Premium Properties was founded with the mission to provide absolutely Premium service to both its clients and customers. This boutique firm is relatively small but has an enormous breadth of expertise. The company specializes in property management and leasing, as well as brokerage and development. In addition, the two partners are avid investors in the Berkeley/Oakland real estate market.

 
Sam Sorokin, Managing Partner and Broker

Sam, a Bay Area native, has spent most of his career working in real estate. His experience includes sales, financing, leasing, real estate development, and property management. A true entrepreneur, he started his first company, Rental Solutions, at 19 years old, while attending the University of California, Berkeley as an undergraduate. This real estate brokerage firm helped busy professionals, students, and corporations physically locate quality rentals. This company grew into a thriving organization of four locations and 40 employees, servicing hundreds of property owners and residents each year.

In 1992, he was elected as a Commissioner on the Berkeley Rent Board and became the youngest elected official. At the time, he was a renter but was recruited to be on the Citizens for Fair Rent Control Slate, which was backed by the Berkeley Property Owners Association. There, he served four years attempting to bring moderation to Berkeley Rent Control Ordinance.

While running the company, Sam became an expert in the Bay Area rental market and grew to understand the vital relationship between property owners and residents. He began to invest in real estate himself, along with his friend and future business partner, Craig Beckerman. Also, he successfully developed a mixed-use property in South Berkeley, known as the Southside Lofts, which has ten residential condominiums over five retail stores. In addition, he also worked as a mortgage broker.

In 1999, after eight years of operating Rental Solutions, Sam decided that it was time to sell and pursue other career opportunities. The logical next step was to further his education. He was fortunate to get accepted to the #2 Ranked, University of Michigan Ross School of Business, where he completed his Master of Business Administration (MBA). While attending graduate school, he further sharpened his skills, gained a broader understanding of business, and expanded his professional and personal network.

Upon returning to the Bay Area, he decided to open Premium Properties and Development to offer a much-needed class of service to the industry. His clients include both property owners who had built a strong relationship with Sam during his days at Rental Solutions, as well as property owners who were referred or had heard of Sam’s unique strategy for managing real estate. It has always been his hope that he will develop a preferred brand in property management that both residents and property owners will appreciate.

In 2019, Sam decided to start a new venture that would complement Premium Properties. Premium Concierge Services (www.yourpremiumconcierge.com) offers bundled services and amenities for a low monthly fee. These extra services not only enhance the apartment living experience for the renter, but it also increases what the renter will pay for the unit. Since most of these services are not offered anywhere else, it has also helped him compete with the growing number of new construction apartment communities.

Sam is an active Board Member of the Berkeley Property Owners Association, Co-Founder and Board Member of the Berkeley Rental Housing Coalition, and Member of the Legislative Committee of the CalRHA. He has served as an expert witness in court cases and has been quoted numerous times by journalists on various articles on housing policy.

Sam holds a BS from the University of California, Berkeley in business administration with a minor in city planning, an MBA. with Distinction from the University of Michigan Business School, and a Real Estate Broker's License.

Craig Beckerman, Partner and Real Estate Broker

Craig is a California native who settled in the Berkeley/Oakland area after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a licensed real estate broker who brings over 15 years of real estate experience to Premium Properties. His expertise includes sales, brokerage, property management, construction, leasing, and development.

He became interested in real estate upon moving south to attend graduate school at the University of California, Los Angeles. After unsuccessfully looking for an apartment to rent around school, he decided to purchase a run-down triplex just blocks from Venice Beach. The property had substantial deferred maintenance and major tenant problems. But through perseverance, excellent strategy, and his own sweat, he ultimately transformed the property into a beautiful oasis retreat commanding top rents and increasing the value five-fold.

His investments have since included dozens of small- to medium-sized real estate development projects. Some of the projects he invested in had the goal of long-term income generation, while others he performed massive capital improvements to quickly “flip” them for a sizeable profit.

Craig is highly skilled in the identification of undervalued properties and knows how to add value through repositioning and large- and small-scale rehabilitations. As a real estate investor, Craig not only enjoys the challenges involved in making an investment financially successful, but also receives satisfaction from providing quality housing for the community.

He has personally restored numerous properties by himself and has become quite proficient as a builder and maintenance person. He has excellent carpentry, plumbing and hands on skills in numerous building trades.

Although he received his Master’s Degree in urban planning, he decided instead to pursue a career in real estate project management. Shortly after moving back to the Bay Area, he began working for the County of Alameda Housing and Community Development Department. For more than seven years, he served as a construction manager in the home repair program helping low-income residents renovate their homes. During this time, he managed several million dollars’ worth of home repair projects. Each project required a site inspection, determination of scope, selection of contractors, and construction supervision. With individual project funds limited, he was exceptional at getting the most out of a limited budget.

In 2003, Craig decided to leave the county to pursue a career as a realtor, while at the same time managing his growing portfolio of real estate investments, some of which were in partnership with his long-time friend and future business partner, Sam Sorokin. At Alpha Real Estate, he had been involved in numerous real estate transactions representing both buyers and sellers. His listings have included new construction condominium developments, multi-million-dollar custom homes, apartments, fixers, and numerous two- to-four-unit properties. For both buyers and sellers, he has leveraged his expertise in technology and given personalized service to provide superior results for his clients.

After five years as a full-time Realtor, he made the decision to become a partner at Premium Properties and take charge of the physical operations of the properties they manage. This includes overseeing maintenance, repairs and capital improvements, developing relationship with vendors and contractors, and supervising millions of dollars in construction annuals. In addition, he helps identify potential investments and performs the physical due diligence to determine the true condition of the property.

Craig has a B.S. from U.C. Berkeley in Economics, a Master’s Degree from UCLA in Urban Planning and a Real Estate Broker’s License.