Dear Prospective Buyers and Sellers, I had such a phenomenal experience with Tracy and her team at Berkeley Hills Realty. Words really don't do justice here, because I am so deeply moved by their efforts and hard work in making my dreams come true. As a buyer in a trying market, the emotional rollercoaster is to be expected, but I came from a different firm and so I was able to experience the differences first hand. The quality of service, expertise, professionalism and every aspect of the process was the best I've ever had. Most importantly, Tracy and everyone at Berkeley Hills Realty operate with honesty and integrity. I speak for alot of people when I say that there is usually a lack of transparency in the offers stage. Being an experienced and self aware individual/professional, Tracy recognizes that this area needs improvement. She kept me "by her side" the entire way, so that there were no "blind spots", and so that we could operate as a team. On the same page. From A to Z. As a team. Wishing everyone all the very best!

Greatest realty firm in Berkeley

We put Tracy on our short list of realtors who had sold homes for more than 1.5M in the East Bay. She proved that she understood our neighborhood when she sold our next door neighbor’s 3/2 house for 1.7. Jim was an ex-general contractor and a real stickler for detail. He was effusive in his praise for Tracy and she did not disappoint us. We met for 30 minutes in early December 2020. During that brief tour of our home she outlined all of the things we should consider doing to improve its value. We spent the next 60 days working day and night to execute the plan. When we needed help, Tracy instantly found the resources we needed. Our improvements included painting, major landscaping, new garage door and opener, new bedroom closet and new soapstone kitchen countertops and bathroom vanity. Somehow, she managed to get us to market by the crucial President’s Day weekend in February when there we lots of buyers and very little competition. Then she made two critical decisions: 1) to list the house for 1.395 and 2) to leave it on the market for 10 days. She also chose an affordable stager. We thought we would need to pay 2K more. And when we saw it after the furniture installed, we regretted going cheap. But Tracy said “I got this” and somehow made the magic happen. It was so pretty we wanted to move back in ha ha. As the offers rolled in, she was cool as a cucumber. We expected to be happy with 1.6. To our amazement, the high bid was over 1.9. We decided to take it when the second place agent called to find out what they had to do to win. Tracy calmly and deftly allowed them to make us an even better offer. Tracy Sichterman earned her commission. We couldn’t make a stronger recommendation. If she is available and you chose anyone else, you must have bleep for brains.

There's something special about Tracy. Other BIG companies weren't necessarily impersonal, but Tracy focused on us, not just the property, understanding that we were real human beings possessed of knowledge of community and not just a small acquaintance with the market, and our home's ultimate value in it. We were about to entrust our property to strangers and were going to need extra attention because we would be watching the preparation and marketing from over 800 miles distant. Every question Tracy asked, and everything she said, instilled confidence. And there was not one promise she made during that fateful initial meeting that she did not fulfill. While Berkeley Hills Realty is not one of those large national outfits, all who work there know what they're doing, and their efforts are seriously coordinated for maximum effect. They rely on local crafts people and home repair specialists with whom they've developed professional relationships over years. Plus, Tracy and Linda have a firm grasp of all aspects of real property and real estate rules, from environmental and ecological perspectives, to local, county, and state regulations. Even so, some things do rise to the level of unexpected surprise; but they were so deftly dealt with that it seemed as though it was no surprise at all, merely an anticipated bump in the road. In fact, if it saved time, money, or coordination-headaches, they were not averse to handling some of the tasks themselves. While the entire process may have transpired in our physical absence, they were in constant contact, leaving absolutely nothing to be assumed. They were concise in their communiques, precise in their requirements, and so thoroughly friendly that at the end it felt as though they had had as much at stake as we. Their high degree of knowledge and experience, and their vibrant can-do attitude, made the whole experience an absolute delight. We can't recommend Tracy, Linda and all the staff of Berkeley Hills any higher.

My wife and I purchased a house in El Cerrito and sold it with Tracy 7 years later... We can't say enough about her professionalism, knowledge, and commitment to her clients. Both our purchase and our sale were during challenging market conditions, and we valued Tracy's advice enormously. She works HARD to get the best result - which can't be said of every realtor (as anyone reading this probably knows). We recommend Tracy without hesitation.

Tracy listed our home in June 2020, in the very first wave of listings in the area after the easing of the initial COVID-19 shelter-in-place restrictions. As a result there was significant uncertainty in the market. In this context Tracy set conservative but realistic expectations. When initial offers weren't satisfactory she modified the pricing strategy and re-marketed the listing beyond its initial reach. This agility resulted in a sale price significantly above her initial estimate. The prep process was straightforward, with accurate cost estimates and no surprises. We trusted Tracy completely and took a hands-off approach, relying on her recommendations and network for every step. The results were outstanding and zero-stress.

Tracy knows the market and gave us several courses of action. We chose to go big. That is, we decided to renovate the house in hopes of a higher selling price. This was a 60-year old house that had been neglected for at least several decades. It was a large job involving many subcontractors. Complicating things was the appearance of COVID-19 and its restrictions on labor. Tracy (and her partner, Meoy Gee) handled it all very well, and never seemed to get rattled, even during the inevitable setbacks. Tracy had a vision of how the house should look when it was done, and made numerous suggestions. Most times I let her go ahead, even if I was dubious, and she was almost always correct. Her ideas worked. The few times when her ideas were vetoed, she took it with good grace and was never less than completely professional. I can recommend Tracy with no reservations whatsoever.

We closed on the first house we put an offer on (in Kensington which was our first choice) due to Tracy’s expertise! We are new to the Bay Area market and she made us very comfortable and was never ever pushy. Tracy also helped us understand what to look for in the inspections with her deep knowledge of home construction. We are so lucky to have been referred to her. Tracy has also shared with us her favorite local contractors which has saved us a ton of time during our remodel. Thank you so much Tracy!

Tracy at Berkeley Hills Realty was our real estate agent and helped us buy our North Berkeley home. Every step of the way Tracy was incredible. It took us almost one year of looking every week and several failed offers and near misses until we found our home. Tracy was so patient and always available to us. She is extremely expert and her advice, insights and guidance to us on so many matters ranging from financial, renovations, structural issues and strategy on making the offer, were invaluable. We considered other agents and there are others who may advertise more or may be more visible, but Tracy and her staff at Berkeley Hills Realty are authentic and conscientious and deeply experienced. There was more than one house that Tracy steered us away from due to a variety of risks or problems that she identified for us. We are sure that some other agents would have let us make offers on these houses without saying anything, but Tracy brought concerns to our attention and helped us factor these issues into whether we made an offer and what contingencies, if any, to make in the offer. Tracy also has given us fantastic referrals to vendors including our mortgage broker, contractors, decorator and structural engineer. Every one of her referrals has been superb as well. We are incredibly grateful to have had Tracy as our agent and we give her and Berkeley Hills Realty our highest recommendation.

We've purchased two Berkeley houses with Tracy at the helm. Her knowledge of the process and the dizzying amount of detail is remarkable, as is the clear uncomplicated way she explains it all. It's an overwhelming experience but Tracy's calm put us at ease. We could let go knowing we were in good hands. Tracy was also available at all times for our countless questions, trepidations and concerns. From start to finish, Tracy was all we'd hoped for in a realtor.

Were it not for the expertise, professionalism and strategizing of Tracy, we would not have our dream home today. As we looked for homes to buy, Tracy exhibited expert knowledge of natural hazard concerns, financing options and potential changes to improve a home. When we found our dream home, Tracy put together a presentation that was so inspiring that the seller chose us - #5 of 10 offers - to purchase the home. Nothing short of a miracle. That's what we all need in an agent. Tracy is THAT agent!

Tracy Sichterman from Berkeley Hills Realty was all kinds of wonderful as our realtor, not only in selling our old house, but also buying a new one. She has the requisite knowledge that can only accrue over several decades experience guiding consumers through the intricacies of East Bay realty. She is facile translating the reams of paperwork necessary to buy/sell homes, and has resources galore that made this arduous process so smooth: excellent contractors, stagers, and access to esteemed structural engineers, inspectors, and other professionals who are often needed. She did all this with grace and humor. The truly excellent ones make the complicated appear effortless, and she and her assistant, Linda Couvering, were seamless. However, what sets her above the others in my mind was her sensitivity and patience in what was for us an unexpectedly emotional process: leaving our home of 13 years where we raised our daughters and getting a new one stirred up waves of nostalgia, grief, anxiety, excitement and anticipation. We are forever indebted to Tracy and Linda for their knowledge, wisdom, guidance, and compassion. It doesn’t get any better than Berkeley Hills Realty and Tracy Sichterman and Linda Couvering!