Times are changing. They always do. 

You may want to sell your home and move on to the next phase of your life. You may be thinking about buying a home and want to get serious. You need a Realtor who has kept up with the market, has experience and knowledge, and is someone you can trust to make your move a success. 

I’ve been an East Bay Realtor since 2004, specializing in Oakland, Berkeley and nearby cities. I have worked through several market changes, kept up with technology, always put my client’s needs first and remain strong and nimble in my approach.

For sellers, I will diligently market your home in the most up-to-date manner and negotiate the strongest offer for you. I am known for taking care of all the details before a home is placed on the market, ensuring that it shows its best from the very first viewing. My marketing is carefully considered, well-designed, and diligently executed. I am committed to strategically pricing my listings to attract the widest and best-qualified audience of buyers. I know what to do - I’ll give it my all. 

For buyers, we’ll begin with education about the market and you telling me what you are looking for. From there I will be your guide through the journey. I’m familiar with many aspects of each neighborhood and can introduce you to areas you may not have considered. I’m not here to sell you a house, I’m here to help you get a home you love, and will voice the pros and cons of each one that you consider. I want you to be happy with your home for years to come. 

I get to know people quickly, which allows me to help them realize their real estate needs. My approach is both analytical and intuitive. I pay attention. I listen. While keeping the larger picture in mind, I focus on the details – and there are a lot of them in the sale or purchase of a home! You can count on me for experienced guidance every step of the way. 

I work in the East Bay - Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, Piedmont, Emeryville, El Cerrito, Kensington, Richmond, Orinda, Moraga, and San Leandro. Want to see what my clients say about me? Go to my Yelp page.

Contact me for more information or to get started.

Call Linda now!

Find Your Place in the East Bay

Helping the East Bay

 

For over 30 years, Red Oak agents have contributed to the Red Oak Opportunity Fund (ROOF). Along with Red Oak partners and vendors, it has granted more than $1,287,000 to East Bay charitable organizations that do not receive significant funding from other sources.

 
 
 
"We are grateful to our agents, staff and others who have so generously contributed over the years." Donate Today
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"Linda was recommended ('without reservations' to be exact) by someone who works in the industry, so we decided to give her a call. From the first conversation we had, she seemed very knowledgeable, experienced, transparent, and hardworking. This remained to be the case for the short time we worked with her - short because she helped us buy a home in 7 weeks during the crazy COVID market! Would have been 6 weeks if the title company didn't delay us. Granted, buying a home is really a partnership with your realtor, i.e. you have to have all of your ducks in a row and be decisive in this super competitive market. Where Linda really offers tremendous value to the first time homebuyer is that she can put things in context for you - explaining what's customary in a process vs what's unusual, which companies are reputable vs not, so you can make the best decisions for yourself. She was truly our advocate every step of the way, connected us to a solid network of professionals we had to engage with during the homebuying process - mortgage brokers, insurance agents, etc. When we hit a snag with the title company, she was right there to help us address challenges and escalated when it was necessary. It was clear that we were not just numbers in her book but she was invested in our success.She told us during our last meeting that we could always reach out to her if we have needs for our new home. We thought that would be far into the future, but three weeks after move-in, she was back helping us deal with the home warranty company and making recommendations for plumbers. We now understand why Linda was recommended 'without reservations'. We would say the same to anyone who is looking for a realtor to work with in the East Bay."

Seri H.

" I want to thank you again for all your help and enthusiasm as well as making this transaction move forwards in an orderly fashion. I will definitely recommend others to work with you."

Parvaz F.

"I can't imagine a better guide for the home-buying process than Linda.I was really impressed with how she made an effort to get to knowexactly what we were looking for (or looking to avoid) so that wenever ended up seeing homes that were a 'waste of time.' This saved uscountless hours over the course of the 7 months that we looked for ahome. She would even go to open houses with us so she could see ourreaction, in order to better understand what we were looking for. Ihave spoken to other friends who are looking for a home with differentrealtors and I have not heard of this level of service from any ofthem.Linda is very easy to reach, will accommodate odd work schedules, andwill pull long and late hours to help you write strong offers. Sheworked tirelessly with her lengthy list of well-vetted contacts to getestimates and inspections for our very short inspection period.Additionally, she has a pleasant personality and is easy to get alongwith -- this is essential, as you will be spending many hours withyour realtor!"

Amy D.

" You make the phrase going the extra mile a reality. Both houses we sold required a different strategy, and your ideas brought each sale to a successful conclusion. Your knowledge of the market, attention to detail, and ability to contact and follow-through with a variety of service providers from engineers to painters to window washers was invaluable. We found ourselves extremely confident in your ability to handle any and all problems."

Jules & Annette T.

"I am so glad that I referred my client to Linda Elkin to sell his property in Berkeley instead of representing him myself. I have been a broker for over 30 years in the Bay Area and am capable of listing and marketing the property myself but I would not have had the results that she achieved.This is a difficult and changing market. It is in these times that experienced agents such as Linda demonstrate their worth - she is in tune with the market and has networked for years with most of the other local agents.My client lives out of state, had to do considerable upgrades and had a rather specialized property which made her job more challenging. Linda had the contacts to provide all the needed services at fair prices from the small items such as window cleaning to complete wood floor sanding and refinishing.Linda took the client and the property through all the steps from start to finish and generated a great amount of interest and exposure for the house. Most importantly she continued to pursue all avenues and all inquiries during the ups and downs of the marketing and sales process. LInda's professionalism and persistence paid off for the owner by generating a sale at a great price in a timely manner.Referrals have the effect of reflecting on the party making the referral. The outstanding job Linda did for my client made him grateful not only for Linda's fine work but for my selecting her to list and sell his house.Many thanks to Linda for a job well done. Martin B.Real Estate Broker"

Martin B.

" Hard Work, Skill, Integrity, Honesty, Patience, Energy, Tolerance and the Utmost Intelligence are but a few of the words to describe Linda Elkin."

Joe P.

"Linda was a truly excellent agent and guide to the home buying process for my husband and me (first time buyers). She really went above and beyond to explain the buying process to us, coach us on our offer, and shepherd us through the post acceptance period. Things Linda did particularly well:1. Explained the ins and outs of disclosures and inspections: Linda came to our home twice and sat with us for several hours going over each page of disclosures and explaining in detail which inspections we would need and how they would work. 2. Explaining the market and guiding us on pricing: Linda ended up naming the exact price that we needed to bid to get our house. 3. Available and responsive: Linda is available via text, email and phone and is highly responsive. She also worked with docusign in the post acceptance period, which made the signing of literally hundreds of documents quick and painless. 4. Presentation of offer and coaching us around constructing offer: We feel that Linda's advice to us on price, writing a letter to enclose with our offer and contingencies made it so that we beat out an offer that was the exact same dollar amount. Also, Linda's excellent presentation of our offer contributed much to the fact that ours was accepted over the others. 5. Communication and negotiation with sellers post acceptance: Because of Linda, we were able to sustain a very positive relationship with the sellers and sellers' agent post offer. Through careful and strategic negotiation, Linda also helped us gain a few things that we really needed. We feel that the way Linda presented our needs throughout the process and especially in this post-acceptance period made the crucial difference in negotiations with the sellers. 6. Going above and beyond the call of duty: Linda actually called us (and lined up back-up resources) from the emergency room when she had to go in for unexpected medical treatment during a crucial phase in our buying process. We were blown away by this level of service. There were many other smaller ways in which Linda did a great job and contributed to our first home buying experience being pleasant and painless. Also, Linda is just a really nice and intelligent person and a real pleasure to work with. We recommend her highly and if we ever sell our house, will definitely work with her again!"

Caitlin M.

" I am giving Linda 5 stars because she is certainly as good as it gets! My partner and I were searching for a house on and off for over 1 year. We were originally with a different agent who ended up recommending Linda. Linda quickly familiarized herself with what we were looking for in a house. She was available via text, email, and phone and was always responsive. She evaluated our financial position and helped us find homes that would meet our needs. Her contacts were also all very reputable.

We were able to purchase our first home a few weeks ago and she made the inspection period and closing process very easy to understand. She is detailed, intelligent, friendly, and has a great understanding of the business. I would recommend Linda to any of my family and friends who were searching for a home and I would definitely want to work with her again."

Crystal N.

" I'm so happy to have been referred to Linda by a good friend. As I was a first-time home seller, she was an excellent guide and adviser. I actually worked with Linda over the course of about two years after first contacting her when I was first having thoughts of selling my home. With her intimate knowledge of the neighborhoods and having her pulse on the ebbs and flows of the market, she wisely advised I wait until the time was right.

Well, that time came, Linda called, and boy am I glad I listened! Throughout the selling process, she was also prompt and infinitely assessable. She was diligent in paying attention to the smallest of details and her network of vendors, inspectors, and handymen made the whole process a pure pleasure. Most importantly, I found her to be genuinely friendly and completely trustworthy.

Huge thanks to you, Linda, for an excellent experience. I give her my highest recommendation to friends, family, and anyone else looking to buy or sell a home in the East Bay."

Brian K.

"When we found the costs in San Francisco a little too rich for our tastes, our realtor recommended we speak to Linda to help us in our search in the East Bay. From the very first conversation we had with her, we were convinced that the search for our realtor, at least, was over. The first time we met Linda, she sat down with us and very patiently and meticulously went through the buying process in the East Bay--the different neighborhoods and what to expect in each, what the market was like, the nuances of the process (eg. the types of offers Sellers prefers, what the Seller's agents look for in an offer), and she gave us lots of advice and contacts of mortgage lenders to approach. When we insisted on using our own mortgage lender that wasn't as well known in the area, she didn't react with 'do this at your own risk'--instead, she made it a point that for every offer we made, she'd speak to the Seller's agent and explain our decision, and how it wouldn't (and shouldn't) affect the strength of our offer. We honestly couldn't have asked for a better advocate than Linda through this entire process. But besides feeling like you always have someone in your corner, one of the best things about Linda was just her institutional knowledge about houses, and how generous and patient she was with sharing that knowledge. Whenever we called, emailed, or messaged (I honestly don't know when she sleeps or takes time for herself), Linda made herself immediately available to us and our endless list of questions. And thanks to her, we've come out of this process with a much better understanding than we ever thought we would about houses, foundations, downspouts, you name it. Yet no matter how much we thought we knew, Linda was always there to point out something we hadn't noticed or even thought about. In fact, every house we stepped out of we'd say 'Looks great. But let's see what Linda has to say.'With apps like Redfin and Zillow, it's not hard to find homes to view anymore. The real value of a realtor lies in having someone guide you through the disclosures process, the stress and 1,001 steps involved in actually making the offer, and then after that, the 108978676 things you have to do once you actually get the home. Every offer we made, she tirelessly went through every detail of the disclosure with us, made calls to get more information whenever needed, and always spoke to each Seller's agent to introduce herself and reinforce our position as credible buyers before we made an offer (a crucial step in today's intensely competitive market).Every step of the way Linda has been an invaluable resource. Even after officially purchasing our new home, she has never failed to make herself available to us, and has been an incredible source of contacts for contractors, roofers, floor refinishers etc. Especially if you're a first-time buyer (and even if you're not) I cannot recommend Linda enough."

Zareen I.

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