the Team behind the home factor
The Home Factor began with a simple belief: a home is not just an asset. It is a relationship.
It gives something to the people who live inside it. Stability. Shelter. Identity. Control. A place to recharge. A place to build from. But it also asks something back. Attention. Care. Judgment. Maintenance. Timing. The right decisions at the right moments.
That is the work The Home Factor is built around.
Founded by Declan Spring and Denitsa Shopova, The Home Factor serves East Bay buyers, sellers, and homeowners with a rare combination of market judgment, design sense, financial literacy, and long-term care. The team helps clients buy, sell, prepare, improve, understand, and live with property in a way that supports their life.
For some clients, that starts with a first home. For others, it starts with a long-held family property, a major transition, an inherited home, a move across states, a multifamily investment, or a question they did not know how to organize yet.
The first job is often emotional: lower the pressure.
Clients arrive with too many questions and no clear order. The Home Factor helps them sort what matters, what can wait, what needs attention, and what the property is really saying. The goal is not to push people into decisions. The goal is to help them make decisions they can live with.
Declan describes the work as being like a family realtor, much like a family doctor. Someone who knows the history. Someone who can be called before the emergency. Someone who can tell the difference between a real concern and a manageable issue. Someone who stays useful after the paperwork is done.
That philosophy runs through the team.
Each member of The Home Factor extends the philosophy through a specific dimension of the work. Declan reads structure, market, and long-term ownership. Denitsa reads feel, flow, and how a home communicates. Ehsan brings the math, the financial literacy, the long-arc strategy, the discipline of treating a client's money as if it were his own. Matt and Rebecca bring the coordination, the chamber-music way of working with everyone on the other side of a deal, and the standard that a client should walk away saying they had our back. Same trunk. Different branches. All in service of the same standard.
For buyers, The Home Factor looks beyond the listing. Structure, disclosures, light, flow, repairs, neighborhood, value, timing, the math, and long-term cost all matter. So does the harder question: can this home actually support the life the client is trying to build?
For sellers, the team prepares and positions the home with care. Not just to make it look better, but to help buyers feel the value quickly and clearly. Denitsa's eye for flow, tone, and newness works alongside Declan's read of market and structure, Ehsan's analysis of pricing and comps, and Matt and Rebecca's coordination with the wider deal team.
Together, they help clients see the whole home.
The Home Factor is also a resource after closing. Clients call about contractors, repairs, updates, future plans, timing, and whether a property question is worth worrying about. That is not an add-on. It is part of the model.
the home factor is the east bay real estate team people keep.
declan spring
Co-founder, Team Lead, REALTOR®
Licensed as a Realtor® since 2004, Declan Spring brings a distinctive combination of market expertise, property knowledge, and thoughtful guidance to buyers, sellers, and homeowners throughout the East Bay. His professional foundation was built in documentary photography, where he learned to observe carefully, notice what others miss, and absorb information without becoming reactive. That training continues to shape his approach to real estate today.
After a successful photography career that included work in the music industry, for Lonely Planet, and later with CoStar Group, Declan transitioned into real estate and established his career in Marin County before relocating to the Inner East Bay in 2007. Since then, he has helped clients navigate changing market conditions, diverse property types, and significant life transitions. As co-founder of The Home Factor, he is known for helping clients understand the full picture of a property, from structure and disclosures to neighborhood dynamics and long-term ownership considerations.
Declan believes real estate decisions should be informed rather than rushed, and clients often describe his approach as knowledgeable, patient, and low-pressure. He also hosts The East Bay Real Estate Podcast, where he shares market insights and conversations with industry professionals. His commitment extends well beyond the transaction, serving as a trusted resource for homeowners long after closing day.
Denitsa Shopova
co-founder, operations manageR, Realtor®
Denitsa Shopova brings a unique combination of design expertise, project management, and operational leadership to The Home Factor. After successful careers as a licensed esthetician and image consultant, and following her studies in Fashion Styling at City College of San Francisco, she became a licensed Realtor® in 2021. Her background in aesthetics, fashion, interior design, and visual presentation naturally led her to become The Home Factor’s Listing Design Specialist and Listings Project Manager.
Denitsa approaches every home with a deep understanding of what it represents: security, comfort, and the foundation for a meaningful life. She looks beyond floor plans and square footage to consider flow, functionality, visual appeal, and the emotional experience of a space. To further develop this expertise, she became a certified Feng Shui Consultant in 2024, helping sellers prepare homes that feel balanced, welcoming, and market-ready.
In addition to overseeing listing preparation, staging, and design, Denitsa manages the day-to-day operations of The Home Factor, ensuring a seamless experience for clients and team members alike. An East Bay resident since 2007, she has intentionally built her life and career in the community she serves. Her combination of design sense, organizational skill, and genuine care helps buyers, sellers, and homeowners navigate real estate decisions with confidence and clarity.
*Feng Shui is a Chinese traditional art and science that is used to balance and harmonize one’s environment.
Ehsan habib
REALTOR® partner
A Bay Area native, Ehsan’s professional career out of college was as a teacher in the Oakland Unified School District. An entrepreneur at heart, Ehsan later studied accounting and helped launch Arthur Mac’s Tap and Snack in Oakland.
Ehsan’s career in real estate began in 2010 with secondary work managing and maintaining East Bay properties. Ehsan’s passion for real estate as a financial building block, and his ability to understand property conditions, led him to become a licensed Realtor® in 2021. Since then he has successfully established himself as a committed expert, intentionally guiding his clients to their best outcome, always with an eye on being a resource and source of strength to the community he serves.
Ehsan met his wife while studying at UC Davis. After graduating in 2010 they moved back to the East Bay. They currently reside in Richmond where they are raising their daughter. He strongly values civic engagement, and believes that a quality Realtor® should be a resource to strengthen their community. Ehsan enjoys gardening, studying history, and being outdoors.
Matt Szemela
REALTOR® partner
Matt Szemela spent twenty years building a life around a singular question: what do people feel when they trust you with their time? Trained as a classical violinist and former associate concertmaster of the Berkeley Symphony, Matt navigated stages from concert halls to rock venues before pivoting to real estate. To him, the two professions share the exact same shape.
As a classical chamber musician, Matt learned to read a room without speaking, anticipate needs, and hold his own line while making space for others. Today, these are his daily real estate tools. Known as the calm person in the room, Matt eschews high-pressure urgency to focus on presence, deep listening, and protecting his clients' peace of mind.
In 2026, Matt and his wife, Rebecca Wilcox, brought their shared real estate practice to The Home Factor, drawn entirely to the team’s relational, integrity-first approach to business. Ultimately, Matt brings the calm, keeps everyone playing the same piece, and always has your back.
Becca Wilcox
REALTOR® partner
Born and raised in Berkeley, Rebecca Wilcox excels at translating complex information into clear, actionable guidance for East Bay clients. A classically trained violinist and violist, she spent years touring with rock bands, performing across genres, and teaching young children the violin. This background instilled a deep discipline and a unique ability to break down highly technical concepts into digestible formats—a skill she now applies directly to the real estate process.
At the heart of her work with The Home Factor, Rebecca focuses on the rigorous behind-the-scenes analysis that powers successful outcomes. Her meticulous eye catches critical details in documentation that others often overlook, ensuring every aspect of a transaction is thoroughly vetted. Rather than simply delivering raw information, she takes the time to walk clients through the nuances of their situation, explaining what the data truly implies for their goals and making a complex financial move feel entirely knowable.
Rebecca and her husband, Matt, joined The Home Factor in early 2026. Living in the East Bay with their young son, they bring years of experience playing chamber music into their real estate practice. Rebecca blends listening, precision, and tireless preparation to ensure her clients always have a distinct advantage.
Our areas
of expertise
Contra Costa County:
El Cerrito
El Sobrante
Hercules
Kensington
Pinole
Richmond
San Pablo
Alameda County:
Albany
Berkeley
Emeryville
Oakland
Marin County:
Corte Madera
Greenbrae
Larkspur
Mill Valley
San Rafael
a message from
the founders
Follow The Home Factor Team
Data source: MLS. Ranking based on single unit dwellings in the Inner East Bay, Jan 2022 - Jun 2023. Listing stats based on single-unit dwelling transactions, Jan - Jun 2023.