Where Experience Meets Dedication
Get to Know Us
Having lived in Silicon Valley our entire lives, we have extensive knowledge of this beautiful area. It is our honor and pleasure to be involved with one of the most important decisions in your life. We appreciate you taking the time to consider us as your real estate agents.
Kip Barnard | real estate dude
🏡 Local real estate agent sharing cool things about our area.
Willow Glen • Cambrian • San Jose
👇 love this valley? Let’s connect.
California’s state capital almost landed on the east side of San Jose. 🏛️
San Jose was California’s first capital, but lawmakers wanted to move it. In 1850, wealthy landowner Charles White offered a huge piece of his Rancho near today’s Alum Rock and Capitol Avenue. His plan was to build a new capital and sell the surrounding lots to pay for it. Then Vallejo stepped in with 156 acres and $370,000 in cash. San Jose lost, and in 1852 the capital moved.
Imagine East San Jose if White had won. Where a city grows, and why, shapes every neighborhood we know today.
Share this with someone who loves San Jose history.
Kip and Tam | Barnard Group - San Jose, DRE 01428934 | Compass
#EastSanJose #SanJoseHistory #SanJoseRealEstate
Starting December 14th, San Jose will be watching. 📸
33 speed cameras are switching on. Go 11 mph over the limit and a photo of your plate turns into a ticket in your mailbox. The first 60 days are warnings only. After that, fines run $50 to $500. The city says it is about saving lives. Privacy advocates call it surveillance. The money funds the program and traffic safety improvements.
Safer streets, or watched too closely? How a street feels is part of what makes a neighborhood home.
Tell us where you land in the comments.
Kip and Tam | Barnard Group - San Jose, DRE 01428934 | Compass
@sanjoseca #SanJoseRealEstate #SiliconValleyLiving
Fire Station 32 in San Jose is built, paid for, and empty. 🚒
Voters approved the money back in 2018. Now the city has delayed funding the firefighters, so there are no engines and no crew on duty. The surrounding stations? Some of the busiest in San Jose. The firefighters’ union says city leaders failed again to prioritize public safety. The city points to a major budget shortfall. The neighborhood is still waiting.
Should a city build a fire station without funding the firefighters? Public safety shapes how every neighborhood lives and values its homes.
Learn more at safesanjose.org
Kip and Tam | Barnard Group - San Jose, DRE 01428934 | Compass
@sanjoseca #SanJoseFire #SanJoseRealEstate
The hills above Almaden Valley once held the most productive mercury mine in North America. ⛏️
In 1845, Andrés Castillero found mercury at New Almaden. A year later, James Forbes, founder of Los Gatos, helped secure the mining rights, right before the Gold Rush made mercury essential for processing gold. Then came the real fight: who actually owned it? Years of lawsuits drained Forbes, who went broke in 1856. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against his partners, and the mine sold for $1.75 million.
Land disputes in Silicon Valley are nothing new. The stakes just keep climbing.
Share this with someone who loves San Jose history.
Kip and Tam | Barnard Group - San Jose DRE 01428934 | Compass
#NewAlmaden #AlmadenValley #SanJoseHistory
San Jose spent $46 million turning the Arena Hotel on The Alameda into homeless housing. Now the plan is changing. 🏨
The original promise was up to 200 permanent affordable apartments down the road. Instead, residents reported broken elevators, staffing shortages, and even food poisoning. The city replaced the operator last year, and the City Council has now voted to negotiate with a new developer after the first plan was deemed financially unfeasible. The new goal is mixed-income apartments. Current residents still don’t know where they’ll go during construction.
What happens on The Alameda ripples out to the neighborhoods around it, from Rose Garden to Diridon Station.
Share your thoughts in the comments.
Kip and Tam | Barnard Group - San Jose DRE 01428934 | Compass
@sanjoseca #TheAlameda #SanJoseHousing
Many people think San Jose is named after the man who founded it. Not quite.
José Joaquín Moraga founded the pueblo on November 29, 1777, but the name honors Saint Joseph, Mary’s husband. The full name is El Pueblo de San Jose de Guadalupe, and Guadalupe is the river the town was planted beside. Part saint, part riverbank. 🌊
That river still shapes where homes sit, how flood maps get drawn, and which neighborhoods feel like they have always been here.
Share this with someone who didn’t know.
Kip and Tam | Barnard Group - San Jose, DRE 01428934 | Compass
#SanJoseHistory #GuadalupeRiver #SiliconValleyRealEstate
What Our Clients Are Saying
Success Stories
From the initial contact to the listing of our home, only several days had passed. In those few days, our home was staged beautifully, professional photographs were taken, a beautiful listing was created, and a weekend open house was scheduled. The open house was extremely well attended with excellent feedback. The house was marketed so well in fact, we received multiple offers on our home, all above the list price. We were able to accept a great offer that was 10% above the listing! Kip moved the process along quickly, closely adhering to our timeline, which was imperative in order to move out of state due to a work transfer. Kip handled a few minor hiccups (on the part of the buyer) very calmly and professionally. We closed on time, as promised, and could not be happier with the end result. We would highly recommend working with Kip and Tamara when buying or selling a home. They are both extremely knowledgeable of every facet of real estate. We never doubted their expertise at any point throughout the process and it could not have been easier. They even tolerated and worked around our 3 yippy Chihuahuas!”
— Ashley & Jackie
Kip was our real estate agent for both buying and selling our home. On the selling side, he and his wife Tamara offered us helpful suggestions on how to get our home ready for showing. They provided some much need artwork to the walls and some decor to add to the ambiance. It really gave our place a much-needed makeover. He always kept us updated on any activity via email and over the phone. As our daughter was 8 months old at the time, he respected our provided windows of time when the showing was acceptable and scheduled open houses on the weekend so we didn’t have to be gone all day for multiple appointments. He never pressured us to sell for less than what we thought we deserved and provided insight that led to the sale of our property at a higher dollar amount than we thought possible since other units in our complex had sold for less. On the buying side, Kip was always available to show us homes and meet us at open houses. He was our advocate and fought for us every step of the way. His knowledge base and network far surpassed our expectations and we were able to purchase our dream house in a competitive market at list price with an FHA loan and closed in 35 days at Christmas time. We will recommend him to anyone looking for a Realtor® in our area and we are so thankful he was recommended to us.
Kelly & Amanda R.
We just bought our first home with the help of Kip! Kip was an awesome advisor throughout the entire process right from advising on mortgage approval preparedness till the handover of keys to the home. He helped demystify the entire process which helped us greatly with focusing on what we need in a home rather than worrying about the technical details of the home buying process. Kip helped us evaluate the homes we were visiting giving details about the community, schools, general build quality of the home, estimates of how much it would cost to renovate as per our needs, market trends, etc. He was diligent with the documentation trail he took time to explain all important terms and conditions over phone calls; he too reviewed the home disclosure documents and pointed out any gotchas. He worked with the loan and escrow officers to make sure the loan closed as per the timelines. While Kip advised us a lot on various things, he always gave us the freedom to make the ultimate decision on whether to go for a specific home he did not force on us his opinions nor did he suggest a specific price to make an offer at. He presented us with the facts and let us make the final call. All in all, Kip is thoroughly professional, knowledgeable, and very easy to work with. We strongly recommend him as a buyer’s agent.
— Buyer
In addition to being a pleasure to work with, Kip was incredibly proactive in every aspect of bringing our house to the market. He coordinated all the inspections and contract work prior to our open house which allowed my wife and me to focus more on getting ready for the big move across the country. The bottom line is that we were very fortunate to have Kip as our Realtor®. My wife and I agree that his years of experience in real estate, coupled with his understanding of changing market conditions, allowed us to achieve our goal of maximizing the amount of money we got for our home. The fact that he was also awesome to work with was an added bonus. If we had to sell or buy a house in the Bay Area again, there’s no doubt Kip would be our first stop. Now, if only we could find a Realtor® as good as Kip in Michigan.
— Conor & Liane E.
We worked with Kip and Tamara Barnard to sell our home in Willow Glen in June/July of 2013. From the start, we got excellent service and were really pleased that we’d decided to go with Kip and Tamara. The time that we were preparing the home for the market, and when it was on the market, I was extremely busy at work but Kip really helped make the whole process as easy as possible. Every single time I called him, through the entire process, he picked up his phone so even when I was busy there was no playing phone tag with Kip. Tamara worked to stage the house, helping us get the space looking great so it would get multiple offers. We did get multiple offers and ended up selling our home for over $50,000 more than we’d listed it for, going into contract less than a week after listing. Also, Kip is a broker and has a thorough understanding of what happens between going into a contract and closing the deal. He helped us work around some of the issues our home had, such as a pre-existing non-permitted addition, that could have been an issue when it came to getting appraisals.
— Corinne & Matt
When my husband and I decided to sell our home in Santa Clara we immediately thought of Kip and Tamara. A few years prior, they helped us with a property evaluation when we were looking for an equity line and wanted to know our market value. They did such an excellent job then that we knew they would be the people to represent us in our community. As expected, Kip jumped into action and prepared an incredible marketing plan. Photographers, online, print media, everyone was very professional and did a great job. As a result, the property went on the market (in the Fall, no less) and sold within 5 days! Kip and Tamara continued their dedication to the property, ordered all the necessary inspections, and had everyone needed to finish off the sale. We closed, without incident, in 30 days, and was probably the easiest sale David and I have ever gone through. We couldn’t wait to refer Kip and Tamara to our neighbors who were also considering selling their homes. Thank you team, it was really a joy working with you!
— David & Sali F.
Kip Barnard came to my rescue after my mother passed away and I needed to sell her San Jose home. In addition to being knowledgeable about the listing and sales process, Kip handled all of the repairs and upgrades that were necessary to get the house in shape so we could count on a good price. Being an out-of-town owner, it was particularly valuable to have Kip as my agent he took care of so many details for me and kept me informed at every step in the process, without drama or confusion. I don’t know what I would have done without Kip on my side. Most importantly, Kip helped me set the right price for my home, which resulted in a quick and very satisfying sale from my perspective everything went smoothly and Kip’s recommendations and strategy turned out to be just right. I can recommend Kip enthusiastically and without hesitation. He made a difficult process for me run smoothly and by the book.
— Patty G.
We have used Kip and Tam to stage and sell two houses for us in the last decade. Tamera set up the house beautifully and advised us on how to declutter and make the house appealing to the most diverse set of potential buyers. Kip patiently guided us through the many steps of selling the house and was basically available 7 days a week for late-night questions and advice. When there were roadblocks Kip was very effective in getting the process moving again. When adjustments needed to be made to make the property competitive in the market Kip was frank with but did not pressure us and gave us space to make our own decision. I heartily recommend Kip and Tam for your real estate needs.
— Evan W.
Kip was incredible! He helped me sell my family home recently in San Jose and I am not local. He kept me updated throughout the process with phone calls, emails. He gave me confidence in his capability to complete this very difficult task. He is very professional, kind, and understanding. From his web marketing, the showings to the collaboration with the buyer’s broker to close the sale were impeccable. I would highly recommend Kip to anyone looking for a top broker to sell their home. I am very fortunate to have had the pleasure of using his expertise in selling my family home.
— Hilda T.
Kip and Tamara were awesome! I was very stressed having to sell my home (and not wanting to), going through a divorce, and trying to find a place to live. I’m sure I wasn’t easy to work with, but Kip and Tamara were so understanding. The whole process went extremely smooth, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. It all happened so fast and everything fell into place. The house sold in less than 30 days with multiple offers above our asking price. I would recommend Kip and Tamara to anyone looking to buy or sell a home.
— Audrey B.
Kip and Tamara sold my home in San Jose within just a few short months after I had moved to a new state. From my first meeting with them until after the sale of my home, they were always professional, courteous, and extremely knowledgeable. I always felt in good hands while I was still in San Jose and while working with them long distance after I had moved out of state. They made selling my home long-distance easy for me. I would highly recommend them to anyone who wants to sell their home quickly and for a great price.
— Laurie B.
Kip and Tamara were excellent partners in the sale of our condo. They were both extremely responsive and proactive at every step of the process. It’s the first time I’ve sold property and they did a great job of taking care of all our concerns. We trusted them on their pricing strategy and they got us way over our asking price! I’m sure that was due in no small part to the excellent staging they did of our condo. The place looked amazing. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with them again and I recommend them highly.
— Seller
Kip managed to put our house on the market and arrange for an open house in just one day! He negotiated a great price from multiple offers and sold our house in 4 days for $40,000 above the asking price. He kept us informed throughout the whole process and was always extremely helpful. We were very pleased with Kip’s high level of expertise and professionalism in all aspects of real estate sales. We highly recommend him to anyone who is planning to sell their home.
— Gisella & Tom
I highly recommend Kip and Tamara for your real estate needs. They helped us sell the home we were in and buy a larger home in a great school district. We bought the larger home via a short sale. It was a new experience for us since we had to deal with the seller’s bank(s) but Kip was a calming influence as he guided us through the process and Tamara did a great job staging our home to sell. We will definitely use them again!
— Evan & Karen W.
Kip and Tamara have this process figured out. They helped us every step of the way keeping us calm when needed and hopeful when appropriate. They got us exactly what we wanted for our home and then Kip helped to find us our new home before it was even officially on the market. I found selling and buying to be a bit stressful but they certainly minimized the impact and allowed us to even enjoy it a bit!
— Adam & Annie P.
We had a great home buying experience with Tam and Kip. Scheduling tours was never an issue. Tam is responsive and always finds time in her schedule to answer our questions and help us with anything we need. Once, Kip and Tam even helped us in writing an offer while they were on vacation. Very professional and nice to work with. I definitely recommend Tam and Kip for your real estate needs.
— Sanath M.
Tamara and Kip were absolutely a pleasure to work with and highly knowledgeable! We couldn’t have asked for more of a professional team to work with. Every question was answered, every problem was solved. They put their all into our home sale. What more could you ask for a Realtor® team? Nothing. They were the best. I absolutely recommend them!
— Kristen T.
My wife and I have had a very pleasant experience dealing with Kip. They made the process seamless and pleasant always informing us of what to expect. Excellent service.
— Claude J.

