Emeryville Real Estate

Why choose Emeryville?

Most of my clients that I have in the past always ask about if there are available homes for sale in Emeryville. They ask for it because of the affordable prices and because it is not so crowded like the other cities of the San Francisco Bay area. There are other nice reasons why Emeryville is one of the most in demand places to stay in. Emeryville has become one of the most in demand in the real estate business because of it is not so crowded as well as the beautiful sceneries and quick access to nearby large cities in the San Francisco Bay area.

With a lot of wonderful places to go in Emeryville, you won’t have to worry about the transportation. If you don’t have a ride yet you can still go around the city by different options available. You can either ride the AmTrak service or choose the AC Transit bus service. For areas that can’t be passed by the AmTrak and the bus service, a free shuttle service provided by the city will cater the needs of other commuters. This free shuttle service is called the Emery Go Around. If you want to buy home furniture in your Emeryville home, there are a lot of home furniture stores in the area. The largest of these furniture stores is the IKEA which also is one of the largest employers in the whole Emeryville. The city is famous for its natural tourist spots as well as some famous landmarks. You can visit the Emeryville City Hall as well as its famous protected area, the Emeryville mudflats.

These mudflats made Emeryville look bad because of its stench. The reason behind this stench is the unprocessed sewage coming from the meat factories which get rid of their waste into the mudflats without processing it. The stench was gone when the city build a sewage plant which processed the waste materials and sewage coming the meat-packing. Today the Emeryville mudflats are areas to watch the sunset, walk the dog and jogging and just walking beside the body of water. Since the stench was gone, this has become the home of rich natural fauna. This later became the reason in making it a United States Protected Area. Safety while in the city because the city has significantly the lowest crime rate in the San Francisco Bay area. You need not worry on the safety of your family and your property when staying in your dream Emeryville home.

With these reasons in mind, it is truly a practical choice to purchase an Emeryville real estate. Before purchasing however, you need to have a reliable realtor to help you on your purchase. Having a realtor like me offers so many privileges and for sure you’ll appreciate the benefits of having a realtor. IF however you are still unsure whether or not it is good to ask the help of a realtor, then I’ll gladly explain to you the importance of contacting a realtor like me.

Why use a realtor?

Buying a home is an amazing experience, providing you with a boatload of financial and personal benefits such as pride of ownership, building equity, no more ‘slumlords’ and of course, the tax benefits. What you’ll also find is that you’ll also develop a greater sense of community, taking an interest in what happens in your neighborhood. And if you decide you’d like to update your kitchen with shiny new appliances and a granite counter-top, you only have to answer to your bank account or significant other. (Well, you actually have to get permits through the city, but that’s beside the point!)

Of course, I don’t have to convince you of these benefits. Since you’re here, you’re already thinking of purchasing a home.

Purchasing real estate can be fraught with issues

Buying a home is wonderful. However, the real estate transaction process can be frustrating and time consuming, where mistakes and missed deadlines are costly.

Some of the common issues include:

1. Unclear of lifestyle needs. E.g. Not buying enough house when you’re planning to have kids in a year or two. Or assuming the commute to work will be fine. Another example is buy in the hills, but realizing you want to be closer to stores and hate the isolation. You may also not have considered school districts. It’s unfortunate to purchase a home, only to discover you’ll have to make costly or unacceptable compromises.
2. Hiring unqualified inspectors (or not at all) to do home inspections. You want to know EVERYTHING wrong with the house up front, so you can renegotiate the price or prioritize renovations and upgrades.
3. Unable to make a competitive offer. Too much, and you’ll overpay. Too low, and your offer won’t get accepted. You may also not put in the right contingencies to protect yourself.
4. Using a lender that doesn’t have good rates and great customer service, or doesn’t understand the local transaction process and documentation.
5. Wrong assumptions on future renovations (zoning issues, wildly inaccurate renovation cost estimates, etc.)
6. Negotiating against a pro. The other party will frequently have a realtor that knows all the rules and loopholes, and will counter any negotiation demands you make.

This is where I come in. As a realtor, my job is to guide and represent your best interest through the entire process. I will help you through the real estate buying process, from helping you find the best house for your needs, to being your project manager (some prefer the label taskmaster, especially when they’ve failed to meet my deadlines). Your realtor does actually have to be a top-notch project manager and problem solver to help you address the many issues that occur during a transaction. And yes, there WILL be problems.

She was an excellent advocate who kept on top of contacting all the various other people involved such as the selling agent and our mortgage broker. She has good connections in the industry and was able to hook us up – Jennifer Kim

Why hire me?

To be honest, I’ve struggled with this section. Shameless self promotion is something that doesn’t come naturally. So, I’ll just list the 4 strongest points that make me a great realtor:

1. Listening. My background in social work (Masters in Social Welfare from UCLA) has honed my ability to listen to what my clients are saying, ask the right questions and truly understand what is needed.
2. Taskmaster(!) The real estate process is complex, with many intermediate milestones, requirements, regulations and dependencies. I have several years experience as an IT Project Manager for the financial industry, and always ran a tight ship. I bring the same tenacity to my role as your realtor. I pride myself in making sure all transaction milestones are met, and deal with issues as soon as they happen.
3. Local expertise. I live and work in Oakland. Many of the homes I’ve bought and sold for my clients are in Oakland so I am familiar with the neighborhoods, processes and idiosyncrasies, including those for short sales. My husband and I bought our first home (a fixer) in Oakland, and we spent 2 years renovating. We worked with an architect and contractor, doing everything that you could possibly do to a home – converting a single family home into a duplex, replacing the roof, reinforcing the foundation, plumbing, electrical, flooring, new bathrooms, radiant floor heating, etc. I learned so much in to 2 years, and bring that wealth of experience to my job.
4. A great support team. I am affiliated with the Grubb Company, and have a strong team of home inspectors, structural engineers, contractors and lenders I work with on a regular basis and can vouch for the quality of their work. I do not receive any kickbacks from using them.

The most important thing was that Unhei always did exactly what she said she was going to do when she said she would do it. If she told me she’d call at a particular time with an update, she did. If she said she would pass along my full list of questions to the seller’s agent and get back to me with his answers, she did. There were so many things to keep track of throughout the process, and knowing I could trust Unhei to have my back made a huge difference. The process would have been much more stressful without that. – Dani McClain

My process

1. Initial meeting to discuss what you’re looking for, your needs, evaluate potential neighborhoods, identify deal-breakers, etc.
2. Coordinate your pre-approval letter and determine your loan amount
3. Visit a few homes together. This gives everyone a better feel of what’s available in the neighborhoods, and bring up criterias that we may not have thought about before. After looking at a few places, you may have to make compromises based on budget, available homes on the market, etc. I can help you see if a house will meet your lifestyle needs, the potential in a fixer, and help steer you clear of money pits. If you haven’t, I highly recommend watching The Money Pit.
4.  When you find a place, make offer and guide you through the process.
5. Be your project manager throughout the transaction process. I have an awesome group of professionals I can tap for home inspections, loans, renovations, engineers, architects, etc. BTW, I don’t a referral fee. You are always welcome to find your own person, so long as they understand the idiosyncrasies of an oakland real estate transaction.

On many occasions, she really goes the extra mile. I’m not the most handy person, and I had no idea where to start on the handful of small clean-up or fix-it jobs that our property needed. She went so far as to give me step by step instructions on how to tackle a couple of the more difficult jobs, knowledge that she had to go out and research herself! Unhei doesn’t disappear after the sale, and I know that many of her past clients still reach out to her for advice and guidance for their ongoing home ownership questions. – Dave Sotelo

Frequent Comments and Concerns

Here are comments I hear often so I should just address them right now.

1) “Why don’t I just do it myself?”
You ABSOLUTELY CAN. Just keep in mind the risks mentioned earlier, as well as the time required to do it all. As a realtor, I spend many hours researching, following up, pre-empting and resolving issues, coordinating inspections, answering questions, etc. All of these tasks add up to many, many hours, and I do this for a living! How much is your time and peace of mind worth?

2) “I have a friend/relative who’s also a realtor/real estate investor”
You should use whoever you feel most comfortable with. Just make sure they are familiar with local requirements, restrictions, etc. However, my recommendation is to always interview 3 realtors to make sure you have the best person representing you.

3) “I can save money by using a fixed fee/discount/online realtor”
You frequently get what you pay for. Yes, going this route can work, and in some cases, does save you money. For example, if you are purchasing a new construction condominium where everything is straight forward, can get by with using a discount agent. Do make sure they have your best interest at heart, and that they are still reading through the contracts and making sure the contingencies protect you. They are able to offer lower rates precisely because they use standard boilerplate templates. When going this route, please check on and understand exactly what services they offer, how many clients they handle, how familiar they are with the local transaction processes, etc.

I hope this information has been useful to you. If you’d like to find out more about my services, or if you have a real estate question, please call or email me. You’re under no obligation to use me as your realtor, and I will not sell your email to any sort of silly email lists. I would, however, love to be considered as one of the 3 realtors you interview. Please call me at 510-816-6999 or email me using the form below.

Contact Unhei

Cell: 510-816-6999
ukang@grubbco.com
Lic # 01825446

Here are testimonials from previous clients.
“My wife and I just purchased our first home together and Unhei was the sole reason that we were able to maintain our sanity throughout the process. She is patient, proactive, extremely knowledgeable, and honest.

We had more than our fair share of bumps and difficulties while trying to close on our home. Unhei was always in our corner, never rushed us, and gave us the unbiased facts that we needed to make many difficult decisions. Above all she is an excellent listener.

She is extremely knowledgeable about the Oakland/Berkeley area. Like some of her other reviewers mention, Unhei is not timid about warning you if a house that you are interested in has any problems or is otherwise not worth the asking price.

 

 

 

On many occasions, she really goes the extra mile. I’m not the most handy person, and I had no idea where to start on the handful of small clean-up or fix-it jobs that our property needed. She went so far as to give me step by step instructions on how to tackle a couple of the more difficult jobs, knowledge that she had to go out and research herself! Unhei doesn’t disappear after the sale, and I know that many of her past clients still reach out to her for advice and guidance for their ongoing home ownership questions.”

- David Sotelo

“Thanks again for your creative thinking, grace, and hard work on our behalf. We appreciated the consistent level of professionalism and care that you showed for us throughout the entire process. Also, your intuition for our family’s specific needs, so that we could end up in the right place.”

- Christen and Amy Lee

“I appreciated many qualities about Unhei. In addition to being a consummate professional, she was a tireless advocate, who listened to my preferences, vision, and priorities. Furthermore, Unhei was honest, responsive, and earned my trust. Although my sale had some challenges, throughout the process, I knew Unhei was doing all she could, which reduced my anxieties and resulted in finding a home that thrills me everytime I enter the door.”

- Jonathan Hutchison

“Working with Unhei was an absolute joy. As first-time homebuyers and extreme newcomers to the nuances of Bay Area real estate, we simply would not have made it without Unhei’s help, her expertise, and her constant good cheer. She answered all of our questions (and we asked a bunch!) clearly and patiently, and expertly steered us through every step of the process. For us, buying a house seemed both quite intimidating and extremely complicated. Unhei was there with us at every single step, from the initial viewings to crafting an offer to navigating loan documents and disclosures to the moment when she handed us the keys. Her suggestions were always insightful and her advice was always honest, straight-forward, and wonderfully genuine. This may sound like an odd way to put it, but what is most wonderful about Unhei is that that she is so deeply human—we trusted her so completely and felt so comforted knowing that she was on our side because she treated the entire process not simply a business transaction, but as a really important event in our lives, one filled with excitement and uncertainty and joy and anxiety. She is as brilliant at guiding people through the human drama of homebuying as she is at navigating the actual nuts-and-bolts ordeal of purchasing a house in a complex market. We plan to be in our new home for a good long time, but if we ever find ourselves back in the real estate market, we couldn’t imagine working with anyone beside Unhei. She is a gifted professional and a remarkable person, and we feel tremendously lucky to have had her help. ”

- Eric Falci and Amanda Whitehead

“Unhei, you have truly distinguished yourself from all other brokers (here in NY and there in CA) that we have encountered, with your exceptionally accurate identification of properties that suit our taste and budget, and in helping us identify pluses and minuses of each. Thank you.”

- Valerie Kathawala

“Unhei was exactly the person I needed to guide me through the process of buying my first home.

She is straightforward, honest and patient. I had a million questions about the process, and she always took the time to explain things to my satisfaction. I’m someone who needs to read and understand every piece of paperwork, and she never made me feel rushed or like my efforts to be diligent were annoying. I imagine that some folks in this business are out to seal the deal (any deal) as quickly as possible. I never felt that from Unhei.

The most important thing was that Unhei always did exactly what she said she was going to do when she said she would do it. If she told me she’d call at a particular time with an update, she did. If she said she would pass along my full list of questions to the seller’s agent and get back to me with his answers, she did. There were so many things to keep track of throughout the process, and knowing I could trust Unhei to have my back made a huge difference. The process would have been much more stressful without that.

Unhei was highly organized, trustworthy and generous with her time. She helped me remain confident that I would find something I loved in my price range. She asked me good, probing questions at moments when it was critical for me to remember what my goals were. Even after I’d signed, she hooked me up with an electrician and a painter she knew to help me get the place move-in ready.

 

 

 

 

I can’t say enough good things. Unhei’s the bomb.”

- Dani McClain

“I never thought I’d be able to purchase a home on a single income… But now I am officially a home owner thanks to Unhei. She’s great great great! A few reasons why I’m really glad I worked with Unhei:

1) Knows the neighborhood really well (Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, etc.)
2) Understood what I was looking for & was able to give me a filtered list of what I’d be interested after combing through what’s out there (I didn’t want to look at every crappy piece of property for sale & I didn’t have the time to waste)
3) Takes care of her clients. Every time I thought about calling Unhei to ask a question, she was usually one step ahead of me and calling/emailing me with the same info. I suspect she can read my mind.
4) Super responsive. My emails/phone calls were always answered in a timely manner. Home buying is such an emotional rollercoaster, having a responsive agent can really help, vs. an unresponsive agent … that could really add to the turmoil!
5) She’ll tell you like it is, and sometimes, that’s just what you need when you’re dealing with so much emotion, money, & committment.

 

 

When I upgrade down the line, I will definitely work with Unhei again.”

- Rosemary Vu

“After years of dreaming of buying my first home. Unhei helped me make it a reality. From the beginning of seeing what I could afford, taking me out to the various openings/ tours, sticking through with me in all my questions and flat out telling me “don’t buy this, none of your friends will want to visit you here.” when the places I was looking at were in the sketchy areas. Unhei is always up front with you even when it’s something you don’t want to hear.

She’s up to date on all the FED/CA and local assistance programs for home buyers and if you or the home you bid on comes close to qualifying she’s all over it.

 

 

I would and have reccommended her to friends and will use her again five years down the road when I upgrade or start buying rental properties.”

- Samantha Nguyen

“Unhei helped me find my first home! Unhei is a very professional person, she has excellent project management skills and made the whole house buying process very simple for me, keeping me informed at all times. Unhei understands and listens to the needs of her clients and uses that information to select homes that are suitable for them. Unhei is highly creative and can visualize how properties can be made into homes, she is a people to property matchmaker.”

 

- Graeme Langlands
“A thorough, trustworthy, impecabbly detailed agent. What a joy to work with! Gave me enough space as to not feel bombarded w/details (as I am a 2nd time homebuyer from SF) and all the while guided me steadily through what turned out to be a very complicated process purchasing my montclair condo in this new and challenging time in real estate.“Unhei is knowledgeable in all aspects of this process that can be confusing and overwhelming, especially for first-time home buyers. If we had a question she didn’t know the answer to she would promptly find out the answer and get back to us right away. She was an excellent advocate who kept on top of contacting all the various other people involved such as the selling agent and our mortgage broker. She has good connections in the industry and was able to hook us up with a home inspector who did a very thorough job and a foundation/termite company who gave us a competitive estimate.
Unhei is very adept at melding to the different needs of her clients. She has expertise in the different neighborhoods of oakland, berkeley, piedmont etc, has great dependable contacts in the industry (ie.inspectors, mortgage brokers,decorators etc). Listens to your needs and finds the best options out there for you. All in all a perfect balance of brains, grit and perserverane in a great no pressure package. I will definitely be using Unhei again! A++ she is my e-bay agent for life!”

- Jennifer Kim

We are very happy with our house and the deal we got, and think that Unhei would be a great asset to anyone else’s search for their dream home.”

- Marianne Barlow & Nicol LaCava

“She has been very helpul, highly coordinative through out the process of house hunting to closing the deal. I highly recommend her.”

- Janu Sundaram and Harish Venugopal

“Unhei has very high standards of customer service. Her planning and organized approach resulted in effective searches and property visits. Her patience (no pressure approach) in working with us through our process of narrowingour property selections reflected her understanding of the real estate business…Unhei provides great representation for her clients, doing everything in her capacity to ensure a smooth and satisfactory transaction. Thanks Unhei and all the best!”

- Saju Bhaskaran and Susan Jacob

“Thank you Unhei, we could not have done this without your gentle and honest guidance and attentiveness. We will be recommending you highly to anyone even thinking about buying a house!”

- Gretchen Junker and Kevin Johnson

Thank you so much, Unhei, for making this possible. We absolutely love the house, and already feel at home….We couldn’t be happier, and really look forward to working on our home over the years.

- C. Snell and J. Ullom