We were exploring the market for over a year before we made contact with Annalise, and she almost immediately helped us fine-tune our priorities. Her experience in the market was invaluable, spotting trends and advising us on the realities of the current marketplace. She was able to help us stay focused on fairly disparate approaches: fixers or teardowns and move-in-ready starter homes, as we were exploring both. Her familiarity with our preferred neighborhoods was essential, and here's where having an experienced, passionate agent speaks volumes; she tells it like it is. She will not shy from pointing out the long view, even if it means you end up continuing your search because the property in question was a short-term solution to a long-term problem. As an architect, I was impressed with this approach: in my profession, I am often faced with the challenge of aiding my clients in thinking about the future, even when the budget doesn't appear to support it outright. Annalise always reminded us of this, which was especially helpful as the market grew tighter and tighter, and low inventory and higher prices were making us less optimistic about our chances. She helped us avoid the foot in the door that would require moving again when the kids were a little older, something that was driving our house-hunting in the first place. Annalise is also as connected as it gets, in an era where so many of us are doing our house hunting online. She was always quick to forward new opportunities, had advice and comments on many of the properties we inquired about even before we'd been to a showing, had her ear to the ground for upcoming homes, and was accessible pretty much 24/7, text, email, phone, in person. She was able to pull together our offers quickly and efficiently and bargain on our behalf, and we benefitted from her strong relationship with area lenders. Annalise has been a true friend as well as our agent, wanting the best for us and helping us ultimately find the right fit. We couldn't be happier.