A
native of New York and Miami, Brett graduated
from U.C. Berkeley with an undergraduate
degree in Environmental Science, and went
on to attend graduate school in architecture
at U.C.'s College of Environmental Design.
In addition to his architecture training,
he has worked extensively as a carpenter
and general contractor, and has purchased
and extensively renovated several homes
for his own investment. He became licensed
as a real estate broker in 1986. He lives
in Berkeley with his wife and two boys.
Brett can be contacted
at Brett@RealtyAdvocates.com
Great Service and Great Value
"We are very grateful to Brett at Realty Advocates. First, his attention to detail and knowledge of construction helped us tremendously on the house we bought in Piedmont. Secondly, his orchestration of all the elements involved in getting Woolsey on the market (like arranging for inspections, painting and various handyman work), and advising on the staging was flawless. Third, we thought his marketing material and newspapers ads were fabulous. His large ad in SF Chronicle really stood out and made most of the other listings look skimpy by comparison.
Per Brett's strong advise, our asking price was a number we would have been willing to accept if that was "all" we received. But just as important was Brett's admonition that we market the house for a full two weeks before hearing any offers. As it turned out, two buyers asked to present offers before our established offer date. However, Brett stuck to the marketing plan and it was his discipline that ultimately resulted in us getting not just two, but ten great offers.
Finally, the fact that Brett's commission was $13,000 less than what other agents wanted to charge was just icing on the cake. Great service and great value. Brett Weinstein gets our unqualified and most enthusiastic endorsement."
Sharon Stafanson and Jason Altieri
Can hardly imagine better service
from any "full-price" agent
"We are very happy with the excellent service you provided.
Most of the other agents we interview seemed resistant to, if not actually offended by, the idea that they should sign for less than 6%. Some of them warned that "cut-rate agents" would mean cut-rate service.
In your case they could not be more wrong.
Julie and I have a bit of experience in providing professional service and
in dealing with other professionals, including real estate professionals.
We found your handling of this deal to be highly professional from start to
finish -- from providing us with your best opinion of the anticipated value
of the house even when it diverged from our expectations, to getting the
house ready to show, getting it listed, getting it shown, helping us
evaluate offers, and providing us with calm counsel throughout the offer and
escrow process.
Of course, some combination of property-specific and market-specific factors
played a part in achieving a more favorable than expected result. However,
I think we would not have achieved as good a result, and certainly not as
promptly, without your efforts. I can hardly imagine what better service
any "full-price" agent could have provided.."
Ryan Werner and Julie Parr
$4,000 Less Commission
"What
impressed me most about Brett was his great
enthusiasm for both my house and the neighborhood,
his first hand familiarity of all the recent
sales, and the fact that his commission
was almost $4,000 less than other agents.
I was especially pleased that he was able
to convince the buyer to "forgive"
the $10,000 termite report and take the
house as-is. I think people are crazy to
pay a 6% commission when someone as good
as Brett is available for thousands less!"
Ivan Rosenblum
Only 4.5% Commission
"Brett was successful
in negotiating the purchase of our new house
on Ada Street contingent on the sale of our
old house on Keoncrest. He helped us get the
house ready for market, which included orchestrating
painters, haulers and cleaners. Brett also
got us a great deal on a new roof. The house
showed beautifully for the first open house
and we immediately receive a full price offer.
In addition to all this great service, he
only charged a 4.5% commission! We were very
happy."
Bill Pollack
Saved Us $5,000 in Commissions
"It's already been
a few years since Brett sold our house on
Acton St. for what was then the highest
price for a two bedroom in the neighborhood.
He also represented us in the purchase of
our current home. Brett is a savy negotiator
and his backround in architecture and construction
was extremely helpful. In hindsight, the
fact that he also saved us some $5,000 in
commissions was the least of his accomplishments!"
Joel ben Izzy and Taly Rutenberg
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