As first time home-buyers, the prospect of entering the world of bay area real estate was daunting to say the least! Tom walked us through this experience every step of the way, was patient and helpful with our endless questions, extremely responsive to calls & emails, and fun to work with! Tom has a wonderfully straightforward and direct manner mixed with astute knowledge of east bay real estate (+ the added benefit of construction know-how--a MAJOR perk in evaluating the purchase of a new home). Our fairytale ending with Tom was him helping us find the home of our dreams and then expertly manage the ensuing logistics so closing went as smoothly as possible.... what more can one ask for? Highly recommended.