Testimonials

Scroll Down: 16 Testimonials November 2009 I recommend Ron as a real estate agent because of his attentiveness, his eye for detail, his wealth of experience and his knowledge of the greater Boston area and the changing market. I had several road blocks in my purchase from the seller, but Ron doggedly — and successfully — pushed through them all, so that we were able to close the deal within my required deadline. I appreciated his dedication to my search and my final purchase. Daniel Hudon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ November 2009 We think of you often and the great job you did staging our home. It certainly was well worth the effort. Thanks for paying such close attention to the many details and helping us deal with the unexpected multiple offers. We never expected to sell our home [October 2007] at the first open house. All this made the sale of our home and our move to Mississippi seem effortless. Thanks for a great job! Bob and Susan Gebhardt ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ December 2007 My husband and I worked with Ron in July 2007 to find our first condo in the Medford, Somerville or Arlington areas. We entered into the process quite naively, and a little suspect of the real estate industry, but we soon realized how lucky were to find an agent like Ron Cohen. Not only was he knowledgeable about the areas in which we were looking, but he also connected us with a similarly honest lender and a lawyer which made the whole process surprisingly agreeable. Sometimes we cannot believe how smoothly our whole process went, especially during this volatile market. What we were most impressed with is Ron’s great eye for the kinds of small improvements that can make or break a sale. He has some great suggestions for making the place look better for little cost. Ron has a lot of experience in the industry, and can spot the flaws in an instant! He does not rush into decisions and is very up-front about everything that we saw, while being respectful of our “naivety.” After spending time with Ron we felt like we had taken an accelerated course in home buying and felt much more confident about our own choices. The best part was that after viewing about 5 condos, we found THE ONE. All throughout the process, we truly felt he had our best interest in mind. We highly recommend Ron Cohen. Kyna Hamill and Luke Pomorski ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ October 2007 It is with great pleasure and confidence that I recommend Ron Cohen as a broker. I bought my first house ten days ago and Ron represented me as my broker and was a tremendous help. Not being familiar at all with the whole buying process and not being from this country, I needed somebody that would be available to answer my questions, provide good referrals and look for my best interest every step of the way. Ron was always available, gave me his honest opinions whenever I was interested in a place, and referred me to a home inspector, a closing attorney and even a mortgage company. Thanks to Ron, I was able to get a house that I really like at a fair price. I had a great experience working with Ron and I would definitely recommend him to any potential homebuyer. Fatou Ndiaye ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ June, 2006 As two professional men in their 20’s, a buddy of mine and I decided that it was time we owned our own places and stopped renting. However, we couldn’t bring ourselves to pay the outrageous prices that simple two-bedroom units in managed buildings were commanding in the Boston area. Then it hit us – what if we bought a two-family house, performed the condo conversion ourselves, and shared the yard and basement? We could have so much more for same money. Pure genius! And free band practice space in the basement to boot… After nearly two months of searching every weekend day, our first real estate agent quit on us and others discouraged us that what we were looking for, in our price range, might not be possible. Ron agreed to take us on, and within two months we purchased a pretty ideal house right outside of Boston with everything that we were looking for. In the process, we also learned a whole lot about real estate and the “Ron’s-eye-view” of the market. If other agents tell you it isn’t possible, well they could be right, but I’d be sure to ask Ron first before I believed them. Marc Siegel ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ December 2005 We were really lucky to have found Ron to help us on our house search: we didn’t grow up in this country and were totally unfamiliar with the whole buying process here in the U.S. Ron was a wonderful help to us and if it weren’t for him we wouldn’t even be in our home today! Ron took a great amount of time to show us some properties in order to really evaluate our taste in real estate. He pretty soon directed us to areas that would better fit our needs that the ones we were thinking about in the first place, and really wisely helped us figuring out what were the most important points we were to look for in our future property. We didn’t even feel like we wanted to visit the house we are in today when we first drove by. But we had to admit his advice was good and we are very happy homeowners now. We also appreciated a lot all the people Ron put us in contact with, which was important for us as we have no connection here in the real estate business. Marc and Chrystal Orellou ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ October 2005 When I first started looking for a home in the Boston area, I was pretty skeptical about working with realtors. I had just gotten burned six months prior by a bad experience with an agent while considering condos in NH, and it was nearly enough to make me stop looking. I was wondering if I was ever going to find a good buyer’s agent who was honest, wouldn’t take advantage of me, and had my best interests at heart as a single, twenty-seven year old woman and a first time home buyer. Ron Cohen not only met my expectations, he blew them out of the water. Never once was I made to feel to feel foolish, given the run around, or feel under pressure to make an offer. Instead I was treated with a great deal of kindness, thoughtfulness, and sincerity. He not only cared for me as a client, but he treated me as family, and I do not say that lightly. I felt that he made quite the effort to make me feel comfortable and to go above and beyond the call of duty; in fact, I don’t think that I could begin to mention all the ways in which he helped me in my purchase, or the care that he took to make sure that I would be living in a good home. Ron was careful to point out with great detail both the good and the bad details about the homes I saw, and went out of his way to find me a high quality home with both the features that I needed and was within a reasonable price range for the area and the home itself. There was no feelings of being persuaded, pushed, or pressured into making what could be a bad choice on a potential sale. If he didn’t like the neighborhood or any particular detail of a home that would not have suited my needs, he would talk me out of considering them and explain why they would not be beneficial to me. I received quite an education in homeownership from talking with Ron as well as recommendations on public transportation, home maintenance, dining, and shopping. My parents had the opportunity to meet him while they were visiting, and were equally impressed with his manner, how he treated both them and myself, and the care he took to make sure that my home shopping experience was a good one –and indeed it was. I now live in a beautiful, spacious home next to a river, within walking distance of public transportation, and close to all of the major roads and cities –not to mention for a reasonable price given the location. I have Ron to thank for it and the wonderful experience I had working with him. I’m very glad that I had the opportunity to meet him and will be recommending his services highly to my friends and coworkers. Thanks again, Ron! Andrea Berman ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ February 2005 We worked with Ron on a very short time frame as out-of-state buyers in on a weekend house hunt. After seeing two houses with him, he zeroed in on the exact type and location of property that we were interested in. We made an offer on the third property that we saw with him, and Ron deftly handled the bidding process. His considerable experience in real estate was a great asset to us. Ron was attentive and listened well. He was also forthright and tactful in validating our opinions or respectfully disagreeing with us at times. We got the sense that Ron was totally focused on our search. He responded immediately and acted quickly, initially following our lead, and then taking the lead to facilitate the inspection process. He asked good questions so that we would make a well-informed decision. Ron also followed through on many salient details, getting town information for us that most Realtors would not “go the extra mile for.” When an unexpected surprise arose about our house after the sale and purchase, Ron responded swiftly to manage the situation, getting information for us. Ron acted in our best interests at every turn of the house hunting process with an uncommon integrity. He was diligent without being aggressive. He obviously cares about and works hard for his clients. Because our success as buyers was largely due to Ron’s efforts, we would recommend him to anyone who is looking for these qualities in a Realtor. Chris and Cynthia Murray ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ January 2005 In the Fall of ’04, I was a 31-year-old bachelor new to the Boston market. I happened upon Ron’s website while looking for a site that offered MLS listings. When I found a place I wanted to look at, it was easy to call the number in front of me. I am very glad I did. Ron greatly exceeded my expectations as a Realtor (a difficult task). Ron understands housing construction, and especially the local idiom. He’s lived in the Boston area all his life, and knows its geography well. Finally, his emersion in the community allowed him to recommend a good housing inspector, contractor and mortgage broker. I was skeptical at first, but was absolutely happy with all of their work. In terms of the home search, Ron was very patient, even when I wasn’t. I wanted to buy the third place I saw, but he “politely requested” that I keep searching. This didn’t fall in line with what I thought a buyer’s broker would do. Once I signed with him, he was pretty much guaranteed to get my commission, no matter if it took three days or three months. He wasn’t looking to simply push me through the process; he was looking out for my best interests. Ron’s a bulldog. During the purchase negotiation, he wouldn’t let anything get past him. The person I purchased my home from tried to slip multiple building violations by us. Ron picked up on each one, insisting that they get fixed as part of the deal. Ron even went down to the building department on his own to check for building permits. To sum up, I would recommend Ron to anybody. He doesn’t take on a lot of clients, instead choosing to focus (and get to know) the ones he does. He continues to check that everything is going well with the place months after the sale. He’s dropping off a house-warming gift this weekend! Trip Dixon ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ December 2003 I was in a panic to find a new place after receiving notice to vacate my apartment. My first thought was to see what help I could find on the Internet. Ron’s face was quickly smiling at me from his website, where he offered the services of a “buyer’s agent.” This meant he would work exclusively for me instead of for the sellers. As my agent, Ron visited and evaluated a number of properties with me. I realized later that he was also gauging my reactions, and gently nudging me to follow my own inclinations, inclinations which I often overlooked under the pressure of events. He kept me focused on the things he saw were most important to me, and most suited to my needs. When I started to lose composure, he would patiently review the steps in my decision process and help me pick up the thread again, leaving me to feel confident that I was headed in the right direction. Ron helped me analyze my housing costs, and he found me competitive financing. He was housing adviser, therapist and at times a pretty good comedian all rolled into one. His jokes were a balm when frustration started to take a toll. For help in buying a home, I could not recommend a more caring, dedicated and sensitive agent than Ron Cohen. Joseph Morgan, Architect ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ June 2003 Ron Cohen is a truly excellent Realtor. I knew we were on to something good with Ron when my wife came home and told me “I found us a great agent. He was the only one I talked to that really seemed to listen when I described our situation.” A few days later we met with Ron and after a brief pep talk, went out to look at houses. I was immediately impressed by Ron’s savvy when it came to sizing up the merits and flaws of a house. He has a knack for quickly spotting things that you might not notice at first, but would grow into major annoyances over the course of months and years, like a poorly laid-out kitchen. We found our house quickly, which disappointed me only in that I was looking forward to more of Ron’s critical tours of properties. When it came to making an offer and going through the loan application process, Ron’s guidance as our buyer’s agent was indispensable. I honestly don’t think we’d be in our house today if it weren’t for his counsel. And once the deal was in motion, Ron was always available when we had questions or concerns. The mortgage broker he recommended was thoroughly professional and made the whole financing process pretty painless. All in all, buying a house with Ron was a great experience. We enjoyed it so much we’re thinking of selling our house just so we can do it again! (Just kidding). We can’t recommend him enough. Thanks, Ron! Renato (“Rennie”) and Robin Mirollo ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ January 2003 I could not imagine going through the purchasing process without Ron. I was extremely lucky to find Ron and plan on using him for the purchase and sale of any Massachusetts properties in the future. I was a first time-buyer and Ron acted as my “buyers broker”. I dealt with Ron for a few months and he made the process incredibly simple and convenient. Although my credibility is questionable because I am a first-time buyer, my parents (who have purchased and sold a number of homes) helped me though the process and they were amazed with Ron’s competence and thoroughness. Without hesitation they announced that Ron was the best they had dealt with. Ron was diligent, experienced, intelligent, extremely detail-oriented, and honest. At times, I got the sense that he cared more about the property, process, and price than I did. Ron instinctively picked up on at least a dozen things that my parents and I would have never thought of. I attribute this to his vast experience and diverse background. Frankly, Ron is the type of dealer you want on your side because you can forget your worries and feel as if he is going far above and beyond to make sure you are going to get the best property, at the best price, and the least hassle. I would happily recommend Ron to anyone who is looking for a broker. I also strongly recommend making him “buyers broker.” Scott Zinober, MIT Sloan School of Management ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ January 2002 I hope you had a nice holiday. I just wanted to say thank you for all your assistance in the process of buying our new home. We could not be happier. It was a long process for us because of all the obstacles we had to go through. I was happy we signed you on as our buyer’s broker. Thanks again! And have a Happy New Year. Maria and Duane O’Donnell ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ June 2001 Ron Cohen worked with me as my real estate broker for a period of several months. During this period he was a professional, dependable and knowledgeable broker, with a lot of experience in the real estate business and good expertise in the Boston area . His Web site is very useful for market research and simplifies searching for a house. I am completely satisfied with our relationship and would recommend Ron to anybody who is interested in a solid and knowledgeable guide in the real estate business. Yakov Popovskiy ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ March 2001 Hi Ron, Nancy and I would like to thank you again for all the help that you have given us. Buying a house was a daunting task and we appreciate your guidance and advice, you really helped us navigate through this complicated process. I would be glad to be used as a reference for any prospective clients that you have. (You should give them my work number because we will be in a state of chaotic transition for a while.) Again, we would like to express our gratitude for all that you have done for us. All the best to you and your wife. Frank and Nancy Igoe ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ January 2001 We have no hesitation in recommending Ron Cohen as your real estate agent. As well as being professional and experienced, he genuinely likes helping people. He acted as our “buyer’s agent” and gave us truthful advice about the properties we viewed. He helped us as much as he could over an 18-month period to find our home. During that time we attempted to buy a house four times. He also spent a great deal of time helping us after the closing and we continue to keep in touch as friends. Dr. Anil Chandraker and Samia Chandraker