As a first time home buyer, you must make a lot of choices. For me, choosing the right Realtor was…read moreone of the most important ones. In this market, I knew I needed to work with some one who was highly experienced and deeply embedded in the community I wanted to live in. I choose to work with Ann Harrington at Lighthouse Realty and am so glad I did! From the first to the most recent contact, (I won't say last, because I now count Ann as a friend), I felt supported, encouraged and guided. with 30+ years in Real Estate, Ann knows her stuff and as a community member she provides a unique perspective as both a Realtor and a neighbor. She provided insight and guidance, while helping me develop my own perspective. We looked at the market, my personal situation and then different neighborhoods before looking at specific properties. She suggested homes and also let me pick (because all new home buyers will constantly be on the apps looking) ones to visit. When visiting properties, she let me look and evaluate first, then asked me what I thought. She guided me without telling me what I did or didn't want. She pointed out features and also opportunities for change or improvement. Without fail, any open house I attended alone the listing agent knew Ann and spoke well of her. When we found my home, she was on top of every detail and provided me with so much information and perspective. She is extremely thorough and detailed in her work. She always answered my calls, texts or emails promptly. When we hit a potential snag with the lender, she jumped right in and went above and beyond what she had to do- advocating for me and helping to quickly resolve the issue. My home buying process was really smooth because of Ann and I can't thank her or recommend her enough. She covers all of Massachusetts, but is a specialist in the very competitive South Shore Market.

Mike and Katie McBride are a father/daughter real estate team. They helped us find our first home…read morelast year. Our circumstances called for a quick sell/buy situation which they handled with no problem. I can honestly say that I was never worried about anything with them. Mike and Katie both handled all of our questions and concerns with speed and knowledge. We will definitely be using them for our next home search!!

Katie and her team took care of everything from beginning to end. She is responsive and it was…read morevery easy to do a lot of work electronically. Email discussions were very prompt and all paperwork was handled online. We knew the status of the sales process the whole time. Whenever there was something for us to handle, Katie made it very clear how to proceed. Selling is a property can be a stressful affair, but Katie kept us calm and moving forward the whole time.

A few years ago, my wife and I purchased our first home with Karen. We were first introduced to…read moreKaren from my Uncle who knew Karen from a Real Estate Work Group that they participated in. Karen came highly recommended as she is very knowledgeable of the Market and Properties within the Essex & Middlesex Counties. I remember being anxious, because as you may know buying real-estate is never clear cut and can be over whelming. The experience was pleasant from the first time we sat with Karen. Karen really paid attention to our situation and explained with great detail any questions and concerns we had throughout the buying process. Karen is exceptionally good about answering phone calls, responding to emails and is always in touch with any information (good and bad). Karen is extremely honest and motivated and will show a variety of homes that interest you. Working with Karen, I did not feel pressured to buy the first property that crossed our path, instead felt at ease knowing someone was truly there to give great advice and guidance. Karen is very personable, courteous and friendly. Karen is a great listener and has great strategies when buying/selling homes. To this day, Karen and I stay in touch whether is to say hello to see how things are going or providing us with market updates/trends. There's no doubt if there's a time when we decide to sell our place to buy another, Karen will be getting a call from us!

My husband and I worked with Karen two years ago when we purchased our first house. Being first…read moretime homebuyers we were both overwhelmed by the process and nervous about making such a large financial investment. We were looking for an agent who we could trust to help guide us through the process. Thankfully we found Karen, who came highly recommended to us by several of my husband's coworkers. We were in the market for a house at the beginning of the spring and given the price point we were interested in, houses were coming and going from the market within a few days. While it was at times stressful, I was amazed at Karen's dedication, responsiveness and willingness to meet with us and get us into properties as they came on the market. When we finally found what would one day be our house, Karen advised us through the bidding process (the same day the house went on the market!) and worked with the seller's agent to negotiate a sale that won us the house (there were multiple bidders!). As part of our offer, we had a long closing period and Karen keep in close contact with us throughout the duration and even connected us with home inspectors and mortgage brokers along the way. She was incredibly supportive and helpful - we couldn't thank her enough! Overall, Karen was a pleasure to work with and a wonderful buyer's agent. From the first time we met with her I remember feeling more at ease and confident with the process. She is truly knowledgeable about real estate and gives sound, objective advice. We still keep in contact with Karen and give her regular updates on the house. We would recommend her services to any of our family and friends and will absolutely be giving Karen a call when we decide to sell our home and buy another.

Elena came recommended to us by our family attorney who specializes in real estate. We quickly…read morebecame aware that Elena had deep knowledge of local properties and the history of the condo complex where our unit was located. Elena impressed us with her hands-on approach, which included mastery of large and small details, prompt actions and immediate responses to any questions. She managed the staging and open-house process in an impressive fashion (the sales brochure and photos for our unit impressed everyone who saw them). Elena was able to attract a cash offer, and the closing process was fast and without incident. We never expected the listing-to-closing to be so smooth and effortless. We recommend Elena highly.

Elena helped my family to find the house that we fell in love with! I anticipated the home-buying…read moreexperience to be extremely stressful, but Elena helped us to go through it as smoothly as possible. Elena found a perfect team for us and handled all the communications and other details in a very timely and professional way. I hope Elena will still work as a realtor when we look for the next house! I can't imagine a better experience than I had.

When I worked with Linda a little while back to sell my home in Boston, she was amazing. To be…read morehonest, I was intimidated by the process. But she explained in detail everything I needed to know. Real estate transactions can be highly stressful, but I can't imagine having a better experience. Thanks, Linda!

Buying or selling a house can be incredibly daunting and having an agent who is an energetic,…read moreinformed and most especially "on your side" makes all the difference. Last year a friend recommended Linda to us when we were seeking to sell our home in Roslindale and we have counted ourselves very lucky since. Linda is incredibly knowledgeable about the real estate market in general - she was a source of incredible insight into the market, the psychologies involved and how best to showcase our home. She also is a really vital part of the community as well. She knows the shop owners, florists, restaurant owners nearby by name. It's clear hers is not just a "market area" but a community of which she is an active and involved part. Linda was an astute professional knowing all the ins-and-outs of the regulations and processes and presented us with updated market comparisons as we went through the process. She helped us to be informed as to the market fluctuations (in a very topsy-turvy time). We put ourselves entirely in Linda's hands and she and her Team helped polish our modest house into a showpiece and walked us through every step to the happy sale. At the same time we were selling a house, Linda also helped me to get my next place, which I adore! Trying to sell one house and buy another is incredibly stressful and I was having difficulties on my own but then Linda helped steer me through beautifully. Even though it was outside her normal area of Boston she had a great grasp on the market there as well. It was her sage advice and guidance that enabled me to swoop in and get this new place in very competitive circumstances. She was invaluable in dealing successfully with somewhat antagonistic seller agent, recommending an incredible lawyer and knowing the best contractors I've ever had the good fortune to work with. To say Linda was there as a positive, supportive and knowledgeable advocate in a way that changed my life for the better is not an understatement. Linda was incredibly active, involved and committed as well as being a warm and generous advocate (unlike other real estate agents who might be passive or seem only interested in their cut). She is also a delight to spend time with - friendly, funny and kind. My Christmas card list is not big but Linda is on it! It can be scary to put yourself into a "dog-eat-dog" competitive and confusing real estate market but if you are looking for a warm, energetic, savvy agent who values community and has great knowledge and integrity, look no further than Linda. She is a jewel!

I'm writing this review with a huge amount of happiness -- I can easily give a perfect review for…read moreLisa Doherty-Santana at Griffin Properties. If you're buying, here's what to expect: - Lisa will sit down with you and conduct a friendly interview on what you want to buy. - Lisa will recommend fantastic experts as part of your buying team: home insurance, lawyers, and mortgage lenders. The only recommendation we did not use was the home inspector due to scheduling and our own prior use. EVERY recommendation Lisa gives is a "tried and true" team member. They are all excellent. We used Jeff Nelson from Bank of America, Jeff Shargel's law office, and Matt Davison for the homeowner's insurance. All were excellent. - Lisa will email you listings of what you want, schedule showings, and give you open house notifications too. We saw a ton of properties in many towns -- Lisa does a lot of legwork. She even picked us up at the train station once when our car broke down. She goes ABOVE AND BEYOND! - Lisa is organized, fights for you, and is always your advocate. She asks questions you didn't even think of asking. - Lisa is super friendly, confident, smart, and a FANTASTIC negotiator. Even at our final home walkthrough, she found a minor item needing repair, got us monetary protection in the 11th hour (at closing!), and worked with the lawyers. She does this all with panache and friendliness. - Lisa is honest and tells you what you need to hear. She delivers bad news with such friendly skill and diplomacy, that you can't help but move forward with a better feeling instead of a negative one. She is such an excellent advocate. I highly, highly recommend her. She has a great communication style. Go to Lisa! We were in such good hands with many life changes happening all at once -- Lisa was there every step of the way. Happy house hunting! :)

My fiance and I were first time home buyers this spring 2009. We tried it on our own for a while…read moreand realized it was a pretty complicated thing to take on, so we took our chances with the small independent real estate office down my street and I asked for Lisa based on her glowing reviews. Long story short: she was everything and more! She took us all over the city and surrounding towns to search for the perfect home. Every weekend she updated us with open houses, checked in with us often and when we did attend showings together, she knew just what to ask the seller's agent. She remembered what we both specifically looked for in a home and went out of her way to find that. She was always available and responsive to calls or emails. Lisa is not only a wonderful person, full of energy and so friendly, she is extremely adept at negotiating with sellers agents and hooking us up to excellent lenders and attorney. We felt she was really looking out for us every step of the way, and count her as a friend! It was a memorable and positive experience buying our first home at Griffin, and we have been telling all friends and family about our experience, and hope this entry will help you feel confident about working with them too! We are also planning on coming back to Lisa when we eventually sell and buy our next home. 5 stars all the way!

Lisa Zemack is the most amazing person I've had the pleasure to work with in a long time…read more She's tops in all aspects of her profession . Intelligent, understanding, ethical are just some of the words that come to mind. Truly a very fine lady of great quality and character. A great experience.

Lisa has been our trusted agent for our first home, our investment property and the sale of our…read morehome. She has been fantastic throughout our journey. Her attention to detail and communication has proven vital for our deals. Her professionalism and wealth of knowledge helped us through our first home and subsequent investment properties. I recommend her highly to anybody looking for a real estate investment.

We had an apartment to rent and Maureen found us a great person very fast. She was also very…read morehelpful advising us on ways to improve our property. After the contract was closed, and few months into the rental, she reached out to see if we were still happy with the person she found. Very nice of her to follow up. I truly enjoyed working with her and she will be our point person for real estate. Strongly recommend her.