Betsy is the hardest working, most trustworthy, most knowledgeable real estate agent we met during our very long home search process. As first-time home buyers, we spent months looking at online listings, speaking to agents on the phone, and visiting properties up and down the Connecticut and Rhode Island coast. After meeting Betsy, we immediately stopped working with other agents. Right away, Betsy showed herself to be deeply knowledgeable about the housing market, sharing insights on different areas and buying and selling trends. She worked hard for whoever she was representing, buyer or seller. My partner and I joked that Betsy was a force of nature with an unmatched work ethic. She would be texting us or available for a call at 10 or 11 pm, then send emails or texts with more information at five the next morning.

Most importantly, though, Betsy is an absolute delight. She is a joy to work with and made the process not only manageable but enjoyable. She is the rare combination of enthusiasm and patience, keeping spirits and momentum up during an impossibly stressful time (we were first-time homebuyers, looking for a home at the height of the pandemic).

Betsy not only helped us find the house of dreams. She did something harder and even more significant: she made it fun.

Searching for homes
After only a few minutes in the first listing we visited, Betsy pointed out 4-5 issues we missed and gave us a realistic assessment of the house’s pros and cons. Over the following weeks, we visited numerous homes with her, and she did the same with each one, remaining optimistic yet objective.

At all times of day, Betsy was responsive and proactive in sending us listings. Our criteria were broad, but she fully understood the “feeling” we wanted from our home and sent us listing after listing that matched expectations and then some, with her initial assessments on each. Whenever we had questions or wanted her opinion, she was able to guide us — this area had the best restaurants, this house might be in a flood zone, this kitchen might need some remodeling. Then, she gave us the space to make our decisions. When it was time to visit homes, she was always on-time, in a fantastic mood, and armed with helpful information about the house and surrounding neighborhoods.

We never felt rushed, never felt “sold.” Betsy—always—had our best interests in mind.

Making an offer
When we visited the home we ended up purchasing, Betsy was as enthusiastic as we were! She answered all our questions about the house — would this chimney be a problem? How would we improve this landscaping? We had so much fun brainstorming with her. She truly felt like she was part of the process and invested in us and our happiness. When we were ready to make an offer, she helped us identify the right price and understand the steps involved — what this paperwork means, what the timeline would be, etc. — demystifying the process and making it manageable.

Betsy’s recommendations
Buying a home inevitably means working with numerous service providers and specialists: mortgage lenders, inspectors, lawyers, people to look at the furnace or the septic system, etc. We tend to take referrals with a grain of salt and always do our own research.

But eventually, we stopped double-checking Betsy’s suggestions. Every single one she provided was spot-on and the best person we could find anywhere for the job. Her recommendations were professional, knowledgeable, responsive, and, if anything, cheaper than other providers. We cannot overstate how helpful her guidance was in this respect and continues to be, especially as first-time home-buyers new to the area.

We also never felt pressured to use someone she recommended, and it was clear anybody she recommended was due to decades of experience working with them across multiple homes and transactions. Betsy is an incredibly reliable and accurate read of people, and that is reflected in the people she works with, too.

In essence, we grew to trust Betsy entirely. She earned that trust over time, patiently and kindly, and never did anything to lose it during the entire home buying process. If anything, she continued to gain it the longer we worked with her.

Closing
Betsy was there every step of the way—from getting our mortgage to signing the paperwork to getting the keys in the final walkthrough. Even during the holiday season, when things were hectic and busy before the end of the year, she was a friendly face who made a stressful time a lot less stressful.

If you have questions about any of the above, my partner and I would be more than happy to answer them. If you’re wondering if you should work with Betsy, don’t. If you’re working with another agent, we’d probably recommend you give Betsy a chance. She’s that good.

Zach & Annie