Testimonials

Client Feedback & Testimonials

Check out Unhei Kang - The Grubb Company on Yelp

"We can't thank Unhei enough for everything she has done to help us buy our new home and sell our old home. Unhei has our highest recommendation for anyone looking for a knowledgeable and thoughtful real estate agent in the East Bay. With her help, our family was able to successfully navigate through the complexities of the competitive buying process without much pain. From the financing and inspections to all the little things that need to get done, Unhei is super connected in the community and just patiently walked us through the process until we closed. We were so satisfied with the buying process that we decided to have Unhei help us again but this time to sell our old home. We were faced with an uncertain market situation and unsure about the timing. We cannot say enough about how she blew away our expectations in this process. Her guidance and her ability to get our home ready to be sold in short timeframe was executed flawlessly. We sold our home in record time and at the right price. We could not be happier and so glad to have Unhei as our real estate agent. We could not recommend anyone better! Thanks Unhei!"
- Dong Kim and Heejin Kang

"We were so fortunate to work with Unhei Kang to both purchase and sell our home. Among her many shining qualities: she's detail oriented, knows her field, is efficient, super smart, professional and really kind-hearted. She always took the time to answer our questions, show us many listings, provide us with comps and ensure that we had all the paperwork together that we needed (and there's a lot of paperwork involved!). We trusted her in the recommendations she made for selling our home and everything that she anticipated and forecasted seem to come true.

She is so hard working and puts so much care into the work she does. To prepare our house for sale, Unhei worked to coordinate all the contractors who came in and out of the house and to ensure that the work was completed in a quality manner. Because she's so detail oriented, she always noticed when there were light bulbs that needed to be replaced or electrical plates that were missing. When she noticed that there should be a stronger lock for the gate, she even took the initiative to purchase and replace for us. Prior to the open house, we stopped by the house and found Unhei vacuuming and freshening up the room so everything looked just right.

Her response time was pretty incredible too - every email, text and phone call we placed to her was answered right away.

We trusted her advice and are very glad we did so. We hope to have the pleasure of working with her again when we purchase our next home!"
- Catherine Chanse

"My wife and I recently worked with Unhei to purchase our first home in Oakland and had an absolutely fantastic experience. As first time home buyers, we were completely new to the real estate process, were not that familiar with the East Bay market, and had a lot of questions.

Unhei was great. She was very knowledgeable about the East Bay real estate market, extremely personable, super patient, and always very professional. She was also very responsive and answered all of the many, many questions that I had.

As a sometimes anxious first-time home buyer, especially in this year's tough market for buyers, I really appreciated Unhei's experience, expertise, patience, responsiveness, professionalism, and calm and friendly demeanor. Unhei helped us look for homes in Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, and Alameda, and I think that she'd be a great person to work with in connection with any of those markets."
- Jason Lee

"Choosing a realtor is a major decision, and I wholeheartedly recommend Unhei for anyone looking to buy or sell a home in the East Bay.

Unhei is everything you'd want in a realtor. First, she knows the area like the back of her hand. In fact, we ended up purchasing our new home in a neighborhood we completely wrote off after Unhei showed us several properties and explained how the area is perfect for our lifestyle and commute. I'm so grateful that she opened our eyes to it, otherwise we wouldn't be in our current home.

Aside from her extensive knowledge of the East Bay, Unhei's warm and even-keeled personality kept us from tearing our hair out during several complications during our purchasing process. When we would get stressed over something, she would calm us down and remind us of the bigger picture, then take our "crisis" into her own hands.

I'm so thankful that she worked through all the problems that came our way. She is definitely someone you want on your side! Unhei was also quick to respond to all communications, and kept us fully informed throughout the process, which is something I can't say about the other parties involved in our home purchase.

Simply put, Unhei is a true professional and a wonderful human being. You can rest easy with her as your realtor. We are forever grateful to her!
- Jennifer Bautista

"Unhei Kang represented our interests in the sale of our family home in Berkeley this year (February, 2013) and her presence and efforts throughout the process are worthy of our highest praise. From the moment we met her through the closing of escrow, she displayed the highest degree of professional excellence.

Unhei was organized (she loves her iphone and it serves her well) and attentive to detail, energetic, ever-optimistic (but forthright) in her assessments, understanding and good-humored. Further, she was kind and compassionate, but could be tough, if need be. She was trustworthy and straight-forward, holding nothing back, even if we didn’t particularly care for what she was telling us. She was always responsive, returning phone calls without delay. She even provided almost daily updates while she was in Paris for a week while the sale was in escrow.

There was substantial work to be done to prepare the house for sale and Unhei served as advisor and counselor, providing invaluable resources throughout the project. In fact, she acted as sole project manager for the last month of work as we both were out of the area when the work was completed.
During the seven months of working together we had the opportunity to get to know Unhei and we are happy that she is now our friend – a friend who is honest, sincere and loyal, with a great sense of humor.

Again, to Unhei, we say, 'You are the best!'"
- Rex and Ron Morgan, Trustees, Gertrude Morgan Trust

“Unhei,

You have truly distinguished yourself from all other brokers (here in NY and there in CA) that we have encountered, with your exceptionally accurate identification of properties that suit our taste and budget, and in helping us identify pluses and minuses of each. Thank you.”
- Valerie Kathawala

"We found Unhei by accident — a very happy accident — when I came to the Grubb office on Claremont Avenue to inquire about a condo “For Sale” sign in the neighborhood and she was available to answer questions. That condo would not have done, but within just a few weeks Unhei helped us find one that had all the features we wanted. She shepherded us through the often-tedious purchase process and THEN she undertook the challenge of selling the house in the Montclair hills in which we had lived for 49 years. So much had to be done to make it marketable, but Unhei knew exactly what to do and she managed everything, down to the smallest detail. (She was there so often that sometimes it seemed that she was living in the house!)

She also advised and comforted us when a new problem developed. We lost hope several times, but she never did. On the first day of the World Series we celebrated the very successful sale, so it seemed appropriate to thank Unhei for going to bat for us AND for going into extra innings."
- Joanne and John Lafler, October 2012

"Unhei is incredible. We whole-heartedly recommend her services. We actually churned through a few realtors before randomly meeting Unhei at an open house. Her authenticity, expertise, warmth - we immediately connected.

For almost 2 years (yes, patience is another one of her strengths) she stuck it out with us through all the ups and downs until we finallyyyy closed. She has such a kindred heart, yet can be equally fierce. She has an uncanny intuition, yet is super flexible. She's openly honest, yet has plenty of business savvy.

We had such a memorable experience with Unhei - will definitely keep her on speed dial for the future :)"
- Howard Lin

"Unhei is, simply put, amazing. She sat with us and helped us be realistic about what we would find in our budget range. She was patient as we toured houses. She had to work extra hard in dealing with a difficult seller's agent but kept her poise and good humor throughout our home buying process. I am certainly not eager to do the process again but everything about Unhei's guidance made it easier than it is designed to be. I cannot recommend her highly enough and would use her again in a heartbeat!"
- Ginna Brelsford

"Unhei is professional, friendly, and communicative. She was with us through the home-buying process as we patiently looked around and bid on a variety of properties. She even entertained a ridiculously low bid, which didn't pan out for us and the place sold for 40% more than we offered, but went through the process none-the-less. Eventually we bought the perfect house, at a reasonable price, with no kinks or delays."
- Nancy Quan

"Unhei is great! Back in 2013 when I was looking to buy my first home, someone recommended Unhei to me. She helped me through the entire home-buying experience, something I knew nothing about, from encouraging me to go to as many open houses as possible every Sunday, to giving me very good advice during the contingency period. She helped me narrow down which neighborhoods to look at (she knows the Oakland/Berkeley area well). I initially wanted to live in North Oakland and never considered Berkeley, but she showed me some nice places in Berkeley and I eventually found a wonderful home in Berkeley, thanks to Unhei! I always recommend her to friends who are looking for a place in the East Bay!"
- Mioi Hanaoka

"Unhei Kang recently sold my house in the Elmwood district of Berkeley. It was a pleasure working with Unhei. She made the whole process seem easy and in the end she obtained 150% of the asking price. Unhei seems to have a very analytical mind with a wonderful artistic flair.

In preparation for sale, she managed an amazing make over of our house, all on a tight budget. She carefully weighed the possible benefits and costs of alterations (e.g. changes to the kitchen) and in the end I'm sure she saved us thousands of dollars. I am also sure that due to Unhei's efficiency and work ethic, we got our house on the market in the briefest time and at the most opportune time.

In summary I have to say that I was very impressed with Unhei's knowledge of the real estate market, her commitment to our interests and her ethics. She earned my trust completely. My only regret is that I don't have another house in the bay area to sell with Unhei's help. She is the only real estate agent that I would be willing to work with."
- David Gallardo

"Unhei helped us through all phases of buying our first home: finding and viewing homes, bids, paperwork, advice, etc. She couldn't have provided more excellent service. She's as professional as can be and a really nice person, too. She responded quickly to all questions, calls, and emails (the realtor we had for a short time before her definitely did not) and was very patient and supportive through the various occasional low points of finding and purchasing a new home. She was always on time for meetings. She won't push you into a home you don't want or need just for the sake of a sale: her #1 priority is finding the right home for you, and she'll do whatever it takes to make it happen.

We found a new home that we love largely because we had such a savvy and persistent realtor. If you're buying a home in the East Bay (I'm certain she's just as capable selling homes), you can't do better than Unhei.
- William Pallister

"My partner had worked with Unhei before and I am very glad I listened to her advice and hired Unhei for my first purchase in Berkeley. Unhei showed infinite patience in answering my million questions (and promptly too!) even going so far as to help me navigate the intimidating (and frustrating) permit department at the City of Berkeley. She also has great contacts in the industry and scheduled visits by the plumber, contractor etc making it a lot smoother for me. Her efficiency, thoroughness and attention to detail really made the complicated process of buying a house much less ornery for me. I will definitely hire Unhei again for my next property."
- Michele C.

"Dear Unhei,

When we first started the home-buying process, many of our friends warned us that your realtor can make or break the process and recommended that we get a “good” one. The problem was we didn’t know what good really looked like, but now we’re pretty sure that you are it!

You gave us advice when we asked for it, but let us decide what we wanted. You explained all of the ins and outs of the process to us as first-timers, you were our advocate, and you were always willing to go back to a house – AGAIN. We really appreciate your attentiveness to us – even while on vacation! Thank you for all of your hard work…”
- Wei-Bing Chen and Joel Bass

"My fiancee and I met Unhei at an Open House, randomly. We were just beginning a casual search for a home. Within a week we'd found a place we loved and she had drafted an amazing offer for us. A month later we were moving in, having closed in a short 3 weeks, made possible because Unhei also connected us with a trusted/amazing mortgage broker since our personal broker faltered at the worst time. She truly has an amazing team backing her up.

So that's the play-by-play, and I know our experience is not common (in terms of how quickly you can buy a home). However, it can't be overstated, Unhei is remarkably skilled at her job. She is extremely knowledgeable, not only of the law and process, but of the market and people in the business. We have our home because she stepped in and guided us. And by golly, besides her professionalism she's just a genuinely warm and empathetic person."
- Nathan Wall

"Unhei is an extremely resourceful, responsive, and professional realtor who was an invaluable asset when buying our home in Oakland in 2011. Unhei was so amazing that when we unexpectedly needed to uproot and relocate out of the Bay Area a year later, we did not hesitate to retain her services once again, this time to sell our home.

Unhei’s knowledge of the East Bay real estate market is excellent. She helped us navigate some very tough decisions, and her advice was always unbiased and in our best interest. On one occassion, we made a decision that went against Unhei’s best recommendation. Instead of making that decision difficult for us, Unhei honored our wishes without hesitation and re-worked our selling strategy to incorporate that decision, even though it was different than what she originally recommended. This, to us, was a testament to Unhei’s professional and loyalty. We would recommend her to anyone wishing to purchase or sell a home in the East Bay without reservation.
- David and Ngoc Sotelo

"It was a pleasure to work with Unhei. She brings all her Bay Area knowledge, a no-nonsense attitude and a discerning eye to her projects. We hit the ground running and I had my place ready for sale very quickly. All her advice was spot-on and I think was key in getting my place sold in a timely manner.

She was a pleasure to work, as you never had to stress if things were getting done, as she was always on top of things. Having had worked with other agents in the past, it was easy to tell that she was extremely thorough and helped her clients understand the process every step of the way–which I appreciated. I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her to others in the future."
- E. Engie

"We are very happy with our house and the deal we got, and think that Unhei would be a great asset to anyone else’s search for their dream home.”
- Marianne Barlow & Nicol LaCava

"Thanks again for your creative thinking, grace, and hard work on our behalf. We appreciated the consistent level of professionalism and care that you showed for us throughout the entire process. Also, your intuition for our family’s specific needs, so that we could end up in the right place."
- Christen and Amy Lee

"Unhei is an amazing realtor. We were first-time buyer, she not only referred us to a very reputable local loan agent (which was a huge help in the process), but also guided us through the entire process patiently. She responded our messages and questions very fast, and on offer bitting days she was very dedicated with updates and suggestions."
- Zacky Ma

"Unhei is a solid realtor who helped guide us though a tough process in a very tough market. We met Unhei randomly at an open house and have since have been nothing less than impressed with her experience and keen sense of the East Bay market.

We were always able to rely on Unhei to give us a solid, non-biased, and genuine answers and guide us on our path towards home ownership. We could trust her word, and reach out to her via phone, text or email and get prompt response and game plan.

We whole heartedly recommend Unhei.."
- Jared Sewall

"My wife and I just purchased our first home together and Unhei was the sole reason that we were able to maintain our sanity throughout the process. She is patient, proactive, extremely knowledgeable, and honest.
We had more than our fair share of bumps and difficulties while trying to close on our home. Unhei was always in our corner, never rushed us, and gave us the unbiased facts that we needed to make many difficult decisions. Above all she is an excellent listener.

She is extremely knowledgeable about the Oakland/Berkeley area. Like some of her other reviewers mention, Unhei is not timid about warning you if a house that you are interested in has any problems or is otherwise not worth the asking price.

On many occasions, she really goes the extra mile. I’m not the most handy person, and I had no idea where to start on the handful of small clean-up or fix-it jobs that our property needed. She went so far as to give me step by step instructions on how to tackle a couple of the more difficult jobs, knowledge that she had to go out and research herself! Unhei doesn’t disappear after the sale, and I know that many of her past clients still reach out to her for advice and guidance for their ongoing home ownership questions."
- David Sotelo

"We had a really great experience with Unhei as our agent. I met her at an open house about a year before we were ready to look seriously. I remembered her after all that time because she had treated me as a real potential home buyer, even though I might not have looked like I could afford very much (most agents I met did not give me that respect).

Once we started looking, as first time home buyers, we had a LOT of questions. She answered them all patiently and thoroughly. She was always super prompt with email replies (and texts and calls when we asked her to do that). We felt she was always honest with us, and she gave us good advice about whether the things we worried about were important or not. She didn’t pressure us to make offers, but she did try to help us see potential in places that met most of our requirements—for instance, if a place didn’t have a laundry room, she helped us envision how we could easily set up a laundry area.

In the end, we learned that whether or not you have the right agent can really come down to when you make the offer. We didn’t have much confidence in our offer being accepted, especially when we found out there were six other bids, but Unhei said she had an idea for how to present us to the sellers, and we ended up getting the house. It seemed like a miracle! She is just a really nice person, and I think that might have something to do with it. We love our house, and we strongly recommend her as an agent."
- Matt and Sumei Quiggle

“Unhei was exactly the person I needed to guide me through the process of buying my first home.

She is straightforward, honest and patient. I had a million questions about the process, and she always took the time to explain things to my satisfaction. I’m someone who needs to read and understand every piece of paperwork, and she never made me feel rushed or like my efforts to be diligent were annoying. I imagine that some folks in this business are out to seal the deal (any deal) as quickly as possible. I never felt that from Unhei.

The most important thing was that Unhei always did exactly what she said she was going to do when she said she would do it. If she told me she’d call at a particular time with an update, she did. If she said she would pass along my full list of questions to the seller’s agent and get back to me with his answers, she did. There were so many things to keep track of throughout the process, and knowing I could trust Unhei to have my back made a huge difference. The process would have been much more stressful without that.

Unhei was highly organized, trustworthy and generous with her time. She helped me remain confident that I would find something I loved in my price range. She asked me good, probing questions at moments when it was critical for me to remember what my goals were. Even after I’d signed, she hooked me up with an electrician and a painter she knew to help me get the place move-in ready.

I can’t say enough good things. Unhei’s the bomb.”
- Dani McClain

“After years of dreaming of buying my first home. Unhei helped me make it a reality. From the beginning of seeing what I could afford, taking me out to the various openings/ tours, sticking through with me in all my questions and flat out telling me “don’t buy this, none of your friends will want to visit you here.” when the places I was looking at were in the sketchy areas. Unhei is always up front with you even when it’s something you don’t want to hear.

She’s up to date on all the FED/CA and local assistance programs for home buyers and if you or the home you bid on comes close to qualifying she’s all over it.

I would and have reccommended her to friends and will use her again five years down the road when I upgrade or start buying rental properties.”
- Samantha Nguyen

"A thorough, trustworthy, impecabbly detailed agent. What a joy to work with! Gave me enough space as to not feel bombarded w/details (as I am a 2nd time homebuyer from SF) and all the while guided me steadily through what turned out to be a very complicated process purchasing my montclair condo in this new and challenging time in real estate.

Unhei is knowledgeable in all aspects of this process that can be confusing and overwhelming, especially for first-time home buyers. If we had a question she didn’t know the answer to she would promptly find out the answer and get back to us right away. She was an excellent advocate who kept on top of contacting all the various other people involved such as the selling agent and our mortgage broker. She has good connections in the industry and was able to hook us up with a home inspector who did a very thorough job and a foundation/termite company who gave us a competitive estimate.

Unhei is very adept at melding to the different needs of her clients. She has expertise in the different neighborhoods of oakland, berkeley, piedmont etc, has great dependable contacts in the industry (ie.inspectors, mortgage brokers,decorators etc). Listens to your needs and finds the best options out there for you. All in all a perfect balance of brains, grit and perserverane in a great no pressure package. I will definitely be using Unhei again! A++ she is my e-bay agent for life!"
- Jennifer Kim

"My husband and I recently bought a fabulous first house house with Unhei’s help. We had been talking about buying a house for a few years, and as we were expecting our first baby, we thought now was the time to do it. Unhei made it happen!

Not only did Unhei listen to our needs and preferences, she also brought to light other important considerations and pointed us in the right direction. She brought us to potential properties, always mindful and respectful of our needs and budget. She found us a wonderful house in a great Oakland neighborhood with a top public elementary school.

The logistical aspect of purchasing a house can be difficult, especially when you’re 9 months pregnant or just had a baby, but Unhei made the process seamless and fairly easy. She is extremely organized and always professional. She also works with a team of professionals, from house inspectors to title company agents. She knows all aspects of the real estate business inside and out.

I would highly recommend working with Unhei. She will work hard to find you the right house as she did for us."
- Melissa Quiter

"I appreciated many qualities about Unhei. In addition to being a consummate professional, she was a tireless advocate, who listened to my preferences, vision, and priorities. Furthermore, Unhei was honest, responsive, and earned my trust. Although my sale had some challenges, throughout the process, I knew Unhei was doing all she could, which reduced my anxieties and resulted in finding a home that thrills me everytime I enter the door."
- Jonathan Hutchison

"Working with Unhei was an absolute joy. As first-time homebuyers and extreme newcomers to the nuances of Bay Area real estate, we simply would not have made it without Unhei’s help, her expertise, and her constant good cheer. She answered all of our questions (and we asked a bunch!) clearly and patiently, and expertly steered us through every step of the process.

For us, buying a house seemed both quite intimidating and extremely complicated. Unhei was there with us at every single step, from the initial viewings to crafting an offer to navigating loan documents and disclosures to the moment when she handed us the keys. Her suggestions were always insightful and her advice was always honest, straight-forward, and wonderfully genuine. This may sound like an odd way to put it, but what is most wonderful about Unhei is that that she is so deeply human—we trusted her so completely and felt so comforted knowing that she was on our side because she treated the entire process not simply a business transaction, but as a really important event in our lives, one filled with excitement and uncertainty and joy and anxiety.

She is as brilliant at guiding people through the human drama of home-buying as she is at navigating the actual nuts-and-bolts ordeal of purchasing in a complex market. We plan to be in our new home for a good long time, but if we ever find ourselves back in the real estate market, we couldn't imagine working with anyone besides Unhei. She is a gifted professional and a remarkable person, and we feel tremendously lucky to have had her help."
- Eric Falci and Amanda Whitehead

“I never thought I’d be able to purchase a home on a single income… But now I am officially a home owner thanks to Unhei. She’s great great great! A few reasons why I’m really glad I worked with Unhei:

1) Knows the neighborhood really well (Oakland, Berkeley, Albany, etc.)
2) Understood what I was looking for & was able to give me a filtered list of what I’d be interested after combing through what’s out there (I didn’t want to look at every crappy piece of property for sale & I didn’t have the time to waste)
3) Takes care of her clients. Every time I thought about calling Unhei to ask a question, she was usually one step ahead of me and calling/emailing me with the same info. I suspect she can read my mind.
4) Super responsive. My emails/phone calls were always answered in a timely manner. Home buying is such an emotional rollercoaster, having a responsive agent can really help, vs. an unresponsive agent … that could really add to the turmoil!
5) She’ll tell you like it is, and sometimes, that’s just what you need when you’re dealing with so much emotion, money, & committment.

When I upgrade down the line, I will definitely work with Unhei again.”
- Rosemary Vu

“Unhei helped me find my first home! Unhei is a very professional person, she has excellent project management skills and made the whole house buying process very simple for me, keeping me informed at all times. Unhei understands and listens to the needs of her clients and uses that information to select homes that are suitable for them. Unhei is highly creative and can visualize how properties can be made into homes, she is a people to property matchmaker.”
- Graeme Langlands

“She has been very helpul, highly coordinative through out the process of house hunting to closing the deal. I highly recommend her.”
- Janu Sundaram and Harish Venugopal

“Unhei has very high standards of customer service. Her planning and organized approach resulted in effective searches and property visits. Her patience (no pressure approach) in working with us through our process of narrowingour property selections reflected her understanding of the real estate business…Unhei provides great representation for her clients, doing everything in her capacity to ensure a smooth and satisfactory transaction. Thanks Unhei and all the best!”
- Saju Bhaskaran and Susan Jacob

“Thank you Unhei, we could not have done this without your gentle and honest guidance and attentiveness. We will be recommending you highly to anyone even thinking about buying a house!”
- Gretchen Junker and Kevin Johnson

“Thank you so much, Unhei, for making this possible. We absolutely love the house, and already feel at home….We couldn’t be happier, and really look forward to working on our home over the years.”
- C. Snell and J. Ullom