The Cottone Co, Real Estate

Although moving 2,000 miles and purchasing a new home are two of the most stressful situations one can experience, Paul Cottone proved to be the most ethical and knowledgeable buyer's agent we could have hoped for. He worked tirelessly for us and left no detail unaccounted for in presenting us with residential options in an area that was so different from what we had been accustomed to. If you are looking for a trusted advisor and want someone who can provide a meticulous analysis of your next home, you will see why Paul Cottone is more than just a realtor.

Paul recently helped our family find our home in a very competitive market. Prior to contacting Paul, we were looking for numerous years being outbid and with agents who were not proactive in assisting with our search. From the beginning Paul met with us to learn our needs and budget. We found that he was very knowledgeable about the market in Boston and all surrounding areas. He is very experienced and provides helpful feedback regarding the potential value and resale of a home. Paul knows so much about houses and it was a completely different experience seeing a home with him. I believe he used to be an inspector so this perspective is extremely valuable when having brief amounts of time to evaluate a home and potentially place a bid. He is very responsive by email and is a more proactive agent who will actively look for opportunities that fit your needs. We felt that he was always on our side and never pushing anything on us that was not a fit. When we found a home we were interested in, he had suggestions regarding our proposal and how to make it competitive. Through the bid process, he was supportive of anything we needed to do to secure our interests. We talked often by phone, email and text. He was awesome when we brought our young kids and would even hold our kids while we checked out homes. I can't say enough amazing things about Paul. All sellers' agents would remark how lucky we were to have him. He has a great reputation and it is certainly deserved from our view. We found him knowledgeable, honest, communicative and above all I ended up feeling like we had made a new friend. We really enjoyed working with him and don't think we would have gotten the home that we love without him. Thank you so much Paul!

Paul was a fantastic buyers agent! He was recommended to us by the Massachusetts Association of Buyers Agents, we were happy with our choice after just 5 minutes speaking with him. We moved to Boston from the UK a few years ago and while we knew the system in the UK, we knew nothing about how to buy a house here. On top of that we had a limited budget which made buying in this crazy market particularly difficult. Paul was extremely patient with us, and taught us everything we needed to know. When it came to actually viewing properties, we were limited by the fact that we don't own a car. Paul was happy to give us a ride to viewings, which was highly appreciated. During viewings Paul was meticulous, constantly looking for maintenance issues, and forthcoming with his thoughts. It's easy to get carried away viewing properties, and Paul was the voice of reason throughout. He even took us down to city hall to make sure all the permits were in order. During our time looking, we found an area we were really keen on. Paul suggested we send a letter to all the homeowners in a particular development, he tracked down names and addresses for everyone, and drafted a letter for us. This led to some definite interest and we almost secured an off-market purchase. When we had finally found the property we wanted, in the area we wanted to live in, Paul's experience in writing offers was invaluable. Our low downpayment made us particularly unattractive to sellers, but our offer was accepted nonetheless. I highly recommend Paul Cottone, not only is he fantastic at what he does, he is a lovely person to spend all that time with.

Paul is smart, thorough and patient. He knows the market in our area well and took the time to educate us about the area and the process of buying a home. His critical eye helped us to notice important issues with homes we looked at, and I always knew that he had our best interests at heart. I was amazed at how Paul went above and beyond to dig up information in public records that helped us to make a successful offer. The inspectors, mortgage brokers, and others who Paul works with were also first-rate.

Paul is very knowledgeable about all aspects of both real estate and the building and development process. When we visited a development with new homes available, he also located several resells in the same location. This was very enlightening in terms of comparison for price and features. He points out flaws and possible problems (something he is free to do since he represents me, not the seller!) and noted upgrades and attractive details. He even made suggestions on how a shower could be installed in a basement half-bath. He is absolutely the best person to view property with.

Paul is an excellent buyers agent. He has a comprehensive knowledge of the towns in and around Boston, offering insights on factors we would have never considered. Paul is also very thorough, both in evaluating properties and identifying unique buying opportunities. He and I spoke and / or e-mailed multiple times each week from the beginning of our search in March through our closing in mid-November. His communications were always prompt and thorough. Most importantly, he encouraged patience, both directly and indirectly. During slow periods he expressed confidence that attractive properties in our price range would come on the market. Paul also talked us out of buying more houses than he ever tried to talk us into, giving me the strong sense that he recognizes that his interests are best served when my interests are best served. In this way, he provides a model for client service. It's overly simplistic, but Paul's great. Hire him.

I worked with Paul and ended up finding a home with which I am extremely satisfied. He took the time initially to listen to my ?must haves? and ?nice to haves? and then showing me some properties in which I might be interested. He was very patient as I requested to see many listings that he knew I would not like (he was right). I really came to appreciate his expertise and advice. Eventually, we found a condo for me in exactly the complex that I wanted to live through his exhaustive efforts. I would highly recommend Paul to anyone looking to purchase a house.

Paul is an outstanding buyer's agent. He knows more than other agents about neighborhoods, zoning, permitting, renovation, architecture and design and other factors that are relevant to decisions. Perhaps most importantly, he has a great understanding of price and value and knows when something is over-priced and when you are getting a bargain and is a good negotiator. He is (sometimes brutally!) honest and works hard to understand his buyers' needs and wishes. He will not try to convince you to buy something at the upper end of your budget, or try to convince you to buy when it's not meant for you. In fact, if you want to buy an over-priced house, you may find yourself trying to convince him that it's really what you want. He is in it for the long-run and cares about his reputation, not just the commission on the immediate transaction, so you can depend on him being honest and truly helpful and to have your best interests at heart. We have recommended him to a number of colleagues and friends and they have all become fans. We used him twice--our first home in the boston area in 2000 and our current home in 2006. He's remained in touch as a friend ever since. If we were ever to consider buying again, he would be the first person we turn to.

Paul was great, and we would unreservedly recommend his services. He was highly knowledgeable, tenacious, and devised creative solutions that we probably wouldn't have gotten from any other realtor. Ultimately, we're quite happy with his services.

He was great; every Sunday he would call us and give us a list of homes to look at and meet us there. He was very picky on our behalf. He was most helpful. With a very critical eye that we appreciated.

Paul is very knowledgeable about real estate in the greater metropolitan area of Boston which was really helpful since we were new to the city. Furthermore, he was really patient and took us to all of the neighborhoods and houses in which we had an interest, was always available for questions, and had an extensive network of contacts such as real estate lawyers and mortgage brokers. Ultimately, we are quite happy with our house as well as the experience.

This was our second time using the company. Paul is extremely knowledgeable about local real estate, offered great out-of-the-box solutions, and was a consummate professional. I would definitely recommend his services.

It was great! Paul was very helpful, served us well, and was readily available if we ever had any questions or concerns. I would definitely use his services again.

Their price was very reasonable. They are extremely detail oriented and provides advice on the condition of the property we were looking at. They are very knowledgeable, they've been doing it for a long time and they had a lot of experience looking at realty and homes. We were first time home buyers and he walks through the whole process from the beginning to the end so that was very helpful. Overall it was a very good experience, very good company and a very good guy.

We originally hired Paul to help us negotiate a home purchase from a friend. This fell through, and we continued to shop for a house. Paul was very good at listening to what we wanted in a house and finding houses that we'd like. He got to know what we liked and didn't in a house, our plans for the future, and many other intangible things that made him able to filter potential houses. After a few house visits to let him get a feel for our tastes, he never took us to a house we didn't like. He was very good at spotting potential home inspection type issues. His pricing research was spot on. Many times he would tell us that a house was overpriced and we would watch it drop to around what he estimated. He was extremely responsive to our needs. We ended up purchasing a house that we never would have visited due to a bad MLS listing and inaccurate information, after he convinced the sellers to drop the price by close to $50k. I would highly recommend Paul as a buyer's agent.

My wife and I worked with Paul and ended up finding a home that we are extremely happy with. In that time we probably saw close to 100 houses in 6 towns, and came to appreciate Paul's expert eye, opinions, and patience, as well as his familiarity with all the towns we were looking in. Seeing a house with Paul was like a preliminary home inspection, and he would point out many issues that we would not have thought to look for. We always felt that Paul was working for us and had our best interests in mind. In the end we found a house in our price range in the town at the top of our list, and we have Paul to thank for that. I would highly recommend Paul to anyone looking to purchase a house.