Why Work With Us?

“In the fall of 2021, I made the journey from California back to Newton, to sell my parent’s home, where I spent my entire childhood. My parents' home was a gorgeous property in a great location, but it needed some updates, as my elderly parents hadn’t done much in the last few years they lived in the house. We consulted with four Newton real estate agents, all of whom told me the same thing: ‘Don’t do any work on the house — whoever buys it will do their own remodel. Don’t bother staging it. Most likely, it will be sold to a contractor or developer.’ My wife was obstinate that with a little work (but short of a major renovation), we could spruce it up and get a higher return. She found me Irene Kerzner of Hammond Residential, a boutique agent who specializes in high-value homes. Long story short: Irene and her team, along with outstanding staging by Heidi Wells of Silk Purse Design, absolutely transformed the house into a charming, stylish, and welcoming home, and we sold it for way over our asking price, with more than ten serious bidders on the offer due date! The final sales price was $500,000 more than the previous agents estimated we would get on the market. Irene has proved to be the best of the best players in the real estate market. She brokered the best deal we could have ever imagined. All the updates and repairs she recommended turned out to be wise investments. 

“Irene and her team were truly amazing. She identified exactly the work that would and would not get a return on investment. Her team took everything off our hands (that we wanted her to), managing a stable of contractors, electricians, plumbers, painters, haulers, and designers in parallel. In just over one month, we did exterior, and interior painting and repairs, an entire kitchen remodel, waxed and polished the hardwood floors, some plumbing updates, polishing of tubs, and a number of other small improvements. We have no idea how she marshaled these resources in the middle of the pandemic contractor and supply shortage. More impressively, all the repairs and updates she orchestrated passed the city inspections and with permits all issued. 

“Irene was very responsive, and she ran every decision by us, providing what proved to be accurate estimates, and her right-hand man, Ryan, managed the process and kept absolutely meticulous records of all the work done. Ryan was a major key to the operation - he was scrappy and tireless, in addition to having a steel-trap mind for details and organization.

“We would highly recommend Irene Kerzner - she helped us through a difficult time and did an extraordinary job preparing and selling our home.”

“We couldn’t have been more pleased with Shari Lyons as our agent for the recent purchase of our home.  We were under a bit of time pressure to find a home in a particular town before the start of the school year, and Shari always made us feel like we were her only client.  She knows the market in these communities extremely well, and knew how to pinpoint the ‘;must-haves’ we were looking for, keeping in range of our budget.  The market has changed dramatically since we bought our first home 20 years ago, and Shari was confident and capable in knowing how to handle a very competitive market we were not accustomed to.  This had to be the most stressful year for our family, and we greatly appreciated her ability to inject fun into the very stressful homebuying process.

“I was very grateful that despite our wonderful rapport and personal relationship with Shari, she didn’t let that get in the way of open and honest communication when it came to buying a home.  When we thought we’d found the ideal home, Shari gently brought our attention to issues of concern.  When we were ready to dismiss another property, Shari was astute in highlighting the advantages we were overlooking.  

“Shari is the consummate professional…knowledgeable, personable, experienced and a joy to work with, and was tireless in her advocacy for us – she always put our interests first and foremost.”

“Working with Irene Kerzner as my seller’s broker was a truly remarkable experience. Her wisdom, kindness, and practicality carried me through the difficult process of clearing out my family home and preparing it for sale. I was continually amazed by Irene’s ability to make potentially overwhelming tasks easy (and even pleasant!). From the moment she made suggestions, to her incredible involvement in both big picture activities and in-the-weeds tasks, to her full-service team members (who share Irene’s commitment and clearly love working with her), to the staging, open houses, offer process, and, finally, the closing, Irene showed an unfailing ability to help me make the right decisions, and to nurture me and my whole family (including the dog!). 

“In a world where the word ‘concierge’ is overused and often inaccurate, Irene’s ‘Concierge Home Sales’ is the real deal. I cannot imagine going to anyone else for any of our future real estate needs. Irene is a champion.”

“We have worked with many Realtors over the years and Irene far surpasses them in competence and dedication. From the initial meeting through the final sale, Irene demonstrated a level of professionalism that was truly impressive. Her knowledge of the market and process of buying and selling properties is remarkable.

“Armed with an astounding amount of resources and contacts, she made the entire process proceed smoothly. Irene solved many complex issues for us, and her responsiveness was amazing. She handled some difficult people with ease, which in turn considerably lowered our anxiety and stress. We cannot praise Irene enough for her skills, knowledge, and relationship skills. She has our highest recommendation.”

"We highly endorse Michele Friedler and her team based on the job they did in the sale of our home. Besides being personable and a good communicator, she provided us with effective advice regarding offering price and she engaged prospective buyers expeditiously. Michele identified small and hidden steps in the transaction, and then offered to help and carried them out, which eased our burden in completing the transaction. She worked well with our attorney to ensure that all documents were reviewed and signed on time, and finally, she provided an excellent conduit to the eventual buyer and buyer's broker. Were we to engage in another transaction, we would definitely work with Michele and her team again.”

"Irene helped us purchase our prior home. It was such a great experience that when we were looking to move again, there was no question that we would go back to Irene. This time, because of the pandemic, we decided to move into the new house before we sold the first one. We were able to fully capitalize on Concierge Home Sales to help us with the process and stage the house. Irene made the entire process seamless. She helped us with our new home contractor, mortgage broker, and real estate lawyer. Given our busy work schedules, she took the lead in getting the process settled in both homes. If or when we ever need to move again, we’d go to Irene. We cannot recommend Irene highly enough."

"We highly endorse Michele Friedler and her team based on the job they did in the sale of our home. Besides being personable and a good communicator, she provided us with effective advice regarding offering price and she engaged prospective buyers expeditiously. Michele identified small and hidden steps in the transaction, and then offered to help and carried them out, which eased our burden in completing the transaction. She worked well with our attorney to ensure that all documents were reviewed and signed on time, and finally, she provided an excellent conduit to the eventual buyer and buyer's broker. Were we to engage in another transaction, we would definitely work with Michele and her team again.”

“By way of background, I’ve been involved, both as a buyer and a seller, in many real estate transactions, both residential and commercial, over many years, so I’ve had occasion to work with a number of brokers.  Prior to selecting Ezra to handle the 2017 sale for me in Newton, I also first obtained recommendations in that area and then interviewed several highly regarded brokers from different agencies.  

“During the selection process, Ezra impressed me as being far and away the most creative and personable individual with whom I met.  He was the only one who came up with an alternative and value-enhancing sales and marketing approach beyond just putting the home immediately on the market ‘as is.’   Once selected, his style was incredibly hands-on and diligent; he was quick to make course corrections as might be helpful; he timed and carried off very successful open houses; he was smart and helpful during the bidding and negotiation process and I am convinced that the result was a very fast sale that added a great deal of value to the rather uncreative approach proposed by the other brokers.  He was also accessible and easy to communicate with throughout the process. 

‘If there were any negatives to dealing with Ezra I would tell you.  There weren’t.  He was absolutely first rate.” 

 “Irene, I wanted to thank you and your team for all your efforts to get our house ready for sale! The family person that recommended you to us was correct about how you know how to sell a house! I believe you sold us first! No doubt your experience was calming! Liz and I thought all we had to do was list it, pick up a pen, and sign. I feel my reaction to your honest advice to remove some things that we thought would make the house show better was a tough one to accept but looking back all your efforts were amazing and you handled all with respect and kindness.
 
“The staging of the house made us think we should move back. Then when you called to inform us the offer was in on day one was just pure joy. Thank you again and to your crew. Just an amazing journey.”
 

“We have known about Irene’s skills as a Realtor for years, and so when it came time to sell our house, we both easily agreed to bring her on board.  I had no idea that Irene and Concierge Home Sales would make the process so much easier. Honestly, I had been dreading the idea of getting a home ready for sale due to the typical work and stress involved. However, Irene was immediately up to the challenge, did her first ‘walk through,’ and could easily and confidently advise on what pre-sale work would bring the best outcome for a speedy sale, and for the best price. 

“Not only that, but she coordinated and arranged so many of the needed upgrades and improvements, that I was spared the ‘running around’ typically involved in readying a home for sale.

“She helped me to feel confident that her recommendations would be worth the up-front expense, and she was right on target. In the first week on the market, we had multiple offers well over asking!  In addition to her abilities in the real estate market, she eases the entire process for all involved, through her high level of kindness, understanding and support.”