We had a fabulous experience working with realtor Neathery Brenzel of McCormack & Scanlan Real Estate in our search for a new home. We ultimately purchased a house in Jamaica Plain, but Neathery was knowledgeable about the Boston area generally and showed us homes in Cambridge / Somerville / Boston / Brookline and Charlestown. Neathery is a great listener and really paid attention to what we were looking for. She was also very insightful in helping my husband and I articulate some specific things we were looking for (but didn't even realize for ourselves) - and also to navigate the differences between what each of us had in mind. Neathery has an excellent communication style - always available, prompt responses, was great about keeping both my husband and I included in all communications and excellent about giving us a heads-up about the rare times she was unavailable. Neathery was also an invaluable resource during the purchase process itself. It is clear she has cultivated good professional relationships with all sorts of other realtors and brokers - and always had an insight or a way to reach out to the representative on the other side to get more information about what was going on behind the scenes or may have been motivating the sellers. After purchasing the house, Neathery has been an invaluable resource to connect us with "go-to" people in Jamaica Plain. Neathery knows everyone - designers, moving companies, tradespeople of all types, and all the fun spots in the area (which is new to us). We have really appreciated being able to reach out to Neathery with questions - and even now, months after completing the sale, she has made herself available to us with excellent advice and ideas. Thanks, Neathery, for an excellent experience! We really appreciate all your hard work. Neathery can be contacted at: 617-462-4628 or YourBostonAgent@gmail.com. read more

Neathery was incredibly helpful through this entire process. I'd highly recommend her services!

Karen and Colleen are really great at what they do. My partner and I bought our first house with Colleen's help. She knew her stuff, showed us lots of great places and helped us understand the process every step of the way. They have integrity and shoot straight - which is more than you can say for a lot of real estate agents out there. I'd recommend them without hesitation. read more

I worked with Paula and Karen at McCormack and Scanlan on my home purchase over a year ago. I appreciate how much of an advocate they were for me, particularly dealing with a miserably uncommunicative seller's agent. During the home inspection, I really felt like Paula was my ally - it was a great feeling like we were in this together and I will never forget it. I'm very pleased to recommend Karen and Paula to anyone who asks. read more

When I wanted to sell my 3 family in JP, I wanted to go with an established JP realtor. I knew the companies in the area but came to Yelp to get guidance, and I'm glad that I did. Luis Maya gave me options along with likely costs and benefits as we discussed selling the building whole or dividing it into 3 condos. I went with the more complex and expensive condo route but Luis walked me through it all. He continuously went above and beyond what I expected. Luis kept me informed every step of the way. When something was needed, he would often offer to take care of it even though it wasn't part of a realtor's job. He also connected me with an excellent attorney who made sure the closings went smoothly. I greatly appreciated the work that Luis did to not only maximize the selling price but also to minimize stress and work for me. I would definitely use Luis's services again and highly recommend him to anyone in need of a realtor who knows JP! read more

My fiancée and I recently worked with Bryan Szela for the purchase of first home. Our search started in the JP/Roslindale area and gradually shifted to other nearby communities. Bryan was with us every step of the way and we are grateful to have worked with him and the McCormack & Scanlan team. I was most impressed by how responsive and proactive Bryan was at each step in the process - nights, weekends, etc. - Bryan always made himself available at a moment's notice. I also credit Bryan for an extremely smooth purchase and closing process - there really wasn't a single issue...everything went as well as could be expected. I would enthusiastically recommend Bryan and McCormack & Scanlan if you are looking for a buyer's agent who is knowledgeable, responsive, proactive, and trustworthy. Thank you Bryan! read more

My husband and I cannot say enough positive things about Karen McCormack and Paula Callaghan of McCormack & Scanlan. They were absolutely fantastic. Beyond fantastic. Truly. We moved to Boston a year ago and decided to start looking for our very first home in February. When we met with Karen and Paula for the first time, they spent so much time with us, answering every question and walking us through the home buying process without making us feel dumb or silly. It was clear that they wanted us to feel comfortable and informed, and we knew right off the bat that we were in good hands. And man, we absolutely were! The Spring market of 2013 was absolutely ridiculous. Inventory was at record low, so there were bidding wars left and right. Houses were going for well over asking price, people were dropping home inspections, and waving mortgage contingencies. As first time home buyers, it would have been so easy to get carried away and do something we'd regret later, like wildly overpay for a house. But thank goodness for Karen and Paula! They had our best interest at heart the entire time and would not let that happen. We feel SO lucky we had them in our corner. They are also a really good team, each woman bringing her own unique strengths. Karen was born and raised in JP, and has seen the neighborhood change and flourish like nobody else. She has a really good sense of a street's and home's value. She knows what's a real find, what's up and coming, what's loaded with possibility, and what's best to walk away from. Her experience is really invaluable. Paula has x-ray vision! She is passionate about understanding how a house works and really is an expert. Every time we'd go to an open house, Paula would head to the basement and could tell us if the place was solidly built or if there were red flags. This was so important because as first time home buyers we had no idea what to be on the look out for and she was so good at not letting us get attached to a place that in the end was going to cost us way too much in structural repairs. When it came to bidding and negotiating, they were awesome. They didn't push us at all but they gave us their honest opinion and advice, which we appreciated so much because we really needed guidance. They really did feel like our trusted advisers. At our home inspection, they didn't leave us alone for one second. They asked tons of questions and clearly wanted to be informed for no other reason than to help us make a good decision and be clear on what we were buying. They have so much integrity and we always felt that the most important thing to them was that we found a place we loved and would be happy in. We close on our dream house this Friday. We absolutely could not have done it without Karen and Paula. My husband and I say that to each other all the time. They are just SO good at what they do. I could go on and on and on about them, but the bottom line is they are amazing women who are full of integrity, hard work, and wisdom who will make what could be a stressful experience a real joy. Thank you, Karen and Paula! read more

Bryan Szela helped my husband and I buy our first condo this year, and he is AMAZING. Professional, knowledgeable, friendly, and low-key, Bryan was always accessible and ready with gentle guidance for us new homebuyers. We were able to buy a condo with everything we wanted, for a great price! Every single person Bryan recommended to us, from mortgage broker to mover, was as professional and reliable as he is. We felt like we had an superstar team working on our behalf! I should mention, too, that we went from offer to closing in about three weeks, so it was no small feat to make everything happen in such a short timeframe. I cannot recommend Bryan enough!! read more

Neathery Brenzel of McCormack & Scanlan Real Estate is an experienced, kind, and trustworthy realtor who made the whole selling process seamless and somewhat effortless for us. She communicated all the relevant and necessary information and advice to help us make wise decisions through the process, kept all the details and execution organized and on time, and treated us with great empathy as we went through the emotional experience of letting our beautiful JP apartment go. We moved out of state and Neathery took care of everything on the ground for us: getting the place ready, on the market, and sold and closed at a great price in a timely fashion. Neathery is highly trustworthy, reliable, communicative, and motivated to perform at a high bar. read more

We worked with Bryan Szela at McCormack & Scanlan to buy our first place, a condo in Roslindale! Bryan was great - he listened, he was there for us, he was knowledgeable when we had questions and best of all he let us take our time to decide what we wanted. Bryan is awesome because he never pushes you to make a certain decision, he asks good questions and helps you decide things for yourself. I was very pleased with the deal he negotiated for us as well! We had a rough couple of spots at closing with our lender but Bryan stayed in touch and helped us understand what was happening throughout. All in all a great experience and I would recommend Bryan to anyone! read more

Beware, they tried to underprice our place for a quick sell. We went with another realtor and sold our place for 20% above what these women suggested we LIST our house at, nevermind the price we would have actually got for our place. read more

Karen and Paula are simply the BEST. They were thoughful, thorough, on top of all details, and really know their stuff. They made a scary process soooo much easier. I could repeat everything Kate G. said in her review as it was all true of our experience as well. I highly recommend them to any buyer or seller. read more

Karen and Paula are the best around! We first worked with them a little less than 3 years ago, when we were looking to buy our first ever home in JP. As we drove around to different condos, Karen seemed to have a story for a house or two on pretty much every block we passed. She grew up in JP and it's clear that she has an incredible amount of knowledge about the area! It wasn't long before we found a condo that was perfect for us. Karen and Paula were so incredibly knowledgable and patient - answering all of our questions (and giving us a lot of great info before we even knew what to ask!) and guiding us through the process, making it much less stressful than home-buying had been rumored to be. We kept remarking that it really just felt like they were 100% on our team - it felt like they cared deeply that we got a place that was perfect for us, with no surprises to come afterward. In a hot market like JP, it'd be easy to slack a little bit, since many buyers would be happy just to get into a place, but these two are the furthest from slacking that you can get! Fast forward 2.5 yrs. We loved our place and planned to be there for several more years, but my business had grown, we had gotten a dog, and I had discovered a love for gardening, and my husband was dying to play and record music without worrying about potentially being rude to our sweet upstairs neighbors... all of which made us long for a single family home. We figured it would be several years down the road, but we started to go to open houses just to get an idea of what neighborhoods we'd be most interested when it got to that point. One day, we went to an open house in Roslindale and accidentally fell in love! I had NO hesitation when it came to who we would call about potentially selling our home and buying the new one - Karen and Paula. I was worried that, since we hadn't put our condo on the market yet, we might not have a chance to snag our dream home. I talked to Karen and Paula about it, and though they warned us that it was a bit of a long shot, they quickly identified something that made them think that the house might be slightly over-priced, meaning we might have time after all! They came over to our condo (which was pretty cluttered etc, since we weren't planning to sell for another year or two!) and gave us very thorough and detailed instructions on what to do to make it ready for a sale and to maximize the sale price. Again, they guided us through the whole crazy process (and my crazy anxiety about everything working out!) with patience and reassurance. We put our condo on the market the following weekend and after getting multiple offers, accepted an offer significantly over asking price that Monday. And we got our dream home for several thousand under asking! We still can't believe how good these two are at their job. We are SO grateful to have found them 3 years ago, and we're always recommending them to our friends who are looking to buy in the area. If you got this far, don't waste your time looking for anyone else - these two are the best in Boston hands down! read more

Bryan Szela is an amazing Realtor at McCormack & Scanlan, and helped my partner and I buy our beautiful condo in Boston. He advised us without ever being pushy, his organization when viewing homes was extremely impressive, and his availability by phone, text or email was unparalleled. He bent over backwards to deal with a really difficult seller's agent (and his first instinct about him was correct--we did not end up with that property), and saved us so much work by communicating directly with the team of people involved in our buying process (inspection, broker, lawyers, realtors etc). He navigated a market that had very limited inventory (December 2015), and he negotiated so skillfully that our offer was accepted, despite it not being the highest bid! He was creative, thought outside the box, was there every step of the way, told us what to expect next and got us from first viewing to closing in record time! I really can't say enough good things about Bryan, and give his service my highest recommendation. P.S. I never write Yelp reviews, that's how awesome Bryan is! read more

Paula was an absolute dream to work with when it came to purchasing my first condo. I wish Yelp had more stars to give! I knew the JP market pretty well before making the decision to buy a home. However, I knew absolutely nothing about everything involved in buying a home. Paula made the whole process as smooth and easy as it could possibly be. She gave excellent guidance when we made an offer, was very involved during the inspection, and helped me deal with some unplanned headaches leading up to closing. Since I was a first time buyer, I really appreciated her constant communication with me during the entire process. Paula went above and beyond the call of duty for me. I truly felt like she was my advocate. And for that I am eternally grateful. read more

I worked with Joe Fallon while selling my condo this spring. I have to say that he was one hundred percent professional and far exceeded all of my expectations. He kept tabs on absolutely every little detail and helped us with everything from staging for better curb appeal to walking us through all of our responsibilities as sellers. He was super aggressive in his marketing of my home and did open house after open house to ensure we got the best possible offers. And he handled every roadblock thrown at him with panache. I highly recommend Joe! He's AMAZING! read more

We sold our single family house in Moss Hill in JP with Neathery Brenzel, and couldn't have been happier with the experience. Neathery and her team met with us to discuss possible improvements before selling, worked with us to cut some of the items due to budget concerns, and pulled together a great plan for showing the house. I was actually already moved out of the country by the time the house was showing, and Neathery kept me in the loop all the way through closing day. It was a smooth experience, and great to have someone trustworthy to handle the entire process. Thanks, Neathery! read more

We randomly walked in to McCormack and Scanlan when looking to purchase our first home and we couldn't have been luckier! Although I have to admit the neighborhood feel to their office and the purple sign are what drew me in, the professional and personal care we received was beyond anything we could have hoped for! Karen and Paula took the time to really listen to what we wanted and always had our best interests at heart. They advocated for us, they informed us, and they were prompt, professional, kind, and caring. Paula is a fighter who you will love to have by your side in making the punch list....She won't let anything slip by the seller's agent, the home inspector, or or the developer...whether its the circuit breaker that does not have enough amps, a tile that may be cracked, or a pipe that is not covered. Together, they had strong knowledge of the current market conditions and familiarity with the JP/Roslindale area. They guided us through the process of making an offer, having an inspection, all the way through to negotiation and finally the home purchase....and then they even follow up to make sure all is well after the closing..a time when most agents don't care anymore. Throughout the whole process, they took great care of us and we felt we could really trust them in our first home purchase process -- by the end of our brief search we felt we had not only discovered the best realtors ever, but that we had made friends. We couldn't have been luckier to have found them - I love where I live, but I can guarantee should we ever sell, they will be our agents! I highly recommend you call them for your own home search! read more

Highly recommend Neathery Brenzel at McCormack and Scanlan. She made navigating the craziness of the jp/Rozzie market so much easier. Her local knowledge is unbeatable and she really got to know us and our needs. Because she is such a consumate professional, she helped us stick to our original budget when we were tempted to blow our budget. She also helped us be patient and not compromise too much. We are so grateful now that she encouraged us to wait for the right opportunity and helped us rapidly snap up the right thing when it came along! We are happy homeowners in the exact neighborhood of JP that we were hoping for thanks to her calm and knowledgeable guidance!! So grateful for her help! read more

Colleen Scanlan and Karen McCormack are in it for the long haul. They grew up in Jamaica Plain and know this little hamlet like the back of their hands. It's hard to find a JP home they haven't been in at some point in their lives! These real estate experts know their stuff - they know what you need, and they know how to get it. They also know how to pick the best agents to round out their team, so their 'bench' is deep. I've worked with M & S several times, and my most recent experience with Colleen really demonstrates how a Realtor is supposed to work for you - tirelessly, professionally, and always with enthusiasm. Although they say the market in JP is HOT HOT HOT, there are properties that are hotter than others, and knowing how to find the right person for YOURS is an art. On the other hand, I have also had Colleen find me two perfect homes - taking her search far beyond the typical - "Here, I'll have the MLS email service send you some stuff every day. Find something you like and I'll get you in to see it." She knows what you want, and she goes out to see it herself - looking at FSBOs, Craigslist, wherever she can. She's a buyer's dream. If you want to sell your home, and want someone who is truly responsive and responsible, or if you're looking for the perfect fit for yourself, I highly recommend you give McCormack and Scanlan a call. They're in real estate because they chose to do something they're really good at, not just because they thought they could make a few bucks. They're the SuperStars of real estate in my book! read more

I am house hunting with my husband and we have our own realtor that is representing us. We went with our realtor to an open house that was listed by McCormack and Scanlan, liked it and went so far as to make the deposit and get the house inspected. From the very first minute we met these realtors, we realized they didn't know what they were doing. They couldn't answer very basic questions about the property or appliances or neighborhood. I honestly felt embarrassed for them because they didn't know anything about the house. We still liked the house enough to make an offer, put down the deposit and get the home inspection done. The house was asthetically beautiful but later realized the owners clearly renovated everything on the cheap. Very cheap. Seems like they "flipped" the house and tried to get a profit off some poor sap. Luckily that won't be us! The realtors seemed to have some ulterior motive in getting the property sold because they were actually nasty toward us during negotiation. The owners were also stubborn beyond anything our realtor has ever experienced in his 10+yrs in the business, even after we met their offer price! They were acting as if they were selling a house made of diamonds. The home failed the inpsection by a mile with cracks in the foundation, lead drinking pipes and temporary columns not even supporting the house. The floors were hovering a good 6in above the load bearing walls. The inspector said the house was scary, wanted to get the hell out of there and said the house should be condemned. So we walked away and said please give us our deposit check back. It took McCormack and Scanlan over 5 weeks to return our check. They didn't return phone calls or emails and when we finally had our attorney threaten to take them to court and said she would file a claim against them the next day, we finally got our money back. Once we had our money back, they were disappointed and told us how they couldn't believe we backed out over such minor issues. So to make a long story short, they were unprofessional, untimely and rude at times. I would not recommend having them work for you as your realtor. We now bought a beautiful new home and are happier than ever. read more

My wife and I used Byran Szela to sell our house in Quincy this May. At our initial meeting we were impressed with Bryan's marketing plan to sell our house and his professionalism. Throughout the selling process Byran was very considerate of our schedules and worked to minimize the disruption of our daily routines all while making sure our house was marketed to a wide audience of buyers. His marketing plan worked brilliantly! Our house was on the market for only five days and we had five strong offers to review. He took the time to review each offer and helped us to determine which was the strongest and in our best interest to accept. After accepting the offer Byran, guided us through the home inspection process and all the documents we would need for a seamless closing. If you are looking for a professional realtor who understands how to provide great customer service and getting your property sold quickly at a good price, you want to call Bryan. read more

This is a review of Bryan Scelza, a realtor at McCormack and Scanlon. In a nutshell, Bryan is the man! Recently, we had rehabbed an apartment we have on the 1st floor of a two family we have owned and lived in for over 30 years. As the rehab led past prime occupancy time, we turned to Bryan. In the process, we met several perfectly competent realtors. In the end, we picked Bryan exclusively. He found us some wonderful tenants. He takes his job seriously and personally and is just a low key, but informed, professional, class act. If we ever decide to condo out the place, we will surely put him at the top of my list. I was very impressed. Steve Kaufman JP read more

Karen and Paula are a dynamic duo Realtor team in JP. They helped us get into our first home that we are absolutely in love with. Throughout the process they took the time to get to know us and what we were looking for and we were confident they always had the latest, most current information of what was happening in the neighborhood. They are strategic, patient, thoughtful, and had can-do attitudes. No question ever felt like a hassle or a burden, they were extremely responsive and we were impressed with how complimentary their skill sets are. It's great to know when working with Karen and Paula you get two smart professionals in your corner, always ready and available when something comes up. We highly recommend this awesome team. read more

I've wanted an excuse to join Yelp. Until now, the little things I'd come to rant about haven't been important enough to actually take the time. I'm glad Joe Fallon at McCormack and Scanlan mean so much to me that I'm making the leap and signing on. To be truly honest, a year ago I never would have imagined myself writing this. Real estate agents were making so much money and I couldn't afford pricey houses, so I didn't hold them in all that high a regard. Joe and McCormack and Scanlan have corrected my impression. We searched for a house every weekend for over a year, constantly changing our minds about what we were looking for. Joe stuck with us the whole way through, never getting impatient or pressuring us to go in a direction that didn't suit us, but urging us to be patient. Then one day the house of our dreams went on the market. We were on vacation, and Joe went to great lengths to track us down. When we saw the place, and were a bit overwhelmed, Joe was firm about how great it would be for us. And he was absolutely right. All along Joe was very professional and thorough. He worked hard for us and never tired. If he was going out of town, he always let us know in advance, and other agents at McCormack and Scanlan filled in, also providing high quality service. We're so excited about finally having a home of our own. And even though it took longer than we would have wished, the upside is since we spent so much time with Joe finding the house, we'll always remember our agent, who was so important in the process, like a member of the family. Thank you Joe, and Colleen, and everyone at McCormack and Scanlan! read more

Paula & Karen are exceptional! They were the realtors I used to buy 4.5 years ago and I just worked with them again to sell. Both times they were incredibly informative and responsive. They also provided excellent advice and guidance. The recent sale of my condo could have been disastrous, but it went more smoothly than I could have ever imagined and I am very happy with the outcome. I had to move out of the area shortly after listing my condo and I had no trouble working with Paula & Karen remotely. If you are looking to buy or sell, Paula & Karen should be the realtors you choose. read more

We recently were referred to Karen and Paula for our first home/condo search. From our first meeting, they took the time to really listen to what we want and had strong knowledge of the current market conditions and familiarity with the JP/Roslindale/West Roxbury area. They guided us through the process of making an offer, having an inspection, all the way through to negotiation and finally the home purchase. Throughout the whole process, they took great care of us and we felt we could really trust them in our first home purchase process. We couldn't have been luckier to have found them - I highly recommend you call them for your own home search! read more

as a first time home buyer, i would strongly recommend joe fallon. he helped me and my wife through the process with patience and care, not to mention considerable knowledge and professionalism. he was great. he knew every detail of the process and was gentle and understanding at every turn. a great guy, he knows what first time buyers go through, and he makes the whole journey as smooth a ride as possible. you dont' feel like you're dealing with some slick salesman or anything, joe is clear and responsive, and makes it possible to think through the tough choices with no crazy pressure. i would definitely work with joe again. read more