This was a letter I received from buyers upon making their offer to my sellers. I represented the sellers in this transaction, which is why this testimonial/letter means that much more to me.... "Dear Mr. and Mrs. Clark, My husband David and I moved to the Boston area from San Francisco with our 1 year old son James about 4 months ago. Since arriving , we have been searching for our new home pretty much nonstop. We had been focusing our search near our office (we both work for Google in Cambridge) until we discovered Swampscott and Marblehead. We quickly realized that this area is the reason we made this big move out east, and that this was where we wanted to live and raise our family. As native Floridians and Californians, there was something so familiar and welcoming about the water, the town and the people we have met thus far. We toured your house yesterday and absolutely fell in love with it. It was the first time since we move doubt there that we truly felt "at home". We feel so fortunate that we met HILARY and discovered your gorgeous home. We are excited to make you an offer and hope to meet you both soon. Thank you so much for considering us. Sincerely The Halloran's


Dear HILARY, We realize that we might have not been the easiest clients to work with, as we had a strong emotional attachment to the home we were putting on the market. From the very first meeting, you were always able to keep us focused on our end goal of a better financial future. Your assessment of current market conditions was completely accurate and we were able to find a buyer for our property within a week of listing. Your assistance in finding local attorneys and your consistent communication around 'next-steps' was always professional and timely and we always knew exactly what to expect in the sales process. Your personal time commitment to open houses, fire inspections and buyer walk-throughs was also greatly appreciated. You had to walk a fine line between our goal of selling our house and our emotional worry of selling the home we loved. You were direct when needed, but also gave us our space and time when possible. I am a stubborn know-it-all, and you made sure I stayed on top of the sales process...even when I was not always easy to deal with. And you might not have realized it, but I do absolutely appreciate what you've done for us. Within two months and with a few deadline extensions...we sold our home for 95% of asking price &found a new home that completely fits our family and meets our goal of better financial security. With any other realtor, we might have changed our mind and or changed our path...thanks for keeping us focused and for proving to be a great guide in the process! Sherry and Dutch Kolthof, 834 Humphrey Street
 

"HILARY IS A GREAT QB FOR YOUR TEAM! As a real estate attorney on the North Shore, I have teamed up with her on many purchases and sale transactions. HILARY is one of the most competent, professional and personable realtors with whom I have ever worked. She knows the market extremely well, understands how to structure a favorable purchase or sale for you, and has excellent relationships with the other professionals who will be involved. If a sticky issue comes up (and they often do these days), believe me, she will have your interests at heart, help you work it through it, and will coordinate with everyone involved to assure that that you close your transaction ON TIME! I love to work with HILARY, she keeps me on my toes. With HILARY on your team, you will be sure to have a successful and smooth transaction!" William F. Quinn, Real Estate Attorney Tinti, Quinn, Grover & Frey, P.C. Salem, MA

"HILARY FOUTES is a true professional. She is one of the most impressive people that I have ever had the fortunate opportunity to work with. HILARY gave my wife Andrea and I the greatest experience in both selling and buying our new home. She took the time to sit down with us to find our specific needs, and walked us through the entire process. HILARY explained everything to us, and made us feel completely confident and comfortable the entire time. She was extremely informative, thorough, had great attention to detail with everything and most importantly. HILARY FOUTES cares. We are extremely grateful to the people that referred HILARY to us, and we strongly recommend HILARY FOUTES if you are ever in the market to sell or buy a new home." Sincerely, Patrick Downey, Owner Gridiron Training, The Program

"Nobody likes the thought of moving - not really. It's undoubtedly one of the most stressful, complicated and unnerving activities we can ever, will ever do. Being a busy professional and father of a small tribe, I for one, was dreading it. - "I don't know the first thing about selling a home or buying a home." - "My house will never sell in this down market." - "I am going to be in over my head." These were the thoughts racing through my head prior to listing my home with HILARY. However, from the moment HILARY stepped in and took control all of those worries went away. HILARY not only sold our home (within 48 hours), not only did she find us a dream home (at a bargain price), but she calmed my nerves and guided our family through the process. Instead of being a difficult, even miserable process, it was exciting, fruitful and in the end it was a delight. The process was inspirational. HILARY was remarkable. She is not only incredible at her profession but she is woman of integrity and truly changed our family's life. Sincerely, Baruch HaLevi", Rabbi Congregation Shirat Hayam, Swampscott
 

Choosing someone to sell your home or find one for you and your family is so important. My wife Susan and I chose HILARY feeling that she would always have our best interests at heart and most importantly never felt she put her own before ours. She has a great balance of being personable and at the same time most professional. We could not have chosen a better person to work with and never for a moment did we feel like we were not her most important client. Selling or buying a home is a stressful experience and having HILARY represent us and oversee everything from beginning to end brought such comfort. Her knowledge of the Northshore is impeccable and most importantly is her ability to listen and communicate. To say she is excellent at what she does is an understatement. I have and continue to recommended her to friends and colleagues with the glowing endorsement of, "HILARY is the best and there isn't another Realtor I would use!" She will have your interests at heart before her own. She not only sold my home but also found the home that we happily reside in now. I was fortunate to have chosen her to work with and I can only hope my words will help you make the same choice we made. -Matthew Bergeron, Global Commodity Manager

Dear Phyllis Sagan, (Owner/Broker of Sagan Realtors) I wanted to let you know that HILARY FOUTES has been a great help in the sale of our house at 6 Dodge Road in Marblehead. HILARY has been consistently courteous, considerate, and thoroughly professional during this process. She has kept me up to date on all activities involving the showing and sale process. In particular, her compassion and support during this extremely trying time has been of great benefit to my family and I. I’d like to congratulate you on having such an exemplary person on your staff. Best Regards, Joyce Mayer, co-owner/found Cavedog Studio Graphic Design

"I’ve known HILARY FOUTES now for nearly ten years and she is one of the most honest, dedicated and hardest working people I know. I first met HILARY when my family moved to Swampscott. Since then she’s acted as both a seller’s and buyer's broker for us on two different properties and we were very happy with the service, advice and excellent results she provided. When making a major decision like moving it is a tremendous relief to know that you can put your trust in HILARY to get things done right, on time and as efficiently as possible. I have referred her to everyone I know who is looking to buy or sell a home in the area. Her experience and instinct are exceptional, and she truly goes above and beyond the call of duty. From following up on the little details that could easily slip thru the cracks, to putting you in touch with the best contractors, mortgage brokers, or movers, to negotiating the best purchase or sale price, HILARY is a one woman show you can’t afford to be without." -Marc Eichler, VP Business Development & Sales for Durant Performance Coatings, Inc.

HILARY embodies everything you look for in a broker. She is honest, fair, smart and sensitive to the upheaval and turmoil that the moving process can force her clients to endure. During difficult negotiations, HILARY remained level-headed and was a calming influence on us. She quickly conveys the feeling that if anything threatens to go wrong, she will take care of it and make things turn out fine. She goes the extra mile to make an inherently unpleasant process . . . far less unpleasant. In my book, that is high praise indeed. I would recommend Hilary for any buyer or seller in any market. She is top-notch. - David Yannetti, Criminal Defense Attorney

HILARY FOUTES was my buyer agent when I recently purchased a condominium in Salem. Initially a simple transaction, became a complicated one when certain mortgaging requirements became necessary and matters were further complicated when communications as a result, became more difficult between all parties including attorneys. HILARY is a consummate professional with a tremendous knowledge of the real estate business. HILARY's communications skills kept the transaction on track and she continually communicated with me to update progress and advise me as to appropriate strategies. No matter how simple or complex the deal, you need HILARY on your team - she's dedicated, professional and positive results oriented.

Buying a home for the first time is a stressful experience. We were extremely fortunate to have HILARY FOUTES guide us through the process as the seller’s agent. We had been looking in the area for several months, and were alerted of a house that seemed perfect for us coming onto the market. HILARY arranged for us to see the house on short notice, and then set-up another showing the next day. We decided to make an offer, and HILARY helped ensure that everything went smoothly. We found her to be proactive, hard-working, and honest. She was also a wealth of knowledge about the neighborhood and the community. Even though she was not representing us directly, she made us feel as though she really cared about our purchase. As an added bonus, it turns out that HILARY lives across the street and is now our neighbor! She continues to help us get integrated into life in Swampscott, and we feel very fortunate to have met her. We could not more highly recommend an agent to work with based on our experience. Sincerely, -Beth Baron, Josh Baron, Partner at Cambridge Advisors to Family Enterprise