Joan Underwood

Joan Underwood

Joan is known throughout the area as a Realtor who gets the job done with care and expertise. Her 38 years of professional experience give her a big edge over her competition. Great trust and high integrity are always at the heart of her business relationships. Sellers love her marketing strategy and personal service. Buyers know that her knowledge will lead them to a successful purchase.

Recognized as the undisputed specialist in Richmond Annex for 29 years, Joan sells widely in El Cerrito, Albany, Kensington, Berkeley and Richmond.

When Joan has some free time, she can be found reading, cooking, or gardening with her dog Tessa and her cat, Buki.

"We just moved to El Cerrito from San Francisco. A friend recommended Joan because she knows the area inside and out. I loved the way she gathered our feedback on each home she showed us, and continuously helped us tailor our search accordingly.In the end, though, what turned out to be even more helpful than her superb knowledge of the area, (which was extremely important), was how she handled the purchase after our offer was accepted. The house looked great, but ended up needing a lot of systems work that couldn't be seen just by looking. She calmly (and we needed calming) helped us negotiate with the sellers and held our hands through the deal (and beyond!) with terrific patience.One thing she said really stuck with me. 'I help people find houses they will be in for the next 20 years.' I can say with absolute certainty that she truly cares about her clients and am thrilled to have had her help us find our long-term home."

Eva J.

"We have sold one house and bought another with Joan. I can't imagine recommending anyone else. She is as professional and trustworthy as they get. She's got experience, and it shows. She found houses that had just barely come onto the market, and she really knew how to find the ones that would be perfect for us. She found us a short sale in Richmond Heights that is truly our 'forever' house. Due to the seller's incompetent bank, the short sale process took a painfully long time (no fault of Joan's). She was persistent, responsive, and reassuring through the whole process. If you're looking for houses in the Richmond or El Cerrito area, look no further for your agent!"

Wesley S.

"She kept looking for homes after I'd given up, was very flexible about visits, and fought for us when it counted. While so many other home-seekers were having the rugs pulled out from under them by heartless investment firms, somehow we got a new, fantastic home."

Hudi B.

"This review is long overdue!! Joan helped my husband and I buy our first home last year and I can't say enough great things about her. She was thorough in her research for comparables and anything else we needed, to allow us to place competitive bids but also not overpay for something that ultimately wouldn't appraise. She was proactive but not pushy. She was candid and patient. She was also very good at advocating for us and being firm with the selling agent when needed during the closing process. If I could give her 10 stars, I would. She's amazing!"

JR Kaz K.

"Joan is, hands-down, the best real estate agent anyone could have. She is extremely experienced and knows the market inside out. She also reads people and their wants and needs with incredible and accurate perception. She wastes no time in matching buyers to appropriate homes and sellers to appropriate buyers. I have used her services twice now for purchases. She knows everything about every process and the flow of transactions goes so smoothly. We are so pleased and lucky to have her as our real estate agent and we recommend her 1000%!"

Betsy and Craig Parada

"Joan was awesome! We started out very green, not really knowing what we wanted, what we could afford, or what was available. Joan showed us dozens of houses over several months. After a few failed offers we finally landed a dream home, she walked us through the whole process and was very professional. She definitely knows homes very well. Thanks Joan!"

Bryan M. (Source)

"Joan Underwood did a wonderful job helping my husband and me sell our house.  She made excellent suggestions about what we should do to prepare the house for sale, and she was right every time.  She was patient and helpful in taking us through the necessary paperwork.  Because of Joan's work, experience, and expertise, we feel we got a great price for the house."

Judith D.

"Joan is a wonderful realtor! She did a great job in marketing our house and helped us obtain multiple offers above our asking price. She helped us the entire way through the process from clearing the house out to the inspections. She was very patient in answering our many questions and we felt very comfortable with her. I highly recommend Joan Underwood!"

Jocelyn T. (Source)

"Joan's vast real estate experience in the East bay market made us feel comfortable from beginning to the end of the selling process.  Every step of the way, she was there for us through selling our Mother's house.  She put her experience to work, overcoming difficult obstacles along the way, avoiding pit falls less experienced realtors would have fallen into.  She knows what it takes to get top dollar for a house, and how to get it with excellent presentation and marketing strategies.  I would highly recommend Joan Underwood to anyone!"

Jonathan E. (Source)

"Joan Underwood knows the Richmond Annex.  She lives there and knew our property even before we met her for the first time.  Her guidance and vision from the start set a great course for updating the bathroom, flooring, appliances, lighting, paint and minor repairs.  We were able to spend a few weeks cleaning out personal items before the updates began.  She made great referrals for contractors for all phases of the work and kept us all on schedule to insure we could be on the market by July 1st.  She set the sales price where she felt the buyers would be attracted to our house and it sold well over the asking price.  Thank you Joan.  We could not have done it with out you."

David W. (Source)

"Joan has lived in the El Cerrito/Richmond area and worked as a realtor for 30 years. She knows her stuff, and she knows it well. If you are buying in the East Bay, especially from northern Oakland and up, you would be extremely lucky to find a realtor that serves you as well. For purchases in the El Cerrito/Richmond area, I have a feeling that her high level of expertise is unmatched. We completed the purchase of short sale with Joan in the Richmond Annex. Given the complexities involved, we were very happy to have Joan on board. Given that this was our first home purchase, we were doubly happy because she has seen it all. Her advice and instincts are spot on. Not only did we find a great deal, we found a wonderful first home. Joan is new to yelp. I found her because the real estate firm where she works also has excellent reviews. I am confident that this will be the first of many 5-star reviews to follow."

(Source)

"We just moved to El Cerrito from San Francisco.  A friend recommended Joan because she knows the area inside and out.  I loved the way she gathered our feedback on each home she showed us, and continuously helped us tailor our search accordingly.

In the end, though, what turned out to be even more helpful than her superb knowledge of the area, (which was extremely important), was how she handled the purchase after our offer was accepted.  The house looked great, but ended up needing a lot of systems work that couldn't be seen just by looking.  She calmly (and we needed calming) helped us negotiate with the sellers and held our hands through the deal (and beyond!) with terrific patience.

One thing she said really stuck with me.  "I help people find houses they will be in for the next 20 years."  I can say with absolute certainty that she truly cares about her clients and am thrilled to have had her help us find our long-term home."

Eva J. (Source)

"We have sold one house and bought another with Joan.  I can't imagine recommending anyone else.  She is as professional and trustworthy as they get.  She's got experience, and it shows.  She found houses that had just barely come onto the market, and she really knew how to find the ones that would be perfect for us.  

She found us a short sale in Richmond Heights that is truly our "forever" house.  Due to the seller's incompetent bank, the short sale process took a painfully long time (no fault of Joan's).  She was persistent, responsive, and reassuring through the whole process.  If you're looking for houses in the Richmond or El Cerrito area, look no further for your agent!"

Wesley S. (Source)

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