When Berkeley Top Agent Cordula Didier moved with her family to the United States, she knew that her previous career as a journalist for a European business magazine would be challenging to continue. They settled in Berkeley and she immediately fell in love with the Bay Area’s “amazing, eclectic” architecture. “I have always loved architecture and interior design; it just made sense to become a real estate agent,” she says.

Now celebrating her tenth year in the real estate business, top real estate agent in California Cordula Didier serves Berkeley and surrounding areas of the East Bay with residential real estate services. “This area attracts very smart and interesting people,” she says. “We have UC Berkeley, San Francisco and lately more tech buyers coming in because we are just one-hour commute to Silicon Valley.

Cordula is a certified Eco Broker, which means she has received additional education about how to help her clients make their homes more energy efficient. “Some of that comes from my cultural background growing up in Germany, where there’s a big emphasis on energy efficiency and sustainability,” she explains. “Here, as much as I love the architecture, I couldn’t believe how drafty everything is.” Additionally, Cordula conducts entirely paperless transactions and is on her office’s Green Team. “We became the first certified green real estate office in Berkeley in 2009 and are keeping up our high standards.”

Now also a proud American citizen, Cordula has lived in several countries and speaks French, German and Italian. “I do work with clients from abroad and it feels so rewarding to introduce them to the Bay Area,” she says. She explains that one of the pillars of her business is to be giving. “Everything that you do in the world will come back to you,” she says. “I like to be generous with my time and my advice. It’s been such a good way to go about my business,” she continues. “I am so grateful to have built a career here. I felt so welcomed and I would like to extend that to other people.”

Clients who have worked with Cordula often remark on how she put their interests first. They also cite her excellent communication and strategy. “I often get comments on my sense of humor, too,” she says with a laugh.

Cordula was recently excited to learn that she will be honored by Diablo magazine as a Five-Star Real Estate Professional for the fourth consecutive year. “The recognition is based entirely on client feedback, which makes it very special to me,” she says.

When listing a client’s home for sale, Cordula loves the process of transforming it into a marketable commodity. “To create a buzz around a property is very exciting,” she says. “I enjoy putting together a really top-notch marketing strategy with professional staging, landscaping and photography and getting to create a product that will sell for best price and terms.”

She finds working with home buyers equally satisfying, but in a different way. “The process can be a little scary for some,” she explains. “We have micro neighborhoods and a pristine but older housing stock, and with all that beauty comes a lot of quirks like potential seismic hazards for example. I need to be very knowledgeable and advise if something can be fixed or when it’s best to move on to a different property. To provide guidance through inspections in the next step is crucial — my clients benefit from my network of excellent local inspectors and engineers.”

Cordula feels strongly about supporting the communities in which she lives and works. She is active with the Berkeley High School Development Group (BHDG). “We raise funds and donate to help with projects for the school’s underserved population. It’s a huge school with a very diverse student body of 3,200.” She also serves as a Block Captain in her neighborhood. “We are a very tight-knit community; everyone feels a strong sense of belonging and a desire to contribute.”

To learn more about Cordula Didier of Marvin Gardens Real Estate, call 510-703-2223, email cordula.didier@gmail.com or visit www.CordulaDidier.com