These folks have helped me on every purchase I've made, and I couldn't imagine using anyone else…read more They really have a great team of local experts, and that genuineness "family run" vibe that makes you feel right at home. Their office is easy to locate, and has been around since I can remember. I would suggest them to anyone looking to get the good buy, or sell for the right price.... they haven't done me ae

Landlords: Stay away from this company! They charge $37 to tenants for the privilege of filling out…read moretheir stupid application. Then they show the property for MONTHS, collecting a tidy sum from all the applications. You as a property owner lose two months rent. Their business model does NOT benefit the property owner; I offered to pay a year of rent upfront, yet my message was never delivered to the owner, which was too bad for them as I have excellent credit and references and a year upfront is a sweet deal for a landlord. Tenants: I was charged $37 PLUS I was told I would hear back either way within 4-6 days. It took SIX WEEKS for them to get back to me. Of course now I know it's because they were making a cool $3000 from applications. I would NEVER use them as my property management company and will NEVER apply to one of their properties as a tenant again. I will be reporting them to the Better Business Bureau. Also, the owner's name is Jack Burns and his email is: jackburnsjr@icloud.com in case you want to ask what's taking so long to rent your property. Shame on him for running this scam that hurts property owners AND tenants.

Really enjoyed the professional way of working with Fiona and Ramiro from Cal Agents and the care…read morethey took -- Used Cal Agents on a house in Oakland.

Professional and Reliable Property Management I have been…read moreworking with The Cal Agents since 2025 to manage my house rental in the Bay Area, and it has been a consistently positive experience. Key Highlights: 1. Exceptional Team: I've had the pleasure of working with Wilsen, Ahyeza, Chris, Patricia, Jana, Fiona, Nikki, and Ramiro. They are professional, attentive, and easy to collaborate with. 2. Problem Solvers: One of their greatest strengths is that they never shy away from a hard problem. Whether it's a maintenance issue or a tenant concern, they tackle it head-on with a level of responsiveness that is hard to find. 3. Trusted Partnership: When you are looking for a partner to manage an investment property, creating an empathetic and caring relationship with the tenants is the most important factor. They have proven themselves to be reliable stewards of my property. Pro-Tip for Owners: Because they manage a diverse portfolio of both condos and houses, I found that providing clear context on my specific expectations for house-level marketing and maintenance from the start created a great feedback loop. Their receptiveness to this high level of communication is exactly why our partnership works so well; it ensures everyone is aligned from day one. Overall: If you need a team that is responsive and capable of handling the complexities of the Bay Area rental market, I highly recommend The Cal Agents.

i have used Security Pacific Property management for the last several years on my investment…read moreproperty. They did a fantastic job finding a great long term tennant, they were organized, communicative and had great follow through. The systems they use a easy to figure out and their vendors are top grade. I highly recommend the team at Security Pacific for all your real estate and landlord needs.

Hello! This is Nick & Alana H and we utilized the Property…read moreManagement services of Security Pacific for over 6 years, always finding them to be highly responsive, effective, and professional, particularly when situations got complicated. Security Pacific has a great team and has our strong recommendation.

I have lived in Atchison Village for 4 years. I really love it here…read more It is a co-op, so in truth, you own 1/450th of the entire village. Your membership entitles you to live in your unit in perpetuity. It's a little confusing because you do "buy" your unit, but all of our taxes are paid in one lump sum. There is no deed. Because of this, traditional lending institutions will not lend money to purchase the units because they can not foreclose on them. There is a credit union in Atchison Village which lends money although the amount is not sufficient to buy a unit now that the prices have gone up along with the rest of the Bay Area. So you need to have some cash in order to buy to buy a unit. There is a very real sense of community here. People are friendly and look out for each other. Crime is very low. We are located close, but not too close to the 580 freeway and the Richmond/San Rafael bridge. BART is about 8 blocks away. The weather is wonderful, after 40 years of living in SF I really appreciate much less fog but because of the close proximity to the bay, it rarely gets uncomfortably hot. Point Richmond is 1 mile away. Miller/Knox park about 2 miles away. We each pay one monthly fee which covers taxes, water, garbage, sewage, outside maintenance and some inside maintenance. Anything that is original to the unit is covered, such as plumbing and electrical work. Susan S. mentioned the bars on the windows of many units. I agree that they are unsightly. They were put up in the 80's and 90's when crime was bad. My unit did not have them and I would have removed them if it did. Some people are removing them. But we are not going to mandate that people remove them, that is their choice. Emma M. did not like the condition of the park. The park is owned by the city of Richmond, they are responsible for the upkeep. The park has a lot of activity in the summer months, lots of school soccer teams play here and the basketball court is also enjoyed by neighborhood youth. Right now, I have not noticed graffiti on the playground equipment. 4 years ago there were about 20 units for sale when I was looking. I got in right before the market recovered, 6 months later the prices had nearly doubled. It was the best kept secret in the Bay Area housing market. Now word is out and units are harder to come by. One of the best decisions I ever made was to buy into Atchison Village.

I went to Atchison Village to look at a property for sale. The people looked very nice, well…read moredressed and friendly. Some of the properties were gorgeous, beautifully landscaped much better than the average neighborhood. Others were fairly plain with only grass and a bush or two. The open areas were clean, no cigarette butts or condoms or anything like that such as another reviewer saw. It was quaint and well designed. But there were also an outlandish number of those 'spear point' iron security windows. I mean way more than half of the places had them. To me they are so ugly and scream, 'I LIVE IN FEAR.' Let me stress that I live in another part of Richmond, below San Pablo (Clinton Hill area) and we have low crime, and no windows like that. Crime is ridiculously overstated in Richmond, btw - It's beautiful in my hood and could be in Atchison if they outlawed those awful windows.

Working with Marco and Vanessa Rodriguez (the MVRod Team) to sell my inherited property was an…read moreexceptional experience. The home needed repairs, but they brought vision, encouragement, and a clear plan that truly brought the property back to life. I had interviewed another agent whose low price, quick sale strategy felt self serving. Marco and Vanessa were the complete opposite -- they listened, understood my goals, and genuinely wanted the best outcome for me. They guided me through a thoughtful home refresh based on their deep market knowledge and understanding of what today's Buyers want. Even though I live out of the area and was frequently traveling, they handled everything seamlessly. I still remember Vanessa telling me, "Go on your vacation and don't worry; we got you." And they absolutely did. Their professionalism extends beyond the two of them -- their entire support team, from Jennifer (admin) to Flor (transaction coordinator) to Wendy (escrow), is outstanding. They have their process dialed in, and it shows. Whether your home needs updating or not, Marco and Vanessa know exactly how to make it shine. They are truly a top notch team.

Marco and the team were great from start to finish. We had a unique selling situation, and they…read moreprovided immeasurable guidance on local municipal rules/regs. as well as valuable support throughout the process. After hitting the market in late May, after receiving multiple strong offers we closed in early July. Highly recommend - great experience

As a Realtor with 27 years of experience at a world-renowned luxury brokerage, I have very high…read morestandards when it comes to real estate professionals. When my husband and his siblings needed to sell their parents' home after 58 years of family ownership, we knew we needed someone exceptional. Sarah Ridge exceeded every expectation. Not only is Sarah an expert in the Berkeley and El Cerrito market, but she also brought together an outstanding team that made the entire process seamless. From strategic pricing and marketing to thoughtful updates, staging, and preparation, every recommendation was spot-on and designed to maximize the home's appeal and value. What impressed me most was Sarah's ability to guide our family through what was an incredibly emotional transition. She was always available, communicated clearly, and patiently walked everyone through each step of the process. Her professionalism, compassion, and attention to detail gave us complete confidence from start to finish. Thanks to Sarah's market knowledge, strong negotiation skills, and excellent relationships with other agents, we received multiple offers and ultimately found the perfect buyer for this cherished family home. The entire experience could not have gone more smoothly. Sarah is constantly studying the market, touring new inventory, and maintaining strong relationships throughout the East Bay, giving her an unmatched pulse on the local real estate landscape. If you're buying or selling in Berkeley, El Cerrito, or the surrounding East Bay communities, I cannot recommend Sarah highly enough. You will be in exceptional hands. Simply put, I wouldn't choose anyone else for this area.

Sarah Ridge is an excellent realtor. She has deep knowledge about the North Berkeley neighborhood…read moreand what things to watch out for in Berkeley houses. She has a lot of contacts, so she can address almost anything that can come up in the home buying process. She is very smart. Go to her website and watch her videos to see if you think she would be a good match for you. That's what we did. The best thing I can say about Sarah is that she was always looking out for our best interests. We went to some open houses on our own and were interested in making offers. Sarah pointed out to us some red flags that we had either missed or ignored. She said she would be willing to write up the offers if that's what we wanted, but she advised against it. She said this is the same advice she would have given to her daughter or a close friend if they were interested in these properties. Fortunately, we listened to her, passed on those properties, and ended up in a great house. Buying a home in the Berkeley market is always going to be stressful. My advice is to find someone like Sarah who will be reducing that stress, not adding to it.

We had a great experience working with BALS. Keith did a boundary survey of our property. We had…read morereached out to many surveyors in the area and BALS was definitely the most responsive, organized, and thorough in their response. They provided a reasonable quote, and provided a clear estimate of the timeline. The survey markers were placed relatively quickly. Alameda county took some time to record our survey, but once it was reviewed it was approved right away. I called the county for an update at some point and they actually pointed out that our survey was very well done! Sara was also very helpful and responsive to my numerous questions throughout the process. I would highly recommend!

Buyer Beware. It…read morehas been 2 1/2 years since we started the survey process with this company. They have around 5k of our cash money in their hands and they still have not completed the survey and filing with the county. I have been calling and emailing intermittently in good faith, but there's always an excuse as to why the work is not done. One is usually having boundaries marked and surveys done because there's another issue at hand or plan that comes next. I never imagined that we would be this far down the road and unable to start projects because the surveyors cannot complete the job that they have been paid 100% of the fee for. What will inspire them to get going? Legal action? Filing a complaint with the County? Fine, but what a pain. It may be tempting to use the company (BALS) that says they can come out and get started sooner than another company, but in the end, we've waited far, far too long. Their integrity is lacking, to say the least. They have taken advantage of us probably largely due to the Bay Area's insane real estate market and demand for their services being high. No one should have to spend their time chasing down the product they paid for outright as they demanded. I cannot recommend BALS and hope you find your surveyor elsewhere.

I had such a great experience working with Sierra! She was incredibly helpful, responsive, and easy…read moreto work with throughout the entire process. She made everything feel seamless and was always quick to answer any questions or help with anything I needed. Even after the process was complete, she was more than happy to help me with a tenant reference, which I really appreciated. Would absolutely recommend working with her!

They always respond as soon as Possible to any repair…read morerequests. Highly recommend! Thank you...

Janelle has truly been a blessing to our family. In the early 2000's she helped us to secure the…read morepurchase of a house after a devastating fire claimed my childhood home.

Jaynelle is a restate superstar! Me and my partner met Jaynelle by chance at an open house when we…read morewere just dreaming of owning a house in the Bay Area. Jaynelle was able to turn what felt like an unrealistic dream into a reality for us. Throughout the home buying process she was incredibly attentive and willing to walk us through every pain staking detail to ensure we were informed and confident with our purchase. Jaynelle is willing to fight for her clients to ensure that their home buying experience goes off without a hitch. We are currently in the process of selling our home with Jaynelle and couldn't be happier with our experience. Jaynelle is an amazing Realtor with a great sense of humor, and quite frankly the only Realtor that I would use for my real estate transactions.

Thanks to Luther, we found our dream home…read more We had been looking in the east bay for quite some time, with no luck. Our first encounter with buying a home in Point Richmond (Luther helped us then) back in 2015 but the deal fell through because the seller got cold feet. Over the months Luther stayed in touch and we would keep an eye on "The Point" (the cutest little community!) and Luther was kind, interested, asked questions, and kept us informed without over doing it. Finally, a lovely house with a magnificent view became available and Luther (who grew up in Point Richmond, BTW.) helped us and the seller come to an agreement with so little stress and anxiety we could hardly believe it. Here's the thing: Luther Martin is a super conscientious, empathetic and thoughtful person. He's generous with his time, he sweats the details and he knows this neighborhood like no other realtor. (In fact, he is a local and lives here in town!) I would absolutely recommend the Point Realty team. (Karen is his partner, also always eager to help.) Local little businesses like this are such a treasure. They know the neighborhood, they live and shop locally, they are invested in the town's well being and they care deeply for the people they represent, whether you end up doing business with them or not.

Awful experience with Karen Kittle. I was selling a home at the end of an amicable divorce and, in…read morean effort to remain neutral, agreed to the third party recommended Point Realty. Karen was minimally helpful in preparing our home for sale and marketing was subpar. We got one bad offer with her that she encouraged us to take. I firmly believe the time wasted with this brokerage cost us. We were fortunate to work with a skilled agent afterward that brought us an above asking offer, but the market had cooled from the first listing. I (and our agent) believe we would have had much more excitement if it was initially prepared and presented by the right agent. I was so irritated by the entire experience it's taken literal years to write this review. My relationship with Karen ended when I had to request letterS(!!) from my real estate attorney to demand release from our listing agreement. My attorney agreed the conduct I described was at best lazy and at worst unethical. Normally I'd speak to an agent's broker with this kind of behavior, but Karen is the broker and seems quite entitled about it. They didn't make much effort to improve on our complaints and instead were defensive about everything. You really want to force unhappy clients to continue working with you? And then enforce a fee provision? Are you unaware your industry is supported by referrals? I do not understand what they hoped to gain in that nightmare. Thankfully we were eventually let out of the listing agreement and were able to move on. That's all we wanted - to go our separate ways. Greed is a poor business plan. Some of our complaints: As first time sellers no longer living together or in the home we had specifically requested help in preparing the home for sale. We were told they could help but were very disappointed in what was actually provided (small list of names or numbers, vendors that were not timely). We requested help with staging and it was never done - no staging at all. I in particular felt frequently left out of the loop on the sale process and am sure we either were not a priority client or that the agents were lazy. For example, Karen asked my ex (though not me) if someone could host an open house in her place - it wasn't even another agent, but someone fully unlicensed and not in the industry. I think they wrongly believed the Pt Richmond small town market is cornered by a couple small teams, but I promise that's changing. In contrast, our following agent essentially project managed some minor improvements we had wanted Karen's help with (asked for but did not receive) that made a huge difference. Marketing was beautiful, with professional looking photos and not quick phone shots. It was a night and day experience. Plenty of better agents that will be more attentive to your home and actually work to get you the best price, not just shuffle paperwork.