Introducing the Newest Agent at Berkeley Hills Realty:

Meital Amrami

 

Glowing referrals from Meital Amrami’s client-friends quickly gave her a thriving real estate business. It is easy to see why. Meital lights up when speaking about her clients’ successes: “We got it! We got it! I love seeing them so excited and jumping up and down… It is such a good feeling.” In a competitive market with up to 30 offers on a single house, Meital often sealed the deal for her clients by presenting a clean contract, settling on the right price, and using the kind of savvy negotiating skills one tends to acquire from growing up in a family of nine siblings.

 

Meital, who speaks both Hebrew and English fluently, lived in Tel Aviv for 24 years. She served in the Israeli Navy as an officer for 3 years and was recognized for her social skills, responsibility, commitment, and integrity as a leading commander.  After moving to the United States, Meital graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Dallas with a B.S. in Animal Science and Biology. After graduating, she moved to Arizona. Meital planned to become a veterinarian, but when she was introduced to real estate she knew she’d found her true calling.

 

Though Meital now focuses on high-end homes, she started her career by specializing in distressed REO properties. The resulting immersion in home construction knowledge eventually led her to become an investor herself. She has since purchased several “fixer-upper” properties and renovated them completely, paying attention to the tiniest details. Meital’s eye for beauty, detail, and elegant design is sharpened by her lifelong passion for sculpting and sketching. It has become second nature for her to find and market exceptional homes for the most discriminating clients: “I am very available to my clients. I become psychologist, friend— everything!”

 

Meital and her husband Tomer spent a year in San Francisco before making Berkeley their home last year. Why the East Bay? “I love the nature, the weather, the serenity... and the people are amazingly kind, laid-back, and full of positive energy.” When Meital is not working to find, improve, or sell a home, she is enjoying her own Berkeley oasis. She loves serving gourmet Middle Eastern food and playing with Noam, her 13-month-old son; Bella, a Chihuahua/pug mix; and Sam, a bassett hound. Meital is warm, high-energy, highly recommended, and experienced: “I have gained extensive business skills while working with investors and I look forward to putting those skills to work for my clients in the San Francisco Bay Area.”

 

Meital Amrami

DRE# 01922024

meital@berkhills.com

 

Office: 510.524.9888 x59

Vm: 510.524.1700 x59

Cell: 415.837.8224

Happy Birthday, Tracy!

Today, Berkeley Hills Realty agents and staff are hacking

Berkeley Hills co-owner Tracy Sichterman’s blog to wish her a very Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Tracy!

What’s so great about Tracy Sichterman?

Here’s what BHR agents and staff have to say:

“I can’t sum her up in just One Good Thing. Tracy has an infectious energy and excitement for her work, and is the curator of the coolest shoe collection in real estate.”
Rebecca Nemeth

“Thoughts About Tracy:
She is so smart, yet so kind and considerate... a very nice combination.
She is so successful, yet so modest and humble... a very nice combination.
She is so inspiring, yet so supportive and encouraging... a very nice combination.
She is the key to the entire office, no combination required!”
Tom Knight

“Great source for info! My go-to tech girl!”

Terese Ashman

"Happy Birthday Tracy. 
Among the many things I admire about you is your positive attitude and the great ability of always being able to say good things about everyone.”
Love,
Maya Trilling

“Tracy is wonderful because she is the most generous, truly optimistic person I have ever met. She glows with the energy of an overachiever that has made it and wants to share it all with the world!
Happy Birthday to the best “boss” a person could have!”
Carina Stanley, Office Manager

“Happy birthday to one inspirational, hard- working, sophisticated, unselfish, and classy bike-riding emotional creature. May your year be full of love, laughter,
and a great cocktail. Cheers!”
Krista Miller

“Happy Birthday Tracy. It has been a pleasure working with you for the last 1.5 year. You are not only a beautiful person but also a fabulous supportive person in the office to us all. I am amazed at how much you do for everyone. Thanks for being you.” Xoxo,
Mamood Mokhtari



“Tracy: The best great thing about Tracy is Tracy. Top to bottom, a complete package! And inside too!”
Xoxo,
Nancy Mueller



“One great thing about Tracy Sichterman is her infectious gracious smile and her kindness to all who come her way...”
Happy Birthday from
Feri Niroomand & Negar Souza

"Tracy is very whole.  And by that I mean that she very naturally possesses abilities (qualities) that are a tricky balance in one person.  She is kind but has boundaries, smart but accessible, careful but willing to take risks, energetic and optimistic but not crazy (I think!).  And most of all for me anyway, she is a really positive force, always.  She is encouraging, substantive, always available and yet not judgemental.  I am sure she must have privately had some dark moments in the past year or two given the economy, but bless her heart she turns it into sunshine every time.  And it's real, the kind that warms you and gets you through."

Romney O'Connell

Happy Birthday, Tracy!
 

Thank you for making Berkeley Hills Realty such an amazing place to work!

For more information about Berkeley Hills Realty, call 510-524-9888,

email broker@berkhills.com or visit us at www.berkhills.com.

Seller Incentives: Your Bank May Pay You to Sell Your House

Banks have discovered that it is better to give than to receive.  Receiving a home through foreclosure has proven expensive for the lender.  According to Freddie Mac, an average foreclosure costs a bank $60,000.  Instead, bottom-line sensitive institutions are giving cash incentives to encourage homeowners to cooperate with a short sale.  A short sale is a sale in which the bank agrees to let a house sell for less than the amount of their outstanding loan.   

• Bank of America is offering 5k-30k
• Chase is offering 10k-55k on their older WAMU products.
• Wachovia and Wells Fargo Financial: 5-15k

In addition, the Home Affordable ForeclosureAlternatives (HAFA) program provides $3,000 in relocation assistance at the close of an FHA short sale.

Don’t Sell Yourself Short

The summer market has been sizzling and one surprising beneficiary has been sellers who had assumed they were in for a short sale.  Some recently listed “short sales” have received multiple offers.  Through the miracle of competition, the price has been driven up enough in some instances to bridge the loan gap and turn the short sale into a traditional sale.  This is great news for sellers’ resulting credit.  Don’t assume your house is underwater.  The tides are turning. 

Buyers Are Back-- But Where Are The Sellers?

First, the good news: Buyers are back. People are talking about the return of multiple offers.  With rare for-sale-sign sightings, a few lucky sellers are reaping the rewards of robust competition. But, where are the rest of the sellers? There are several aspects of the current economic climate that continue to keep homes off the market.

Why Sellers Hold Back:

• Family Matters: Families who want to move may have their money tied up in the equity of their current house.  In the past, there were lots of lenders who would give them short term “bridge” loans.  Bridge loans allowed the family to buy a new home, move out, and then sell the original house.  Some bridge loans still exist, with tighter restrictions: the homeowner must qualify to pay the mortgage on both homes.  In the past, some rental income value was attributed to the old house which helped with the income qualifications.  Now those options are gone for many.  What this means is that these homeowners must decide to sell their home first, without having a home to move into.  The family then rents while they look for a new home with the liquidated equity from their first home.  This is harder on families because often it feels too difficult to risk moving their children twice, particularly if the moves may put them in and out of different school districts.
• Less Equity: Many homeowners have lost equity because of market decline over the past several years.  If these homeowners don’t have a compelling reason to move, it is unlikely they will choose to sell at a loss.  Many of these homeowners prefer to hang tight until the market improves and they gain back some equity.
• Decreased Ability to Borrow: Buyers who may have expected to move up the property ladder by now feel stuck when they find out they qualify for fewer loans.  Many buyers qualify for less money because they have lost jobs or elected to take pay cuts to keep their current job. Other homeowners got into their current homes with sub-prime mortgages.  Those options are gone, and therefore that ability to leverage a property is gone too.  Lenders have also tightened up the qualification process.  Even after several years of good behavior, making every payment on their existing mortgage, some borrowers are still qualifying for less now than they could seven years ago.  This hurts homeowners who want to move up and those who simply want to take advantage of the current low rates.  They may want to refinance, which would reduce their monthly payment.  Yet, they can’t qualify for the same mortgage loan amount with a lower payment.

Why Banks Hold Back:

Many economists are concerned about “shadow inventory.”  Shadow inventory is the inventory that banks are holding back from the market.  Banks hold back for a number of reasons:

• Market Depreciation: Banks are concerned that if the foreclosed inventory hit en masse it would depreciate the market and make all their real estate holdings worth less.
• Bookkeeping and Timing:  It can be worthwhile for a bank to delay foreclosure in order to retain the positive asset of an existing loan, rather than reporting the loss to their investors.
• Government Incentives: Big banks delaying foreclosure can still qualify for incentives from the federal government for continuing to “help” homeowners in distress. According to Nick Timiraos of the Wall Street Journal, "banks owned about 450,000 properties at the end of March, but there were an additional two million loans in some stage of foreclosure and around 1.7 million more where mortgage payments hadn't been made in more than 90 days."

If you are considering selling, talk to a Realtor.  Our local market is buzzing and you might be surprised by your home's current worth.  This buyer frenzy might be a blip worth cashing in on.  A true real estate market rally will likely be slow and will depend on a more robust economic recovery and on more private investors coming forward to fill the lending gap.  Lending conditions were too loose in the past and needed to be reformed.  However, now the pendulum has swung far in the opposite direction.  Tight lending is making it difficult for homeowners and therefore the housing market to move.

Berkeley Hills Agents Don't Spill the Beans

"If the end is right it justifies the beans!" ~Stephen Sondheim

Did you know? Every time you buy or sell a house with a Realtor from Berkeley Hills Realty, part of the proceeds from your transaction goes to a local charity. That donation is made wisely, too. 

For example, at Alameda County Community Food Bank, every dollar donated is worth five spending dollars to buy food for hungry families. Here’s agent and broker associate Nancy Mueller taking a break from packing beans with other volunteers to present Charles Beyer, Volunteer Manager at the Alameda County Community Food Bank, with a check from Berkeley Hills Realty agents and clients. 

Nancy volunteers monthly with the food bank and she invites you to come along! You can contact Nancy at 510.524.9888 ext. 20 or email her at nancy@berkhills.com . You can also contact the Alameda County Community Food Bank at (510) 635-3663 to volunteer or donate.

Welcoming A Fabulous Agent to our team: Mamood Moktari

Mamood Moktari has joined the prestigious East Bay firm of Berkeley Hills Realty. The team brings a quarter century of experience helping buyers and sellers in the East Bay and beyond.

“We’re delighted that Mamood and Uma are joining us at Berkeley Hills Realty,” says firm co-owner Bill McDowell. "I've known them for a long time, and I have great respect for their smarts, energy, and commitment to their clients."

Mamood Moktari

Mamood was born and raised in Teheran. He came to the United States in 1975, three years before the revolution, and attended the University of Louisville and San Francisco State, studying small business management. Prior to real estate, Mamood managed a number of local restaurants, including eight years at what is now Saul's.

Mamood got his real estate license in 1988, and comes to Berkeley Hills Realty after a decade of selling properties at several prominent local firms. His primary focus is single-family homes, though he has also worked on apartment complexes, and commercial sales and rentals. He has extensive property management experience, and is very familiar with the Berkeley and Oakland rent control ordinances.

Over the years, Mamood has sunk deep roots in the community. "I'm a very Berkeley person," he says, "I like the intellectual atmosphere and I like exchanging ideas and opinions with people. When you're in Berkeley, you can be who you are."

Among his other talents, Mamood enjoys bicycling. He once did the AIDS ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles and raised close to $10,000, he says proudly. He has also volunteered for BOSS (Berkeley Oakland Support Services) and at the Berkeley Emergency Homeless Shelter. Finally, he confesses to being something of a homebody: "I love to read and cook, and taking care of my three kids."

To contact Mamood Moktar

Mamood Moktari cell: 510-685-1415 510-524‑9888 x 60

mamoodmoktari@yahoo.com

About The East Bay Specialists

Berkeley Hills Realty has long been recognized as one of the market leaders in East Bay real estate. Founded as Berkeley Realty, the firm has more than fifty years of experience with residential properties in Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, Kensington, Piedmont, El Cerrito, and Emeryville. We are proud of our excellent reputation throughout the East Bay community and among our colleagues in real estate. At Berkeley Hills Realty, we strive to promote that reputation through specialized service and local expertise. With small-business ethics and a big worldview, we engage the latest advances without losing sight of the individual.

Berkeley Hills Realty is locally owned by two longtime agents. They are committed to nurturing a successful partnership with our clients, our associates, our staff members, and our real estate colleagues throughout the East Bay. Our associates are a select group of fewer than twenty agents. Our ongoing mission is to ensure the client’s best interests are of the utmost importance. That mission includes a dedicated effort to place the best and most polished tools available into the hands of our associates. With highly competitive commission earnings and exceptional support services, we take great care of our agents so that they can take great care of their clients.

For more information, call 510-524-9888 or see our website, www.berkhills.com.

7316 Gladys Ave. El Cerrito CA 94530

Feri Niroomand and Negar Souza join Berkeley Hills Realty

BERKELEY, CA – January 2011 – Feri Niroomand and Negar Souza, a dynamic mother-daughter real estate team, have joined the prestigious firm of Berkeley Hills Realty. They will be serving buyers and sellers in the East Bay and beyond.

“We’re delighted that Feri and Negar have joined us," says Berkeley Hills co-owner Tracy Sichterman. "Feri brings wisdom and years of experience to the job, and Negar has enthusiasm and cool technical skills. It's an impressive combination. Plus, they're fun to be around."

In a quarter-century working in the real estate business, Feri Niroomand has developed first-class listening and negotiating skills. "I always encourage my clients to explore their ideas about what a house will do for them," she says, "and I keep their interests in my heart." Feri grew up in Tehran and moved to the United States at 18. A UC Berkeley graduate, she has a master's degree in fine arts, and brings an artist's sensibility to her professional real estate skills.

Feri describes herself as very friendly and straightforward. Somewhat unusually, she works in both residential and commercial real estate. "I recognize that these are very different," she says, "but I find it exciting to work in both fields."

Feri spent two decades at Red Oak Realty, where she was a top producer in 2004, 2005, and 2006, and won the manager's award in 2007 and 2008. But in recent years, she's wanted to work in a smaller environment. "Berkeley Hills is intimate and cozy" says Feri, "and its owners offer a lot of personal support. Being here feels like family."

Speaking of family, Feri is making the move to the Solano Avenue firm along with her daughter, Negar Souza. "I've been active in real estate for five years," says Negar, "but I was actually born into the business." As the daughter of a real estate agent, she saw nothing odd about spending her childhood weekends at open houses, and she grew up learning the ropes. "I used to go with my mom on tours, even during the week. I was the kid tagging along." Says Feri with a laugh, "My daughter was handing out the flyers at open houses at the age of four."

Negar, who grew up in the East Bay, shares her mother's academic and artistic leanings. She is a San Francisco State grad where she studied interior design. She never wanted to just decorate homes, however. "I wanted to help people decide where to live," she says. "I wanted to decorate houses and stage them—to be involved with everything. Real estate is in my blood, so I always looked at it as something exciting that I wanted to do."

Negar shares her mother's enthusiasm about the move to Solano Avenue. "Berkeley Hills has the respect of the community, and it's staffed with agents I've admired," she says. "The place has a great feeling of camaraderie, and Bill and Tracy have been very welcoming."

Negar will always be the younger member of the mother-daughter team, but that has its advantages. In addition to youthful energy, she's comfortable with new technology and adept at social media. But mother and daughter both believe in the power of face to face, human contact.

They're also good at teamwork. It's in their genes.

Contact information:
Feri Niroomand (cell) 510-409-9111
Negar Souza (cell) 510-543-7016
FeriandNegar@berkhills.com
www.bayarearealestateconnection.com

Berkeley Hills Realty has long been recognized as one of the market leaders in East Bay real estate. Founded as Berkeley Realty, the firm has more than fifty years of experience with residential properties in Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, Kensington, Piedmont, El Cerrito, and Emeryville. For more information, call 510-524-9888 or visit the firm’s web site at www.berkhills.com.

Breaking Down Berkeley's Median Home Price Statistics.

In our last post we provided the Median Home Prices for Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. We also stated that:

This is not an automatic indication of the depreciation of your individual home. Our area contains many unique geographic pockets and real estate is still acting in a hyper-local manner.

This statement is more profound and dramatic than our previous post illustrates. In this post we have taken two Berkeley zip codes, 94702 and 94708, and charted a graph for each zip code's year performance.

(Click on the graphs for a larger view)

These two zip codes alone represent a 64 point statistical spread. The graphs stress that this area does not lend itself to blanket statements about "the current market." The city statistics can not accurately depict values for individual neighborhoods. National statistics and trends are even less telling. Talk to your Realtor (or one of Berkeley Hills Realty's qualified agents) to get a better understanding of this hyper-local phenomenon.

Tracy Sichterman and Bill McDowell take over Berkeley Hills Realt

BERKELEY, CA – September 2009 – After joining the Berkeley Hills Realty ownership team in 2005, longtime agents Tracy Sichterman and Bill McDowell have taken full ownership of the prestigious real estate firm. Former co-owners Peter Damm and Nancy Mueller will stay on as active brokers and mentors, serving East Bay buyers and sellers of residential real estate.

Sichterman, who is married and has two children, says she is excited by the idea of heading the firm with McDowell, her longtime business partner. And Damm says there is no one he and Mueller would rather turn the company over to.

“Bill and Tracy are a highly experienced, dynamic team," he says. "Bill is rock solid, smart, and diligent. Tracy has great energy, imagination, and tech savvy. Both are terrific with people and devoted to protecting their clients’ interests."

For Damm and Mueller – who have no plans to retire – the sale means starting a new phase of their active work life. "When we took over the firm in 1996, we agreed that we would do this for ten years," he says. "Well, thirteen years have passed, so it's time to step down as owners-managers, but continue working with clients and helping mentor younger agents.” The two are now what Mueller jokingly calls “brokers emeriti.”

Tracy Sichterman grew up around real estate, as her mother owned a firm in Wisconsin. "One of the great things Mom taught us was how to be good to people and take care of their interests as a first priority," she says.

Though trained as a painter and sculptor, Sichterman found she loved the family business. Among other things, she was surprised to find how creative real estate work can be. She enjoys every step of the process, she says, from getting a house ready to sell and publicizing the sale to helping buyers deal with inspections and financing.

Whereas Sichterman came to real estate from art, Bill McDowell's background was in retail. "I've had two main jobs in my life," says McDowell, who grew up in the East Bay. "First I managed a sporting goods store, and then I decided to become a realtor."

After years in retail, McDowell moved into real estate in 1988. He initially went to work for Mason-McDuffie, but his impressive skills and background earned him a berth at Berkeley Hills Realty. "When Peter and Nancy bought Berkeley Hills in 1996, they made me an offer I couldn't refuse," he says with a laugh. Says Nancy Mueller: “We had great respect for Bill’s ability and integrity, and we wanted to make him the third member of our management team.”

Though McDowell moved into management, he continued dealing with clients, and often found himself working on projects with Sichterman. "Tracy could always add a creative element to my listings," he said. "She would take some bare-bones ad I had written – something like, 'Rockridge, 2BR, 1BA, $350,000' – and give it style and appeal.” In time, Sichterman and McDowell formalized their business partnership, and in 2005 they became co-owners with Damm and Mueller. By now becoming sole owners of the firm, they are raising their partnership to a new level.

Berkeley Hills Realty has long been recognized as one of the market leaders in East Bay real estate. Founded as Berkeley Realty, the firm has more than fifty years of experience with residential properties in Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, Kensington, Piedmont, El Cerrito, and Emeryville. For more information, call 510-524-9888 or visit the firm’s web site at www.berkhills.com.

Contact Information

Tracy Sichterman: 510-524-1700 x27; 510-520-0076 (cell); tracy@berkhills.com.

Bill McDowell 510-524-1700 x30; 510-282-4673 (cell); billmberk@aol.com.

Peter Damm 510-524-1700 x13; 510-915-9147 (cell); peter@berkhills.com.

Nancy Mueller 510-524-1700 x20; 510-541-0552 (cell); nancy@berkhills.com.

Introducing Our New Agent - Auggie Wilms

“We’re very happy that Auggie decided to join our company,” says BHR co-owner Tracy Sichterman. “I’ve rarely met an agent with so much energy and drive. Auggie has a great work ethic, and I think his clients will be delighted with his results.”

Auggie Wilms is an agent who really knows how to combine the ingredients of a good real estate deal. A former chef, Wilms has spent two decades combining interesting ingredients with the same talent and skill that he now brings to his real estate activity.

It almost sounds like the setup for a joke, right? “A chef walks into a real estate office... ” But it’s no joke, and it actually began a quarter century ago with the chef’s mother. In 1985, Berkeley Hills Realty co-owner Nancy Mueller helped Wilms’s mom Barbara Clark buy a house on Pine Street in Berkeley. In 2006, Nancy did the same for Auggie, helping him buy a house on Monterey Avenue. Wilms says the experience was so positive that he decided to go into real estate himself.

Aside for a brief foray to Los Angeles, Wilms is Bay Area born and raised. But after graduating from Berkeley High, he set his sights on the Big Apple and enrolled in New York’s famed French Culinary Institute. Along with slicing and dicing, Wilms learned a valuable life lesson: the importance of doing the job right. “They were very strict at the school,” he says. “You follow a classic recipe, and you don’t mess with it.”

Returning to the Bay Area in 1987, Wilms started his two decades of pleasing local palates. Among other places, he worked as a sous chef at Masa’s in San Francisco and at Lalime’s in Berkeley. In 1994, he started a business smoking seafood for local restaurants, the Ohlone Smoke Company in Emeryville.

Ohlone Smoke scored a major hit in a taste competition in December 2001 sponsored by the San Francisco Chronicle. “We beat everybody,” says Wilms, “including companies much larger than ours.” Wilms says he still hands out samples of smoked fish to his present-day clients. “I give them a small package with my card stapled to it.”

The next few years brought a series of momentous turning points for Wilms. He sold Ohlone Smoke Company, got divorced, bought his Monterey Avenue home, and hung up his chef’s toque for good. “It was time for a change,” he says simply.

But why go into real estate? How does a person move to escrows from escargots?

Wilms argues that his career switch isn’t as strange as it seems. “I’ve always been interested in building and architecture,” he says, “and I’m a hands-on kind of guy. I’ve done a lot of work on my own house, everything from attending zoning meetings to nailing up sheetrock.” In addition, Wilms has lived and worked here all his life, and has a wealth of knowledge about the local real estate scene. “I’m good with people, and I bring tremendous energy to my work,” he says. “As in cooking, my focus is on getting the job done, and doing it right.”

Auggie Wilms can be reached at Berkeley Hills Realty at 510-524-9888 x44, 415-948-6323 (cell), and by e-mail at auggie@berkhills.com.

The Ups of Downs - Buying Up in a Down Market

Many homeowners are understandably on the fence about moving to a new home in a shaky market. We have talked to some homeowners who would like more space for their family, but are hesitant given daunting headlines. The current market, however, is ripe with financial incentives to support such a move.

Phenomenal interest rates make now an opportune time for buyers in the real estate market. A one percent rise in interest rates represents a 10% decrease in affordability. For example; a buyer with a 20% down payment can afford a principle and interest payment of $3,400/mo. Today, while interest rates are hovering around 5.5% our buyer can afford a purchase price of roughly $750,000. If rates increase to 6.5% the same monthly payment and 20% down will only purchase a home of $675,000. Try it yourself with our mortgage calculator.

If you are planning to move up to a $750,000 and sell a home in the $500,000 range you can further profit from discounted prices. Although you may be concerned about a loss on your current home, it is important to remember the benefit of the discount on your larger purchase. For instance, if we assume the same 10% depreciation for both price ranges and home locations, your current home might sell for $450,000 when it had been worth $500,000. That is a loss of $50,000. Ouch. However, the same market discounts the larger purchase by the same ten percent and the $750,000 home now sells for $675,000. Although you may stand to loose $50,000 on your home's sale, you can save $75,000 on the new purchase netting an overall savings or $25,000 through the transaction.

It is important to note that not all markets and price ranges are preforming uniformly. It is often true that the lower priced homes do better than the higher priced homes because there is greater competition in the "starter home" price range. As homes become more expensive, fewer buyers can afford them. This may benefit a buyer looking to move up to a larger home as the move helps this buyer bracket away from some competition.

Location is also very important and a couple of miles can make all of the difference. Check out Zillow Real Estate Market Reports Fourth Quarter: October-December 2008. If you are moving from a down market to an unchanged market, you may not be able to overcome the loss on your current home via our simplified formula. However, the best markets now will likely be the best future investments. It may still be worthwhile to move toward a better location while taking advantage of low interest rates and decreased competition.

This is a complicated market, and we recommend that you talk out all scenarios with your real estate agent. There are risks here. Namely, you must have confidence that your current home will sell in a timely manner. If you have the resources and can find alternative housing, the smart strategy may be to sell your current home first. This too carries the risk of becoming a "permanent renter," if things heat up and you become priced out of the market. Berkeley Hills has many experienced agents available for immediate consultation.

Introducing Our Two New Agents – Mary Gray and Mykah Larkins

Two top-notch agents, Mary Gray and Mykah Larkins, have joined Berkeley Hills Realty. They are not only longtime business partners, they’re related: Mary is Mykah’s aunt. “Mary and Mykah combine the wisdom of age and the enthusiasm of youth,” says Berkeley Hills Realty co-owner Tracy Sichterman. “They make a great a team.”

Mary Gray: on Being of Service

Mary grew up in the Pacific Northwest and moved to the Bay Area in 1979 to work as a hospice nurse before switching to real estate. She worked with Mason McDuffie and Marvin Gardens, acquiring a list of loyal clients, especially around El Cerrito, where she lives.

In her real estate work, Mary uses the same intuitive skills that served her as a nurse. “I’m good at walking in other people’s shoes,” she says, “especially in times of stress and transition.” Mary says she is also good at “listening below the surface,” by which she means hearing what her clients tell her while intuiting their deeper hopes and wishes.

Mary, who is in her early sixties, is especially fond of the elderly. “When I was little, my mother and I lived with my grandparents,” she says. “The old ladies on the block taught me to play canasta before I was five, and I appreciated their wisdom and beauty.” She loves to hike and read, Mary says, “but relationships are what interest me most-and will remain so forever.”

Mykah Larkins: Learning from the Best

Born in Portland, Oregon, in 1970, Larkins forged her connection to the East Bay when she moved in with her aunt in 1986. Mary Gray was an agent with Mason McDuffie then, and would become her mentor and business partner. When Larkins decided to go into real estate in 2003, her aunt was there to help. “I would get a stager, pick the colors, and do all the preparation work,” she says, “but Mary had been through many markets and she knew exactly what was needed.”

At the time, the real estate market was booming. “Mary started training me at a time when the seller’s market was amping up,” says Larkins. “In the beginning, a house would typically get a few offers and sell for $20,000 over the asking price. But pretty soon houses would get 16 offers and go for $150,000 over the asking price.”

The pace was frenetic. “We got houses ready in three weeks, put them on the market for two weeks, and have them close escrow three weeks later,” says Larkins. “Six to seven weeks from start to finish, and you were done.”

But during all that time, Gray was preparing her niece for the slowdown she knew was sure to come. “In a down market, those houses will just sit around,” Gray warned her. “You can struggle to set the right price, do all the same preparation work, and a house might still take three months to sell.” Says Larkins: “Way back then, Mary was already training me for the market we’re currently in.”

Larkins is a great communicator, and she knows the East Bay intimately. “I live and work and play right here in the El Cerrito-Albany-Berkeley area,” she says. “My entire life is here. My children go to school here, and I’m on the PTA; I know the community really well.”

Two Heads are Better than One

Mary and Mykah—sometimes called the “M & M team”—think of real estate as not just a business, but also a service. “A house is most people’s greatest asset and buying or selling it is hard on them,” says Mary. “It’s a privilege to help somebody through the process.”

The women also form something of a mutual admiration society. “Mykah is smart and creative,” says Mary. “We’re very good together.” Both women are detail oriented, and committed to helping their clients accomplish what they want. “We’re going to sell your house, or find you one,” says Mykah. “Either way, we’re going to get the job done.”

To contact Mary Gray and Mykah Larkins:

Mary Gray: 510-524-9888 x40; mary@berkhills.com.

Mykah Larkins: 510-524-9888 x40, 510-520-6692 (cell); mykah@berkhills.com.

Introducing Our New Agent- Gloria Polanski

“We’re delighted to have Gloria join us at Berkeley Hills Realty,” says firm co-owner Bill McDowell. “She has years of experience and a great perspective on the business, plus she’s a pleasure to work with.”

Gloria was born in postwar Europe, and her family eventually came to the United States and settled in Los Angeles. (She claims only very distant kinship with Roman Polanski, the famed director of Chinatown and Rosemary’s Baby.) As soon as she could, she says she left L.A. to attend UC-Berkeley. “The day after I graduated from Fairfax High School I got on a plane and flew north.”

Gloria had a great time as a student at Cal. “I got very political and was involved with SDS and the New Left,” she says. “It was the Sixties, and Berkeley radicalism and bohemianism all spoke to me.” She also set up shop on Telegraph Avenue. “I had one of the first street vendor’s licenses in the City of Berkeley.” Gloria crocheted and sold hats and vests in the winter, and string bikinis and halter tops in the summer. Later, she and a partner made tie-dyed T-shirts. “We could do a whole batch of tie-dye in a washing machine,” she says. “Compared to crocheting, which you do one item at a time, this was mass production!”

Learning from Experience

Still in step with the times, Gloria and her first husband also started Spring Mountain Hot Tubs and Solar Energy Systems. When they were looking for a house to buy, she got hooked on real estate. For once, however, Gloria’s timing was off. She went to work in a real estate office in North Berkeley in 1980, as interest rates shot up to 20 percent and rent control was enacted in Berkeley. The combination, she says, destroyed the company.

Gloria moved on to Red Oak Realty, where she worked for two decades. After a stint at Marvin Gardens, she joined Berkeley Hills Realty. “Given my skill set and expectations, Berkeley Hills seemed like the right place for me at this point in my career,” she says. “And they've been wonderful and welcoming.”

Gloria gives her clients two main pieces of advice. First, don't get overextended. “Don't put yourself in a situation where you might have to sell immediately,” she says. “Always be in a position where you can weather the next storm.” Her second piece of advice may sound contradictory, but it makes sense. “If you’re buying a home for yourself, spring for the most expensive house you can afford,” she says. “Most of my clients who bought at the top of what they could afford have been really happy, because moving is such a big deal.”

Married to a physician, Gloria has three grown children and says she is involved in some interesting things: “I’m on the board of the École Bilingue, Berkeley’s French-American school, and a member of the North East Berkeley Association” Gloria is a long-term, active member of the Berkeley Association of Realtors, where she serves on the governmental affairs committee. She’s also a charter member of the Berkeley Chocolate Club.

Gloria Polanski can be contacted at Berkeley Hills Realty at 510-524-9888 x12, 510-914-7472 (cell), and by e-mail at glohome@berkhills.com.