About Us
Janie and John Barman have been helping clients on the Peninsula for 25 years. Whether you are seeking your dream home, planning to sell your current home or are interested in investment properties, their decades of knowledge, local expertise and hands-on approach will benefit you through every step of what likely is the biggest transaction of your life.
About Janie
Born in San Francisco and raised in Menlo Park and Portola Valley, Janie is the consummate Realtor. With local knowledge and history spanning over 50 years, Janie is an agent that other agents turn to for everything from local history to the inside scoop on local public and private schools.
With a long local history and a gregarious personality, it’s not surprising that Janie’s network is quite extensive, so whether you need a handyman or general contractor, an architect, electrician or painter, or even an arborist, color consultant or restaurant recommendation, Janie has you covered. She has worked with or vetted everyone she recommends on projects ranging from major remodels and additions to pre-listing refreshes. Quality, consistency and reliability are all required to be part of her referral network.
On a more personal level, Janie is an avid gardener. Her custom-designed raised bed garden and succulent and citrus filled front yard consistently receive compliments from neighbors and passersby. Most spring and summer mornings, you can find Janie out doing a little “garden therapy” before getting a start on the day’s work.
About John
As Janie is apt to remind him, John is a Mid-Peninsula transplant having only lived here since 1985 when he started as a freshman at Stanford. In his 38+ years here, John has managed to amass an equally impressive set of local knowledge through countless hours spent running, cycling and hiking, an outdoor affinity that he has cultivated since his student days. It would not be a stretch to say that John views the Bay Area, with its perfect weather and extensive protected parks and preserves, as the best place in the world to call home.
With engineering and economics degrees and a background in both software engineering and marketing, John’s penchant for data analysis and media presentation complements Janie’s strengths, making Janie and John a potent team.
Working with Sellers
Prepping a home for sale falls squarely in Janie’s wheelhouse. In a typical listing, Janie may spend weeks or months updating a home to appeal to the widest possible set of buyers. Then, when the home is at its sparkling best, their top-notch stager and professional photographer come in to capture the home at its finest. Next, John puts together the online and print marketing collateral and makes sure all of the paperwork is ready to go. Finally, Janie and John jointly roll out the polished product for all to see – an approach that time and again has proven to maximize the net price for the sellers.
Working with Buyers
Janie and John view the home buying process as an education. This often starts with information on communities and neighborhoods, and quickly progresses to home specific information that all responsible buyers should know. There simply is no substitute for being physically present in a home, talking about its wonderful features and correctable shortcomings, and then taking a deeper dive into the disclosures and inspection reports – all of which give buyers the opportunity to leverage Janie and John’s combined 50 years of real estate expertise.
Family
Janie and John have two kids, Jack and Chase. Jack, 25, is a graduate of Pitzer College and currently a 3rd Year Law School Student at UC Berkeley where he has a strong interest in public policy and social and economic justice (and yes, Stanford grad dad is very proud of him at Berkeley!). Chase, 19, is a first year at Pitzer College where he is a student-athlete playing water polo. Chase is a graduate of Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose where he was the leading scorer on their second place in Northern California water polo team and on the Bell’s state swimming contingent.