About:
Q: Why did you decide to become a Realtor? A: When we moved here from out of the region several years ago I learned firsthand the challenges of choosing a home in this area. In our case, we were living in a very contemporary home, which we loved, and were looking for a historic New England home that was affordable and that was a good fit with our style and our lifestyle. I spent hundreds of hours researching and looking at homes from Cambridge west and throughout Metrowest, and each time I found one in another community, I had to find another agent. We could never find an agent that was willing to help us find the right home throughout the area. Every agent would only handle their own city or town. I knew there had to be a more efficient way. And then once we did find the house we wanted, I wanted to make sure we got it at the lowest price possible, and that meant handling it differently than the way most offers are done. We ended up saving over $10,000 than if we'd have followed the conventional advice. Once we bought our house in Marlborough, we needed to sell our house and move, and of course we wanted to get top dollar. When we interviewed agents, they came in and showed us comparables that weren't comparable. Our house was very unusual for the neighborhood. It looked the same on the outside but was very, very contemporary on the inside. The previous owner had the entire interior re-done by an architect. In fact, when we first saw the house, we stepped inside and literally stopped in our tracks it was so striking--and after we bought it we saw our guests do this same thing the first time they visited. None of the agents were taking this into account. Everyone was just looking at square footage, but we knew that there were others out there like us, who wanted something more than just a certain number of bedrooms and square feet in a good school district. And when we asked about additional marketing support to help our house stand out, there wasn't any. Everything was cookie cutter. We decided to sell it ourselves and got far more that what we’d have gotten if we had listed it at the price the agents gave us. Today as a Realtor, I'm a strong advocate for home buyers and for home sellers. And with an earlier career in banking, I can help folks work through the mortgage process so that once they find the home they want, they can be confident that they'll have the financing they need. Q: Which house has been your favorite? A: They're each special. The first house I bought was a split-level ranch, and it was perfect for getting started. After I got married and we decided we wanted more room, we went looking for an older home, but where we were living then, there weren't many good choices. Instead, we bought a very contemporary house, which came with its own delights and surprises. The first time we tried to change the light bulbs in the main room we realized we didn't have a ladder tall enough. Over the years we lived there we only had to change a few bulbs, but the 13' ladder we bought got a good workout every year when we decorated our Christmas tree. When we moved up here to New England we were intent on buying an old house, and after looking at many, narrowed our search to two, both of which happened to be former farm houses. We've put a lot of work into our house, both inside and outside, and still have more to do. This means we've compiled a great list of local resources--information, suppliers, and craftsmen--which we'll be happy to share. We've also gotten really involved in local history and historic preservation. My husband is on the board of our local historical society and chaired the last historic homes tour. There's nothing that focus your attention on getting improvements made than the knowledge that hundreds of people are going to be coming through your house on a certain date that's not going to change regardless of whether or not you're ready. Of course everything worked out and it was a successful fundraiser for the Marlborough Historical Society, with proceeds benefiting historic preservation, education, and celebration in Marlborough. Q: What’s the best way to get in touch with you? A: Call or send me a text message: 469-233-7712. And don’t worry whether it’s a weekday or weekend, early or late. I’m usually always available.