Why Two is the Magic Number
Combining our gifts to our clients’ benefit

Bill and Tracy define their unique partnership as an earnest collaboration. When asked how two agents with contrasting backgrounds and of different generations came together, the team answered, “We are both perfectionists. Even so, individually, we cannot be all things to all people. Only through teamwork can we work toward that ideal. We need each other’s differences. Our collaboration evolved from the challenge to provide unparalleled service to our clients. A solution emerged from the sum of our combined strengths and the promise of our continued commitment.”

Tracy Sichterman has a degree in Fine Art from the San Francisco Art Institute—she adds creative punch to the team’s efforts. She is great at visualizing Buyers’ dreams, and helps Sellers see their home’s aesthetic and marketing potential. Tracy has a true talent for space and color, showing Sellers new techniques to accentuate the positive features of their home. Her partner Bill has commissioned her talents to sell his family’s property. In his words, “It was the home I grew up in and I didn’t recognize it when Tracy finished. I only wish my mother were alive to see how wonderful it looked.” As a bona fide wordsmith, Tracy works magic with flyer-friendly prose and transforms the advertising medium. The creativity that benefits home Sellers is also a great benefit for home Buyers: Tracy truly thinks outside the box. She looks to what the market is doing and constantly reinvents her approach, giving Buyers a competitive advantage. Once in contract on a home, it is still not business as usual. During negotiations, Tracy is known to write a detailed thesis defending her clients’ position. Beyond her background in art, Tracy is also tech-savvy, keeping long-distance (or just busy) Buyers and Sellers connected. Tracy has been around real estate all her life and attributes her real estate prowess to her mentor/mother. Tracy’s mother owned a real estate company in the Midwest and was a licensed agent for more than twenty years. Tracy credits her mother’s guidance, a wonderful partner, and the team’s many loyal clients for her success.

Bill McDowell has a reputation for honesty, generosity and humor. Because of his integrity and energy, he has been touted as “the real estate boy scout.” This designation is expressed in many individual acts, including his Sunday morning escapades. On Sundays, Bill strolls the neighborhoods surrounding his current listings, placing the morning paper on front doorsteps along with a personal invitation to his open house. Bill brings valuable insights to the partnership as Berkeley Hills Realty’s Transaction Manager. Bill displays an amazing attention to detail which protects clients by cushioning the Buyers’ experience and limiting Sellers’ exposure to liabilities. His responsibilities as manager also keep him tending home base at the Berkeley Hills office. To sellers, this means he is always available to answer their questions and to field calls from buyers interested in their home with first-hand information. Home buyers also feel comfortable knowing that not only is the team always available to them via cell phones and pagers, but that Bill is often sitting on top of all the office resources. Poised at the information center, he can answer most questions at a moment’s notice. Bill has a strong work ethic, and is often hassled by his colleagues for his reluctance to take a vacation. Bill has extensive neighborhood knowledge as an East Bay native. He has been practicing real estate since 1988, and his partner claims that with her help, “he has finally gotten it right.”