Stephen Bloom – BloomHomes

Very knowledgable about real estate and responsive by email and phone. Robin is a genius with numbers. Stephen has a strong understanding of structural aspects of the house and of the pros/​cons of the neighborhood, complex, and positioning of house. Great advice on how to make a strong offer to the seller. (Can’t comment on providing listings that match your wish list as I put together the list using Redfin app and visiting open houses on my own.) Not as detailed– or process-​oriented, so you will need to come up with a checklist of questions and follow-​up with them regularly.

Stephen and Robin know the Oakland market extremely well and are able to spot value and distinguish from marketing hype. I viewed (but didn’t buy) a house that they conceived and built that was fantastic! Stephen and Robin recognized the underlying value of this particular location and took full advantage of the potential, but undeveloped, view of the Bay from the roof deck that made this house a unique and breath-​taking value. Well done! You will find value in their combination of mark savvy and ability to recognize cost-​effective potential for improvements.

We were referred to Stephen and Robin through a friend. They are not at all pushy, but are well connected in the area which is very helpful in the very competitive local market. They gave us realistic advice on what we were able to afford and where to buy, and we are very happy with the home we purchased with their help.

Stephen Bloom and Robin Donovan did a phenomenal job representing us in the sale of our house. Stephen also represented us when we purchased the home and did an equally fantastic job on that side of the transaction. Stephen and Robin crafted an extremely effective marketing campaign that resulted in multiple offers and a sales price significantly over asking. Stephen and Robin provided sage advice during every step of the process and were always accessible. We could not be more pleased with the outcome and can not recommend them highly enough if you are looking for an agent on either the buying or selling side.

Coming from Portland, we felt overwhelmed and intimidated by the real estate market in the East Bay. Stephen, with confidence, assured us that he would find us a house within our allotted time frame, that met our budget. And — him and his partner, Robin, definitely exceeded that promise, finding us a house we truly love, in a very short time. They absolutely go above and beyond as realtors… and I have come to find that’s a rarity!
In addition, they are very friendly and down-​to-​earth, yet extremely talented and knowledgable about the real estate market in this area. And — always timely at responding to emails and making clients feel like they are important and listened to. They never once made us feel like our budget was inadequate, but instead worked with it and found us a home we really adore.
So thankful we had the opportunity to work with Stephen and Robin… we would absolutely recommend them (and we do!) to everyone we know.

We had such a good experience working with Stephen and Robin, we really couldn’t have done it without them! We were able to find our first home in a multiple offer situation with a minimal levels of stress — all thanks to Stephen and Robin.
My husband and I had been casually going to open houses for a few months just to get an idea of neighborhoods and prices when we met Stephen at an open house. We knew right away he’d be a great guy to work with: friendly, knowledgeable and without any of that pushiness so many other realtors have.
There are so many factors to consider when buying a house, it’s super overwhelming as a first time buyer. Stephen and Robin were really great about calmly educating us on all the details we needed to know about the market while also learning about us and our home wish list. They asked us lots questions about what we were looking for — what we did and didn’t want. Most importantly they helped us assess how the houses we looked at compared to our ideal list of ‘wants’ and ‘don’t wants’. We had our second offer accepted, and Stephen expertly guided us through all the details of the inspections, negotiations, and paperwork.
Both Stephen and Robin are lovely people who really had our best interests at heart. Stephen was so patient and kind with us at a time when I know we were incredibly stressed about the weight of responsibility of buying our first home. With his great knowledge, enthusiasm, and professionalism, we came through the process with our sanity and our first house!

We were incredibly lucky to have Stephen and Robin on our side during the home buying process. We could not have done it without them! Aside from the fact that Stephen and Robin are super-​friendly and all-​around great people, they’re professionals who know what they are doing, and will make the process work for you. Obviously, it’s in every realtor’s interest to get you into a house as fast as they can. But there’s a few things that really set Stephen and Robin apart:
Availability: we never did find a time when Stephen could not be reached – and we tried contacting him at some odd hours! Stephen always has up-​to-​the-​minute updates on your situation, and it’s obvious that finding a house is as important to him as it is to you. He took us on open house tours on weeknights and weekends, and it never took more than a few minutes for him to respond to an email or phone call. Stephen and Robin also sent us many new listings during the week, so we could make the most of our weekend open house tours. We interacted with them on a daily basis.
Connectedness: Stephen knows everybody in this business. Every open house we went to, the person showing the house recognized him immediately and greeted him warmly. This warmth was extended to us as buyers, and you get the sense that the process of making an offer will be conducted fairly and openly. As first time buyers, the fact that Stephen was so well known and respected really put us at ease.
Market knowledge: We all have access to MLS listings, online calculators and the like, but nobody knows how to come up with an offer number like Stephen. We saw multiple instances where he mentioned what he thought a house would go for, and he turned out to be exactly right. It’s some crazy concoction of being in the business for years, knowing the neighborhood and the agents, feeling the market and where it’s headed… to me, this is where Stephen absolutely proved his value. He gave us a number to make an offer with, and it was the right number. Isn’t that what you want an agent for?
Neighborhood knowledge: Stephen and Robin have their neighborhoods down to a science. The degree of granularity is awesome, and they really know which areas to steer you toward. We started with a pretty open slate of where we wanted to live, but after seeing a few different houses Stephen honed in on which areas we should be looking. He literally knows the difference between quality of life on the west and east sides of the street! He’s got an impressive map of what’s good and what’s bad and can give you details on an address at the drop of a hat. He’s like a London taxi driver without the Cockney accent!
Attitude: Positive, positive, positive. Stephen and Robin are behind you 100% when you’re ready to make an offer, and manage to strike just the right balance of optimism and pragmatism. Buying a house is a numbers-​driven venture, but it definitely doesn’t hurt to have someone with a great attitude on your side. With Stephen and Robin, you feel like no matter what happens – you will get that house!
As some of the other reviewers on here have noted, it’s just too bad we can’t award Stephen and Robin that extra 6^th star. They are the best in the business and I would not go to anyone else
–Thanks again Stephen and Robin!

We feel so very lucky to have met Stephen. As first time home-​buyers, we appreciated his patience, availability, and warmth, which served as encouragement on what would otherwise have been a bumpy path. Thoroughly competent and well-​respected and liked by other realtors (so many sellers’ realtors said, Oh Stephen! We love him!), we could not have imagined a more effective and kind leader on this journey. The highest HIGHEST recommendation!

Stephen did a great job representing us with the recent purchase of our home in Rockridge. He’s very familiar with the area and his advice regarding the amount to offer and the other key terms in the purchase agreement was invaluable. Because of that, we were successful in a multiple offer situation and I don’t feel like we overpaid. He was also very responsive and accessible. We would highly recommend him.

Seriously, why can I not give Stephen 6 stars?
After looking for a year and a half with another agent, we were referred by two separate people to Stephen. Just call him!
As soon as we met him, the difference between Stephen and other agents we had met in the past was immediately apparent: Stephen asked us more questions about what we were looking for, did and didn’t want, and to evaluate how much we agreed upon as we looked at different properties. He explained a great deal about the current market, inventory, and how that all affected our search.
Stephen is an excellent communicator, always seemed to be available, and was incredibly patient and kind with us as we experienced the stress of buying our first home. His extensive knowledge, enthusiasm, professionalism, and dedication was reflected in every other awesome person or business he referred us to (inspectors, mortgage brokers, insurance agents), and I he gave us excellent advice.
Buying a home can be incredibly daunting as you navigate a new world of vocabulary, where your savings is going to go, and the commitment of big scary loan. Stephen will make it make sense, and arm you with the information you need to make the right choice for you.

Its been a year since we bought our house with Stephen Bloom, and we still think back on what a great job he did and how wonderful he was to work with. We met Stephen on a Sunday at an open house. He became our realtor that afternoon. We’d made an offer on a house the following Wednesday and almost got it. The following week we’d found another house, offered, and got it. We were in and out of the market in two weeks! And, when the seller dragged their feet on punchlist items he withheld his commission until they were substantially complete! He’s remained a friend since.
Both my wife and I highly recommend Stephen (and his partner) and we look forward to buying another home in the future if for no other reason but to again work with Stephen.
Thanks Stephen!

My husband and I LOVE Stephen Bloom! I don’t have a single negative thing to say about him after buying our house, and we will use him for future transactions without hesitation.
We were very cautious in choosing an agent, and really took our time before giving even our contact information out during the open house circuit. But, immediately after meeting Stephen we both turned to each with a knowing look. We had found our agent.
Stephen is not pushy or salesman-​like at all. Yet, he has clear and helpful opinions, and he is not afraid to stick up for his clients when appropriate. We bought at a time when properties are receiving multiple offers after being on the market for mere minutes, and Stephen aided us through the aggressive and quick process with ease and calm. We purchased the second home we put an offer on, and despite several hiccups along the way (none the fault of Stephen!), we still moved in on-​time and quite happily.
We had a very pleasant experience with Stephen Bloom and we will certainly use him in the future.

My wife and I had been looking at homes for the better part of 3 years. We had dealt with more than a few brokers during that time. We met Stephen at an open-​house for a property he was selling that we were interested in purchasing.
At that point, we were so fed up with realtors that we were trying to cowboy it on our own. He could have tried to shine us on and push us into a purchase that proved not to be the right fit for us. Instead, he told us outright what we needed to know, and cost himself a sale. We were impressed with Stephen’s professionalism, knowledge, and above all, honesty. When we later found yet another property we were interested in, we called Stephen immediately and he arrived within 15 minutes ready to show it to us.
Unfortunately, the property was a foreclosure, but Stephen soldiered though the entire process along with us. He was very patient and took the time to explain each step of the process: helping us write the offer, arrange the inspections, and wrangle the bank’s agent.
All of this is what you would expect from a good agent, not that there seem to be enough of those around these days. What’s really remarkable about Stephen is that he worked so hard on our behalf, even when it ran counter to his interests. For example, we were so worried that we would be outbid on our dream house, that we were all set to make a much higher offer. Stephen convinced us to put in a lower number, ultimately saving us more than $ 40k on the final price! Who does that?! A great agent.

Working with Stephen while we bought our home was great. He talked us through the process, which as first-​time buyers was essential, bringing up points we never would have thought of on our own. After showing us a bunch of homes, he got to know what we were looking for and actively helped us find ones that fit the bill, no small task given our budget and criteria. His knowledge of basic construction and permitting helped tremendously as well. I’d highly recommend him and in fact, already have.

My husband and I just bought our first home and are excited to settle in Oakland and into our great home!
We were hesitant at first to get an agent because we had met so many aggressive or shady ones at open houses. After we got 3 different recommendations from 3 couples we are friends with to talk to Stephen, we finally did and he did not let us down.
In a nutshell, Stephen is:
–very patient
–great with logistics of unusual circumstances
–quick to respond to questions and requests
–great at giving personalized service to get what you want
–as hands-​on or off as you want him to be
–very knowledgeable about the whole process of buying a house
–proactive about getting offers in that are good and getting you the best deal
–a great negotiator who stands up for his clients
–great at knowing the real shape of a house that needs work
–thorough, respectful and friendly
Now that we are in the house and he has been paid, he is still helping us to get contractors we need. Overall it was great to work with him and we are very happy with the house we are in (and the price we got!).
If you want someone who knows the East Bay extremely well, is willing to work hard for you and is very professional, you should call Stephen.

Stephen is awesome. He helped us find an awesome home, and helped us through the entire process from viewing places to the final closing. Stephen is very responsive, and he really helped smooth everything over in our particularly rocky mortgage process. The home-​buying and mortgage process can be extremely stressful, and Stephen always seemed to be there to help ease our worries, calm our anxieties, and keep us on the right path.
At the beginning of the process Bloom helped us by figuring out what it was we where looking for, in what neighborhoods, what types of places, within our price range. We looked at a bunch of places that he recommended based on our criteria, and because he has looked at so many homes we often relied on his expertise in knowing what homes where good values, which ones where a lot of house for the money, which ones needed too much work, and which ones needed only cosmetic work with sound foundations and major systems.
Once we found a house that we loved, Stephen helped advise us on what offer to put in, and submitted it on our behalf. Our offer was accepted! Then, he recommended which types of inspections we needed and called his team of inspectors that he works with and trusts — they where all very good.
Then the negotiations began. Stephen went to bat for us with the seller’s agent and negotiated the price to be reduced.
In our particular case, the bank turned out to be a complete nightmare! Stephen kept the pressure on to keep things moving and was always on call to handle emotional banking-​related phone calls when all hope seemed lost to us.
We would recommend Stephen as a realtor to anyone, since he helped us in so many ways above and beyond the call of duty. His efforts where tireless and extensive, and he did a great job. And this was on our little cheap first-​time house on which he didn’t even stand to make that much money off of! The amount of time and energy spent on our case shows how important the ethics of realty are to Stephen, as he knows that his business is referral based. Well, we will certainly refer Stephen to anyone we can!
Stephen Bloom is an exceptional realtor and a pleasure to work with. Thank you Stephen!

Stephen was such a huge help when we were looking for a home — we’d spent the better part of a year with no luck, and literally within one month of working with him, he’d shown us three places we wanted to put an offer on, and a month after that we were moving into our new home!
Stephen is a super responsive realtor, easy to get in touch with, quick to answer our many, many questions, and knows the East Bay inside and out. You can’t do any better than Stephen if you’re looking for a realtor in the Bay Area!