HORRIBLE TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE My amazing father has dementia and my family is dealing with the many challenges that come with this disease including the loss of his drivers license and the decision that he can no longer care for himself. It was time to sell his home and he would move to a place where meals are provided and other care that he needs is available. Mind you my parents have only purchased 2 homes in their lifetime and still reside in my childhood home. They are not savvy or knowledgeable about anything related to selling a house. I was ultimately referred to the realtor's broker Melina who contacted me about my requests for fliers and/or a QR code and using social media to promote the house and specifically that in the walkable neighborhood of Englewood where my dad's house is located is a great way to inform people about my dad's remodeled and quaint home. I was told that fliers, social media and other suggestions for advertising were NOT within the advertising agreement that my dad signed with my mom present. They are responsible for signing the agreement but they also didn't know that for the agent/broker commission that all they would essentially receive is staging for a tiny 2 bed 1 bath home, pictures of the property and an open house (neighbors by invitation) the open house was self serving as a way to meet new potential clients and let looky Lou's snoop around the house. I was appalled and shocked no hustle, no strategy whatsoever to make this house move quickly. I believe the house had been on the market for not even 2 weeks and when Melina the owner of this company spoke with me she was a NIGHTMARE think Devil Wears Prada Linda Wintour kind of pompous, rude and condescending. I was hurt, felt disrespected and very upset by her actions and how she treated me. It led to a total breakdown in trust and confidence in her and her agent. I'm not sure if she had even the slightest twinge of care about my family and caregivers fatigue from caring for a family member. Selling his house included the dismantling of my dads home, belongings and it's a painful experience for him and our family. Hiring a realtor and a broker is supposed to take the responsibility and stress away from the family turning it over to "professionals" who happily collect commission and that is when we decided this was not a safe or honorable place to place our trust. The worst part is that I informed Melina owner/broker that my dad didn't have a copy of his signed contract nor did my mother. The broker said that it must be in a box from his move....ummm....No. Electronic email is standard for sending a contract. I did speak to Melina/owner-broker again and I was hoping for a chance to move forward and unfortunately I was again met with a communication style that was abrupt, harsh and her goal is about winning and being right instead of seeking to understand and find common ground. On the complete opposite spectrum our agent remained positive, kind, caring and compassionate. I highly recommend her and hope she's able to find a brokerage firm that matches her energy and professionalism. We appreciate her dedication to our family. read more

If you are even considering buying a home in Salem/Keizer, I need to tell you a story about an amazing woman and realtor - Melina Tomson. My Mom recently passed away from brain cancer. It was my job to "handle her affairs", one of which was to sell her home. We interviewed several people based on YELP reviews. We chose Melina to sell Mom's home. We had NO IDEA what a good choice we made. She staged the house just beautifully. Within days we got our first offer. But there were problems on the horizon. Essentially, my Mom's home (which looked beautiful) had a fair amount of deferred maintenance. Here's what we faced 1) sunken oil tank, 2) old roof, 3) heater air-conditioning needed to be replaced, 4) water main to the street needed to be replaced, 5) electrical panel needed to be replaced. That, combined with clouds on the title and some other "issues" meant that we had two "failed sales". Through all of this Melina was "as cool as a cucumber". She always had the answers. More than that - she always knew exactly the right person to call in to help. And, since she's worked with all these contractors before, she was able to get them to do the work with the expectation they would get paid at closing. She did all this with a super positive attitude. The house sold in a fairly short period of time considering the challenges. I don't live in the Salem/Keizer area so there is just no way we could have done this without Melina's finesse, knowledge, and hard work. If you are considering buying or selling a home in the Salem/Keizer market, your first move should be to pick up the phone and call Melina. I'm not a huge referral person, but I would take a phone call from anyone that has any questions. Melina is a rock star! Thanks! You are a friend of the family... read more

Melina Tomson assisted me in the sale of my mother's home following her death in early 2022. Losing a parent is hard...dealing with all that's left behind is hard. Melina not only helped me sell the home and get a great price, but she helped me with all the prep to get it on the market. Helping me find people to take old furniture, dump runs, recommendations on what I should or shouldn't do. Listening to me as I was dealing with all of it. I can't say enough positive things about her and her team. I live a few hours away from Salem so having someone there looking after the home and supporting me was huge. You can't go wrong with Melina. I promise! read more

If you want a professional that will tell it to you straight, work hard for you, and be there any time you are even thinking about buying or selling again - Melina is your perfect realtor! My mom told us about her when she sold her house and bought her new one and I'm not sure why, but I was skeptical. Melina was amazing. She didn't always tell you what you wanted to hear about a house, but she worked hard for us and found us the house we are living in and loving going on 5 years now! This house was not anything we had seen listed on any of the websites, but she knew what we were looking for and found it. We are forever grateful! Melina walked us through step by step, as I was a first time home buyer. She answered all of our questions and made recommendations of people she had good experiences with when it came to choosing a home inspector. We have been in contact with her twice about the idea of selling as we have dreams of living on property in the country, and she has put together amazing market reports of what we could do to make our home sell faster and what comparable homes are going for in the area or have sold for recently. This lady gets it done. She doesn't make mistakes. She is professional and high quality when it comes to realtors. I think my favorite thing is that once you are done, she checks in once and then you don't get spammed or called like I have heard about other experiences from friends. She leaves you alone and is ready for you when you are ready to look into buying or selling again. I wish I could give her 5+ stars. She's that great at what she does! read more

I've written my share of Yelp reviews, and seldom do I give full marks, but Melina Thompson deserves all five stars. I've looked at all the other reviews here, even the filtered ones, and found others agree with me about the two things in particular which stand out about Melina's approach. The first is that her web site is the best source of local on the ground knowledge I can find for the Salem, OR area she services. This is especially important to me as I don't live in Salem or know the area well. In fact, there is a realtor's web site here in New Orleans that I just love for its great content, and I actually found Melina as a referral from them. The other outstanding thing is that Melina has all these skills ( a Masters) in Counselling. It shows in her approach, rather than being a "closer" and pushing the hard sell I noticed right away she was all about making sure she knew what I needed and wanted. Her approach is that of the Real Estate Counselor if such a thing exists. If you want a Realtor who actually listens to you and tries to actually help you find the perfect home for you (instead a a land shark just out to close a sale) I recommend her highly. Nobody wants to feel a bunch of remorse after selling or buying a property, let Melina help you avoid that and end up with a deal you still feel great about later. read more

when we moved to Salem, we gravitated towards Melina Tomson because of the neighborhood guides on their website. She did not disappoint. At the end of the process, she understood exactly what we were looking for, what are tastes were, and what neighborhood we would enjoy the most. l like to think of Tomson Burnham as our first friends in Salem. read more

We had the good fortune being represented by John Kirk in two real estate transactions in Salem, Oregon. John had excellent communication skills throughout. He asked us good questions to learn what we were looking for in a home. He filtered listings and showed us homes that met our needs perfectly. When we had a question, John responded quickly by phone or email. We also loved his very convenient e-document signing! Made the paperwork very easy to process. John was an excellent negotiator. In one case he worked with the seller's agent, in the other, the listing was for sale by owner. In both instances, he looked out for our best interests and struck excellent deals for us. John is extremely knowledgeable about the Salem real estate market and he is a pleasure to work with. We've worked with other agents in the past, and none were more professional or helpful than John. Highest recommendation!!! read more

Summer Pommier was my agent for a couple of months but unfortunately she was not the agent that closed on my house. This was only because when I wanted to see the house (that I ended up buying), she was not available to show it immediately. I was too impatient to wait, so I ended up with a real bucket-head of an agent. As a first time buyer, I'm sure that I drove Summer nuts. I entered the buying market with unrealistic expectations and, admittedly, kind of acted like a baby when those expectations were not met. But house shopping is a big deal, so... yeah. I left the market a tad wiser, and for that I thank Summer. If you want someone who is spunky and hip, I recommend her. If you want a bucket-head, see my next review. read more

Kyle helped us find the perfect house in Salem! We moved from MN and started working with him a few months before our house hunting visit. He was extremely responsive, listened to what we wanted, gave honest feedback about what to expect about the market, speed, prices, and helped us set realistic expectations. His knowledge of neighborhoods, the info on the area, the schools, and ability to help us narrow our list to the houses that worked for us was exemplary. When we did visit the area, he was there for 2 full days to show us as many houses as we could fit in (I think we broke a record!) and put up with our toddler! And when we didn't find the perfect spot that weekend, he continued to look and sent video walkthroughs of the house we ended up buying so that we were able to make an offer as quickly as possible. He then went to work in negotiation - all the way through the time of closing due to inspections and an appraisal concern that came up. From mortgage brokers to inspectors to repair recommendations, he knows his stuff! I would highly recommend Tomson Burnham (Kyle, Melina and others on their team!) if you are considering a move to the Salem area. Thanks you guys!! Ann, Pete & family read more

We were new to the Salem area and got to know the city before moving to town by reading Melina's blog (http://salemoregonrealestatehomes.com/). So when the time came to find an agent, we went with Melina. I'll admit, I was surprised to discover she was (at the time) an agency of one. Her website looked so professional that I thought she was part of a larger firm. When we figured out she was on her own, that gave me some pause but it quickly became apparent that she understood the type of home we were looking for and thanks to her knowledge of the area she was able to steer us in the right direction on places to look for a house. Once we got into the contract process, she was very detail-oriented, checking for permits, looking up to see if the house was in a flood plain, etc. The first house we seriously considered needed a lot of work and she was helpful in meeting contractors at the house to get estimates on what it would cost to get the house in shape. We ultimately passed on that home but it was an instructive and useful process and Melina never seemed annoyed to put in all that effort only to have us pass. Melina was always quick to respond to queries, cheerful and good at communicating where we stood in the home buying process. read more

My partner and I had the great fortune of working with John Kirk as our realtor! John is a fantastic broker, and we highly recommend him for anyone selling or buying a property in Salem, OR. We bought our house while living out-of-state, and John was incredibly patient, knowledgeable, and detail-oriented throughout the entire process. Even when we couldn't be in Salem for the inspection, sewer scope, and other pre-closing logistics, John was there every step of the way, attending appointments, forwarding documents and videos, and always keeping us in the loop. He knows Salem incredibly well and has a great sense of humor and demeanor. John also helped us negotiate a good deal on our property, which we especially appreciated. We love our new home, and we loved working with John. We think you will, too! read more

Michael Calabria helped us to purchase our adorable Keizer home. Michael Calabria is a very knowledgeable and resourceful agent (emphasis on both!) Michael was quick to fully comprehend the type of home we wanted and targeted the perfect home for us in just a few short days. He answered all our questions and was available 24/7. He connected us with a lender and helped to coordinate our closing, which was less than 30 days! Amberly Calabria, his spouse and also an agent, was exceptionally helpful too and brought our purchase across the finish line. It was stressful to sell our home in California and at the same time coordinate a buy in Oregon. We closed on our California home on Monday then closed on our Keizer home Friday of the same week! It was beautifully orchestrated and we thank God for bringing Michael Calabria and Amberly Calabria in to our lives for this event. It means everything to us. read more

I can echo everything that's been said about Melina Tomson on this thread. We were moving here from out of state, and I emailed her several weeks in advance of our house hunting trip. She requested that we send her links to listings for houses that appealed to us, so by the time we arrived on our trip, she totally understood our taste and had assembled a detailed portfolio of homes that she thought would meet our needs. Well, she totally nailed it--she even noticed "themes" that houses we liked had in common, and she worked very hard to locate as many as possible. She did all of the legwork, providing us with the most excellent and personalized service imaginable. And when we needed to craft a rather tricky contingent offer, she knew all the "tricks of the trade," helped us do just that, and negotiated a sweet deal on the house. During escrow we never missed a step because of her thoroughness, vigilance, and use of an informative Google calendar. She goes far above and beyond the call of duty and we can't recommend her highly enough. read more

Can't say enough about John Kirk. We had an incredible experience with John Kirk as our realtor. We needed to sell pretty quickly - so was really stressful. John helped us prioritize to get ready - has a team of other staging professionals that were prompt, professional and practical. Bottom line, we sold the home in EIGHT DAYS!! at a price above our target. John Kirk provided the personal support and technical details to get the job done right....can't say enough.... read more

I had to take some time to write this, as I don't think words can really express what an excellent realtor John is. He was there every step of the way during my home purchase. He went above and beyond anything I ever expected. I have been looking for a home in 3 different markets for the last year. I have worked with 4 realtors in 3 states and by far John was the best. His service was exceptional. John was there while I had repairs done as I was moving from another city. He made sure everything was finished for the smoothest move in I have ever experienced. If you are looking for an excellent realtor John Kirk is the one for you. read more