VALERIE RUMA, COMPASS - Berkeley, California

Rebecca E.

Valerie was dedicated and creative throughout our home selling process. She helped us sell our place on a timeline and at a price that worked for us in an abnormally slow market. She has a stable of excellent contractors and other vendors who made our place look magnificent at reasonable costs and in a timely manner. Once our home was listed, she took great care of it, regularly stopping by to water the plants and sweep the patios. She experimented with different marketing strategies and hosted several open houses to get our place maximum exposure until we found the right buyer for us. Once we had an offer, she helped us navigate the negotiation before we finalized the contract. We would not have been able to do this without her guidance, support or effort!

Bonnie M.

Valerie came highly recommended and I see why. She is thorough, intelligent, understanding and savvy but most of all she cares about helping - in this case the seller - achieve what we wanted in an ethical, timely manner. Mine was a Trust sale and I live out of the area but she helped me navigate those complexities with patience while still keeping me on track and focused on the necessary next steps. Oh yes, and because of her good advice on staging and pricing we received multiple offers and were able to get well above the asking price and just what we were hoping for.

Kris L.

Maybe its cliche, but Valerie Ruma really rates 6 stars.

We were originally connected with Val at a community event in Alameda over a year ago, and provided contact info with the possibility in mind that we might need a realtor down the road. Fast forward 7 months later, and we indeed needed a realtor just as we received a full briefing package from Val on local comps and estimated market potential for our 1890 cottage. The care put into the package was so much more than the card fliers we got in the mail all the time that we knew we should reach out.

There's a lot of historic housing stock in the East Bay, and preparing and positioning them for the best sale result is not something a lot of realtors can do well. It's not enough to be a niche realtor who gets by on selling to a niche demographic when times are good and sales are easy. Valerie had her ear to the ground, and with as much research as we put into knowing what conditions would be like when we intended to list, we knew from our first discussion that we would be dealing with someone who wasn't just an industry professional; Val is an agent who's on top of broader economic changes happening in the region and how to best position your home.

We didn't hand Val the easiest proposition. Ours was a very compressed schedule to prep for sale, given we had to depart the Bay on military orders sooner than hoped. There is NO WAY we could have listed (in the knick of time) against a long-list of deferred improvements and repairs that had to happen in a 30 day "empty house" window without Valerie's "A-Team" of contractors coming in to do work in tight succession. Invariably there were some setbacks, and we did a lot of manual work ourselves on the margins, every day. As the central task-master, Valerie was with us every step of the way while also prepping all of the admin and marketing in the background. The house listed the day we hit the road out of CA, and that's when Val really went into overdrive.

Days on market; 5. Final offer; way past our "Buy it Now" price. Time to close; 7 days. Val's instincts on setting the correct initial listing, getting people in to appreciate amenities beyond "beds /baths," to fall in love with its charm, and playing the end-game were superb. WORTH EVERY PENNY. We have two other friends who listed nearby at reasonable prices, but had nowhere near the enduring confidence in their agent or ultimate response and result we got via Val. Picking the right agent really, really matters (so does being a seller who wants to collaborate and support the agent once they are engaged). Trust in Val; she knows what things are import in the order of operations, knows where to take chances, and has a great eye for stylistic strengths that appeal to buyers. This is the "expert marksman" you want on mission when it's time to sell your home!

Sue L.

I very much enjoyed working with Valerie Ruma to sell my home! She was super responsive to my many questions, and helped to manage the myriad of contractors, inspectors, stagers and paperwork necessary to sell a 100 year-old home in Oakland. What a process! Valerie’s deep knowledge and calm presence helped lower the stress of selling my first home. I also valued her “reading” of the market and advice on setting the asking price, as well as handling all of the marketing and networking with other realtors…it was a winning strategy and helped to attract the right buyer in just over 2 weeks. Many thanks and kudos to Valerie!

Kelly D.

Valerie helped me purchase my first home in Oakland in 2018 and then helped me sell it in 2022. She is absolutely wonderful to work with and I can't recommend her highly enough. She is calm, level-headed, practical, creative, and strategic - exactly what you need in a crazy housing market like in the Bay Area. Selling my home in 2022 was under very stressful and sad circumstances - I had just lost my mom suddenly and the housing market was softening dramatically as interest rates rose significantly for the first time in decades. Valerie succeeded in getting us the best offer we could have hoped for given the market conditions, within one week of our house being on the market. If you get the chance to work with Valerie - take it!

Judy B.

Valerie is a superb agent who made what could have been a highly stressful process easier and more transparent. Her knowledge of the market is excellent and she delivered sound advice at every turn. We bought a house "long distance," during the pandemic with the help of Valerie and a relative, who showed us properties via video link, enabling us to secure a property that met our needs in a timely way. She answered every question promptly and patiently and provided support all along the way--including after we closed, with recommendations for handy persons, plumbers, etc. We cannot recommend Valerie highly enough.

Carol T.

Valerie is the absolute best. She helped us find the home of our dreams in Oakland and secure it even though it got 15 offers! We are first time home buyers and she took the time to really teach us the process and what to expect. She’s the perfect real estate agent!

Russ B. (. R.

Getting a house ready to sell is like planning a society wedding. There are tons of details to manage, contractors and specialists of many kinds. Val was on top of *everything* and made sure the work was done right and in a timely manner.

We made an offer on another house, contingent upon the sale of our Alameda home in 75 days. We got it done with time to spare, and we got the money we wanted to get for the house. Just 5 days after the house was listed, we got a full cash offer at the money we wanted. You won't find anyone more experienced, professional and thorough than Val.