Merle worked with us for over a year, being incredibly patient and flexible, helpful and thoughtful, and just generally a joy to work with. She genuinely understood the strange combination of qualities we were looking for in a home, and guided us through the process with aplomb. I cannot imagine having a better buyer's agent, and I cannot recommend her highly enough. Peter we only worked with after we'd found the right home, but he was helpful, knowledgeable, and helped me get things out of the seller that I never thought possible. I am so incredibly delighted with our new home, and the entire experience of home shopping. Thanks Merle and Peter!
Peter and Merle are terrific! Knowledgeable professionals, patient communicators...they made my major life transition of selling a house I've lived in for 35 years not only manageable, but pleasant. I would highly recommed them to anyone selling or buying a home.
rom the very beginning, they were very helpful. They were upfront and honest about the market, what they knew and what they didn't know. They made good suggestions, listened to our concerns and helped us a good deal along the way. They were very responsive, via email and the phone, and worked well with us along the way, holding open houses and also viewings for individuals. We had rented our condo and weren't in the area and they worked very well with the manager and also the renter, very respectful. My wife and I recommend them most highly.
Merle and Peter are FANTASTIC communicators. They provided in-depth information when answering any questions or concerns. They were very proactive and competent throughout the process. They had many ideas on how to improve the likelihood of the sale and they provided excellent rationales yet were open to discussion. They never hired external contractors or made important decisions without prior discussion and approval. Highly recommended.
We signed with Merle and Peter on Feb. 12, 2016. Two offers came in over Easter weekend. Many showings, much marketing and just great PR overall is the trademark of Merle and Peter. We cannot begin to tell you how much they helped us being there, getting to know us, advising on what to do and what could be done later, helping organize and facilitate inspections and tradespeople and generally helping us be market ready. I think this is one of the fastest turn arounds in the area in recent times. When we truly needed professional help, being states away in Wisconsin, Merle and Peter came through every step of the way.
We appreciated from the beginning that Merle was not at all pushy. She listened to what we wanted and respected our desires while also being willing to share her expertise and opinions when it seemed appropriate for us. Compared to other realtors we spoke and met with, we really appreciated that Merle didn't make our realtor-buyer relationship awkward in any way. Of note, Merle was very responsive in communications: one of the reasons we ended up with our home is because Merle was able to immediately schedule a viewing after our request, and one time that she was particularly busy and we were particularly anxious during the purchase process, she had her husband (also a Sawicki realtor) call us to answer our questions. Also, she didn't rush us at viewings, and instead gave us ample time to look at details and "feel out" the homes. We appreciated that she helped us navigate the communication process with the sellers and their realtor during the purchase, making us feel comfortable that she was representing our perspective.
Merle is an experienced agent who is well acquainted with the housing inventory in Amherst, Northampton, and surrounding areas. She has good relationships with other agents and is willing to go the extra mile to get you the information or service you need.
I worked with both Peter and Merle. They were incredibly helpful and amenable to my crazy schedule and situation (I was living out of state at the time). They were excellent about giving me recommendations and showed me places I requested to see but they didn't think I'd like (and they were usually right). They were also great about helping find other resources: mortgage lender, attorney, locksmith, etc. I highly recommend them!
I had the pleasure of working with Merle Bruno over the past year to find my first dream home. She is patient, knowledgeable, appropriately honest, punctual, prompt, and is most importantly, very friendly. As a first time home buyer, I knew nothing about the home buying process, or about homes in general. She patiently educated me and helped me find the home of my dreams. I never had a question left unanswered, and I never had to wait long for a response (whether in an email or call). I couldn't have asked for a better Realtor. I highly recommend her and will continue to work with her in the future.
Merle’s and Peter’s excellent ideas, advice, and smart marketing efforts made the difference in successfully selling our condominium. Their enthusiasm and energy were a welcome contrast to an agent we had in the past who did little and didn't get the property sold. It was a pleasure to work with them and we recommend them highly as real estate agents.
Merle and Peter made a perfect match between us and a property by understanding what we wanted even better than we did. They know well each property which made the search very efficient. Thanks to their experience, the process was smooth from day one through closing. No drama! No delay. Win-win.
Merle is all that you want in a realtor - personable, knowledgable, flexible, attentive, responsive, honest, and professional. She made finding and buying my new home - with all that that entails - as painless and easy as possible. Always with a big smile, she did everything in her power to make things work the way they should.
We bought our house in Hadley with the help of Merle and Peter last fall. It was a long distance purchase for us since were still in California. But with Peter's background in construction and Merle's thoroughness with detail, it went smoothly. Their knowledge of the area and access to local resources made the process mostly stress-free. It was a hard negotiation at times, but we got through it. It was, and is the right house in the perfect location. Thanks so much.
From the very first moment after entering the real estate market in Western Massachusetts, until long after the transaction was completed, I found consistently that Merle Bruno offered the very highest level of service tailored exactly to my needs. I was a demanding client. Merle was always pleased to help me get my questions answered and needs met. My criteria were stringent, and Merle and Peter managed to steer me in useful directions to help me find the ONE RIGHT PROPERTY and - just as important - to avoid wasting my time, which in my case was limited to a two-week shopping window. Even after the transaction was negotiated, Merle provided terrific follow-up service regarding the dozens of small details in preparing the house, handling legal and regulatory matters, utilities, referrals, and the like. An experience like this is profound for every homeowner, and I was unprepared for the scope of the task: the decisions, the planning, the uncertainties. Merle was there every minute. She never pushed me in a direction I was uncomfortable with, but was always ready to provide her very helpful advice steeped in her years of experience. If you're entering the real estate market, I recommend you call Merle Bruno at Sawicki Realty, and get things started by making one of the best decisions you'll make in the entire process.
