Why Work With Karen Starr and Brenda Schaefer?

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

Elizabeth Behrens

My siblings and I selected Liz and her colleague Leonore Deaton as our counsel and guide to preparing and selling our parents' much beloved home of 30 years. Liz and Leonore guided and supported us through every phase of the process, with professionalism and empathy, building our confidence, honoring our questions and perspective, providing excellent resources and ultimately leading to a very successful result for all involved.

8 June 2026, 20:15 PM

Anja Plowright

Selling my home at the right price and in time for the purchase of my new home in these market conditions was something that I was very stressed about. However Anja and her team made things as easy as possible for me so that I didn’t have to worry. They’ve been doing this for years and they have exceptional knowledge about Berkeley. The team was so organized and professional. I can’t imagine having worked with another agent.

8 June 2026, 18:57 PM

DANA COHEN

Dana knows the greater East Bay real estate market like the back of her hand and is very well connected. We found Dana after having a rough experience elsewhere. We learned very quickly how Dana operates - she is thoughtful, practical, quickly learns your preferences, will tell it to you straight and will not waste your time. Dana tours homes weekly and can quickly let you know projected interest on a given home and whether it is worth pursuing based on your budget. If you are working with Dana and don't hear from her, it is because she knows nothing has come on the market that fits the criteria you have given her. Working with Dana was reassuring and we are so glad we found her. We are also glad we listened to her and continued to be patient, as we found our dream first home and could not be happier. Dana will tell you if you are interested in a home that she thinks may not be a good purchase, whether it be because she reviewed the disclosures and the property isn't in good condition, or because the home was generally not built well. She is very detailed oriented. Dana is also spot on when it comes to finding comps and helping you structure a competitive offer. Any home we lost while working with her was because we ultimately weren't willing to exceed our budget, and we're glad we held firm in those instances. We would highly recommend Dana to anyone looking for a home in the greater East Bay area. You will be in good hands.

Amir Rousta, Caitlin Williams

8 June 2026, 18:22 PM

Elizabeth Behrens

Liz helped our family prepare for, and execute the sale of our mother's home about 8 months after her death. She and her business partner were not only knowledgeable about the market and thus able to guide us in the practical pieces of the process, they were also extremely good about helping us understand what we needed to do to prepare (update) the house for sale to get the best price, but not lose the character of the home. This means they were respectful of the emotional aspect of selling the home, but the realities of making the best sale possible. They were firm in the kindest way - and though we may have driven them a little batty with all the questions, they never faltered in making everything happen exactly as it needed to and exactly on schedule.

Lorraine Doo

8 June 2026, 03:24 AM

Jill Carrigan

Jill is an expert. She listened closely to what we wanted and helped us make great decisions to get the most of our home sale. She knew exactly when, how, and for how much to list our house in order to maximize our earnings. She patiently walked us through each step, answered our many questions, and treated us with respect and compassion. She earned our full confidence, respect, and appreciation.

Jenny Weddle

7 June 2026, 20:31 PM

Elizabeth Behrens

Liz represented us for both purchasing a new home as well as selling our family home of 16 years, which was a huge life event for us. We could not have been more pleased - she is an exceptional agent. Her ability to know when to lean in or give space at just the right moments throughout the process is exceptional. She was never pushy, but gently nudged us when necessary. We followed her professional guidance and intuition and it paid off very well for us. She is kind, patient, and maintains a sense of humor, which is important! Both transactions went smoothly and she did her best to make the process as painless as possible. 10/10 Highly recommend!!

6 June 2026, 00:17 AM

Jill Carrigan

Jill was fantastic to work with on every level. Her knowledge and insights were invaluable, and I truly can't think of a single recommendation she made that didn't work out exactly as planned! She was always cognizant of our budget and made really smart decisions about where it would have the greatest impact. Jill and her team did such a great job getting our house ready and staged it in an absolutely beautiful and tasteful way. Jill handled everything and made the whole process go super smoothly - and, in the end, she got us an incredible sale price that FAR exceeded our expectations! But beyond all of that, Jill is just such a warm and genuine person that it was a pleasure to go through the whole process with her. She was always there whenever we had questions or needed reassurance, and was so thoughtful and compassionate about what can be a stressful and emotional change for people. I truly can't imagine ever using another realtor :)

5 June 2026, 21:58 PM

Azadeh Yazdi

We had a wonderful experience working with Azadeh Yazdi to buy our home. In a tough and competitive market, she was always in our corner and helped us navigate the process with confidence. She was prompt, responsive, and clear in her communication, which made a stressful process feel much more manageable. Beyond helping us secure our house, she also connected us with excellent referrals for our loan, an interior designer, and another realtor to help us sell. Those recommendations were incredibly helpful and made the overall transition much smoother. We felt well-supported throughout the process and would happily recommend Azadeh Yazdi to anyone looking to buy or sell a home.

4 June 2026, 20:26 PM

Adele Gillis

Adele went above and beyond to ensure that I could find a home I loved. She is proactive, knowledgeable and above all, a true problem-solver. She communicated with me every step of the way, and worked nearly around the clock so that I could make thoroughly informed decisions. It's no exaggeration to say I could not have done this without her help.

4 June 2026, 17:25 PM

Laura Arechiga

Laura is simply the best investment a seller can make. She handled a precious property that had been in our family for decades with respect and got a better result for us than we were hoping for. She's a wonderfully responsive and enjoyable communicator -- she actually made a process we were dreading fun! She helped us price the property strategically, reading the market like the professional she is. All marketing was masterful, from advice on where to focus upgrade efforts to staging, photography and advertising. I am certain she was an irresistible presence at the open houses, which she handled with aplomb.

Kay Cavan

3 June 2026, 19:39 PM

Martha Becker

Martha was great to work with. Of all the agents we talked to, she was the one who listened to what we actually wanted (and what we actually could afford), instead of trying to push us above our comfortable budget/push us to buy a place that wasn't the right fit. At the same time, she helped us navigate the realities of buying in the East Bay, and helped us expand our search to meet our actual needs. Martha never stopped hunting for the perfect place for us, and when we found it, she made really sure we were confident about our decisions and helped us strategize our offer. She really cares about getting her clients into the home that's right for them. As first time homebuyers (and now first time homeowners), we are so grateful for her tremendous depth of expertise and tenacity.

Sam & Andrew Linden

1 June 2026, 23:05 PM

Pamela Fullerton

Selling our home was not an easy assignment. We bought at the peak of the market in 2022 before interest rates rose, and by the time we sold, market conditions had changed dramatically. We hoped to find an agent who understood what we needed from the sale and was willing to take on a challenge. Pamela did exactly that. From day one, Pamela showed up prepared. She walked us through a pricing strategy grounded in real market data and comparable sales while helping us navigate market uncertainty and the unique realities of selling in Oakland. Pamela doesn't tell you what you want to hear—she tells you what you need to hear. As difficult as that sometimes was, it helped us make better decisions, and in the end, the sale exceeded our expectations. From pricing and marketing to coordinating contractors, staging, and every detail in between, Pamela and her team managed what felt like a hundred moving pieces with incredible skill. She's also an exceptional project manager. We moved out of state before listing, but there was a constant sense of "Pamela's got it" that allowed us to trust the process. Her recommendations often felt less like suggestions and more like "trust me, this matters" and time after time, she was right. What stood out most was her persistence and hands-on approach. She didn't sit back and wait for buyers to appear. She leveraged her deep East Bay relationships, stayed personally involved, and despite having an outstanding team, was present at every open house. Her team deserves recognition as well. They were kind, attentive, responsive, and consistently delivered high-quality work. Pamela has high standards, and that culture of excellence carries through her team, vendors, and every detail of the process. Pamela was our advocate throughout the process. She's the kind of person you'll keep in your contacts long after the transaction is over because she's a great resource who genuinely cares. We can't recommend Pamela and her team highly enough.

Carly Marcoe

1 June 2026, 20:55 PM

Analise Electra Smith-Hinkley

Analise went above and beyond getting my house ready for sale. She caught every little detail I would have missed and handled things before I even knew they needed handling. Selling a home can be stressful, but having Analise in my corner made the whole experience so much smoother. I can't recommend her highly enough!

1 June 2026, 20:44 PM

Jennifer Jones

Jennifer led us through the sale every aspect of our house sale in a way that made it feel that it went absolutely as smoothly as it possibly could have gone. Throughout the process, she was always easy to reach to answer any question or concern, and she made what could have easily been an overwhelming experience something far from that. As someone who can get wrapped up in my head with concerns and "what ifs", I really appreciated Jennifer's ability to deal with every step in a calm and reassuring way. Jennifer is an excellent communicator, professional, and someone I felt confident having in my corner.

Damon T

1 June 2026, 19:57 PM

Lisa Carnazzo

I had the advantage of moving to my new home and then assessing what needed to happen to prepare my home for sale. My family and I were completely unprepared to find out how complex it is -sellers we approached said I was not an estate, no desirable inventory and no interest in providing any helpful direction to clear the property. Enter Lisa! A chance conversation at a social event resulted in her referring me to an estate dealer and he was at my home 2 days later to advise us. The generous gesture and prompt attention to followup was so kind and helpful- that is Lisa! My family and I requested that she be the agent to market our home an we were thrilled she accepted! While my home was lovely it was also tired and dated; Lisa had a great sense of what the house needed to be updated and refreshed and she was spot on in her recommendations. Her resources were professional and timely- clean out service, renovations team and staging coordinator did a beautiful job. There were questions and hurdles along the way- (rats? really?) but Lisa handled each roadblock with a can-do attitude and had a fix-it for each dilemma. Result- a stunning makeover of my home, an incredible marketing rollout with ads and video, and multiple offers above asking price. Lisa is a consummate professional- warm and interested in the client she is representing- in this case a family leaving their long time home, a bittersweet time for us-but making us feel so cared for and involved in the transitons to the house that helped it to shine as it did. Lisa was a neighborhood child growing up and Waldo always had a passel of kiddos around. It is a sweet closure that someone who enjoyed our little street's karma as a chld helped bring a new family to Waldo by getting my 1926 home ready for the next 100!

Anne H.

31 May 2026, 23:57 PM

Marianne Scott

Marianne is a fantastic agent! She made it possible for us to buy our lovely Upper Rockridge home. We had looked largely on our own for over a year, and finally found a property that we wanted to bid on. We put in a bid that we knew would probably not be the top one, hoping to get a better deal should the top bidder not follow through. And so it went. When we heard that the seller was reconsidering our bid, among others, Marianne’s advice was just so wise and valuable. She helped us work through the process by consulting on an appropriate counter bid and helped us in navigating the complexities of negotiating with the seller. In the end, Marianne’s advice and support made it all possible. And today, we are happy in our new home, and very grateful to our wonderful agent, Marianne Scott. We highly recommend her!

Kurt and Rosita

31 May 2026, 18:33 PM

Jennifer Jones

Jennifer helped us navigate the challenging experience of getting our house ready for sale and determining how to position it in the market. We are very particular people and appreciated that Jennifer treated all our ideas and queries with care and attention to detail. We would be happy to recommend her to anyone and are thrilled to have selected her as our partner in the selling of our house.

Michelle Hatton

30 May 2026, 04:02 AM

Adele Gillis

Adele demonstrates extensive experience & market knowledge, effective negotiating skills and exemplary professionalism. She patiently listens to any questions or concerns you may have & finds answers.

B

29 May 2026, 18:20 PM

Laura Zeidan

Laura Organized construction contractors, haulers, donation partners and cleaners to get our place ready on time and in budget for sale. She dealt with problems that came up professionally and in a timely manner.

26 May 2026, 06:45 AM

Marianne Scott

Marianne and Lindsay Scott were my realtors for selling a multi-unit building in Oakland. They were a great mother daughter team—well-informed, timely, thorough, and professional. They answered all of my questions and provided infinite wisdom throughout the entire process. Not only were they professional, but they were also enjoyable and fun to work with, adding just the right amount of humor to what can sometimes be an emotional business of selling a beloved asset. Thank you both for bringing light, honesty, integrity, and wisdom to selling my building, and more importantly, for finding the best possible clients to be the new owners.

Renee Bott

25 May 2026, 18:33 PM