These guys are the mortgage division of South Shore Savings Bank (out of Hingham). I'm very…read moreaggressive when shopping around for mortgage terms and 3 out of 3 times have ended up doing my mortgage with these guys. They are VERY competitive, have professional staff, are friendly, and efficient. I highly recommend them.

We wouldn't be in our new home if it wasn't for Joanne O'keefe from Cambridge Mortgage Group. We…read morecan't thank her enough for all the work she put into our loan. Getting pre-qualifed was a bit tricky for us. I'm a realtor so know a lot of good lenders, but the first two lenders I talked to said we wouldn't be able to qualify for what we needed to because of how I filed our taxes the previous two years. We were just about to have a baby and it was very important to us to get into a home of our own for our daughter! So Joanne came to the rescue, not only did she find a program that has an insanely low interest rate, she found a solution for whatever roadblocks we faced. I can't recommend her highly enough! She is amazing!

Professional , knowledgeable and superior customer service by Shant and his team…read more Rates are competitive and Shant is always available

I'm sure if you have a simple straight forward local mortgage G-Rate will do a nice job.. Because…read morethey have so much volume they have invested in the latest mortgage underwriting technology. Unfortunately, that technology is not at all friendly or forgiving. All is fine until you add complexity to the situation and need hand holding. I've closed on 30+ mortgages in my life, have owned dozens of properties and this was by far my least favorite closing experience. When things went sideways the implementation team was literally afraid to bring in the boss (Shant) for assistance causing multiple delays all they up to the night before the first scheduled closing. We eventually got it done but the underwriting process was absolutely ridiculous. Here is one example; the underwriters required an official letter from my employer on company letterhead and signed by HR describing the frequency of my annual bonus. Really?? In summary, very nice people but not the best experience. Good Luck.

My husband and I just bought our first home and thanks to Chris Barnard it was the best experience!…read more From the beginning, Chris was able to answer all of my questions and addressed all of my concerns, putting me immediately at ease with his knowledge and amazing positivity. Chris took the time to listen to what we did and did not want in a home, what was really important to us. He walked us through each step of the process (and there are a lot of steps!), with extreme professionalism and personalized service. He always looked out for our best interests and always communicated with honesty. Thanks to Chris, we are happier than we've ever been in our new home! I would and will recommend Chris Barnard and Barnard Real Estate to EVERYONE interested in a new home!

Chris Barnard is someone we highly recommend. With his help we were able to sell our property…read morerelatively quickly at a price we felt was appropriate despite several unforeseen issues that caused delays. Chris is thorough, efficient, energetic, and professional while also being personable and friendly. He took care of things we consider above and beyond the scope of our agreement, and because we no longer live in the area this was particularly helpful and much appreciated. Chris was a pleasure to work with throughout the entire process; we are extremely happy that we chose him as our Realtor.

Their realtor Sarah Martin had published a rental ad of my apartment with her as listing agent. As…read morethe building owner - this is news to us as I've never met her? I've called both her and her office to take down the listing and despite some empty promises nothing was done. Stay away from this business who obviously ok with having fraudulent listings to get business.

As renters, we had to deal with one of their agents Sarah Martin, as she was showing our apartment…read moreto potential renters. She is rude, unprofessional, and I suspect she lied to us. She kept telling me that she couldn't contact me using my phone number, but I was able to contact and be contacted by everyone else. We had three visits with her. Because we have a cat in the apartment, we wanted to be there during the visit, which is not a huge requirement. She agreed to it prior. The first visit went ok, although she arrived 5 minutes early and somehow left before coming back, and did not give us a 24h notice. During the second visit, she said she could not receive my messages and supposedly I did not receive hers. She warned my partner 5 minutes before the visit, and I arrived while they were still visiting the apartment. I asked to sort out her problem contacting me but she said she didn't have time. I gave her my email, that she used to book the third visit, again with less than 24 hours notice. For the first visit, she arrived earlier than announced, and finished the visit before I came, all without contacting me to mention she was there. I waited for 20 minutes at the apartment after contacting her by email before receiving a message saying they had already left. No apologies, nothing. She told my partner I didn't have to be there during the visit. Overall she gave me the impression that she didn't want us to be there during the visit and was trying to be sneaky about it, instead of telling us. The two stars instead of 1 is because her manager made her stop the visits at our apartment after I contacted him. He didn't apologize in any way though, so I'm being nice here. We had no issues with the other real estate companies that showed our apartment. If I was you I would not use their agency, there are plenty of good ones around.

As a first-time homebuyer, navigating the real estate market seemed daunting. However, thanks to…read morethe exemplary service provided by Team Pratt (Brad and Darleen), my experience was nothing short of exceptional. From the initial consultation to the final closing, Brad and Darleen demonstrated unparalleled professionalism, expertise, and dedication. Brad and Darleen took the time to understand our specific needs, preferences, and budget constraints. Their extensive knowledge of the local market was evident as they provided valuable insights and guidance throughout the entire process. They patiently answered all my questions, alleviating any concerns and ensuring I felt informed and confident every step of the way. What truly sets Team Pratt apart is their unwavering commitment to their clients and the construction experience that Brad brings to the table. Brad takes good time to walk through every detail of the house during the showings. He pretty much finishes most of the inspection to be honest. Their proactive communication and attention to detail were remarkable, ensuring that no detail was overlooked and that all deadlines were met seamlessly. Beyond their professionalism, Brad and Darleen's genuine care and empathy were truly appreciated. They understood the emotional significance of buying a home and provided invaluable support and reassurance during what can often be a stressful process. Their warmth and approachability made us feel like more than just a client but rather a valued partner in achieving our homeownership dreams. I cannot recommend them highly enough to anyone in search of a real estate agent who combines unparalleled professionalism with genuine care and dedication. Thank you, Brad and Darleen, for your outstanding service and unwavering support!

Brad and Darleen were helpful throughout the process. They were very fast in responding to our…read morequeries. Brad came with us to view all properties every weekend (including open houses). A walkthrough of the house with Brad was as good as doing an initial home inspection. He was very knowledgeable and gave us his honest opinion about every home. We are still in touch with them after closing and take their opinion on various things as we are first time homeowners.

I have been with East Cambridge savings sense 1970, have always been treated very well and helped…read moreme with buying most of my properties.Now have been using the Broadway branch in Arlington best associates ever and from the east Cambridge branch, Essie,and Natasha are always friendly and respectful and ready to help us.Ill always stay with them thanks Ladies Tony I

I have no idea what happened or how it happened, but things at this branch have completely turned…read morearound. The last several times I've stopped in, everyone had been lovely and helpful. And when I had a bothersome problem, they stopped everything and really went above and beyond the call to make sure I had everything I needed. Whatever you guys did, just keep doing it.

I just tried to give zero stars, and it wouldn't let me…read more My husband and I had to work with GMRE to see an apartment we saw on Craigslist in April. We know that apartments typically get rented within a day, if not hours, of being posted on Craigslist, so we were prepared to win. We have been looking for a reasonably-priced (max $1300) 1+ bedroom in Somerville for over a year, and have struggled -- we currently live in a teeny apartment on Winter Hill and want to stay in the area, since my husband teaches at the high school. We are both public employees and can't afford to pay $1500 or $1600 for an apartment. So, when we saw this place, we contacted the agent for GMRE listed on the ad, and made it clear we were serious about getting this place and were willing to do anything to see it first. It only cost $1100 for two bedrooms, and they offered off-street parking for our one car, and would also allowed our cat. Even better, they had lead-free paint, which is critical to a young couple like us that is hoping to start a family (but who are stymied by the high cost of renting a 2-bedroom). We said we were willing to put down any amount in order to secure it -- in my experience, getting an apartment comes down to seeing it first and bringing your checkbook. Apparently not with these guys. When we asked to see it, we were told to come by two days later, on Good Friday. Since we celebrate Good Friday, we asked if they could show it to us sooner. After a lot of hemming and hawing, they agreed, and we made an appointment to see it Wednesday night after work. Dan told us "hopefully you'll be the first ones to put in your application -- lots of people want this place!" About ten minutes after we made the appointment, the apartment was RE-POSTED on Craigslist with a different agent's name as an "Open House." WTF?????? Not cool. I should have known then. So we freaked out, we got to the appointment 10 minutes early, and even though there were about 30 people there (annoying), we were the first ones to put down an application. We put money down immediately. We have near-perfect credit, steady income, good jobs and outstanding references from our current tenant. We were thrilled to hear that the landlords, who lived on the first floor, are Italian (like me) and speak Italian (also like me). We waited for days to hear. After having our phone calls go un-returned, we finally got Dan on the phone. He told us it "was between us and another guy" who had gone back the next day with his girlfriend to meet the landlord. Funny. WE were told the landlord didn't want to meet prospective tenants. And when we asked to be given the opportunity to meet the landlords, we were denied. Yet they still ran our credit report, dinging our scores for no reason. And to make matters worse, they kept our down payment and stopped returning our calls and emails attempting to get our check back for days. We obviously never had a chance of getting the place, yet they wasted our time, tied up our money and hurt our credit by needlessly checking our report. Who knows why they favored the other couple? I don't care -- just don't string me along and lie to me. They never even called our current landlord for reference. And, as you'd expect, we still haven't found another apartment. We are quiet, we shovel, we take out the trash, we make small repairs to our unit and we pay our rent early every month. But that apparently counts for nothing. I will never, ever work with GMRE again.

This experience was the first time I ever actually dealt with a realtor, every other apartment I…read morehave lived in has been discovered on craigslist and I worked directly with the owner; oftentimes to results that made me want to go a different route this time around. I actually found GMRE through a site called padmapper.com (which I highly recommend) and was lucky enough to stumble across a truly fantastic apartment. The pictures were great, the posting was clear and concise, and the cost was very fair. I e-mailed, told a little about myself and I said I was available the next night for a showing. Within a few hours, William (the owner) set me up with a time! The apartment was fantastic as stated before, but William (our rental agent) was just as good; super friendly, very well spoken, and incredibly knowledgable. After the showing, he drove us to the T and wished us good luck. I went home, filled out the application, faxed it the next morning, and by mid afternoon that day, I had an awesome new apartment that I'm so excited about. He then set up a meeting for us with the owner, and we went over the lease, sat down at his office, and talked for about 45 minutes and really got to know our new landlord. I believe this was absolutely invaluable, and the whole process took about 4 days, start to finish. HIGHLY recommend!

We worked with Jason to find a single family home to rent and he was so helpful in our search. He…read morewas knowledgeable and responsive - we found our dream rental home!

I can't recommend Leopold and Mcmmasters enough after the sale of our house in Boston this year. I…read moreworked with the owner (Brian) through a complex sales and negotiation process. It was a 2-family house and we were also out of state for much of the process. At each step of the way, Brian made my wife and me feel extremely confident that our sale was being handled in a professional manner. A few things really stood out. --Respect: Brian took the time to understand what our goals were and also met us where we were in terms of knowledge. We didn't know much about the process of selling a house, and Brian was able to clearly and kindly walk us through all of our questions. Brian gave us the information and confidence to make informed decisions - we felt empowered in a process that I think can feel overwhelming. --Responsiveness: I honestly don't think it took more than 5 minutes for Brian to respond to a text or email from me or someone else involved with the process. Since the stakes were high, each interaction mattered a lot to us. We didn't have to wonder if he didn't know the answer or didn't care - he would always respond with an answer. He even answered a question when he was on an international vacation. --Industry Contacts: I'm always a little leery of referrals from businesses because they might be getting a kickback or something. The proof was in the pudding, though, on his referrals for closing attorney, photographer, and staging co. All three were excellent and really helped get us a good price. To me, it was an indicator that Brian knew what he was doing. He didn't just refer me to his brother-in-law or Tucker-Knows-Nothing Law Firm. He knew the people that were experts/pros and saved us the stress of having to evaluate each separately. --Competence: In the end, for us selling a house was about getting the price we were hoping to get and a smooth process. Check (and then some) and definitely check. We always felt confident that each issue (staging, photos, listing, open house, negotiation, inspections, random misc things you wouldn't even think of) were being handled properly. Even without the services mentioned above, getting the right outcome with Leopold and Mcmasters would worth the 5 stars. For us, picking an agent to work with was hard because there isn't a lot of info out there. So you just don't know if the person you pick is the right one for the job. I can't speak to anyone else's experience with this company. All I know is that it was the biggest transaction of my life, and I feel really, really fortunate to have worked with Brian and his company.