Sheila and Pat are fantastic to work with. They are kind, quick to respond and resolve issues without hesitation. It was a joy and a pleasure working with them and I would highly suggest them to anyone! read more

Sheila and John are extremely knowledgeable, candid, responsive, and transparent throughout and after the rental process. I cannot sing enough praises about them. They truly hustled and worked extremely hard during the covid rental process. There are many real estate agents that one can choose in the Boston area, but they are truly a gem. I highly recommend them! read more

WHY HANCOCK? My wife and I were searching for a rental apartment and confronted five different realtors in the Beacon Hill area. Given that we've now spent two years living in Beacon Hill We knew exactly what we were looking for and had significant experience with the local rental market. Hancock ultimately closed with us due to their excellent customer service, honesty, and ability to negotiate our offer with the landlord. THE EXPERIENCE: We walked into Hancock Real Estate Company, Inc. directly off the street. Holly Cameron greeted us as we walked in and heard us out--we told her our "Absolute Necessities", our "Nice to Haves", an approximate price range, and desired locations within Beacon Hill and Back Bay. Holly didn't waste our time at all when it came to showing us apartments (literally and figuratively). She had units available for us to see right away, and none of the units that she shared with us were outright non-candidates (as in, they were all geared toward our needs). We felt as if we were a top priority for Holly--she would call us or text us right away as new units came on the market. This is important in Beacon Hill where the lifetime of great units at great prices can be very short. One time she called us to let us know that two units just came on the market that might fit our needs and said that she would head right over there to make sure that they stood up to their listing details before wasting any of our time showing us the place. Once they met her approval, she called us again giving us the green light to come check them out. The 'top priority' experience was NOT the case for another real estate company that we worked with on Charles Street [name not mentioned here]. Holly was very honest and sympathizing--she sees the units and their features for what they actually are and doesn't embellish anything. If the common room is small or the building is old, Holly acknowledges that these are non-ideal features in a larger composite. She doesn't try to 'sell you' AT ALL--she legitimately wants you to find a place that you can enjoy and be happy with. This also was NOT the case for another real estate company that we worked with [differen't from the one that didn't give us the 'top priority' experience, but also located on Charles Street]. After searching long and hard (or so it felt after seeing 15 units in 3 days), my wife and I decided that there were two units that we liked best: 1. The best unit that Holly (i.e. Hancock) showed us 2. The best unit that Coldwell Banker showed us Holly's unit was definitively better than the other, but would cost almost $600/month more in rent. This was a lifestyle decision that we would have to make. We explained the dilemma to Holly and mentioned that if we could get the unit for a $200/month discount, we would take it on the spot. After discussing with the landlord, she was able to get our rent reduced by only $100/month. Consequently, my wife and I kindly thanked her for her efforts and explained that we will be applying for the unit that was offered by Coldwell Banker. Holly completely understood and wished us the absolute best in our application process. She asked us to keep her posted with everything in case we needed to continue with her services and thanked us for working with her. The next day we found out that the unit we applied for was awarded to another applicant. We connected with Holly right away to re-adjust our offer. We asked for the landlord to pay 1/2 of the realtor fee (realtor fee = one-month's rent) and to sign a 2-year lease at the discounted rate (i.e. $100/month savings) in order to avoid having our rent raised after 1 year. She was able to negotiate with the landlord to reduce our realtor fee by $600 as well as a 1-year option to keep the rent at the discounted rate. At this point, we accepted the offer. The lease was typed, signed, and processed immediately. We were given our copy of the signed lease (including the landlord's signature) within 24 hours of signing it. Included with this was Hancock's quick guide to utilities, moving permits, and parking. Holly also shared her personal experiences moving into Beacon Hill and recommended a boutique mover who helped her get settled. After all of this, we've since received a hand-written 'Thank You' for working with her, and are looking forward to staying connected with Hancock Real Estate Company as we get the keys to our new apartment and move in! THANK YOU to Holly and the Hancock Real Estate Company for making our experience fun, professional, comfortable, and easy. read more

This is for Holly Cameron. Who helped us find an apartment. I cannot recommend Holly enough. She answers phone, text and email immediately (less than a couple of hours) She's honest about price, helps negotiating, answers questions that are outside of her scope of business She offered and did pick my husband up from where he was so that him and I could go both see an apartment together. (The T would have taken too long) She showed up to every showing with a packet of our information and rental application so that we could apply in an instant - It's competitive! She kept our needs in mind every time a new rental went on the market and would let us know about it before we even saw it. Holly's a fantastic person, not just a good realtor. I will be recommending her to everyone I know who needs a home/apartment. read more

Travis at Hancock Real Estate was a great help in finding a place in Boston. He was well aware of my budget and preferences, giving me many options that fit the criteria. He scheduled the showings promptly for the ones that I liked, and was attentive during the showings as well making sure I had all the information. Travis's bright energy and great personality also definitely helped me get through this process. read more

This review is for Travis who helped us find an apartment. I cannot say enough positive things about Travis. He stuck to our budget, answered phone calls and texts immediately and worked hard to find us an apartment. We came in from out of town and only had one day to look for apartments. What could have been a stressful experience was made enjoyable by Travis' wonderful personality. Some viewings fell through because of the flakiness of brokers at other companies, but Travis was constantly making phone calls and sending emails find us new places at the last minute. It paid off. We loved an apartment he found for us while we were sitting on the stoop of an apartment for a showing that got canceled at the last minute. I cannot recommend Travis enough. read more

I was moving to Boston from out of state and wasn't able to see any apartments in person. They were incredibly helpful and responsive and helped me feel confident that I was finding a great spot. I tried dealing with other Boston brokerage firms before and was very disappointed, but Hancock was absolutely great! read more

If I could say anything less about this scam operation, I would. They are in the practice of creating illegal leases to close a rental deal. Stay away. read more

My friend recommended Hancock when I began my apartment search in Boston. I'm glad he did because Holly was an absolute pleasure to work with! Her market knowledge, tenacity, and great personality made finding an apartment in Boston (off-cycle) an enjoyable experience. We were thrown some serious curveballs during the search, and she crushed all of them. She was extremely accomodating and was able to meet with me at my office on several occasions and was completely sensitive to the hours I work. I can't imagine the effort it would have taken me to land my dream apartment wthout her! Thanks again Holly!!! read more

My husband and I are relocating from Western Massachusetts to Boston with a relatively quick turnaround time and were looking for a two-bedroom apartment with an outdoor space. We contacted agencies who ran print or craigslist ads for apartments in Cambridge, Somerville and the North End. Some of them turned out to be bait and switch, i.e., the apartment was actually larger and more expensive than the one advertised or did not exist at all. We spent an entire day looking at a variety of apartments in Cambridge with two different agents; some living spaces were in total renovation stage, some were appropriate but did not have the patios we were looking for which is a tough item to find in Boston. By day's end, I thought that I would have to take an apartment in a place I didn't want, living like and with college students again, and that didn't feel safe. The next time we were in Boston just for the day, the first agency I walked into on Charles Street did not have any agents on site and or available. When I walked into Hancock Real Estate, Holly Cameron was there to greet me and asked me some questions about the apartment I was seeking and gave me an application. I knew nothing about the agency or that they dealt solely in the Back Bay and Beacon Hill. Holly told me about some apartments but at the time I still thought I wanted to be out of the city and wasn't yet willing to pay the asking prices for rent, which are considerably higher than our area. But I can't emphasize enough how friendly everyone in the agency was! Holly was the only one to call once we got back home and to ask if we were still looking. She told us she had several apartments which had our required number of rooms and also outdoor space. When we returned, she showed us one apartment in Beacon Hill and one in Back Bay which turned out to be perfect for us. Through her company she was able to negotiate the price and again walked us through the lease via e-mails and phone calls without our having to come back into Boston. She took several snafus on our part with humor and gracefully helped make them right. We had the signed lease within a week from the landlord along with a list of the utilities and offices we needed to contact for the move. I highly recommend Holly Cameron, leasing consultant, at Hancock Real Estate. She is professional, personable and a delight to work with in an otherwise stressful process. Her commitment to her clients is outstanding; she indeed wants to see them happy and matched with the best possible apartment. I look forward to seeing Holly in Boston. Contact her at HancockRentals@me.com Deb Leeds, MA read more

I have nothing but good things to say about Holly Cameron and Hancock Real Estate! I contacted Holly after seeing one of her listings on Craigs list. She asked for a list of requirements and preferences in what we wanted in an apartment. Holly quickly set up a few appointments for us to see apartments in beacon hill. She also would contact us immediately when new listings would come up for more options while we were looking. She was incredibly honest when discussing properties, other realtor's suggestions, and areas of boston. She truly wanted us to find our perfect place, whether it was through her or not. A great person and a wonderful realtor. I would recommend her to anyone! read more

They managed the Beacon Hill apartment I lived in. They were courteous and helpful while I was living there but difficult to get in touch with and virtually non-responsive when I tried to get my security deposit back after I moved out. Then after I finally managed to reach one of them I was told that despite spending an afternoon cleaning the apartment top-to-bottom, a deduction for a "professional cleaning" was required. Easiest $125 those cleaners ever made! Can I fight this? No. I lost the pictures of the clean apartment I took when I switched cell phones. I can say that following this egregious treatment I won't be returning to Hancock in the future. I strongly suggest you patronize one of the many other real estate companies in the area. read more

This review is for Holly Cameron who was simply the best real estate agent we worked with. My boyfriend and I were looking in different neighborhoods around Boston and Cambridge, though we wanted to be in Beacon Hill. We had looked at listings with another realtor in Beacon Hill; he was rude and had tiny, overpriced listings. We had pretty much ruled out Beacon Hill until my boyfriend reached out to Holly at Hancock Real Estate. She got what we were looking for immediately and took us to two great apartments. The first apartment she showed us was absolutely perfect for us (and was a complete steal). It was unlisted but because she does her homework, she knew about it before the other realtors. We asked for an application for that apartment that same night and we've loved our apartment since the day we moved in. The only regret I have is that we didn't get to work with Holly longer! She is knowledgable, friendly, and understands completely what people are looking for. She didn't push us on either of the apartments but gave us great advice on the apartment (and condo) market in Beacon Hill. I highly recommend Holly -- she'll find you a great place! read more

I highly recommend these guys. Not only did they find me the perfect apartment for the perfect price but every single time I saw one of them on the street they said hi and stopped to chat and remembered my name for YEARS. they rock read more

I worked with Travis from Hancock Real Estate. He was truly a real professional. He helped me rent an apartment in Cambridge. He was very knowledgeable, responsive throughout the whole deal. I would highly recommend him for anyone that is looking to relocate, purchase, sell or rent. read more

I had a great experience with Hancock Real Estate during my apartment search from Boston. Holly was my broker and she showed me two great apartments, one of which I ended up renting. Beforehand she asked what type of apartment i was looking for and did all of the legwork setting up appointments. She was very kind, knowledgeable, and professional while viewing apartments. While signing my lease I also got to meet other people who worked for the company all of which were very nice. One thing to note is that this real estate group focuses mostly on Beacon Hill and areas nearby, so unless you're totally set on the area you should have a second broker who specializes elsewhere too. read more

My review is mostly reflecting my experiences with Debbie Strevens, but the interactions I've had with everyone at Hancock have been wonderful! I walked in because I saw a few posting outside their office and I needed a new place in about a month or so and I have a dog so that was very limiting. I talked with Debbie and she was very nice and seemed to actually care about her job and helping people, which was a big plus. A couple weeks later, she called me with a place that was opening up and even though it was a little more expensive than I wanted, it had everything else I needed and she didn't want me to miss out. Needless to say, that is the place I ended up renting and I love it! She was very thorough and helpful the whole time. She is also very quick to respond to any questions, emails, and requests. I can tell she is really in it to help people and isn't all about herself and the money. As for everyone else at Hancock, I've walked in a few times to talk to Debbie or just stopped by while I was walking my dog, and everyone is so kind and friendly! I would highly recommend Hancock and specifically Debbie to anyone looking for a place! read more

John and Sheila are some of my favorite people in the real estate industry. They are warm, honest and extremely knowledgable. There are many small real estate companies in Boston, but Hancock is the only one worth recommending if you need excellent customer service and stress-free, timely closing. read more

Ren was professional and so easy to work with. She was always on time, showed us apartments in Beacon Hill that matched what we were looking for, and never made us feel bad about our budget - I find especially in Beacon Hill realtors are always pushing you to pay "only" $200 more a month because they have nothing in their price range. Ren had plenty of places to show us in our price range and even lower! And even after we had decided to sign a lease, Ren continued to be helpful, making sure our place was clean and so forth. Really, the best apartment hunting experience I've ever had. read more

Was looking to rent in Beacon Hill / Back Bay and this was literally the first place I stumbled onto, and as it turned out the only place I needed! Debbie was extremely pleasant to work with, and really went above and beyond. She immediately had a place in mind for my needs that I was able to check out that afternoon, and then set up other options for the very next next day. Since then she has continued to help with my move-in process and I couldn't be happier with the place. Would definitely recommend Debbie and Hancock in general. read more

We got our apartment through Holly as our realtor and she absolutely made our experience a positive one. She absolutely listened to what we wanted to in a unit and took it true to heart. She even gave advice on other areas and realtors that she didn't cover based on what we were looking for. Fortunately, our first choice ended up being the first apartment Holly showed to us. She made the process so simple and quick. We truly connected with her and were so excited to be able to work with her. I would whole-heartedly recommend Holly and Hancock Realty to any other family or friends moving into the area! read more

Holly was a great broker. She really listened to what I wanted in an apartment, which I deeply appreciated. She was always cheerful, and happy to work with me even though I was looking not to spend a lot of money. I'd recommend her for sure! read more

I came across an ad on craigslist posted by Holly and emailed a short response, not expecting much. I had been searching for an apartment for a few months at this point and was used to not getting a reply. Much to my excitement Holly responded only a few hours later and was very interested in finding out just what I was looking for in a new home. I have a 40 lb dog and was thrilled when Holly gladly took on the challenge of finding me a nice sized, clean and convenient one bedroom apartment, that allowed pets within my budget, in a hurry. She found me the perfect apartment on the first try! She has been nothing but pleasant and wonderfully helpful in a stressful time (as moving always is!) When I was in her office signing my lease, she took a phone call form a young lady looking for grad school housing. Holly gave her wonderful advice that directed business AWAY from herself! She later told me that she felt bad that she didn't have anything for the caller, and wished she could have given her some stronger leads. I was very impressed because I have never seen a Realtor direct a prospective customer away because it would be in the customers best interest. She is the type of Realtor you can only hope to get when looking for housing. I hope to use her for every future move I have in the city and will certainly recommend her to all of my friends. I can't wait to move into my new home! Thank you so much Holly! read more

Holly Cameron is a fantastic real estate agent, and we highly recommend her for those looking in the Boston area. We are moving to Boston from Philadelphia and began our search by looking at both rentals and condos. Holly was extremely accommodating in finding us both types of listings (which many agents are not willing to do) in the particular price range and neighborhoods that we were interested in. When we decided to seriously consider buying a condo, she attended several open houses with us and always offered very informed opinions about the pros/cons of the property and neighborhood without putting any pressure on us to make decisions until we were ready. We put in an offer on our top choice condo that was eventually accepted and then went through all of the many steps that follow when completing a home sale. Holly guided us through all of this and was incredibly knowledgeable, accessible and made the process as smooth as possible...especially as we did all of this long distance from Philadelphia, one of us was a first time home buyer, and one of us has an unusual work schedule! Again, our experience working with Holly was wonderful and we would highly recommend her and Hancock real estate. Joanna DiSpirito and Abby Olsen read more

I was looking for an apartment in the Beacon Hill area in late February 2014 and came across Hancock Real Estate one day when I was walking up Charles Street. I met with Pragya, who was so kind and helpful. She introduced me to the owners of the office (Holly and John, if I recall) and then offered to show me a number of great units in the neighborhood. During our walks to the units, she was courteous and provided a lot of useful tips regarding the Boston housing market and Beacon Hill. She is very experienced and knew exactly what I needed as a new resident at Massachusetts General Hospital. After seeing a number of units on my first day with her, she said I was welcome to go home and sleep on it and that I could see any units that I wanted to a second time at a later date. She made an appointment for me that fit my schedule and I met with her again later in the week, during which time she showed me a unit that I had really liked for a second time. The owner's asking price was a bit out of my price range and she skillfully advised me that I could make a slightly lower offer in order to negotiate with the owner. She kept in touch throughout my housing search and was easily accessible via phone and e-mail, and was never pushy. She is the best agent with whom I worked with during my Boston housing search and I will definitely recommend her and Hancock Real Estate to the other incoming physicians looking for housing this year. As another reviewer noted below, the people who work for this company are genuinely kind and friendly - I never felt pressured, but rather felt that Pragya was taking my true interests as a tenant to heart. A+. read more