid who isn't going to respond to potential tenants. UPDATE: literally 15 minutes after posting this review I got a call left on our company voicemail stating they did return calls. NO you did NOT. I have phone logs that show my 7 attempts of calling you and NOTHING returned. They also said on the invidious voicemail left only just minutes after this review, they ran our CEOs credit which is very high and enough to even purchase a property and she said he did NOT get approved. OKAY IF YOU DID THAT PLEASE SEND ME A COPY OF THE DENIAL ON HIS CREDIT WHICH IS LEGALLY REQUIRED IN ALL DENIAL CASES OF CREDIT. Doubt that will happen. It should NEVER take a business that you pay to run a background check on you... Four weeks and ultimately, having to write a review for them to call you back. Of course, they wanted the review removed. I think this is totally unprofessional. Fraud? I don't know. That is if there holding on to properties until market rent increase? All I know is, lack of professionalism. UPDATE: Both David and his secretary had emailed me asking to remove this review. Stating my CEO didn't know anything-he was in meetings the day they called and they never called us back. I did call and leave messages 7 times, even on David's VM for us to provide further legal documentation and verification in which, no reply was given. This review will stay so other business owners know the time wasted with the insidious nature of this experience. read more

The fact that SG Real Estate has 4 stars overall is a testament to their professionalism as a company. I feel like most reviewers, especially students, do not take the time to post complimentary reviews about property management companies. When they do post, it is typically to vent their frustrations. I actually made my first yelp account to rant about my experience with a previous Real Estate group/ housing complex. However, because of how different SG Real Estate is, I felt the need to review this responsive and proactive management company. The company does not seem to solely thrive on the fact that students have a quick turnover rate. They respond on time, they have always spoken to me respectfully, and they have worked to solve disputes very efficiently. One time an employee even bought me a free Gatorade when discussing an issue! The owner, David, is also extremely approachable and friendly. I've often seen him on campus interacting with students. He is very helpful and seems to care about the students he houses. His company's interactions with me are very different than the horror stories I have heard about from my friends about other management groups in college towns. As an out of state student who is far away from family, SG Real Estate really helped with my transition into Berkeley and has made me feel much more at home. read more

I won't go into a litany of fluff and anecdotal experiences to knock a company that has to deal with a multitude of issues, many of them out of their control. Having been in our building since 2011, we've seen many tenants come and go. Most are great, and some are sub par. Many of the tenants I know had packages stolen in the last few weeks and noticed people entering the building that shouldn't. We emailed SG Real Estate about the problems. I received a courteous and genuine response in 24 hours that they were going to take action on the matter, and they did. 24 hours after the email, a security camera was installed. Although it won't stop someone who really wants to steal packages, it gives me, my partner and the other tenants a sense of relief to know that SG Real Estate listened to our concerns and took action. Pro tip if you're a tenant and have issues: email the company with respect and kindness, and you might get taken more seriously than trashing them on a public forum. read more

I had an issue with a huge gallon bottle of cleaning liquid that split open at the bottom and ended up causing damage to the floor baseboard in my closet. I tried to dry it up with towels and fans, etc., but the wall baseboard soaked it up. SG Real Estate property mangers sent someone the following week to repaint but I really thought the baseboard should come out. Since I was the one that damaged it, I asked if I could work with a vendor to have it removed. Enrique and Danae helped connect me with Jose Vasquez, who was totally fantastic. He was communicative, knowledgeable, prepared, on time, and fixed it quickly and it looks brand new. His pricing was totally reasonable. I would 100% recommend him for any maintenance needs. He is a really nice person as well and was pleasant to chat with while he did the work. He also showed up with an N95 mask, which I had requested. Excellent work and I hope he continues to work for SG Real Estate. read more

Dang! What's up with all the negative reviews here? I've encountered a lot of Property Management companies, and my mom works in the business, and these guys have always met my expectations and the people I've interacted with have always been helpful and communicative. Allan in the maintenance department, Tony and Gary are always very helpful with maintenance, and if something can not be fixed same day as scheduled, they usually always let us know. I feel like people expect property managers to be personal servants or something, like Four Seasons like concierge, but get real people--I can tell these people care at what they do. My two must haves for service type companies are they should be atleast nice, pleasant, respectful and helpful, and two, they should communicate well with their customers from start to finish. Thank you SG for being awesome! read more

I must say that this by far have been a challenge for me, but through it all I will do it all over again. The reason is because the Manager Monica is the best person to work with, she was very patience with me throughout the process of me moving over here. Monica thank you so much for being so nice, patience and honest with me. It took some time moving, getting all my things up for SG but they worked with me. I was so afraid that I wouldn't be able to move over here but Monica made sure that everything would work out for me by sending encouraging words to me just to cheer me up and she had me to believe that everything would be working out in my favor and for sure it did and I am so thankful. Monica and Jessica was so awesome with me. I moved in exactly when they told me without any hidden gem. Thank you Monica so much. read more

I am so grateful for everyone I've encountered at SG Real Estate. From every department; Management, Leasing, Maintenance team and Accounting. I am very impressed how easy the lease renewal was too. I spoke to CJ and he guided me with great kindness and help. Then I was connected to MJ and she met me with the same beautiful helpful kind energy also. They both relayed messages to Jessica and Jackie and got the renewal process going so smoothly. The guidance of connections to departments was like a wonderful hive of awesome bees helping all the residents live comfortably. Shout out to Gracy too! You are truly an angel. You've helped me with your beautiful kind understanding so many times. I will forever be grateful for all your help, guidance and patience. Thank you so much and to everyone at SG Real Estate!!! read more

After finding out from our CFO what happened yesterday (her post is below) with unprofessional conduct from David Shamszad and his associates contacting her multiple times after having no contact at all with her is very disconcerting. Call logs do indicate they never returned phone calls after being paid the background fee. We are investigating to see if they even ran a credit report which might all be lies for them to sit on the property until rent increases. Fraud? She had to basically send a cease and desist harassment letter since they would not leave her alone after she posted a review about what happened. Let me ask you this, "do you want to rent from people who are more likely to stalk you when you write a yelp review than simply return your phone calls (since you're a paid prospect) weeks prior? read more

Jason goes above and beyond to address our needs and concerns promptly. He is the epitome of professionalism, always ready to lend a helping hand with a warm and friendly attitude. Whether it's a simple maintenance request or a more complex issue, Jason ensures that it is resolved quickly and efficiently. It's evident that he genuinely cares about the community and the people who call it home. He even handles the repairs sometimes, and pretty quickly, almost right after you tell him! He fixed my microwave today!!! Jason shows his unwavering commitment to creating a sense of a pleasant living environment for everyone. Jason's dedication and exceptional service have made my living experience here truly enjoyable. I couldn't be happier with the care and attention he puts into managing our apartment! read more

I lease a unit at one of the SG Real Estate properties. It is an A1 place to lease properties. It has been and still is an amazing experience. Doing business with such a great team of people! I've worked closely with Elayshia. It has been beyond my appreciation for her professionalism and her humanitarian efforts and abilities in helping and supporting the the lessees. She is a great listener, she shows genuine care, and she impeccably gets the job done! Elayshia is an excellent communicator and runs the process smoothly. She is a great asset to SG Real Estate. As well as the amazing team including MJ, CJ, Jessica V, Enrique B, Cesar M, and to all other team members I have yet to meet who are great assets to our communities. SG Real Estate people helping people. read more

I have rented an apartment in Berkeley from SG group for over a year now and I have been nothing but pleased with the experience. SG group has responded to all of my inquires promptly and when ever my apartment needed maintenance they got right on it. For example, when my apartment had a slight plumbing issue I contacted SG and within a few hours they had a plumber over at my apartment who fixed the issue that day. Furthermore, when I have interacted with any employee's of SG group including Dave the CEO they have been both professional and open. If anyone reading this review needs to find housing in the East Bay area I highly recommend you contact SG and inquire if they have anything available because honestly renting from them has been a pleasant experience. read more

Not your typical stigmatic property management company. They have a really amazing team who take people at high value and incorporate empathy into their business approach. A lot of UC Berkeley student options from mom & pops to some amazing new modern stuff. They rent by the apartment and by the bed/room so if you want to rent something cool without spending a fortune and stressing out pegging down roommates like I did, this is an easy option where you can still experience rarified air while sitting on an amazing 360 degree roof deck studying for your final. They're starting up some cool events & awareness days like World Kindness Day and World Mental Health Day at some of their buildings as well. I may be biased, but they're pretty awesome. read more

This company provided good accommodation to me on last minute. The leasing people are all really nice and very responsive. The building I stayed at was 2 blocks to campus and pretty simple but that is what I needed. Even tho it was dorm style, it was surprisingly very clean. I was expecting bathrooms and kitchen to be gross and stuff but not at all. Maintenance staffs were all very nice! --sometimes it took longer than expected to fix problem but they follow up in email updates & usually explain the reason why and it gets done in the end. I have good memories here so I rate it 5 star accommodation, especially for international student who do not know area and want to secure a good place for study for the school year. read more

SG Real Estate recently took over the management of our building and I have to say that I have been so impressed with the service. The staff, Lisa in particular, have all been quick to address any concerns or repairs that have come up. Moreover, they are all so friendly! The SG Real Estate team seems genuinely invested in the comfort and happiness of their clients, which is a welcome departure from prior experiences I have had with other managers in other cities. Finally, they have a simple to use portal through which the client can pay rent and submit service requests, which is a nice, modern touch. Bottom line, I am happy to have SG Real Estate as the manager for my business' building and I think you would, too. read more

We are the owner of a buidling managed by SG and are completely satisfied with their services. After interviewing 4 potential building managers, we selected this team, and feel very lucky that we did. Athena did a fantastic job leasing up an empty building, and David and the rest of the team take care of all property management tasks and financial management so that we don't have to worry about it. They are communicative, responsive (both to us and tenant requests), problem solvers and provide sound advice when issues arise. SG's team is a young (but experienced), energetic, smart, and growing company. As first time landlords in the Berkeley area, we feel extremely fortunate to have landed with them. read more

I'm a tenant at the overture now and I've had such a positive experience in this building I feel compelled to share. I've truly felt like a part of a community here. Any concern I've ever had has been dealt with swiftly and thoughtfully. Athena and Gracy have been so sweet and helpful to me from day one. I truly can't thank them enough for just making the whole experience pleasant and stress-free! And I had one minor plumbing issue a few months ago. Ken and his crew resolved it within 2 hours! I couldn't believe how prompt and thorough they were about it. I've lived in the Bay Area now for over 18 years and so I've had all kinds of tenant experiences. My experience here truly stands out. read more

I've resided in SG real estate's properties for 3 years now and they've been one of the most considerate real estate companies I've had the pleasure of working with. When my roommates couldn't find enough people to renew our lease, they personally helped my group find a smaller unit within our budget so we all weren't scattered to finding a new place on our own. They've been especially flexible with our moving process. On occasion they might take a moment to address repairs, but they've always made it right with us by giving some rent forgiveness for the time that passed. This company listened to our needs and I'm looking forward to renting from them for a good time longer. read more

My experience with SG Real Estate has for the most part been very good. I've had several issues ranging anywhere from basic maintenance to security concerns. All of which were addressed by the very responsive onsite managers & staff at their headquarters in Berkeley. I was also very pleased when they added rent payment functionality via an online portal, a thing that made easy to request & monitor maintenance issues. In my personal opinion, the company worked well to address my concerns and was even open to taking advice from tenants. All this provided a sense that the management company was open to working with tenants and valued their insights. read more

Don't really comment on Yelp often but had to for Athena and SG. My experience has been nothing but positive with Athena and their 1812 University building. The building is really well maintained and Athena was great with responding to calls and texts. Rent payment was easy and convenient through their online portal and the apartment was brand new. As a student around Berkeley I will say their apartments are a little pricey but keep in mind you get what you pay for. SG has been honest, transparent, and attentive. TL;DR bite the bullet and pay a little more for an atypically professional and comfortable Berkeley renting experience. read more