WONDERFUL TESTIMONIALS BY DELIGHTED SELLERS AND BUYERS
Ira & Carol SERKES Certified Residential Specialists • HANDCRAFTED REAL ESTATE SERVICE •
R E P U TAT I O N & PROFESSIONALISM
Kim & Zach Pine
Ira and Carol Serkes embody everything you would expect or want when buying or selling a home. They recently sold our home in Berkeley and their service was phenomenal every step of the way. Advertising can be tricky. As a seller you often have a strong love and appreciation for your home and you want it to projected in the best possible light.
‘‘Ira and Carol nailed the advertising aspect, from day one.” ‘‘Oohs and ahhs” and ‘‘what a gorgeous home” were common themes used by others to describe the advertising for our home. Even better, the offers came in quickly! Once in escrow, they walked us through every step; including being there for each and every stressful moment. I can’t remember a time that Ira wasn’t able to make me laugh, and make me see the brightest side of things. Carol did an exceptional job handling the documents in a timely manner so both sides felt comfortable that things were moving along. I can’t recommend them highly enough! Their care and service throughout the process of selling our home, was well beyond my greatest expectations!!! Many, many thanks Ira and Carol!
David Braun
preparations that we agreed upon so that I only needed to write a few checks. You kept me posted on every step of the preparations of the house, the development of a wonderful website that made the house look spectacular.
I wanted to take a moment to tell you how good it is to have you as my real estate agents with the hope you will share this with others. Having bought a house with your help a few years ago, and now, selling a house in the depth of the real estate recession, I have had a chance to work with you in many different settings and feel I can comment on a relatively full range of your roles. When I decided we were going to move in 2009, in the heat of the economic fires of the time, you were truly empathetic to my concerns as I struggled to decide how to proceed. You provided information to compare renting versus selling.
‘‘When I decided to sell, you again made the process so efficient and successful.” You identified key things to do to make the house most appealing for the sale, again quantifying things to compare those costs against the possible gains. You arranged all those
The process of negotiations again required essentially nothing from me that I didn’t want to involve myself. In the midst of the negotiations with the buyer you handled some surprise issues with the neighbors that came up around the property lines as well as assuaged the buyers through the process. — David Braun
When the stream of paperwork started, things were even easier than last time. You now use a state of the art electronic signing process that allows all the paperwork to occur by email me to see the documents if I wish and allows me to sign all the pages just by pushing a few buttons. What used to involve faxes and searching for signature lines is now a thing of the past. The signing of the documents was even a bit fun! Through all of this your good humor, range of knowledge of real estate in general and the Berkeley area in particular, makes me wonder why one would want to use anybody but you for buying or selling a house. Thanks again: it’s really a privilege to work with you.
Loren Lewallen
The reason that we have our home today is because of Ira & Carol Serkes’ creativity and deep commitment to finding the right place for me & my family. Ira & Carol went the extra mile by putting together a postcard detailing our budget and the kind of home we were looking for and sending it out to the areas we were interested in - with the hope that this postcard could knock something loose. And it did! Ira got a call from the neighbor of the house we bought who knew this house was coming onto the market. Bottom line - we wouldn’t have gotten our current house had it not been for Ira and Carol.
Other things we appreciated about Ira & Carol: Not Pushy Some real estate agents are all about sugar coating whatever they are showing you because they just want to make a sale and move on. This is not Ira & Carol, they really do care about finding the right place for their client.
Data Driven & Computer Literate Ira can slice and dice comps any way you want and package it in nice pdf files with pics and excel files with lots of data.
Dedicated Even After The Sale I was refi’ing the house and one of the appraisals came in below what we paid. Ira provided me all the detail on comps that I needed to put together an appeal and the bank actually agreed with the appeal, over-ruling the appraiser. Ira & Carol turned this around really quickly despite the fact that there was no longer any economic interest in them helping me.
Paula Brinkley
Mike & Betsy Rosenheimer
Ira is such a mensch. Really, I could not recommend him more highly. I was trying to figure out whether to sell or stay in my home and contacted him since he and his wife are very active realtors in our neighborhood. He came over to the house a few days later, walked through it with me, handed me a folder full of highly pertinent and useful information (including recent relevant comparable sales from the neighborhood), and left me with a clear action plan, including specific recommendations for additional professionals whose services I might need. And this was all for free, since the information he shared with me made it pretty clear to me that I should stay rather than sell. But that seemed totally fine with him - he genuinely seemed to want was best for me and my family and encouraged me to contact him anytime with additional questions. Such a professional! and such a nice guy! — Paula Brinkley
We came in very very well; well above our expectations; your service was excellent, the attention was excellent; you folks know what you’re doing! Thank you! You did it for us!! — Mike & Betsy Rosenheimer
Kim Syer & Rajeev Agarwal
A yelp 5 star rating means it’s as good as it gets. Ira and Carol are truly 5 star! As recent first time home buyers, we learned that a lot is required to be a top notch real estate agent in California. Ira and Carol are dedicated to the people they work with; they are knowledgeable, thorough and professional.
‘‘As Canadians we didn’t know much about
how real estate sales are handled here and Ira and Carol walked us through every stage of the process with patience and care. Ira’s love of technology allows for information to be easily shared and communication to be timely and creative.”
You have a feeling when working with them that you are in good hands and that they are willing to go the extra mile or three thousand in our case as part of our transaction occurred while we were overseas.
They have a built up an extensive network of individuals and companies and made recommendations to us for movers, etc. that we were satisfied with. Importantly, they have your best interest at heart and even though buying real estate can be stressful, Carol and Ira are capable of making the process positive and even fun. Would highly recommend them and will use them again in the future. — Kim Syer & Rajeev Agarwal
R E P U TAT I O N & P R O F E S S I O N A L I S M
David Kerr & Jay Stowsky
Over the last 5 years we’ve bought a home, sold that home, and bought another home with Ira and Carol.
Here’s why: They’re honest and completely trustworthy. They’re on top of the details. All of them. They’ve got good instincts for what makes sense and what can get done. They know great resources for anything you might come up against.
We loved working with Ira and Carol and you will too!
They keep in touch and get right back to you.
We can’t say enough great things about working with Ira and Carol.
They’re patient and not pushy.
Let’s face it, buying and selling houses is stressful. There are a million details to deal with, and a million things to sign. But these two make the process so much more pleasant!
They’re great people, fun to work with.
— David Kerr & Jay Stowsky
They were able to work with each of our styles.
They’re up-to-date with technology. DocuSign was a lifesaver!
If that’s not enough, their pie and/or pizza extravaganzas should seal the deal. We’d work with them in a heartbeat (but we love the place they helped us buy, so don’t plan on going anywhere!) Good luck with your real estate journey!
Jennifer & Colin Cooper
We want to thank you for your continued support and real estate help for our family over the past 10 years now! We find it telling that you were the sellers’ agent for a home that we bought over 10 years ago. Obviously, we connected more with you than we did with our own agents. Your clear communication, honesty and desire to truly help people were evident. That is why we have continued to refer and use you over the past decade.
‘‘You have since helped several other of our
family and friends that we have sent your way. And most recently, you represented us in the purchase of our new (and hopefully final) home and the sale of our much beloved “old house.” We couldn’t be more pleased with both of those transactions.”
You secured the purchase of our new home in a competitive market. There were multiple offers on this “dream home” that we wanted, and we thank you both for helping us to come in with the winning combination. You helped personalize us for the sellers of the home and that may have been the winning key. It is this personalization that seems to be one of your gifts. It may very well be a real estate “technique,” but we can tell that you are both sincerely good people, who enjoy getting to know others and value the importance of real relationships, rather than just winning bids.
Ira and Carol, you knew that our lives were chaotic during the sale of our home and you clearly went out of your way to make things easier for us. We are so appreciative for all of the things that you did to lessen the stress in our lives. Everything from setting up all of the inspections (and being there for them!), to letting us use the home stager of our choice, to literally hand delivering and set up moving boxes for us! Truly above and beyond. In addition to you both simply being wonderful people, you obviously have a strong understanding of the market trends. You were able to present that information to us in a clear manner and in a way that allowed us to make informed decisions. We are still so thrilled and amazed with the amount over asking price that you secured for us in the sale of our home. Kudos and Thank You! We hope to stay in touch with you, see you in the neighborhood and will continue sending friends and family your way (just no more home buying for us!)
Janice Spampinato
In you, Ira, I found a marketing wizard with a profound understanding of, and enlightened approach to, technology and how it can be best-used in the presentation of property. On the opposite side, I found your thorough understanding of the morass of paperwork, city ordinances, and all things official, Carol, to be truly comforting, and the time you spent reviewing and expanding on documents and their purpose enormously helpful.
As my neighbors and as a pervasive presence in the real estate market in Berkeley and Thousand Oaks, I turned to you for guidance and assurance in my decision. Your depth of knowledge and innate sense of market position and conditions were invaluable to someone who has never been through the process of selling a place they love and needs trusted resources to explain and smooth the way. — Janice Spampinato
But most of all, I valued working with you both because you are consummate professionals who go out of your way to make sure the sometimes-onerous business of selling is as calm and straightforward as possible. And you do it all with realism and unfailing good cheer.
‘‘You obviously enjoy doing what you do, and
your enthusiasm shows in every interaction with clients and colleagues alike.”
As I write this, on this last night before relinquishing ownership, you are in the house putting up a fire alarm to fulfill a lastminute request from the buyer. I cannot thank you enough for making my life as easy as it could have been made during a period of high stress and doubt. I made the right decision to sell and hired the right people to help me. Grazie Mille!
R E P U TAT I O N & P R O F E S S I O N A L I S M
They’re wonderful people to work with in every way. They really know how to deal with homes and they know their business. They know how to price, they how to sell and they’ll be your friend.
If you want a real estate agent that is more than a real estate agent, that will also be a counselor and a friend you should call Ira and Carol.
— Eldon & Joy Ernst
— Sam & Kavita Ernst
Throughout the entire period of the transaction, Ira and Carol exhibited professionalism and friendliness. They were very attentive to all our concerns, and we always felt confident that they looked out for our best interests. We strongly recommend their services to anyone buying or selling a home in the Berkeley area. Their experience and market knowledge benefits their clients tremendously.
Just a note to let you know I’m enjoying my new “house free” environment immensely, and to say thank you for making the experience of selling my home a positive one for me.
In the future, should we decide to return to Berkeley, we will definitely ask Ira and Carol Serkes to be our real estate agents.
During the entire process of listing, showing and selling the house, you were helpful and supportive, always available, and receptive to questions and concerns. Your knowledge and expertise were evident, and I felt secure that I was well represented in all transactions. — Nancy Hansen
— Liru & Ben Chin
The Ahlvins
Some of the most relevant factors for choosing you as realtors were:
Personal Style Both Carol and Ira are seasoned professionals who answered every real estate question with clarity and accuracy, using everyday language.
Trustworthy
The following letter is in enthusiastic support for utilizing your expert real estate services. As you know, we interviewed three other potential real estate agents who, though competent, did not demonstrate the level of expertise that you did, nor did we feel the personal connection that we felt almost immediately with you. — The Ahlvins
Admittedly, we had some skepticism about real estate agents. But the Serkes’ approach and open communication style quickly allowed us to relax, and we felt that our best interests were being served. Some of the specifics of our dream house search are also telling:
Quick Acting Once we finally did find our new home, you were able to act quickly and professionally in preparing our bid, and helped guide us to a winning buying price in an extremely competitive market. On the flip side, we believe that your help allowed us get a great selling price on our previous home at a time when the market was uncertain. In essence, we are thrilled that we decided to work with you to both help us buy a new home and sell our existing home! It was a great fit and an efficient process.
Howard & Cindy Cheuk
Lisa Newton
We were looking for a broker who is honest, trustworthy, experienced, knowledgeable, and expert at local real estate market. We were so fortunate to find two of them - Carol and Ira.
After talking with you and learning about your experience, I felt so comfortable, I decided to put the house on the market with your assistance without ever going back to California or meeting you personally. My decision was confirmed throughout the selling process. Here’s why:
‘‘We sold for a price that was way over our
expectation and, believe it or not, in only 7 days! Carol and Ira have made real estate history!”
Carol and Ira have demonstrated their strong abilities, responsibilities, integrity, and professionalism in the fields of real estate business. We highly recommend Carol and Ira for all your real estate needs.
‘‘Honest and straight-forward. This was my first impression. It was a lasting one.” Technologically savvy. I was extremely impressed with your use of technology to improve the sales process from listing my house on your website with plenty of beautiful pictures and details showcasing the house, an interactive map showing its location, to scanning inspection reports so they could be provided in electronic format to interested buyers. This definitely set you apart. Knowledgeable. It was evident in conversations, and by your guidance throughout the process, that you know real estate and the local market. You provided beneficial information and suggestions to a multitude of issues affecting me as an out-of-state seller from the tenants then living in my house to primary residence status.
‘‘Your guidance/representation were
invaluable in negotiations during the closing and inspection periods in making me feel I was making informed decisions and giving me confidence in the positions I took.”
N E G OT I AT I O N SKILLS
Linda Jorgensen Jones & Sandra Jorgensen Davis
Upon meeting Ira for the first time, we knew we had found the right team for the job. He presented us with a Comparative Market Analysis of home sales in the area and had already seen the exterior of the property. We immediately felt comfortable with him and shared a similar sense of humor. He presented a great combination of business expertise and personality. After a round of Q&A, we knew we were on the same page, and signed a contract for their services. There was a fantastic response overall, more than 65 requests for the disclosure package, and then 27 offers. We accepted an offer way over the asking price and closed the deal within 14 days.
The entire process couldn’t have been any easier for us. Ira and Carol were such a pleasure to deal with during all aspects of the sale process. A simple thank you doesn’t seem sufficient to cover all of their hard work on our behalf. We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome. Thank you, thank you, thank you. — Linda Jorgensen Jones & Sandra Jorgensen Davis
N E G O T I AT I O N S K I L L S
Michael & Mary Ernst
At first we were concerned with the low offering price that Ira and Carol suggest we use for putting our house up for sale. Ira explained how this would generate lot of interest, bringing in multiple offers, and lead to a quick sale. His experience and analysis work led him to know that more offers mean a higher price in a competitive seller’s market.
‘‘We were so happy when we received five
offers after only one week on the market, with the best offer nearly 21% over our asking price!”
If we ever again need to buy or sell a house, we hope to be lucky enough to work with Carol and Ira Serkes, and we heartily recommend their services for your real estate needs.
Brenda Goodrich
My sister and I were on a very tight schedule to fInd a new home. After interviewing a few agents, you wowed us with your commitment to negotiating on behalf of your clients. You helped us to find and close on a great place in less than 60 days, and we couldn’t have been more pleased with the experience. You took the time to understand our needs and helped us to locate the right place quickly. Your expertise helped us to negotiate a fair price in a challenging market. You were our eyes and ears when we were traveling, helping with the logistics of inspections and mountains of paperwork. We have been in our new home for 6 months now, and are still thrilled with it. You are by far the best agents I have ever worked with. I hope that I will have the pleasure of working with you again in the future! — Brenda Goodrich
Jarad & Eva Carleton
After an unexpected family event, we needed to move to Europe to take care of an elderly parent. We only knew one person we felt we could trust with selling a home that we never intended to move out of, so we called Ira. To put it simply, he was always a person that was sincere, honest, ethical, a straight talker, and very oriented towards quantitative metrics in the real estate sales process.
‘‘Ira brought in a person he considered to
be one of the best photographers in the Real Estate business and as I watched the process and the photographer explained what he was doing, I realized that I was in the hands of someone capable of catching the beauty of the property in a way that most real estate photographs do not.”
From all of those photographs, Ira and Carol created their first ever 4 page glossy, professionally printed, brochure handout for people visiting during the open house days -- it was so stunning beautiful we couldn’t believe that was our home in the brochure (we have kept a copy so we can always remember it). Those photographs were placed on a website that was created just for our home and they were also placed on various real estate web sites.
N E G O T I AT I O N S K I L L S
While all of this was going on, Carol was extremely detail oriented about every last aspect of the paperwork and inspections. Her work in this area made sure that when we got to the end of the process - the actual sale - that there wasn’t a single obstacle in the way of rapidly selling the home once an offer was made. — Jarad & Eva Carleton
The final stage of the process was two open houses that attracted so many people it surprised even Ira and Carol. In all we got 11 bids on the house, which in itself was stunning for us and Ira. Ira and Carol negotiated an offer that was easily the highest price any comparable property in our area had gotten before. There were times when emotions and worry were in the forefront of our minds, but throughout the entire process, Ira and Carol were there to answer questions and provide sound guidance that in the end resulted in a sale price that stunned us as well as our neighbors. There is no question we made the right decision calling Ira!
N E G O T I AT I O N S K I L L S
Ben & Jen
When a house that met our needs appeared, Ira & Carol pounced on it. They left messages at both our offices and at home, saying that the price on a house had been reduced. We looked at it that evening and immediately made a bid.
Ira & Carol acted so swiftly that we didn’t end up in a bidding war. In fact, while we were having inspections done on our new home, several people came by, thinking that our house was still on the market. — Ben & Jen
Once our bid was accepted, they were able to recommend several home inspectors who did a very through examination of our house. The inspectors uncovered so many serious problems with the house that I thought there was no way we were going to be able to afford this house with all the added repairs. But Ira & Carol are excellent negotiators and by the time they were done, the sellers left us enough money in escrow to pay for the foundation repairs!
N E G O T I AT I O N S K I L L S
Ira and Carol Serkes are quite simply the best in the business. Their tireless work on our behalf in finding us a home in the Berkeley hills was merely the foundation of a tremendous working relationship that we developed. Ira and Carol were thoughtful and patient, counseling us and guiding us to the perfect home. My wife and I both have very busy professions and often only arrive home late at night. But at many odd hours, Ira and Carol cheerfully agreed to show us around the weekly offerings, giving us their frank insights into which homes were turn-keys and which were “turkeys!”
Ira and Carol helped me buy a Berkeley house 8 years ago and it’s been a fantastic investment. They were both total pros the whole way through, successfully negotiated a lower price from the seller, and handled all the paperwork and logistics. Ira and Carol know the Berkeley real estate market inside and out, and I loved Ira’s book for Nolo Press about How to Buy a Home in California (that’s how I found them). Give them a call today! — Matthew Taylor
An extra benefit of working with Ira and Carol is that they were able to recommend the most trusted and reliable engineers, home inspectors, and other experts to help us along the way. Ira and Carol are also expert negotiators, representing their clients zealously and fairly. More than anything, Ira and Carol were wise ... and just plain good folks. There are no better realtors in the business, so if you are in the market for a home in Berkeley, Albany, and environs, look no further. The most important step in your search for a home is complete! — Sam & Kavita Ernst
Years ago while searching for a place in Berkeley I walked into an open house held by Carol & Ira Serkes, although I didn’t bid on that house I noticed months later that they sold it for a price way above asking. Back then I thought “gosh if I were selling in Berkeley I would hire them”. So this year since we needed to sell - that’s exactly what I did. — Yasoja Seneviratne
CO M M U N I C AT I O N S
Walt & Robin Tickner
From the beginning, they knew exactly what to do, who to contact and when. All the details of the sale were carefully planned and executed quickly, without hassle. ‘We had such confidence in their ability to represent us that we left them in charge of the whole process while we went to Normandy, France to attend a family wedding. While we were in France, Carol and Ira held our home open, receiving multiple offers on our behalf. Then, via Skype, while enjoying tea under an ancient apple tree in the Normandy countryside, Walt and I signed the contract accepting a purchase offer for 28 percent over asking. Hooray Carol and Ira!
Both Walt and I have no hesitation in wholeheartedly recommending Carol and Ira to anyone who is looking for help buying or selling a home. Their knowledge, integrity and commitment makes them tremendous partners in the process. You can even leave and go to France! — Walt & Robin Tickner
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S
Joan Trombley
I attended open houses at my home and other homes. My realtors were not at my open houses. The people that were there showing the home were lifeless. During my contact period, I did not receive one signed offer from my realtors. I was shocked. I let my contract run out and contemplated what to do. Keep it. Rent it. I was bewildered. I talked to a friend that was realtor in Sonoma County. She said call Ira and Carol Serkes now!
I had put my home on the market in February with another realty company that had been referred to me. The house was staged and sparkled and ready to go in April. It looked great, everyone said, “This house will be sold in a week.” But nothing happened. — Joan Trombley
I loved this home with its mission style furniture and its arts and crafts design. Ira and Carol loved it too but could they sell it? It sold in three weeks. What a difference a professional makes.
‘‘Ira and Carol were wonderful to work with. They answered the phone when I called, or called me back the same day. They called me with updates on what was happening. They actually were present at the open houses that they had. Unbelievable!”
The sale was fast, easy, and over the asking price. It doesn’t get any better.
Elizabeth Zusalim
I wanted to take a moment to tell you what a pleasure it was to work with you to sell our house. As you know, we had our house on the market a year ago with another agent, but despite numerous open houses and individual showings, we never got a single offer. You amazed us with four offers the first week. Last year, we interviewed several agents, and selected one who was a “top producer” in the largest local realty company. Believe it or not, we didn’t call you at that time because we didn’t think the people who literally wrote the book on California real estate would be interested in selling our modest house! It wasn’t until months later, after our listing expired, that we got your letter and realized our mistake.
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S
advice, from pricing to staging the house to writing counteroffers. You saved us money by advising against unnecessary redecorating and repairs, and your negotiating skills (or was it just charm?) got us a partial refund of our rent when we were able to move out before the end of the rent back period! What surprised and delighted us the most was your accessibility. Selling our first house could have been much more stressful, but every time we called with a question or concern you got back to us before we got anxious. I was really impressed the time I left a message for Ira and within 5 minutes he called back from a phone booth (Ira: that was awhile back!) in Long Island! And through it all, you were always patient.
‘‘From our first meeting, you demonstrated more enthusiasm for the house, superior knowledge of the neighborhood, and excellent sales techniques.”
As manager of a team of marketing analysts at a bank, I recognize professional expertise when I see it. You impressed me by emphasizing the benefits of living in our house, rather than the features of the house, and by listening carefully to what we thought was important. The brochures you developed were well written and effective. You offered lots of helpful
We extol your virtues to anyone who will listen, and would be happy to serve as a reference for future clients. — Elizabeth Zusalim
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S
Andrea & Michael Scharff
It’s been many years since Ira and Carol sold our first home for us in Berkeley. They are amazing agents and great people. We’ve sold and bought many homes since that first time and no one compares!
‘‘How can we adequately express how
pleasant it was to work with you both? You were, from the first time we met, completely reliable, intensely involved, and exceedingly competent in each step involved in the sale of our Berkeley home!”
You helped us to understand the present market situation, were creative in helping us to take advantage of that specific market and you guided us ably into a contract which completely blew our socks off!
We’ve recently sold Andrea & Michael’s first home ... 670 Santa Rosa ... for the third time!
We appreciated your dealings with our relocation agency, which helped to eliminate the stress involved with a big move. And most of all, we appreciated your ease and and sense of humor, and your sound advice throughout the sales process. We will highly recommend you to our friends and family. We hope that we will have a chance to ask you to represent us in the future, should we return to this area. Thank you!
C O M M U N I C AT I O N S
Ira goes above and beyond what the majority of Real Estate Agents do. I’m a tough sell too, as I grew up working with my grandmother in her Real Estate office. I have high standards, and Ira met them on every point. I would highly recommend Ira & Carol Serkes. — Kristin Berhman
Carol is a “work horse” with excellent organization, good judgment, and superb communication skills in her domain of real estate expertise. Ira, so bright and energetic, displays a remarkable mastery in using the latest in advanced technologies of photography, graphics, and the use of the internet that makes him formidable in advertising a home around the globe. Both function in perfect complement to the other for expediting a home with broad exposure to the market and an efficient sale process. My brother and I were delightfully satisfied and grateful for all they did in their smooth communication process. I enthusiastically recommend anyone to consider Ira and Carol as their real estate guides in selling and buying a home. — Rich Wanner
You worked long and diligently to get the job done. You cautioned against needless, expensive fix-up work, which saved us money in the end. You did extensive marketing in the local papers, through the mail, over the Internet, and by phone to potential buyers and their agents. You kept in close touch with agents who showed our house to their clients. We were impressed with your availability day or night to return calls, answer questions, and write counter offers. We don’t think another realtor would have been willing to put up with a phone call from a nervous seller at least once a day for three months straight. Thanks for your patience. We interviewed several agents before listing our house with you. We had seen you over the years at nearby open houses, and we knew that you were with our neighborhood. We hired you because you were organized and informed from the outset. — Lori Siegel & Steve Dobscha
MARKETING EXPERTISE
The Keshav Family
We used Ira and Carol Serkes to buy a house in Thousand Oaks and sell it two years later. Simply put, they stand head and shoulders above every other real estate agent we have used in the past. We have complete confidence in their real estate skills for both buying and selling houses. We asked Ira what he would recommend to maximize the sale price. He walked us through every step of the process, making sure we had no question unanswered, so that we felt very good about what we were about to embark upon. To our surprise, he stated with no hesitation that we would have multiple offers within six days of placing our house on the market.
Real estate agents very rarely display that level of confidence, and I was somewhat taken aback by his prediction. He was absolutely right! — The Keshav Family
I should add here that Ira very tactfully suggested to us that we should engage a stager to improve the presentation and thus the sale price. Despite our initial misgivings, we followed his advice, and we believe that this was a critical factor in our getting an offer price that was $60,000 more than our asking price.
I do not know what Ira and Carol did to drum up interest, suffice it to say that they know exactly what they are doing. They delivered exactly what they promised. Having sold three houses before, each with long drawn out and traumatic negotiations, this was a very welcome change.
‘‘Ira and Carol are always reachable by
email, cell, or in person. They are a pleasure to work with and have been very pleasant to our two kids. ”
They have also been our neighbors for two years, and we loved the times we happened to run into them. In short, they are not only superb real estate professionals; they are also genuinely nice people thai we are proud to have been associated with. Go with them! You will not regret it.
MARKETING EXPERTISE
Ben & Jen
We used Ira & Carol to help us in a 5th (Ira Note: now 7th!) real estate transaction. If using the same real estate agents 5 times doesn’t speak volumes I don’t know what does. We’re selling a home with Ira & Carol Serkes and they have been great; they had all the expertise and advise, everything was just spot on and did a great job of getting our job out there on the internet.
The marketing was incredible. I didn’t realize you could market a house this much. It went above and beyond our expectations and we’re really happy – we got a bunch of offers. Go with Ira and Carol Serkes .... again and again! — Ben & Jen
Ira & Carol are extremely experienced and knowledgeable in many areas - market trends, neighborhoods, the real estate transaction, home inspection and preparation and negotiations. I think my favorite things about them is that they are good, honest professional people who have your best interest at heart.
John & Janet Mortensen
When it came time to sell our home we were convinced that you were the folks to handle it. You were totally knowledgeable about our area and your marketing via the web was top notch. Your professionalism was outstanding. We greatly appreciated your being the “objective” party as we started to fold under the emotional roller coaster ride! You pulled us through. You also showed compassion to our children that weren’t too convinced about this whole situation. After Ira let the boys take photos for the web page and told them about the antics of your cat Lucy, which were like those of our cats; the boys felt more comfortable about the whole selling process. Thank you Ira and Carol for making this all possible. You are great. — John & Janet Mortensen
Frank & Kathy Francone
About a year prior to selling our home at 1614 Visalia Avenue in Berkeley, we made the rounds on Sundays at all the neighborhood open houses to observe the selling agents in action, how they interacted with the visitors, the quality of their answers and the information provided about the house and the neighborhood. Our survey led us to pick Ira and Carol Serkes with Pacific Union to eventually handle the sale of our home when we were ready to do so. Ira and Carol did an outstanding job overall. Of course, they prepared all the necessary materials before listing the property. These included making arrangements for the various inspections and interfacing with the service providers and the city of Berkeley (not an easy task for the latter). They also made arrangements and supervised the activity of a photographer to take pictures and a video of the house (which turned out to be outstanding) for the listing and for the sales flyers.
‘‘The best part of their efforts was they
ability to elicit 5 offers for our home. We were very, very happy with the outcome. We would highly recommend them to anyone in the process of buying or selling a house.”
MARKETING EXPERTISE
Rudy VanderLans & Zuzana Licko
After a five year search for our dream house, we finally bought a house in one of the best neighborhoods in Berkeley (Northbrae), and Ira and Carol Serkes made purchasing the house a very smooth experience. That it took five years to find our house was due solely to us being extremely picky, and we were in no rush to move. Ira and Carol were never pushy and showed tremendous patience, showing us many houses and helping us put in bids without exasperation, always making sure we were comfortable with the bids we put in (which were often on the low side).
‘‘We first met Ira and Carol during an open
house in the Thousand Oaks neighborhood. They seemed different from most realtors we’ve met. They seemed knowledgeable about all aspects of the house, and showed genuine enthusiasm for all the houses and neighborhoods they represent.”
They carry their enthusiasm for their job on their sleeves. Ira would often be curious about the smallest of details in a house or a particular street sign or alleyway that he hadn’t noticed before. His photo camera is always at the ready to record and document. Ira is a great observer and knows more about the city of Berkeley and its houses and buildings than any realtor we’ve met. And Carol is a great source of information regarding anything to do with buying a house, from soils specialists to roofers.
Betty McAfee & Audrey Hazen
Before we knew them, we kept running into Ira and Carol during open houses and were always impressed by the quality of their marketing materials and their kind and pleasant demeanor. Their sales flyers were often just a step above what the other realtors presented. When visiting Peet’s on Solano on Sundays we noticed that one of their real estate signs was always strategically positioned right outside. We liked their approach to selling houses. Another feature we like about Ira and Carol is that they are always personally present at the open houses they sell. We’ve never seen them use substitutes.
‘‘They’re very hands on, and are always reachable by phone and email.” Ira and Carol are the perfect realtor combo. Whereas Ira has the marketing of houses down to a science, and keeps an abundance of current data regarding the local housing market, Carol is a stickler for detail when it comes to the nuts and bolts of putting in bids. There wasn’t a single request she didn’t immediately follow up on, and often had answers before we could ask the question. We felt in safe hands during the final closing of escrow with Carol and Ira overseeing the signing of the final documents. Even after the sale was finalized, Carol went out of her way to make sure that all items were complied with by the seller. As soon as our new house is ready to move into, we will happily hire Ira and Carol to help us sell our condo. (Ira note: and they did!)
When it came time for us to sell our home in Berkeley, we thought we would sell it ourselves. After trying this for about a week, we realized there was much more to this than we had thought. Over the years we had been receiving impressive postcards and brochures from Ira and Carol Serkes offering to help us sell our house should we ever want to. We called them up. They came right over to our home and we had a good meeting with them around our kitchen table. We had planned to start with them and then meet with some other realtors for comparison. But we were so pleased with their approach, both appreciating our home and helping us be realistic in relation to the market, that we signed up with them right away.
‘‘There was quite a bit that we had to do to
get our home ready for sale and they were exceedingly helpful in all aspects of the sale, in addition to which we found them delightful to be with.”
Hardly a day goes by without our saying how lucky we were to have sold our beloved home at a time when it was not the easiest AND how glad we are we chose to put the house in the hands not just of realtors, but of Ira and Carol Serkes. If you are considering selling your home, we cannot imagine better people to help you. They know the real estate business well, are very computer literate and most important of all, they work with heart.
John Wanner, Realtor
I received my Colorado Real Estate Brokers license in 1985 and over the years have worked with many real estate companies . To date the most impressive performance that I have witnessed by a real estate company was the listing performance by Ira and Carol Serkes of Pacific Union International of my brother’s home in Berkeley.
‘‘I assisted my brother in selecting a real
estate company. During the selection process I was very impressed with the listing presentation by Ira Serkes. Ira was very knowledgeable about the market but most importantly I was impressed with his marketing strategy and communication skills.”
During the listing period I became even more impressed as I witnessed a fine tuned listing team in action. Ira and Carol are a formidable team and utilize their individual strengths with high efficiency. They put in to action a well thought out marketing plan and their execution through closing was without a glitch. I never questioned their recommendations as the process moved forward as it was all very logical and I really appreciated their keeping my brother and myself informed every step of the way. My expectations of a listing company were exceeded in every account!! I would highly recommend Ira and Carol Serkes for anyone selling or buying a property!
Amjad Noorani
The reason I selected Ira and Carol to be my selling agents was simply because I bought the same property five years ago through them and was extremely pleased with their service. There was no doubt in my mind that when it was time to sell, I would be listing with Ira and Carol Serkes. I am glad that I did - and if I had to buy or sell again in the Bay Area, I am sure I would call them right away. I have had quite a few real estate dealings both as buyer and seller, and I can confidently say that Ira and Carol are knowledgeable and give sound advice. They respect the fact that the client is the ultimate decision maker regarding every aspect of the transaction. They work well together, and are detail oriented, super organized and always on the ball. Ira and Carol work hard to earn a fair professional fee. They have certainly earned my trust and I recommend them very highly as real estate agents. — Amjad Noorani
MARKETING EXPERTISE
Thanks so much for all or you’re hard work! I am so glad we were referred to you by my good friend Bob. I appreciated all the time and energy you invested in making this process easier for all of us. I feel strongly you both help me in the whole process of selling a home I enjoyed for many years. It is hard to find a real estate agent that actually returns phone calls and takes care of their clients like you do. Your responsiveness and professionalism will definitely earned many referrals from me. If you ever need a reference, have them give me a call.
Your philosophy of revealing full documentation not only in presentation binder but also on the internet is definitely a win-win approach for buyer and seller alike. Your timely guidance and professional advice, from the expert opinion of an author on real estate, is highly appreciated. We recommend your service to anyone who can use the help of honest and experienced professional in real estate. — Samuel & Mary Ho
I feel strongly you both help me in the whole process of selling a home I enjoyed for many years. — Glenn Zamanian
Thanks for all you did for us during the sale of our house at 847 Peralta.
We just wanted to take a moment to let you know how much we appreciate the assistance that you gave us with purchasing a home and selling our family home the next year. — Francie & Tom Lupoff
We were very pleased with the sale price and were quite shocked that the price went so high. I believe it was due to your marketing strategy and to the commitment you have to providing sellers and buyers with the best service available. Good Luck in the future and Thanks again for all you did. — De-Anne Hooper
K N OW L E DG E & EXPERIENCE
Jim & Mary Hartman
We have long been aware of Ira and Carol’s experience, professionalism, integrity, and thorough knowledge of the Berkeley Area real estate market. Over many years we visited their open houses, discussed real estate matters with them, often visited their expansive and informative website, and talked with buyers and sellers who had worked with them. It was with confidence that we asked Ira and Carol to represent us recently in the sale of our Thousand Oaks family home. It was our great pleasure to work with Ira and Carol. From the beginning of the sale process to the end, both Ira and Carol were regularly in touch, easily accessible, and immediately responsive.
Ira and Carol helped us with every aspect of the sale: Advice and follow-through for preparing our home for sale; Recommendations that we obtain various inspections prior to market, so that all details of the condition of our older home would be available to all interested buyers; Providing us with all current information on local market conditions, so that we could make an informed decision on pricing; Keeping us posted on all activity, questions, comments, and showings, and; Analyzing with us the multiple offers received on our home.
Ira’s expert skills with technology were demonstrated immediately with our home’s vast exposure on the internet. Carol gave careful attention to all necessary documentation in the sales process - disclosures, requirements specific to the City of Berkeley, etc. - ensuring all forms and documents were properly and accurately completed on a timely basis.
‘‘Ira and Carol work as a wonderful
and effective team. Ira and Carol work as a wonderful and effective team. They are honest, efficient, have their clients’ best interests at heart, and are enormously skillful.’’
We give Ira and Carol our very highest recommendation.
Jerry Parmer
Francie & Tom Lupoff
Ira has more data at his fingertips than anyone I’ve met in the business. And I am a data guy so it helped me to understand the dynamics of the market. Plus he’s got great web/mapping/updates that come out on a weekly basis. Ira is always very prompt in getting back on questions and updates. Carol is great at taking stock of the properties, offering candid advice, very thorough during inspections, and great to talk to. She negotiated some things into the deal for me that I missed or didn’t think to ask for. And we got them. She also gently steered me away from a couple of properties that in hindsight I am glad I didn’t pursue. Her diplomatic skills were excellent. They make a GREAT team and I know they really put in a lot of time what with all the back and forth about properties, contracts, documents, negotiations and the like. Oh - and did I mention the pizza party they hosted on Pi day? Great folks and super professional give them a call. I will again for next transaction! — Jerry Parmer
When we first met with you we found Ira’s charts, graphs and explanations to be very clear and concise. They gave us a true understanding of how the whole home buying process works in the ultra competitive east bay. As Francie and I moved closer to actually offering on a home we always found both of you to be readily accessible and happy to answer our questions about an unfamiliar field to us. After our offer was accepted Carol’s attention to detail was unlike anything that we have ever seen. No corners were cut and no stones were left unturned. Each step was outlined for us. We knew everything about our house before we moved into it. When we wanted to sell a house we had no hesitations about coming back to you – and we found the service to be exemplary again. From our very first strategy meeting, to the open house, to the accepting of an offer and through the close of escrow, both of you were always there for us. We can’t tell you how much we appreciate it. You knew everything about the home before you sold it for us. Your customer service philosophy is to be commended and your business ethics are admirable. Next time we have a real estate transaction we won’t hesitate to come back to you.
Nancy Nielsen
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
I called you and said I’m thinking of selling; can we talk and I had asked you to help do some information gathering for me a couple of years ago and had felt really assisted by that; and then later came to find out that you and Carol had been the fabulous Realtors that our friends had talked about when they sold their house a few years ago.
I felt good about what you represented, how you conduct your approach to marketing, to selling and I felt very comfortable with that. — Nancy Nielsen
I felt comfortable with your advice and your rationale for why the house had to be priced where it was and that’s a combination of factors; not just what I need to get out of it but what’s reasonable, what’s rational.....
‘‘I trusted your judgement and it was right.’’ You were very clear in what I could expect, what I needed to know. I felt you understood the business as it is today because obviously the real estate market has changed and evolved everywhere in the last 15 years since I bought this place. I felt very comfortable that you were knowledgeable, organized and I could feel confident that you could be upfront and very clear in what I could expect..
It was really important to me that you knew Berkeley, that you knew the neighborhood and I felt that you would have access to people who would be looking for Berkeley and that you would be. if you want folks who know Berkeley and understand it, Ira & Carol are your agents.
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
Jim & Nancy Phelan
Visiting open houses in our focus neighborhoods (North Berkeley, Albany, and Kensington), the seller’s realtor often asked “Are you working with an agent?”. When we answered “Yes, with Ira and Carol Serkes”, we invariably received reassurance that we were in good hands! They helped us make competitive bids on highly desirable homes. Eventually they steered us to a perfect match and suggested that we make a strong bid just as the property was coming on the market. Our bid hit the seller’s sweet spot and we bought “our dream home”! Ira and Carol clearly love the East Bay and their work. We are indeed indebted to them! — Jim & Nancy Phelan
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
We were shopping for our first house for many years, worked with a few agents, placed multiple offers and we’ve been heart-broken quite a few times in the process, when a friend introduced us to Ira & Carol. After being in the buyers market for so long, we became ourselves pretty savvy at how to look at data and information from different sources and perspectives. My husband, who is an engineer, created all sorts of plots to facilitate data analysis and interpretation. In our first meeting Ira showed us the same kind of graphs and we were obviously very impressed with his scientific approach - so different from any other real estate professional. We have purchased our house in a very competitive market and the process was very smooth. We lost few bids before it happened, but this time didn’t seem as painful and emotional as in the past. Considering that we were not easy buyers, besides their competence and professionalism I would also emphasize their patience, calm, honesty, attention to detail, keeping their word even when circumstances change, delicacy, humor, enthusiasm and many other attributes anyone would like to see at someone representing you in buying or selling a house.
Working with you two presents a unique opportunity for home buyers/sellers. One that can best be described through the old cliche of… “Two for the price of one.” The combination of Ira’s masterful, Internet/tech-savvy marketing and Carol’s astute analysis and administration of the details of the entire sales process has produced results, exceeding our highest expectation. Again, thanks so much for a job well done, and best wishes toward all future endeavors! — Todd & Mary Ryder
Both Judy and I appreciated not only the consummation of the deal, but your obvious dedication to personal ethics and the high degree of professionalism that you brought.
We candidly give Ira & Carol our highest recommendation.
Your good sense of humor was an extra bonus not normally included in the usual commission structure. Ira, you were worth every penny.
— Mariana & Cristian Rusa
— Paul & Judy Berg
KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE
I was intrigued when I heard about Ira and Carol Serkes, who had devised a way to reorganize and expand their business using the very tool that may gradually erode other agents’ power: the Internet. — Carol Lloyd, San Francisco Chronicle
Carol Lloyd, San Francisco Chronicle
Founders of berkeleyhomes.com, the longtime Berkeley couple have combined their personalized mom-and-pop real estate business with a mass of custom-designed technologies that constitute an online system for both sellers and buyers. Now, I’m a technophobe right down to my attachment to my unwireless phone, but after a survey of the site’s new-fangled services, I can’t help but think it makes most real estate representation look downright primitive. Even the corporate brokerage houses which have a fabulous searchable and customizable database of houses on the market -- can’t hold a candle to what the Serkeses have dubbed their “handcrafted real estate services.
Bob & Madeline Dillon
It was a pleasure working with you as our agents in the recent purchase of our home. After three months living here, we are happier than ever with our purchase. We would like to take note of the ways that you helped us find a new home in Berkeley. Recent retirees from NJ, we were moving across the country to be closer to our three grown kids, and we had a lot to learn about our new life style in a very different real estate market.
What we found most valuable: Responsiveness – you were always quick to call us back, and to show us houses that had caught our eye.
Humorous insight – we will always remember the house where you promised to mail us annual invitations at different addresses as the house slid down the hill; and the house that was right where the trucks shifted gears on the hill.
Technology – easing us through the whole buying process
and especially the multiple signings with expert use of internet, email, and DocuSign.
Calm laid-back style – in an overheated sellers’ market, this is no small thing; you educated our expectations and then let us make our own decisions.
Analysis – a great help in an overheated market, Ira’s
methodical way of arriving at a bid gave us some assurance that we were overbidding just enough to win the house we wanted. So, please accept our thanks for your warm and professional efforts on our behalf.
Herb Caen
Bill & Jean Lesher
Ever heard of “Albanian Pavlovians”? The term was invented by Ira Serkes, demon salesman for Security Pacific Real Estate in Richmond, who writes in the Multiple Listing Service that “I’ve got clients who salivate at Albany listings! They’ve got the cash so I’ll be there in a flash!” Smart boy, that Ira. He’s going places. — Herb Caen
There is no question in our minds, especially when seeing the prices comparative homes are selling for now, that we were fortunate in having you two represent our interests in the sale.
Your advice about selling in the spring, about using Gary’s services for renovations and staging, hiring an excellent and reasonably priced moving company and advertising our house worldwide as well as nationwide (great photos) made the sale as beneficial and quick as it was. — Bill & Jean Lesher
We also enjoyed getting to know you – Ira with his strategizing and Carol with her uncanny attention to detail – as people as well as very talented professionals. You made our parting from that much-loved place even enjoyable with the wine and cheese evening for our neighbors and us before the first Open House. We are and will be happy to recommend you and your services to all who ask. Warmest good wishes to you both for “good fortune” in your work to come.
Barbara Belk
Wendy & Polk Stewart
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Ira & Carol Congratulations on your award for most number of closed referrals! You deserve it! You’ve got just the right combination of people skills and intellectual savvy to do a topnotch job. I was actually thinking of that the other day (seriously). I thought, “Why I would refer to Ira and Carol over other realtors I’ve worked with.” When I worked with others, I was pleased with them as they worked very hard and were pleasant, supportive, bright, etc. What makes you stand out is not that you work harder (although you do work hard) but that you work SMARTER. You are able to think outside of “the box” and use technology and resources to your and your clients advantage. I say bravo to that and keep up the great work! It worked great for me and obviously many others think so too! — Barbara Belk
When we decided to sell this house, we had to get Ira and Carol on the job. it wasn’t even a question. We’ve known Ira and Carol ever since we bought this house and we’re always running into them and its just a natural to choose Ira and Carol .... and also they’re really good at selling houses. — Wendy & Polk Stewart
SELLING LONG TIME FA M I L Y H O M E S
Cindy Sparhawk
We wanted to send our heartfelt appreciation for all your good work representing us in the sale of our home. At all times we have found you to be professional, caring, informative, and fun to work with! Additionally, my dad is 83 years old, so you have been particularly helpful to both us in helping my dad through the transition of the sale of his home of 49 years. We each found you through different channels: My dad had heard about you through the neighbors in the area - you came highly recommended; I found you because you represented a house up the street.
I went to the web site where you featured that property. I was amazed at how complete the information was on that particular home and, working in the research area of the transformation of the marketplace via the Internet, I recognized that you were ahead of the “pack” so to speak. — Cindy Sparhawk
Lastly, you return calls quickly and your experience levels are above average. On top of it all, you are nice people! Thank you again for all your good work.
SELLING LONG TIME FAMILY HOMES
Gayle & Harry WIllett
Mary Fonseca & Bill Gonsalves
Gayle and I would like to thank you for all the great work you did in marketing our home and the remarkable price you brought in ... as you know from my reaction, it greatly exceeded my expectations.
My sister and I recently found ourselves in need of selling my mother’s home as part of the estate liquidation process. Needless to say, it was an emotional and trying time for us.
It was an absolute stroke of luck and a real pleasure for us to put ourselves in the hands of such true professionals. We had lived in our home in Albany for over twenty-seven years and we were apprehensive that putting it up for sale would be a trying and difficult process. Quite the contrary, you kept us informed and updated throughout the process. Things moved very quickly and the evening we received the many offers you obtained was exciting and very fulfilling.
We needed a real estate agent who would be understanding of our needs, knowledgeable of the area, market, and effective in bringing the sale to closure in a short period of time.
Finally, I want you to know that we both regard you as being truly sincere and fine people!
We turned to a family member who had retired from the real estate business, for references. With no hesitation and with absolute confidence he recommended the Serkes ... the Berkeley experts ... who will take care of all your needs! Now we owe both the family friend and Ira and Carol Serkes team a great deal of gratitude!
— Gayle & Harry WIllett
— Mary Fonseca & Bill Gonsalves
Michelle Adams-Walton & William Walton
SELLING LONG TIME FAMILY HOMES
Ira and Carol Serkes did an exemplary job of selling our early20th Century Berkeley bungalow. Our relationship with Ira started many years ago when I found him on the Internet and recommended that my father-in-law contact Ira about getting an evaluation of his house.
‘‘Ira patiently dealt with my elderly
father-in-law and gave him information on the marketability of the house at that time. My father-in-law decided to stay put, but I kept Ira’s info for future reference.”
Years later, after my father-in-law died, we contacted Ira about putting the inherited house on the market. Ira came armed at our first appointment with graphs showing a market analysis. He took pictures of the house, noting some of the clean up work we had started, compared to the condition of the house when he first visited it with my father-in-law. He also weighed in on the remodeling projects we had planned, but was careful about leaving the decisions to us. Ira showed us how the property would be marketed - a dedicated website featuring the house, brochures, signage, open houses - and we signed on with Carol and Ira. This team
is well connected in the community and uses technology in a savvy way to promote your listing. Carol is the documents guru and makes the process of executing documents a much easier process. By the third week of the listing we had about 14 offers and the house sold well (well, well!) over asking price. We could not have been happier with the outcome.
Carol and Ira are the consummate real estate professionals and I highly recommend them. — Michelle Adams-Walton & William Walton
SELLING LONG TIME FAMILY HOMES
After hearing many good things about Carol and Ira from friends and neighbors, we contacted them about possibly selling our home in Berkeley. We explained that our inquiry was preliminary and that we simply wanted an honest evaluation of our home. However, Ira arrived with his laptop and provided a very professional and highly detailed analysis of our home’s selling potential. During Ira’s presentation we were impressed with his relaxed and non pressure attitude. After our initial meeting we knew that we had found our realtors.
Laura & George Billing
Their attention to detail also proved invaluable: Ira called us while the house was in escrow and explained that he had found someone trying to rent our house via an internet listing. When he found out that we knew anything about it he quickly took care of removing the fraudulent advertisement. We highly recommend Carol and Ira Serkes for selling or buying a home. 45 years of combined experience show: without any doubt they are the most knowledgeable and professional realtors around.
‘‘After our initial meeting, Carol and
Ira continued to impress us with their professionalism and consideration. While we were confident in our decision to put our house on the market, it was difficult to sell our family home that had housed three generations for over 60 years.”
We decided early on that we trusted Ira and Carol to guide us through the process of selling our house: we wisely followed their advice with excellent results. — Laura & George Billing
Carol and Ira’s talents complement their experience in real estate: Carol provided excellent advice on what interior improvements needed to be made in order to show the potential of the house to prospective buyers, and Ira’s internet expertise created a wonderful website advertising the house.
John & Sara St. Simon
Mary Hartman
Mary Hartman wrote of growing up here: The front garden - it’s big, full of rocks and iconic Thousand Oaks boulders, interesting walkway to entrance, wonderful native rock hardscape throughout (built by my dad years ago), always loved the generous setback from the street so that we could admire the garden from the street and enjoy the walk through the garden to the front door. — Mary Hartman
We have gone though the emotional roller coaster of selling our residence of more than twenty-six years and from our perspective we can certainly advise anyone who is selling or buying property to utilize the capabilities of Ira and Carol Serkes. — John & Sara St. Simon
R E L OC AT I O N EXPERTISE
Michael & Andrea Mohan
It is hard to believe, but I was required to interview various agents and some would not even speak to me because they knew doing a relocation would be extra work – more paperwork, more signatures, more reviews, more delays – everything you can think of needed to be reviewed by three parties aside from buyer and seller. To my surprise and delight, Carol and Ira insisted that this extra work was not only ‘no problem’, that they had done it many times before and were prepared for the intensity of a very short time frame.
‘‘Within a course of less than three weeks, we had my home listed, inspected, staged, shown and sold for above asking – all with a smile on their faces. This was extremely important to me as my spouse had already moved and I was doing this alone while pregnant and struggling with the additional requirements a relocation entails.”
Overall, the experience was not just painless, it was pleasant and we would whole heartedly recommend Carol and Ira to anyone seeking assistance in buying or selling.
I am writing to express my gratitude at the handling of the relocation sale of our home. I am five months pregnant, moving to another state, and dealing with a forest of paperwork relating to my husbands relocation for work. — Michael & Andrea Mohan
Glenn Andersen
This was my second attempt at trying sell - it had languished on the market six months the year before. It clearly was not going to be an easy sell, and trying to sell it from 2,000 miles away only made the process more difficult. Within three weeks of the listing you had an offer! You accomplished what I had begun to think was impossible. Your hands on approach made the last minute glitches and surprises (such as unexpected repairs) nearly transparent. You even came up with a creative way to close the sale in the event that the repair work was not done.
My only regret is that I didn’t use you the first time I put my property on the market. I probably would have saved considerable time, aggravation and money. — Glenn Andersen
I will gladly serve as a reference for future clients, and only wish that I were still in Berkeley so that I could use you for my next purchase.
Theodore & Deborah Kallman
When we relocated to the Bay Area, we contacted Ira and Carol Serkes to help us find a home. Ira and Carol spent a great deal of time with us to determine what was important to us – the type of house, the neighborhood and other amenities. Together, we found the perfect home. Ira and Carol worked with us to structure the offer, offering recommendations and valuable insights on the Berkeley real estate market. They were there during the inspections and provided excellent recommendations for inspectors as well as contractors so that we could obtain quotes for items noted during inspection. More importantly, Ira and Carol don’t disappear after the close. We’ve kept in touch and don’t hesitate to call them with questions. They also threw a super housewarming brunch for all of our neighbors. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Ira and Carol to those who are seeking a personal, handcrafted approach to buying or selling a home in the area. — Theodore & Deborah Kallman
Theodore & Deborah Kallman
Ted & Debbie moved to Berkeley; two years later relocated to Northampton, MA. In particular, Ira impressed me with his knowledge of the Berkeley real estate market in terms of both availability and pricing. Carol then proceeded to quickly find us a home in a location that met all of our needs and desires. Ira wisely advised us regarding the purchase negotiations for a property that had significant interest. Two years later, we rehired Ira and Carol to sell our home. In a much more difficult market, Ira gave us honest advice that, while not necessarily what we wanted to hear, was realistic given the times and certainly facilitated the sale. Carol’s advice regarding preparing the home for sale was especially valuable.
‘‘Furthermore, because we had to relocate, Ira and Carol took care of many things that a seller still living in the home would normally have done.”
One thing that attracted me to Ira and Carol was that, from the beginning, I always felt that they were putting our interests above their own. They were as interested in making us happy as they were in making a sale. This has not always been our experience in other real estate transactions.
R E L O C AT I O N E X P E R T I S E
Ultimately, Ira and Carol went far beyond our expectations. We were relocating to Massachusetts, an area with which we were unfamiliar. Ira did not know any agents there, but he researched the real estate agents and introduced us to an agent whose service to us in Massachusetts was the equal of Ira’s and Carol’s in California. — Theodore & Deborah Kallman
Bob Bachtel & Pat Wei
Ira recently sold a house that sadly, required refurbishing before the sale. This took place while my wife and I were on a one month bike ride in Europe! The refurbishing and the sale went forward without a hitch, with an offer substantially above the listing price. From listing to offer acceptance was less than two weeks. Ira’s analytical skills are evident, and his wife Carol complements him. As a team, they are awesome, and made the sale process as stress free as possible. I would recommend them to anybody. — Bob Bachtel & Pat Wei
As we approach our fIrst anniversary in our new home, we wanted to take a moment to thank you for your assistance in helping us fInd and purchase our house. As newcomers to the Bay Area, we really appreciated your use of daily e-mail updates on what was coming on the market in the Berkeley/Oakland area that fIt our criteria. These updates allowed us to quickly come up to speed on the kind of competitive market we were dealing with. We were also able to review these updates from the East Coast and decide when to fly west to check out some of the listings and even make bids. And we really appreciated that you recognized and respected our single-minded objective in purchasing a home in the Rockridge / Elmwood neighborhood. Carol was 100% right about the location of our house: it could not be improved. With our proximity to BART and College Avenue, everything we want is truly within walking distance.
This is a letter certifying the stellar job done by Ira and Carol Serkes in locating my new home in Berkeley. Notwithstanding the logistical challenges of working with one from Singapore, Ira and Carol did extensive research, were extremely courteous and professional, and showed homes that always fit the criteria articulated to them. They utilized the latest web enabled communications and visual tools allowing for efficient pre-selection. I would most unequivocally recommend Ira and Carol to anyone buying a home in the Bay Area. They truly are a delightful team to work with.
Even before we moved cross country, we were tapping into your area expertise through the website. When we called long distance, you graciously answered our questions and offered us resources. The actual buying process took some time and education, which you offered with patience. We especially appreciated your willingness to go along with some of our more unorthodox approaches. But best of all, you and Carol made what could have been a stressful and difficult process, an enjoyable and ultimately rewarding event, landing us in the exact home and neighborhood we wanted. Thank you for your excellence.
I want to thank your for the wonderful job you did in helping us buy the right home in Berkeley. House hunting is difficult in the best of circumstances, but it can be overwhelming when trying to do it from another state as we did coming from Colorado. We appreciated your availability when we would fly in on short notice and your patience with the numerous difficulties we encountered in our various offers. We particularly appreciated the extra distance you went to make the transition as smooth as possible for our cats and dog. If we decided to move again in the Berkeley area, we will definitively call on you.
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Ira & Carol SERKES Certified Residential Specialists • HANDCRAFTED REAL ESTATE SERVICE •
510-526-6668 & 510-684-3334 Serkes@BerkeleyHomes.com CALIFORNIA LICENSES 00936453/01143916