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I have rented Mark’s property for staying with my wife and two daughters for a scientific sabbatical semester at UC Berkeley. Our experience with Mark and his McGee House were throughout positive!

Due to the shutdown caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, we spent even more time in and around the house than originally planned. During this time, it was great to have a spacious backyard with a gas BBQ grill and a shed that fit our two bicycles. The flexible setup of the backyard with the two large trees allows to find a comfortable spot (in the sun or in the shade) at any time of the day. The recently upgraded finer internet connection enabled me to work from home without issues. The large Fire TV can be customized with apps.

The property is well maintained, everything is available and works as expected. Mark lives nearby and was very responsive to all our requests (where we met in person, communicated by email, telephone or Signal), from setting up the contract, specifying the payments to returning the security deposit, and a swift replacement of a broken fridge. He is an extremely dedicated and reliable landlord and maintains an extensive website with literally all details about his property, including a detailed history of the continuous improvements to the house. As another example, his home furnishing improvement program (allowing guests who stay for more than 2 months to spend up to $300 on home improvements) is an awesome idea.

The rental rates were on the high side for us, but conform to Berkeley standards.

We were lucky to be assigned the closest elementary school (Washington) for our daughters (only 5 minutes on foot) and we greatly enjoyed our walks through the safe, clam and beautiful neighbourhood. Trader Joe’s and the downtown YMCA are within walking range. Biking to the far end of the UC Berkeley campus took me 15min uphill, and 7min downhill.

Overall, we had a great time, and can wholeheartedly recommend Mark and his McGee house to anyone stying in Berkeley!

I spent two wonderful months at the McGee House in Fall 2013 while on sabbatical at MSRI/UC Berkeley. Mark Foy (the owner/manager) has set up this fully furnished two bedroom/one bath duplex perfectly for a short-term visitor, and you are welcomed the first night with enough food in the pantry to keep you going for a few days until you find the Trader Joe’s a few blocks away. The house is in great condition, and includes clothes washer/dryer, dish washer, gas grill in the large backyard, and wireless internet that reaches the entire house. Everything is included in the rent, including the internet. It is a short walk to Trader Joe’s, 24 Hour Fitness, downtown Berkeley, and the UC Berkeley campus. I hope to get a chance to stay at Mark’s house again on a future visit.

We had a very enjoyable stay at the McGee house. The place is just as advertised. It is in a good, central location in Berkeley, was very clean when we arrived, and is comfortable and tastefully decorated with well appointed furnishings. The large eat-in kitchen is well equipped and easy to use. There is a nice back yard with a grill and a table that seats six, which we used a lot. Mark Foy was very helpful, easy to reach, communicative and overall an excellent host. We highly recommend this house for longer stays.

So appreciate Mark. He is communicative, kind, fair, responsive. His place is adorable and well maintained. He responds promptly to concerns and requests regarding any maintenance issues. Home is in a quiet neighborhood yet close to everything you may need. I would absolutely rent from him again in the future.

We spent 3 wonderful weeks in the McGee House. Absolutely fantastic accommodation: Comfortable beds, relaxing bath in very relaxed environment, plenty of natural light. Well stocked kitchen and great little backyard. In one word: PERFECT! We had a lovely stay and wouldn’t hesitate to stay again and again.

Absolutely top-notch rental. Very clean with nice furnishing, bed linens, 2 bedrooms with doors and super clean and modern bath with great shower head. Owner left instruction manual for everything in house including appliances (with all owners did this) which makes setting in easier. Great walkable location for cafes, markets and safe at night. Small but immaculate backyard with patio and BBQ, perfect for warm weather. My husband and I felt at home and safe.

McGee House was just right! Next time I’m in the Berkeley area I hope the McGee House will again be available. The house is clean and bright, convenient, on a quit street, and just lovely. Mark, the owner made sure we had everything we needed. My very favourite spot was the rocking chair on the front porch, where I read and watched the world early morning, but there is also cozy deck and garden area in back. The kitchen is well-stocked. Restaurants are just a few blocks away, and the walking is easy. McGee House is perfect!

I stayed in this rental a full year. Perfect location; close to downtown and all amenities, but very quiet block. Owner is attentive, highly responsive & scrupulous. Quick walk to BART & buses. Just a few blocks away from the Saturday Farmer’s Market (best in the area). Walking distance to supermarket, drugstore and a host of excellent restaurants, coffeeshops. Close to the university but far enough away that you don’t feel you’re living in student-villa. To me, it meant a great deal that the owner was so attuned to my needs. On the rare occasions that I had a question to a concern, I heard back from him immediately with a solution. Highly recommended.

My husband, our 3 month old daughter and I visited Berkeley and stayed at the McGee house and it was wonderful. We saved lots of money that we would have spent on hotel rooms, and the house was much nicer, and more private. The accommodations are great, beds comfortable, and neighbourhood was quiet and peaceful. There was plenty of stores within walking distance of the house for necessities, and BART was very close by which made it convenient to travel to and from San Fran.

The house was precisely as listed, well-apportioned and comfortable. Great chocolate and coffee waiting for us [and a few other things], and it was very clean. Mark was very communicative and accommodating [we need three beds and he provided an air mattress]. The neighbourhood was perfectly located for us and parking was never an issue. We had to do quite a bit of work at nigh over WiFi and never had any issues. Mark has clearly put a lot of care and thought into making this house a perfect guest experience.

A great place to stay in Berkeley - I spent more than 2 weeks at the McGee house over the Christmas holidays and found it an excellent and comfortable place to stay while in the Bay Area. The location is convenient and quite; it’s easy walking distance to the BART station yet in a pleasant residential neighbourhood. The house is very well kept and has everything you need for a short stay. The owner is responsive and helpful. I’ll definitely be back!

The McGee house has been great for our two-weeks visit. The house was ideally located for us (close to the campus, easy access to the BART) in a quiet and pleasant street, with ample free parking around. The apartment is not just comfortable and perfectly well equipped, every item is good taste and top quality. Mark is as helpful as one can be, he even volunteered to bring an electric heater when the winter conditions challenged the regular heating system. Our main regret is not to have taken advantage of the lovely backyard, for lack of time and warmth. We recommend the house to the most demanding travelers for short and long stays.

Having sent a great month in the McGee house would not hesitate to recommend it as a place to stay. We very much appreciated arriving to a fridge stocked with staples and felt right at home from the beginning - cosy kitchen, comfortable bedrooms and relaxing living room and eating area made our stay a very easy one. We didn’t need to bring anything. Our little boy Fionn - 22 months - loved the garden and nearby parks. The house is also close to shops and the University and in a very friendly neighbourhood. It is a great alternative to living in San Fransisco (within easy reach for sightseeing) and perfect for those whined to be close to the University. Would definitely stay here again.

We spent three weeks at McGee House in August 2012 to drop our son at Berkeley University. While we had booked to stay at hotels we changed our booking to McGee house which was fortunately available during the exact dates we required. McGee house turned to be better than what we anticipated through pictures on the website. It is located in a peaceful neighbourhood and yet it was a short walk from convenience shopping, public transport and most importantly for us from the University. The house is well maintained, clean and well equipped to run day to day life. All in all it worked out like home away from home and we would take the option to stay there during our subsequent visits compared any five star hotel.

My wife and I recently completed a month’s stay at the McGee House. We loved the house and the area. The bed, furniture, and TV/CD/Stereo system we all first class. The fenced backyard allowed us to leave our small dog safely unattended when we walked to the campus area or rode our bikes along the bike paths bordering the bay. We especially enjoyed the hummingbirds in the back yard and wonderful plants in both the rear and front of the house.

This is now the second time that we’ve spent time in this house at McGee. It’s really got everything we needed including a nice little garden. I love being able to walk to campus and downtown!

We spent 2 weeks at the McGee house in late June and the accommodations were perfect. The bedrooms were comfortable, the kitchen was well equipped, everything worked and it was especially great to have a washer and dryer available. We have family living in Berkeley so the location was great. I hope we will be able to do this again in the near future. Mark was a pleasure to deal with.

My family (party of 4) comfortably stayed at the McGee house for one month during the Christmas holidays. The house is packed with everything you can ever need-furniture, washer/dryer, kitchen appliances, and even basic groceries (coffee, salt, cooking oil, etc..) Mark (homeowner) is the most accessible and responsive owner I have ever dealt with. He really goes the extra mile to accommodate your needs and help you with anything from parking advice, to providing an air-bed, to instructions on using appliances. The house is very conveniently located because it is at walking distance to Berkeley’s downtown attractions (4 blocks from busy Shattuck Ave), but also faraway enough to be in a very quiet and peaceful neighbourhood. Overall a great experience with both the house and the homeowner. Fully recommend it if you’re stying for a while in Berkeley or have family visiting.

We enjoyed stying in this clean cosy, well located place. Loved seeing the hummingbirds in the front garden. The place is well set up with all the things you need to get on with your stay.

Charming House in Charming Neighbourhood. We spent wonderful four months in the McGee House and it was the perfect place for us. Our two little kids could safely roam around the garden. The tree-lined street is very quiet and we meet great people and other kids. BART is a 10 minutes walk and Berkeley is the perfect bicycle city. And don’t miss Saturday’s Farmers market close by. Mark was swift in answering the few requests. The house is in good shape and we had just enough space for the four of us, even accommodating some guests was still possible. We will keep the McGee House and the McGee Avenue in very good memories and defiantly would recommend it also for longer stays over any boring corporate furnished soulless apartment.

We truly enjoyed our 3 weeks stay at this property! First of all, Mark is reliable, informative, helpful and quickly confirmed that we could arrive a day earlier. The property is perfectly located near BART and the university. Our family of six was extremely comfortable, entertained (wifi), and enjoyed all the wonderful amenities the house has to offer. Especially appreciated the travel guides and cookbooks. We would highly recommend the McGee house.

The house was great and convenient to stay! Everything we need was there and we walked to almost all stores and restaurants we wanted to go. The backyard was pretty, that was our favourite place to have breakfast. We stayed for 2 weeks and enjoyed staying with no worry.

I was looking for the perfect place for my parents who were visiting from Paris, France when I found the house on McGee. We were not disappointed. The house on McGee is THE place you want to have for relatives you care about that are visiting the region. Thank you Mark!

Clean, quiet, comfortable, classy, convenient, and well stocked: an ideal way to spend vacation or business time in Berkeley. It beat hotel or motel living by a long, long shot. If we get the chance we’ll certainly want to return.

Our group of three stayed at the McGee House for 2 weeks. The house looks exactly like the photos, plus the neighbourhood is quite & great for walks. Comfortable beds, free legal parking just round the corner. We’d come back.

After 2 weeks at the McGee house, I wish I could just move in! The house is cosy but spacious, the hardwood floors are lovely, all the equipment works very well, the neighbourhood is pleasant and I felt very safe. I enjoyed the sound system, having a washer and dryer and the carefully equipped kitchen. Mark Foy does a superb job of keeping in touch, he is easy to work with and his instruction booklet is more than complete. The added perk of useful provisions in the kitchen made it easy to walk in and start living here without even having to go to the grocery store first.

We had a great stay this month at the McGee House! The house is comfortable and quaint, and had everything we needed for our stay! The kitchen was well stocked, the beds were comfortable and we loved having the washer/dryer for our use (especially with two young kids). The house is very centrally located, close to restaurants, UC Berkeley, etc. We even walked to Trader Joes! I would not hesitate to recommend the McGee House to anyone looking for a pleasant alternative to a hotel when visiting Berkeley.

We spent a great week at this cozy vacation property. It is far enough from the busy main streets to be quite and relaxing, but close enough not to be isolated. The house itself is exactly as advertised, clean and well-equipped with almost all the items we would have at home. Mark has provided a printed FAQ for everything - Parking, instruction manuals, garbage/recycling, so I never needed to call him for any questions. Beds are comfy, more than enough pillows to suit us. The bathroom is a tight squeeze, but I guess that is typical of Berkeley; anyway, it was clean and we liked the shower. Kitchen was extremely well-equipped, and Mark was thoughtful enough to even leave basic groceries. On the infotainment front, Google TV with a Netflix/Amazon subscription was a godsend on the couple of rainy evenings during our stay. WiFi with DSL internet speed was accessible from anywhere in the house. In short, we are glad we chose this rental instead of a hotel. Our daughter is a freshman at UC Berkeley, so I foresee us staying here at least a few more times.

We stayed at he McGee House and found it to be perfect for our needs. It was a great home for our group while visiting SF and the owner was very accommodating and open to some of our special requests. The enclosed backyard isa really nice treat and house is just super cozy. Highly recommended.