Kathleen Wilson

We would highly recommend Kathleen for anyone looking to purchase a home in the East Bay. We decided to work with Kathleen after interviewing two other agents. As first-​time homebuyers who were new to the Bay Area, we had a lot of questions. Kathleen spent plenty of time educating us on the market and neighborhoods in the East Bay. We particularly appreciated that her knowledge of the market helped point us to the homes that we could realistically expect to stay within our budget.
Surprisingly, we were able to purchase the first home we put an offer on. Kathleen was very helpful throughout the process and helped us negotiate a multiple counteroffer situation. In the end, she knew exactly what offer price would get us our home. Getting to closing we had a few hiccups and Kathleen was there the whole time ensuring we could close on time. After we closed, she has stayed in touch and made sure we had referrals for vendors to help with some small repairs.
We highlight recommend Kathleen for her professionalism and knowledge of the market. The next time we look to buy or sell a place, we will be sure to work with her.

We were referred to Kathleen by the realtor we worked with to sell our house in Napa. From the beginning, Kathleen took the time to get to know us and our needs for a house and neighborhood. My wife works in Marin and I in San Francisco, so we decided to focus on El Cerrito.
Kathleen knew all the neighborhoods, and recommended we focus on a few particular areas. Being in a competitive market we held out hope we would find something that worked in our price range, that wasn’t a total rebuild. At the outset of our search Kathleen mentioned that sometimes you can successfully bid on a home that is typically above your price range because the listing strategy, an out of town agent, improper staging or bad photos can cause a great house to linger on the market. We filed this away, not really expecting this situation to apply to us — looking for homes at a hot time and visiting open houses with 50 other interested parties.
For a while we were nervous! I tend to micromanage or over communicate when I feel pressure. Kathleen dealt with this in stead. She was very calming, reassuring us that the right house was out there for us. She communicated extremely well, providing us copious amounts of detail and analysis when we had questions about listings. She had great amounts of patience for all our questions and concerns.
We found a home we really liked and placed a bid. Kathleen was on top of it from the get-​go. She was in regular contact with the listing agent, working on our behalf. She provided very good advice on the price we should offer, and in preparing the offer. That offer was not accepted. We were worried at the time, but good things were around the corner.
Kathleen mentioned that she knew of a place that had been on the market for over 100 days, it was listed at a smaller size then we were looking for, but thought we should see it. She also introduced us to a colleague of hers, Ron Cadigal, that had been to see the house. They both were very enthusiastic about it.
When we finally toured the place, it was perfect. A large addition had been completed (fully permitted) that added 30% more living space. All it required was some finishing touches. The price point was also perfect. The neighborhood was perfect. We placed an offer (the only offer) immediately and it was accepted. From talking to friends in the area, this situation is VERY rare, but is much more likely when you have a strategic and astute realtor like Kathleen.
During contract Kathleen was also invaluable. She negotiated with the listing agent for concessions that I do not believe we would have gotten with any agent. She kept us incredibly well informed and turned around our counter offers and requests immediately. She also protected us from ourselves and our over exuberance regarding the property. She had our back the whole way.
Now in our new home, she’s provided valuable references for servicers and contractors to help us finish off the pieces we want done. My wife and I both look back at what she said in the beginning of the process and can’t believe that the unlikely scenario described by Kathleen landed us in our dream home, not to mention that we won our second bid (also unusual for this area)! Kathleen is smart, experienced and very strategic. Her follow through is impressive (and necessary!), and keeps her clients confident and informed. Buying a home with Kathleen was a great experience and we recommend her highly.

My sister and I were fortunate to have found Kathleen as our agent in selling the family home in Albany. She was our creative guide leading us to smart investments in helping the house shine while maximizing the ‘bones’ of our family’s 1920 vintage Tudor. Kathleen’s team worked collaboratively to achieve our schedule and her tips on the right touches were spot on. I was impressed with her market insight and it is clear why she was the #1 top producer for BHG in 2015. Kathleen’s personal touch helped us throughout the process and I cannot thank her enough. I encourage anyone seeking a talented, professional and caring real estate agent to contact Kathleen Wilson and Better Homes & Gardens in Berkeley, you will be very pleased that you did.

We just bought a house in Temescal with the help of Kathleen. She helped us buy the first house we bid on, which is amazing in today’s market. I would say that Kathleen is professional, communicative and helpful. She took the time to really get to know us – from our lifestyle and hobbies to our hopes and needs for our first house– and then did her best to identify suitable homes. She helped us make our offer attractive to the sellers and we secured the house at a lower price point that she had suggested. We had to do a lot of ‘homework’ when it came to analyzing the disclosures and inspection reports, which we had hoped to get more assistance with. Overall we are very happy and look forward to moving in!

I can’t recommend Kathleen highly enough. As a first time home buyer, I needed a lot of education and hand-​holding. She is extremely knowledgeable about the East Bay, but more importantly she is a great resource on the ins and outs of negotiations, inspections, and finding a place that will truly meet your needs. She worked with me and my husband for over a year, helped us with several offers, advised us to steer clear of bad investments, and encouraged us to hang in there. She is motivated, persistent, resourceful and a pleasure to work with.

Kathleen did a fantastic job helping me sell my home in North Berkeley. She has a deep knowledge of the market, the process, and how to show a house to get the best offers.
From her rolodex she summoned painters, gardeners, handymen, and stagers (she works with great people!) who transformed the house. We were on a short schedule, and she followed up to make sure everything got done on time.
It’s a daunting process, and Kathleen managed it all fluidly, attending to everything from the details of Berkeley municipal energy regulations to big-​picture strategy of when to list the house and how to price it.
I sold the house under difficult circumstances, regarding which Kathleen was unfailingly sensitive and kind. With her expertise and energy, I’d recommend Kathleen to anyone looking to buy or sell a house in the East Bay.

We started working with Kathleen in the spring of 2015 when home prices were soaring, and it was a very challenging time to buy our first home. We were discouraged by the bay area home prices, but Kathleen was very supportive, had practical advice, and encouraged us to continue. She had great advice for us in terms of our strategy, and helped guide us towards homes/​areas that we could afford. She continued to be professional, but she became closer to a friend to us during the process, since she was so genuine and kind. After losing our third offer she pointed out a home that we hadn’t thought of looking at, and it turned out to be the best home we could imagine for our family — and it was also affordable for us! We won the bidding process with her help, and are very grateful for all Kathleen did for us.

Kathleen knows the market, knows how to sell a house for the maximum value, and knows how to help you actually be able to purchase a house in this crazy market. She made what seemed to me to be a far-​off hope become a reality in such a short period of time that my head was spinning! She is professional, knowledgeable and completely market-​savvy. She will be able to advise you (and even tell you when she doesn’t know something, which is rare) how to do it and get it done.

We just closed on a sale on our house in Berkeley and we couldn’t be happier. Kathleen made the whole process seem super smooth and organized. We were anxious before we found her because we’re not currently living in the Bay Area, and prepping a home for sale while we were based elsewhere seemed really stressful. But Kathleen ironed out all the wrinkles. She and her team took care of cleaning up the house, getting the landscaping done, and we managed to sell it quickly, and for more than we’d anticipated. Kathleen guided us through the whole process and helped us make sense of the volatile Bay Area real estate market. We really appreciated her thorough knowledge of the neighborhood and her expertise in listing homes in the area. Plus, she’s warm and easy to talk to. Thanks so much, Kathleen!

I worked with Kathleen nearly a year ago to purchase a home in Oakland’s Lincoln Highlands. I can’t recommend her highly enough.
Kathleen worked around my horrific schedule, meeting with me in the evening and arranging phone calls between many, many meetings while I was at work. When I expressed interest in a particular home, she delivered information regarding the home very quickly. She took care of tetchy telephone calls and after reviewing the disclosures packet, made thoughtful suggestions regarding the need for additional inspections.
She has a very practical, straightforward manner, which is a huge plus in this very competitive market. She did not sugarcoat, but instead told me what the real situation was, allowing me to make an informed decision. She was respectful of my budget, and did not push me to spend more than I was comfortable spending.
After I moved, there were some repairs that I needed to address quickly, and she provided me with the name of a general contractor who was great (he merits his own great review). In addition, I used the company that she recommended for the inspection to take care of a minor termite problem, and they were great, too. It is so helpful to have these resources available when you have bought a home.
As a result, I have a wonderful home in a very nice neighborhood, and could not be more pleased.

Kathleen Wilson helped my wife and I purchase our first home in an incredibly challenging market for buyers, and I strongly recommend her work.
We weren’t sure if now was the right time to enter the market, and Kathleen helped us evaluate what our needs were, listened to what our price range was, and gave us information about what was realistic in the current market; she then gave us the space to make our own decision about whether or not to buy.
Best of all, Kathleen listened to what we identified as our basic needs, amenities and features that would be «nice to have» but not essential, and deal breakers. Then, she called us with a great opportunity, identifying a property that suited us to a «t» at a price we were comfortable paying. She assembled our bid, made solid recommendations about terms and financing, and was key to us winning the property on our first try.
Kathleen helped us make a big decision, and she provided the tools to make the process as easy and approachable as possible. We feel fortunate that Kathleen helped us to find a property we like in a relatively short amount of time without being subject to the frustrations that all-​too frequently accompany bidding wars or multiple rejected offers in the current market, and we are looking forward to many happy years in our new home!

Kathleen is a rockstar agent. Seriously, you want her on your side. When we first met to discuss our search for a home, we asked her to be the perfect match of good cop and bad cop — good cop to us, and bad cop to everyone else in the name of getting the house we wanted — and boy, did she deliver!
Kathleen matched us to a great house in a sweet neighborhood, helped us create the perfect offer, and guided us through the crazy process of purchasing our first home with incredible knowledge and indefatigable patience. She was always available for us, and spent a great deal of time and energy as she negotiated miracles on our behalf. We couldn’t be happier with both her service and where we ended up. Thank you, Kathleen!

We are days away from closing on our first home (on our first offer, no less!) and it wouldn’t have been possible without our realtor, Kathleen Wilson. In this incredibly competitive market, we had a lot of things going against us — first time home buyers with a low down payment, desire to stay in the area, requirement of at least a 3 bedrooms, inability to take on a fixer and we wanted to stay at the lower end of our price range.
Kathleen helped us get up to speed quickly and identified a strategy so our efforts were focused and time was spent wisely. (Very important given we often had to skip nap time to house hunt with two toddlers in tow!)
When our judgment was clouded, Kathleen gave us much needed reality checks so we wouldn’t waste our time on homes that were deceptively priced and out of our reach, or homes that were fixers in disguise. With her guidance, we were able to recognize «the one» when we saw it and move forward quickly.
Speaking of which, we did not appreciate how right our home was for us at first and almost dismissed it. But because Kathleen had a keen understanding of our needs, she knew the home was a perfect fit and insisted we saw it in person right away. And she couldn’t have been more right.
As we went to open houses and met other agents, it was clear how well regarded Kathleen is among her peers. Every local agent knew her and had positive things to say. This was a big plus for us and gave us a competitive edge, which was especially important given our constraints.
Overall, I really have enjoyed Kathleen’s approach. She’s on top of things and keeps you in the loop. She gives great market insight, which really helped to inform our offer strategy. Not to mention, Kathleen is straight-​forward and tells you what you need to hear. And we couldn’t be more thrilled with the result!

Buying a home in the bay area is incredibly difficult, especially if you don’t have cash. I was pretty scared of the whole process and the possibility of facing numerous rejected offers before having one accepted. I am thrilled to say we didn’t have to go through that as we got the first house we fell in love with and bid on. We were able to do this because Kathleen knew the right way to write the offer, led us the right the right lender, and she worked very hard to make sure the seller’s agent gave our offer serious consideration in a pile of 9 other offers. I’ve bought and sold homes in 4 other states, and despite this experience, I was like a first time buyer in this crazy seller’s market with issues like auction style pricing, sewer lateral requirements, pest reports, illegal additions, and so much more. Kathleen walked us through every step with patience and kindness. She handled me (and my strong personality) very well, and made me feel both supported and in control. She was there instantly any time I needed her, and still continues to support us now that we are in our new home. I can’t recommend her enough.

Kathleen is a great agent and advocate. My family and I just bought a home, thanks to Kathleen’s smart guidance and kind support. She was honest in a very positive way and did all that she could to help us make the deal. We are very grateful and I would recommend her to any friend in the market to find a home.

Kathleen Wilson is hands down who you want representing you in Berkeley, Albany, Kensington or El Cerrito area when buying or selling a home. Anyone familiar with the East Bay market knows you need someone smart, strategic, patient and skilled in real estate to move you into our out of a house with ease — and Kathleen is that person.
As first time home buyers, we could not be happier with the outcome, and definitely feel Kathleen got us into a house that exceeded our best case scenario projections.
Not only does Kathleen have a lot of experience, but she really takes the time to get to know and understand what kind of a house will best suit your needs — in a price range you can afford — then helps you find a home you will truly be happy with in the end. She really helped pin point our search and kept us focused on the goal, while helping us navigate through the complexities that come with buying your first house.
Ultimately Kathleen helped us remain calm and focused when it really mattered and we couldn’t be happier with the results.
On top of all that, she also knows who to hire for what jobs — pre-​inspections, roofers, electricians, termite inspectors, asbestos removal, heater replacement — you name it, she can recommend someone, and we can’t tell you how priceless this was for us.
She told us from the start that we would end up in the house «we were meant to be in» and she wasn’t kidding. She worked really hard for us, and always had a positive attitude. We did our homework and she did hers and we would 100% recommend Kathleen for all your home buying needs!

Kathleen helped my fiancé and I purchase our first home in Berkeley. After months of looking around with another agent, a friend recommended Kathleen to us. Working with her made a world of difference, and we were able to finally win a bid and close on a home we love. We are looking forward to working with Kathleen for future purchases and sales around the Bay Area.

Friends recommended Kathleen Wilson to sell my Richmond home – she had helped them sell and buy homes. I could not have asked for a better realtor. She was scrupulous in attending to the details of the transaction all along the way. She made sure that I knew exactly what was needed, made great suggestions about low-​cost improvements I could make to increase the house’s appeal, consulted with me as to details and costs, kept the other agents informed of the status, and has a great team assisting her so I always knew what was going on. Because she was so meticulous about disclosures, the buyers could trust that they were hearing the truth about the house. The sale occurred quickly and closed significantly above the asking price. I would use and recommend Kathleen in a heartbeat. She was simply fabulous!

Kathleen Wilson was an all-​around great, professional agent to work with. She was very thorough and went the extra mile for us as a buyer. I would recommend her to anyone who is interested in buying/​selling mid-​to-​high end East Bay real estate.

I hired Kathleen to sell my north Berkeley home after interviewing 4 other agents. The other agents were fine but Kathleen stood out in the way she answered all my questions immediately, getting back to me via phone or email when she didn’t have the answer at hand. In very quick order she put together an impressive marketing plan for my house. Am I ever glad I hired her! It turns out she was even more diligent marketing my house than she had been marketing herself to me. Kathleen generated a ton of interest in the house with all her various strategies — mailings, ads, web sites, etc. — and the house sold on the very first day we took offers.
It sounds trite but the thing I liked most about dealing with Kathleen was her absolute honesty. There were a few times when I asked for advice and I told her I wanted her to be completely frank. She was, even though the answer was not what I wanted to hear. When she was talking to prospective buyers, Kathleen made certain that the prospects had read all the disclosure documents. She didn’t want to accept an offer and then have the deal go south because the buyer «discovered» something during the escrow period.
I will definitely choose Kathleen again the next time I’m buying or selling East Bay real estate.