“ We worked with Amy to buy our first home during the height of the crazy seller's market that the pandemic created. She (and her team) were amazing from start to finish. I do not frequently write reviews, but I highly recommend Amy to anyone! You can imagine as first time home buyers, we were both nervous and a bit stressed, navigating the complex process of home buying. She was knowledgeable, patient, and kind every step of the way, both helping to educate us on the process (answering our many questions) and also offering productive advice with our best interest at the core. She knew the ins and outs and nuances of our specific market (one of the most competitive in the country) and really listened to us to understand our wants in a home. We enjoyed our experience with her so much that we will be coming back to her in the future if we have any buying or selling needs. If you need a realtor, don't hesitate with choosing Amy! ”

Janna Serbo

“ Amy was great. She helped us negotiate buying our house when it was a seller's market. She helped us put in a good offer to the seller with the understanding that they would cancel the open house and go under contract with us. Surely if there was an open-house, the price would have escalated, and the sellers would have made more, and we would not have closed on our house. ”

Laura Bryan

“ I've used Amy to help me buy a home twice - once for a condo and once for a house. Both times she has been an invaluable part of the process, especially when we navigated some tricky discussions with the seller of our house. Her knowledge of the industry and connections (including our mortgage advisor, who we found through Amy and LOVE) can't be beat! ”

Nicole Ziolkowski

“ My husband and I worked with Amy to buy our home. She has a superb pulse on market and market value, she is very profesh, easy to work with, she’s always on the ball and excellent and quick at communicating. She also truly listened to what we wanted in a home and neighborhood and help get us the right home and neighborhood for us in a crazy market. This is the second purchase with Amy’s expertise and we recommend her to our friends looking! ”

Jenny Murphy

“ I am a type of person who always tries to offer the best of me in a professional or personal levels and therefore, I expect nothing but the same. Due to that, I don’t write reviews often, but I feel I had the responsibility to do so this time. I want people to be aware of how incredible Amy and her team are. Amy worked as my listing agent to help me sell my first condo, and to purchase my first house. She was upfront and straightforward in our initial meeting and remained steadfast and confident for the following months. She was very knowledgeable about the sale and purchase processes and always made herself available to either answer my questions or deal with any minor issues that came up overtime. I would highly recommend Amy to anyone looking to buy or sell their home. I had a great experience working with her and her team and I look forward to working with them in the future. I gained not only a responsible and honest agent, but a friend. Juan Pedro Villagrana ”

Juan Pedro Villagrana

“ Amy is the epitome of excellence. She is beyond personable, knowledgeable, conscientious & amazing to work with. Amy made the entire process of our home buying easy. Her strong negotiating skills got us our beautiful home in DC. Amy’s professionalism is second to none. Should we ever have any real estate needs in the future, there’s no doubt we’d call Amy! ”

rummagewood

“ Amy is fantastic to work with. Really listened to my family’s needs in order to help us find our first home. As a first time homebuyer it can be very stressful but Amy helped us through every process and gave us great recommendations. We can’t thank her enough! ”

Sarah Mandell

“ Working with Amy was the best decision our family made in the search for a new home. Amy was professional, responsive, creative, and boasted incredible knowledge of the local real estate market. She was instrumental in getting us under contract on our top choice and made the closing process a low-stress affair. I cannot recommend Amy and hear team highly enough! ”

StephenOkin

“ Amy was an expert negotiator with our house purchase and saved us thousands right before closing. More than that, she had a patient, knowledgeable team who worked with us every step of the way. They live and work in the area and understand each neighborhood. Highly recommend. ”

MathtewVahtalmis

“ We have had the great pleasure of working with Amy to buy two homes and sell one within the past five years. If our longevity as a client doesn’t speak to our happiness with Amy, I don’t know what does! Amy is a true professional and deep knowledge of the Northern Virginia real estate market. She has always given us sound advice and helped us make informed decisions about the search, purchasing, and selling process. We are admittedly very picky clients who spent over a year searching for the perfect home. Amy hung in there with us throughout the process with unwavering dedication and patience. If you are looking for a kind, committed, and knowledgeable realtor that will get the job done right, Amy is your gal! ”

edending17

“ After previous attempts at house hunting, we were introduced to Amy by a friend. We couldn't have been luckier. Amy was incredibly knowledgeable and respected our tendencies to be heavy researchers and thus our knowledge as well. She was exceptionally easy to schedule with and for the one showing she was unable to attend, quickly and efficiently connected us with another fantastic colleague who communicated our experience and thoughts with Amy so she was back up to speed for our next visit. As we went through the offer process, Amy was upfront about potential pitfalls and made sensible recommendations while suggesting tips that ultimately helped us land a beautiful house with a stunning yard for asking. She was phenomenal in guiding us through the loan process and then through closing. Beyond that, Amy has been an invaluable resource for us as things come up post-purchase and continues to stay in touch. After closing, we realized we were probably working with a budget smaller than what Amy typically does, but it never came up and she never let us believe we were anything but a top priority for her. We'd happily recommend her to anyone looking for a friendly and professional realtor in the area. ”

abbyrhargreaves

“ My wife and I bought our first condo with Amy in May 2021. She not only helped us negotiate a better price and better contract terms, she fought for us out through the whole closing process with both the lender and the seller. Couldn't have done it without you Amy! ”

zuser20170516094037880

“ Amy is fantastic! She made both selling our first home and buying a new one in NoVA a breeze. She came by with a no-pressure explanation of the whole process and a free evaluation of our home for sale. We sold after one weekend of a crazy open house - and well above asking! She helped us wade through multiple offers, highlighting the pros and cons of each.And she was so kind and willing to drive all over to view a dozen houses before settling on one. She helped us negotiate a great deal (under asking price in a hot market). She was very helpful in explaining and walking us through every part of the process, providing guidance and expert input along the way. Call Amy - you won't regret it! ”

AshleyMaus

“ Amy helped my husband and I buy our home in 2019, and was hands down the best realtor we've ever worked with. We had been working with another realtor who we parted with after searching for a home for over a year and losing hope that we would find something. Amy stepped in and found us a house after just a few weeks of searching, which checked all our boxes and then some! She was so helpful during the entire process, was so patient with our first time homebuyer questions, and most important always had our best interest in mind. She even recommended a contractor after the fact who has helped us with several home renovation projects throughout the years. Couldn't recommend her more! ”

Alexa Mahaffey

“ I am a type of person who always tries to offer the best of me in a professional or personal levels and therefore, I expect nothing but the same. Due to that, I don’t write reviews often, but I feel I had the responsibility to do so this time. I want people to be aware of how incredible Amy and her team are. Amy worked as my listing agent to help me sell my first condo, and to purchase my first house. She was upfront and straightforward in our initial meeting and remained steadfast and confident for the following months. She was very knowledgeable about the sale and purchase processes and always made herself available to either answer my questions or deal with any minor issues that came up overtime. I would highly recommend Amy to anyone looking to buy or sell their home. I had a great experience working with her and her team and I look forward to working with them in the future. I gained not only a responsible and honest agent, but a friend. Juan Pedro Villagrana ”

villagranajp

“ Emma is fantastic! She helped us to buy a condominium in the city about two years ago, and she was extremely professional, courteous, knowledgeable, determined, tireless, practical, and delightful to work with! We liked her so much that when we decided to buy a country house this year, we called her again and she successfully helped us find the home of our dreams in a very tight market! Once again, our experience with Emma was exceptional, and we would strongly recommend her without hesitation! ”

rblake1033

“ Emma did an excellent job making the housing search process easier for us and being on top of answering all our detailed questions. We had a whole spreadsheet of them and she followed up promptly on every single one. She provided great options, coordinated complicated schedules, and provided helpful advice whenever needed. She was a big part in making the housing search as pain free as it can be. We ended up with a 2 equally awesome options, one from searching with Emma and one we had stumbled on ourselves. Even though we went with the one we found, I will definitely be recommending Emma to all my friends and colleagues in the DC area. ”

Bella Jones

“ Working with the Home Keys team (specifically, Emma Maceachern) to find a rental house was a pleasure and easily the lowest-stress house/apartment search I've ever had. As we toured houses, she gave my boyfriend and I helpful items to look for in examining properties, such as uneven floors or ceilings. She helped us find the perfect house in our price range and notified us whenever a new listing that fit our criteria became available. I would highly recommend Emma and her team to anyone looking to buy or rent a house because of their responsiveness and diligence in what can be a stressful time! ”

Camilla Edwards

“ Emma is hard working, creative, and analytically grounded. She was super responsive to all of my communications, helped me put together a well-informed offer, secured agreement on numerous repairs, and had creative approaches to engaging buyers. ”

caliberblooms

“ We know first hand that Emma is a fantastic agent to work with. She helped us navigate a highly competitive market to purchase our first home. Along the way she was quick to provide market data and comps for homes we were interested in, flexible to meet for showings, and responsive to texts and emails whenever we had questions. Most importantly, she is superb at making connections with other real estate professionals, which means she always provides her clients with the most up to date information on any given property. We are grateful for all of Emma’s hard work toward helping us purchase our home and would highly recommend her to anyone looking to buy in the DC area! ”

Beth Hoagland

“ Buying a home can be stressful but Emma made our home buying experience seem effortless. She patiently showed us all the properties we asked to see, as well as providing us good curated options based on our preferences. It was a particularly challenging time to be a home buyer, but we still landed the house we wanted at $10K below its appraised price! Emma did a wonderful job, is a fantastic realtor, and we would highly recommend her and her team to anyone. ”

rupley sean

“ Emma is super professional, knowledgeable about the market, very honest and clear! All the attributes you need on a realtor! She went the extra mile and was always ahead of the game with every detail and always on top with with the requirements needed. Top notch!!!! ?????? ”

Cristian Castillo

“ We can't say enough great things about Emma. My husband and I worked with Emma over a few months trying to find a house in the DMV, we made a few offers and finally bought (below asking!) the one we're about to move into. During that time Emma was incredibly supportive and it was clear she made time for us; we really felt like we were a team. My husband and I were pretty aggressive in our search and looked at what felt like at least 20+ houses all around Virginia, DC and Maryland and she was always prepared and happy to help discuss. Emma had great insight on different situations and was quick to strategize and develop our position for an offer. When we had paper work to do, Emma was diligent and available; we never had to follow up with her, she was always on top of all the paperwork and communications with the different parties and got answers to our questions quickly. We were especially impressed with her level of responsiveness, she is really a hard worker. Her calm and positive attitude helped make an extremely stressful and important process less so. Cheers, Emma! ”

Kim Truong

“ Rachel is a true professional. She understood our needs as a seller and knew exactly what we needed to do in order to sell our home as quick as possible. She is personable, responsive, and a woman of her word. Truly knows her craft and the DC area market. If we still lived in the area we would use her time and time again. ”

mikepulv

“ I cannot express how helpful and professional Rachel was during our home buying process. Without her, I don't think we we would have closed on the house really wanted. She went over and above to get this done for us! ”

adrianrodney

“ Rachel was a dream to work with! She made our home search easy and really took to heart what we were looking for. Rachel supported us through every step of the home buying process - even after closing. She also provided excellent vendor recommendations and helped us navigate a difficult seller. She is knowledgeable, works hard, and goes above and beyond for her clients. ”

Ldw17

“ Rachel Toda is an absolutely amazing realtor! She makes the process so easy and goes above and beyond for her clients. I travel a lot for work and she made sure deliveries, repairs, and cleanings were streamlined during my selling process. Rachel is a very understanding person and cares very deeply which I truly appreciate. If you want a wonderful experience buying/selling your home, look no further than Rachel! ”

joy9620

“ Rachel helped me get my dream condo in DC - she is awesome! I met Rachel over the summer through a family friend and after our first coffee I knew I wanted to work with her. She knows the market really well, is exceptionally organized, an amazing communicator, and also very patient. I went through a few ups and downs (personal/work) and Rachel understood when I had to take a step back from home hunting. A few months later we found my dream condo and she made sure the process moved smoothly. Highly recommend her! ”

Medaliz Trelles

“ WORK WITH RACHEL. I have previously worked with coaching top real estate teams around the country, and I can confidently say she's beyond incredible at what she does. Highly organized, professional, tasteful and was always working with my best interest in mind and took the time to fully understand my goals for a first home purchase and why it was important to me. As a first time home buyer and very busy young professional, Rachel did all of the heavy lifting for me, was always available to answer my questions, and was able to secure me my dream first home in DC proper all in about a 6 week timeframe! Not only that, but she was able to secure my property $10k under asking price, creating instant equity in my home. I'm so grateful to have worked with Rachel- she is an incredible asset to real estate- do yourself a favor and work with Rachel. She does not disappoint! ”

Lindsay Bishop

“ Rachel is the best real estate agent my wife and I have ever worked with! As a retired military family we've done a lot of moving and have worked with agents both buying and renting properties, and this was the best experience we've ever had - from start to finish. Buying with Rachel was a great time for us and we would appreciate if you read our story below so you can know that working with Rachel will be a great experience for you, too!Rachel was recommended to us by friends that she helped find a home perfect for their family. Once we were ready to move forward with finding a home to buy we called her. Rachel graciously took time out of a vacation to talk to us and set up a date (after her vacation) to meet. Our first meeting at her office was great: Rachel's upbeat attitude, professionalism, attentiveness to our answers to her detailed and pointed questions, and demonstration of her knowledge of the market let us know that we had done well by going with our friends’ recommendation. The listings she sent us on our personalized, and easy to navigate, Compass Collection confirmed that she was great at what she does and had a good idea what we were looking for.Rachel was always available and soon zeroed in on a few properties that fit closely with what we were looking for - including the house and property that fit us perfectly. After our offer on that home was accepted Rachel worked tirelessly to schedule all the inspections, draft the necessary addendums, and get the things done that needed done - all the while keeping us informed and feeling good about the deal. I can't say it was stress free (could buying a house ever be?) but Rachel made the process as free from stress for us as probably could be done. Truthfully, it was a great experience. Several times after interacting with Rachel - at a showing or over the phone - my wife and I commented that she was good at her job. The recommendations she made, the pros and cons she pointed out, and the things she wanted us to consider in a property - all spot on with exactly our concerns and interests.Even closing was great, and Rachel was there with us, congratulating and welcoming us to our new home. If there was any downside to the whole process, it was after closing: we took a picture with Rachel and parted ways, but my wife and I wished we could figure out a way to continue working with Rachel.The best we can do is highly recommend her to you, because I'm sure you'll have a great time too. ”

ray nearhood ii

“ My wife and I would not be homeowners if it weren't for Rachel Toda. Before we met Rachel, we felt overwhelmed by the competitive Northern Virginia real estate market. Rachel tamed it for us.She took the time to learn the details of what we wanted in a home and then seemingly channeled our thoughts to find the perfect condo for us in Rosslyn in May 2021.As first-time homebuyers, we had a litany of questions. Rachel answered each one of them promptly, thoroughly and cheerfully.Her upbeat personality and can-do attitude made it a pleasure to work with her. You will not find a better partner to help you make one of the most important decisions and transactions of your life. ”

markschoeff

“ Rachel is the best of the best! I had quite a wild ride as a first time home purchaser and I could not have done it without Rachel. She is a confident, knowledgeable agent that brings passion, determination, and professionalism to every aspect of the journey. As the buyer you are able to breathe easy knowing Rachel is there to support you every step of the way. I can’t recommend her enough. ”

zuser20150607100232519

“ Rachel is simply the best. Not only is she an amazing realtor, but she is also genuine and personable. She goes above and beyond for her clients and has truly been a joy to work with. She approaches what is typically a daunting and intimidating process with grace and helps you tackle every small step along the way. She is exactly the person you want in your corner in this competitive and complicated buying market! It is so clear that she is passionate about her work and her non-judgmental approach made me feel welcomed and understood.Our family had a particularly tricky financial situation, and Rachel’s quick problem-solving skills and persistence landed us a beautiful DC home in the face of a lot of adversity.I will be forever recommending Rachel and her team to potential homebuyers in the DMV. :) ”

jalexaw

“ I recently had the opportunity to work with realtor Elvin Merlo in selling my Northern Virginia house. I rarely use the word “pleasure” when it comes to selling a home, but in this case, it truly was a pleasure. Elvin was knowledgeable of the area, professional, thorough and easy to work with. His advice on renovations was in tune with both my home and the market and his relationships with reputable contractors invaluable. He managed the whole process from which renovations were necessary to staging and showing. He helped me review the multiple offers to find both the best price and the best terms for the sale. I highly recommend Elvin Merlo to anyone selling (or buying) a home in the DMV area. ”

taverrillo

“ I would highly recommend Elvin to anyone looking for a top notch real estate agent in the DMV. He's highly organized and worked quickly to put multiple homes in front of me that checked all the boxes I requested. After zeroing in on a particular property, he used his knowledge of the market & negotiating skill to help secure a highly favorable deal in a competitive market. Finally, after going under contract, he helped seamlessly manage the inspection, appraisal, and closing process, going above and beyond even facilitate a couple of required repairs prior to closing. Overall a fantastic experience! ”

Brian Cain

“ I cannot recommend Elvin highly enough. Not only does he have extensive knowledge of the DMV area, but he puts his clients first. We had discussions early on in the process of what kind of home I was looking for, target neighborhoods, and budget, and Elvin went above and beyond to find the ideal home. On top of all this, Elvin demonstrated a keen understanding of the competitive nature of the post-covid real estate market and what it takes to submit a winning bid. He worked closely with me to craft a highly competitive offer and it resulted in me winning my new home in a hyper competitive environment.Elvin has expertise in every facet of the home buying process: clearly defining goals, how to win, securing financing, all the way through closing. It was a flawless experience from top to bottom. ”

user5971001

“ Elvin did outstanding job to get the home that matches perfectly our family needs. Elvin did listen carefully our family needs and expectations, and help us in finding the right home for us, but also he was great in protecting our budget and boundaries limit financially speaking. He did help us as well in connecting with home inspectors, lenders, etc. Great experience overall in buying our first home in DC. ”

Dario Pertusi

“ My husband and I had the privilege of working with Elvin Merlo on several occasions and we couldn’t be happier. His knowledge of the local market, patience and likable personality make the buy and sell process of real estate effortless. Elvin’s work ethic, attention to detail and professionalism are commendable. Call Elvin Merlo, he is a top notch realtor. ”

debbiewentzell

“ Elvin is a phenomenal Realtor! He came recommended by a good friend of ours and he helped us purchase our first home. He was attentive, knowledgeable, and he has an aura about him that put myself and my wife at ease. He is friendly and approachable, which made working with him a breeze. Elvin helped us negotiate an offer that we are very proud of, as we were able to win a competitive listing. He has an amazing list of vendor partners who we have already leveraged to update our home. We recommend Elvin without any hesitation and look forward to working with him again during our next home transaction. ”

user131738

“ I can tell you that selling the home that you’ve lived in for 40 years in Fairfax County (in the DMV) is gut-wrenching and hard. Who can help with the home-selling process? A knowledgeable, experienced and professional realtor like Elvin Merlo. He skillfully and seamlessly guided me through the entire home-selling process, reviewed my home, established potential timelines, offered possible renovations to improve value, suggested recommended service providers and analyzed data to reach a selling price—all easing the path to an open house weekend that elicited multiple offers during the first week on the market. Elvin was with me every step of the way—managing both my worries and expectations. When one service provider performed substandard work, he was immediately there to correct the issue. He went above and beyond what one might think a real estate agent would do (being hands on and correcting the situation on his personal time). Throughout, Elvin worked hard on my behalf; was highly responsive and communicated regularly; always kept his engaging, upbeat and energetic manner; and showed how much he enjoys connecting with people and expertly helping them realize their home selling (and buying) dreams. I am grateful that a family member recommended Elvin to me. I trust Elvin and his advice, and I recommend him highly. ”

mverrillo2

“ Elvin was great to work with. He’s on top of everything and he’s a thoughtful negotiator. He knows the DMV area very well. We will definitely work with him again—highly recommend! ”

Micah Vote

“ Elvin helped me and my girlfriend purchase our first home. Throughout the entire process, he was professional, knowledgeable and made himself available at any time if we had questions. With his guidance, we were able to submit a competitive offer and beat out several others. He made our first home-buying experience as stress-free as possible, and I can’t thank him enough. ”

marcus dyson24

“ I met Elvin Merlo at an open house in Arlington while my wife and I were looking for an investment property to buy. He immediately let us know that the home he was selling was not the best investment property due to rental restrictions and high association fees in the building. He walked us through the home buying process and showed us the criteria he uses to evaluate rental properties. Within two weeks of meeting Elvin, he helped us go under contract on an off-market property that he found. The condo next door with the same exact layout went on the market weeks later and sold for $35,000 more than what we paid for our unit. Elvin proceeded to help us with securing tenants and we received 3 applications within a short period of time. I can honestly say that Elvin had our best interest at heart. He was very professional, highly responsive to our needs and concerns and was always available to chat or meet at any time. We highly recommend Elvin and plan on working with him again in the near future. ”

neeon7