We write this review with the HIGHEST recommendation for Melanie Fleet, there is truly no better agent out there- she made our dreams come true under terribly difficult circumstances! My husband and I are currently living in our ultimate dream home all thanks to Melanie!! When we began our search, we knew were planning to hold out until we found "the one." We spent two years looking and consulting with Melanie. She met us at homes when we felt intrigued by them, she kept us up to date with Open Houses in our desired areas through a weekly MLS email specifically about open houses, and she answered our never ending questions as fast as anyone possibly could. She is so easy to talk to- she made the entire process seem far less intimidating to us than we thought it would be. Eventually, we found "The One." We fell in love with a home and Melanie helped us to make a quick and powerful offer. The negotiations that ensued could only be described as highly challenging and entirely relentless. The sellers agents were shockingly difficult to work with, the house had some major issues, and we were at a complete loss as to how to handle it all. We only knew we wanted the house! Melanie expertly and graciously negotiated the most amazing deals for us- and the sellers fixed all that we asked for - and MORE! She truly made our dreams into a reality - even after the most hopeless of circumstances. We are CERTAIN that no one else could have negotiated as smoothly as she did. There is something about Melanie that just equals success- she works so hard to get what her clients deserve and we are so grateful to have worked with her during this transaction. To top it off- we had to frantically sell our condo at the same time! She expertly advised us on how to organize our home to make it enticing to buyers. She gave us phenomenal advise regarding how to pack away our clutter and get the rooms looking bigger and ready for sale. As a result, the photos on her listing were stunning- both my husband and I went through them multiple times wondering how our home could look so immaculate! She hosted multiple open houses, counseled us on the multiple offers we received, and as we had come to learn about Melanie- she made the entire process smooth and painless. Buying and selling at the same time, while both working full time and raising an infant at home shouldn't be easy- but thanks to Melanie it TRULY WAS. She is so kind, graceful, thoughtful, ambitious, and treated us like family. I never doubted her for a second- her skill, loyalty, and capabilities were clear from the second we signed on with her until the moment both deals were done. I will spread the work by mouth and every online avenue possible- Melanie is the only agent I will ever work with again, she's the best there is! read more

Where to begin?! My boyfriend and I were shopping for our first property and had been trying to do so on our own with little luck on Zillow and Trulia. We knew that we needed to consult with a real estate expert if we wanted to move forward in our progress. As the weeks went by, we did a lot of research on the best realtors in the area. I found a few based on reviews and Melanie was in the top 10! I sent out emails to a handful of realtors to see if we could get a call or meeting set up with any of them and to this day, NONE of the other "top" realtors have replied back to my initial email. Melanie was very quick to respond and had a call with us. During that call, we set up a time to meet in person at her office in Newton. We were extremely impressed with Melanie's professionalism at our initial meeting that we decided we didn't need to meet with any other realtors. Let's get the ball rolling! We had the top realtor in Boston on our side and we started narrowing down neighborhoods that fit our budget and she gave us advice on where we could get the most bang for our buck. She also told us that she has not had any home buyers that have felt regret after "losing out" on a bid on their first home bid.Well, we lost out on our first home bid and guess what?? I am so grateful because we got something way better!! Melanie was always on top of every open house/new listing that she thought we should take a fair look at. We spoke with her every other day and when we began to lose hope as there weren't many listings over the slow winter, we started to get nervous. Melanie assured us that we were in a good place and that we shouldn't worry at all. Because we trusted her, we believed her. And she was absolutely right. It often felt like we were Melanie's only clients and she gave us her full attention (not sure how she possibly managed that!!). We may have been too selfish with her time! Melanie walked us through the entire process step by step and introduced us to her team of mortgage brokers and attorneys. She made the process smooth and demonstrated her expert knowledge. Our relationship with Melanie isn't just professional, we see her as a trusted friend. We couldn't be happier with our first property and we know that we will be returning back to Melanie for our next property as well! We probably would still be renting if we hadn't found her. We have told many of my friends and work colleagues to seek her out in their home buying process and now we are telling all you Yelp readers!!! You will be happy you listened. read more

Melanie is amazing! I am a first-time homebuyer, and Melanie walked me through it every step of the way. She took the time to sit down with me at the beginning and explain everything about the process. She answered all my questions, even ones that I was embarrassed to ask. I called, emailed, and texted her every time I found a listing I liked and she never made me feel like I was a bother. She replied almost instantly to all my communication, and made appointments for everything I wanted to see. Melanie did a great job of debriefing with me after seeing properties. She gave me time to talk about what I saw, and pointed out things I hadn't thought about. She was honest in discussing things with me which made me feel like I could trust her. She was also very respectful in sticking to the price point I wanted - she never pushed me to see properties outside/at the top of my range. She even helped me lay out finances to see what kind of monthly payment would work for me. Within a few weeks, I found a property that I loved and I wanted to make an offer on. Melanie took lots of time helping me determine what a good offer would be, and coached me in writing a letter to the seller to accompany the offer. We submitted the offer late at night and there were many emails back and forth between her, me, and my loan officer. Melanie responded right away, and often emailed the loan officer before I had a chance. Melanie made what could have been a very complicated process very easy. My first offer was accepted, which I guess is unusual, so we were both really excited! Once my offer was accepted, Melanie took care of everything, from scheduling the inspection to helping with loan paperwork to coordinating logistics with my attorney. She checked in with me constantly along the way to see how I was feeling about everything and made me feel at ease. She even went out of her way to show the condo to my out-of-town family (who were in Boston for 24 hours only). Melanie gives you so much attention that you feel like you are her only client (when in reality, she has tons of clients). She was there for me 24/7 and understood exactly what I wanted. While I don't plan on selling my condo and buying a new place anytime soon, I would absolutely use her again and recommend her to any of my friends in the market for buying a place. read more

As a first time home buyer, I had no idea what to expect or even how to go about starting this process. I googled real estate companies in the Boston area, and started to search through available realtors, which was overwhelming. I saw Melanie's picture and clicked through to her page, and saw how every single review was positive and that she had plenty of experience with first time home buyers - so I decided to send her an email. From the first time I met Melanie, when I was frazzled and running late to our appointment thanks to the T, she made me feel like I was worth her time and that buying a home was something that I really could do. She is always available, with rapid replies whether via email or text, and she is always honest. I trusted her judgement and was so appreciative of her setting up a team of mortgage brokers and lawyers (I would never have known where to look or whom to trust!). When I got frustrated or down about my limited options, Melanie was always optimistic and supportive, and never made me feel like I needed to break my very small budget or look even further away from the city to find something. No question was too un-important or too silly for Melanie, and she and her team walked me through every detail of every step. Even when Melanie was out of town or busy she or one of her colleagues was always available to answer questions. I was able to find a beautiful condo that was everything I had been looking for - and Melanie helped me buy it. The buying process was fast and at times overwhelming...but Melanie and her team made the whole process smooth and i never felt rushed or intimidated into signing things or making deals I wasn't comfortable with. I can say with 100% honesty that Melanie loves what she does and cares about her clients as individuals - I felt so comfortable with her and felt that I was able to text her and talk to her as a friend rather than just a client. She made buying a home a wonderful and rewarding experience and I will be recommending her to everyone I know who is currently looking or will be looking in the future to find a home. Thanks Melanie!!! read more

There are two kinds of real estate agents: the ones that care about what they do just to make (more) money and the ones that truly love what they do to help their clients. Melanie is one of the few that I would put in the 2nd category in a heartbeat. I know I could probably put as many adjectives as I have here to describe how amazing she is, but here is what I would say instead for those who are in the market for a home: If you wish that your mom was a real estate agent that you could trust to help find your dream home, then Melanie is the one that you are looking for. There are many things that set Melanie apart from the numerous other agents based on my own experience with her in the home-buying process: knowledgable, conscientious, tough and organized. But the one trait that I personally find the most important is trustworthiness. You could expect Melanie to work hard for you from day one, to be on top of every single detail or change during the process, and to hold you hand in hand every step of the way. Her responsiveness and organization ensure that your home-buying experience would be as exciting as the thought of buying a home itself. We have owned our home for a few months now, and Melanie is still in regular touch with us to make sure that everything is going well and that we have what we need in the house. A few days ago when she learned that we hadn't had a chance to change the locks for the new house yet, she immediately sent a locksmith along to have all the locks changed for use, ON HER! How many agents would do things like this when the deal has been long sealed? Not many I guess. May the best agent win. read more

I just bought a house in Waltham, thanks to Melanie, and have had the most positive experience working with her. For me, Melanie was more than an agent, she was a friend who was looking out for my interests every step of the way in the most genuine way. She could answer any question I ever had about buying real estate; she really understands the market and knows everything about owning a home (she has given me valuable advice on anything from heating systems to real estate taxes). Moreover, she doesn't drop you the minute you sign your paperwork because her work is now officially over; she continues to help if you need that help. For example, after the closing, Melanie came with me to the Waltham tax office to make sure my real estate taxes on the new condo had the residential exemption (not that she had to, it was really an act of kindness on her part!). A couple more things that I appreciate the most about working with Melanie: 1) she very quickly understood my preferences for a home (I wasn't sure I could vocalize them myself at that point; she just somehow understood me!); 2) she never pressured me; on the contrary, she honestly discussed the pluses and minuses of every condo I considered; 3) she went with me to the closing even though she didn't really need to, just for moral support, and oh boy, did I appreciate somebody 'holding my hand'. We celebrated together after the closing! (it should be obvious now why I said that she is a friend, not just an agent). I whole-heartedly recommend Melanie to anybody who is looking for a home of their own! You will find the most understanding, generous, smart and savvy agent. read more

Well, let's put it this way. If you want top-notch service, you simply go to Melanie Fleet. Before we found Melanie on Yelp, we had been looking for a real estate agent for two years. After interviewing and going though dozens of real estate agents, we felt disappointed until we found Melanie. We did have a few bad experiences with real estate agents before, and we were worried to have another one, but not with Melanie. She has amazing qualities like a great and very unique understanding of the real estate market, prices, and volatilities. She can immediately tell you if a house is overpriced and the best way to negotiate and make an offer. What we also like about her is that she doesn't pressure you and try to convince you to buy any house. She lets you make your own decision and acts like a counselor. She is always honest and pinpoints any flaws in a house because she wants to make sure you are happy with your purchase. We bought our house last year, and she still checks in and answers any questions we have. She cares about her clients before and after. No wonder these types of qualities have brought her success in her career: she sold over 50 homes last year, is ranking #1 solo agent in her office, and #4 in our region among thousands of agents! Wow! Yet, with her being so busy, she always surprises us how she responds to emails, texts, and phone calls with lightning speed. She just lives, breaths, and sleeps real estate. It is like her baby. She is truly a hard working and self made business woman and should be really proud of herself. Saying Melanie is the best agent is not enough. Melanie is Dynamite! read more

Best realtor - worst client! A year ago my husband and I lived in Newton in a tiny home with our 2 year old daughter. I was 7 months pregnant when we had contractors come in and tell us our house needed extensive and very costly repairs to even begin to think about doing the construction needed to add extra space for the new baby. We weighed our options and decided that moving out further into the burbs to have more space and be closer to my husband's work was the best choice for our family, Needless to say this was a very stressful and busy time for us. We had a deadline in place (my due date!) and needed to make the process as stress free as possible. Enter Melanie. After interviewing a couple of other agents Melanie was far and away the most prepared, friendly, and professional. I knew instantly we were in the right hands, and she did not disappoint. Our home in Newton was sold in 2 days 15k over asking and 3 months later we moved into a beautiful spacious home on the South Shore. Melanie went above and beyond during the entire process. Late evening and early morning conversations, driving the hour on weekends to show us homes, and walking us through the first time home buyer processes. (we had inherited our first home which had complications Melanie also dealt with wonderfully!) I honestly cold not say enough wonderful things about Melanie. I count her as not only my realtor for life but as a friend and you will too once you choose her! Thank you Melanie! read more

I have now worked with Melanie twice - when we bought our first home, we used Melanie and the process was so simple, that when it came time to sell that house, we didn't even consider using someone else. The only word I can think to describe her is amazing! She is so incredibly good at what she does and makes you feel like you are her only client. She is super responsive to all types of communications and if she can't help you right away, she always response with a time frame of when she will be available. The sale of our house happened so quickly and smoothly that it's almost hard to believe! Our neighbors couldn't believe the amount of interest in our house, and that was all thanks to Melanie and her marketing campaign! Her advice on what things we should update (or not) prior to listing the house was so valuable. We accepted an offer in less than a week after listing! We then started the hunt for a new house, and of course, had Melanie by our side for that as well. This, once again, proved to be a great choice. She was always available to do inquires on potential homes for us. She gave us advice on how to submit stronger offers by including things like a letter about why we loved the house so much or making sure our finances were in order to offer the sellers a quicker close. We submitted our offer and had it accepted the same day! I would highly recommend Melanie to anyone who is looking to buy or sell a home - you will NOT be disappointed! read more

Dear Melanie, Although I wasn't directly involved in the buying process, I was certainly aware of how frustrating and stressful it could be at times, especially when dealing with the loan company. You were a tremendous help in so many ways, but above all, you managed to keep Joey level-headed and calm, and we are both very grateful for that. Joey can't say enough wonderful things about you, and I can certainly understand why. It's obvious you know your stuff regarding real estate, and seeing how dependable and dedicated you are to your clients, we both felt very lucky to have you leading the way in our own house search. Honestly, without you, I'm not sure things would have worked out quite as well as they did! So again, thank you so so much for everything you've done to make this condo a place Joey and I can call home. Even though it is more of a work-zone than anything else right now, we have already fallen in love with it and can't wait to move in and start enjoying it, especially that roof deck :) I sent this note to Melanie shortly after my boyfriend and I moved into our condo this past Spring. Six months later, we are settled in and loving the place even more! Melanie was without a doubt the reason we were able to find such a perfect place to call home, which was not such an easy feat in such a competitive real estate market. I would recommend Melanie to anyone looking for a new property. She's truly the best! read more

Melanie did such a fantastic job of selling our condo in Waltham! It was our first time selling a home so we interviewed a few agents to get a better understanding. After reviewing options in the area and meeting Melanie, it was clear that she was the best agent for us. She not only helped us with understanding the market in our area in a very clear and data-driven way, but also went above and beyond in sharing her network to support us in presenting our home very well. Melanie and her team are all very easy to work with, responded to all of our questions in a quick and professional manner (believe me, I had a lot of questions doing this for the first time!) and really helped us to sell our home smoothly. I truly believe we received the highest offer (over asking, and more than we were expecting!) due to her diligence and attention to detail. There were a lot of "behind the scenes" work being done with the listing, staging, showings, open house...that I know her team supported as well. We are so very thankful for them and that the sale of our home was quick, successful, and stress-free. We'll be recommending Melanie to our friends and family and I wanted to take the time to recommend them here as well since I think it's often hard to know where to start. I started the process by sending Melanie an email after reading some yelp reviews and we met her probably within 24 hours. Thank you Melanie, Abby and team! read more

Cannot say enough great things about Melanie! My fiance and I made a fairly quick decision to purchase our first home. Not being from the area, we didn't know where to start. A friend/co-worker who had just purchased her first home with Melanie's help referred us to her. From the initial email on, Melanie was extremely responsive, prompt, supportive, knowledgeable and friendly. Immediately, she set up a meeting with us to walk us through the process of buying - everything from financing, to making an offer, to the closing process. She thoughtfully answered every one of our MANY questions. Days later when we become obsessed with the idea of purchasing a condo that would be going on the market within days, she got us in there for a private showing. Loving the place as much as we thought we would, she advised us on a strong and clever offer that not only was chosen over multiple other offers but also saved us from unnecessarily over-bidding due to an escalation clause she recommended we work in. Then through the entire inspection and closing process, she stayed in touch nearly daily - checking in via text, email and phone call. She made sure we were comfortable with the process and continued to answer all questions and concerns through the extremely fast closing process. We couldn't be more pleased with our new home and credit Melanie so much for making it happen. Thanks, Melanie! read more

There are seriously good reasons why Melanie Fleet consistently gets the very best reviews. She is unrivaled in her professionalism, market knowledge, work ethic and client service. I retained Melanie to help us sell our Watertown condo based on her reviews. It was the smartest move I could have made. She guided us through the process with recommendations on renovations we should and shouldn't do. She used a thorough analysis of our local real estate market to give us guidance in pricing. Her strategy resulted in an offer well above asking price within hours of the first open house. She took care of endless details for us as we made our way through the offer process, purchase and sale, home inspection and closing. It takes Melanie about 15 seconds max to return a phone call, weekday or weekend. My only concern was that she ever get some time off for herself. My wife and I were so pleased with the results of our sale, and the process could not have been made easier for us, thanks to Melanie Fleet. And when the sale was completed, a little something arrived for us in the mail from Melanie. I won't tell you what it was, except that it had a cork in it and was very good. If you are looking to buy or sell a home, you would do very well to hire her and trust her expertise. read more

I'd like to echo what a number of people have said about Melanie - "goes above and beyond", "goes the extra mile." I've known and worked with Melanie for 5+ years. She started out as our rental agent, and I was so impressed by her that she was the obvious choice when I recently decided to sell my Brookline condo and needed a realtor. To call her hardworking is an understatement. She is always on her email or cell phone and always available to brainstorm, strategize, advise, reassure, etc. This was invaluable to my husband and I given our very busy work schedules. Melanie is also trustworthy and intelligent, and she knows the market extremely well. We had only a few days between our tenants moving out and listing the condo, and Melanie was there early in the morning to direct the cleaner/painter and to stage everything on her own. We received two competitive offers very quickly, and she was in close communication with us throughout the entire process. We also had a sticky situation with some of the condo association docs that she handled beautifully. She even came to our place on a Saturday morning to notarize our closing docs for us on very short notice. It was wonderful working with Melanie, and I highly recommend her for any real estate needs. read more

Melanie was recommended to me by my realtor in Maryland. I was moving to a new job in Waltham and didn't know anything about my new area. I wanted to have a short commute, but not be too far from Boston. I was looking at a wide area at both townhomes and single family homes. I really wanted newer construction too. Melanie met with me during one of my first trips to Boston. We met at one open house and that served as a good example of what I was looking for in my next home. We spent time talking about what I wanted and she shared her perspectives on the surrounding cities. When my sister visited during my first week of work, Melanie spent a lot of time showing her houses and explaining about the neighborhoods. Through that search, we found my new home! We agreed on an offer price and Melanie was able to very quickly get the offer approved. She helped with details about the deposit as I am new to the area and the process. Yet Melanie didn't stop there. She also introduced me to partners to help in the overall process. Lawyer, mortgage agents, inspectors etc. I am very happy with Melanie's professional efforts and am happy to consider her a new friend! You will be in excellent hands should you decide to partner with Melanie !!! read more

Melanie is an exceptional realtor who recently helped me on the sell & buy side in Boston's hot condo market. On the sell side, Melanie used her extensive knowledge of the local market to determine a competitive list price. When combined with her impressive marketing abilities, this lead to a great deal of interest from buyers. My unit went under agreement in only 3 days after we received an over-asking offer that Melanie was able to generate. I couldn't have been happier. On the buy side, Melanie quickly helped find properties that interested me since she took the time to learn about the details of my home search. She was fast to respond & made herself available for frequent showings, which is the kind of service that brings her clients back as repeat customers and generates so many referrals. The process went incredibly smooth and she was able to utilize her large network of experienced lenders & attorneys to assemble a team that I trusted and knew the job was getting done right. Working with Melanie was an enjoyable experience on many levels. Her attention to detail & communication skills made buying & selling real estate with her a pleasure. I would recommend her to anyone in the Greater Boston area. read more

One of my good friends referred me to Melanie. I know how particular he is so I knew I could trust that when he said she was the best, she would be the best! We found the perfect condo for my budget, wants, and needs. Melanie was very communicative and reassuring as I was a first-time homebuyer. I felt very comfortable asking her questions and for advice. She referred me to a lender, who after shopping around still had the best rate. I was unable to go to the home inspection, so Melanie went in my place; taking notes and asking the inspector a lot of questions while I was on the other end of the video call. I felt confident in my decision with her in my corner, and was so excited when the home inspection went well. She helped me through the offer process and the sellers accepted it, despite other people putting in the same offer. After that she still helped me through each step of closing and making sure I was ready to move. She and her assistant formed a team with my lenders and lawyer; I was really impressed by the continuous communication. I have now been a homeowner for just over a month and I couldn't be happier! I feel excited to now know a real estate agent I can trust and refer my friends and family to. read more

Melanie Fleet was referred to me by a good, trusted friend and thank goodness she was! We had a tricky timeline and a delicate situation and Melanie navigated the whole process flawlessly. She was flexible to work with, available, responsive, friendly, incredibly knowledgeable, patient... all great qualities! My husband and I had a condo that I needed to sell and close on before we could put a down payment on a home. Melanie helped us price our condo competitively, we had one Open House and got 5 incredible offers all over-asking; she advised us to request best and final offer and we sold for far more than I'd ever expected... she truly let the market determine the price of the condo! We got a relatively quick turn-around on the sale of our condo and Melanie helped us find an ideal buyer who offered a very fairly-priced lease-back from her for 6-8 few weeks while we found and closed on the home of our dreams! We didn't have to move to temporary housing between the sale of the condo and the purchase of the home, which was ideal since we have a dog and I was newly pregnant! What could have been a difficult, stressful experience was enjoyable and, relatively-speaking, simple because of Melanie's efforts! read more

What can I say that hasn't already been said in all of these other 5-star reviews? My wife and I have had several career moves, so we've bought and sold homes in four different cities. Melanie helped us sell our house and buy a condo here in Boston this past year. We've worked with other very good agents in our other moves, but she's easily the best we've had on both the selling side and the buying side. She worked tirelessly as we prepared to sell -- she was so responsive that it was as though we were her only client. And when we were looking to buy, she seemingly knew better than we did what we wanted. We thought we'd found just the condo we were looking for when we visited an open house without her, even though it was slightly out of the price range we had given her. Her immediate response when we told her about it was "Well, ok, but if you're thinking about that, then you really should look at this other condo first." It was no contest, and we're now happily settling into the one that she recommended. She continued to work closely with us through a rather complicated negotiation as we wrapped up the purchase. She has our highest recommendation. read more