BA and MA in English Literature, Minor in Physics, Grand Diplome, French Culinary Institute

Special Interests: Architecture, Restaurant design, teaching French and Italian regional cooking, digital photography, hiking and backpacking, Karaoke

After a childhood in the Midwest on a small horse farm and college in New York, I came to California in the 1970s to pursue a career at Stanford University. For ten years I was the Executive Director and Assistant Dean of Engineering for televised graduate education and then the founding Director of the Health Care Education Network at the Stanford Medical Center for another eight years. When my son went off to college at NYU, I went to Washington DC to consult for a health care research and policy organization. To try something completely different I got my certification as a professional chef at the French Culinary Institute in New York City before coming back to the Bay Area.

Several years ago, friends in Berkeley persuaded me that the East Bay was my kind of place. I love the diversity of cultures, the availability of great food and wine and interesting people to go with it. I have always been attracted to the architectural styles of Bernard Maybeck, Greene and Greene and, of course, Julia Morgan and John Hudson Thomas which make this part of the Bay Area a feast for the eyes and spirit.

Real estate is in my blood. Selling land in Texas in the early 1900s was my great grandfather’s greatest pleasure and my father, while a college professor of English literature, bought and sold many properties on Long Island, New York. There’s always something new to learn in the real estate business so life is never boring. I especially enjoy guiding first time homebuyers through the often emotional and complex process of finding exactly the right home, however grand or modest.

“Mary Lou helped me every step of the way in the purchase of my first home. It was scary but she gave me the confidence and was my advocate to the end. She is awesome!”—R.M., Oakland

When I first sit down with clients I stress the importance of building a relationship based on trust and good communication. I tend to be a perfectionist when it comes to contracts, disclosures and the details of a transaction. Because of my design experience I have a substantial network of contractors, architects, painters, colorists, etc. to call upon either for preparing a house for sale or for remodeling a fixer.

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