“Let me start by saying that Miles and I spent almost 3 years trying to buy a house - first in San Francisco, and then we gave up and almost tried to move to Seattle ... we were pretty sure it was never going to happen, but still, we refused to give up.

A good friend of ours recommended Jen and her partner, Kathryn. Our first step was to sit down together in their office and discuss our needs. We realized then that with our budget, we would be focusing on Upper Dimond / Redwood Heights in Oakland, so Jen took the lead because she works (specializes) in that area. We made it very clear that we didn't want to be running around from open house to open house (when we were looking in SF we looked at 8-10 every weekend which was exhausting). We had to be focused with our search. At the time our baby was about 9 months. Our main needs were that we needed a 3 bedroom to house visiting family and we needed to be in a zone with a good school district and also a nice neighborhood to grow up in.

Jen was an absolute joy to work with. We find most agents pretty annoying - but Jen was quite a nice person to spend time with and be around. She was also focused, brief, yet kind in her conversations with us ... she never talked to much, tried to sell to much - she very clearly had the intention to help us find a house that we would be happy in (rather then just sell a house).

Because houses list for a lot lower then they sell for, and we were looking in a new area - we really needed Jen to guide us. I would text or call her with a listing and ask if it was within our budget - using her gained knowledge of the selling prices, Jen would advise us to look at it (if she thought it would sell within our budget) or skip it. 100% of the time she was correct.

Within two months we had found and purchased a house we are now living in. I am sitting in the house with my baby playing, my Mom knitting, my husband cooking, and my dog running around. This was the dream we had and Jen made that dream come true.

Not only do I highly recommend Jen Wolan - if I ever sell our amazing house, we will be working with her again.”

— Annie G. – Oakland

“Jen was an invaluable partner to me and my wife during our just-completed first home search in the East Bay.

During the search process, Jen's knowledge of local neighborhoods at the street-by-street level (especially in Berkeley) was second-to-none. She was a quick and patient study on the type of home we were looking for. She would instantly know whether a new home that came on the market was worth seeing based on our criteria.

Once we were under contract, Jen calmly navigated us through very stormy waters, including unprecedented challenges in the lending and closing process relating to COVID-19. Jen took no shortcuts on important decisions and approached things with an open mind (despite always having a thoughtful recommendation).

We appreciated Jen's sense of humor and optimism throughout, it made the whole process that much more fulfilling when we got across the finish line.

I highly recommend Jen if you're considering buying in or around Berkeley in the East Bay.”

— Brian K. – Berkeley

“We bought our house last November with Jen as our agent, and it was a great experience working with her! She was super friendly and always responded to our inquiries in a timely manner. She listened to our needs and preferences and made very useful recommendations, accordingly. Jen was also good at negotiating with the listing agent and we were able to get a beautiful house at a reasonable price. Thanks to Jen’s help, we now live in this nice house and are very happy our baby will be growing up here.”

— Dongxu and Lin – Albany

“I have worked with many realtors over the years. Jen stands out for the warmth of her personality, total concern for the client’s needs, energy, efficiency and organizational skills. She is intuitive, articulate and diplomatic in all her interactions with people.

Jen helped me in every aspect of buying and selling my property in Berkeley. She quickly understood my need for a more accessible home in a vibrant urban setting and within two weeks found the perfect property for me.

Although I was leaving for China the next day, she arranged for my daughter and me to see the home late that very afternoon. While I was gone, she brought my sister and son-in-law to see the property, arranged for inspections and skillfully edited a letter to the seller expressing my interest. On my return ten days later, we were able to prepare my successful bid in time to meet the deadline — a mere five days later.

To facilitate selling my property, Jen advised me on the necessary steps to prepare for the sale and arranged for minor repairs and paint touch ups. She had the apartment staged, held several open houses and successfully sold the apartment within 14 days and for 112% of the list price.”

— Mary – Berkeley

“We were delighted with our home purchase experience with Jen Wolan as our guide. Our process was a little more difficult since we are living in New York and had a small time frame in which to complete our inspections, paperwork, etc. Jen got us an excellent pre-offer home inspector and walked through the inspection with us. She quickly answered all of our questions and concerns and received responses from the homeowners about some of those concerns. She arranged for the sewer lateral inspection and the work that needed to be done to bring the sewer lateral up to code.

Signing all the paperwork at her office went smoothly and we became the proud owners of our new home on the west coast! Jen followed through after closing with a few more questions we had for the homeowners. Jen was extremely helpful, knowledgeable, professional, personable and a pleasure to work with. We highly recommend her to anyone interested in selling or purchasing property in the Bay Area!”

— Robert and Janet – Kensington

“Jen was recommended to me when I was buying a house for the first time, and I feel so lucky that our paths crossed. Jen is just a great partner throughout the process. To cover the basics, she was punctual to every showing and very responsive to texts, phone calls, emails and meeting deadlines. These are super important in a market like the Bay Area where decisions are made quickly. In addition to being reliable, Jen is a great sounding board. She's gave me as much time as I needed to ask questions on the process and the market, and shared her opinion on each of the homes we visited. I was grateful to have her discerning input as I navigated the market as a first-time home buyer. And when push comes to shove, Jen goes above and beyond. She was *low key* my emotional crutch during the negotiation and throughout parts of escrow. She even put me in touch with a contractor and hardwood floor specialist to help with the remodel once we closed. I highly recommend working with Jen. 10 out of 5 stars.”

— Jennifer W. – Brooklyn, NY

“Both my wife and I really can't recommend Jen enough. As first time buyers, she helped us through every step of the way with a level of patience and understanding that we really hadn't expected. In this insane Bay Area real estate market it took seven offers and seven months, but we finally ended up with the perfect house for us - and she never wavered in her on-demand support and advice through the whole lengthy ordeal and her savviness is ultimately what got our offer accepted.

She had a great way of balancing our expectations with reality without making us feel silly, stupid or unrealistic for having said expectations. And once we got into an what turned into an incredibly complicated escrow (because of the sellers situation), she really took charge of everything and worked pretty tirelessly to force everything to go smoothly, while coaching and educating us through everything that was going on.

Extremely knowledgeable about the areas and communities as well - every connection and person she has recommended to us (broker, inspectors, etc) have been nothing less than stellar.

In the end, we've been a little sad we don't have an excuse to call her everyday.”

— Nisan P. – Oakland

“Jen is such a gem. She was straightforward to communicate with (honest, thoughtful, good listener) and she helped me find a home in a great east bay neighborhood even though my price range was a few hundred thousand below average. She ended up leading me towards a fixer that I had overlooked and, with my first offer, she got me right where I dreamed of being. She was very patient and enthusiastic, teaching me to see what is important when searching for homes and keeping me focused while I went though the long process of making an offer/closing. Also- she led me towards many fair priced & talented contractors/haulers etc. I highly recommend Jen for her listening skills, enthusiasm, candid answers, and creativity. I definitely couldn't have done this without her.”

— Lauren M. – Oakland

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