William Raveis Sudbury

As first time home-​buyers, my wife and I knew we would have a wide array of decisions to make throughout the process. The easiest of these decisions for us was choosing to work with Denise Garzone as our Realtor. Immediately upon meeting her, we knew she truly wanted to help us find the right home, at the right price. We found ourselves at ease with Denise, and were able to trust that she was looking to partner with us through the process. Denise masterfully balances the drive required to complete a transaction in the competitive environment of suburban Boston real estate, with the grace and patience needed to ensure we were comfortable with each step of the process. She never made us feel pressured or rushed, and clearly explained the pros and cons of each choice we made. Denise understood how difficult it was for us to take in all the information about not only the houses available, but also the lifestyle change of moving from the city to the suburbs. She tirelessly researched the properties we were interested in, even going as far as pulling building permits from the town offices, allowing us to make the most informed offer on a house. The negotiations for what became our new house carried through the snow storms of February 2015. For those who lived through this season in Boston’s history, it proved to be very difficult time for even the heartiest New Englanders. Not even continuous blizzards could phase Denise. Her commitment to us yielded the exact house we wanted for the lower end of our budget. Denise’s commitment to us and our search for our first home never wavered, and for that we will be eternally grateful. We strongly commend her to anyone looking to purchase a home, and promise you will not be disappointed.

I listed my mom’s house with Raveis Realty. Since I live in California and the house is in Massachusetts, I explained that I needed them tell me what needed to be done. I also said I was willing to put money into the house before simply dropping the price.
The services included listing and showing the house to prospective buyers.
The first agent I used, Kathy Cuoco, told me everything was great and that the house was ready to go. After a few weeks of little to no
activity, I asked someone else to check in. They told me the grass was very high and that the house looked abandoned. When I contacted Raveis, I was told it was a tough market and to drop my price. After a couple months of basically nothing, I asked to change agents so my listing was (kinda, sorta) transferred to Kathy Knox. She began by saying that I should drop my price because it was an awful market and that she didn’t expect it to improve for at least 2 years. (I can look up the Case-​Shiller Housing Index easily enough, and it didn’t support her assertion.)
Meanwhile, I traveled to Massachusetts and saw that the place needed work. I can’t guess why they didn’t tell me, unless they were used to selling abandoned properties and mine looked good by comparison. So I hired several tradespeople to make repairs and updates. When the house went back on the market, I got some interest but I never felt like the Raveis team was working on my behalf. They were just going through the motions. The worst point came when they had an open house and got no traffic. I was told by a friend that they didn’t even put signs out. When I asked why not, they said they’d advertised the open house on Craig’s List.
Eventually, the 6-​month listing contract expired and I re-​listed with Keller-​Williams out of Concord. Talk about a night-​and-​day difference. The agent I used, Deb Nicholls, was so much more professional and helpful. She took charge and did what a real estate agent is supposed to do. I soon got an offer and sold the house.
Kathy Knox is still sending me email updates on my listing even though the house is sold and despite my repeated requests for her to stop. They honestly seem utterly clueless.