Testimonials

We met Grace almost 20 years ago when we were looking to buy our first home. We were walking down Solano Ave and as we passed by the Albany Red Oak Realty office stopped to look at the listings in the window. Grace came out to see if she could help and even though we were not qualified yet, she took the time to explain the process and put us in touch with a lender that could help. We kept in touch and within 6 months we were ready to go!

The market was really competitive at that time so we made a few offers made that didn’t materialize but one evening she gave us call to see a home that had just come on the market. When we walked through the front door we knew that sweet little bungalow was the one for us. We wrote up the offer that night on the hood of her car (way before Docusign!) and within a few days we were in contact and on our way to being home owners.

What struck us about working with Grace is that she was truly our partner though the entire process, from taking the time to learn about us, to helping us finding a good lender to finding the home and closing the sale. There was never any pressure to make an offer we weren’t comfortable with and she was straight forward with what we could expect.

Over the years we kept in touch and when we decided to sell the home there was no doubt that we would work with Grace again. We were very emotional about our decision to sell. This was our first home and we truly were in love with that little house. When we met with Grace and her assistant, Kim, they were very patient with us and thoroughly explained the selling process and what we needed to do to prepare. She was very straight forward with us about pricing and the what we could expect. She determined a good asking price and listing date to position it with the other active listings in the neighborhood. Her marketing strategy was very successful with over 400 people attending the open houses and 7 very solid offers!

We highly recommend Grace! She is experienced, knowledgeable and just a really great person to work with. She has an extensive network from her 20 years of experience in the area and what ever side that you may be on, buy or sell, you will be in very good hands.

Grace has helped members of our family buy three homes and sell one over the past eleven years. Recently she advised my son as he searched for a home in Oakland and Berkeley. Grace assisted him in evaluating properties, accurately estimating the price that would be necessary to compete for a given property. Her suggestions were spot on in writing a winning bid, and she and her assistant Kim helped my son navigate escrow and meet all deadlines in a timely fashion. Since the sale, they have remained available to answer questions and recommend contractors to perform repairs. Grace is experienced, dedicated, friendly, and kind. Kim is also a professional, and they make a great team. In this competitive and rapidly unfolding market, they provide guidance and nuanced judgment that is invaluable.

My brother and I were unexpectedly confronted with having to sell our childhood home this summer soon after our mother passed away. We had time constraints for the sale, and one of us lived out of state—both of which complicated the emotional process of finding a realtor quickly and preparing the outdated home to compete in El Cerrito’s competitive market.

As we had no referrals from which to choose a realtor, we decided to interview three: two from El Cerrito and one from out of the area. The El Cerrito realtors were tops in their offices for home sales in our area; the realtor from out of the area was a referral by a family member. We were looking for competent, experienced people with valuable advice. Quickly, we realized staying local with our realtor was going to be critical to a swift, profitable sale. “Going local,” we could compare two assessments of our house from a local viewpoint, consider what upgrades they felt we needed, their projected time frame for completion of those upgrades, and listing date.

At once, we were impressed by Grace Bishop. She came to the interview prepared with current and historical data of El Cerrito home sales, testimonials, and she had researched our home thoroughly, demonstrating what we felt was the type of commitment we were going to need to keep the sale in check and on track. She was forthcoming with her feelings and impressions of the condition of the house on her first walk-through, and she was fully prepared to answer all of our questions, open to offering advice when asked. She displayed professionalism, confidence, humility and concern for our interests and goals. Between Grace and her assistant, Kim, we believed we had a “powerhouse pair” who would be wonderful to work with: two women who would protect our interests, satisfy our concerns, and honor our wishes and constraints on overall expenditures. Grace and Kim were wonderful to work with, in sync with each other, and both had senses of humor that helped keep our stress in check.

For upgrading the house, Grace recommended using a design/construction firm — a new idea to us and one not offered by other realtors with whom we spoke. Grace was able to provide us with a firm construction start date (surprisingly soon), a project completion date, and listing date. Despite some project “hiccups” that were out of anyone’s control, Grace always came through for us: the construction was completed on time, the design firm was professional and did a gorgeous job remodeling and staging the house, and we met our listing date deadline. As Grace had assured us, the design company did a beautiful job of preparing the house to compete with homes in the neighbor area. Whenever we needed advice about the remodeling budget, or advice on sales offers we received, Grace never veered from her caring, yet professional, demeanor. We accepted her advice on many critical decisions, and that advice was always well thought out and in keeping with our own values and constraints. We were relieved by her measured approach to our particular project, and we never felt uncomfortable or encouraged to do anything that would push us to exceed either our budget or our expectations. She maneuvered our project skillfully through a temporarily tepid market, suggesting price changes that kept our final sales price high, while stimulating potential buyers to take another look.

We can’t describe how fortunate we feel to have found Grace and Red Oak Realty. Grace is a realtor who is committed to her clients and to the best outcome possible for all involved. We will always recommend her highly to anyone looking for a realtor, whether they are buying or selling.

Grace and Kim were so easy to work with. They were prompt and resourceful. They made our first home buying experience smoother than we ever thought possible.

From start to finish, Grace set us up for success.

We came from San Francisco and had no knowledge of buying a house in Berkeley. Grace and Kim showed us neighborhoods and shared their vast knowledge of the community and the requirements of purchasing a home in Berkeley.

When Grace learned that we loved a particular home, she immediately contacted the seller’s agent and asked our questions. As we had additional questions, she would promptly follow-up with the sellers agent again. From Grace’s perspective, all of this was valuable, as it demonstrated to the seller our bona fide interest in and seriousness about the home from the beginning. It also ensured we had the information we needed prior to making an offer.

Grace and Kim were always two steps ahead regarding necessary documentation. In addition to sending
us everything we needed to sign, they comprehensively explained to us in plain English the purpose of all
of the documents. Their attention to detail was top notch and far exceeded agents we had worked with in the past.

Perhaps what impressed us most was how Grace called upon the professional contacts and relationships she has built over the years to our benefit. For example, prior to making an offer, we had questions about the earthquake and flood zone maps that were in the disclosures. Grace immediately connected us to a local earthquake engineer she has known for years. He helped us decipher the exact location of the earthquake fault and flood zones in relation to the house.

Grace suggested that we accompany our offer with a letter explaining our affinity for the house. Our offer amount was the same as another bid. But the seller chose us; our early engagement and letter to the seller gave us the edge.

Grace warned us at the beginning that we would likely need to make a few offers prior to getting a contract on a home. In actuality, when working with Grace, we were able to get the home of our dreams on our first offer. Perhaps this was luck. We, however, attribute our quick success to Grace’s stellar representation.

Grace and Kim helped sell my family’s house in El Cerrito hills in early spring 2017. This was truly a team effort with a very successful outcome. For example, the house was in need of significant renovation before it was put on the market, and Grace was instrumental in finding and managing expert contractors who transformed it into a spectacular home that sold quickly. Grace and Kim were professional throughout the process, everything went on schedule, even during record-setting rains, and the closing was the easiest ever. The team’s detailed knowledge of the neighborhood was key to the successful marketing of the home. I would highly recommend interviewing Grace and Kim if you are looking to buy or sell.

So informative, so patient, and not pushy at all. We really felt that you had our best interests in mind. It was also great because Grace & Kim really knew the area, realtors and various vendors/contractors.

Our agents were extremely knowledgeable, professional, and I felt as if they really looked out for what was best for us throughout the entire experience. We never felt pressured to move forward with anything we weren’t excited about, or to offer more than we were comfortable with for a property. We would definitely work with Grace and Kim in the future!

Grace and Kim were amazing. They were with us through every step of the process and were true advocates for us. Thanks to Grace’s skill, network and knowledge of the local market, we were able to secure a bidding win for our beautiful first home. Kim and Grace helped us connect the dots during the entire pre and post purchase process and were very responsive and knowledgeable throughout. I would highly recommend this team!