An agent’s value begins when you meet for the first time. And if the relationship is good, your agent will be a positive resource in your life forever –– providing useful resources, sage advice, and vetted service people.  

I know I have to earn your trust, and I will. As a serial entrepreneur since 1990, I’ve launched (and sold) ideas. My former companies - which focused on marketing, PR, and media - engaged me over decades, but in the end real estate won my heart. Where else can I use my business acumen and facility for connection and still get to debate “tube and knob” wiring at parties, or greet Home Depot employees by their first name? I love it all!

Living and working in the Bay Area for the last 30+ years, I built my reputation as someone who discovers creative solutions to make my clients’ dreams come true. 
In real estate, it’s no different. 

Selling and buying my own homes, most recently in 2021, revealed all the nuances of our current feeding frenzy. It’s hard to understate the vital role a Realtor® plays for their clients: project manager, problem solver, advocate, negotiator, nurturer, researcher, therapist, and more. I kid you not. 

Why should you work with me? Because I embody excellence in my work and am off-the-charts resourceful. I bring smart strategy and a dash of irreverence to everything I do. Talk to me for 5 minutes and decide for yourself.

When not working, you’ll find me hiking in the East Bay hills with my dog Bogey, cuddling with my cat Bonsai, giving it my all at a weekly hip hop class, or begging my young adult children to play board games (hey, I’m an optimist!). I’ve also become an expert in productivity; there’s not a day that goes by at home or in my real estate life that isn’t on track and on purpose. When we collaborate we’ll be moving towards your goals from the moment we meet. 

Reach out to me if you have questions about all things real estate for you, your family, or your friends.

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Call Marissa now!

*Certificate of Negotiation & Influence, Haas Business School, University of California  Berkeley, May 2022

 

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"Marissa did an incredible job for us, and we're sitting in a beautiful new home as a result! Marissa was persistent, knowledgeable, connected, and patient. And, on top of all that, she's a blast to spend time with. Marissa met my wife at an open house that Marissa was putting on at a time when we were only casually looking for a new home. She reached out to us and spent plenty of her time talking to us about the whole process before we even agreed to work with her. Once we started looking with Marissa in earnest, Marissa was an invaluable advocate. She made herself available to look at homes at all hours and came prepared to any viewing with detailed information about the home and neighborhood. She had an experienced eye for any potential problem areas in the homes we viewed. She rolled up her sleeves, knocked on doors, and talked to neighbors to help us get a true sense of what it would be like to live in each home we considered. When Marissa didn't have an answer herself, she always knew someone who did, from her foundation guy to her negotiation guru. And, most importantly, Marissa was able help us understand what all the information about each house meant when considering the house as both a home and an investment. Marissa was patient with us as our preferences shifted and flowed. She gave us a straightforward assessment of each house but never applied any pressure. When we finally find a house after a couple months of working with Marissa and seeing her almost every weekend, our toddler was very disappointed to learn that Marissa didn't come with the house! We can't recommend Marissa enough."

Oliver Ehlinger

"Lucas and Marisa were everything and more than we could have hoped for in buying our house. Not only superior service but fun and friendly people I enjoy spending time with, making an often difficult process to much easier!"

Marne S Sussman

"Marissa was incredibly responsive, proactive, connected, and helpful throughout our entire first-time home buying process! She met us at an open house and spent time talking with us about the added value of having a realtor until she convinced us it was worth it to work with her! One of the things she mentioned early on was that if we were interested in a home, she'd "get us in the room" so that at a minimum we'd have a fighting chance our offer would be considered and I felt that to be true--after watching friends working without a realtor be outbid again and again in this incredibly competitive market, we put in offers on just two homes with her and if we'd listened to her advice on the first one we probably would have gotten that one, and with the second offer we were successful."

Ariel Brown

"Roxanna and Marissa were very helpful in getting my home ready for sale. They provided a lot of timely and useful advice on the best strategies for getting a good price for my home. Attention to detail to today’s homebuyers was critical in making the sale."

Bradden L Olson

"Marissa was amazing. She can’t help but give you information and solve problems. We were looking for an agent and Marissa stood out from all the others with her personality, her knowledge and her humor. She kept us motivated in a changing market, she didn’t give up on us when we wanted to throw in the towel. My husband and I bought our first home and it is beyond what we could imagine. Thank you, Marissa!"

Jessie Kohgadai

"Over the last 20 years I have had more than my fair share of interactions with real estate agents. I have searched, bought and sold homes internationally and across the United States. I have worked with agents to seek out new investment properties, prepare others for sale, as well as parting with my own beloved homes as I move to different stages of my life. Each type of purchase or sale, comes with its own steady stream of questions, choices, and consequences. Financial opportunities and emotional challenges accompany every step of the process; having the right agents along side is everything. Marissa Harrison stood out in a number of key ways. The timing of the sale meant that I could not manage the day-to-day tasks of preparing the house, moving out of the house, and getting it ready for market. I had to be hands-off. I was able to trust Marissa with everything from finding the right vendors to help pack up the home to leaving the state before the house was prepared, staged and opened for sale. Without Marissa’s turnkey service from our first meeting to the close of escrow, I know the process would have taken longer and had less desirable financial results. Clearly, this year has been a roller coaster in the real estate world with perceptions and attitudes changing almost daily. Marissa’s communication kept me informed about the process allowing us to troubleshoot problems when they arose. At the price point of the house in Piedmont buyers had multiple and specific expectations. Marissa was able to negotiate to increase the buyer's offer and remove unnecessary conditions. I felt thoroughly supported through a stressful and emotional journey. Marissa was not only sensitive to the history of the home, neighborhood but also my needs throughout the emotional journey of moving on to the next chapter — with more than a pocket full of cash. It is my pleasure to say that Marissa stands out, not only as an outstanding agent, but as a wonderful human being. Months later after the sale is long completed she is someone I trust enough to still turn to for advice. I know for a fact, my life is better for having met and worked with Marissa Harrison."

A happy seller

"Lucas and Marisa were everything and more than we could have hoped for in buying our house. Not only superior service but fun and friendly people I enjoy spending time with, making an often difficult process to much easier!"

Marne S Sussman

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