Why Work With Karen Starr and Brenda Schaefer?

Here's what our satisfied customers are saying about us:

Caitlin Crawford

Couldn’t recommend Caitlin more highly. She is deeply knowledgeable about all things east bay and Bay Area real estate, and also was so deft at handling our many questions and leading us through an emotional process. She is a joy to work with, and an expert too!

9 September 2026, 03:21 AM

Nancy Lehrkind

Everything played out according to the plan, with a great outcome! She made it seem effortless with her many years of experience 😊

Mojo Karr

8 September 2026, 22:31 PM

Jennifer Jones

My husband and I were thrilled with the excellent service, professionalism and organizational skills of Jennifer Caldwell Jones. From the outset she handled all of our concerns with the utmost sensitivity. Selling one’s residence of many years is a very personal and often sensitive undertaking, and Jennifer handled each aspect with tact, professionalism and understanding. We never felt pressured to sign on for any services we were not comfortable with. She helped us make some difficult decisions which despite some hesitancy on our part ensured us a fast sale at a price above asking. Her knowledge of the market was impressive and accurate. That came in crucially when we sat down with her to come up with the correct asking price. She also had a wealth of professionals behind her which she called upon for all the countless tasks to ready our home for sale! Cleaners, stagers, movers, painters, inspectors the list goes on and on - all excellent professionals who handled everything that needed doing, without us having to lose sleep on any single detail. One more thing: Jennifer Caldwell Jones’ organizational skills were on display from day one! She arrived at our first meeting with a printed calendar with everything listed day by day- meetings, deadlines- for the first two weeks. Then after that as things progressed she prepared new, updated calendars so we were never at a loss for what was happening next. She was so organized, she managed to keep us organized as well! Once we had an accepted offer and close of escrow drew near she kept us informed of what the Title Company needed and how the signing would take place. The very last item she prepared for us was almost beyond the pale: an entire Excel spreadsheet of every expense we incurred to prepare our home for sale for us to present to our tax accountant to calculate deductions from capital gains. In all, we could not have had a better real estate experience than we enjoyed with Ms. Caldwell Jones.

7 September 2026, 00:28 AM

Jane Strauch

Jane spent the time up front to prepare our property to sell for more. She knows the market and what buyers are looking for. Once our input was received, Jane and her assistant Carrie handled everything! Jane is no-nonsense and went the extra mile to take the stress and pressure off of us during the selling process. We appreciated her professional suggestions and advice and we trusted her instincts. She is a proactive communicator, has a pep in her step, hustles to get things done, and has great sense of humor! Jane and Carrie are top notch.

Jenni and Craig

4 September 2026, 18:59 PM

Laura Arechiga

I cannot say enough wonderful things about Laura. I was selling my uncle’s home from out of state, and Laura made what could have been a complicated and stressful process remarkably easy. She handled everything—from coordinating contractors, inspections, and appraisals to preparing the home for sale and organizing the open house and sales process. She kept me informed every step of the way and was always incredibly responsive, organized, and professional. Laura’s knowledge of the Berkeley market is exceptional. Her advice was spot-on, and the process unfolded almost exactly as she predicted. I had complete confidence in her judgment throughout the sale. My experience truly could not have been better. Laura exceeded every expectation, and I would recommend her without hesitation to anyone buying or selling a home in the Berkeley area. Joe C

Joe C.

1 September 2026, 23:22 PM

Regina Jacobs

No one knows the Oakmore market better than Regina. Highly professional, excellent negotiator.

1 September 2026, 17:01 PM

Martha Becker

Martha is a wonderful realtor - she helped us navigate a complex situation (purchasing our rental property from our landlord) from beginning to end , all the while being extremely responsive, thoughtful, and knowledgeable. Martha knows the nuances of real estate buying and selling in different parts of Oakland extremely well. Having Martha represent us allowed us to submit an offer that was ultimately accepted before the property was listed. Thank you, Martha, for making our dream a reality!

1 September 2026, 02:37 AM

Elizabeth Behrens

In the highly competitive buyer landscape in the Bay Area, it's important to have a well-connected realtor who communicates frequently and clearly. Look no further than Liz. She built a strong relationship with us, assessed pros and cons of various property types, and was responsive to all our thoughts and questions. Where her strengths shine even more is in the process between preparing to offer, offering, and getting the keys. Liz connected us with a network of options for mortgage brokers, insurance brokers, repairmen and inspectors. She identified people who already work well together, which made the entire process run so smoothly that it seemed like magic. What seems like magic is actually hard work on her part. I highly recommend her; what a resource through one of the most stressful times that come up in life.

27 August 2026, 17:48 PM

Jill Carrigan

Working with Jill has been fantastic. Over a four-year on-and-off search, she was always available, incredibly knowledgeable about the market, and great at communication. What we appreciated most was her zero-pressure approach. She gave us all the time we needed and totally understood our style, which built a huge amount of trust. It was also telling that at every open house we attended, everyone knew of her— a testament to her reputation in the Oakland and Berkeley markets. When the time came, her guidance through the offer and negotiation process was seamless. She went above and beyond by connecting us with local professionals, from roofers and an electrician to contractors and an interior designer to get the house completely ready for us to move in. I couldn't recommend her more.

Andrew K R

26 August 2026, 05:14 AM

Jill Carrigan

Jill helped us navigate the complicated Bay Area home-buying process with grace, patience, and tenacity. We quickly built a great rapport with her, and she immediately understood what we were truly looking for in a home. When touring places, she’d offer practical advice like, “Make sure you come back in the evening to see how the neighborhood feels.” While we figured out what we liked, Jill was insightful and grounded. When it came time to submit an offer, she guided our strategy and kept us sane throughout the negotiations. She also connected us with an excellent mortgage broker and, since closing, has shared fantastic local contacts to help us make the space our own. All in all, Jill is an exceptional Realtor who is deeply plugged into the community—and more than that, she’s become a genuine friend.

Bill KR

25 August 2026, 22:26 PM

Anastasia Levitansky

My wife and I were looking for a home in the East Bay, and being that this was our first home purchase in the Bay Area, we knew we needed an experienced Realtor who could help us navigate such a competitive and fast-moving market. We initially started by going to open houses, meeting different Realtors, and exploring our options. That’s when we met Anastasia Levitansky at an open house, and we instantly connected. Once Anastasia became our Realtor, she immediately dove in—helping us understand the market, explore different neighborhoods and opportunities, and navigate the entire process. She helped us get outside of our comfort zone and see possibilities we probably wouldn’t have considered on our own. Anastasia is intelligent, detail-oriented, extremely communicative, patient, and diligent. Most importantly, you can tell she is genuinely passionate about helping her clients find the right home, not just any home. Throughout the process, we always felt like she had our best interests in mind and was there to guide us every step of the way. For anyone looking for a Realtor in the Bay Area, we would highly recommend Anastasia Levitansky. We are incredibly grateful for everything she did to help us find our home.

James P

18 August 2026, 04:35 AM

Jack Burley

Jack did a great job representing us throughout our lengthy Berkeley home search and all the way through this purchase. He is hard working, knowledgeable, responsive, a great communicator, and an all-around nice guy. He understands the local market and the quirky in's and out's of the housing stock here. We're lucky we worked with him.

17 August 2026, 23:01 PM

Regina Jacobs

Regina was phenomenal! After we first contacted her, she immediately got back to us and already had a plan. She was always available via phone, text, email, came to see us multiple times in person (even though we are way out of the area of clients she normally represents), etc. And she always did this in an appropriately timely manner. Regina's market knowledge was critical in purchasing our home - she had clearly done her research, so much so that her original offer recommendation was accepted, even though the offer was below the original asking price, was countered, and there were other offers. We got the home for exactly what we wanted and what she recommended. We had a lot of financial constraints that she patiently helped guide us through to make the offer stick. Regina's professionalism is unmatched. When we started casually looking for a new home, we met many other agents in the process. None of them could match what Regina offered us on a personal level. She was timely in her responses, respected our financial limits and what we wanted in a new home, and met us our level for what our family needed. What stands out about Regina is how our family felt that she always had our family's best interest at heart. It felt as though she was invested in the process as though it was her and her own family buying this home. What also stands out was how willing she was to help us find the right mortgage people for us and how willing she was and still is to refer out what we want to do with our new home after we closed. She has helped us map out a plan to make upgrades, giving us realistic timelines financially. Even though this is our dream home and we plan on living here probably the rest of our lives, if we ever decided to buy again we would only use Regina. Hopefully, she won't retire before our three children buy their homes because we certainly want her to represnt them! Thank You, Chris, Rebekka, Christopher Jr., Madison & Joshua Williams

Chris Williams

16 August 2026, 23:41 PM

Teresa Lee

Teresa was my realtor for my first home purchase. She worked with me for over 5 months to navigate the complexities of first-time homebuying while the market was going through some big swings. We toured a lot of places together during this time until I found the perfect one. I also appreciate her for recommending an excellent loan advisor and making the process seamless. I learned a lot from her and won’t forget that she sat through hours of disclosures with me to make sure the house I bought was the right fit. I don’t expect many realtors to help their clients with the commitment and can do attitude that Teresa has. She was great at setting expectations for buying in the East Bay and crafting a winning strategy. I am very grateful that Teresa was on my team.

Victoria N.

14 August 2026, 16:13 PM

Adrienne Krumins

Very responsive, energetic, and communicative, understood the market and how to get things done fast

13 August 2026, 17:29 PM

Patrick MacCartee

Like many people, I had developed a fatigue and mistrust with agents who tell you what you want to hear, but put in the base minimum effort and treat you like a number on a ledger. Patrick stood out immediately as someone refreshingly different. He sold my house in Oakland, and there was no hesitation in working with him a second time to buy a place in SF a year later. He knows the area, the community, the market like the back of his hand. He genuinely loves people, and will be invested in you and your family finding the best possible future home that fits your unique needs. He has a diverse background with a strong understanding of business, marketing, and finance. Above all, he's real, he's honest. He will break things down in ways that everyone can understand, he listens and is willing to take on any challenge in front of him. To top it all off, he's got a joyful personality with a great sense of humor, making the entire journey fun.

Chris

13 August 2026, 16:30 PM

Unhei Kang

Unhei was very knowledgeable about the local market and gave great advice to this first time homebuyer

Chris Metinko

12 August 2026, 00:49 AM

Jack Burley

This realtor established a concise plan that resulted in the house being optimally prepared for the sale. First, they identified what elements would be necessary to revise, in order to maximize the sales price. Next, they brought in skilled specialists to perform the necessary rehab work. Their stager was excellent and captured the personality of the house. Finally, they determined an ideal listing price, obtaining multiple bids and a final sales price that was 11% over the listing price. We could not have had a better outcome and highly recommend this realtor for a superior sales experience.

11 August 2026, 23:57 PM

Annie Walrand

Annie was dedicated to helping me sell my house. She made me aware of the solvable faults in my house and how to correct them for the best sales result. She arranged for a wonderful stager and a contractor to present the house in the best light. She arranged for inspections and kept me unto date on all the paper work etc Annie helped us buy the house in 2005 and I could not have asked for a better person to help me sell the house in 2026.

Elizabeth C. Gordon

8 August 2026, 17:54 PM

Leonore Deaton

Leonore really helped us figure out the particularities of Oakland market and helped us navigate the home buying process as a first time home buyer. We had a quick process but she made herself very available from beginning to end! She is a pleasure to work with and I would highly recommend her!

Alex

7 August 2026, 23:40 PM