I was looking to sell my first and only house in Oakland so I could retire to somewhere warm. I was unsure about the process and didn't really know what to do. After talking to family, I found 3 agents I thought I could interview. I was originally going to sell FSBO, but my situation changed very quickly. Richard was the first person I actually talked to. He was very knowledgeable, professional and came with his packet and when he asked what I thought of for a price he was right on the money. We worked out all the detail, we listed, had lots private showings (NO Lockbox). Great open houses with lots of response and Richard got it done for me. SOLD SOLD SOLD

I recommended him to a friend that was FSBO his house as I was and now he's working with Richard

Arigato, Thank you, Mahalo,

Richard is awesome! He was super easy to work with, always immediately available to speak with us, very calm, informative, experienced and an all around nice human being. Working with Richard, is like working with first class, five star everything!

I almost never write yelp reviews but Richard is the exception! Quite simply he is amazing to work with throughout the home buy process. It was my first time purchasing so to say that I didn't know much would have been generous! Richard, guided me through the process, educated me to what was the important questions to ask sellers, what to look for when viewing a home, etc. etc. He also had good advise on how to negotiate (this is key in the SF BayArea! where you might find yourself in a bidding war) for the win wins between buyer and seller.

The above alone would have made Richard an outstanding agent. But even post sale, when most realtors would start packing up to go home. Richard has continued to be a reference, mentor and guide on all things home, from contractors recommendations, gardeners, advise on how to solve for those tricky old home architectural spots, etc etc.

People know this guy. When I mentioned who I was working with to other agents, they knew I was already in good hands. It's very impressive to see such respect for someone like that in this industry.

Over the years I've literally looked at countless properties with Richard, made many offers and have been lucky enough to close on a few. Each time I've felt comfort knowing he's got my back and that he's on top of his game. His calm, thoughtful, well connected demeanor is complimented with shrewd negotiating skills and a thorough understanding of how to craft a deal that works in the East Bay single and multi family markets. I'm incredibly grateful for his patience, generosity with his time and expertise. I can't recommend him highly enough.

Under constant harassment of our landlady we finally decided to try and buy our first house. Serious recommendations lead us to Richard, and let me say it up front, he is remarkable. He worked tirelessly to help us find a home for our family and has CONTINUED to help us as we figure out home ownership.

But in the beginning, he sat down with us, listened carefully and patiently to our hopes, fears, confusion, and uncertainty, and then helped us start taking those terrifying steps forward. In retrospect I think Richard knew what we wanted and needed long before we did, but despite that he tirelessly and graciously took us on tour after tour without pushing, being straight with us about each property, and helping us along our way to find a home and figure out what was really important to us in a home.

When we found it, he worked some serious magic, got us the home in a competitive Bay Area market, and then did all the closing work for us while we were out of town. After we moved in I figured that was it, but Richard goes the distance and then does another lap. He checked in with us, help hold our seller to a list of promised repairs, and took care of a few minor things that he definitely did not have to deal with. He has answered all our questions about taxes, ownership, pros and cons of solar and the list goes on.

If I had to sell or buy a house again I'd call him in a heartbeat. I'd have all my loved ones work with him. He knows his business and he's a great guy.

About a year ago I assumed responsibilities for three family-owned income properties in Oakland. Around February 1, 2014 I walked into the Gand Lake offices of BHG and started interviewing people to see if I would be interested in any of them to handle our deal. Not finding the person I wanted in the office that day I left my contact information and asked that someone with experience selling the kind of properties we owned to call me. Richard not only passed that first phone interview when he called me later, but over the next several months exhibited the patience and the tenacity that we needed to handle our special situation.

I am not local anymore so Richard had to deal long distance with me (the guy making the decisions) and still keep the locals happy (the guy with no authority but all the keys). After a few delays that we caused, Richard stuck with us and assisted us in many ways that go far beyond the normal realtor duties. He became a trusted adviser dealing with significant on-location issues that I could not handle on my own from afar.

Right from the start Richard recommended a marketing plan that fit perfectly with my own thinking and he proved many times over that I had chosen correctly when we signed the listing over to Richard. We could not have been more pleased with the end result. When the serious marketing efforts started, we had offers on three old, detriorating, large income properties that exceeded our list prices by a combined total of several hundred thousand dollars.

I firmly believe, there are only a very few agents who could have pulled off the same result. I highly recommend Richard Matus for any real estate needs in the East Bay.

Richard Matus is the best. He's a man of great integrity in an industry that often lacks it, and we couldn't have asked for a better experience with him during our house hunt in Alameda. He's very knowledgeable about the market, yes, and absolutely knows what to look for in the houses themselves. But what we loved about him most was his calm, friendly, and incredibly kind manner. He brought us pizza to eat on our new porch on the day our house closed: how awesome is that? We hope to have him over for dinner again sometime; we like him that much. And we absolutely love our new house. We couldn't be any happier with him and have recommended him to everyone we know.

This review is long overdue. Richard helped me find my first home. He gives 200% to his clients- he even came to my closing. Richard answered my numerous questions, took time to review all the listings I would send to him in addition to those he sent to me, and always accomodated my schedule. Having worked in this industry a long time, Richard has extensive knowledge of the Alameda County real estate market, which was supremely helpful in determining what to offer.

Most importantly, he is not pushy and he is honest. I refer Richard to all my co-workers and friends and will definitely be using Richard as my listing agent when it comes time to sell my house.

As first time home buyers my wife and I were super lucky to get Richard. Richard is not only knowledgable about the market but he knows what to look for when checking out houses and he's great with all the legal stuff once your are in escrow. On top of that the man is easy super going and is willing to meet you at a house after hours if need be. You can't go wrong with Richard, he's got over 20 years in the business! We had a great experience.

You've heard that real estate is about "location, location, location" but working with Richard is a reminder that its all about "relation, relation, relation".

Richard has the perfect balance of knowing when to be relaxed and knowing when to push. Just to clarify, he was 100% relaxed and helpful for me in choosing my home and walking me through the process. He was gentle but firmly "pushy" with the other parties to make sure the deal got closed and that I would be in the best situation possible.

I'd like to call him the "Rock Star" of real estate, but it doesn't quite match his personality. He's more the "Thich Nhat Hanh" of home buying or the "Mother Theresa" of transactions.

You should know, up front, that I have had some bad experiences with realtors in the past, and I approached my most recent real estate sale with gritted teeth and resignation. I called Richard because he had sold other units in my building without a lot of drama.

What a nice surprise! He was efficient, organized, and low-key. He was very knowledgeable about the market. He listened to me well, understood my priorities, and set to work selling my condo. Basically, I didn't have to worry about anything, the condo sold for a good price, and I am happy.

On top of everything else, he's a genuinely nice person. Give the man a call. You will not be sorry.

We met Richard at an open house he was hosting and was immediately impressed by his calm, friendly and confident demeanor. We took his business card and looked him up when he decided to sell our home in Oakland. He took control of the whole process of selling our home in an efficient and professional manner and kept us apprised of all the details as they unfolded. After two weekends of open houses, we had a half a dozen or so offers--all well over our asking price. Although the first contract fell through, Richard had a backup ready to go. The lag time between the two was minimal, and we were again kept in the loop of all the details in a professional manner. We highly recommend Richard for your real estate transaction needs! We couldn't have been happier with the results secured through his excellent efforts.

Buying a home is the biggest investment most people make throughout their lives. And as a consumer, you are supposed to trust one person to help you with that daunting purchase, that is a big decision.
My fiance and I bought our first home together with Richard. He was truly caring and very honest knowing our life style, budget and goals. We looked at numerous houses that were true "fixer upers" and needed more work than we had time for, or ready at this point to invest in. He worked with our needs and wants within our budget. Richard found us the perfect condo that had EVERYTHING and more that we wanted!
We looked at 5 or so places and put in a couple offers and I'm sure if you are in the market now you realize how competitive it is and stressful, with offers then counter offers! Richard kept us informed every ounce along the way and gave us good, honest advice. He would email us and also call to keep us posted on progress. Richard wants what best for each client he's low key and efficient. I felt totally at ease with him and no anxiety during the process. I am fairly uneducated in home buying, he answered all my questions even if they seemed petty and silly.
I've heard horror stories about comission hungry agents, that seem more like car salesmen. I feel lucky, we started looking in the beginning of the month and found our place, locked it in after a month. Richard made buying a house a total breeze and we were able to enjoy the experience and buying our first home together!
Thanks for being so great!