Richard Matus

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.

No ethics.
Will not safeguard your equity as a seller as long as he gets his commission.
Works on the buyer’s side not the seller’s side.
Shouldn’t be allowed to rip off clients as a CRA member, and Better Homes and Gardens agent.
His Agency Broker should be aware of who he employs.
BEWARE!!!
R.E
.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 fiancé 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!

I just closed my purchase today. Richard has been a great agent. He is very thorough and very responsive. Richard is very knowledgeable both about the real estate process itself and about matters pertaining to property repairs and upgrades. An agent who has substantial understanding of the nuts and bolts of taking care of and improving a property can provide very valuable advice about particular properties. I’ve had other agents and Richard is definitely the best of the lot. Highly recommended.

OMG. This is a SECOND update because it just keeps getting BETTER!
Just when I thought everything with my house was honky dorey, it was brought to my attention that the title to my property, almost a YEAR after buying it, was showing some random person as the owner.
Clearly, I freaked out and contacted Richard (the only thing I could think of – he really had nothing to do with it) and he spent hours of HIS TIME researching and getting to the bottom of it.
He didn’t HAVE to, he might not have WANTed to, but he did.
I was no longer a customer of his but he’s THAT KIND OF GUY. The kind of guy that truly takes pride in his job and even almost a year later, is willing to help out a former customer.
I REALLY wish there were ways to give more than 5 stars because Richard is beyond 5 stars in every way. You literally CANNOT GO WRONG if you hire him.
I still can’t get over it…

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.

I have just purchased my first home! Hooray. My apartment building of 25 years sold and we decided to move to Oakland. I live in San Francisco, so I asked a realtor I knew here, and she referred me to Richard. What a godsend. He really knows his business. Guided us through the Home inspection, the termite report, the negotiations, the Insurance. He has great people as resources — the home inspector was awesome! I did not have to reinvent the wheel. You can totally trust him for all of the referrals. Oakland is a very hot market right now with the low interest, so prices are going up. Start early, rather than later.

I feel it is important to give praise when one does an extraordinary job so here is my first Unilocal review. It is true that the best recommendation is from friends, and now perhaps through Unilocal,I hope that others who are looking for a real estate agent in the East Bay, contact RIchard Matus. Particularly first time buyers, such as I was, who wanted an agent who was patient with my new-​to-​the-​market questions. Richard was a great listener, always organized, professional, and never pressured me into buying or looking in a neighborhood that I didn’t feel right about. My situation involved buying a condo for my mother. I felt that Richard considered not only what I wanted my mother to have but thought about her long term needs as well. I appreciated his insight and thoughtful manner.
At one point there were problems created by other real estate agents, and later by bank loan officers. Richard worked diligently in righting delays and ensuring deadlines were met. He kept on top of paperwork, and corrected the misinformation given out by the other parties involved. He kept me informed of what was happening, returned all my calls when asked, and was on the phone every day with those who created various problems (mostly due to their own lack of organization, blaming each other, and overall neutral attitude about actually doing what they were hired to do).
My introduction into the world of real estate involved a lesson in what a real estate agent should do for you and what they shouldn’t or can’t do. Richard was definitely in the category of great real estate agents. Upon meeting him you will find him to be more on the quiet side. He is not flashy and is certainly not your stereotypical real estate agent. His calm demeanor, subtle ways, and very honest advice, resulted in a beautiful condo for my mother. I strongly recommend Richard to any first time buyer and to a seasoned buyer/​seller, I believe Richard’s professional manner would be much appreciated.

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.

We had a perfect experience with Richard. As the other reviewer mentioned he combines the best of both worlds.
He is not pushy on our side and had the patience to guide us, two first-​time prospect home buyers, from day 1 and has been with us at every step explaining in great detail all aspects of the process.
On the other end when it counted Richard showed that he can act quickly and to do what is needed to push other parties to get things done to move the process forward.
He is very easy to get a long with and always maintained a professional yet friendly demeanor.
Highly recommended.

I was referred to Richard Matus by a friend. I can’t begin to express how much of a great experience my wife and I had with him. We’re first time home buyers, and he had to deal with our picky taste, small budget, and overall ignorance about the home buying process. Not only does Richard take his time answering questions, he returns calls and emails almost instantly– even on weekends! Above all else, he is HONEST– if he thinks that a house will be too much work, or if you’re over-​bidding, he will tell you right away. Additionally, saved us a ton of money through his shrewd negotiation skills.
We will be using Richard’s services when we buy and sell our next home, and are happy recommending him to anyone looking for an honest, friendly, and hard working Realtor.