Krista Miller – Berkeley Hills Realty

Krista Miller and Rosie Papazian were a fantastic team in helping us buy our home in North Berkeley last summer. We were first time home buyers with all of the hundreds of questions and anxieties that comes along with that, plus our lease was running up and we were pregnant, adding a good amount of pressure to the already intense experience of breaking into the Berkeley housing market. You couldn’t ask for two better people to guide us through the experience. Both Rosie and Krista are incredibly patient, holding our hands throughout the process with lots of wisdom, common sense guidance, and never a bit of pressure. Krista is very knowledgeable about the Berkeley/​Albany/​Kensington area and we always felt like we had a very good sense of value of the homes, the likely competition, and how best to minimize our risks with the type of non-​contigent offers that are the norm in the area. Both Krista and Rosie counseled us from getting too caught up in market fervor and from overbidding on houses that we would have regretted. But they also kept full pace with us in the end when we were putting in bids fairly regularly. Rosie and Krista were very committed to us and, in our final successful bid, really sold our story to the sellers so that our bid was accepted over a higher, all-​cash offer from another buyer. That isn’t going to work with every seller, but when Rosie and Krista had an opening, they made the most of it. I think their enthusiasm and commitment to us as a family made all the difference.
We wholeheartedly recommend Rosie and Krista!

Krista helped us land a gem in Oakland. Krista always made herself available to field our questions and respond to concerns and I greatly appreciate her blunt honesty. She worked tirelessly with us, even as we had a number offers get outbid. I can’t recommend her highly enough!

I met with Krista for a consultation and was really impressed by her knowledge of the real estate industry. She answered all my questions concisely and offered information I had not even considered.
Aside from her knowledge, she is a really awesome person!!! I’m happy to have met her through the reviews she has here on Unilocal and can’t wait to do business with her.

Krista Miller is amazing. She is present for all the preliminary discussions that need to occur before her clients’ homes are actually listed on the Internet, to help with decisions that need to be made about finishes and staging, and to answer any questions clients have throughout the entire process. She is completely present and clients know they have her 100% attention. Krista cares about all of her clients and works very hard to ensure they get as much money as possible for their homes, and to ensure her Buyer-​clients pay a price they are most comfortable for the homes they purchase — a fantastic Realtor to know and do business with. I am a Realtor and it gives me great pleasure to write this review for a colleague I have the utmost respect for. I’ll do a transaction with Krista and her partner any day. — Amy M

Krista helped my wife and I sell our house in Berkeley, teaming up with Rosie Papazian as listing agents.
When interviewing potential agents, we found a match in Krista most notably because of her rare combination of seasoned experience with an upbeat, energetic attitude. Krista was supremely easy to work with and an absolute pleasure to be around.
My wife and I would wholeheartedly recommend Krista to anyone in need of a realtor’s help.

I joined Unilocal so I could write this review. Krista saw my partner and I through the purchase of our first home. She made an inherently stressful process fun and always looked out for our best interests. In hindsight, I regularly acted like a nut from the first day she met us until the day we closed on our home five months later, but Krista took it all in stride. Buying a home in the Bay Area will put you through the wringer. You need someone who has your back. For us, that person was Krista. If we ever recover enough to want to do this again, we won’t hesitate to work with her.
We saw 62 houses and made five offers before we finally got «the one.» Through it all, Krista was a personable, upfront, informative, and responsive real estate super star/​emotional rock. She knows her trade and has mastered her craft. We recommend her without hesitation!

My husband and I were buying a second home (condo) in Florida. Krista took the time to help us review all the documents. Krista responded promptly providing us insight, possible questions we should ask, and reassure me of any of my concerns (I am a worrywart). To us she was willing to go above and beyond, always thinking about her client first. She is definitely knowledgeable in her field. She does an awesome job translating real estate language so we could understand and be able to make informed decisions. Not only is she great at what she does but has a fantastic personality to boot!

Krista helped us buy our first house a few years ago. She knows the East Bay market and neighborhoods well and helped us find the right house within our budget in a neighborhood we didn’t even know existed. She worked with us to really understand what we wanted until we found just the right fit. Krista is motivated, a great communicator and I felt confident that we were in very competent hands. When we are ready to move, we will call Krista to help us sell our house and find our new home.

I worked as a Realtor for the better part of a decade in the crazy market of the early 2000’s. Having worked for so long in east bay real estate, I know a good Realtor from a bad one. Krista distinguishes herself as one of the good, solid gold Realtors by going above and beyond for her clients while being honest and straightforward with them. She is well versed in the real estate big picture, as well as nuances of the current market and she stays appraised of potential shifts and adjustments; this allows her to be an effective educator and guide for her clients throughout the process, be it on the buying or selling side of a transaction.
Not only is Krista a consummate professional, but she is a joy to be around. While I believe that professionalism outranks personality in certain professions, in real estate it’s important to like the person you’re going to spend hours with while touring property. But what the general public doesn’t know is that being a likable professional is also important on the back end of real estate transactions. Other professionals recognize Krista as someone who will work tirelessly to get a deal closed with an approach that prioritizes a successful close as one where all parties are happy with the outcome. Carrying that outlook means that she minimizes the inherent stress that comes with buying & selling real estate, no matter what position you may hold in the transaction. She will always fight hard for her clients, but she does so with a finesse that doesn’t put anyone’s nose out of joint.
Krista is technologically savvy and always fast to respond so that her clients are constantly armed with all the information they need to make the best decision for their situation. Though I’ve known & worked with dozens of Realtors over the years, Krista is my go-​to for both my own transactions and as the Realtor I refer anyone to whom I know needs real estate assistance, or initial guidance.
Even if the multitude of five-​star reviews doesn’t totally sway you, at least put Krista on your Realtor-​to-​interview short list. You’d be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t at least talk with her.

After five years at my wonderful home, it was time for me to move, and of course Krista was there to guide me through. My particular situation required a lot of paperwork and the process was very confusing. As always, Krista was knowledgeable, organized, and patient. I could not have completed the sale without her. Whether you are buying or selling a home (or both), you will not find a better realtor!

Krista is great. She will get a deal done. Sometimes real estate in this area is crazy, but she’ll give you a helmet and a shovel, then fight along side of you, before and after the closing to get you what you need.

A friend of mine who works at Berkeley Hills Realty recommended Krista. She told me that not only is she a fantastic realtor who works hard for her clients, but that she has a great personality and that we would get along well. I’m so happy my husband and I chose her. Krista tirelessly searched for the perfect first house for us, thoroughly explained the process and was an excellent negotiator. Even though we leaned heavily on her throughout the long and arduous search, she never made us feel like a burden. Even now, when we’re settling into our new house, Krista continues to help us with recommendations for professional help. She was extremely pleasant to work with and I look forward to working with her in the future.

Bottom line: Krista is knowledgeable, responsive, resourceful, organized, caring, and will be your advocate to the end.
My husband and I were first time home buyers living in Sacramento and looking to buy in the bay. Two different relatives enthusiastically recommended Krista. She clearly explained the steps from looking for a house to closing on one. She also took detailed notes about what we were looking for and what our price range was.
And thus started our 6 month search. During that time, Krista would show us houses on the weekends we could make it down, recommend we visit homes she’d seen earlier that matched our criteria, and find answers to any questions we had about homes that interested us. She responded to our E-​mails/​texts/​calls very quickly and kept us updated whenever we put in offers. She was the only agent to personally deliver our offer on the house we got; I think her presentation helped sway the sellers to pick us over higher bidders. Krista then worked to keep everything on track so we could close on time. She even offered to deliver the house keys to us on Thanksgiving Day.
If we ever need to buy/​sell a house in the future, we are going to Krista first!

Krista was my real estate agent for a short sale townhome. We made the offer in the last quarter of 2011 and the offer was approval by the bank around 6 months later. She was very helpful, updated me often and extremely thorough in her updates while we were waiting on the approval. Once the offer was accepted, she assisted me through the escrow and I was able to seamlessly relocate to my new place. My family and friends are surprised to hear that I could manage my first home purchase on my own without seeking any of their help and I have to thank Krista for making it easy for me. She was incredibly knowledgeable and responded to my questions immediately — in great detail. Thank you so much Krista.

We had the privilege of working with Krista on the purchase of our new home this past winter. She did an excellent job of representing us and ultimately getting us into our first home in Albany. As other reviews have mentioned, Krista is incredibly warm and friendly. From the moment we started working with her, we realized she was willing to go the extra mile to meet our needs. At our first meeting, she said our young daughter was welcome to join us and even had toys ready for her to play with when we arrived. We also appreciated the fact that she was willing to meet with us after our daughter went to bed and worked late to submit offers and counter-​offers.
Krista is also very diligent and maintains very open lines of communication. We were out of town for a critical period of our transaction and Krista kept us in the loop and up to date via phone, texts and emails. The sellers of our home were difficult to communicate with, but Krista’s persistence helped close the deal.
Krista has lots of connections with other realtors, inspectors and contractors, which is very helpful during negotiations and home inspections when things have to happen quickly. She proved to be a true asset from beginning to end.
Overall, Krista was a pleasure to work with. She was always positive and walked us through every step of the home-​buying process. We would certainly recommend her for any new home-​buyers in the East Bay.

After six long months of searching for a house in the East Bay, I am happily getting settled in at my new house in Berkeley, and I owe my eternal gratitude to Krista, who was instrumental in my search. As a long time Oaklander, I knew the neighborhoods that I wanted to live in, but Krista really had the in-​depth knowledge of the East Bay, which allowed her to tell me the pros and cons of each neighborhood on a block-​by-​block basis. She really knows the East Bay like the back of her hand. When I expressed interest in several houses, she immediately informed me of red flags that I should watch out for so that I wouldn’t waste my time. During the entire process, Krista was extremely supportive, knowledgeable, and responsive. She knows so much about every little detail that goes into the construction of a house, as well as where to go if you need something fixed. I honestly felt that she catered to my personal taste, ultimately landing a house that was the perfect match for me. I could have settled for a house that was less than exceptional, but Krista’s guidance proved that she was there not to make a quick sale, but to find a home that was the right fit. The house that I bought wasn’t even within the neighborhoods that I automatically received listings for — this house was brought to my attention by Krista, who got to know me as a person and who knew my taste. She was spot on with this one. She is extremely responsive, professional, intelligent, and above all, personable. Not only is she a great realtor, but she is a great person — someone you want on your side. I don’t know how she does it. Simply put, Krista is the best!

I found Krista through a real estate website where I posted a question. Of all the responses I got, hers was the only one that I understood because she explained everything to me in ordinary terms instead of all that real estate lingo I did not understand at that time. When I met her for the first time, she was warm, friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. I was worried about the low amount I could afford, especially here in the costly Bay Area, but she didn’t even bat an eye and just continued to plow on through helping me to find the right home.
I just closed on a house this week thanks to Krista. Krista stuck by me for TWO WHOLE YEARS without ever being pushy over my indecisiveness and hesitance at being a first-​time home buyer. She even gave me moving boxes and tape to help me in my move. I started out with an agent but ended up with a friend!

Krista’s expertise and approachable way of explaining the complex world of real estate was so helpful as we were debating the sale of my parent’s home. She was so personally invested in my dilemma, I knew I could trust her advice. She not only thinks about the transaction of buying and selling a home but the things we don’t think about… blood/​sweat/​love you have to put into it in an economical way.
Thx again, Krista!

If you want someone who is extremely attentive to your needs and fun to work with, Krista is the one! She makes the entire process easy and has a keen sense of where to look to suit your desire. Very professional, with a good sense of humor, which comes in handy during the stressful parts of home buying! She will go out of her way to please and makes you feel like a valued client. Highly recommended!

I wish that I had known Krista when I bought my house!
I met Krista in Berkeley Outstanding Women’s Network, a group that I participated in for several years with her. During that time, she served as president and membership coordinator at various times and also organized some events for the group.
She has the biggest (figurative) toolbag of just about anyone that I know. In addition to the 5 senses that we all have, somehow Krista has cultivated business sense, organization sense and interpersonal skills that top most people that I know. She is able to think creatively to solve problems and come up with new ways of doing things. I find her delightful and inspiring.
She has become a friend, but she has also become a trusted source of information and a resource. I have called her many times to ask her questions about properties on my block or buying foreclosures. I have also referred a number of friends to her. They have all been thrilled with her professionalism, friendliness and service.
I can’t recommend Krista highly enough nor would I recommend anyone else as an East Bay realtor.