Don Adamson

Don was my realtor 4 years ago when I purchased my home in the East Bay. I recently decided to sell my home and although it felt like a daunting task, Don was able to walk me through each step with clarity and support. Don is quick to reply to any emails or calls, he also proactively checks in with you on each step and makes sure you know what’s coming next in the process. He has great connections in the way of photographers, inspectors, stagers, etc. (I am so glad that I took Don’s advice to stage my home… do this!). His service included beautifully produced publicity materials for my home. Don also went above and beyond the call of duty… he even texted me a photo of him at Home Depot buying extra wood chips that he thought would add to some of my flowerbeds! An extra bonus was that Don’s strategy brought in multiple offers and I was thrilled with the outcome. And above all, Don is one of the kindest people you will meet. I would recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell a home in the East Bay.

Thanks to Don’s thoughtful and conscientious stewardship of our recent home sale, we enjoyed a final sales price of nearly 20% over the asking price. We couldn’t be happier!
Don was attentive to our property, addressing questions from poential buyers and advertising it far and wide. The effect was a lot of very positive buzz. I would certainly recommend Don for your home-​selling or –buying needs!

Don was an absolute pleasure to work with. As first time home buyers, he took the time to explain each step of the process and was always available to answer any questions. A couple aspects we valued most was his excellent communication and his ability to provide and translate all the information that goes with buying a home. As some other reviewers pointed out, Don really cares about his clients and always acts in their best interest in a calm professional manner. I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a home in the bay area. Thanks Don!

We just completed the sale of our house with Don. I can’t say enough great things about how smoothly the preparation, marketing and closing went. There were a couple stressful moments during the prep, but Don always kept his cool and advised us how to proceed. He was always respectful of my mother’s long history with the home. He is also a smart negotiator, and we ended up selling for a premium over asking price.
We would work with Don again in a heartbeat, he is knowledgeable, patient, and well-​connected in the community.

Being first time home buyers in the Bay Area, we really didn’t know how competitive it could be to pursue our dreams of owning a home here! Don provided us with
all the information we needed to start our journey and make sure we were able to view a good number of homes before we made a decision on what kind of home we were going to invest in. We found a beautiful home that fulfilled all of our needs and Don
helped us to navigate the process of inspecting the home and getting all the right people to make sure it was in good condition.
Don is very knowledgable about the East Bay market and has a solid list of contacts that were all very helpful in our home purchase. He always got back to us whenever we had a question and was quick to give us his honest insight.

I’m a Property Inspector and I work with a lot of different Realtors. I’ve been working with Don (and his various clients) for probably 3 – 4 years now. I think what marks Don out from the crowd is that he always puts the best interests of his clients first. Don is extremely meticulous, and when it comes to clients’ concerns with a new property, nothing is too much trouble. Don has a very calm and professional approach which is so often missing in real estate. He is also very patient and willing to explain the complex process of buying a new home in great detail. I know Don is very popular with first time buyers, but I would recommend him to anyone looking for an excellent Realtor.

Don is sincere, honest and and an incredibly helpful real estate agent. As first time home buyers, he helped us navigate what seemed to be a very complicated process.
Don always took the time to explain parts of the process that were not clear to us and really listened to our needs and preferences.
We so valued our experience, that when my sister was ready to sell her home in the
Berkeley Hills, we immediately recommended Don, who promptly found a motivated buyer. There were certain complications, including foundation work that was needed. Don oversaw the whole process and interacted wonderfully with the contractors.
Don, is now THE realtor for our whole extended family.

My wife and I met Don in 2011, and he was proactive in both setting us up for automated email alerts and in hand-​picking places that he thought we would like to see. He was very responsive when we asked questions. We would quickly get the low-​down on why some place was offered at prices that seemed inappropriate and he had great knowledge of the different areas (e.g. what was in a slide zone). We ended up placing an offer surprisingly quickly on a place in El Cerrito we all thought was a good deal, but our competitive offer was not accepted by the seller. Don was encouraging but after that we got an opportunity to rent a fantastic apartment so we decided to take a break from house hunting. A year later and seeing prices going up rapidly we re-​connected with Don. Although our search area had widened significantly and included areas outside Don’s usual domain, he did the required research to help us with our search. We put an offer on a house in Oakland that was lower than what Don suggested would be successful. I think we learned an important point that may seem obvious but in the moment might get lost — you should never place an offer that you are uncomfortable with. I can believe that some agents (not Don) can be pushy and scare people into placing the wrong offer. Don certainly told us that we needed to put a higher offer to secure the sale, but when we told him we were not willing to go as high as the recommended amount, he took us seriously and was happy to help us place the offer we were comfortable with. After our offer was rejected, we still felt we had made the correct decision. Shortly after this Don found us a house that we were willing to go the extra mile for. It was a complicated sale and Don went above and beyond the call of duty to make it happen. Even after the sale Don was happy to spend time advising us.
In short, Don made me think that realtors deserve their commission. He spent a significant amount of time helping us and acted with integrity in our dealings with him.

As a first-​time homebuyer, I was feeling pretty daunted about how to navigate the particulars of the housing market in the Bay Area and how to find the perfect property that would fit my needs and budget.
I should not have worried. I contacted Don Adamson at Marvin Gardens Real Estate. Don listened carefully to areas I was interested in and what I was looking for in a home. We decided that a condo would be a great option for me. He set me up on an email listing for newly available properties and we began to visit ones that interested me. In the meantime, he gave me contact info for lenders he knew and trusted, and valuable advice on which lenders to choose (evidently not all lenders will lend on condos depending on the complex.)
After visiting several properties, Don heard about a 2-​bedroom condo available in the Marina Bay area through a colleague. We went to visit it and I absolutely fell in love. We submitted an offer that was competitive enough to get us into contract. Throughout the process of dealing with inspections, signing documents, and dealing with title companies, he kept me very well informed about the process and what the next steps should be. He was quick to communicate with all parties involved and dealt with everyone efficiently and professionally.
At all times throughout this process I felt very supported by Don – he’s a genuinely nice guy. On one occasion I had to unexpectedly fly to New York to deal with some family business and was not able to make it to a pest inspection. Don told me not to worry and was present at the inspection in my place. When time came to move in, he even offered to help me move my things with his pickup truck.
At this writing, I am sitting in my beautiful condo in Marina Bay. I certainly would not be doing so if not for Don. I couldn’t imagine a better advocate or a more consummate professional in the world of real estate. If time ever comes to sell this place I know who I will go to. I really can’t thank him enough.

My wife and I wanted to buy a house for years but we never knew how to get started. Of course, we knew we would need a real estate agent so we went to Marvin Gardens (a respected real estate company in our area).
Long story short, we were lucky enough to be teamed up with Don. The market was intense but Don was patient. He showed us several places and helped us make offers that would be seriously considered. Don kept in constant contact and helped us every step of the way through what could have been an intimidating process for a first time homebuyer. We are very happy with our new home and my kids now have plenty of room to run around. Don even checks in from time to time with helpful hints and advice.