Barbara Hendrickson

Joyfully Selling Real Estate in the East Bay for Over 40 Years

I am a different kind of Realtor (and I like it that way). On one hand, I combine classic Realtor professionalism: expert negotiating skills, clear and reliable communication, marketing magic, vast knowledge of the real estate market and its metrics and calm under pressure. On the other hand, I am an artist, bringing creative energy to your real estate experience. I use this combination to support and guide you in exploring the full spectrum of possibilities throughout the process of buying and selling a home or commercial property.

Real estate is — and has always been — my passion. From the moment that you and I begin our work together, it’s really all about you. I am committed to making your selling or buying experience as hassle- free and as much fun as possible. And I’ll be there for you well after the transaction closes.

 

Barbara Hendrickson's List Side Sold Properties

2029 Channing Way, #3C
Berkeley, CA 94704
2 Bed 1 Full Baths 812 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $808,000
closed
807 Delaware Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
2 Bed 1 Full Baths 1,007 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $650,000
closed
1436 Carleton Street
Berkeley, CA 94702
2 Bed 1 Full Baths 1,327 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,300,000
closed
850 Yuba Street
Richmond, CA 94805
3 Bed 1 Full Baths 1,080 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $543,000
closed
1119 Grizzly Peak Blvd
Berkeley, CA 94708
3 Bed 2 Full Baths 1,686 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,331,000
closed
1437 Oxford Street
Berkeley, CA 94709
Sold Price: $1,460,000
closed
1006 Peralta Avenue
Albany, CA 94706
3 Bed 1 Full + 1 Half Baths 1,331 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,300,000
closed
529 Village Drive
El Cerrito, CA 94530
3 Bed 2 Full Baths 1,820 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,300,000
closed
1218 Masonic Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94706
3 Bed 3 Full Baths 1,644 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,470,000
closed
1517 Beverly Pl
Albany, CA 94706
3 Bed 2 Full Baths 2,300 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,900,000
closed
525 Key Route Blvd
Albany, CA 94706
2 Bed 1 Full Baths 949 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $907,000
closed
802 Page
Berkeley, CA 94710
3 Bed 2 Full Baths 1,500 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,200,000
closed
804 Page Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
3 Bed 2 Full Baths 1,500 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,125,000
closed
808 Page Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
3 Bed 2 Full Baths 1,300 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,050,000
closed
806 Page street
Berkeley, CA 94710
3 Bed 2 Full Baths 1,300 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,075,000
closed
1605 Sonoma Avenue
Albany, CA 94706
5 Bed 4 Full + 2 Half Baths 2,723 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $2,000,000
closed
2737 Vallecito place
Oakland, CA 94606
2,080 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $953,000
closed
2104 Spaulding Ave
Berkeley, CA 94703
2 Bed 1 Full Baths 1,008 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $950,000
closed
1613 Sonoma Avenue
Albany, CA 94707
4 Bed 2 Full + 1 Half Baths 2,355 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $2,450,000
closed
9 North Hill Court
Oakland, CA 94618
4 Bed 3 Full + 1 Half Baths 3,102 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,785,000
closed
671 Colusa
Berkeley, CA 94707
3 Bed 2 Full + 1 Half Baths 2,005 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,350,000
closed
1248 S 58th
Richmond, CA 94804
3 Bed 1 Full Baths 1,159 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $650,000
closed
1099 60th St
Oakland, CA 94608
2 Bed 2 Full + 1 Half Baths 1,400 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $779,000
closed
1467 5th st
Berkeley, CA 94710
3 Bed 2 Full Baths 1,680 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,100,000
closed
1463 5th St
Berkeley, CA 94710
3 Bed 2 Full Baths 1,680 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,015,000
closed
957 Hilldale
Berkeley, CA 94708
2 Bed 1 Full + 1 Half Baths 1,620 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,025,000
closed
1461 5th st
Berkeley, CA 94710
3 Bed 2 Full Baths 1,680 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,049,000
closed
927 RAMONA AVE
Albany, CA 94706
2 Bed 1 Full Baths 1,308 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $845,000
closed
827 INDIAN ROCK AVE
Berkeley, CA 94707
4 Bed 2 Full + 1 Half Baths
Sold Price: $1,150,000
closed
2619 PARKER ST
Berkeley, CA 94704
3 Bed 2 Full + 1 Half Baths 1,874 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,035,000
closed
2 PANORAMIC WAY, #105
Berkeley, CA 94704
2 Bed 1 Full Baths 835 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $517,000
closed
3051 Dohr St.
Berkeley, CA 94702
5 Bed 3 Full Baths 1,146 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $933,000
closed
3051 Dohr Street
Berkeley, CA 94702
2,352 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $933,000
closed
45 MARGUERITA RD
Kensington, CA 94707
4 Bed 3 Full Baths 2,360 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,285,000
closed
1314 GRIZZLY PEAK BLVD
Berkeley, CA 94708
3 Bed 3 Full Baths 2,727 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,300,000
closed

Barbara Hendrickson's Buy Side Sold Properties

4101 Howe St, #103
Oakland, CA 94611
2 Bed 1 Full Baths 841 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $750,000
closed
3526 Glen Park Rd
Oakland, CA 94602
2,319 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,000,000
closed
3524 Glen Park Rd
Oakland, CA 94602
2,319 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,000,000
closed
4 Estates Rd
Kensington, CA 94707
3 Bed 2 Full Baths 1,898 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,726,000
closed
1912 California St
Berkeley, CA 94703
4 Bed 2 Full Baths 2,405 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,375,000
closed
1627 Posen Ave
Berkeley, CA 94707
2,625 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,660,000
closed
6363 Christie Ave, #721
Emeryville, CA 94608
1 Bed 1 Full Baths 634 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $530,000
closed
2923 Fulton St
Berkeley, CA 94705
3,206 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,655,000
closed
1047 Miller Ave
Berkeley, CA 94708
3 Bed 2 Full Baths 1,296 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,301,000
closed
800 SHATTUCK AVE
Berkeley, CA 94707
3 Bed 1 Full + 1 Half Baths 2,475 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,800,000
closed
8 GREENWOOD CMN
Berkeley, CA 94708
2 Bed 2 Full Baths 1,748 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,400,000
closed
CA
0.16 Acres
Sold Price: $332,000
closed
CA
0.15 Acres
Sold Price: $331,000
closed
O SHASTA ROAD
Berkeley, CA 94708
0.14 Acres
Sold Price: $332,000
closed
1235 JOSEPHINE ST
Berkeley, CA 94703
3 Bed 2 Full + 1 Half Baths 1,820 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,650,000
closed
2951 ASHBY AVE
Berkeley, CA 94705
4 Bed 3 Full Baths
Sold Price: $2,001,000
closed
2218 9TH ST
Berkeley, CA 94710
3 Bed 2 Full + 1 Half Baths 1,767 Sq. Ft.*
Sold Price: $1,050,000
closed

"I've known Barbara since 1990, when she helped me purchase my first home (a condominium). In 2001 she helped me sell my condominium for a ridiculous profit, assisted my husband in selling his North Berkeley childhood home, and helped the two of us purchase our beautiful South Berkeley house in which we currently live. I love Barbara, both professionally and personally. She is incredibly knowledgeable, extremely hard-working, and fun to spend time with. I don't think there is any other realtor who understands the Berkeley/Oakland real estate market better than Barbara. She is an astute negotiator who is familiar with all the nuances of buying and selling a house. When we purchased our current home, we were not the highest bidders at a time when overbidding was standard practice; Barbara's insight into the psychology of the seller, and her suggestion that we write a personal letter to the seller highlighting our particular circumstances, was the key to winning the bidding war, and we got a GREAT deal on our house. Barbara is tireless, endlessly enthusiastic, and clearly loves what she does. She is smart, funny, and extremely professional at the same time. If you are serious about buying or selling a home, there is no doubt in my mind that Barbara will make it happen for you. I would never use another realtor! <a href='/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.justsellmyhouse.com&amp;s=424e43cc3a9e1df37516f74c62a2ba42a9c4589b0fa82b0abc14149ee0c7f73a' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'>justsellmyhouse.com</a>"

Ellen F.

"When we needed to sell our first house, we thought we needed to interview at least three realtors, and we had already seen two that we liked. We liked the friendly Red Oak logo that we saw everywhere in our neighborhood, and so we explored their website and clicked on the list of agents.Barbara Hendrickson's name linked to her own web site 'justsellmyhouse.com'. What a joy! A bright, friendly site that spoke for itself with the right amount of very useful information without the need of any unnecessary hype! Hmm, we thought, that could at least be fun to explore further. I send her an e-mail, and received an answer within 15 minutes, apologizing that she is in a meeting and didn't answer earlier! OK, I thought, she is not beating around the bush, is she? So we met a few days later, and Barbara quietly walked around the house with a big smile on her face. It became quickly apparent that she understood our situation completely: why we had bought this house, what we liked about it, why we were selling it, and to whom the house might appeal to. Her enthusiasm was infectious from the beginning on, and over time we learnt to deeply appreciate the thoroughness of her preparation instructions, her wide-reaching network of inspectors, contractors, gardeners, painters, stagers, and colleagues, and lastly her skill in negotiations that quite frankly left us in awe! It was beautiful to watch the wheels of experience and care work together in such focused unison. And most of all: the entire process was fun from beginning to end. Barbara gently nudged us along when we were getting off-track, but knew to give us room when we needed it, and was always cheerful. She turned a dreaded, stress- filled endeavor into a fun, not-to-be-missed, and utterly rewarding experience. We feel thoroughly privileged to be her clients."

Bernhard S

"'You might not get the house you love, but I promise you will love the house you buy.' Having surveyed the East Bay housing market on our own, my wife and I wondered whether we could possibly find a home that fit all (or even most) of our needs. So when Barbara assured us early in the process that she would find us a home we would love, I was skeptical. That we were able to find our ideal home less than two months after we began looking is a testament to Barbara's ability to quickly grasp our preferences and translate them into a short list of potential options.Of course, Barbara's help went far beyond simply finding the right house. We were first time buyers with little knowledge of the housing market, but Barbara patiently walked us through the process of setting a realistic price range, evaluating the factors that add or subtract value from a property, thinking through the needs of our growing family, finding financing partners who could quickly and efficiently complete the underwriting process, and constructing bids that would appeal to sellers without promising more than we were comfortable giving. Our case is the perfect example of how critical it is to get an experienced agent on your side, and Barbara went above and beyond all of our expectations.Her professionalism and work ethic are unassailable. But we appreciated her charisma and humor even more. My wife and I were very lucky to have an agent that just clicked with our personalities and her name even became one of our son's first words (she will always be 'Bar-bar' to him now). Her number one goal is to make her clients happy and that intention really shows in her efforts.As the five star rating suggests, Barbara is as good as it gets. Anyone buying or selling a home in the East Bay would be lucky to have her as an agent (and friend, really)."

Philip D.

"My wife and I just moved to Berkeley and bought our first home with Barbara's sage assistance. Barbara was a joy to work with. Being from out of town, her guidance on the particularities of the east bay was invaluable. She has an amazing wealth of knowledge and contacts in the area. She was great at putting us in contact with various people to do inspections and advise about work needed at a particular house. But most of all, it was a real pleasure to hang out with Barbara during the many months of our home search. We whole heartedly recommend Barbara.Andrew"

Andrew W.

"I enjoyed working with Barbara because she is totally honest. She won't sugar coat things and she won't try to sell you just anything. She is always there for you, even after you make the purchase! She knows the markets and she knows the neighborhoods (and she has an amazing roster of inspectors and contractors at her fingertips.) We were probably the clients from hell for Barbara. We were out of town clients who knew nothing about the local market. We were indecisive, we insisted on working with our own finance team, and we pulled out of several deals. Barbara stuck with us through it all with infinite patience and finally found us the home we love. She was always upfront, never pushy, and she really listened to us. Buying a home is a huge financial and emotional decision and it's important to find someone you feel good about working with. Barbara was that person for us."

Mrs. Bis B.

"Barbara Hendrickson at Red Oak Realty is a great real estate agent. She was recommended to my wife and I by a couple that we hold as the gold standard of business savvy so we had high expectations. We got what we expected. Barbara is energetic, focused, and detail oriented. She is direct to a fault. She is long established in the area and her experience shows in how quickly she can help you find the property and come up with the winning offer. I know for a fact we would not have won our bid if we were submitting it with somebody else. The huge amount of paperwork was efficiently handled by Barbara and her office - no last minute craziness, no funny business.In retrospect I realized she frequently knew what we wanted better than we did. We've been in this house, our first, for two years now. It's been great."

Igor P.

"If you want to sell your house, work with Barbara Hendrickson. She was amazing, and we ended up selling our home (in El Cerrito) for quite a bit more than we had anticipated. Barbara is generous, creative, and straightforward; she'll tell it like it is, but always in the service of the task at hand, which is getting you the best price for your home (I assume she's the same way if you're on the purchasing end, too). For us, every suggestion that she had about how to go about selling our house was right on the money. We were working with a very small staging and prep budget, and Barbara worked with us to ensure that our house presented as well as it possibly could. She told us what needed to happen, and what we could do without -- and she was right about everything. We loved working with her. We really appreciated how direct she was with us about every step of this process, and how responsible (and patient) she was about helping us understand each thing as it happened. We couldn't have imagined a better realtor, or a better experience in selling our house. Thanks Barbara!"

Ari K.

"My husband and I just sold our North Berkeley home with the very capable help of Barbara Hendrickson. I don't think I can say enough wonderful things about her or our entire experience with Barbara. Never before have I ever met anyone so dedicated to her job and so enthusiastic about real estate. From the moment we sat down with Barbara we could tell that she was fired up and ready to get started. I remember Barbara saying in our first meeting, 'I live and breathe real estate'. Well, I can certainly vouch for the veracity of that statement! This is an extremely knowledgeable experienced woman who fully understands the ins and outs of the real estate business. The sale of our house involved a lot of prep work - painting, repairs, cleaning, inspections, staging, etc. I felt overwhelmed with the list of things to do, especially as I was in the process of moving into a new home. I could not have made it through those chaotic weeks without Barbara. She knew what needed to be done to put the house on the market and she worked tirelessly to get everything accomplished. Though we may have very different aesthetic styles, Barbara knows what improvements make a house marketable. So while I nitpicked and complained about the furnishings chosen by the stagers, Barbara calmly assured me that I had to focus on the overall big picture. As it turns out, her vision was spot on.My husband and I had an idea of how much we should reasonably expect to get for the sale of our home. We also had a 'dream price' that we hoped we could get in the best of circumstances. Four days after the open house, we were simply stunned to receive four offers that exceeded our expectations. We are certain that we would never have gotten such great offers without Barbara's help. From day one she truly believed we could get our dream price and she made sure it happened.But here's what I appreciated the most. Throughout the whole time I worked with Barbara, she always made me feel like I was her absolute top priority. No matter what time of day I called or emailed her, I almost always received an immediate response. If I needed something done she was on the task right away. From hiring someone to fix the fence to getting junk removed from our garage, Barbara took on everything I was too busy to handle myself. She really eased so many of the burdens that I faced as a seller and she always had a way of calming me down when I was stressed. Best of all, through the process of selling our home my husband and I formed a friendship with a very special person who now feels like part of the family. We couldn't have asked for a better experience or a better realtor. If you're selling your home, you will be beyond fortunate to have Barbara on your side!"

Mary G.

"SEE UPDATE 5/2015 BELOW!!!!!!!Barbara Hendrickson made buying a first home fun and easy. In Berkeley, no less, which is a very big deal. When we found Barbara, she immediately directed us to a great mortgage broker for qualification who qualified us quickly and with minimal fuss or attitude (unlike another super-popular brokerage we had first tried to use but that was too busy to return calls or answer questions). She helped educate us about all the factors involved in the purchase of a home. She knows a metric ton about the market, the competitive buyers' landscape in our area, architectural styles, inspections, and the delicate art of presenting the offer and negotiating the price. She is patient and wise, and understands that buying a home is a process, not a series of events. She really worked hard on our behalf.We got the FIRST house we bid on (in Berkeley, no less!). Even though there were five other offers AND ours was close-but-not-quite-the-highest, she managed to woo the listing agent (and therefore the sellers) just enough that we were able to make up the difference and win the house. She really knows what she is doing and she's THAT good. After our offer was accepted, she followed through by helping us get all the inspections done quickly and with the loveliest gang of inspectors a person could hope for. Not only does she know a ton about real estate and our area, she knows seemingly everyone who lives here. She referred us to a terrific gent for the general inspection, a great and affordable structural engineer (!), and myriad other inspection professionals who helped us get a completely clear picture of our home's condition before we agreed on the final price and sealed the deal. Her list of contacts is a mile long and a two miles deep, and it's full of hundreds of super-qualified people you will actually LIKE working with.As you can imagine, I as a buyer had some freak-out moments. I wasn't sure about buying on a busier street. I wasn't sure our sellers would adjust the price. I wondered at night whether the foundation really was ok (all of the folks we paid to see it said 'yes, it's dang good'). Barbara answered every frantic text, email, and phone call promptly and with the requisite information and reassurance that just steered us through the process with facts AND finesse.I loved working with Barbara and would leap at the opportunity to work with her in the future."

Elizabeth B.

"I have worked with Barbara for over 15 years and she has represented me as buyer and sellers agent in both my personal, multifamily and commercial purchases. She has always exceeded my expectations. She has solved many problems for me and takes each project on as if it were her own. I trust her judgment and expertise 100%. Barbara is a dedicated real estate professional and I feel very lucky to have found her. I would highly recommend her for any and all real estate transactions."

David C.

"Barbara is a great asset in buying or selling a home (I've done both). The thing I adore about here is that she's great at finding the best things to entice buyers whether you're selling a starter home or a manse in the Berkeley hills. Her professionalism, expertise and healthy dose of patience during my selling process was super. She had access to people in my price range who could help get the necessary work completed, as well as sage advice in preparing the house was surely a significant factor in why our house sold when others nearby languished. As a first time seller, I could only imagine the challenges that I would have faced, and it was great to have an ally in the process.When I was buying she was equally good as we went through the inevitable back &amp; forth. I'm a pretty sage buyer as I work with construction, and Barbara adds a great level of knowledge about the market - what else is out there and how my potential house fit in the spectrum, to help me make decisions about my offer.What impressed me the most was her willingness to keep lines of communication always humming along. Her responsiveness to calls, emails and requests, large and small-even in the midst of her son's wedding(!)- demonstrates to me the sign of a true professional.She loves what she does and it shows. If you're looking for a realtor I think she's worth your time for a chat."

Jennifer e.

"We should probably just go ahead and adopt Barbara. She has been the real estate agent for our family on so many transactions that we've lost count. She sold our first house and then twenty years later she sold our second house. She sold my mother-law's house, after her death, on behalf of our family. She sold our godparent's house for their estate. Recently she sold two very complicated mixed use commercial properties for us. She sold Virginia's sister's house in Berkeley which she found her ten years earlier. She has always been honest, energetic, and meticulous in her work with us, and she has always gotten us solid sales with qualified buyers for lots of money.Come to think of it, we may just have Barbara adopt us. If you're looking for a sale, no foolin', call Barbara. If you want help in finding a home, call Barbara. She gets the job done, she's smart and a delight to work with, and she paints beautiful paintings. How can you beat that? Al &amp; Virginia SilbowitzOut of town SellersBerkeley"

Al S.

"We were so lucky to have met Barbara during one of her open houses. We're even more lucky that she has chosen such a great partner in crime ( Kim Markison! ). We were first time home buyers. We reached out to Barbara 2 days before we had to put our first offer in. Keep in mind, we weren't pre-approved or and had not talked to Barbara about representing us at this point. In just 1 day, Barbara connected us to a great loan officer, got us pre-approved and wrote our offer letter!We could not have done any of this without her continuous support, especially during those late night email exchanges and phone calls. This process has been pretty stress free for us and we know that is only because we knew we had Barbara behind us. I can go on and on about how great she is. Bottom line, Barbara knows what she is doing and will help you navigate any housing market with ease."

Felicia T.

"Barbara, thank you for the tremendous effort you put forth to sell my home on Anson Way in Kensington. It was obvious that you are a true professional and are very well connected with people who are valuable when it comes to selling a property. The flow of events from our initial meeting to the final document signings was well orchestrated and easy for the seller. The people you referred for tasks such as handyman services, lawn and garden care, inspections and staging were all very professional and performed their jobs promptly and skillfully. I would recommend you and Red Oak to any person thinking of selling their home. You and your support staff at Red Oak will do the job and get the very best price for the property.Thank you for all of your efforts and I wish you much good luck in your future endeavors."

Bob D.

"Barbara helped us purchase our first home, which just closed escrow. We were first time homebuyers in a terribly difficult market (Berkeley) and we found Barbara to be an expert in that market. She was always available to us and she clearly had our family's best interests in mind. More than anything else, I appreciated Barbara's frank style and no-nonsense approach. She was quick to tell us if we were pursuing a property that would be out of our range and equally quick to implore us to get away from a crappy flip. When we got to negotiations, she's as good as they come. I recommend Barbara without reservations. She helped us find a great home for our family in a market that we were worried we'd be priced out of. She is communicative, an expert at what she does, and, most importantly, she truly cares about her clients and always holds their best interests at heart."

Phil M.

"Almost twenty years ago Barbara helped me buy the house which she helped me sell this March. In 1997 I may have been the last person to buy a house for asking price ($360,000). In 2014 with Barbara's superb stager, fine tuning and subtle but direct negotiation skills, the sale price was 30% above asking. There was a little bit of luck, the market was good, the timing excellent, but it was mainly Barbara's due diligence and understanding that made the sale so successful. She has a wonderful network; repairmen, stagers, mortgage brokers, assistants who follow up on the endless paperwork involved in buying and selling. Her attention to detail and her care turns the professional relationship into a friendship.For most importantly, Barbara inspires trust--and deserves it. With that element in place, real estate dealings become a pleasure rather than a source of stress. Since selling my house in Berkeley I have bought an apartment in New York City, where my agent was a friend of Barbara's.....And this summer, I will be working with Barbara once again to sell a rental apartment overlooking the SF Bay and the UC football stadium. Instead of dreading the process, I can look forward to it."

Annie-May D.

"We're not so young anymore (85) and we needed guidance and some comforting as we set about selling our house. Our son in Colorado actually had Bay Area real estate agents apply for this assignment. Barbara's application was so impressive that it foreshadowed the efficiency and grace Barbara displayed as she subsequently sold our house in Kensington. Barbara did a superb job, in every way. She worked with dispatch-and the team she set up for the task, Nurture Source Designs for the house preparation and staging, and all the other folk who got involved, were quick, efficient, considerate of our budget. Courtney Cohan, who helped with the various contracts and other paperwork was splendid, too. But all of this complex undertaking was orchestrated by Barbara-who would return calls instantly, and who was an unfailing source of practical and effective advice. We sold the house quickly, well over asking price. The presentation of competitive bids, six or seven of them in rapid succession, was a fast-moving drama directed with skill and efficiency-- around Barbara's living room table. When the agents had finished, Barbara gave the advice we had requested of her logically, and with the sort of understanding of both buyers and sellers which was characteristic of all her dealings.. Barbara surely must have spent far more time on us than a strict business calculation would have required. In consequence, the sale of our house went without any hitch at all. What more could one ask. And as the best reward of all, we have really acquired a new friend-with whom I've walked the Richmond waterfront, with whom my wife has gone to the theater, with whom we've visited at each other's' houses and shared meals. And I think it's not at all irrelevant to point out that Barbara is a skilled and committed painter. The generous, free-ranging, intuitive spirit that infuses her work as a painter can't help but reflect the honest, generous, insightful, competent manner in which she lives a rich life as an exceptional realtor and an artist. PFN PFN August 24, 2014"

Florian N.

"Barbara Hendrickson and Rudy Gonzales just sold our Albany home for the highest price of any home ever sold in Albany!Barbara is a superb, experienced, savvy, highly skilled real estate agent. They are very good listeners who understood our challenges and laughed at our jokes. They are a wonderful team. As Barbara says ' Two Heads are Better Than One'.Over 25 years ago Barbara helped us buy our first house in Albany, which was then a 2-bedroom bungalow. The real estate market at that time was extremely hot, and we faced a very difficult competitive situation for buyers. Facing multiple offers, Barbara helped us come in with the right price, and her negotiating skills helped us put in the winning offer--not an easy task! Like many Albany families, we added on to our our house to accommodate our family, and after our children left, it was time to downsize. Naturally we chose Barbara again to sell our house last year, because we felt her connections, marketing abilities, and negotiating skills would help us secure the highest price. Barbara and her partner, Rudy Gonzales, worked closely, tirelessly and patiently with us over many months helping us prepare our house for sale. She and Rudy provided us with resources for every aspect of the job putting our now 4-bedroom, 2 1/2 bath charming, vintage craftsman home house with a century old Coastal Oak in the back yard, to obtain the best price. They arranged inspections and referred us to contractors and other professionals to do needed work at excellent prices. Barbara and Rudy helped us choose the best time to put our home on the market to hit it at its absolute peak. With a new roof, minor repairs, interior painting, exterior shingle staining, floor refinishing and refreshing of the garden to give it that smashing 'curb appeal', our home sold in two weeks with 7 offers.It was Barbara and Rudy's negotiating skills that brought us the unexpected extra at the end when they asked two highest buyers--and their offers were unbelievably high to begin with-- to bring their very, very best offers, and they did once again. In the end we had to choose between two serious, well qualified and heartfelt buyers, which we did and that's how we got to have the house that sold for the highest price on record ever in Albany ! Thank you Barbara and Rudy."

Louise B.

"Barbara Hendrickson from Red Oak Realty was our agent for selling my father's house on Peralta Ave in Albany after he passed away. We had interviewed several agents from other firms but chose Barbara because she had a great track record, an extensive understanding of what buyers wanted in the local market, a well-developed network, and was able to communicate to us a clear vision of how best to market the property.Because my co-trustee and I both lived out of town, we had considered the possibility of selling the house as is. Barbara convinced us that some strategic remodeling would be worthwhile. She was masterful in marshalling the necessary contacts and resources and keeping us appropriately involved as necessary and informed throughout. When all the work was done the house looked great!In a little over two months, the house was on the market. Two weeks later, we had five good offers, and we closed escrow 15 days after that, at substantially above the asking price. Barbara got it all done in 91 days! We put a lot of trust in Barbara and it paid off. The return on the remodel investment was superb, and we had a fast sale in a market that was starting to soften. Barbara is a great agent, fun to work with, and we highly recommend her! Special thanks are also due to her wonderful colleague, Rebecca Nemeth, who contributed to this success."

Dana W.

"Barbara is amazing and I cannot recommend her highly enough. After my mom moved to assisted living, I needed help to sell her view home in the Berkeley hills, while minimizing the burden on me to come across the Bay (I live in SF). Barbara project managed the whole thing -- she hired and worked with all the contractors and inspectors to paint and prep the home for sale, coordinated access issues with my estate sellers/haulers, hired a great stager, ran a couple of intense weeks of very well-attended open houses, and in the end helped negotiate a great price from a robust pool of offers. Best of all, I love that Barbara was sensitive and sympathetic to our situation -- minimizing the burden on me, while helping my mom to comfortably say farewell to her home of over 30 years... no small task! I couldn't be more grateful for all her hard work -- kudos also go to Rebecca Nemeth, another Red Oak realtor, who assisted with the disclosures and digital document maze. Love you both!"

Matt L.

"Barbara helped us 13 years ago to get into our house in Albany by providing spot on advice about the local conditions and tactics necessary to have our offer accepted. This past month, she helped us with a super complicated set of transactions that involved selling our Albany house and under tremendous pressure, getting our offer accepted in Berkeley in a super competitive market. She stayed calm and rational throughout while we felt tremendous stress. She is a pro with a lot of experience. She keeps the hours of an obstetrician and has the skills of a psychiatrist."

T A.

" Many know Barbara Hendrickson (Realtor) as a top producing listing agent, representing sellers. We, on the other hand, had the luxury of working with her on the buying side of our transaction.

As clients, we were very peculiar about the specific location and style of the house that we wanted. For 6 months, we worked closely with Barbara and finally purchased the Berkeley house that we absolutely love. Our buying experience was intense and nerve-racking at times. However, Barbara kept us calm and on track though the whole process. This clearly demonstrates that Barbara is not just an amazing realtor; she makes dreams come true.

Barbara's immense knowledge of the local Berkeley market and 33 years of real estate experience proved to be invaluable in helping us identifying and closing the deal. Plus, this was not a usual straightforward 30-day escrow - We spent four months negotiating, and re-negotiating with the seller. Barbara masterfully helped us navigate through the entire process with skills, patience, professionalism and a work ethic that few can match. Whenever we asked, Barbara usually responded within minutes, even late at night! When it came to time for actions, Barbara's speed, efficiency and diligence were simply top-notch! With only a couple of days for inspection contingency, Barbara mobilized her network of professionals within hours to look thoroughly at the property and consequently she negotiated more seller credits than we were hoping to get!

Having worked with numerous real estate agents over the past 10+ years, we know that Barbara Hendrickson has the level of experience that we can always count on. In fact, the best compliment actually came from the seller's agent after we bought the house - you are so fortunate to have the best real estate agent in Berkeley working with you. Thank you, Barbara!

Regards,
Thomas & Kathy"

Thomas & Kathy - Sellers, Berkeley

" We should probably just go ahead and adopt Barbara. She has been the real estate agent for our family on so many transactions that we've lost count. She sold our first house and then twenty years later she sold our second house. She sold my mother-law's house, after her death, on behalf of our family. She sold our godparent's house for their estate. Recently she sold two very complicated mixed use commercial properties for us. She sold Virginia's sister's house in Berkeley which she found her ten years earlier. She has always been honest, energetic, and meticulous in her work with us, and she has always gotten us solid sales with qualified buyers for lots of money.

Come to think of it, we may just have Barbara adopt us. If you're looking for a sale, no foolin', call Barbara. If you want help in finding a home, call Barbara. She gets the job done, she's smart and a delight to work with, and she paints beautiful paintings. How can you beat that?"

The Silbowitzs - Out-of-Town Sellers - Berkeley

" Barbara Hendrickson represented us when we bought our first house, and we were so pleased that we hired her to sell the house as well. As first-time buyers, we benefited from Barbara's extensive knowledge of the local market. Her expertise landed us the first home that we bid for - while our friends were repeatedly bidding on homes and losing out to other buyers.

As first-time sellers, we were even more grateful for Barbara's experience, integrity, and professionalism. Despite an increasingly soft housing market, we sold our house after only two weeks, while other houses on our street remained unsold for months. Barbara's judgment was excellent regarding which improvements and repairs needed to be made and which should simply be disclosed. And she saved us money with her list of contacts that provided quality work at a reasonable price. Barbara went beyond the call of duty. She agonized with us over paint colors, attended meetings with the landscaper, and supervised the preparation of the house after we left town. We highly recommend Barbara. Particularly in the extremely challenging Bay Area housing market, you need the help of a professional of her experience and caliber!"

The Lockes - Buyers and Out-of-Town Sellers - Kensington

" It was a real pleasure to have you represent with the selling of my parents' home. It was nice of you to take on the challenge and issues with a probate sale and being so forth right in our endeavor.

Your expertise in staging was done in very good taste. Your paintings were bright, cheerful and colorful. This was our learning experience in dealing with real estate sales in this era (of bidding and as is) and it went so smoothly. It was an absolute pleasurable transition for all of us. Thanks for your patience and frequent updating calls. We felt you handled everything in a very professional way. We were very pleased.

We would not hesitate to recommend or ask for your services again. Thank you for keeping me calm where there was a time of my anxiety and frustration. You handled it with such patience, calmness and I commend you for your professionalism.

And in closing, I'm sure it was because of your in teaching and directing us and your personal contacts that the home was sold."

Terry and Susan - Sellers, Oakland

" Barbara helped us 13 years ago to get into our house in Albany by providing spot on advice about the local conditions and tactics necessary to have our offer accepted. This past month, she helped us with a super complicated set of transactions that involved selling our Albany house and under tremendous pressure, getting our offer accepted in Berkeley in a super competitive market. She stayed calm and rational throughout while we felt tremendous stress. She is a pro with a lot of experience. She keeps the hours of an obstetrician and has the skills of a psychiatrist."

T. A. Seller in Albany, buyer in Berkeley

" More than 25 years ago, Barbara helped my former wife and I acquire our first house in Berkeley. Last year she helped us sell that house in connection with our divorce and helped me buy a house, as well.

Barbara is smart, hardworking, patient, and well prepared. The house she helped us buy in 1984 was a great success. Barbara's work in helping us sell it in 2009, in a down market, was even more impressive. Barbara worked very closely with use in getting the house ready for sale. She had multiple expert resources available to perform every needed element of repair, replacement, painting, cleaning and staging. All did an outstanding job at reasonable prices. By the time we were done, the house was essentially in flawless condition. She gave us canny pricing advice that reflected a lot of input from fellow realtors. As a consequence of her strategy, we received multiple offers about 7% above asking price within a week after we put the house on the market. Barbara then successfully negotiated an additional premium from the high bidder. I believe that the result, in terms of price and ease of transaction was the best possible in that market.

Barbara as also terrific in helping me find a house. My own sense of my requirements and budget was quite loose at the start. Barbara patiently took me to a lot of houses that weren't right but allowed me to develop a much more sophisticated sense of what I wanted and what I was willing to pay. After much searching, we found a house in a great neighborhood in Rockridge-Temescal that had the right number of rooms in the right configuration and had been languishing on the market. Barbara was very helpful in figuring out the issues that had prevented the house from selling. She then helped me devise a bidding strategy that ended up getting the house for some $40,000 below the already reduce asking price with no competing bids. About three months ago I ran into the realtor who has been on the other side of the transaction - a very experienced and respected figure in Oakland realty. He remembered the deal ruefully, describing the transaction as the last true bargain in Rockridge.

So that is Barbara. Knowledgeable, connected, and hard working with great bargaining skills. If you are selling, she will maximize the price. If you are buying, she'll make you a smarter shopper and a better bargainer. I recommend her highly."

Steve Bundy - Seller and Buyer - Claremont Court, Berkeley

" Barbara Hendrickson is a very smart, professional Realtor. She sold our home on Oakvale Avenue in the Claremont in a very short time frame at a price well beyond our expectations, $2,550,000. Achieving that price was the result of her carefully crafted marketing strategy and her close attention to detail during every step of the sale.

When we told Barbara we wanted to sell the house, she selected the date for the Open House based on factors we had not considered. We met with her and discussed all the information that she had gathered which helped us choose the right listing price.

Barbara worked on the sale of our house every day. We really felt supported by her. She was always on it and provided thorough answers right away to any question. She negotiated with the stager about scale, style and color throughout the house while we were busy packing up 32 years of stuff in 2 weeks.

Her marketing was consistently superb. Our home was shown by many agents and our Open Houses were very well attended.

Barbara represented us in a few other transactions including a large commercial building that we owned in Oakland where she brought us seven offers from both commercial and residential agents and made us $200,000 over asking, but that is another story.

Her skill at reading people and situations came into play throughout the process. We are so grateful for her years of experience and her creativity. She really worked for us and had our interests at heart. She has great negotiating skills, is funny and is really enjoyable to work with. This is the reason she is the top realtor at Red Oak. We have referred Barbara to many friends and family and all of them have had a great experience."

Sheila and Toby - Sellers - Berkeley

" Barbara Hendrickson and Rudy Gonzales just sold our Albany home for the highest price of any home ever sold in Albany!

Barbara is a superb, experienced, savvy, highly skilled real estate agent. They are very good listeners who understood our challenges and laughed at our jokes. They are a wonderful team. As Barbara says Two Heads are Better Than One.

Over 25 years ago Barbara helped us buy our first house in Albany, which was then a 2-bedroom bungalow. The real estate market at that time was extremely hot, and we faced a very difficult competitive situation for buyers. Facing multiple offers, Barbara helped us come in with the right price, and her negotiating skills helped us put in the winning offer--not an easy task!

Like many Albany families, we added on to our our house to accommodate our family, and after our children left, it was time to downsize. Naturally we chose Barbara again to sell our house last year, because we felt her connections, marketing abilities, and negotiating skills would help us secure the highest price. Barbara and her partner, Rudy Gonzales, worked closely, tirelessly and patiently with us over many months helping us prepare our house for sale. She and Rudy provided us with resources for every aspect of the job putting our now 4-bedroom, 2 1/2 bath charming, vintage craftsman home house with a century old Coastal Oak in the back yard, to obtain the best price. They arranged inspections and referred us to contractors and other professionals to do needed work at excellent prices.

Barbara and Rudy helped us choose the best time to put our home on the market to hit it at its absolute peak. With a new roof, minor repairs, interior painting, exterior shingle staining, floor refinishing and refreshing of the garden to give it that smashing curb appeal, our home sold in two weeks with 7 offers.

It was Barbara and Rudy's negotiating skills that brought us the unexpected extra at the end when they asked two highest buyers--and their offers were unbelievably high to begin with-- to bring their very, very best offers, and they did once again. In the end we had to choose between two serious, well qualified and heartfelt buyers, which we did and that's how we got to have the house that sold for the highest price on record ever in Albany ! Thank you Barbara and Rudy."

Sellers: Louise and Ted Burton - 7/19/2017

" We love Barbara! To give some context, we had a very negative experience with the agent with whom we worked when we purchased our condo, so we were stalling and procrastinating when it came to selling it. Thankfully, we found Barbara. What a difference! She went above and beyond in getting our unit ready to sell (and in record time). Our condo sold quickly and above asking. It was one of the best decisions we made and we would absolutely hire her again. The entire process was painless and when we are ready to buy again, we will call Barbara and her associate, Kim, immediately."

Seller, Stacy in Oakland

" Barbara, thank you for the tremendous effort you put forth to sell my home on Anson Way in Kensington. It was obvious that you are a true professional and are very well connected with people who are valuable when it comes to selling a property. The flow of events from our initial meeting to the final document signings was well orchestrated and easy for the seller. The people you referred for tasks such as handyman services, lawn and garden care, inspections and staging were all very professional and performed their jobs promptly and skillfully.
I would recommend you and Red Oak to any person thinking of selling their home. You and your support staff at Red Oak will do the job and get the very best price for the property.
Thank you for all of your efforts and I wish you much good luck in your future endeavors."

Seller, Bob, Kensington

" Barbara did everything you would want a realtor to do. She found a place that fit our needs. She gave great advice about how to navigate the process. She negotiated a great deal with integrity and skill. She helped us win the bidding war and own a great home. We could not have been happier with Barbara and we recommend her without reservation."

Rory, Buyer in Berkeley

" This letter is to thank you for the tremendous effort you put forth to sell my home on Anson Way in Kensington. It was obvious that you are a true professional and are very well connected with people who are valuable when it comes to selling a property. The flow of events from our initial meeting to the final document signings was well orchestrated and easy for the seller. The people you referred for tasks such as handyman services, lawn and garden care, inspections and staging were all very professional and performed their jobs promptly and skillfully.
I would recommend you and Red Oak to any person thinking of selling their home. You and your support staff at Red Oak will do the job and get the very best price for the property.
Thank you for all of your efforts and I wish you much good luck in your future endeavors.
 "

Roger Dipko

" Barbara Hendrickson is a wonderful realtor and I am writing to sing her praises. In choosing someone to steer you through such an important and complicated transaction as selling one's home, one should ideally rely upon a person of high ethical standards, deep real estate experience, street smarts, fierce work ethic, flexibility, and overall good judgment. It also helps - no, it is essential - that one genuinely likes one's realtor, for there are lows as well as highs in this (as in any) relation, and it is good to have a core of goodwill and friendship at the center of it all. All of these conditions are especially important when one sells one's home from a distance - as we did, selling our home in North Oakland while living in Portland, Oregon.

Barbara deserves the score superlative in all of these categories. She is patient when she needs to be - I believe it was at least four years between the time we first made contact with Barbara and when we finally decided to put our house on the market; fast and efficient when the time comes - namely, closing the deal; extremely competent; experienced with and knowledgeable about the neighborhood of our home; and, above all, easy to trust and a pleasure to work with. When she kicked into high gear and was in frequent contact with us, sometimes several times a day, she was no less pleasant than when there was little pressure and no time constraints. She got things done! But It was always in the most professional and friendly manner.

One final point -- and this regards her abilities as a pro. Barbara is expert in the crucial domain of setting the price. It is an extremely important factor in successful real estate transactions, for the seller obviously wants a good price, but simultaneously does not want the property to languish on the market, making it increasingly difficult to sell. Barbara is truly skilled in this area, and probably explains why she is such a successful realtor. In our case, we are happy with the sale price of our home, and yet Barbara managed to get it within just three weeks of its listing - in this market! (And we know that the buyers are pleased, as well.) I am glad we listened to Barbara's advice. And I am sure we listened because we had come to appreciate deeply her friendship and professionalism.

Thank you, Barbara!"

Rick Spielman and Valerie Otani - Out-of-Town Sellers, Oakland

" Having surveyed the East Bay housing market on our own, my wife and I wondered whether we could possibly find a home that fit all (or even most) of our needs. So when Barbara assured us early in the process that she would find us a home we would love, I was skeptical. That we were able to find our ideal home less than two months after we began looking is a testament to Barbara's ability to quickly grasp our preferences and translate them into a short list of potential options.

Of course, Barbara's help went far beyond simply finding the right house. We were first time buyers with little knowledge of the housing market, but Barbara patiently walked us through the process of setting a realistic price range, evaluating the factors that add or subtract value from a property, thinking through the needs of our growing family, finding financing partners who could quickly and efficiently complete the underwriting process, and constructing bids that would appeal to sellers without promising more than we were comfortable giving. Our case is the perfect example of how critical it is to get an experienced agent on your side, and Barbara went above and beyond all of our expectations.

Her professionalism and work ethic are unassailable. But we appreciated her charisma and humor even more. My wife and I were very lucky to have an agent that just clicked with our personalities and her name even became one of our son's first words (she will always be Bar-bar to him now). Her number one goal is to make her clients happy and that intention really shows in her efforts.

As the five star rating suggests, Barbara is as good as it gets. Anyone buying or selling a home in the East Bay would be lucky to have her as an agent (and friend, really)."

Philip and Hong - Buyers, Albany

" Barbara helped us purchase our first home, which just closed escrow. We were first time homebuyers in a terribly difficult market (Berkeley) and we found Barbara to be an expert in that market. She was always available to us and she clearly had our family's best interests in mind.

More than anything else, I appreciated Barbara's frank style and no-nonsense approach. She was quick to tell us if we were pursuing a property that would be out of our range and equally quick to implore us to get away from a crappy flip. When we got to negotiations, she's as good as they come.

I recommend Barbara without reservations. She helped us find a great home for our family in a market that we were worried we'd be priced out of. She is communicative, an expert at what she does, and, most importantly, she truly cares about her clients and always holds their best interests at heart."

Phil, Buyer in Berkeley

" I recently had the amazing good fortune to work with Barbara for the sale of my father's home in Berkeley. My father had recently passed away and the actual process of selling his home, while it made sense, was emotionally wrenching to me. Barbara became my rock to lean on. She honored the difficulty I was having letting go by giving me space to be trying and she bolstered me with chocolate when I was low. Her focus on the end goal saw me thru to a fantastic result; we got way over the asking price. Barbara's negotiating skills were key to juggling the multiple offers to extract this gem of offer. The property presented a unique challenge as it had been a single family back in the '40's, was converted to a duplex for many years and the new buyers intend to reconnect it back to one home to suit their needs. Barbara oversaw more than a few days of hair-raising back and forth as the buyer' sought to assure themselves of the legal requirements to make this change. I could totally absent myself from this stressful process knowing she was taking care of it, superbly. In the end, the buyers are happy and I am at peace with the sale knowing they will love the house. On top of that we wildly exceeded our financial expectations. I could not have gotten to this blissful state without the experienced guidance and at times, mothering administration from Barbara. I can't recommend her services enough."

Paula S.

" Barbara has been a wonderful agent to work with. She's aggressive, scrappy, honest, and hard working. When we were assessing agents, she outshined other agents by being highly responsive, suggesting listings to us, calling up other agents to share the inside scoop on houses - all before we had even agreed to work with her. In her mind, we were already her customer, even if we hadn't committed yet. That kind of perseverance helped win us over. She's also a hoot to work with!

She pretty quickly got a sense of what would work for us. She probably saved us loads of time by rejecting houses that she knew we wouldn't like - too noisy, too close to neighbors, too small, etc. She knows her stuff, and was right. She's been in the biz for maybe 30 years, and the experience shows.

The first house we bid on, we lost. Quite honestly, we thought she was out to lunch when she told us the price range that she thought would win the house. We bid lower. There were 18+ offers, it went for $150K over asking price, and she was pretty much right on the money for what she predicted. In hindsight, I'm glad we didn't get it, especially at the winning price. Even though we lost, it was a good learning experience. Something else that really impressed us during that lost bid: she called up and emailed many local agents who were under contract for houses that were pending but not closed. She managed to squeeze the contract price out of them so we could build a good base for price comp analysis. Only by asking her network of other agents for a favor could we have gotten this pricing info. Redfin, eat your heart out! In this crazy sellers' market of early 2013, I think this kind of insider-relationship edge is what will help people get into the market. I'm positive we couldn't have bought this house without Barbara.

When it came to the house we ultimately won, her personal relationship was critical to us having the winning bid. We had fallen in love with the house, but unfortunately could not bid due to a family emergency at the time. She happened to be longtime acquaintances with the seller agent. Lucky for us, the house fell out of escrow, and the agent chose to call Barbara first. That relationship probably gave us the edge that helped us win the house uncontested. The actual transaction was completed with us and her business associate, Kimberley Markison. Kim took us through the process of the offer, negotiation, and close. Together they made a great team for us!"

Paul H

" We chose Barbara Hendrickson of Red Oak Realty to sell our three unit house in North Oakland recently. She showed up to our first meeting well prepared, with local comps, and lots of ideas of how we should go about marketing our property. I immediately liked her communication style, very straightforward, businesslike, creative, and also fun to talk to!

Selling rental property takes more expertise than the regular single family home or condo sale, and I was concerned that we find the right realtor for the job. After interviewing various realtors we had no hesitation in hiring Barbara, as she immediately inspired confidence and made us feel at ease with the process.

As it turned out there were some complications with the sale of our property due to unforeseen disclosure issues which came up during the inspection process. Barbara reassured us that issues like these were quite common, and that the sale may just take longer than anticipated. She remained calm and just went along with her job in a positive and professional manner.

I am sure that our sale took up much more of her time than she had originally anticipated, and dealing with multiple showings of tenant occupied property adds further challenges. As it turned out our tenants were very comfortable dealing with Barbara, and there were no issues that we had to deal with.

We were sure glad to have had Barbara on our side when it came time for the final negotiation of the sale, and would have no hesitation in recommending her to our friends."

Patrick, seller of a triplex in Oakland

" Barbara did a great job with negotiating a fair price on a 1921 craftsman bungalow in Central Berkeley. She's excellent at keeping in touch with updates during the search process and arranging for any necessary inspections. Post-sale, she'll also recommend contractors/vendors for any work or services you might need to do (though I would suggest vetting them independently, like you would any recommendation). All in all, I'm satisfied with our home and the relatively painless process by which she helped us acquire it."

Omar L

" In the wake of the recent sale of our 3 bedroom family home in North Berkeley, I'd like to share my experience of working with our realtor Barbara Hendrickson. This was the first time that my wife and I attempted to sell a home. Despite our reservations concerning the state of the housing market that we were entering into, we scheduled an initial meeting with Barbara after reviewing her impressive website, justsellmyhouse.com.

Once Barbara starting talking with us, it didn't take long before we were won over by her candor, positive energy and direct approach. We emerged from that first conversation with a clear understanding of what we would be facing and feeling like we were in capable hands and that we would be guided through a process fraught with many variables by an expert in her field who has achieved a remarkable track record of success and longevity and most importantly, who wasn't afraid to tell us what we needed to hear rather than what we wanted to hear.

Throughout the different stages of selling our home, Barbara was always patient and extremely responsive to our many questions. In the middle of a very turbulent real estate market, we sold our home quickly and were delighted with the purchase price.

Simply put - there is no substitute for the life experience that Barbara brings to her realtor-client relationship. Smart and self-assured, she possesses the kind of real confidence that can only come from a career spent closing hundreds of home sales.

I can't recommend Barbara enough as a realtor who has truly seen it all, knows how to convert her experience into efficiency and will keep her (and your) eyes firmly focused on the prize."

Nathan Friedkin - Seller, Berkeley

" ...a wonderful real estate agent. Thank you for your professionalism in assisting me with selling my home in Albany. You listened to my concerns and provided efficient and effective service. To my amazement and delight, my home was sold in seven days - WOW! I feel that I have found a professional and dedicated real estate agent. If ever I need your services in the future I will not hesitate to contact you. I highly recommend Barbara to family and friends. Keep up the good work.

Thanks again,"

ML Cooksey - Seller, Albany

" My wife and I were looking to buy our first home in the East Bay but we didn't want to go it alone... Barbara's name came up.

We were told that in addition to being very experienced she was a tough, no-nonsense business person. Barbara drove us all over the East Bay to view what seemed like dozens of open house showings in our price range. She stayed patient with us and was full of suggestions for selecting the right home. She is so well-connected that we never had to do any searching on our own for inspectors, electricians, plumbers, contractors, etc. As first time buyers, Barbara saved us from making costly mistakes."

Mikee - Buyer and Seller, Kensington

" I was looking around our beautiful home the other day and realized its been 16 joyous years since we moved into our abode thanks to Barbara H. She was fearless in getting us this place and so professional in her dealing with us. We are still friends with her to this day and she's currently advising me about another property. Great lady."

Michael, Buyer in Berkeley

" My husband and I just sold our North Berkeley home with the very capable help of Barbara Hendrickson. I don't think I can say enough wonderful things about her or our entire experience with Barbara. Never before have I ever met anyone so dedicated to her job and so enthusiastic about real estate. From the moment we sat down with Barbara we could tell that she was fired up and ready to get started. I remember Barbara saying in our first meeting, I live and breathe real estate. Well, I can certainly vouch for the veracity of that statement! This is an extremely
knowledgeable experienced woman who fully understands the ins and outs of the real estate business.

The sale of our house involved a lot of prep work - painting, repairs, cleaning, inspections, staging, etc. I felt overwhelmed with the list of things to do, especially as I was in the process of moving into a new home. I could not have made it through those chaotic weeks without Barbara. She knew what needed to be done to put the house on the market and she worked
tirelessly to get everything accomplished. Though we may have very different aesthetic styles, Barbara knows what improvements make a house marketable. So while I nitpicked and complained about the furnishings chosen by the stagers, Barbara calmly assured me that I had to focus on the overall big picture. As it turns out, her vision was spot on.

My husband and I had an idea of how much we should reasonably expect to get for the sale of our home. We also had a dream price that we hoped we could get in the best of circumstances. Four days after the open house, we were simply stunned to receive four offers that exceeded our expectations. We are certain that we would never have gotten such great offers without Barbara's help. From day one she truly believed we could get our dream price and she made sure it happened.

But here's what I appreciated the most. Throughout the whole time I worked with Barbara, she always made me feel like I was her absolute top priority. No matter what time of day I called or emailed her, I almost always received an immediate response. If I needed something done she was on the task right away. From hiring someone to fix the fence to getting junk removed from our garage, Barbara took on everything I was too busy to handle myself. She really eased so many of the burdens that I faced as a seller and she always had a way of calming me down when I was stressed.

Best of all, through the process of selling our home my husband and I formed a friendship with a very special person who now feels like part of the family. We couldn't have asked for a better experience or a better realtor. If you're selling your home, you will be beyond fortunate to have Barbara on your side!"

Mary G. - Seller, Berkeley

" I have only the highest praise and affection for Barbara. After my mother passed away last year, I was faced with the overwhelming task of having to sell our Berkeley family home. I hadn't seen Barbara for years (she had been my 5th grade teacher!) and to reconnect with her was a wonderful surprise. I very quickly found myself in very capable hands and was impressed with Barbara's 'vision' of what to do with the house. She had tremendous confidence and so many great ideas, that I felt completely comfortable with her decisions. She walked me through everything that needed to be done, always checking my comfort level for each decision, and I was delighted with the final staging of the house. It was more beautiful than I could have imagined in my wildest dreams and I like to think that it would have had my mother's blessing too.

People thought we were crazy to be selling a house right now, but once again, Barbara knew what she was doing and picked a fair price. When it was time to hear all the offers, I was shocked to hear the offers coming in over the listed price. Again, Barbara had described exactly how the process would work, and I felt safe with my decisions.

I whole-heartedly recommend Barbara as a real estate agent, knowing that it is in her personality and work ethic to treat all of her clients with the same loving, personal attention that I received."

Mary Bower - Out-of-Town Seller and Probate - Berkeley

" I want to thank you and your team at Red Oak Realty for your terrific work on our behalf in selling our home in the Thousand Oaks neighborhood. Your services exceeded our expectations in every respect, and we are always pleased with the final outcome.

From the day we retained you as our agent, I could rely on you to be on top of every aspect of our sale effort, from preparing the house for the market to completing all the paperwork, and on through to negotiation the terms of the sale. You willingly dealt with all aspects of this effort - landscaping, window washing, staging, dealing with the city - and made the whole process as easy as it could be.

You were very thorough and professional in your approach, but also fun to work with. You kept in touch at every point and kept me informed at every turn. Throughout, you told me what I needed to know, about the strengths and weaknesses of our house and about market conditions, and provided sound advice.

I especially appreciated the high quality and attention to detail in your marketing efforts. The open houses were well-managed and well-staged, and the marketing and sales materials were all well done. I could see that the house was getting the kind of full exposure to the market that I wanted when we started this process.

Ultimately, it was your many years of experience in the local market and your extensive connections in the local network of agents that helped us find our buyer and close our sale. You followed up with an agent who had not seem our house, encouraged her to take a close look at the house, and convinced her to show it to her client. You then worked with that agent to find terms and a structure that worked for both the buyer and for us.

In the end, we got just what you promised us at the start: good advice, great service and a fair price."

Mark - Seller, Thousand Oaks, Berkeley

" Barbara did an outstanding job.

I selected Barbara to represent us as the listing agent on a house that we had owned for just over a year in Berkeley. I was quite concerned that the market would not treat us kindly and that we might have to hold it for an extended period. We did not live in California which made understanding the local market a challenge.

Barbara accessed my needs and selling criteria and proposed a sales plan to accomplish the desired results. The plan included upgrading some items in the home, painting, yard work, cleaning, staging, and open houses under an aggressive time schedule. She coordinated the entire project, including the bids. On each item, including the sales price, she would call with options and I would ask her for her professional recommendation which I went with 90+ percent of the time.

Barbara has a real desire for fairness. There was never any doubt in my mind that she represented our interest. She is an extremely hard worker and does exactly what is needed when is comes to getting things done.

The end result was that we sold the home rapidly with multiple offers, at a fair price in a tough market and the buyers got a great, upgraded, sparkling home."

Lanny - Out-of-State Seller, Berkeley

" We have known Barbara Hendrickson for over seven years, after initially meeting with her to consider selling a previous home. We ended up selling that home through a private sale, so did not use realtor services. However I called upon her several times for consultations during the last seven years and she just so generously and freely gave whatever advice she could, which was always helpful and proved her resourcefulness and expertise.

We decided to buy a home in Berkeley toward the beginning of 2012, just as home sales decidedly and permanently completed their shift into a sellers' market, inventory was low, and so were interest rates so many buyers competing for same houses. Unfortunate timing on our part, but Barbara proved to be a tireless advocate on our behalf. We put in seven good offers over the course of the last 18 months, and were finally rewarded with a great house find in our budget range. Barbara always wisely counseled us to bid the max that we were comfortable with both in terms of if we got the house, or in the case that we didn't get the house we would not have regrets about not having bid more. So the homes that we offered on went to other deserving folks because it was their time, or they had all cash, and what can you do about that? The only two times we ever did feel some regret were when good homes came along that were available to us exclusively but beyond our financial comfort zone and they got away. In retrospect, it is, again, a wise realtor who does not encourage her clients to spend beyond their means, and later might get into trouble or have buyers' remorse.

Barbara, and her assistant, Kim Markison, a realtor herself, helped us navigate the complicated process of inspecting a potential home, getting estimates and input from many different contractors, inspectors, the city permit office, etc, and finally negotiating a contract wherein we felt we got a good deal. Barbara's resourcefulness, local connections & insider knowledge, and experience came into positive play many times. She and Kim never lost patience or energy, even when we did, and looked at probably over a hundred homes on our behalf--it's very helpful to have someone else look at homes, and rule it out for you so that you don't have to spend your Sunday afternoons looking at houses unless they're worth it. She recommended to us a great mortgage broker, who negotiated the perfect terms for us, and she also provided a few other names so that we could comparison-shop.

We highly recommend Barbara, and Barbara and Kim as a team, and are delighted to end up finishing such a long business relationship/transaction as friends."

Kristina Kessel

" I am so happy in my new home! It has been such a wonderful and positive experience to work with you on this project. The idea of selling my special Berkeley home where I have lived for the past 30 years, and buying a smaller replacement property that I would like as well and feel just as comfortable in seemed almost impossible to me when I first called you last summer, but you provided the support and professional expertise every step of the way. Getting my house ready to sell with all the help you provided actually turned out to be a fun project and not the chore I was dreading. It was a quick and profitable sale.

I was very pleased to find out that you were just as good at buying houses as you are at selling them. You were so patient showing me house after house and encouraging me to keep looking when I thought I would never find that special new place. I'm sure I would not be in this wonderful new home with its beautiful garden today without your professional magic. I am very grateful and I want you to know how much I appreciate all you have done. Thank you!"

Kathy - Seller and Buyer, Berkeley

" Having bought near the peak of the market and needing to sell in 2012 due to a relocation, I looked upon putting my El Cerrito house on the market with fear and dread. Barbara understood where I was coming from and took the time to explain (patiently) her suggestions for how to maximize the home's potential, balancing my need to sell quickly with my desire to minimize my financial loss as much as possible. Knowing that I had to balance these considerations, Barbara left every decision regarding painting, staging, cleaning and landscaping up to me, even if it meant scrimping on the budget she had to work with to ready the house for sale.

Not only was Barbara patient and understanding towards me, she was also working with a corporate relocation company that was overseeing my move. In what can charitably be described as difficult circumstances, Barbara navigated the red tape and paperwork required by the relocation company and shielded me from having to deal with most of the behind-the-scenes logistics. Even though it technically was not her job to manage certain aspects of that process, she knew that I was busy planning a cross-country move while keeping up with a demanding work schedule, so she took it upon herself to ensure that she handled as much of the legwork as possible.

In the end, Barbara's hard work resulted in the home entering contract in less than two weeks for significantly over the asking price, in fact for the highest price in the neighborhood for a home of its size. While I still lost money on the sale, the loss was 50% less than I thought it might be, and having the house sell so quickly was a big weight off my mind as I moved across the country. If you are looking to sell in this difficult, or any other market -- call Barbara!!! She will get you the best price as quickly as possible. And you will enjoy working with her. I certainly did!"

Joan, El Cerrito

" We are very pleased with Barbara Hendrickson and the great job she did selling our house in Kensington. She not only negotiated a great price for us, but made the transaction painless....she managed the entire transaction from pre-listing to close while we were living in Colorado. Moreover, the sale had some additional complexity as it was part of a 1031 tax-deferred exchange, and was an old house with some need of repairs. A lot could have gone wrong, but did not, since Barbara was on top of all the details.

We also found her to be very responsive, and she always followed up and provided clear explanations. And she was fun to deal with!!

If we were ever to do a property transaction in her area, or if my friends were to do so, we would contact Barbara first. We are thrilled with the results and the process."

Jim and Michelle Van Meter - Sellers/1031 Exchange, Kensington

" Barbara is a great asset in buying or selling a home (I've done both). The thing I adore about here is that she's great at finding the best things to entice buyers whether you're selling a starter home or a manse in the Berkeley hills. Her professionalism, expertise and healthy dose of patience during my selling process was super. She had access to people in my price range who could help get the necessary work completed, as well as sage advice in preparing the house was surely a significant factor in why our house sold when others nearby languished. As a first time seller, I could only imagine the challenges that I would have faced, and it was great to have an ally in the process.

When I was buying she was equally good as we went through the inevitable back & forth. I'm a pretty sage buyer as I work with construction, and Barbara adds a great level of knowledge about the market - what else is out there and how my potential house fit in the spectrum, to help me make decisions about my offer.

What impressed me the most was her willingness to keep lines of communication always humming along. Her responsiveness to calls, emails and requests, large and small-even in the midst of her son's wedding(!)- demonstrates to me the sign of a true professional.

She loves what she does and it shows. If you're looking for a realtor I think she's worth your time for a chat."

Jennifer E

" What impressed me the most was your willingness to keep our lines of communication always humming along. Your responsiveness to calls, emails and requests, large and small-even in the midst of your son's wedding(!)- demonstrates to me the sign of a true professional.
I look forward to recommending you to anyone I know buying or selling a home."

Jennifer - Seller and Buyer, Oakland

" My wife and I have worked with Barbara twice for buying and selling. When we first met her in 2008, we had already found the house we wanted and she made the process as painless as possible, including recommending a mortgage broker who was also superb to work with. Then, in 2015 when we were ready to sell that same home, we reached out to her, of course. We ended up moving across the country before the whole deal was done, and she took care of us like family; making sure we had all the info we needed to take offers while we drove across the country! We felt taken care of and knew because of her kick-ass negotiation skills, that we would get an incredible price for our home and we did! I would hands down recommend her to anyone."

Janis A., Seller in Emeryville

" Almost a year ago, I was reluctantly preparing to take on the duty of executor for our best friend's estate--mainly his house --when a couple of native Berkeleyan friends recommended I call Barbara Hendrickson. She is pro-active and persistent, they said, but also sensitive and kind.

I soon had my own words to describe Barbara's style: effective, reliable, thorough and fun! Minutes after my first call, Barbara called back and we went for a first look at the property, an old Victorian beauty with good bones that had missed years of maintenance and TLC. Barbara pointed out both the encouraging and the challenging items and immediately took charge. She made herself a spare key and arranged for a team of experienced realtors to come take a look and offer comments and recommendations.

Barbara then prepared a detailed report, outlining the various marketing options and related strategies and the order in which we might approach them. As the executor, I wanted to work closely with both the beneficiary and the attorney for the estate, so as to eventually reach a consensus decision. Barbara gracefully and appropriately kept all three of us informed.

Although Barbara had agreed to supervise basic restoration such as sanding, painting, repair and more, and had actually collected estimates for such work, we eventually decided to first go on the market strictly as is. Barbara hired the cleaners, gardeners, window washers, and took care of the repair work required by law. She marketed the house with honesty as regarded the many warts, but also with enthusiasm for its charm and value.

We had 20 plus offers, plenty of opportunity to choose the best fit for our situation: an all-cash, no contingencies offer that closed in 3 business days. Given the current market, the difficulties to secure loans and the particularly needy state of the property, we all felt we got a very good deal.

Throughout the process, Barbara was patient in answering my many questions; she also was graceful in nudging me back to task through the frustrating delays. I feel lucky to have enjoyed Barbara's ability to produce solid results coupled with her very personal approach to business.

You guessed it, I recommend Barbara without reservations."

Giovanna Brennan - Seller-Probate, Berkeley

" I can't believe that six months ago, I didn't know Barbara Hendrickson from Amelia Earhart. She was recommended by my attorney, for which I owe that lady a great deal. It took only half those months for Barbara to go from hired agent to professional associate and pleasant acquaintance to valued colleague in a joint venture and finally to a special niche as a newfound friend.

And along the way, of course, she sold my house-quickly, professionally, skillfully-guiding me through the tangled rain forest of esoteric requirements and dismally tedious details that seem inevitably to go with the process, and making it seem easy. All of which she did without ever condescending to my ignorance or showing the slightest impatience with my occasional incomprehension. A wry sense of humor, an impatience with stupidity and an astonishing attention to detail all made it that much more pleasant.

In my own field I am a professional, and I think respected as such. And as such, few things give me more pleasure than to watch at work a thoroughgoing professional in another field. That was much of the pleasure of watching Barbara at the intricate and often tedious job of selling my house. She is a pro all the way-and a pro is just want I wanted, and what I would think any seller would want."

Gene Marine - Seller, Berkeley

" Thank you so much for helping us in the sale of our home in Oakland. We couldn't have chosen a more difficult time to put our home on the market; yet throughout the process your guidance, expertise and experience helped us make the right choices and ultimately enabled us to close on our home during a very difficult economic climate. Your years of experience in the Bay Area real estate market made a significant difference and allowed us to make a number of strategic decisions that certainly paid off for us. If we had more houses to sell we would certainly use Barbara!"

Gary Ginstling - Buyer and Seller, Oakland

" We were so lucky to have met Barbara during one of her open houses. We're even more lucky that she has chosen such a great partner in crime ( Kim Markison! ).

We were first time home buyers. We reached out to Barbara 2 days before we had to put our first offer in. Keep in mind, we weren't pre-approved or and had not talked to Barbara about representing us at this point. In just 1 day, Barbara connected us to a great loan officer, got us pre-approved and wrote our offer letter!

We could not have done any of this without her continuous support, especially during those late night email exchanges and phone calls. This process has been pretty stress free for us and we know that is only because we knew we had Barbara behind us.

I can go on and on about how great she is. Bottom line, Barbara knows what she is doing and will help you navigate any housing market with ease."

Felicia T.

" We decided to switch agents mid-search and came across the dream team of Barbara and Kim via Yelp. Barbara is incredibly knowledgeable and has a resource/connection for everything. We bid on two homes with her and won the 2nd in a very competitive bidding scenario! I appreciated Barbara's no-nonsense approach and her ability to tell us exactly what we needed to do to win our house. She made our first home purchase almost painless and we would highly recommend her."

Elizabeth, Buyer in Berkeley

" Barbara made buying a first home fun and easy. In Berkeley, no less, which is a very big deal. When we found Barbara, she immediately directed us to a great mortgage broker for qualification who qualified us quickly and with minimal fuss or attitude (unlike another super-popular brokerage we had first tried to use but that was too busy to return calls or answer questions). She helped educate us about all the factors involved in the purchase of a home. She knows a metric ton about the market, the competitive buyers' landscape in our area, architectural styles, inspections, and the delicate art of presenting the offer and negotiating the price. She is patient and wise, and understands that buying a home is a process, not a series of events. She really worked hard on our behalf.

We got the FIRST house we bid on (in Berkeley, no less!). Even though there were five other offers AND ours was close-but-not-quite-the-highest, she managed to woo the listing agent (and therefore the sellers) just enough that we were able to make up the difference and win the house. She really knows what she is doing and she's THAT good.

After our offer was accepted, she followed through by helping us get all the inspections done quickly and with the loveliest gang of inspectors a person could hope for. Not only does she know a ton about real estate and our area, she knows seemingly everyone who lives here. She referred us to a terrific gent for the general inspection, a great and affordable structural engineer (!), and myriad other inspection professionals who helped us get a completely clear picture of our home's condition before we agreed on the final price and sealed the deal. Her list of contacts is a mile long and a two miles deep, and it's full of hundreds of super-qualified people you will actually LIKE working with.

As you can imagine, as a buyer, I had some freak-out moments. I wasn't sure about buying on a busier street. I wasn't sure our sellers would adjust the price. I wondered at night whether the foundation really was OK (all of the folks we paid to see it said yes, it's dang good). Barbara answered every frantic text, email, and phone call promptly and with the requisite information and reassurance that just steered us through the process with facts AND finesse.

I loved working with Barbara and would leap at the opportunity to work with her in the future."

Elizabeth - Buyer

" I just sold the house that I grew up in but had not lived in for many years. Being a first-time seller in a crazy market, Barbara was like my own personal Sherpa-guide through the process. She had improvement suggestions and the crew to do it. Staging, marketing, contacts - she had it all. She guided me through all the paperwork and answered all my calls and e-mails. Reassuring me the whole way. My mantra was Don't panic, Barbara's on it. The house sold for more than the asking price and in only one day - amazing!!!"

Dorene - Seller

" I have worked with Barbara for over 15 years and she has represented me as buyer and sellers agent in both my personal, multifamily and commercial purchases. She has always exceeded my expectations. She has solved many problems for me and takes each project on as if it were her own. I trust her judgment and expertise 100%. Barbara is a dedicated real estate professional and I feel very lucky to have found her. I would highly recommend her for any and all real estate transactions."

Dave C. - Buyer & Seller since 1996

" We began seriously looking for a house last winter. Several months of roller-coaster emotions later, we found a wonderful house that Barbara showed to us on a grey, rainy morning ...she made sure that ours became the official back-up offer when the second buyer backed out, and then several weeks later, when we truly got lucky--the accepted offer bailed at the very last minute and our offer finally was accepted--she made sure that we got the house for less than our original offer.

Luck and Barbara--that's all you need to buy a house..."

Caroline and Raja - Buyers

" Barbara is a wise, no-nonsense, energetic, caring agent. I have worked with her many times and consider it a privilege. Her obvious respect for her clients and knowledge of the realty world is refreshing."

Bill L

" When we needed to sell our first house, we thought we needed to interview at least three realtors, and we had already seen two that we liked. We liked the friendly Red Oak logo that we saw everywhere in our neighborhood, and so we explored their website and clicked on the list of agents.

Barbara Hendrickson's name linked to her own web site justsellmyhouse.com. What a joy! A bright, friendly site that spoke for itself with the right amount of very useful information without the need of any unnecessary hype! Hmm, we thought, that could at least be fun to explore further. I send her an e-mail, and received an answer within 15 minutes, apologizing that she is in a meeting and didn't answer earlier! OK, I thought, she is not beating around the bush, is she? So we met a few days later, and Barbara quietly walked around the house with a big smile on her face.

It became quickly apparent that she understood our situation completely: why we had bought this house, what we liked about it, why we were selling it, and to whom the house might appeal to. Her enthusiasm was infectious from the beginning on, and over time we learnt to deeply appreciate the thoroughness of her preparation instructions, her wide-reaching network of inspectors, contractors, gardeners, painters, stagers, and colleagues, and lastly her skill in negotiations that quite frankly left us in awe!

It was beautiful to watch the wheels of experience and care work together in such focused unison. And most of all: the entire process was fun from beginning to end. Barbara gently nudged us along when we were getting off-track, but knew to give us room when we needed it, and was always cheerful.

She turned a dreaded, stress- filled endeavor into a fun, not-to-be-missed, and utterly rewarding experience. We feel thoroughly privileged to be her clients."

Bernhard Schmidt and Karen Schwelm (Sellers)

" If you want to sell your house, work with Barbara Hendrickson. She was amazing, and we ended up selling our home (in El Cerrito) for quite a bit more than we had anticipated. Barbara is generous, creative, and straightforward; she'll tell it like it is, but always in the service of the task at hand, which is getting you the best price for your home (I assume she's the same way if you're on the purchasing end, too).

For us, every suggestion that she had about how to go about selling our house was right on the money. We were working with a very small staging and prep budget, and Barbara worked with us to ensure that our house presented as well as it possibly could. She told us what needed to happen, and what we could do without -- and she was right about everything.

We loved working with her. We really appreciated how direct she was with us about every step of this process, and how responsible (and patient) she was about helping us understand each thing as it happened.

We couldn't have imagined a better realtor, or a better experience in selling our house. Thanks Barbara!"

Ari & Eva

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Based on information from bridgeMLS, Bay East Association of REALTORS® and Contra Costa Association of REALTORS® as of March 28, 2024 07:44 AM. All data, including all measurements and calculations of area, is obtained from various sources and has not been, and will not be, verified by broker or MLS. All information should be independently reviewed and verified for accuracy. Properties may or may not be listed by the office/agent presenting the information.

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