Eric and Leslie S Westport, a seller from Westport, CT
Last fall, we started thinking about selling our house. We selected Mary Ellen to represent us at the recommendation of a good friend. Mary Ellen suggested that we have the external photos taken during the fall foliage, which was a brilliant move. We dragged our feet for a few months, and finally decided to get the house ready for sale in February. Mary Ellen referred us to an excellent staging company, Show to Sell Homes, who recommended several changes to make the interior more appealing to today's buyers. We took advantage of the Compass' Concierge Program, where they give you a loan for the costs of staging, which is repaid out of the proceeds when you sell your home. We listed the house days before COVID-19 broke out in Westport. Nonetheless, the gorgeous pictures taken by Compass generated a lot of online interest and we did showings by appointment using PPE. We sold the house at 98% of asking within 4 weeks. We would highly recommend Mary Ellen for her good advice about pricing and positioning, her friendly and professional manner, and the depth, expertise, and technology of Compass. 2020
My family (first time home buyers) chose Mary Ellen to represent us in our search for a home in Westport, CT. Mary Ellen promptly showed us a number of listings, and then helped us through a complicated short-sale transaction. Throughout the process, Mary Ellen was unfailingly professional, efficient, and honest. When we needed assistance with the inspection and legal matters, she provided resources that were perfect for our desire to be informed and get the deal done. We highly recommend her to others in search of an agent. 2020
As first-time home buyers, my fianc and I were completely overwhelmed with the process of buying a home we didnt even know where to begin! But we knew we could trust Mary Ellen to steer us in the right direction. From the beginning, Mary Ellen was proactive and consistently hard working to ensure that we found the perfect home for us. She listened to what we wanted/needed in a home while also sharing her own expertise and knowledge. She was beyond patient, went above and beyond, and always made her herself available. Her patience, dedication and commitment were unparalleled and unwavering throughout this process. Without Mary Ellen, we would not be in the home that we love today and we recommend her with highest regard to anyone in search of their perfect home. 2019
Mary Ellen came recommended by a close friend and she did not disappoint. We listed our property in the fall of 2018 and sold after just a day for full asking price with Mary Ellen's support. She has a distinct "underpromise overdeliver" approach that we really appreciated. Dimitri 2018
We hired Mary Ellen after having our house on the market for two years. Over that period we lowered the price 32%. In retrospect, we clearly started too high and chased a falling market.
We chose Mary Ellen because we felt she had the right combination of personal experience, and access to the resources of a major player in the real estate market both locally and across the country.
As part of a team in her office, she was able to make sure that either she or one of her team members was always available to do the numerous broker and public open houses. She was also able to bring in experts to deal with Zillow and Realtor.com when those services were showing inaccurate information. More importantly, she was able to rely on her firms social media experts to increase our on-line visibility. But, more than anything else, Mary Ellen was able to use her access to the thousands of her firms brokers to bring us numerous interested buyers, two of whom made offers. We were with Mary Ellen about a year. In that time, per our original plan, we dropped the price 3.6% going into the spring market. She never pressured us drop the price again. In fact, she never mentioned it.
Our closing was far from smooth. Mary Ellen stepped in when needed, supporting us and pushing back the buyers agent as needed to bring the deal to a successful close. We are pleased with our decision to hire Mary Ellen Gallagher and would recommend her without reservation.
From the first meeting with Mary Ellen Gallagher at KMS Partners Coldwell Banker, all the way through closing we felt comfortable and impressed with her knowledge of the Westport and Weston areas. For us it was critical to work with someone like Mary Ellen who had the patience especially early in the home buying process as we were exploring communities that would fit our sons education, commuting to NYC and in our price range.
What really differentiated Mary Ellen from other real estate agents was during the offer and contracting stages was her attention to details, knowledge of the process, understanding of the local players and above all her guidance. It felt like a real partnership and helped us through some difficult decisions throughout this process.
There were certain nuances that we really needed to lean on Mary Ellen. Whether it was related to well and/or sewer to local professionals and everything else we needed to know as first time single-family homebuyers. For us coming from New York City, Mary Ellen really educated us about the Weston area and the elements of what it would look like as we made the transition from city life to more of a suburban life for our family.
We highly recommend Mary Ellen Gallagher to anyone looking for a home in Fairfield County. We have not only had a great realtor but now a great friend and were fortunate to have decided to work with her and her company.
Mary Ellen Gallagher sold our antique home in Weston, CT in 5 days. We listened to her advice on how to stage the house and the price to list. Everything was smooth and Mary Ellen is extremely easy to work with. I highly recommend Mary Ellen Gallagher and her team, KMS Partners at Coldwell Banker! 2017
We sold our Westport home with Mary Ellen Gallagher in 2016. From helping us stage and prepare for listing to her follow-up after the sale, Mary Ellen was dedicated and thorough. Mary Ellen always goes the extra mile and brought in excellent video professionals, photographers, interior designers and craftsmen to prepare and market our home. n nMary Ellen is a pleasure to work with, has a strong business background and is part of an excellent KMS team. We highly recommend Mary Ellen and her team, KMS Partners @Coldwell Banker. 2016
Mary Ellen helped us in 2 transactions; we bought a home in 2014 and sold our house in 2015. She was kind, professional, prompt and thorough. n nOne of the things I appreciated most about working with Mary Ellen was how much research she did to help us decide on a listing price for the home we were trying to sell. She consistently went above and beyond, offering to do things like schedule repairs at our home if we couldn't be there and bringing by documents that needed to be signed to make things easier on us. n nI was always confident in the advice Mary Ellen gave us and would recommend her to anyone looking to buy or sell a home. The entire process was stress free and smooth. 2014
Mary Ellen Gallagher is a Realtor's Realtor, a knowledgeable and reliable link to Westport. An excellent source of support, she provides full service-from obtaining a mortgage, home insurance to inspections, even checking in on the house while I was out of the country. On every front, I must say, she has exceeded my expectations by leaps & bounds. n nThe best is that Mary Ellen has a full grasp of what your needs and requirements are. Every concern you might have, no matter how minor it is, is taken seriously. I say it once and I felt that she fully understood me without having the need to repeat or elaborate. She brings up issues that should be raised. Hard to describe in so many words but I clearly felt comfortable working with her. n nI work in (commercial) real estate and in private, have purchased/sold several apartments in NYC quite actively over the last 2 decades, so I will be the first to admit that I may not be the easiest customer to satisfy. Neither do I like pushy brokers. Having said that, I am 100% happy that I had met Mary Ellen during the early phase of my house search. From pre-to- post closing, she has been a true professional and I recommend Mary Ellen to anyone who is looking for a house in Westport (or in Fairfield County). 2015
I have worked with many realtors over the years and without a doubt, Mary Ellen was by far the BEST realtor I have ever found. She is incredibly knowledgeable about the market. She is assertive without being pushy and she is the most responsive Realtor I have ever met. She went above and beyond what was needed to sell my house including helping me deal with lawyers and contractors, who did work on my house before I put it on the market. Mary Ellen was honest about what I needed to do to sell my house quickly and she was absolutely correct. Her attitude and enthusiasm were fabulous and we had great personal chemistry, which made the whole experience so enjoyable! There are not many realtors I can honestly say I would recommend but Mary Ellen Gallagher is one of a kind! I will never move again, but if anyone needs a realtor- look no further- Mary Ellen is the one! 2016
Mary Ellen Gallagher and I worked together for many years as real estate colleagues. In 2014, I decided to sell two CT properties, one in Westport and the other in Easton. At that time, I knew I needed a real estate professional to represent me. With many to choose from, I choose Mary Ellen Gallagher. Mary Ellen is a true professional. She is organized, hard working, tenacious and knowledgeable. She gives her time freely doing public and broker open houses and following up on every lead. I was so pleased how she worked the transaction, keeping me informed from the beginning to the end. It is no wonder that Mary Ellen Gallagher is a partner with the prestigious KMS Partners Group. KMS Partners group is truly one of the finest real estate groups in Fairfield County. Together they are a winning combination. 2013
Mary Ellen is an extremely professional and knowledgeable agent. She was always responsive to any questions I had. She went above and beyond in providing my husband and myself with everything we needed to make an informed decision, 2014
With the professional guidance of Mary Ellen Gallagher, we researched our family's next home in Westport's beach area. Mary Ellen was both professional and knowledgeable, focusing on our wants and needs. Mary Ellen and her team correctly evaluated the market value of our home and produced a comprehensive marketing package, exposing our home to buyers from different sources and states. She negotiated multiple offers, leading to final sales of both properties, despite our travel out of the country. We have been a beneficiary of Mary Ellen's expertise from both sides of our real estate transactions and highly recommend her and the KMS team. 2014
Very pleased with Mary Ellen Gallagher and her team at KMS Partners in Westport, Ct. She gave us invaluable advice on how to prepare the house for the most advantageous sale ability: professional photos throughout, complete internet presence, staging advice, marketing materials, references for inspectors who were well connected in the community to get the job done. It was a difficult market for a seller, but Mary Ellen was soooo caring & passionate about selling our home. She always had our back throughout the negotiating process. She really was amazing. Everything went smoothly & I highly recommend Mary Ellen Gallagher. 2015