Helen Walker & Kathryn Stein – Thornwall Properties

Kathryn Stein is a seasoned real estate veteran and it showed when she helped me buy my east bay home (for WAY below asking). When I visited other houses, the mention of her name made selling realtors smile. She seems to be friends with many people in the business which opened a lot of doors for me. The same went for inspectors and contractors– the fact that she had cultivated so many relationships made the entire process extremely smooth. Her negotiation style is rooted in her extensive knowledge and respect for her colleagues– which ended up working significantly better than more aggressive/​forceful styles. I recommend Kathryn for her kindness, tremendous patience, and wealth of experience and connections. She went above and beyond time and time again when helping me understand the details of making an offer, organizing inspections, and how to choose contractors/​electricians/​hvac specialists. She basically held my hand all the way through close of escrow and I was guided perfectly at each step. I highly recommend her!

I cannot recommend Helen and Kathryn enough if you are looking for a realtor to help you find a home in the East Bay. They work as a team which made it very useful because at least one of them was always available to show us houses, help us put together offers, and communicate with us at all times about where our offers stood or what new houses had come on the market. They have slightly different perspectives and a ton of knowledge about buying and selling homes in the area which was so useful, especially during these crazy real estate times. They have a ton of connections in the area (including helping us find a loan broker, engineers, home inspectors, contractors, etc), and get to know you and what you are looking for. They don’t waste your time on houses they know would not be right for you and when you do find one you love, they can help you put together an offer very quickly. I recommend them to anyone who is looking for a home in the East Bay!

Fantastic experience listing our house in Berkeley. They form a great team. My wife and I are very picky and opinionated re: how to sell a house, however, we came to fully trust their judgment. With regard to pricing strategy, they were spot on. I highly recommend their services.

Helen Walker and Kathryn Stein recently helped us sell our home in Kensington and we couldn’t be happier with the results. They were both incredibly easy to work with, had amazing patience with our multitude of questions, and they definitely got the job done. We decided to really freshen up our home in prep for sale but we only had a short window to complete the work. They brought in excellent resources to tackle the jobs (on time and within budget) and helped us navigate the very tight timeline. Having both of them on our team was a huge factor in our success. Jennifer and I would work with them again and again.

Helen sold me my beautiful house about 1 year ago! I must have looked at 30 – 40 houses over the 1 ½ I was looking. She helped me through 3 different offers (ultimately getting the house that was best for me!) She is super knowledgeable about the area — from neighbor hot spots to comps in the area. She has an extensive network of professionals to help with whatever jobs need to be done once you get your dream home! I can honestly say I would and have recommended her to my friends!

Helen helped my husband and I buy our first home. Her extensive knowledge of the East Bay real estate market was a huge plus. Plus she has a lot of connections if you are just starting out and need a contact for the loan, inspections, whatever your need… She was also highly communicative throughout the entire process letting us know of new properties, where we stood on offers, etc… which we really appreciated. She was always available when we needed her (even if it was to show us the same house for the 4^th time!) and even guided us through the inspection/​contingency period while we were out of the country. Helen is also really fun to be around… that’s important because you will be spending a lot of time with your agent when you are buying or selling your home.

Helen Walker is a great real estate agent and just the kind of pro you want whether looking to sell or buy. I have done several transactions with her in the past 5 years. In one, her market knowledge, experience and insight were instrumental in mine being the successful offer (out of nine!) on the house I purchased and where I now happily reside. She provided me with excellent advice and support throughout the process. On a professional level she was thorough, diligent and thoughtful, making sure that I had and understood all the technical information. On a personal level she was solid and friendly and able to provide emotional support and good humor along with all the business.