Laura Arechiga

We had a very positive experience working with Laura. We were selling an older house in Berkeley that had lots of charm but also, being an older home, some challenges. Laura was able to enhance the charm but also identify the challenges and help us address them within our budget. Laura is very upbeat and energetic and is able to provide a steady hand during the sometimes up and down process of preparing a home for sale. Her knowledge of the Berkeley real estate market is impressive and gleaned from years of experience. In addition, her contacts in every area of home repair/painting/ inspection etc. allow her to arrange for necessary work to be completed in a timely and budget conscious manner. We would definitely use her again and would wholeheartedly recommend her to prospective buyers or sellers!

This is a review for Laura as a real estate agent, but also as a solid human being. She helped me purchase a house that my mother had found a block away from the house I was born in. Although it was 10 years ago, the experience was quite memorable for me, I had worked with another agent before her that didn't even compare. The house was in pretty good shape, but after the inspections, Laura was able to negotiate 10%+ off of the accepted price due to the need for a sewer lateral upgrade and some foundation work. She really had my best interest in mind and I don't take for granted her integrity, and her absolute passion for what she does. Anyone would be lucky to utilize her expertise in the field, and to be blessed by her overall good spirit and energy. If I ever decided to sell, she would be my go to with absolutely no hesitation or reservations. I hope you are well Miss Laura, I send you all the best from Berzerkeley, keep kickin' butt in all your endeavors me lady. *Insert heart emoji here.

**First - this is my first Yelp review ever! That's how much we value our experience with Laura** I have never been so stressed but yet calmed at the same time during the sale of our Berkeley home. Laura was calm, passionate and understanding to our needs despite having such a difficult sale. Her professionalism and understanding of the Bay Area market provided such a safety net knowing that someone as diligent as her was on our side. At the time, my wife and I had just had our first child and we were sleep deprived. She was nurturing, ensuring my wife was at ease by keeping her inform about pertinent matters and proactively handling issues as they arise. Moreover, Laura always offered us food, water and words of encouragement (Elite Professionalism). Did I mention she was pregnant at the time? Yup, her positive energy was such a wonderful touch that cannot be taught in any classroom - this genuine attribute about her is one of the many reasons my wife and I asked her to be our real estate agent. Without any reservations, selecting her was the best decision ever! At the end of the day, in addition of selling our home -our family gained a lovely friend. If we were to do it all over again, we've concluded that reaching out to her sooner than later would have been in our best interest. In thinking about any future purchases or sales - hands down - Laura Arechiga will be our togo Realtor. Laura: from the bottom of our heart - our family truly values you and we are very appreciative of all that you did for us. Always: The Gonzalez Family

My husband and I are huge fans of Laura Arechiga, for her energy, focus, and effectiveness. We had been quite nervous about selling our condo for two reasons: 1. we had moved out of the country so one of the most important transactions of our lives would have to be done via calls and emails, and 2. we were selling in January - a time of year other agents we'd spoken to, actually everyone, warned us against. Even though our first 'meeting' was via a relatively short call, the chat was fun and informative, and we felt we had found a partner. Within another two calls she helped us set realistic goals for updates and repairs, and using her proven network of trades got our place ready in record time. Not only did she give us options for the work to be done, since we were so far away she personally project managed the entire process while providing meaningful updates to excellent results. Laura is kind but also has a clear, objective working style which is rare in this market driven by frothy language. As a testament to Laura's efforts, we received multiple healthy offers and had a text book smooth closing.

Laura is a true gem as a real estate agent, the kind who listens to you, works hard to understand you, gives her honest opinion, and never pushes anything on you. My husband and I had been looking to buy in Oakland for a year with another agent before we decided to switch agents. We were tired of working with an agent who basically just opened houses for us but not much more. Laura was the complete opposite - she gave us weekly reports on the houses she looked at on brokers' tours and pre-screened a lot of properties, giving us her honest feedback. This allowed us to not only have a break from the burnout of Sunday open house schedules so we could view only those properties that had real potential. She would make herself available to go view properties and walked through with us looking at the details of layout, construction, even the soundness of the foundation! She was so enjoyable and personable throughout the entire process and her deep knowledge of neighborhoods, the market, and the buying/selling process was impressive. We made a few bids on several houses and Laura was on the phone with us in the evenings relaying information about other offers (as much as she could glean) and how to strategize those bids. Her relationships with other agents and her reputation in the field allowed her to get information that our previous agent never provided. In those bids, Laura was ready to help us become the top offer but we decided we were comfortable and didn't want to raise our offer. Laura never pressured us or became frustrated at any of those moments, even though she had spent a fair bit of time getting us into the house, getting professional advice about certain facets of the properties that we had questions about, etc. She was 100% always on our side. She always wanted us to be comfortable and happy with what we were putting on offer. When we finally found THE house we were up against 7 other offers. I truly believe without Laura's help we would never had won the house. She helped us to structure our offer and bid that won us the house. She helped interpret the structural report so that we knew what was a legitimate concern and what was not. After we won the house, she helped us for another week or so with connecting us to service providers to get various things done on the house. Since then, she has checked in to see how we've been settling into our new home. I am so grateful to have found Laura!

Laura is in Beast Mode 24/7! She is the best there is. Her attention to detail, expertise, honesty, diligence, and thoughtfulness are things you cant learn - and she rocks these qualities. We closed on our house in a fairly competitive market; Laura's positive attitude and hand-holding made all the difference in the world for us. I would HIGHLY recommend Laura as an agent. Plus she has all the connections in the BAy ;)

I met Laura several years ago when she sold a house for a friend of mine. Her work ethic, intelligence, and enthusiasm made such an impression on me that when it came time to sell our house and purchase a new one I knew exactly who to go to. Laura takes care of every last detail and then some. She listens as well as offers her guidance in a way that is always positive and supportive. She takes the time to understand and connect with you and then works harder than anyone I know to make sure you are happy. We couldn't be happier and can't recommend Laura highly enough!

I'm an artist and had been looking for a live/work building to purchase. Until I met Laura I had not been able to find an agent who truly understood what I was looking for and was willing to help me take on the challenge of finding and purchasing a unique property. Where other agents had failed, Laura shined. When I finally found the right property, she approached the transaction with confidence and helped me negotiate what could have been an otherwise difficult, if not impossible, purchase. I couldn't have done it without her.

Laura is that one in a million agents and people that you always dream of finding. She truly takes care of every detail and actually finds a way to make the extremely stressful real estate process fun! I can't give enough stars or accolades - you will be blessed to work with her and highly regretful if you choose otherwise.